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I loved all of life’s firsts, which was why I\u2019d been saving mine for one girl, my older sister\u2019s best friend \u2014 Hazel Jones.<\/p>\n
She was tough and sarcastic with walls around her heart as tall as a football stadium,\u00a0but I knew she was the one for me.<\/p>\n
Desperate times called for desperate measures and I\u2019d have done anything to make her\u00a0mine.<\/p>\n
Like create a fake online persona.
\nLie about my age.
\nPretend I wasn\u2019t some naive virgin.
\nAnd catfish the hell out of the love of my life.<\/p>\n
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Add THE FIRST SCORE to Goodreads<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n 4.5 stars!<\/b><\/p>\n Oh, I love this book! A deliciously slow burning friends-to-lovers \/ best-friend\u2019s-brother romance that is sweet, sexy, and beautifully romantic! A little different from the usual contemporary romance, this book has some delightful little twists that make it so completely adorable and create a really gorgeous read.<\/p>\n Oliver Knox is the younger brother of Scarlett (heroine from The Red Zone<\/a>). The two of them are extremely close, and together with Scarlett\u2019s best friend, Hazel, they have been the closest of friends since childhood. The only thing is, Ollie is desperately in love with Hazel and has been for years\u2026 to the point where he has never been interested in any other women and is now a 21 year old virgin still pining after the only girl for him.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s easy not to have sex when the only girl you want to have sex with his friend zoned the hell out of your ass.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Hazel is feisty, funny, and a bit of a hot mess when it comes to relationships. Her family life was messed up, and it\u2019s left her with a bucketload of issues, but she could always count on Ollie to be there for her. He\u2019s been her rock through so many hard times, and he knows her better than anybody else \u2013 holding even more of her secrets than Scarlett. But she\u2019s never quite felt good enough for either of them.<\/p>\n Oh my God. Why was he being so sweet? Why was he always so perfect and I was a royal fuck-up? Never mind, I knew why. Because Oliver had always been wonderful and good and kind. I\u2019d always been me \u2013 completely undeserving of Oliver\u2019s goodness.<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Ollie has been biding his time, waiting for Hazel to see him as something more than just a friend, but he\u2019s getting tired of waiting. So, he creates a fake online profile \u2013 an older, experienced man \u2013 where he flirt with her the way he wants to, desperate to get her to see exactly what they could be together.<\/p>\n \u201cYou deserve everything, Hazel. And I\u2019m going to prove it to you, consequences be damned.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n It\u2019s such a fun set up, and Amie Knight writes it so well! Ollie absolutely stole my heart as the sweet, caring, funny, understanding, patient, loyal and dedicated man who knows his heart, and who is prepared to fight for his girl. He may be sexually inexperienced, but he\u2019s confident, and a huge flirt, and I pretty much melted through this whole book, and damn, I want an Ollie of my very own! And when he decides it\u2019s time to turn it on\u2026. Swooooooooooooon!<\/p>\n \u201cYou could have any girl in the world.\u201d He’s so brave! And when he finally makes his move, it\u2019s all kinds of hot. But Hazel has issues, and feels that there are so many things standing in her and Ollie\u2019s way. It\u2019s an emotional journey for them, and while it could have gotten overly angsty, Ollie is just perfect, letting Hazel have her time, and being there for her whenever and however she needs him.<\/p>\n \u201cHave I ever once let you fall?\u201d *dreamy sigh*. I could gush on and on about the perfection of this man so I need to stop before I do just that.<\/p>\n This is such a gorgeous romance! Ollie and Hazel are just perfect together. We get to see moments between them from their past and I could feel the strong connection between them even from when they were teenagers. They have fun, they tease, their chemistry is electric, and the emotion is high, and though it may not have been easy, I loved watching them find their way together.<\/p>\n Every minute I\u2019d spent waiting for Hazel had been worth it. I would\u2019ve waited a thousand times over to experience this.<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n The timing of this book plays out alongside The Red Zone<\/i> – before, during and after, but it\u2019s not spoilery and you could read this one as a standalone, just be aware that there is crossover. We are also introduced to Hazel\u2019s absolutely fabulous grandfather, who is freaking hilarious, and a total scene stealer.<\/p>\n I finished this book with a big grin on my face, feeling swoony and satisfied. I loved it!<\/p>\n 4.5 stars.