Reviewer: Rowena Foolish Games by Tracy Solheim
Series: Out of Bounds series #2
Also in this series: Game On, Game On, Foolish Games
Publisher: Berkley, Penguin
Publication Date: December 3, 2013
Add It: Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice | Google Play Books
Series Rating:
A Hail Mary play for the heart.
Bridal gown designer, Julianne Marchione knows better than to lose her head at a client’s wedding. But, much to her embarrassment, a mix of migraine medication and a smoking hot football player lead to a steamy one night stand resulting in a surprise pregnancy. Julianne has every intention of leaving her NFL hookup far in the past until her son, Owen, is born with a life-threatening blood disorder that requires a transfusion—and Julianne is not a match.
Will “William the Conqueror” Connelly grew up tough, shouldering the stigma of being a bastard child born on the wrong side of the tracks. He refuses to let any child face the same discrimination. When he finds out about Owen, he’s furious that Julianne kept his son a secret. But when he sees her again at the hospital, he realizes that his feelings for her go far beyond anger.
Rowena’s review of Foolish Games (Out of Bounds #2) by Tracy Solheim.
Will insists that Owen recuperate at his home in North Carolina, and he’s adamant that Julianne become his wife—even if it’s only a temporary marriage in name only. But will their simmering attraction ever lead to a real connection? Or are they just playing foolish games?
I’ve seen this series around and have been interested in reading it but haven’t ever gotten around to it…until now. This book was filled with a whole lot of drama but interestingly enough, it worked for me. I enjoyed getting to know both Julianne and Will. I’m not usually a fan of secret baby plots but this one worked for me.
So this is Book Two in the Out of Bounds series by Tracy Solheim and while I haven’t read the first book, I thought this book did well as a stand alone book. I wasn’t confused or anything throughout any of the book so you don’t need to read the first book to get this one. This book follows William the Conqueror from the Baltimore Blaze and wedding gown designer Julianne Marchione. They had a one night stand and a baby happened afterward. Within weeks of the baby being born, Julianne realizes that she’s going to have to go to the one person she never thought she’d see again to save her baby. She knew that he was going to be pissed off when he found out about the baby but she didn’t have a choice. She needed him.
And he came.
He came and he was pissed and he was unsure that the baby was actually his but he came because on the off chance that the baby was his, he was going to do whatever he needed to do to save him.
I was wrapped up in Will and Julianne’s drama just as much as I was wrapped up in Annabeth and Hank’s romance. I thought Solheim did a great job of blending both stories together and keeping me invested in their lives. They weren’t perfect characters but I loved them all anyway. There’s a wide array of characters that bring a little something to the story and I loved each and every single person. Well, except for Coach Zavalos.
Will was a great hero, even though his faith in Julianne wasn’t as strong as I’d hoped it would be after everything that they’d been through. He was a fantastic father to Owen and he really opened himself up to being vulnerable with Julianne and I thought it was adorable, the way that he loved her. He was a big bonehead as well (with the whole not having enough faith in Julianne) but I forgave him for being a bonehead because there wasn’t a doubt in my mind that he adored Julianne. That he wasn’t crazy about Owen. He was stubborn, he was strong and he was just all around a great guy. It wasn’t hard to see why Julianne was completely head over heels in love with him.
Julianne was a great heroine. I loved how she owned up to her mistakes and she loved those around her unconditionally and was a really great Mom to Owen. His happiness and his well being came first and foremost in her mind, all the time. As uncomfortable as she was with Will and moving her life from Italy back to the states, she did it so that her son can have a relationship with his father. She was a strong woman who dealt with change extremely well and even though she made her share of boneheaded mistakes, I still really liked her. I liked who she was, who she wanted to be and the way she loved Will was too cute for words.
I really enjoyed the secondary romance between Hank (Will’s boss) and Annabeth (Will’s Mom). I thought that was adorable and even enjoyed seeing how pissed off Will was about that whole relationship. Annabeth was such a strong woman who deserved happiness in her life and was glad when she finally found it with Hank. I also adored the relationship that she formed with Sophie, Hank’s daughter.
Overall, this book was a good read and I’m glad that I read it. I’m really looking forward to reading Brody’s book. This will not be the last book that I read by this author and I definitely recommend this book. It’s a good one.
Grade: 4 out of 5
This book is available from Berkley. You can purchase it here or here in e-format. This book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Leave a Reply