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Line of Scrimmage

by Marie Force (Goodreads Author)

3.99 of 5 stars 3.99 · rating details · 2,806 ratings · 174 reviews

She's given up on him and moved on...

Susannah finally has a peaceful, calm life and a no-surprises man. Marriage to football superstar Ryan Sanderson was a whirlwind of passion, heat, energy, and excitement, but Susannah got sick of playing second fiddle to his team, watching women throwing themselves at him, and living in terror of the hard hits he took on the field. With

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ebook, 368 pages

Published September 1st 2008 by Sourcebooks Casablanca

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Nov 29, 2011 KarenH rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: excellent-love-story, heart-wrenching, keep-the-kleenex-close-by, keepers, sexy-with-a-capital-s-hero, top-30ish-favorites, paperback-5-stars-plus, the-real-keepers-in-paperback

If you are a fan of contemporary romance stories with a pseudo-sports theme (the Chicago Stars series by SEP, the Chinooks series by Rachel Gibson) then Line of Scrimmage by Marie Force is a must-read for you. Like the comparable stories, the hero is a professional sports icon who will have your heart from page one. But unlike those similar books where the hero and heroine meet and then face the trials and tribulations of a new union, the protagonists in LofS have been married 10 years and are j...more If you are a fan of contemporary romance stories with a pseudo-sports theme (the Chicago Stars series by SEP, the Chinooks series by Rachel Gibson) then Line of Scrimmage by Marie Force is a must-read for you. Like the comparable stories, the hero is a professional sports icon who will have your heart from page one. But unlike those similar books where the hero and heroine meet and then face the trials and tribulations of a new union, the protagonists in LofS have been married 10 years and are just 10 days away from being divorced.

Ryan Sanderson, quarterback for the Denver Mavericks, has just led his team to their 3rd Super Bowl victory. However, Ryan's happiness in winning the championship is bittersweet because his career has cost him his marriage to Susannah, the love of his life. Knowing that his divorce will be final in 10 days, Ryan is panicked that he is about to lose the only woman he has ever loved. Desperate to convince her their marriage is worth fighting for, a battered and bruised Ryan shows up on Susannah's doorstep. Unfortunately, he has picked a most inconvenient time to make an appearance as a celebration is going on inside...Susannah's engagement party.

The story begins...

First of all, you will absolutely LOVE Ryan and mourn the fact that all men have not been created in his image (or any man, for that matter). He is tall, ruggedly handsome in that modern-day cowboy style, and has a killer body like an athlete of his caliber should. (Overall, think Tom Brady* and you'll get a good image). Ryan is a sweetheart with a heart of gold and at first you'll wonder what the hell was Susannah thinking to file for divorce from this model of perfection, and soon after become engaged to a nerdy Wall Street guy that wears bow ties. But as you get to know Susannah you come to understand why she felt she could no longer be married to the football star. She had once devoted her life to loving Ryan but it no longer was enough. She felt like nothing more than a fixture on a shelf - taken down and dusted off whenever an occasion called for a wife. She was second to his career, his endorsements and to his public. Susannah knew that Ryan loved her and she would always love him, but the intimacy they had shared in the early years of their marriage was now nothing more than a fond memory. The love that had once been the wall that sheltered them from the rest of the world was buried beneath the avalanche of activity that monopolized a superstar's life. Then the rumor started to circulate that there was another woman...and Susannah had had enough. Ryan moved across town and Henry, Susannah's high school sweetheart, swooped in to pick up where they had left off ...before Ryan had ventured in and stolen Susannah's heart.

Ryan intends to keep that heart! He is going to convince her - or die trying - that they are meant to be together. Hating to hurt Henry but needing the closure with Ryan, Susannah agrees to spend the last 10 days of their marriage together. What follows is the sweetest story of two people rediscovering an incredible love they had almost let slip away. Like Gibson and Phillips, Marie Force presents a hero and heroine that are genuinely likable characters who, early on, become lodged in your heart. Ryan and Susie (as he calls her) both have engaging qualities yet very individual personalities, and they play off each other perfectly. The "fleshing out" of their characters is done primarily through dialog so you, the reader, can live their story instead of merely reading about it.

He turned in his seat so he could see her. "It's going to be crazy for a day or two, but I want you to remember it's not the most important thing I'm dealing with right now." Squeezing her hand, he added, "Patching things up with you is my top priority, and the only reason I'm letting this other stuff in is because my contract is set to expire right around the same time our marriage ticket comes due."
"Ironic coincidence."
"Yep. Ironic is the word. In five days, I'm either going to have everything or nothing."
She glanced at him. "No pressure though, right?"
His dimples were on full display when his face twisted into a lazy grin. "None at all." Sweeping his thumb over the palm of her hand, he asked, "How's my mug looking?" He stuck out his jaw in a dramatic pose.
She rolled her eyes."Much better."
"So I'm not going to look hideous in all the pictures that'll be plastered on the front pages of every newspaper in the country?"
She snorted with laughter. "There's that legendary Sanderson ego on full display."
"What ego? It's an honest question." He flipped down the visor and opened the mirror to study his reflection. "Looking good, my man."
"Puleeze. Listen to yourself. 'Looking good, my man'."
"I love giving you the opportunity to burst my bubble," he said with a chuckle.
"You do it often enough."
"I need to keep you sharp."
"Keeping you humble was my greatest challenge as your wife."
"IS your greatest challenge."
"Was."
"Is."
"Was."
"Is."
"Shut up."
"Shut me up."
"I'm driving."
"So?" He slid his hand up her thigh. When he reached his destination, she inhaled sharply and grabbed his hand.
Not to be deterred, he kissed her neck, whispering in her ear. "Is."
"Shut up."
He laughed and sat back in his seat but kept a firm hold on her hand.

They are so cute together!

