Tuesday 12 April 2016

Review - The Slam by Haleigh Lovell


Title: The Slam
Author: Haleigh Lovell
Release Date: April 1, 2016


From the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author, Haleigh Lovell, comes a sexy new standalone novel.

His best strokes can be found off the court.

Ender Hemsworth has been called many things:
A Cock on Legs.
Captain of Sigma Chi.
Big man on campus.
Star athlete at UC Berkeley.
And he's always scowling like someone just took a piss in his Cheerios.

Adelaide Vikander has been called one thing: 
Twenty Types of Trouble.
And she likes to take the proverbial ‘piss’ in Ender’s Cheerios.

When they’re forced to live together off campus, sparks fly and panties drop. Will Ender, the cold and unfeeling ‘Cock on Legs’ grow a torso, a head, and a warm, beating heart?






“Raise your emoji hallelujah hands in the air!” 

I have found the BOOK… 

Let me categorically say that if Haleigh Lovell is a new-to-you author—as she was to me—and you're not sure about picking up this book, never fear. The Slam was a GRAND SLAM. 

Charming, witty, funny as hell, mad cute and very, very sexy, it had this underlying innocence and depth that completely spoke to my heart. It could—and did—switch from side-splittingly funny to thought-provoking and serious, and back again, without giving me whiplash. Just that warm, happy feeling you get when you read a damn good book. I was engaged from the very first page, and despite some unconventional (and possibly, for some readers, deal-breaker) moments, I couldn't turn away from it if I tried. Which I didn't, needless to say. Because Adelaide Vikander and Ender Hemsworth were perfection. 

She is quirky, unintentionally sassy, and a mixture of wide-eyed innocence and deep intelligence. He is a bit of an asshole. She is completely and utterly lovable. He is grumpy and surly. She's brilliant; smart, forward and almost brutally honest, but with a core that aches for a connection. He was never NOT the gruff Ender we first see, but with Adelaide, he shows a different side of himself, and that side of him? The ideal mixture of panty-melting and swoonworthy. *Sigh* My favorite type of hero and heroine. 

With its realistic-feeling college-age kids, speaking exactly like I imagine they really do, The Slam was just one of those books that ticked every box for me. Yes, there were a couple of ‘oh, really?’ moments, but everything came together in a way that left me with a feeling of total happiness. And with a desire for MORE.

I feel like, perhaps, there IS more to come for Adelaide and Ender. Their ending here was rewarding and satisfying, and appropriate for the relationship they built over the course of the book, but I don't feel like their story is over (or, more accurately, I don't want it to be). But, if it is, then I still want more. More of my adorable and hilarious Endric. And definitely more of Haleigh Lovell. 
~ Review by Beth

What a breath of fresh air!

This book is unlike anything I've read in the new adult/sports romance genre (which happens to be a favorite of mine). It's fresh, fun, hot as hell, and unexpectedly emotional. It got off to a little bit of a slow start for me, but Ms. Lovell made up for the slow pace by giving me fascinating, quirky characters who kept my face buried in my Kindle—hungry to learn more about them, peel back their layers, and completely lose my heart to all the loveliness that lay therein.

Adelaide is unlike any heroine I've ever read before. I was crazy about her almost immediately. She's refreshing, interesting, hilarious and sweet. I loved being inside her head, and, in the end, she completely stole my heart. Don't get me wrong—I loved Ender too. He's a bit grumpy (which is one of my favorite book boyfriend characteristics) but he's also fiercely protective and kind to Adelaide. He's hiding a heart of gold under that gruff exterior—and his interactions with Adelaide were heartwarming and adorable. 

The chemistry between Adelaide and Ender begins as a long smolder before bursting into a scorching hot blaze. There were scenes that shouldn’t have worked for me—they fell a bit outside of my comfort zone, and may have put me off in any other book—and yet there I was, panting over my Kindle at their heat and intensity. They are incredibly hot together; their physical chemistry more initially recognizable than their emotional chemistry, but it’s that emotional chemistry that did me in completely. These two stole pieces of my heart that I may never get back. 

This book is also extremely funny—there were times when my laughing became so uncontrollable, I was thankful to be reading alone in the room because I'm sure it looked like I was having a seizure. The humor adds the perfect balance to the heat and emotion making this book just feel...perfect. It's not really like anything I've read before (certainly not lately) and I loved it to pieces. 

I'm greedy now. I want MORE! I want to know what happened with Ender and Adelaide...after! I want Edric's story! And I wouldn't even be opposed to some more Piper and Miguel! There's so much goodness here and my heart is completely greedy for more of these wonderful characters! 
~ Review by Shelly


Haleigh Lovell is a New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author of THE LIST series. She studied Journalism at the UW-Madison. Despite training as a journalist, Haleigh found she also enjoyed making up her own stories . . . stories with heat, humor, and heart.

Speaking of hearts . . . the ones who truly have Haleigh's heart are her DIY husband, her tween daughters, and her three rescue dogs. 

Oh, and sleep. Haleigh also loves to sleep the sleep of a thousand martyrs.



No comments:

Post a Comment