College freshman Lucia Ramirez has a secret crush on Dane Monroe. He’s a tall drink of water — blond, brash, and one hell of a volleyball player. ¡Híjole! Lucia hopes her volleyball scholarship to his school will make him notice her.
Too bad what’s noticeable is Dane’s obvious hatred for Lucia. Her family’s politics contradict everything he stands for. And politics are front and center in both their families. Dane’s mother is about to face Lucia’s father in the race for US President.
When Secret Service throws them together, Dane can’t deny his frustrating attraction to Lucia’s athletic curves and sweet faith in the world. Amid the intense pressure of college athletics and presidential politics, can opposites not just attract, but overcome overwhelming odds to be together? Or do their differences block their match from the start?
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LOVED, LOVED this book!!!!!! Blocked was the second novel I have read by Jennifer Lane, and I couldn’t put it down once I started reading it! A little background…Lucia Ramirez and Dane Morgan are two talented scholarship students who play volleyball. They are both wickedly tall, and each has a parent that is running for President of the United States. Lucia’s father is the Republican candidate, and Dane’s mother is the Democratic candidate. This is where their similarities end! Lucia has had a crush on Dane for a while, but Dane seems to hate Lucia. Ah…but fate is a tricky thing, Lucia is forced to move into a home with Dane and his Secret Service detail when it’s deemed that there isn’t a safe place for her to stay. Lucia tries to find common ground and be nice, but Dane can be a bit of an a##. As they spend more time together, readers realize Dane finds her Lucia incredibly attractive, and his cold heart toward her is melting quickly. They form an uneasy friendship that begins to blossom into a romance. However, will their beliefs, trust issues, and secrets tear them apart?
One of my favorite things about the book were the characters. They were each dealing with their own personal issues that affected their happiness, and on top of that, they were under tremendous amount of pressure because of their parents. Lane did a fabulous job of making me feel what the characters did. They were under constant scrutiny and had little privacy or the ability to be a normal college student. The problems they faced were very realistic, and she did a great job of exploring each of their personal demons. I am always a little nervous about books that involve political issues, but this one was different. She did such a great job of finding common ground between the characters even though they were polar opposites. Politicians could learn something from Lucia and Dane. As the writer pushed her characters out of their comfort zones and made them see things from a different perspective, she did that for me as well. When a writer can accomplish this, he or she has done their job. And, trust me, Lane did more than that!
I will say the book does end on a bit of a cliffhanger, but it’s a bit different than your normal cliffhanger. While I want to know what happens next, I am also more than satisfied in the way it ended. You should give this one a try if you are looking for a different sort of NA romance. Lane has become one of my favorite writers in a little over a month. I love her stuff and can’t wait to read more from her!
**ARC was provided in exchange for an honest review **
Get psyched for romance with psychologist/author (psycho author) Jennifer Lane! By day she witnesses tremendous growth in her psychotherapy clients, and by night she wrangles misbehaving fictional characters as she writes sports romance and romantic suspense with a psychological twist. She can’t decide which is more fun.
A swimmer and volleyball player in college, Jen wove some of her own experiences into Streamline — a military mystery about swimmers. Readers can dip their toes into Jen’s world of swimming romance by sampling her free New Adult novella Swim Recruit.
College volleyball romance Blocked is Jen’s newest release. Peek inside big-time college sports and even bigger national politics when the offspring of two presidential candidates find out whether opposites really do attract, or their match is blocked from the start.
Stories of redemption interest Jen the most, especially the healing power of love. She is also the author of The Conduct Series, a complete romantic suspense trilogy that includes With Good Behavior, Bad Behavior, and On Best Behavior. Two parolees find love in a hopeless place.
Ultimately, whether writing or reading, Jen loves stories that make her laugh and cry. In her spare time she enjoys exercising, attending book club, hanging out with her plus-size, “I’m not fat, I’m big-boned” Izzie cat, and visiting her sisters and their families in Chicago and Hilton Head.
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