The book does have several humorous scenes, but (in keeping with the aforementioned authors) the gist of the story isn't funny at all...it is real, it is touching and at times you'll want to sob right along with Ryan or Susie. Overall, however, it is a most heartwarming story that you will hold onto long after the last page is read. Definitely a keeper!

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Ryan Sanderson
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Nov 17, 2010 Lady Valee rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: cont-romance, favorites

5++ STARS!

Wow, just wow.

I usually wait for many goodreads' friends to have read the book and adored it before starting it myself. I don't like to try new books. But I'm so HAPPY I read this one. I'm not sure what made me read it because I seriously never read a book that isn't already a best seller or loved by many before but I did read this one and I just want to recommend it to everybody else.

Hear me out here, there's just no way you won't love this book guys! You have to read it! It's so goo...more 5++ STARS!

Wow, just wow.

I usually wait for many goodreads' friends to have read the book and adored it before starting it myself. I don't like to try new books. But I'm so HAPPY I read this one. I'm not sure what made me read it because I seriously never read a book that isn't already a best seller or loved by many before but I did read this one and I just want to recommend it to everybody else.

Hear me out here, there's just no way you won't love this book guys! You have to read it! It's so good you wont be able to believe nobody told you before so you could have read it sooner. Well, I'm that girl, and I'm telling you all you need to read this book right away. It was so good I still can't believe it's over. I never thought I would be this excited about contemporary romance but I'm loving it now. I just want you all to understand this is one of those reads you can't help to love.

In this book we have a Quarterback who spent a year apart from his wife because they were having problems in their marriage. In that year the heroine got engaged to another man and the hero is desperate to win her back. We get to see how they try to make things work once again. But I swear I have never read something that felt so real before. I just felt part of their marriage and needed them to be okay. I got so involve with this book that I just wanted to help them myself. It is so clear all the time they love each other, and all the problems they face are not their fault at all. We also get to see how difficult a marriage can be when you're famous, which was a great change in my readings. I have read about famous couples before but never like this one.

You just have to read this book. It wont make it into my favs shelf because I'm a series chick and standalones are not my thing. But it definitely was one of the bests I have ever read. Just please don't start it thinking this will be the read of your lives because that usually makes us not like books as much as we would if we start it thinking it's just another book,LOL, don't let my review ruin it for you guys. Level your hopes, control yourselves,LOL. And definitely enjoy this read!(less)

25 likes · like · see review

Sep 29, 2008 Julie (jjmachshev) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2008-reads, queuemyreview

Reviewed for queuemyreview.com; book release Sep08

Can you believe it? Me, Mrs. doesn’t really read ‘sports’ romances, and I’ve read two in the last week! And enjoyed both! This is surely cause for celebration. My most recent is “Line of Scrimmage” by Marie Force. It’s about football, did you guess? It’s also about the debutante and the quarterback. But don’t hate them for that because their life hasn’t been a bed of roses.

Susannah is finally calling it quits. After ten years of marriage to footb...more Reviewed for queuemyreview.com; book release Sep08

Can you believe it? Me, Mrs. doesn’t really read ‘sports’ romances, and I’ve read two in the last week! And enjoyed both! This is surely cause for celebration. My most recent is “Line of Scrimmage” by Marie Force. It’s about football, did you guess? It’s also about the debutante and the quarterback. But don’t hate them for that because their life hasn’t been a bed of roses.

Susannah is finally calling it quits. After ten years of marriage to football’s ‘Golden Boy’, she’s just 10 days away from divorce. She’s going to marry the man she left behind who never gave up on her (and never let her forget it either) 30 days after her divorce is final. So when her soon-to-be-ex shows up demanding she spend the remaining 10 days of their marriage with him, she’s furious. But he swears if she doesn’t, he’ll contest the divorce. What’s a girl to do?

Ryan never meant to cut it this close. He’s been against the divorce from day one. Susie is the only girl for him and he’s always been true to her. While he doesn’t know exactly what happened to kill their romance, he knows he’s not about to give up without a battle. So if he has to blackmail (he prefers bully or persuade) her into giving him this time; then so be it.

The author did a great job of personalizing these characters. I actually grew to care for this couple. They have taken several hard knocks during their marriage; ones that many marriages don’t survive. So once I read enough to get to know both of them, I wanted their relationship to continue. I wanted them to be happy, together. At first I disliked Susannah…which is interesting because I think most women readers normally take the female’s side in a ‘divorce’ situation and have to be persuaded over to the other side. But from page one, she seemed pretentious and weak...she rubbed me the wrong way. As the story progressed, I would like her, then dislike her, then like her, then dislike her. She frustrated me which made me admire Ryan even more! Ryan, on the other hand, was almost too good to be true. Poor boy makes good yet doesn’t fall victim to booze, drugs, or women. He also was willing to admit mistakes and sacrifice even his pride for his woman. Like I said, hard to believe. But I still fell a little in love with him, and isn’t that what we want in all our heroes?

“Line of Scrimmage” kept me ‘in’ the story. I didn’t get bored or want to put the book down. I wanted to know about this couple and how they would resolve their problems. I think the thing I liked best about Marie Force’s novel is the lesson that no marriage, no matter who you are or what your situation is, can survive without working at it and learning to compromise and see your partner’s point of view. Ms. Force didn’t scream this at me, she snuck it in throughout the book while I wasn’t looking. Clever, clever woman!(less)

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Oct 12, 2008 Auntee rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Fans of sports romance

Recommended to Auntee by: Julie (jjmachshev) Anderson

Shelves: contemporary-romance, sports-romance

This was a very well-written, easy read, that was very hard to put down. At times it was like a soap opera--so many things happened to the H/H! I loved the hero--he was one of those loveable "bad boy" types, but really very sweet and vulnerable at times. The heroine...well she ticked me off a bit. At times I found her selfish, childish, and a bit spoiled. But towards the end of the book she started to grow on me, and I forgave her for how she treated the hero. This book was about a young couple...more

