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Beaumont Legacy #1
Gridlocked on the Gridiron
Lucia Moretti dedicated seven years to her fiancé’s NFL journey, carving out a life alongside him as an analyst. But when Max Clark’s cheating leads to her public humiliation and unemployment, what better place to go than to the team of his arch-nemesis? Although rival quarterback Colton Beaumont infuriates her, she knows working with him will help her advance to her dream career—becoming head analyst of an NFL team.
Colton may be coming off a Super Bowl win, but he can’t seem to find his rhythm this season. He’ll do whatever it takes to improve his game so that he can return to being the Charleston Sabertooths’ adored first-string quarterback. Even if that means working with Lucia—the woman who helped crush his college championship hopes and nearly married the enemy.
When Lucia’s morals come into question in a very public way, Colton makes her an offer she’s too desperate to pass up: he’ll help boost her reputation, if she helps him get back at his least favorite person, and her ex-fiancé, Max. Only, now that their deal is forcing them to spend more time together, neither is sure what’s real and what isn’t. As the lines of their agreement begin to blur, they discover that they may have been completely wrong about each other from the start.
Colton may be coming off a Super Bowl win, but he can’t seem to find his rhythm this season. He’ll do whatever it takes to improve his game so that he can return to being the Charleston Sabertooths’ adored first-string quarterback. Even if that means working with Lucia—the woman who helped crush his college championship hopes and nearly married the enemy.
When Lucia’s morals come into question in a very public way, Colton makes her an offer she’s too desperate to pass up: he’ll help boost her reputation, if she helps him get back at his least favorite person, and her ex-fiancé, Max. Only, now that their deal is forcing them to spend more time together, neither is sure what’s real and what isn’t. As the lines of their agreement begin to blur, they discover that they may have been completely wrong about each other from the start.
318 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 29, 2024
105 people are currently reading
2138 people want to read
About the author
Vai Denton
4 books93 followersVai Denton is an American author, romance enthusiast—especially if sports are involved—and book lover. She has spent much of her life struggling to find her identity between her two cultures, using books as a sanctuary. Her hope is that her stories provide readers with the escape she once sought. In each of her books, you can expect swoony, healthy relationships that will have you kicking your feet.
If she's not reading or writing about love, you'll find her watching football, tennis, or any number of her favorite romcoms with her two cats and fiancé.
If you’d like to contact Vai, find her on instagram @vaidentonauthor or via email at vaidentonauthor@gmail.com
If she's not reading or writing about love, you'll find her watching football, tennis, or any number of her favorite romcoms with her two cats and fiancé.
If you’d like to contact Vai, find her on instagram @vaidentonauthor or via email at vaidentonauthor@gmail.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 172 reviews
May 19, 2024
3.5⭐️
Lucia works as a sports analysts for her fiancés NFL team, however when her fiancé is caught cheating on her & it becomes public, Lucia is forced to either be dismissed from working for the team, or to resign & go work for another NFL team. She chooses the latter & ends up working for her fiancés rival team, as well as WITH her fiancés biggest rival, Colton Beaumont.
This was a great debut novel! It was cute, lighthearted, fun, slightly smutty, & VERY “so high school” by Taylor swift coded !! I really enjoyed the storyline & thought it was a fun concept! The ex’s rival trope is wonderful imo🤭
Lucia is a boss ass b*tch! She is SO intelligent & hardworking & knew how to stand her ground. She was self assured, confident, & a very strong character, & her passion & intelligence were inspiring. A total girlboss tbh💅🏼 Colton was a HUGE grump & a little bit of a broody asshole at first, but underneath all that is a man who was under a lot of pressure. But despite his internal struggles he was really sweetc caring, protective, loyal & nurturing, & his playful, fun, golden retriever-like personality was so cute🤭
Lucia & Colton’s bickering & flirting was so cute & had me feeling so giddy. I loved reading about their mundane moments like watching movies in their hotel room🥹 one of the downfalls for me was the pacing of the relationship. The great tension & the slight hatred for one another that we witnessed at the start of their relationship was gone in the blink of an eye as soon as they started fake dating, which was a bummer because I LOVED it & wished that it could’ve dragged on a little longer.
There were a few parts in this book that just felt a little slow so the pacing kinda lost me unfortunately, but other than that this was an enjoyable read & very good for a debut novel💚
Read if you like: football romance (NFL), fake dating, ex’s rival, workplace romance, rivals to lovers, he falls first
Thank you to the author for the arc!💚
Lucia works as a sports analysts for her fiancés NFL team, however when her fiancé is caught cheating on her & it becomes public, Lucia is forced to either be dismissed from working for the team, or to resign & go work for another NFL team. She chooses the latter & ends up working for her fiancés rival team, as well as WITH her fiancés biggest rival, Colton Beaumont.
This was a great debut novel! It was cute, lighthearted, fun, slightly smutty, & VERY “so high school” by Taylor swift coded !! I really enjoyed the storyline & thought it was a fun concept! The ex’s rival trope is wonderful imo🤭
Lucia is a boss ass b*tch! She is SO intelligent & hardworking & knew how to stand her ground. She was self assured, confident, & a very strong character, & her passion & intelligence were inspiring. A total girlboss tbh💅🏼 Colton was a HUGE grump & a little bit of a broody asshole at first, but underneath all that is a man who was under a lot of pressure. But despite his internal struggles he was really sweetc caring, protective, loyal & nurturing, & his playful, fun, golden retriever-like personality was so cute🤭
Lucia & Colton’s bickering & flirting was so cute & had me feeling so giddy. I loved reading about their mundane moments like watching movies in their hotel room🥹 one of the downfalls for me was the pacing of the relationship. The great tension & the slight hatred for one another that we witnessed at the start of their relationship was gone in the blink of an eye as soon as they started fake dating, which was a bummer because I LOVED it & wished that it could’ve dragged on a little longer.
There were a few parts in this book that just felt a little slow so the pacing kinda lost me unfortunately, but other than that this was an enjoyable read & very good for a debut novel💚
Read if you like: football romance (NFL), fake dating, ex’s rival, workplace romance, rivals to lovers, he falls first
Thank you to the author for the arc!💚
November 13, 2024
#Review: *Gridlocked on the Gridiron* - Vai Denton [18+]
4.4/5✨
2.5/5🌶️
In order to read the second book of this series, which I've recently received as an ARC, I decided that it's best to start with the beginning.