<\/p>\n An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.<\/i><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Red Zone (#1)<\/strong> (Lukas & Scarlett) The First Score (#2)<\/strong> (Oliver & Hazel) The Final Play (#3) <\/strong>(Mason & Glory) <\/p>\n \u201cThanks so much for taking her home, Hazel.\u201d Ollie nudged me to get my attention and I turned to look at him, not having much choice in the matter now. I couldn\u2019t be rude. It was a mistake. The green of his eyes was deeper today, less brown. I knew it was the jersey. It was always that way. A bead of sweat slid down the side of his face and he ran a hand through his hair like he always did. I knew it was a habit of his, just like I knew so many other things about him.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYou owe me.\u201d I tried lightening the mood like I had with Scarlett. I nudged his shoulder but only came into contact with a pad.\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n Dragging his bottom lip into his mouth, he raked his teeth over the fullness and his eyes heated. He leaned his face close to mine. \u201cYou name it and it\u2019s yours, brat.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n My face flamed and my mouth watered. Lord, he was a terrible flirt and by terrible I meant amazing. I swallowed the saliva pooling in my mouth and stepped back.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cCut it out, Olls. Quit giving her a hard time. She came all this way so your ass would have a way home tonight.\u201d Scarlett attempted to save me.<\/span><\/p>\n He eyed me. \u201cOh, I haven\u2019t even started giving her a hard time yet,\u201d he said before walking backward down the stadium steps, hot eyes still on me. I was thanking whatever gods were listening that he was walking backward. Please, God. Spare me that ass. I couldn\u2019t handle it after his damn lip trick.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re shameless, Oliver Knox,\u201d Scarlett called down to him.<\/span><\/p>\n She wasn\u2019t wrong. Oliver flirted with all the women. I never could tell if he had a preference for a certain kind of girl. If it walked and had tits and a vagina, he flirted.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cBye, ladies,\u201d Oliver said loudly and jangled Scarlett\u2019s keys over his head before doing the most awful thing in the world to me\u2014he spun around and gave me his ass. And God, was it a marvelous ass. Immediately my eyes ate it up. Was there anything better than a hot ass in some football pants? It was round and firm and high and I bet I\u00a0<\/span>could have bounced fifty quarters off of it. But I didn\u2019t have any change. Damn. That was just my luck.<\/p>\n I was being mesmerized by the twin all white globes when they stopped just barely and my eyes diverted up to see Oliver looking over his shoulder and smiling. Damn him. He gave me a slow wink before continuing down the steps at a trot.<\/span><\/p>\n The tease. The bastard. He knew how good-looking he was. It didn\u2019t matter a bit that he was my best friend\u2019s brother or that he was a year and a half younger than me. Oliver Winston Knox was fine on a regular day, but in a football uniform he was the stuff dreams were made of. My dreams to be exact.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Stay up to date with Amie Knight by signing up for her\u00a0MAILING LIST<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n Facebook\u00a0<\/a>|\u00a0\u00a0Twitter\u00a0<\/a>|\u00a0\u00a0Instagram\u00a0<\/a>|\u00a0\u00a0Website<\/a>\u00a0 | \u00a0Goodreads<\/a>\u00a0 | \u00a0Amazon<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n
\nReview<\/b><\/h4>\n
\nHe laid his forehead to my right temple, his hands still held to the sides of my face delicately, and whispered right into the shell of my hear, \u201cBut I don\u2019t want just any girl, Hazel.\u201d He leaned in even closer until his lips were a breath away from mine. \u201cI want you.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\nHer tender gaze fell on mine, years of friendship swirling in their brown depths. \u201cNever.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\nSummerville Sports Romance<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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\nExcerpt<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\nAbout Amie Knight<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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Amie Knight has been a reader for as long as she could remember and a romance lover since she could get her hands on her momma\u2019s books. A dedicated wife and mother with a love of music and makeup, she won\u2019t ever be seen leaving the house without her eyebrows and eyelashes done just right. When she isn\u2019t reading and writing, you can catch her jamming out in the car with her two kids to \u201990s R&B, country, and showtunes. Amie draws inspiration from her childhood in Columbia, South Carolina, and can\u2019t imagine living anywhere other than the South.<\/p>\n