14 likes · like · see review

Oct 11, 2008 Christa rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: booksfree-com

After reading Line of Scrimmage, I have found a new author to add to my list of sports romance favorites. This was a very good book with a touching story. I liked the emotional intensity between the main characters. The heroine, Susannah Sanderson, was exasperating at times, but she was mostly likeable. The beginning of the story was from her point of view, and as she placed the blame for the failure of her marriage completely on her Pro quarterback husband I expected him to be an insensitive je...more After reading Line of Scrimmage, I have found a new author to add to my list of sports romance favorites. This was a very good book with a touching story. I liked the emotional intensity between the main characters. The heroine, Susannah Sanderson, was exasperating at times, but she was mostly likeable. The beginning of the story was from her point of view, and as she placed the blame for the failure of her marriage completely on her Pro quarterback husband I expected him to be an insensitive jerk. Nothing could have been further from the truth. The hero was incredible. He was gorgeous, wealthy, faithful, and totally in love with his wife. I enjoyed reading as these two worked their way back to one another after a tragedy that was the final blow to their relationship. The heroine's inability to trust in the hero's honesty and faithfulness was annoying, but I tried to keep in mind that with a fabulous, famous husband who travelled extensively, most women would probably have to struggle against this to some extent. I enjoyed every moment spent reading this book, and I eagerly anticipate the next one by this author.

Susannah Sanderson's divorce from Denver Mavericks quarterback, Ryan Sanderson, will be final in ten days, and she is planning her future marriage to her reliable, safe, ex-high school boyfriend. Entertaining her fiance and his parents in her home for dinner, she is appalled when her soon to be ex shows up and refuses to leave. Ryan Sanderson has returned to Susannah after a football season that was much more successful and longer than expected, leaving him no time to spare in convincing her not to end their marriage. Ryan returns to Denver after winning the Superbowl and suffering injuries that required him to be hospitalized for three days. He left the hospital against the doctor's wishes and arrives home in rough shape. Susannah sees to the speedy exit of her guests and is furious when Ryan tells her that he will contest the divorce unless she agrees to spend the final ten days of their marriage with him. Susannah reluctantly and angrily agrees to his demands, but her attitude begins to relent toward Ryan when she realizes how badly he is injured.

Ryan convinces Susannah to spend a couple of days at their cabin in Breckenridge while he recuperates and she also recovers from a harrowing incident. Ryan vows his love for Susannah and repeatedly appeals to her to give their marriage another chance. Susannah is unable to resist Ryan for long, and although she is unable to commit to giving their marriage another chance, the two resume an intensely passionate physical relationship. Susannah is shocked to see the change in Ryan's emotional committedness. He is suddenly acting like the husband she always wished for, and he tells her that he has discovered what is really important in his life and that he wants this connectedness that they lacked before. Reality intrudes when a phone call causes Susannah to turn on Ryan and unfairly acuse him of lying and manipulating her. Ryan is devastated, but he finally convinces Susannah of his honesty.

Returning to Denver, Susannah supports Ryan as he makes announcements to the public concerning his career, and their relationship appears to be headed in a very positive direction. As Susannah ends her relationship with her fiance, Henry, she finds out that he is not the compassionate, supportive friend that she always believed him to be. Just as everything seems to be working out for Ryan and Susannah, her inability to trust him threatens again to derail their relationship. Susannah must decide once and for all whether she trusts Ryan enough to continue their marriage.

I truly liked this book. I enjoyed the sweetness of the love between the hero and heroine. The only downside to the story was Susannah's insecurity over Ryan's honesty and faithfulness. Susannah's engagement to Henry before her divorce bothered me at first, but he was a fixture in her life that represented the security she craved. I was glad to read that she had refused to sleep with Henry while still married to Ryan. Although the reader is told that Ryan didn't give Susannah enough of his attention when they were married, we never see that side of him, and it was hard to visualize. Even though Susannah's continued mistrust of him hurts Ryan and causes a reserve in his treatment of her, he is never tempted for a second to give up on his marriage. Ryan and his love for Susannah is what made the book special. If you are a fan of sports romances, this is a must read.(less)

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Aug 29, 2008 Terra rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Line of Scrimmage by Marie Force is not only a fantastic read for the romance fan but also for the female sports fan. I found this story ripe with emotion, steadfast with passion and downright endearing. Ladies hold onto your hats cause this Line of Scrimmage is full of secret game plays.

Susannah Sanderson is a stunning blond who's had her fill of a one sided relationship. Marriage to a football superstar is marriage to the team and for Susannah it seems to be taking more than she can give.

Ryan...more Line of Scrimmage by Marie Force is not only a fantastic read for the romance fan but also for the female sports fan. I found this story ripe with emotion, steadfast with passion and downright endearing. Ladies hold onto your hats cause this Line of Scrimmage is full of secret game plays.

Susannah Sanderson is a stunning blond who's had her fill of a one sided relationship. Marriage to a football superstar is marriage to the team and for Susannah it seems to be taking more than she can give.

Ryan Sanderson is superstar quarterback with three Superbowl wins under his belt but his ten years of marriage aren't quite getting him the awards that he needs. More money than he could possibly ever spend, good looks enough to snag any woman he wants, leaves this jock with happiness in his fantasy world and trouble in his real world.

Henry Merrill is an overly possessed, back stabbing creep who is so in love with Susannah that he sits on the sidelines waiting for his chance to pick up the pieces of her life as it shatters with her separation and upcoming divorce from her husband. Like a leach he sucks his way into her life and into a promise of marriage as soon as the divorce is final.

The story starts us out with Susannah and Henry having a dinner party with his parents to discuss their upcoming wedding. They have a short four weeks before they will be husband and wife and the only thing that can possibly go wrong is Susannah's court date in ten days. All is going well until her estranged husband decides to throw a money wrench into all of Susannah's carefully laid plans by showing up and saying, "Honey I'm home".

