What do you think?
Rate this book
Cleveland Clash #2
Crossing Lines
Party girl and standout wide receiver Jillian Bell sees no problem with her “no rules” lifestyle as long as she’s scoring on the field. But her sexy new offensive coordinator doesn’t see it that way.
Former marine turned successful restaurateur Carter Howl agreed to whip his father’s undisciplined women’s full-tackle football team into shape out of guilt. But the job comes with more trouble than he bargained for thanks to one spitfire of a wide receiver who challenges his every play.
When Jillian’s little sister begs her to come back to their small-minded hometown and be on her best behavior at a family event, she unexpectedly enlists prim and proper Carter to help her keep her cool. But two days and one pretend engagement later, this straight-laced former soldier is doing all sorts of things he normally wouldn’t. Is the wrong girl the right girl for him?
Former marine turned successful restaurateur Carter Howl agreed to whip his father’s undisciplined women’s full-tackle football team into shape out of guilt. But the job comes with more trouble than he bargained for thanks to one spitfire of a wide receiver who challenges his every play.
When Jillian’s little sister begs her to come back to their small-minded hometown and be on her best behavior at a family event, she unexpectedly enlists prim and proper Carter to help her keep her cool. But two days and one pretend engagement later, this straight-laced former soldier is doing all sorts of things he normally wouldn’t. Is the wrong girl the right girl for him?
- GenresRomanceContemporary
204 pages, Paperback
First published May 25, 2015
2 people are currently reading
30 people want to read
About the author
Elley Arden
43 books184 followersElley Arden is a born and bred Pennsylvanian who has lived as far west as Utah and as far north as Wisconsin. She drinks wine like it’s water (a slight exaggeration), prefers a night at the ballpark to a night on the town, and believes almond English toffee is the key to happiness.
Elley writes provocative, emotional, contemporary romances, where Mr. Not-My-Type ends up being Mr. Right.
Elley writes provocative, emotional, contemporary romances, where Mr. Not-My-Type ends up being Mr. Right.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 1, 2015
Arden has definitely done it again. She has penned a novel that will stand up against the best of the best. The wildly romantic (and at times steamy) relationship between the two main characters is so genuine that you can’t help but get caught up in it. She also brings in some intriguing outlooks on life and conforming to what others expect that made it all the more interesting. Arden’s intricate descriptions, that are wound up in her upbeat narrative, bring this world to life in such a vivid manner that you feel as if you’re experiencing it all with the characters.
Arden has created a cast of characters that not only carried this novel forward with a flair rarely seen, but who also hold a piece of my heart long after the story is over. This is the mark of fantastic character development. These individuals became so real for me that I not only don’t want to let them go, but truly can’t. There were times when I wanted to curl up in a ball and cry right alongside Jill. Others when I wanted to fight her fight with her. Carter’s situation put him between a rock and a hard place, where he needed to discover what he really wanted before he could go for it. Their situations were the same yet so very different that I couldn’t help but draw parallels and comparisons. The supporting cast was also uniquely crafted. The lack of support that these two had made them shine all the more brightly.
Arden never fails to create wonderful tales that capture your heart and your imagination. This novel is no exception. It was a fantastic, heartfelt novel that held me throughout.
Please note that I received a complimentary copy of this work in exchange for an honest review.
Arden has created a cast of characters that not only carried this novel forward with a flair rarely seen, but who also hold a piece of my heart long after the story is over. This is the mark of fantastic character development. These individuals became so real for me that I not only don’t want to let them go, but truly can’t. There were times when I wanted to curl up in a ball and cry right alongside Jill. Others when I wanted to fight her fight with her. Carter’s situation put him between a rock and a hard place, where he needed to discover what he really wanted before he could go for it. Their situations were the same yet so very different that I couldn’t help but draw parallels and comparisons. The supporting cast was also uniquely crafted. The lack of support that these two had made them shine all the more brightly.
Arden never fails to create wonderful tales that capture your heart and your imagination. This novel is no exception. It was a fantastic, heartfelt novel that held me throughout.
Please note that I received a complimentary copy of this work in exchange for an honest review.
October 9, 2017
Good read
Nice to catch up with other characters and to learn more about Jillian. She has depth I didn't expect and it was good getting to know her. I would recommend this story to any adult reader who enjoys sexy sports romances.
Nice to catch up with other characters and to learn more about Jillian. She has depth I didn't expect and it was good getting to know her. I would recommend this story to any adult reader who enjoys sexy sports romances.
