A-Z Challenge Review: Quarterback Sneak by Pepper Espinoza

Why I bought the book: It began with the letter Q!  Yes, if it hadn't been for this challenge I may never have bought or read this book. I didn't have any Q books on my TBR pile and so put out a plea on Good Reads for suggestions.  Thanks to Sagajo for suggesting this one!

Plot: The story begins when star Quarterback, Cache, is rushed to hospital. His team have won the championship but a last minute collision with an opposing team member has left Cache's knee badly injured, so much so that he may never play again.  Instead of the sports headlines being about his win or his injury, the papers have somehow got wind of the fact that Cache is in a relationship with Eric Patton, who plays for a rival team.  The fact that these rumours are true makes it difficult for both men as they have to decide whether the deny everything or be open about their feelings.

The story was told in two timelines. There's the present day time where Cache and Eric have to decide what to do about the accusations that they are gay and in a relationship.  As well as that strain, there's the worries that Cache has lost his career as a football player because of injury.  The second timeline is a series of flashbacks showing how the men get together and carry on their low key relationship.  I know that flashbacks aren't to everyone's taste, but I felt they worked well within the context of the story. It showed how the men have ended up where they are, and the slow evolving of feelings.

Characters: We only get Cache's views within the story and yet I still felt that Eric was just as rounded as character as Cache. In fact, I sympathised more with Eric, who is 100% committed to their relationship, to the point that he would happily risk his own high profile career rather than deny his love for Cache.  In many ways this story is the journey that Cache makes in understanding and consolidating his own  feelings for Eric in relation to his career. I followed with interest some of Cache's thought processes and wanted him to make the choice that would bring the men together, rather than force them apart.  The men worked well as a couple with just the right amount of friendly football rivalry to add spice to their relationship. The sex scenes were hot, but showed a progression away from mere sexual release to that of tender lovers.  The sex was also used to show some character development with Eric especially.

Overall: I know next to nothing about American Football, and was pleased that the focus of the story is mostly off the field.  The politics behind the players is still evident through the characters of Cache's very annoying publicist and the two team managers, and this aspect was an interesting part of the story.  My one niggle is the rather childish way that Eric forces a separation between the lovers which struck me as slightly out of character. However, I was slightly mollified that Eric admitted his stupidity towards the end, so I could forgive the use of that particular plot device in this case.

If you like sports-themed books then you should definitely add this one to your pile.  I really liked it and found the characters to be well rounded and very likeable.  The plot is simple enough with the main point of drama over whether Cache will admit his love for Eric and as such is quite static and takes place over a couple of days.  It still managed to keep my attention and I read the book quickly, keen to discover what was going to happen.  I'm giving Quarterback Sneak a grade of 'Very Good' and would recommend it.

Buy this book HERE.