Ryan, Susannah and Henry immediately are in conflict over Ryan's presence and there is not a thing that can be done about it as the house still legally belongs to both Susannah and Ryan. Henry is put on the back burner so to speak for the immediate future and sparks of tension, anger and passion fly around our divorcing couple like flies around a rotten banana.

As the story plays out Ryan and Susannah go on a roller coaster ride of blackmail, love and anger, tears and laughter, trust and distrust, pain and sorrow, danger, unbelievable patience and devotion to bring them into a state of questioning possibilities.

Our author has given us an insightful look into true love, passion and undying devotion. She has given us a wonderful back story of team playing with football as it basis. I truly found it uncanny that the story back line is so close to my own beloved New England Patriots and the accomplishments that come with hard work and even harder struggles.

Our characters are totally believable in every situation thrown to them and the intensity of the story grabs us on page one and carries us to the very last page without a blink of the eye. A must read that will not disappoint even the most finicky romance reader.
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Jan 23, 2010 Shawna rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Fans of emotional, drama-filled contemporary/sports romances with reunited (married) lovers theme

Shelves: sports-romance-hot-jocks, contemporary-romance, im-a-cover-hottie-ho, favorites, hero-im-gaga-over, hero-i-wanna-marry, 2009-reads, cowboy-stud-fever, hero-mix-of-alpha-beta, hero-stud-mantel-hall-of-fame, i-read-own-faves-keepers, made-me-cry, reunions-are-sweeter-second-chances, best-top-favorites, heroine-abused-traumatic-past-rape, married-couples-married-convenience, pregnancy-fertility-baby-kids-drama, angsty-dark-heavy-lotsa-drama, marie-force, 5-stars-or-higher, hero-southern-boy-charmer, heartbreaking-gutwrenching-romance, hh-famous-celebrity

5+ stars – Contemporary/Sports Romance

I loved this emotional contemporary sports romance about a pro-football star trying to reconcile with his soon-to-be ex-wife before it's too late. It's a very moving, well written story and a realistic depiction of the difficulties and tribulations of marriage, even for two people who so clearly love each other. I'm looking forward to more from this talented author! Big 5 stars!

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Jun 30, 2011 Crystal ♥ RBtWBC rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: genre-contemporary-romance, rating-4-5-stars

4.5 Stars
Quickie Review:

Marie Force delivers a compelling tale of love and second chances in Line of Scrimmage.

I loved this contemporary romance with a dash of romantic suspense. The story follows a big star (and smexy) quarterback, Ryan Sanderson, and his journey to winning his wife, Susannah, back.
Line of Scrimmage was very moving and heart breaking; with the ups and downs of marriage, the darker side of stardom and the devastating loss of a child and the affect that can have on a relationship...more

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Apr 01, 2011 Splage rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Sexy sports romance readers

Shelves: 2009-read, 3rd-party-mistress-boyfriend-girlfr, cheater-cheater-pumpkin-eater, contemporary, couldn-t-put-down, divorce, emotional-made-me-cry-lump-in-thr, favorite-books, had-earlier-relationship-broke-up, hero-heroine-athlete-sports-hero, hot-cover, jealousy, love-at-first-sight, pregnant-at-end, rereads, revenge, sex-medium-to-very-sexy

This is a reread for me, I am giving away some of my favorites and wanted one more taste. It is as good as I remember! Line of Scrimmage is a twist on the typical sports romance because it shows an existing couple that has real problems. They are about to give up on their 10 year marriage until they come together and determine it is worth saving.

It is great sport’s love story about a stud quarterback, Ryan Sanderson, who has reach the pinnacle in his sports career, is about to retire, but has l

...more

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Jan 01, 2011 Wendy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary-romance, sports

Great read summer read!

like · see review

May 27, 2011 Steffi rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary-romance

It's safe to say, that Line of Scrimmage is one of Marie Forces best.

This story of two soul mates who had to find their way back to each other, really moved me and I came to enjoy a plot, I'm usually not fond of at all.

Susannah and Ryan are married but have been seperated for some time. Susannah felt neglected and forgotten in her marriage, so she decided to make her own way and build a new life. When she gets engaged to a long-time friend, Ryan knows he has to act soon to get Susannah back an...more

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Aug 02, 2010 Willow Brook rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: life-is-too-short, contemporary

Feeling I was on much too long a kick with historicals, I thought I'd try a contempory. I immediately disliked the hero who insisted that the heroine spend the 10 days remaining until their divorce becomes final with him. If she didn't, he'd put a halt to the divorce and that would spoil the heroine's plans to marry another man in a couple of months. He was "fighting" for their marriage but jeez, could you leave it any later? I didn't like heroine (I refuse to remember these self-centered dolts'...more

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May 02, 2012 Ann rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary-romance, romantic-suspense, romantic-drama, romantic-sports

I'm not a romance fan, but I love Marie Force. I think this book fits into its own category. Kinda romance but with a bit of suspense. Usually typical romance novels leave me rolling my eyes at the dialogue. Line of Scrimage is a greaty couples struggle story, awesome characters with a bit of suspense. Marie Force without a doubt writes the best male characters. I love them in all the books she's written so far. Its like OMG where do you find one like that because I want one!!! Her Fatal series...more

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Jan 26, 2011 Sarah Eiseman rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is my first time reading this author and she’s one that’ll definitely get a second read. This book was about football, which this time of year is a must for me. I married a Jets fan, what can I say? The writing was clean, the characters were easy to relate to, the plot was a little out there, but true enough that I felt for every member of the story.

Ryan Sanderson is at the end of his career with the Denver Mavericks, a football franchise that he helped put on the map. His career has been e...more This is my first time reading this author and she’s one that’ll definitely get a second read. This book was about football, which this time of year is a must for me. I married a Jets fan, what can I say? The writing was clean, the characters were easy to relate to, the plot was a little out there, but true enough that I felt for every member of the story.

