Date Published: May 11th, 2015
Publisher: Carina Press
Synopsis: When retiring rugby star Ash Trenton considered his next career move, coaching troubled teens at his ex-girlfriend’s California camp wasn’t on the list. But when Camila Morales reappears after eighteen years, begging for his help, he can’t say no to his first and only love.
Camila was just sixteen when Ash moved on to start his rugby career, leaving her heartbroken…and on her own to make a life-changing decision. Now she needs his help to win a tournament prize and save her camp. Relying on Ash is the last thing she wants. But while it’s hard to get over being dumped for a sport, it’s even harder to ignore the rush of attraction that has only gotten stronger after so many years apart.
Coaching teens is the hardest job Ash has ever had, and the task becomes personal when he begins to fall for Camila all over again. But when he is offered his dream job, will he choose the job—or the woman whose heart he already sacrificed once?
What I Thought:
Whenever I hear Kat Latham is releasing a new London Legends book I get excited. I love visiting my favorite rugby squad and seeing these amazing men fall in love. Each book has been wonderful and I never fail to fall in love with both the male heroes and female heroines. I think it's one of the hallmarks of her writing. She writes real people in real situations while still maintaining the escape element readers love. Having met Ash in previous books, I was very excited to learn the fourth book in this series would feature him, especially since I knew very little about him. For those who are new to this series, each book can be read as a stand alone, so no worries about being lost if you pick up this one!
Ash is a hard worker. He's put in everything he's had since he was a teen and eschewed the trappings that came with being a rugby star in order to achieve all the goals he set for himself. I loved that. I felt his loneliness as he walked off the pitch for the last time and noticed the majority of his team mates has significant others waiting for them. I was really intrigued by Camila's presence and his reaction to her after that last match. Most importantly, it was Camila's reaction to seeing him that really threw me for a loop! What a way to say hello after 18 years! I very quickly learned why Camila has such mixed feelings on seeing Ash again and the reason for her anger/hatred towards him. I instantaneously fell for her and she gained my empathy and sympathy too. I was firmly on Team Camila until other information became clear.
While Ash might have had a somewhat easy life, Camila had to work for everything she had and she was still working hard to help others. I loved her can-do attitude and her work ethic. This is one woman who would do whatever it took to save her father's legacy, her camp for troubled teenagers. She applied that same attitude towards her feelings for Ash. I completely understood her reticence to do anything about her attraction to Ash. It's really hard to put yourself out there especially when you've been burned the way she was. I had to commend Ash too. He also felt this intense attraction to Camila but he knew he'd hurt her and wanted to avoid doing the same this time around.
I loved seeing the snippets from the past when Ash and Camila met for the first time and their time together. It really helped me get a sense of how deep their short lived romance impacted them and why. I also loved how involved the campers were in this story. They really tugged on my heart strings and played an integral role in the camp's fate, and Ash and Camila's possible relationship. I loved seeing Ash surprised by the rugby team he was to coach and seeing them learn how to play the game. The healthy dose of emotions didn't surprise me, because I've come to expect the unexpected from Kat while also knowing there are equal chances I'm going to be laughing or crying in a scene. There were some really poignant scenes that stick out and I did have to reach for the tissues a few times. There were some really hot scenes too. I loved seeing Ash and Camila reconnect after such a long separation and everything they went and were going through. I may have need to turn up the air conditioning a tad bit.
This story had my attention from the first page through the last one. There were a number of unexpected twists, many of which took me by surprise. I read it one sitting and stayed up late to finish reading it. I wasn't surprised by how quickly I read the book, but surprised by how much was material was well packed into those pages. I'm sincerely hoping Kat isn't finished with this series. I can think of a player or two I would love to read about. I'm also hoping one of these days Carina will put this series into print because I would absolutely love to have them on my shelves. Once again Kat Latham has written a book that I can in no way do justice to with my review. If you're looking for a well written sports romance, definitely check out this book!
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About the Author
Kat Latham writes sexy contemporary romance, including the London Legends rugby series.
She’s a California girl who moved to Europe the day after graduating from UCLA, ditching her tank tops for raincoats. She spent several years teaching English in Prague followed by several more working for a humanitarian organization in London. She now lives with her British husband and baby girl in a small town in the rural Netherlands surrounded by miles and miles of green pasture, canals and Shetland ponies. Kat’s slowly adjusting to life in a place where bicycles and cows seem to outnumber people.
With degrees in English lit and human rights, she loves reading and writing stories that reflect the depth, humor and emotion of real life. She’s been fortunate enough to win some contests, including the Golden Pen and Ignite the Flame, though her Mom is most proud of Kat winning the sex-scene contest, Between the Sheets.
Through her British husband (Dr Smarty Pants, PhD), Kat’s gained a keen appreciation for rugby, cricket, and the sound of a pucka English accent saying words ending in ‘-er’. He inspired her to write a series about hot rugby players with incredibly sexy voices. The first in the series, Knowing the Score, was published by Carina Press in summer 2013.
Kat’s other career involves writing and editing for charities, and she’s had the privilege of traveling to Kenya, Ethiopia and Northern Ireland to write about the heroic people helping their communities survive poverty, inequality and hunger.
When she’s not traveling, reading or writing, Kat can be found sharing overly personal things on her blog, Twitter and Facebook.
Kat is represented by Laura Bradford of the Bradford Literary Agency.
Author Links:
Website: http://katlatham.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/katrinalatham
* Thank you to the publicist for a copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and I was not compensated for them in any manner.*
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