Thrust Into Love Book 2: Matched by My Rival by DJ Jamison

 

Thrust Into Love Book 2

Simon Prentiss: ex-football star, bitter rival, and...falling for the enemy?

I hate my teammate, Parker Reed.

I hate that he makes me work so hard for my position on the field. 

Hate how he always smiles. How easily he shows me up when I'm injured.

Most of all, I hate that he made me lose my temper.

Next thing I know, football is gone.

My scholarship is gone.

I'm nearly gone, too.

With help, I manage to stay in school for my final semester.

At least without football, I can explore a new side to myself.

See where my attraction to guys takes me without fear of it affecting my future. 

I didn't see it coming. The cosmic joke.

The sweet, patient guy on the hookup app?

The one who makes me burn with the desire to have him?

Yeah, it's Parker.

Our chemistry is off the charts, no matter how much I resent him.

Holding a grudge against him is impossible.

But when he wants to walk away from everything I lost, can I accept it?

If I don't, I'll lose him too--and that can't happen.

Because I don't hate Parker Reed.

I think I love him.

Matched By My Rival is an enemies-to-lovers, jock rivals romance. It's Book 2 of the Thrust Into Love series but can be read as a standalone.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57824339-matched-by-my-rival

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My Review: 4/5 Stars

Simon has been struggling to find his footing since he made a mistake that cost him his football scholarship and his future. Now, he has been working hard to stay in school, working at a bar to get the money he needs for school and to pay his grandparents back, and volunteer for his frat, who saved him with a partial scholarship to stay at school. He still can’t believe he let his temper get the best of him when he punched Parker. His rival on the football team. Months later, his temper has cooled but he still finds himself a bit mad at Parker, even knowing that none of it was truly his fault. Meanwhile, Parker has never liked that Simon was kicked off the team. He tried to plead his case but it wasn’t enough. Truth was, he really liked Simon but how can he expect the guy to like him after everything that happened? Turns out there are a couple of things. Like showing up to volunteer with Simon to fina way get a clean slate and get matched on a hook up app. Though in that case, neither know who the other is. Both haven’t had much of a chance to explore their sexuality when it comes to being attracted to other guys. When it comes to football, it’s a no no. However, when they are anonymous on an app, they can finally explore that side of them. And neither of them are ready for the chesmitry that sparks between them. Or how explosive it becomes when they finally meet face to face. I really liked this story! Simon and Parker are equally matched and when they are together and give themselves a chance to get to know one another, they are pretty great together.