Ryan Sanderson is at the end of his career with the Denver Mavericks, a football franchise that he helped put on the map. His career has been excellent and he’s won three Super Bowls, Super Bowl MVP awards, and had a career many would be envious of. But what he doesn’t seem to have is a relationship with his estranged wife. When these two originally tried to get a divorce, the judge said no-can-do, and ordered them to give it 6 months and they he’d revisit the case. Ryan, knowing that this might be his only chance before Susannah goes off to marry a high school friend, does everything in his power to get them to be together again. Going so far as getting himself checked out of the hospital post-Super Bowl before he should be discharged, Ryan whirls back into Susannah’s life for 10 days to see if they can work out their problems–which are many.

I like stories about marriages that are given a second chance. I think this is a common theme in Romance writing, especially contemporary writing. You want the institution to work and when characters aren’t ready to call it quits, you give them another chance to make things right. That’s really what the crux of this story was; making things right. These two had a lot of baggage–at times I actually forgot I was reading romance, because it had a much more novel-ish feel to it–but they dealt with their dirty laundry and the people in their lives trying to get in the way of that happiness.

If you need a feel-good sporty romance novel, this one is a keeper. I read the author’s notes in the back and it looks like she’s actually more of a baseball fan, but from my perspective reading this book, I didn’t notice a lack of knowledge. Good stuff!(less)

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Feb 02, 2009 Bookworm rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ryan Sanderson is the three-time Super Bowl winning quarterback for the Denver Mavericks football team. Susannah is Ryans soon to be ex-wife. Ryan has had a change of heart, he wants to win Susannah back, the two were married 10 years before splitting. They have been estranged for one year. So he shows up at their home, and tells her that all he wants is to spend ten days with her, then after that, he will sign the divorce papers and she is free to go. Susannah is engaged to her childhood friend...more

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Mar 14, 2013 Beverly rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I hate it when books have these types of covers. They make me feel so awkward.

Anyway, at the beginning of this book, I was wary of Ryan's true feelings, because, honestly, he came in acting all cocky and seemed like he wanted Susannah back only because she was engaged and she was his property. You get what I mean?

But by like the third day, those types of thoughts were gone from my mind.

Ryan is so sweet! We get his point of view every now and then and he always expressed, well, not exactly remo...more I hate it when books have these types of covers. They make me feel so awkward.

Anyway, at the beginning of this book, I was wary of Ryan's true feelings, because, honestly, he came in acting all cocky and seemed like he wanted Susannah back only because she was engaged and she was his property. You get what I mean?

But by like the third day, those types of thoughts were gone from my mind.

Ryan is so sweet! We get his point of view every now and then and he always expressed, well, not exactly remorse with sadness, but kind of with anger at himself. He was mad at himself for having waited so long to get back to Susannah, though he didn't do this intentionally. So he comes back in and he's trying real hard to get Susannah back, but he does not grovel, which is great. He does not beg at all. He brings Susannah back to a time when things were good between them and he shows her that he's changed. He's not all talk. He proves that he deserves Susannah and he tries his best to get her to rethink their divorce. It's just the entire way that Ryan is that made me fall in love with him. He's playful, sexy, and so honest with Susannah. Not only that, but he really makes you feel that Susannah is the one for him. She's the only he can ever love and he's very aware of this.

It was so fun to read about Susannah. She's not the typical girl who is resentful and kind of innocent and all that other stupid stuff. She's funny, she plays around with Ryan, she's not afraid to yell or apologize, and she is actually pretty reasonable. I was frustrated only at one point with her, but that's only because I was anxious for her to get back with Ryan. At that point, only four days had passed so I understood why she didn't, but I wanted her back with Ryan so bad especially after they talked and I saw all those sweet moments between them. But anyway, Susannah is a pretty great wife and I loved how she dealt situations, most of the time anyway.

Only one thing bothered me about this book and it was this: (view spoiler)

Overall, I thought the book was great. I really loved the relationship between Ryan and Susie. They were wife and husband, as well as best friends. They played around a lot and they seem to have a pretty good understanding of how the other works. I wish we could have seen what their relationship was like before, since they're always mentioning that they were bad years, but I can't imagine them ever being anything less than the perfect couple I read about. (less)

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Dec 23, 2012 RebeccaL rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-read

I normally enjoy stories of "troubled marriage" and watch the characters how they build the trust and love again. However, this book is way below my expectation and the characters are not likeable at all. I feel that the heroine did not even know what she really want and the hero is quite arrogant in treating other people (may be he is entitled to his arrogance when he was so successful in his career and is truly a superstar). But for me to enjoy a romance story, I need to read someone who is ce...more

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Nov 20, 2012 Germaine rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: badly-written, boring, contemporary, smexy, so-so, sports

I read a couple of reviews of this from bloggers I respect, and I was really looking forward to it. What a disappointment. The hero is a pretty cool guy, but the heroine is a real wimp who spends most of the book in tears. As far as I could tell, she has no claim to fame aside from being the beautiful wife of an extremely wealthy football player. She has a lot of 2012 sex, but other than that, she's a throwback to a Harlequin 1970's heroine. The secondary characters are stereotypes. There's an e...more

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Jun 03, 2011 Joy (joyous reads) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Books and football = two things I cannot live without.

A book about football? = Be still, my heart.

So this is what happens when you married a superstar QB. You either take a backseat and enjoy the ride or get off and go for a long walk. Susie chose the latter.

This is a soap opera in a book. You have a couple who were on the verge of a divorce, a husband who decided that he won't have it and a wife who was ready to walk into the vanilla sunset that she thought was for the best. Husband went and...more

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Apr 17, 2011 Erin Kern rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ryan Sanderson is a local hero in the city of Denver. He's the quarterback for the Denver Mavericks and has just won another Superbowl. However, he's coming off a painful injury and is headed to divorce court with his wife Susannah. The couple is just weeks away from no longer being husband and wife and Susannah has already moved on by being engaged to another man. Ryan is still very much in love with Susannah and will do anything to convince her to call off their divorce.