June 8, 2015
I was sitting with my laptop, thinking about my review, when a realization hit me.
In Crossing Lines, a football player and her coach fall in love with each other. In Getting Played, the previous book I reviewed, a water polo player and her coach fall in love with each other.
Talk about being drawn to certain tropes.
To be fair, I didn’t read these books one after the other. And though they seem very similar on the surface, there’s a whole world of difference underneath.
In Crossing Lines, yes, there’s a certain element of the forbidden, because as in boss-subordinate and student-teacher relationships, coaches and their athletes are supposed to maintain a professional distance. While Getting Played was complicated by Addie’s being underage, here, Jillian and Carter are both adults. The problem lies in their head coach being Carter’s dad, who’s firmly against fraternizing with players. With Jillian and Carter butting heads from day one, that seems to be a nonissue….until Carter accompanies Jillian to face the ire of her family and her hometown—as her pretend boyfriend, of course—and lines start to get blurred.
This was the first time I read a novel by Elley Arden, and I appreciated how she didn’t pour on the drama despite Jillian and Carter both having difficult experiences, especially with their families. I liked having that break from the angst that a lot of NA novels have, including Getting Played.
Thing is, I had a problem getting into the characters. I understand that Jillian has her share of issues as the black sheep in her family and the shunned sinner in their town, but the reasons behind her acting up in the first place were never really explained. As for Carter, he has all the ingredients for a potential book boyfriend, but they never really came together. His resume reads marine turned restaurateur and coach, which should translate to him being decisive and assertive in his choices. However, I felt that he spent more time giving in to his dad than being the alpha that he should’ve been.
It takes a lot for me to be invested in a story with a pretend relationship, because I need there to be a believable and, in a way, honorable reason for two characters to go through that charade. While I get Jillian wanting someone to help her face her demons, I couldn’t fully wrap my head around Carter actually agreeing to be her buffer. I might’ve bought them pretending to be good friends, but the boyfriend-girlfriend scenario was a bit of a stretch.
Overall, Crossing Lines was just an okay read for me. No extreme reactions, but I’m thinking I need a break from student-teacher-type tropes. Three steady stars.
*I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
**Review originally posted on www. WillReadforFeels.com
In Crossing Lines, a football player and her coach fall in love with each other. In Getting Played, the previous book I reviewed, a water polo player and her coach fall in love with each other.
Talk about being drawn to certain tropes.
To be fair, I didn’t read these books one after the other. And though they seem very similar on the surface, there’s a whole world of difference underneath.
In Crossing Lines, yes, there’s a certain element of the forbidden, because as in boss-subordinate and student-teacher relationships, coaches and their athletes are supposed to maintain a professional distance. While Getting Played was complicated by Addie’s being underage, here, Jillian and Carter are both adults. The problem lies in their head coach being Carter’s dad, who’s firmly against fraternizing with players. With Jillian and Carter butting heads from day one, that seems to be a nonissue….until Carter accompanies Jillian to face the ire of her family and her hometown—as her pretend boyfriend, of course—and lines start to get blurred.
This was the first time I read a novel by Elley Arden, and I appreciated how she didn’t pour on the drama despite Jillian and Carter both having difficult experiences, especially with their families. I liked having that break from the angst that a lot of NA novels have, including Getting Played.
Thing is, I had a problem getting into the characters. I understand that Jillian has her share of issues as the black sheep in her family and the shunned sinner in their town, but the reasons behind her acting up in the first place were never really explained. As for Carter, he has all the ingredients for a potential book boyfriend, but they never really came together. His resume reads marine turned restaurateur and coach, which should translate to him being decisive and assertive in his choices. However, I felt that he spent more time giving in to his dad than being the alpha that he should’ve been.
It takes a lot for me to be invested in a story with a pretend relationship, because I need there to be a believable and, in a way, honorable reason for two characters to go through that charade. While I get Jillian wanting someone to help her face her demons, I couldn’t fully wrap my head around Carter actually agreeing to be her buffer. I might’ve bought them pretending to be good friends, but the boyfriend-girlfriend scenario was a bit of a stretch.
Overall, Crossing Lines was just an okay read for me. No extreme reactions, but I’m thinking I need a break from student-teacher-type tropes. Three steady stars.
*I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
**Review originally posted on www. WillReadforFeels.com
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews