{"id":64732,"date":"2022-05-25T08:00:07","date_gmt":"2022-05-25T12:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=64732"},"modified":"2025-08-29T00:53:10","modified_gmt":"2025-08-29T04:53:10","slug":"blog-tour-excerpt-arc-review-hes-a-keeper-san-francisco-strikers-1-by-stacy-travis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=64732","title":{"rendered":"Blog Tour, Excerpt & ARC Review: He\u2019s a Keeper (San Francisco Strikers, #1) by Stacy Travis"},"content":{"rendered":"

This bad boy needs an image makeover.<\/strong><\/em>
\nCan the quirky librarian get the job done?<\/strong><\/em><\/h4>\n

He\u2019s a Keeper, an all-new opposites-attract, grumpy-sunshine romance full of heat and heart from bestselling author Stacy Travis is out now!<\/strong><\/h4>\n

 <\/p>\n

Amazon<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0\u00a0Amazon Worldwide<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0\u00a0Apple Books<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0\u00a0Nook\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0Kobo<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 Google Play<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

\r\n <\/div><\/div><\/strong><\/h4>\n
\n

Blurb<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Drunk-texting a grumpy soccer star?
\nBest worst decision of my life.<\/p>\n

Especially when the player is the sinfully handsome, foul-mouthed Holden Sanders\u2026\u00a0my new library assistant.<\/p>\n

The benched bad boy needed an image makeover, I needed to save my job, and his star status was just what the library ordered to raise awareness for our fundraising campaign. The press can\u2019t get enough of Mr. Growly reading to kids.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s win-win and completely platonic.<\/p>\n

Until I need a shoulder to cry on after drowning my heartbreak in too many margaritas. I only typed that invitation to his brawny biceps and perfect pectorals for fun\u2013I never meant to hit send. Holden isn\u2019t the kind of guy to care about tears and feelings, least of\u00a0all mine. He\u2019s made it clear good girls aren\u2019t his type.<\/p>\n

But he shows up\u2013with his strapping shoulder, a box of tissues and a supersized bag of\u00a0Doritos.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s when I realize there\u2019s more to him than meets the eye.<\/p>\n

One soulful, smoldering mistake of a kiss has me craving more, and the heat between\u00a0us quickly builds to a blaze neither of us can control.<\/p>\n

But I\u2019m not the only one guarding secrets, and Holden\u2019s might push us to the breaking\u00a0point.<\/p>\n

Even if I\u2019m surrounded by books, I know better than to believe in storybook endings.<\/p>\n

And yet, I want to believe\u2026 Because I know he\u2019s a keeper.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s a Keeper is a standalone sports romance in the San Francisco Strikers series with\u00a0a HEA.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Add to Goodreads<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

Review<\/strong><\/h4>\n

4.5 stars!<\/b><\/p>\n

The start of a new series from Stacy Travis, this is a fun, sexy, sweet and emotional sports romance that completely captured my heart.<\/p>\n

Note – this book is a spin-off from the<\/i> Berkeley Hills<\/a> <\/em>series and there’s a great cameo from Charlie (hero from No Match for Her<\/a>), but this series absolutely stands alone.<\/i><\/p>\n

Holden is the goal keeper for the San Francisco Strikers soccer team. Two years ago, he was brutally dumped by his pop star girlfriend in front a worldwide audience, and after suffering a near-career-ending meltdown, he has pulled himself together, closed himself off and dedicated himself completely to the game.<\/p>\n

Molly is a hard-working, lonely librarian who struggles to get by and has pretty much no life. Though she loves her job, she needs something<\/i> to prove her worth to the library where she works, and she strikes gold when injured Holden shows up with his niece to reading time, and she manages to rope him in to help. She initially has no clue who he is, but she completely dismisses his grumpy reluctance, knowing that his good looks and easy manner will draw people in \u2013 she\u2019s right. It’s a boost for Molly\u2019s career, and when the press finds out it starts to turn around Holden\u2019s bad boy reputation, so it\u2019s a win-win situation for both of them.<\/p>\n

And then one night, drunken Molly texts Holden when she runs into trouble, and he rides in to rescue her. What a hero! He may be a grump, but he has a heart of gold and he cares for her like nobody ever has. They open up to each other for the first time and see a whole new side to each other, and they very quickly learn that there\u2019s more to each other than they ever knew. Their physical attraction deepens to a more emotional one, and suddenly everything has changed.<\/p>\n

A part of me wants her to break through my walls and set me free, though I don\u2019t know why.
\nWhy her?
\nThe answer seems obvious.
\n<\/i>Because. Her.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I love these two together! They\u2019re so honest, they don\u2019t hide, they don\u2019t play games, they just fall together, embracing it as it happens and diving in to explore everything that they feel for each other, and I freaking loved it!<\/p>\n

\u201cThe day we met, I told myself not to fall for you. Then I ignored all of it and fucking dove off the cliff.\u201d
\n\u201cYou took me with you.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It\u2019s sweet, fun, sexy and emotional, they have such a beautiful connection, and we get to see so many gorgeous moments between them that had me swooning and falling in love right alongside them.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love you \u2026 I\u2019m fucking crazy about you. I\u2019d be lying if I pretended I\u2019m not.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

But life doesn\u2019t always bring easy HEA\u2019s, and Holden and Molly have some obstacles to overcome while they figure out their life together, and how to make it all work. There is a bit of a drama and angst, but it\u2019s minimal, it makes sense to the story, and I was funny invested in these two as they found their way forward.<\/p>\n