Lucia has just found out from the press that her boyfriend, the professional football Max Clark, has been cheating on her. The hit was hard, but it was even harsher when she found out she has been fired from her job too, because she was working close to Max, being a sports analyst. They offered her an option to move to Charleston, where the football team agreed to hire her. It was this or no job at all in this field.
The moving was hard at the beginning, but Lucia realized that she was happier there than before moving and maybe a reason for that was one handsome quarterback: Colton Beaumont. She had to closely work with him and, somehow, they ended up pretending to be dating. So, from a fake relationship, it blossomed slowly into a beautiful love story.
This book had that vibe which included a big gang, but I felt like something was missing. I can't put a finger on what was it, but I liked it overall. The presence of Colton's siblings, Maya and Landon, or his teammates, especially Cooper, made me like this book. Lucia had an interesting friend too, Isa, who was a little feisty, saying straight forward her opinions.
I hated how Max treated Lucia and how he thought she would come back to him after all he had done, but it was the perfect antithesis to Colton, who wasn't even sure he was a good boyfriend. He was everything Lucia needed and helped her when she felt down. And it was reciprocate, when Lucia helped Colt with his demanding father, which was obsessed that Colt should only focus on football and nothing else.
After reading this, I kind of have an idea of what I can expect from the next book from this series and I can't wait to see how the plot is going to be built for that one🤭.
✨Tropes
#FakeRelationship
#WorkPlaceRomance
#CloseProximity
#HeFallsFirst
#SportsRomance
#RivalsToLovers
4.4/5✨
2.5/5🌶️
In order to read the second book of this series, which I've recently received as an ARC, I decided that it's best to start with the beginning.
Lucia has just found out from the press that her boyfriend, the professional football Max Clark, has been cheating on her. The hit was hard, but it was even harsher when she found out she has been fired from her job too, because she was working close to Max, being a sports analyst. They offered her an option to move to Charleston, where the football team agreed to hire her. It was this or no job at all in this field.
The moving was hard at the beginning, but Lucia realized that she was happier there than before moving and maybe a reason for that was one handsome quarterback: Colton Beaumont. She had to closely work with him and, somehow, they ended up pretending to be dating. So, from a fake relationship, it blossomed slowly into a beautiful love story.
This book had that vibe which included a big gang, but I felt like something was missing. I can't put a finger on what was it, but I liked it overall. The presence of Colton's siblings, Maya and Landon, or his teammates, especially Cooper, made me like this book. Lucia had an interesting friend too, Isa, who was a little feisty, saying straight forward her opinions.
I hated how Max treated Lucia and how he thought she would come back to him after all he had done, but it was the perfect antithesis to Colton, who wasn't even sure he was a good boyfriend. He was everything Lucia needed and helped her when she felt down. And it was reciprocate, when Lucia helped Colt with his demanding father, which was obsessed that Colt should only focus on football and nothing else.
After reading this, I kind of have an idea of what I can expect from the next book from this series and I can't wait to see how the plot is going to be built for that one🤭.
✨Tropes
#FakeRelationship
#WorkPlaceRomance
#CloseProximity
#HeFallsFirst
#SportsRomance
#RivalsToLovers
June 23, 2024
3⭐️
overall a really cute sports romance but nothing really stuck out to me
overall a really cute sports romance but nothing really stuck out to me
May 6, 2024
I loved this book! It was so cute, give me fake dating and enemies to lovers any day and I will devour that😂 honestly the only reason this didn’t get 5 stars for me was because of the ending, it just didn’t feel fully complete to me but that’s just my opinion! Overall I would recommend this to anyone!! Sports romance, workplace romance, enemies to lovers, fake dating, forced proximity!
May 30, 2024
“That’s all I want, Luc. That’s all I will ever ask for. Just give me the privilege of proving to you that you deserve love. Because you do. You are the most deserving person in this world, and I want to be the one who gets to show you that every day.”
This was such a great debut novel!!
I absolutely loved the rivals/enemies to lovers! The characters were great! I loved that both Lucia and Colton were dealing with things in their personal life and were able to help each other through those things! They were both not looking for a relationship and ended up being exactly what the other needed 💖
The writing was great! I don’t usually read 3rd person but I think Vai did an amazing job with this one! I can’t wait to see what’s next! ☺️
This was such a great debut novel!!
I absolutely loved the rivals/enemies to lovers! The characters were great! I loved that both Lucia and Colton were dealing with things in their personal life and were able to help each other through those things! They were both not looking for a relationship and ended up being exactly what the other needed 💖
The writing was great! I don’t usually read 3rd person but I think Vai did an amazing job with this one! I can’t wait to see what’s next! ☺️
June 4, 2024
Read this book if you like:
-Ex's Rival
-Sports Romance
-Women in STEM
-Fake Dating
Vai has done a beautiful job in writing this debut novel and it can be seen from the characters built, the premise set and the story weaved by her.
This book revolves around Lucia who after a dramatic divorce and being dropped by the team she worked with is set to move to the team where her Ex's rival plays. Not only that she will be working especially with him due to the evident struggles. Colton doesn't like her because of what happened years ago. But now since they have to work together he doesn't know how to act around.
What turns around the events is when they are snapped together though as friends but decide to spin in their favour and act as a couple. It should be easy, shouldn't it be? But the nagging of her ex and the drama around games makes their journey interesting.
Colton had this mama bear vibe around him and I loved that. Lucia is such a strong FMC, she is the Queen and I loved that she finally got the man who would treat her right.
I want to congratulate Vai and thank her for sending me the advance reader copy.
-Ex's Rival
-Sports Romance
-Women in STEM
-Fake Dating
Vai has done a beautiful job in writing this debut novel and it can be seen from the characters built, the premise set and the story weaved by her.
This book revolves around Lucia who after a dramatic divorce and being dropped by the team she worked with is set to move to the team where her Ex's rival plays. Not only that she will be working especially with him due to the evident struggles. Colton doesn't like her because of what happened years ago. But now since they have to work together he doesn't know how to act around.