In an attempt to win he...more

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Dec 13, 2010 Kajol rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary-romance

To say that it exceeded my expectations is one thing, but knowing that I loved it, I can't help but bounce with excitement as I am typing furiously on my keyboard to describe all my bottled feelings for this book.

Line of Scrimmage is one of those good books which leave you with a contented heart and a final parting sigh. It didn't feel like a rush of thrill as it came to an end but it was like one of those refreshing moments which you'd love to revive.

I adored Ryan Sanderson knowing that he was...more

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Jun 06, 2009 Katie(babs) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This sexy book is about a married couple of ten years who are ten days away from getting their divorce finalized. They have been separated for almost a year and Susannah Sanderson is about to breathe a sigh of relief because in less than two week she will be a free woman and able to marry her former high school boyfriend, Henry. Susannah is getting a divorce from Ryan, the start quarterback of the Denver Mavericks and overall MVP of the NFL. Ryan doesn’t want to go through the divorce since he i...more This sexy book is about a married couple of ten years who are ten days away from getting their divorce finalized. They have been separated for almost a year and Susannah Sanderson is about to breathe a sigh of relief because in less than two week she will be a free woman and able to marry her former high school boyfriend, Henry. Susannah is getting a divorce from Ryan, the start quarterback of the Denver Mavericks and overall MVP of the NFL. Ryan doesn’t want to go through the divorce since he is very much still in love with his wife. But the past year has been hard on them both because Susannah feels Ryan is selfish, especially since they lost their first child together when Susannah miscarried. That was the last straw and Susannah filed for divorce soon after Ryan went back to work.

Because the judge decided to wait six months to make their divorce legal, Ryan has a plan up his sleeve where he will move back into his home where Susanna still lives. He wants this remaining time with his wife and if she doesn’t agree, he will stop the divorce proceedings. Ryan basically blackmails Susannah into spending the time with him. Ryan feels he has changed and wants to show Susannah the new Ryan Sanderson. Susannah has no choice to go along with Ryan’s sneaky tactics. She thinks she is strong enough to be around Ryan and not fall for his charm, just like she did when she was in college.

Both Ryan and Susannah are hurting because of a lot of misunderstandings on their part. Susannah is not the typical trophy wife for a larger than life star like Ryan. That is what Ryan loves so much about Susannah, that she keeps his head on straight and brings him down to Earth. Ryan’s goal is to stay married to Susannah and through communication and some seduction on his end, he will show the love of his life how perfect things can be between them once again.

Line of Scrimmage is a nice romance, especially between a married couple. The love and passion between these two are still there, but there are some major issues they both have to work through. Ryan was never really accepted by Susannah’s family and Susannah’s friends, and her fiancé always tried to put seeds of doubt in her mind about Ryan because Henry always wanted Susannah back. Marie Force sure does know how to write a great hero with Ryan, who I fell for quickly, even though I did find Susannah to be a bit of a shrew at times. But when Ryan shut her up with his kisses, that was when things really go good between them. I am not a big fan of sports related romances, but this book was a treat and reminded me so much of Susan Elizabeth Philip’s writing and her own football series. Overall, a great romance with steamy sex scenes, and a lovely story between a married couple who still love each other dearly.(less)

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Dec 05, 2011 Reading, Eating & Dreaming rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 3-stars

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE REVIEWS AT READING, EATING AND DREAMING I WAS BLAIR WALDORF

The thing about adult romance novels is that they are typically pretty predictable. I think that’s why the majority of the adult romance novels that I read and review are rated 3 STARS, and that is also the case with Line of Scrimmage by Marie Force.

I really enjoyed the characters in Line of Scrimmage. Ryan and Susannah’s journey to find forgiveness and love was really sweet. I loved watching Ryan fight to get hi...more

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Nov 24, 2011 Mer rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: a-f, a-cr

Line of Scrimmage is my first read contemporary romance married couple and I've found I quite liked it. The book was intense. indeed. Some parts are depressing, some are total heart-wrenching and some are just sweet and lovely.

I don't know about having football player for husband, let alone about marriage but anyway, for sure Susannah is just one lucky woman. Apart from the obvious, her husband, Ryan is a nice gentleman, faithful and more important he's willing to do anything to win her and her...more

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Aug 16, 2011 Cindi rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Just a classic contemporary romance story, if you're in the mood for one. I was, and devoured this book in one evening. This was my first by Marie Force and probably won't be my last.

LOS is unique in that we are given a couple already married; What? Yeah, Susanna and Ryan have been married for 10 years when we check in. Unfortunately, they are also 10 days away from their divorce date. Susanna is so convinced their marraige is over that she's committed to marrying her high school sorta boyfriend...more Just a classic contemporary romance story, if you're in the mood for one. I was, and devoured this book in one evening. This was my first by Marie Force and probably won't be my last.

LOS is unique in that we are given a couple already married; What? Yeah, Susanna and Ryan have been married for 10 years when we check in. Unfortunately, they are also 10 days away from their divorce date. Susanna is so convinced their marraige is over that she's committed to marrying her high school sorta boyfriend, Henry, who she's stayed friends with over the years. Henry is everything Ryan is not - with a name like Henry you can probably guess that he's a bit nerdy and boring - but after being married to her pro-football quarterback husband and the whirlwind all that entails, Susanna thinks placid sounds pretty good.

