Kick It Up

by Carol Ericson

Simon Bosford, transplanted English soccer star, has the world by the balls. He just signed a multi-million dollar contract with the L.A. Waves, the worst team in Major League Soccer. Simon's more interested in raising his celebrity profile than scoring goals, but his plans take a detour when he tangles with Jessica Jones, the world's most disorganized personal assistant. Jessica has her own plans, and none of them involve launching a puffed-up male Adonis of an athlete on the L.A. celebrity circuit. Jessica, the rebellious daughter of the wealthy, controlling Bretts, who happen to own a few football teams, yearns to make it on her own. The first step on this journey of independence is her new job with Chase Sports Management (CSM) as a travel agent. Evan Chase, her boss and Simon’s agent, gives her the plum position as Simon’s personal assistant after just four months on the job. The assignment comes with one keep Simon “The Boss” Bosford out of trouble and under wraps until his practices with the Waves start. Easier said than done. As the games between Simon and Jessica kick into high gear, they land off-side, out of bounds, and in love.

Genres: Sports, Sports Romance, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Romance, Soccer

301 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 25, 2011

About the author

Best-selling, award-winning romance author, Carol Ericson, has written more than 65 books, mostly romantic suspense for Harlequin Intrigue. Also indie pubbed, Carol is working on a spicy popstar romcom series about five members of a boyband. A California girl and graduate of UCLA, Carol lives near the beach with her husband and their giant dog. For more information about Carol’s books, please visit her website at www.authorcarolericson.com and follow her on Instagram @author.carol.ericson

Reviews

[Susan Parodi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great book from Carol Ericson. Enjoyed the characters and the plot around soccer! Nice job!

[Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

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

This will be the first review for Kick It Up on goodreads.com. I think I have performance anxiety. Agh! Well here goes nothing…

Kick It Up by Carol Ericson has all the ingredients of a wonderful adult contemporary romance novel:
Humor
Drama
Romance
Deceit
Charming Characters
Some Life Lessons
Strip Poker

Kick It Up was actually a very good adult romance novel. It didn't change my life or anything, but it's an entertaining story worth reading!

I don’t consider myself a soccer fan. In fact, the only time I even think about soccer is when the World Cup is on television, and that is because it’s unavoidable that time of year. If we were to play the word association game right now, ya know the one where you say a word and I tell you the first thing that pops into my head, it would go a little something like this: You say soccer. I say David Beckham. Yep, my soccer knowledge is very limited, but that didn’t keep me liking this novel. My guess, soccer fans will have a greater appreciation for this story, but this story is for everyone. Soccer fan or not, you will enjoy this story if you like to read sexy, contemporary romance novels.

The characters had some stereotypical characteristics, but they also had their own charm and attitude. In my opinion, the characters were unique enough to be considered original.

Simon is a professional soccer player with a bad boy image. His father doesn’t think soccer is a steady career choice, but Simon is intent on proving him wrong. Simon’s character underwent a lot of growth and development in this novel. The guy you meet at the beginning of this novel is a lot different from the guy at the end of this story. I thought Simon’s journey was entertaining and inspiring.

Jessica grew up with wealth and opportunity, but she wants a chance to make it on her own, away from her father’s name. I really like Jessica because she has so much spark and confidence. She’s a fun, go-getter type of girl. I really enjoyed her character, especially her little devious side. Two words: bathroom sprinkler! That was one of my favorite parts. I cracked up!

Simon and Jessica together is the best combination. They have a instant connection, but it isn’t ridiculous or unbelievable. They have a realistic relationship, business related at first and then more later. Their relationship develops over time, and they don’t completely change who they are the second they meet. They have struggles and conflicts. Their relationship felt real.

I gave Kick It Up by Carol Ericson 3 STARS (3.5 STARS). I recommend this book for a fun, sexy read.

-XOXO

READING, EATING AND DREAMING

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't sure how this book would turn out. Not as predictable as some of the lighter fare that I read at times. This isn't a heavy book, but a fun story with a lot of twists and turns and some are not what you are expecting. I don't like to tell the story line in my reviews as you can see those on Amazon and I'll put that below my review. The characters are unpredictable, although Simon is pretty much predictable as a man. It is the characters around him and some of the situations in the story that are unpredictable. It was a fun read I was done in one day! It kept my interest and I didn't put the kindle down too often. My hubby had some things he wanted me to do and had to keep hollering at me as I kept picking up my kindle to see what the outcome of the next twist in the book was going to be. So, fun read, not too heavy, with some good twists and turns. Anyone who likes contemporary romances, and wants a fun read for the beach, a plane ride, etc. This is a good one for that! You can finish it in a day and it will keep your interest!

Here is the Amazon description of the book:
Simon Bosford, transplanted English soccer star, has the world by the balls. He just signed a multi-million dollar contract with the L.A. Waves, the worst team in Major League Soccer. Simon's more interested in raising his celebrity profile than scoring goals, but his plans take a detour when he tangles with Jessica Jones, the world's most disorganized personal assistant.

Jessica has her own plans, and none of them involve launching a puffed-up male Adonis of an athlete on the L.A. celebrity circuit. Jessica, the rebellious daughter of the wealthy, controlling Bretts, who happen to own a few football teams, yearns to make it on her own. The first step on this journey of independence is her new job with Chase Sports Management (CSM) as a travel agent. Evan Chase, her boss and Simon’s agent, gives her the plum position as Simon’s personal assistant after just four months on the job. The assignment comes with one caveat: keep Simon “The Boss” Bosford out of trouble and under wraps until his practices with the Waves start. Easier said than done.

As the games between Simon and Jessica kick into high gear, they land off-side, out of bounds, and in love.

[Anita · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jess thinks that she landed her current job at CSM all on her own and not on the coattails of her famous parents. Simon has signed on to play soccer with the worst team in US. Jess is supposed to keep a close eye on Simon as his personal assistant and make sure he stays out of trouble. Simon thought he came to the US to make lots of money because he knows that the endorsements will be rolling in (he was a big hit in Europe). He lives up to the partying playboy but at the same time would like to get to know Jess better. When certain information comes to light - Jess sheds her good girl imagine and is hell bent on showing her boss and father not to mess with her - even using Simon to do so. Simon's sister Gemma shows up as well part way through the story with aspirations of becoming an actress. Jess try's to warn her about things and people but Gemma get's used by those who are supposed friends/coworkers of Jess. Jess sets out to straighten things out with Simon and help fix the predicament that Gemma finds herself in. There were some lol moments. Enjoyed reading it. Didn't want to put it down.

[Jennifer Lynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

An English soccer player and an LA rich girl are about as far from my experience as can be, but that didn't stop me being drawn completely into this delightful love story by Carol Ericson. There was enough character growth here, in relation to both Simon and Jessica, to satisfy my need for emotional depth in the romances I read. I loved the fact that both the hero and heroine came of age in this story, facing up to the challenges thrown out by parents, bosses, the system, and indeed, the responsibilities of life. Several plot twists and turns added extra depth to the story, which was told with both humor and compassion.

[J M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall I enjoyed this one a lot. There were points where I wanted to grab the H and h by the shoulders and get them to sit down and talk it out. There were many twists and turns, scheming by other characters, but I got my happy ending!

I'll definitely look at CE's backlist.

[Lily Palenzuela · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked the book. It was a little bit slow in the beginning, but it got a little bit more interesting from the middle on. The H/h were a little bit distracting because they did not communicate well with each other although they were both thinking the same things most of the time.