What turns around the events is when they are snapped together though as friends but decide to spin in their favour and act as a couple. It should be easy, shouldn't it be? But the nagging of her ex and the drama around games makes their journey interesting.
Colton had this mama bear vibe around him and I loved that. Lucia is such a strong FMC, she is the Queen and I loved that she finally got the man who would treat her right.
I want to congratulate Vai and thank her for sending me the advance reader copy.
June 1, 2024
3.5 rounded up ✨
When Lucia Moretti is publicly betrayed by her fiancé, his position as star quarterback ensures that she also loses her job as an analyst for his football team. In an effort to start anew, Luc accepts a job assisting quarterback Colton Beumont overcome his difficult pre-season. The problem? Colton is infuriating, and her ex-fiancé’s number one rival. When rumours about them begin to spiral, Colton and Luc make a deal to take back control, and get back at her ex, forcing them ever closer.
I was immediately drawn to Lucia’s character. I thought the experience of women in such a male dominated industry was very well represented, whilst Coltons journey to find worth in himself is something I could definitely relate to. Although marketed as a rivals to lovers romance, I felt that the angst around this was less important to the narrative than the couple navigating external pressures and challenges. Although not an ‘insta-love’ story, it was always clear that the couple were attracted to each other, despite their past, so this will be down to personal preference. I loved how well the author tackled important themes of abuse, parental loss and cultural issues throughout the story. The fake-dating was definitely a cute plot device, especially as it became clear that everyone else could see how they felt about each other before they did, although there was less angst that I expected given their history. I will note that I typically prefer first person, but it didn’t bother me that much, particularly since this is a debut novel. I would recommend this read to any sports romance lovers.
‘You are more than football. You are more than a winning season, you are more than a Super Bowl-winning machine, okay?’
Thank you to Vai Denton for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
When Lucia Moretti is publicly betrayed by her fiancé, his position as star quarterback ensures that she also loses her job as an analyst for his football team. In an effort to start anew, Luc accepts a job assisting quarterback Colton Beumont overcome his difficult pre-season. The problem? Colton is infuriating, and her ex-fiancé’s number one rival. When rumours about them begin to spiral, Colton and Luc make a deal to take back control, and get back at her ex, forcing them ever closer.
I was immediately drawn to Lucia’s character. I thought the experience of women in such a male dominated industry was very well represented, whilst Coltons journey to find worth in himself is something I could definitely relate to. Although marketed as a rivals to lovers romance, I felt that the angst around this was less important to the narrative than the couple navigating external pressures and challenges. Although not an ‘insta-love’ story, it was always clear that the couple were attracted to each other, despite their past, so this will be down to personal preference. I loved how well the author tackled important themes of abuse, parental loss and cultural issues throughout the story. The fake-dating was definitely a cute plot device, especially as it became clear that everyone else could see how they felt about each other before they did, although there was less angst that I expected given their history. I will note that I typically prefer first person, but it didn’t bother me that much, particularly since this is a debut novel. I would recommend this read to any sports romance lovers.
‘You are more than football. You are more than a winning season, you are more than a Super Bowl-winning machine, okay?’
Thank you to Vai Denton for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
May 8, 2024
✨ARC REVIEW✨
4.25 stars!
This was so damn cute. The characters, the plot, the romance - all so damn cute!
Lucia is a sports analyst for the same team as her NFL boyfriend/fiancé. Except he's a total jerk and a disgusting cheater. But working in man's world, this is more Lucia's problem than her ex. So off to another team she goes! But the catch? She's been sent to be the analyst for the rival football team's quarterback, Colton Beaumont.
While working together, they are caught in a compromising way and the solution? Fake date to control the narrative the media tends to spread. What could go wrong?
I absolutely loved the plot. I thought it was super creative and unique.
Lucia was a fun character. She definitely did not have an easy go and she's willing to do anything to prove herself. She has a good soul and is a nurturer. She know she should hate Colton but sees through his facade. She's patient and caring and I really loved reading about her.
Colton is an actual sweetheart. He initially comes off as a brooding jerk but really, he is a good man. He's under so much pressure to be the best that he's never taken the time to actually enjoy football. Lucia shows him he's more than that and it's beautiful.
I absolutely loved how soft this man is for her. It was too cute and I ate it up.
I loved watching these to grow and learn together and I loved that they had each other to do so.
I also really want to commence Vai for doing such an INCREDIBLE job writing this. You would NEVER think this was a debut novel! I'm normally not a huge 3rd person fan but damn, she wrote 3rd person so well!
I lowered this from a 4.5 and 5 mostly because of pacing, some filler moments, and a little bit of the ending. Again, NOTHING was actually bad about any of it! I think it all comes down to preference.
I just felt like throughout this, we had more chapters that weren't totally needed to keep the story going and some moments where I just wanted to get to the good stuff! I'm not the biggest football fan, so for me, I needed to just get through the play by plays. The ending did feel a little more rushed but again, still a great story! And again, mostly personal preference stuff!
With that all said, I really did enjoy this! I thought it was super fun and playful. I love how cute the cute moments were and I loved how serious the serious parts were.
I just really loved the charaters and relationship development. I enjoyed the side characters. You just know something is going on with Maya and (I WILL NOT SPOIL IT BUT WINK WINK).
I really can't wait to read the next one!
Thank you SO much to Vai Denton for an ARC copy!
4.25 stars!
This was so damn cute. The characters, the plot, the romance - all so damn cute!
Lucia is a sports analyst for the same team as her NFL boyfriend/fiancé. Except he's a total jerk and a disgusting cheater. But working in man's world, this is more Lucia's problem than her ex. So off to another team she goes! But the catch? She's been sent to be the analyst for the rival football team's quarterback, Colton Beaumont.
While working together, they are caught in a compromising way and the solution? Fake date to control the narrative the media tends to spread. What could go wrong?
I absolutely loved the plot. I thought it was super creative and unique.
Lucia was a fun character. She definitely did not have an easy go and she's willing to do anything to prove herself. She has a good soul and is a nurturer. She know she should hate Colton but sees through his facade. She's patient and caring and I really loved reading about her.
Colton is an actual sweetheart. He initially comes off as a brooding jerk but really, he is a good man. He's under so much pressure to be the best that he's never taken the time to actually enjoy football. Lucia shows him he's more than that and it's beautiful.
I absolutely loved how soft this man is for her. It was too cute and I ate it up.
I loved watching these to grow and learn together and I loved that they had each other to do so.
I also really want to commence Vai for doing such an INCREDIBLE job writing this. You would NEVER think this was a debut novel! I'm normally not a huge 3rd person fan but damn, she wrote 3rd person so well!
I lowered this from a 4.5 and 5 mostly because of pacing, some filler moments, and a little bit of the ending. Again, NOTHING was actually bad about any of it! I think it all comes down to preference.
I just felt like throughout this, we had more chapters that weren't totally needed to keep the story going and some moments where I just wanted to get to the good stuff! I'm not the biggest football fan, so for me, I needed to just get through the play by plays. The ending did feel a little more rushed but again, still a great story! And again, mostly personal preference stuff!
With that all said, I really did enjoy this! I thought it was super fun and playful. I love how cute the cute moments were and I loved how serious the serious parts were.
I just really loved the charaters and relationship development. I enjoyed the side characters. You just know something is going on with Maya and (I WILL NOT SPOIL IT BUT WINK WINK).
I really can't wait to read the next one!
Thank you SO much to Vai Denton for an ARC copy!
May 30, 2024
Gridlocked on the Gridiron ARC Review
i was very fortunate to receive an ARC of Gridlocked on the Gridiron by Vai Denton. All opinions are my own and given freely. 💚
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🌶️🌶️/5
content warning: death of a parent (off page, prior to the start of the book), verbally abusive parent, alcohol use, cheating (neither of the MCs), manipulative former partner, explicit sexual content.
“every day, colton proved to her that he wanted to be in her life and that she deserved the love that so many other people enjoyed. she knew her fears wouldn’t disappear overnight, and she wasn’t sure they would ever fully go away, but at the very least, she and colton could navigate and attempt to quell them together. for the first time in her life, lucia felt like she had everything she wanted and more.”
this was such a fun and quick read for me. the fake dating and rivals to lovers tropes reeled me in and vain did not disappoint!!! i can’t recommend this book enough!! i immediately fell in love with colton and lucia. the only thing that took me a minute to get used to was the 3rd person pov but after that it was smooth sailing and i couldn’t stop reading!!
lucia is everything you could ever ask for in a fmc and colton is the dreamiest mmc. there is just so much love, kindness, and strength between the two of them, they were such a fun couple to read!! the constant banter and snarky comments between the two of them was everything. i just fell in love with the dynamic shared between them.
for a debut novel, vai did such an amazing job. everything from the main characters to the side characters and everything else in between was so beautifully written! i’m so excited to see what she does next!! here’s to hoping and praying we get cooper and maya’s story next 🤭 once again thank you so much for giving me the chance to read gridlocked on the gridiron early! 💚
i was very fortunate to receive an ARC of Gridlocked on the Gridiron by Vai Denton. All opinions are my own and given freely. 💚
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🌶️🌶️/5
content warning: death of a parent (off page, prior to the start of the book), verbally abusive parent, alcohol use, cheating (neither of the MCs), manipulative former partner, explicit sexual content.
“every day, colton proved to her that he wanted to be in her life and that she deserved the love that so many other people enjoyed. she knew her fears wouldn’t disappear overnight, and she wasn’t sure they would ever fully go away, but at the very least, she and colton could navigate and attempt to quell them together. for the first time in her life, lucia felt like she had everything she wanted and more.”
this was such a fun and quick read for me. the fake dating and rivals to lovers tropes reeled me in and vain did not disappoint!!! i can’t recommend this book enough!! i immediately fell in love with colton and lucia. the only thing that took me a minute to get used to was the 3rd person pov but after that it was smooth sailing and i couldn’t stop reading!!
lucia is everything you could ever ask for in a fmc and colton is the dreamiest mmc. there is just so much love, kindness, and strength between the two of them, they were such a fun couple to read!! the constant banter and snarky comments between the two of them was everything. i just fell in love with the dynamic shared between them.
for a debut novel, vai did such an amazing job. everything from the main characters to the side characters and everything else in between was so beautifully written! i’m so excited to see what she does next!! here’s to hoping and praying we get cooper and maya’s story next 🤭 once again thank you so much for giving me the chance to read gridlocked on the gridiron early! 💚
February 27, 2025
5⭐️LOVED this read!
Huge fan of sports romance books with depth to characters, and FMC with badass jobs. Colton is an NFL star & Lucia is a superwoman analyst who created a software to analyze the game. After a series of bad instances with her old team & ex, she finds herself working with her ex’s old college rival.
Tropes:
-sports romance
-enemies to lovers
-fake dating
-forced proximity
-badass FMC
-he falls first & harder
-emotional depth to characters
Huge fan of sports romance books with depth to characters, and FMC with badass jobs. Colton is an NFL star & Lucia is a superwoman analyst who created a software to analyze the game. After a series of bad instances with her old team & ex, she finds herself working with her ex’s old college rival.
Tropes:
-sports romance
-enemies to lovers
-fake dating
-forced proximity
-badass FMC
-he falls first & harder
-emotional depth to characters
September 11, 2024
This came up on my Instagram explore page so I took a chance and I really enjoyed it
January 4, 2025
4.25⭐️
August 20, 2025
This was my first book by Vai Denton, and it was a really enjoyable read. Plus, the author knows her American football (because I sure as hell don’t), which contributed to the believability of the story even more!
This was such an enjoyable read. Vai writes in a way that makes me root all out for the characters. There are compelling themes of the struggles of being biracial, especially in a sport where they’re seen as an anomaly. Both Lucia and Colton deserved the world – they’re just both cinnamon roll characters that I just want to squeeze into a tight hug.
There’s just something missing in the writing that prevents me from making it a fave. I love vivid descriptions of the character’s world, and this book didn’t make much of an attempt to ground us in the setting.
But overall, this was a wonderful romance that I’ll recommend for the sports romance girlies!