\u201cWherever I go, whatever path life takes me on, I want to go there with you.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I love these characters. Molly is smart and sensible, she\u2019s hard a hard life and she\u2019s scared, but I love how she bravely gives herself over to Holden and accepts all of the love that he wants to give her. And Holden\u2026 swoon! His broody demeanour is completely understandable and makes him even more irresistible when you see his gooey golden heart underneath it all. He loves openly and honestly, and he\u2019s just the man that Molly needs, and I adore them together so much.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought my heart was dead \u2026 You\u2019re my proof of life.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It\u2019s a swoony, sweet, sexy and heartfelt journey for these two and I loved watching them come together and find their much-deserved HEA.<\/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

San Francisco Strikers<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\"\" \u00a0\"\" \u00a0 \"\"<\/p>\n

He’s a Keeper (#1) <\/strong>(Holden & Molly)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n

He’s a Player (#2)<\/strong> (Tim & Jordan)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n

He’s a Charmer (#3)<\/strong> (Weston & Linnie)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

Excerpt<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\u201cMare, I had no idea what I was in for when you stormed out of the library that day, looking to kill me for skirting my parental responsibilities.\u201d<\/p>\n

She squints, then her expression turns wry. \u201cI\u2019d never kill a person.\u201d She tilts her head from side to side, considering. \u201cWell, unless you burned a book.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nodding, I kiss her softly. \u201cI respect that. And I want you to know you can trust me. I know people have left you behind in your past, but I hope you believe me when I tell you I\u2019m not going anywhere. I\u2019m here for you.\u201d As I say the words, I believe they\u2019re true. If I move to England, I hope she loves me enough to come with me. Even if she hasn\u2019t said the words.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t know what I\u2019m expecting. Maybe relief or acknowledgment that she\u2019s not going anywhere either. I want to believe she feels the same way.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t expect her forehead to crease and her eyes to glisten with tears, which swell until they can no longer be contained and roll down her cheeks before she buries her face in my shoulder.<\/p>\n

Turning us to the side, I wrap her in my arms, as the flow of tears turns to quiet sobs. I smooth her hair and give her the outlet she needs, even though I feel guilty for making her cry.<\/p>\n

With a sniff, she leans her head away and meets my gaze. Her wet eyes glisten above pink cheeks. I wipe a remaining tear away with the pad of my thumb and rub her back gently.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry. I didn\u2019t mean to make you cry.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou didn\u2019t,\u201d she whispers, wiping her eyes. A moment later she laughs at the lie. \u201cIt was stuck inside me. You just let it out.\u201d She exhales, tucking the emotions away.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou okay?\u201d I want to tread carefully until I know where she is in her head.<\/p>\n

Nodding, she reaches for my cheek and cups the side of my face. \u201cThank you for saying that. I\u2019d never ask that of you, but thank you. I love you. So much.\u201d<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been waiting to hear those words. For a moment, I\u2019m convinced that everything between us can stay this easy. We\u2019re both cautious, but we can cross each new line together. It feels powerful to be able to do that with her.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know you\u2019d never ask. That\u2019s why I said it. I wanted you to know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not going anywhere either.\u201d<\/p>\n

I\u2019m struck by a foreign but welcome feeling, a realization that I can\u2019t go backward now. I can\u2019t be okay without her in my world. I need to tell her about the Premier League, but it can wait another day. She likes to live in the present.<\/p>\n

She loves me.<\/p>\n

Everything between us is still so fragile and new and good. I don\u2019t want anything to change us.<\/p>\n

One more day won\u2019t hurt.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

About Stacy Travis<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\"\"It\u2019s a rough world out there, and we all sometimes need a good, romantic beach read, even if we can\u2019t make it to the beach. I\u2019ve spent many lazy days walking the streets of Paris and other gorgeous European cities, and if I\u2019m doing it right, I\u2019m bringing you a dash of romance and a vacay fantasy.<\/p>\n

I can\u2019t sit still, so when I\u2019m not hiking, biking or running, I\u2019m playing a very average game of tennis. Background music for writing undoubtedly features some U2, Lizzo, Billy Joel, Pink, Taylor Swift, and Led Zeppelin. Not necessarily in that order. And if I could only eat one food group, it would be cheese. Or wine. Or bread. Are those food\u00a0groups? Whatever.<\/p>\n

Connect with Stacy:<\/p>\n

Facebook\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0Instagram\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0Amazon\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0Goodreads<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Stay up to date with Stacy by joining her\u00a0mailing list<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Website:\u00a0https:\/\/stacytravis.com<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This bad boy needs an image makeover. Can the quirky librarian get the job done? He\u2019s a Keeper, an all-new opposites-attract, grumpy-sunshine romance full of heat and heart from bestselling author Stacy Travis is out […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":64497,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","yasr_overall_rating":4.5,"yasr_post_is_review":"","yasr_auto_insert_disabled":"","yasr_review_type":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,58,29],"tags":[59,48,1388,1247],"class_list":["post-64732","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-romance","category-sports-star","category-steamy","tag-arc","tag-review","tag-san-francisco-strikers","tag-stacy-travis"],"yasr_visitor_votes":{"stars_attributes":{"read_only":false,"span_bottom":false},"number_of_votes":0,"sum_votes":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Hes-A-Keeper.jpg?fit=200%2C300&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7gaNL-gQ4","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64732","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=64732"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64732\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/64497"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=64732"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=64732"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=64732"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}