During their year of separation, Ryan realizes he's made a mistake and he'll need to get with the program to convince Susie that he's a changed man and that he'll put her first from now on. Unfortunately, a little thing like winning a Superbowl Game (his 3rd) when he didn't expect his Denver Mavericks to even get to the playoffs, took Ryan's attention until he's only got 10 days to go. So the golden boy quarterback makes a last-minute desperation play and shows up at home - her home, she thinks - during a dinner party Susanna is giving for Henry's blueblooded parents and informs his wife that he's moving in for 10 days or he'll call off the divorce. Ack! Susanna is pissed (she's got quite the temper, Susie does) and then in turn horrified when she gets a look at Ryan's injuries. She's convinced that marrying her (boring) fiance is a done deal, tho, and that she won't change her mind so agrees to let Ryan have his 10 days to woo her back. Henry's pretty worried, of course, as Ryan is everything he's not. But Susie doesn't want passion and glamour and all the other perks of her old world so no problem, right?

The great thing about this romance is that the reformed Ryan talks. I mean, he's learned he has to communicate with Susie to achieve the intimacy she wanted during their marraige. What a guy! I kept rooting for Ryan - he's the handsomest man Susie's ever seen and she knows she still loves him ... she just doesn't want to take a chance in case he'll change back. During their 10 days, she acknowledges their passion (which had never been in question) and loves the new Ryan; she also realizes that SHE was to blame in many ways herself. I enjoyed seeing the characters' growth. Ms. Force handled their enlightenment very well, it was always believable - something that's kinda rare in many romance novels! There were were plenty of plot twists, although repairing the marraige was the main storyline, of course. I was Team Ryan all the way. I want my very own enlightened Ryan! (less)

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May 24, 2011 Booklover rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: blackmailed-deal, divorce-separated-reunion-2nd-chanc, dead-child-miscarriage-abortion, emotional-tear-jerker, fun-humourous, harlequin-addicts, hospital, love, misunderstanding, parents, pregnancy-surrogacy, sports, sibblings-best-friends

First n formost Marie

you are such a talented wonderful awesome excellent writter,you bring about the emotions so well,the characters are so well developed and human,the issues in the stories are so well handled and tackled and at no point i was stuck or bored it moves at a great pace,you keep the readers glued to the story from 1 till the last page

i have read 2 books and both the times i instantly connected with the characters,i loved them adored them got angry with them wanted to smack them...more First n formost Marie

Coming to the book swear its Öne Of THE BEST BESTEST CLASSIC "second chance romance i have ever read,from the first page till the last i was so in the book,just enjoyed every moment of reading it,its definetely a keeper for me

Ryan is such a cute humble adorable courageous patient moralistic man,he is strong enough to acknowledge and accept his mistakes and also tries to make it right,he puts so much effort to make his marriage work and deals with all the issues so beautifully may it be the way he behaved in the past or the death of their child,he explains and brings out how he felt and why did their marriage went on rough path,just love the way he loves,adores,pampers Susie,just love him cho much

Susie she is one sweetest woman,who always supported and loved Ryan unconditionally, she married the love of her life made some sacrifices and also handled all the loneliness in their 10 years of marriage but with the death of their child she is just so much in grief she does'nt even realises but she pushes Ryan away,one thing i disliked was the way she jumped to conclusion at one point and said aweful things to Ryan but then she apologises,also she let unintentionally a third person in her marriage that Henry but i applaud her for standing up top her parents for Ryan and defending him,liked the way she also accepted her mistakes which she contributed in almost break up of the marriage but she also puts efforts and it brings happiness to both of them

I just enjoyed every second and moment of Ryan's n Susie's beautiful heart warming sweet cyte journey of bringing back what they had,all the issues were brought and talked so beautifully,just loved the bantering in between followed by teasing and passionate love making,they both fought for their love and marriage and got their truly deserved HEA

Excellent read,definetely a keeper for me(wanted to rate 5+++++++++++++++++ stars)
Recommend it(less)

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Mar 25, 2010 FlibBityFLooB rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Fans of the non-happy-happy-joy-joy style of romance

Recommended to FlibBityFLooB by: RRRC Group Dare to Read Challenge

Shelves: read-in-2010, coercion-blackmail, love-triangle, contemporary, sports, witty-i-am-not

4.5/5 stars. This novel made me feel like a fly-on-the-wall of a separated couple on the brink of divorce. Technically, that doesn’t sound interesting, but the story in this romance was absorbing. It was full of realism (despite the unbelievable situation the characters were in) and had a bittersweet shade to the entire plot. I think the realism was due to raw emotions that occurred between the characters – you couldn’t help but feel their love for each other.

From the cover, it looks like you w...more 4.5/5 stars. This novel made me feel like a fly-on-the-wall of a separated couple on the brink of divorce. Technically, that doesn’t sound interesting, but the story in this romance was absorbing. It was full of realism (despite the unbelievable situation the characters were in) and had a bittersweet shade to the entire plot. I think the realism was due to raw emotions that occurred between the characters – you couldn’t help but feel their love for each other.

From the cover, it looks like you will need to be a big fan of sports romances to enjoy this book, but that wasn’t true. The football theme was merely a backdrop for the story, albeit an enjoyable one. The author could likely have had an alternate theme and still made believable characters.

Yes, it’s a romance novel, so you can likely figure out who will end up with who within the first few pages, but it did have one or two surprise twists I didn’t see coming. To make the reader fall completely one direction in allegiance, the author had to vilify one character. If she hadn’t done that, I suppose it could have been a very depressing love triangle. Despite the obvious choice for the heroine, even in the last chapter there was still drama. The author had to use the epilogue to resolve some issues for the reader.

One thing I found interesting was the role reversal the author kept throughout the book. At several points, the hero is in pursuit of the heroine, while at others the heroine pursues the hero. It definitely wasn’t a one-sided romance. The emotions were strong on both sides. I also liked how the author had the hero need to take breaks frequently, disappearing for walks alone to think. The idea of a testosterone driven alpha-male having strong feelings and being humanized is always an appealing one to female readers, I think.