This was such an enjoyable read. Vai writes in a way that makes me root all out for the characters. There are compelling themes of the struggles of being biracial, especially in a sport where they’re seen as an anomaly. Both Lucia and Colton deserved the world – they’re just both cinnamon roll characters that I just want to squeeze into a tight hug.
There’s just something missing in the writing that prevents me from making it a fave. I love vivid descriptions of the character’s world, and this book didn’t make much of an attempt to ground us in the setting.
But overall, this was a wonderful romance that I’ll recommend for the sports romance girlies!
June 12, 2024
Thank you to the wonderful Vai Denton for sending me an arc of your book! This book is truly THE football book! The way this book has so many football terms/analogies, (not that I know what most of them meant 😅) I did learn a lot of football plays and football in general. I think these characters were really fun as well as the story! Colton and Lucia had a lot of good chemistry and AMAZING banter!! Watching them interact throughout the book was so funny, because they just loved to push each other buttons. Lucia was a good strong female lead. She was a powerhouse in her field of work which was mostly male dominated! She grew a lot as a character. Struggling with believing in love and if it would be worth the risk. The development she had with this near the end of the book was really well written, I do think it was a little faced paced. Colton in the beginning was a little off putting but he then has a complete 180 and quickly changes his demeanour towards Lucia. Which I thought was really weird but the hate to love was super short and the reason he hated Lucia was really dumb😭 but he was such a softie bf! He was really cute and all he wanted was his fake gf all the time 😩 one thing I struggled with in the book were some of the translations. One moment the book was talking about soemthing and then the whole scene changed and I wasn’t aware… it definitely confused me while reading. And I did wish we go more of a resolution between Colton and his Father. I feel like this was a subplot that was put in the book and then was forgotten about at the end. But overall it was a super cute read! We got a lot of cute moments between Colton and Lucia which I loved!!! And the football was top tier!
May 16, 2024
3🌶
This was super sweet and a really solid debut!!!
I really liked the characters--I felt like they had solid backstories that explained a lot about their personalities and actions during the story. The romance was cute and I liked how Colton and Lucia slowly warmed up to each other. They had some fun banter and Lucia's ex was a jerk! A lot of the football jargon was lost on me, but I didn't feel like there was *too much* of it. I still really enjoyed the story and not understanding the references didn't make me feel like I was missing out on anything. The only thing I struggled with was the pacing--it took until 20% for there to be any sort of fake dating introduced, which just made the start of the book feel slow to me. Lucia's aversion to relationships made middle of the book a bit repetitive, and then things seemed to wrap up really fast, leaving me feeling like there was a little something missing. However, I really liked Colton's siblings! They made for fun side characters and I loved his relationships with them. I'm looking forward to seeing more of them in future books in the series. I hope we see more of how Colton's family's background impacts them--the multicultural aspect of his personality coupled with his difficult dad was a great characterization for him.
Thank you so much to Vai for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.🫶🏻
This was super sweet and a really solid debut!!!
I really liked the characters--I felt like they had solid backstories that explained a lot about their personalities and actions during the story. The romance was cute and I liked how Colton and Lucia slowly warmed up to each other. They had some fun banter and Lucia's ex was a jerk! A lot of the football jargon was lost on me, but I didn't feel like there was *too much* of it. I still really enjoyed the story and not understanding the references didn't make me feel like I was missing out on anything. The only thing I struggled with was the pacing--it took until 20% for there to be any sort of fake dating introduced, which just made the start of the book feel slow to me. Lucia's aversion to relationships made middle of the book a bit repetitive, and then things seemed to wrap up really fast, leaving me feeling like there was a little something missing. However, I really liked Colton's siblings! They made for fun side characters and I loved his relationships with them. I'm looking forward to seeing more of them in future books in the series. I hope we see more of how Colton's family's background impacts them--the multicultural aspect of his personality coupled with his difficult dad was a great characterization for him.
Thank you so much to Vai for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.🫶🏻
May 13, 2024
I. Am. Obsessed!
I love when a debut reads like a comfort, cozy read from an already favorite author. Vai Denton delivered us all the feelings with Gridlocked on the Gridiron and instantly inserted herself into my auto-read author list. The frustration from Lucia's situation at the start of the book had me so freaking hot and angry that I just couldn't put this guy down until justice was served.
I loved the forced proximity of their jobs- analyst and quarterback? This was such a fun dynamic that had me cringing and laughing, sometimes on the same page! I think adding in the layer of fake dating was like the icing, so good, so sweet, just perfection. Colton being Lucia's ex's rival- 10/10. I just loved how the tension built in this book then just.. ka bam!
My favorite part was, honestly- Lucia. I thought the detail brought to her character as a female in a male dominated industry felt so real. Her injustice was a bit laughable, but that gave it the edge. Of course she would be the one to suffer, just to rise from the ashes and learn from her mistakes. She was so strong and walked into the room with her head held high even in her low moments, and I loved how attracted Colton was to that. I just loved her so much.
Overall, this was such a fun and cute read that I would most definitely recommend to my sports romance loving reader friends. The dynamic was so great and the characters gave the story such life!!
Thank you SO much to Vai for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I love when a debut reads like a comfort, cozy read from an already favorite author. Vai Denton delivered us all the feelings with Gridlocked on the Gridiron and instantly inserted herself into my auto-read author list. The frustration from Lucia's situation at the start of the book had me so freaking hot and angry that I just couldn't put this guy down until justice was served.
I loved the forced proximity of their jobs- analyst and quarterback? This was such a fun dynamic that had me cringing and laughing, sometimes on the same page! I think adding in the layer of fake dating was like the icing, so good, so sweet, just perfection. Colton being Lucia's ex's rival- 10/10. I just loved how the tension built in this book then just.. ka bam!
My favorite part was, honestly- Lucia. I thought the detail brought to her character as a female in a male dominated industry felt so real. Her injustice was a bit laughable, but that gave it the edge. Of course she would be the one to suffer, just to rise from the ashes and learn from her mistakes. She was so strong and walked into the room with her head held high even in her low moments, and I loved how attracted Colton was to that. I just loved her so much.
Overall, this was such a fun and cute read that I would most definitely recommend to my sports romance loving reader friends. The dynamic was so great and the characters gave the story such life!!
