“I’ll lay down my life before I let you walk alone. I’ll walk away from everything else if I have to” -Kyle Robbins, False Start
It’s no secret I am an H single O Single E for a Sports Romance (Mama likes what she likes). Recently, I went through the longest period of not reading my spicy spice since beginning to read it four years ago, I was in my healing girl era. It didn’t help that my beloved Kindle Pookie had gone missing and while I have a massive stack of books in my library, for a scanning reader there is just nothing better than E-Ink.
I finally reunited with a new Kindle (temporarily) thanks to Amazon Prime days and still was not sure where to start. I was massively behind on my TBR (to be read books), new releases and the latest trending books. While glancing over my physical book shelf, I realized I had not completed Kandi Steiner’s Hockey Series and immediately went on Kindle to download the book.
Here is where I made a slightly fatal error, the Kindle Store on the older model Kindle’s can be a little laggy and not have the same organization as we get in the Kindle app. So when I typed in Kandi Steiner, scrolled the titles of the Sports Series (aka covers with Hot Dudes and sports puns) I selected False Start which I thought was either the next I needed to read in the series after Daddy P’s book (iykyk).
Well, imagine my surprise when I see a mention of an NFL instead of NHL… big whoopsies but by then I was hooked. Single Mom? Second Chance? Sports Romance? Fake Dating? SIGN ME ALL THE WAY UP BB!!
Side note, I also had the pleasure of meeting Kandi this summer at Book Bonanza right before she had her baby. She is just as sweet as the name implies.
Okay onto the review, this book begins with a chance encounter with Madelyn a newly Single Mom working in Real Estate to support herself and her son. When a high commission client comes in, she jumps at the opportunity not expecting her High School ex and now NFL Rookie Kyle Robbins to walk in. Past grudges aside, Madelyn cannot afford to turn down the income and Kyle can not turn down the chance to mess with her.
To add a little extra flair, one of Kyle’s teammates and close friends is getting married. Tired of all the perpetual bachelor jokes, Kyle twists Madelyn’s arm to get her to agree to fake dating for the events leading up to the wedding and the wedding itself. While both of them initially think of it as business only, the more time they spend together the more the attraction they once had reunites which ultimately leads to rehashing a past they both seem to remember differently.
Let me tell you, this one was a spicy spice meatball! There was tension right from page one, quick building of both the back story and each character’s perspectives on the past. Kandi did a great a job of slowly showing the writers how Madelyn and Kyle started without spoiling it or giving away the rest of the book.
The tension building was delicious. It had me flipping the pages at a new record speed. I loved the scene in the hotel room and there may or may not be a one bed trope.
The spice was fucking hot, as always. I may have screamed out a loud a few times in the middle of the night and then had to do the Mom tiptoe to make sure
I also love that Kandi leaves a little room in the books to enjoy the characters once they ‘rekindle’ rather than just ending the story in a short prologue. What can I say? I love reading the mushy happiness.
The downside of my mistake is I ultimately know exactly what happens with all the other characters in the Red Rivals series. Whoopsies! Luckily, it would stop me from reading it and enjoying all the spice.
Purchase False Start Here *
*Affiliate link I earn a small commission per purchase. If that makes you uncomfortable, no worries! You can type the title in your Amazon search bar.
Trigger Warnings
You and your mental health matters. Please note the Trigger Warnings below. Some do contain spoilers.
Trigger Warnings: Domestic Violence, Voyeurism, Custody Battle, Courtroom