The reason I am not giving the book 5 stars in the end was due to some of the dialogue in the book. Even though the story was fascinating to read, there were a few times I felt like the conversation between the characters was awkward. For example: the hero inserted the heroine’s name into a conversation at inappropriate times - they would be in the middle of a heated talk, and he would say her name as if we didn’t already understand they were talking to each other. Think of something along the lines of:
….heroine: John, you’re making me so angry. Get out of here!
….hero: Why do you want me to go, Jane?
….heroine: I don’t know, John. I can’t love you anymore.
….hero: Ah, but Jane… I can’t live without you.
No, that passage is not in the book (it is merely a figment of my deranged imagination), but you get the idea with the repetition of character names. It kind of rubbed me the wrong way during the first 100 pages of the book. In the end, though, I stopped noticing because the plot was so interesting. Don’t let my faux dialogue above discourage you from reading the book. It really wasn’t such rampant abuse of characters names, I was merely trying to illustrate a point. Plus, the author’s dialogue is much better than my contrived and silly four-line soap opera. hehehe :)

If you have ever been in a failed relationship and reconnected with someone, you will likely understand the feelings that occur within this book - remembering both the good and bad at a moment’s notice and trying not to look at things with a rose-tinted perspective. You may also appreciate this book more if you’ve ever been in a relationship where you had others try to talk you out of it. I really enjoyed the book and plan to put it on my keeper shelf.(less)

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Mar 11, 2012 Jana rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary-romance

This book shows very insightful look into one downright endearing love story – they felt real, is it worth saving what they used to have. Despite the awful cover and title, it is a story about one marriage and what people do when they start realising their mistakes when they achieve and gain all professional merits. I engaged myself with their story, stopped a few times to reconsider what I would do, how hard it is to forgive, to start trusting again and why we all are so addicted to this feelin...more

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Dec 26, 2011 Mandy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'm not usually one for straight contemporary romance. But this one had a hunky, professional athlete in it - which I love - so I thought I'd give it a try. I'm so glad I did.

Susannah had moved on with her life and seems perfectly happy. Can I just say that I disliked her finacee from the very beginning? Maybe it's something I have for the bad boy-types, but when Ryan Sanderson made his first appearance on the screen of my Kindle, I was immediately smitten. Throw in that he was an NFL quarterba...more

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Apr 24, 2013 Jodster's rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Although I did enjoy this book I have to be honest and say it was not my favorite. I think the reason was Suzie. I liked her but not her insecurities. I adored Ryan and his attempts to prove himself over and over again that he loved her and was faithful to her.

Henry and her parents put doubts in her head and she let them.. the mistrust she had and showed from time to time and I would not have been surprised if Ryan had said enough. Henry was a psycho on a mission and it would not surprise me if...more

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About Marie Force

Marie Force is the author of the bestselling McCarthys of Gansett Island Series: MAID FOR LOVE, FOOL FOR LOVE, READY FOR LOVE, FALLING FOR LOVE, HOPING FOR LOVE, SEASON FOR LOVE and LONGING FOR LOVE, with more books coming soon in the series. She is the author of the Treading Water Series that consists of TREADING WATER, MARKING TIME and STARTING OVER, with book four, COMING HOME, out Christmas 20...more Marie Force is the author of the bestselling McCarthys of Gansett Island Series: MAID FOR LOVE, FOOL FOR LOVE, READY FOR LOVE, FALLING FOR LOVE, HOPING FOR LOVE, SEASON FOR LOVE and LONGING FOR LOVE, with more books coming soon in the series. She is the author of the Treading Water Series that consists of TREADING WATER, MARKING TIME and STARTING OVER, with book four, COMING HOME, out Christmas 2012. Marie also wrote the following contemporary romances: GEORGIA ON MY MIND, EVERYONE LOVES A HERO, LINE OF SCRIMMAGE, LOVE AT FIRST FLIGHT, TRUE NORTH, THE FALL and THE WRECK. She recently signed with Berkley for a new contemporary series, The Green Mountain Country Store, beginning in late 2013.
Marie is the bestselling, award-winning author of the Fatal Series from Harlequin’s Carina Press. So far, the series includes FATAL AFFAIR, FATAL JUSTICE, FATAL CONSEQUENCES, FATAL DESTINY, FATAL FLAW and FATAL DECEPTION, with more books coming. “This novel is ‘The O.C. does D.C.,’ and you just can’t get enough.” (RT Book Reviews, 4.5 stars for FATAL AFFAIR). In its July 2010 issue, RT Book Reviews named Marie a “Future Star of Romantic Suspense.”
She is a member of RWA’s New England and Published Author Special Interest Chapters. She is the recipient of the Holt Medallion from the Virginia Romance Writers and a Bean Pot from RWA’s New England Chapter.
While her husband was in the Navy, Marie lived in Spain, Maryland and Florida, and she is now settled in her home state of Rhode Island. Married for twenty years, she is the mother of two teenagers and two feisty dogs, Brandy and Louie.
Find her at marieforce.com, on her blog at http://mariesullivanforce.blogspot.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MarieForceAuthor, and on Twitter @marieforce. Join the fun at the Marie Force Readers Group at www.facebook.com/groups/MarieForceBoo... and the McCarthys of Gansett Island Group at www.facebook.com/groups/McCarthySeries. Marie loves to hear from readers. Contact her at marie@marieforce.com.
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Books by Marie Force

Maid for Love (The McCarthys of Gansett Island, #1)

Fool for Love (The McCarthys of Gansett Island, #2)

Ready for Love (The McCarthys of Gansett Island, #3)

Falling for Love (The McCarthys of Gansett Island, #4)

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“He made her feel as if she was the answer to every question he'd ever had.” — 28 people liked it

“She beat lightly on his chest with her fists. "I want a partner, not a protector."
"Can't I be both?"
"You're enormously exasperating sometimes, do you know that?"
He grinned. "And you love me anyway.” — 9 people liked it

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