Thank you SO much to Vai for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
May 24, 2024
4.25/5🌟
all it took was seeing the cover of this book to make me want to read it!! it's just too pretty, so i'm happy the story did not disappoint either!
our main characters start off being rivals pretty much since their college days, so meeting again after all the time definitely wasn't ideal nor really their choice.
they do find attraction to each other rather soon, which i kinda wish we got a bit more development, but i think the tension further into the story balanced it out well.
the author did a great job showing how people (men) treat women in a male-dominated industry and how that can easily change only based on who she's associated with and not on her, in lucia's case, impressive accomplishments.
i loved seeing how much they both helped each other. lucia helped colton find his love for football and taught him about his worth and colton helped lucia face her fear of love after her borderline abusive past relationship and witnessing what it did to her father her whole life. both showed great development in these areas!!
another fun part was their banter! i was laughing so much at some of the things that would come out of their mouths, and the spice was spicyyy!
all it took was seeing the cover of this book to make me want to read it!! it's just too pretty, so i'm happy the story did not disappoint either!
our main characters start off being rivals pretty much since their college days, so meeting again after all the time definitely wasn't ideal nor really their choice.
they do find attraction to each other rather soon, which i kinda wish we got a bit more development, but i think the tension further into the story balanced it out well.
the author did a great job showing how people (men) treat women in a male-dominated industry and how that can easily change only based on who she's associated with and not on her, in lucia's case, impressive accomplishments.
i loved seeing how much they both helped each other. lucia helped colton find his love for football and taught him about his worth and colton helped lucia face her fear of love after her borderline abusive past relationship and witnessing what it did to her father her whole life. both showed great development in these areas!!
another fun part was their banter! i was laughing so much at some of the things that would come out of their mouths, and the spice was spicyyy!
May 27, 2024
ARC review!
⭐️ - 4
🌶️ - 3 (open door, just a few scenes)
I was so looking forward to reading this one. I’ve loved football for more than 20 years, and sports romances are my favorite. Putting them both together seemed perfect.
I did really enjoy this one. Lucia (lu-chee-uh) is a badass woman in STEM, working as an analyst. When Luc’s ex-fiancé, Max, gets outed publicly for cheating on her, she loses her job with his team, the Vipers, for fear she may cause him unnecessary drama, and since he’s their star QB, of course they choose him over her.
So, Lucia lands a job as an analyst for the Charleston Sabertooths, home of hot shot QB Colton Beaumont… her college nemesis.
I loved reading about how Lucia worked to earn the respect of her peers. You don’t see women in STEM often in novels, so it’s nice when you do.
Another thing you don’t see often? Indian QBs. Half-Indian but still. That’s a major part of Colton’s character, and I love how it differentiated him from MMC’s in other books.
At the start of the story, it’s clear these two HATE each other. Enemies to lovers is a really solid trope, so there was a lot of promise. What I didn’t like was how it went from them hating each other to basically the next chapter being friendly. There are weeks that pass between those chapters, but it’s off-page. One of the best parts of enemies to lovers is seeing the development from enemies to friends (or at least just them tolerating each other). I would have loved to read more of the development between them.
Another favorite trope is fake dating, which we also see here. It made sense why they started it after that picture came out, but, to me, it felt a bit like the trope was forgotten for a bit. I forgot for a while that they were fake dating 😅 the second half of the book made it much more apparent, and I absolutely ate it up.
Lucia and Colton had great banter and chemistry. Lucia was very understanding of everything Colton went through with his father (who is probably tied with Max for the literal worst person ever), and in turn, Colton is unbelievably supportive of Lucia on her career.
My criticisms aside, this book was really good. This is the author’s debut novel, and it’s a really solid debut. I’m not usually a fan of third-person POV, but I really enjoyed her writing style. I love the way she developed the characters, giving them their own complex backstories that shape who they are today. I loved meeting Colton’s siblings - and I caught that tension between Maya and Cooper immediately… looking forward to that story!
This is the first in the Beaumont Legacy series, and I’ll absolutely be reading the others.
Congrats to the author on their first novel! I appreciate being chosen to read the ARC and share my thoughts!
⭐️ - 4
🌶️ - 3 (open door, just a few scenes)
I was so looking forward to reading this one. I’ve loved football for more than 20 years, and sports romances are my favorite. Putting them both together seemed perfect.
I did really enjoy this one. Lucia (lu-chee-uh) is a badass woman in STEM, working as an analyst. When Luc’s ex-fiancé, Max, gets outed publicly for cheating on her, she loses her job with his team, the Vipers, for fear she may cause him unnecessary drama, and since he’s their star QB, of course they choose him over her.
So, Lucia lands a job as an analyst for the Charleston Sabertooths, home of hot shot QB Colton Beaumont… her college nemesis.
I loved reading about how Lucia worked to earn the respect of her peers. You don’t see women in STEM often in novels, so it’s nice when you do.
Another thing you don’t see often? Indian QBs. Half-Indian but still. That’s a major part of Colton’s character, and I love how it differentiated him from MMC’s in other books.
At the start of the story, it’s clear these two HATE each other. Enemies to lovers is a really solid trope, so there was a lot of promise. What I didn’t like was how it went from them hating each other to basically the next chapter being friendly. There are weeks that pass between those chapters, but it’s off-page. One of the best parts of enemies to lovers is seeing the development from enemies to friends (or at least just them tolerating each other). I would have loved to read more of the development between them.
Another favorite trope is fake dating, which we also see here. It made sense why they started it after that picture came out, but, to me, it felt a bit like the trope was forgotten for a bit. I forgot for a while that they were fake dating 😅 the second half of the book made it much more apparent, and I absolutely ate it up.
Lucia and Colton had great banter and chemistry. Lucia was very understanding of everything Colton went through with his father (who is probably tied with Max for the literal worst person ever), and in turn, Colton is unbelievably supportive of Lucia on her career.
My criticisms aside, this book was really good. This is the author’s debut novel, and it’s a really solid debut. I’m not usually a fan of third-person POV, but I really enjoyed her writing style. I love the way she developed the characters, giving them their own complex backstories that shape who they are today. I loved meeting Colton’s siblings - and I caught that tension between Maya and Cooper immediately… looking forward to that story!
