The Riptide Book 1: The Rivalry by Beth Bolden

 

The Riptide Book 1

The first time NFL quarterback Heath Harris meets Sam Crawford, it’s just them, a luxury yacht and a few days of fun in the sun. Sam turns out to be nothing like Heath expects. He’s kind and funny and irreverent—and also unbelievably, shockingly sexy. For three short, glorious, life-changing days, there are no rules.

The second time they meet, Sam has just been traded to Heath’s team, and instead of lovers, now they're rivals. Heath has spent the last five years working desperately to be the best quarterback the Riptide could ever need, but when injuries threaten to derail his career, Sam is right there, standing on the sideline. Ready to take over, and ready to ruin everything Heath has given his life for.

Rival. Enemy. Teammate. Friend. Lover.

As their orbits collide, sparks fly, and Heath struggles to find the right label and the right box to shove Sam into, hoping to keep him contained. But Sam—and Heath’s feelings—refuse to cooperate.

Sam might not be just one of those things, he might be all of them, and so much more.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51182447-the-rivalry

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My Review: 5/5 Stars

Three days. Three days is all it takes to change everything for Heath and Sam. By chance, the two of them end up on a small boat trip in Miami. They are both quarterbacks for the NFL, but this is the first time they have met face to face. And they prove to be very different than either imagined. And only in the best way. By the end of that trip, Heath realizes what has been missing from his life and Sam knows that any feelings for his ex are not even close to what he feels for Heath in just the few days together. But reality sets in and they know nothing could happen between them. However, everything changes again when Sam is traded to Heath’s team in LA as Heath’s backup quarterback. Now there is a new tension. One that stems for feeling like he is moments away from being replaced. He does his best to push Sam away but that can only last so long. These two have a lot to overcome as they navigate their shaky relationship. The love between them is strong, but Heath has so much baggage from his past that he has never let himself work through it. And it takes him a while to figure out that if he truly wants Sam, he has to work on it. Sam can only be pushed and pulled for so long. He loves Heath but there is only so much hurt he can take before he has to walk away. Until his patience for Heath to let him in finally runs out. These two really tug at your heartstrings. There is so much going on and complications upon complications but there is never any doubt that these two should be together! Really enjoyed this one and getting their backstory. I’ve read this world out of order and I’m finally rewinding back to get the stories of those briefly mentioned and helped shaped so much in future books. Can’t wait to grab the next one!