Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews

An injured football player hoping to return to the NFL falls in love with his personal trainer.Jamar Dixon was the star of his high school and college football teams, but a devastating knee injury cut his NFL career short in his first season. Although some doctors predicted he would never play again, Jamar is determined to prove them wrong. He hires Taylor Powell, an independent personal trainer, to get him into shape. Jamar hopes to keep his dreams of a big, splashy return a secret for as long as possible. Taylor knows fitness and nutrition, but she can't land the jobs she wants without a college degree. Working with Jamar is the opportunity of a lifetime, and Taylor hopes the prestige of working with an NFL player will eventually boost her flailing business into solvency. Taylor and Jamar pretend to be dating to keep the plan under wraps, but their training sessions and fake dates only amplify their explosive chemistry. Rochon creates realistic and interesting personal dilemmas for each character while still keeping the romance front and center. Jamar's best friend died in high school, and he still carries grief and guilt for his role in the tragedy. Taylor struggles with financial insecurity, which she keeps secret out of shame and the fear of disappointing her high-powered family. The romance between the two is charming and well developed. They are well matched as competitors and workout partners, but it's her emotional care of his wounded soul and his staunch support of her dreams that make them winning partners.This football romance is a total knockout: funny, sexy, and full of heart.

Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

An injured football player hoping to return to the NFL falls in love with his personal trainer.Jamar Dixon was the star of his high school and college football teams, but a devastating knee injury cut his NFL career short in his first season. Although some doctors predicted he would never play again, Jamar is determined to prove them wrong. He hires Taylor Powell, an independent personal trainer, to get him into shape. Jamar hopes to keep his dreams of a big, splashy return a secret for as long as possible. Taylor knows fitness and nutrition, but she can't land the jobs she wants without a college degree. Working with Jamar is the opportunity of a lifetime, and Taylor hopes the prestige of working with an NFL player will eventually boost her flailing business into solvency. Taylor and Jamar pretend to be dating to keep the plan under wraps, but their training sessions and fake dates only amplify their explosive chemistry. Rochon creates realistic and interesting personal dilemmas for each character while still keeping the romance front and center. Jamar's best friend died in high school, and he still carries grief and guilt for his role in the tragedy. Taylor struggles with financial insecurity, which she keeps secret out of shame and the fear of disappointing her high-powered family. The romance between the two is charming and well developed. They are well matched as competitors and workout partners, but it's her emotional care of his wounded soul and his staunch support of her dreams that make them winning partners.This football romance is a total knockout: funny, sexy, and full of heart.

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Rochon follows The Boyfriend Project with a nuanced rom-com that sees Taylor Powell working to launch her career as a fitness consultant. Taylor is broke, struggling to get her business off the ground and fearfully considering the possibility that her only way forward is to go back to school. The solution to her problems comes in the form of former NFL star Jamar -Diesel- Dixon, who hires her as his personal trainer after attending her pop-up workout session. Jamar hopes to return to the field after an injury and offers Taylor a hefty fee to get him back into shape. But he has one condition: to avoid feeding into fan speculation about his career, no one can know they-re working together. Taylor agrees, and to cover the true nature of their relationship when pressed by reporters, she blurts out that they-re lovers. With both of their careers on the line, the pair create a -Dating Playbook- to guide their fake relationship-but the game plan changes when their chemistry becomes too powerful to ignore. There-s no shortage of sexual tension, and Rochon-s emphasis on boundaries and healthy communication creates a strong central pairing. Exploring themes of self-doubt and recovery, this emotional romance is sure to win hearts. Agent: Evan Marshall, Evan Marshall Agency. (July)