This is the first in the Beaumont Legacy series, and I’ll absolutely be reading the others.
Congrats to the author on their first novel! I appreciate being chosen to read the ARC and share my thoughts!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 5, 2024
Gridlocked on the Gridiron is a great debut for Vai Denton. I love how the author weaved culture identity and various struggles into her writing while still giving us a heartwarming and swoony romance. Move over Travis Kelsey and Taylor Swift there's a new NFL power couple in town.
Lucia, believe it or not, knows more about football than many men. She strives to be recognized for her hard work in a male dominated industry and to advance her dream to become a head analyst on an NFL team. She could have never imagined ending up working with her arch-nemesis Colton Beaumont, after her fiancee not only cheats on her and humiliates her but also leaves her unemployed. While Colton might find out difficult to trust Lucia, he must admit that working with her might be just what he needs to improve his game and find his rhythm once again to lead the Charleston Sabertooths' to another Superbowl win. Neither are prepared for a compromising photo to thrust them into a fake relationship. A deal that will have them spending lots of time together, blurring the lines of what's real and what isn't.
Lucia, believe it or not, knows more about football than many men. She strives to be recognized for her hard work in a male dominated industry and to advance her dream to become a head analyst on an NFL team. She could have never imagined ending up working with her arch-nemesis Colton Beaumont, after her fiancee not only cheats on her and humiliates her but also leaves her unemployed. While Colton might find out difficult to trust Lucia, he must admit that working with her might be just what he needs to improve his game and find his rhythm once again to lead the Charleston Sabertooths' to another Superbowl win. Neither are prepared for a compromising photo to thrust them into a fake relationship. A deal that will have them spending lots of time together, blurring the lines of what's real and what isn't.
May 18, 2024
Thank you to the author for the opportunity to read her debut! 🤍
I've had a lot of fun reading about Lucia and Colton. They give enemies-to-lovers vibes from the beginning, as they used to know each other in college and had this enemosity going between them because of Lucia's boyfriend from the time. Their banter is so good and I liked seeing Lucia challenging Colton. Both Lucia and Colton are complex characters and they both work a lot throughout the book, and I appreciated seeing the growth in both of them. Another big positive in this story is how much the author knows about american football and what a big part of the story it is. Of course, it makes sense considering the characters' occupation (he is a quarterback, she is the team's analyst) but I liked reading more about the actual sport and about the matches than I've usually done in other books.
So yeah! If you're looking for a sweet and spicy sports romance, pick this one up!
I've had a lot of fun reading about Lucia and Colton. They give enemies-to-lovers vibes from the beginning, as they used to know each other in college and had this enemosity going between them because of Lucia's boyfriend from the time. Their banter is so good and I liked seeing Lucia challenging Colton. Both Lucia and Colton are complex characters and they both work a lot throughout the book, and I appreciated seeing the growth in both of them. Another big positive in this story is how much the author knows about american football and what a big part of the story it is. Of course, it makes sense considering the characters' occupation (he is a quarterback, she is the team's analyst) but I liked reading more about the actual sport and about the matches than I've usually done in other books.
So yeah! If you're looking for a sweet and spicy sports romance, pick this one up!
November 9, 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️My recently discovered love for sports romances keeps being fueled!
This time we are following Lucia - an NFL Analyst - and Colton - an NFL Quarterback.
Lucia has been together with Max for years and works at the same NFL team as an analyst where he plays. He cheats on her and she is fired from her job, however her manager helps her get a new job with another team immediately.
Lucia decided to take the plunge and moves to Charleston to work with Quarterback Colton, who also is the arch nemesis of her ex since college. At first Colton is skeptical, however when they start working together she slowly wins over his trust. When her reputation is on the line he proposes a deal to start 'fake' dating. Next to spending a lot of time together at the office and on the field, they start spending more time together outside of work. Will their deal stick? Or will it turn into something more?
If you like sports romances, fake dating, forced proximity, rivals to lovers, a super smart FMC and a sporty golden retrieven MMC, this book is for you!
This time we are following Lucia - an NFL Analyst - and Colton - an NFL Quarterback.
Lucia has been together with Max for years and works at the same NFL team as an analyst where he plays. He cheats on her and she is fired from her job, however her manager helps her get a new job with another team immediately.
Lucia decided to take the plunge and moves to Charleston to work with Quarterback Colton, who also is the arch nemesis of her ex since college. At first Colton is skeptical, however when they start working together she slowly wins over his trust. When her reputation is on the line he proposes a deal to start 'fake' dating. Next to spending a lot of time together at the office and on the field, they start spending more time together outside of work. Will their deal stick? Or will it turn into something more?
If you like sports romances, fake dating, forced proximity, rivals to lovers, a super smart FMC and a sporty golden retrieven MMC, this book is for you!
May 29, 2024
Received as an ARC.
🏈 NFL QB x Analyst
🏈 Rivals to lovers
🏈 Workplace romance
🏈 Forced proximity
🏈 Fake dating
🏈 He falls first
Now this people is how you do a debut book! Vai knocked it out of the park. I am so glad this is the first book in a series as I desperately need to see books for everyone we met along the way near enough.
Colton and Lucia were end game for me, I absolutely adored them both separately and together as a couple. They were both very well written characters and the way they were portrayed on the page was ideal.
The only thing that stopped this being a 5 ⭐️ read for me is that it was written in the 3rd person, I personally feel a bit more connected to a book written in the 1st person is all. That being said however, this is probably one of the best written 3rd person books I’ve read in a while. Well done Vai 👏🏻
🏈 NFL QB x Analyst
🏈 Rivals to lovers
🏈 Workplace romance
🏈 Forced proximity
🏈 Fake dating
🏈 He falls first
Now this people is how you do a debut book! Vai knocked it out of the park. I am so glad this is the first book in a series as I desperately need to see books for everyone we met along the way near enough.
Colton and Lucia were end game for me, I absolutely adored them both separately and together as a couple. They were both very well written characters and the way they were portrayed on the page was ideal.
The only thing that stopped this being a 5 ⭐️ read for me is that it was written in the 3rd person, I personally feel a bit more connected to a book written in the 1st person is all. That being said however, this is probably one of the best written 3rd person books I’ve read in a while. Well done Vai 👏🏻
May 3, 2024
Fake dating in a sports romance and also rivals/enemies to lovers.... SAY LESS.
I devoured this book in one evening and I loved every minute of it. The banter between Lucia and Colton is perfect, especially as they become more comfortable with each other's presence. I also love the spicy scenes we get between them and could not get enough! I love seeing a strong FMC and Lucia is a badass football analyst, creating her own software to help maximize athlete performance while Colton is the quarterback on the team for her new job.
This is set to release on May 29th and is a perfect football romance for summer or even come football season!
Thank you so much to Vai Denton for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!
I devoured this book in one evening and I loved every minute of it. The banter between Lucia and Colton is perfect, especially as they become more comfortable with each other's presence. I also love the spicy scenes we get between them and could not get enough! I love seeing a strong FMC and Lucia is a badass football analyst, creating her own software to help maximize athlete performance while Colton is the quarterback on the team for her new job.
This is set to release on May 29th and is a perfect football romance for summer or even come football season!
Thank you so much to Vai Denton for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!
June 4, 2024
ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
"That's all I want, Luc. That's all I will ever ask for. Just give me the privilege of proving to you that you deserve love. Because you do. You are the most deserving person in this world, and I want to be the one who gets to show you that every day."
Great sports romance/debut novel I would recommend. I was so there for the rivals/ enemies to lovers! Has some spice and some language. The main characters were great and I loved Lucia, she is a total girl boss in pant suits and heals!
📈 Workplace Romance
👿 Ex’s rival
🏈 Sports Romance
☀️ Grumpy/Sunshine
♥️ Rivals to Lovers
🥇 He falls first
👩❤️👨 Fake Dating
Beautiful quote:
“She'd planted roots in his heart, deep and unrelenting, and every beat was a reminder that she was there. That his heart now beat for her.”
Thank you to the author Vai Denton for the electronic advanced copy of the book!
"That's all I want, Luc. That's all I will ever ask for. Just give me the privilege of proving to you that you deserve love. Because you do. You are the most deserving person in this world, and I want to be the one who gets to show you that every day."
Great sports romance/debut novel I would recommend. I was so there for the rivals/ enemies to lovers! Has some spice and some language. The main characters were great and I loved Lucia, she is a total girl boss in pant suits and heals!
📈 Workplace Romance
👿 Ex’s rival
🏈 Sports Romance
☀️ Grumpy/Sunshine
♥️ Rivals to Lovers
🥇 He falls first
👩❤️👨 Fake Dating
Beautiful quote:
“She'd planted roots in his heart, deep and unrelenting, and every beat was a reminder that she was there. That his heart now beat for her.”
Thank you to the author Vai Denton for the electronic advanced copy of the book!
May 19, 2024
4.5 🌟
i have no idea what was in this book but i'm addicted. i need this second book more than anything!!
i am not a third person girlie AT ALL, but my god did Vai write this book perfectly, and that fact that this was her debut novel is insane because this book was that good!! from the couple to the plot line this book was perfect.
"she's planted roots in his heart, deep and unrelenting, and every beat was a reminder that she was there. that his heart now beat for her:" 💚🤭
thank you to @vaidenton and @lovenotespr for the opportunity to read this gem early!!! so beyond grateful 🫶🏻
tropes:
🏉 workplace romance
🏉 dual pov written in third person
🏉 fake dating
🏉 sports romance
🏉 he fell first
i have no idea what was in this book but i'm addicted. i need this second book more than anything!!
i am not a third person girlie AT ALL, but my god did Vai write this book perfectly, and that fact that this was her debut novel is insane because this book was that good!! from the couple to the plot line this book was perfect.
"she's planted roots in his heart, deep and unrelenting, and every beat was a reminder that she was there. that his heart now beat for her:" 💚🤭
thank you to @vaidenton and @lovenotespr for the opportunity to read this gem early!!! so beyond grateful 🫶🏻
tropes:
🏉 workplace romance
🏉 dual pov written in third person
🏉 fake dating
🏉 sports romance
🏉 he fell first
May 10, 2024
Enemies to lovers AND fake dating? Pleaaaaaase Vai Denton had me gagged from the start. I was screaming in her DMs the entire time because this book was so cute.
I love Colton and Lucia’s love and more than that, I love their love for football. I loved that they both have found families that supported them through all their own traumas and issues.
I will definitely be rereading this and prepping myself for whatever comes next in the Beaumont Legacy series.
Thank you Vai Denton for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
I love Colton and Lucia’s love and more than that, I love their love for football. I loved that they both have found families that supported them through all their own traumas and issues.
I will definitely be rereading this and prepping myself for whatever comes next in the Beaumont Legacy series.
Thank you Vai Denton for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
May 12, 2024
Thank you so much, Vai, for allowing me to read the ARC for this book!
*chefs kiss* Colton, the man that you are ;). Oh and Max? It’s ON SIGHT. We LOVE STRONG WOMEN!!! The tension, the banter, the plot, the characters, so good, I could cry. I’m so happy that I could read this for Vai! Make sure to mark it on your calendar, it releases 5/29!!
*chefs kiss* Colton, the man that you are ;). Oh and Max? It’s ON SIGHT. We LOVE STRONG WOMEN!!! The tension, the banter, the plot, the characters, so good, I could cry. I’m so happy that I could read this for Vai! Make sure to mark it on your calendar, it releases 5/29!!
May 27, 2024
A super cute read! I always love sports romances. Lucia works as a sports analyst who starts working with a rival football team once her fiancé cheats on her. She soon starts fake dating Colton who is the quarterback on the new team she works for. Overall, a great romance book!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
dnf
July 5, 2024dnf at 28%
this is more of it’s me not you situation. honestly for some reason i only like slowburns and 90 pages in these characters are already attracted to each other. i know im not gonna end up loving it so why waste my time.
this is more of it’s me not you situation. honestly for some reason i only like slowburns and 90 pages in these characters are already attracted to each other. i know im not gonna end up loving it so why waste my time.
May 12, 2024
I enjoyed it. Good writing with likable characters. I also liked hearing about the (half) Indian MMCs experience navigating spaces as a POC.
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