Both have what she wants … but only one has what she needs.
Working with professional athletes and helping them recover from their injuries has always been Kate Townsend’s dream, but after an accident left her scarred and heartbroken years ago she refuses to let what happened in her past happen again. Staying focused is the key, as well as not letting her feelings interfere with her job … no matter the circumstances. All of that is easier said than done when not only one, but two men crave her healing touch, igniting every single desire she’s denied herself for so long.
Cooper Davis, NFL’s star quarterback and most eligible bachelor, packs up and leaves his home to move across the states to the East Coast after an injury results in the embarrassing trade to another team. Bitter from the pain, he deals with his problems through drugs and alcohol—almost ruining his football career—until he meets the one woman who makes him want to feel; the same woman who refuses to give up on him no matter how many times he screws up. He has to have her, and he’s not going to stop until he makes her his. Especially, now that someone else threatens to take her away.
Motocross champion and local bad boy Luke Collins never takes no for an answer. For the past four months he’s used his charms to get what he wants, and now he’s so close to getting the girl of his dreams … if she’ll give in just once. One time is all he needs, and he’s never been known to fail, but he’s also never had to fight for a woman’s affections. Only one man will win their way into Kate’s heart, but which one will intercept the other and take what they want? Which one will she choose?
L.P. Dover’s Second Chances Series brings together two aspects of the romance genre that I love – sports and a second chance at love. Readers met Intercepting Love’s hero, Cooper Davis, in Meant to Be, where he watched who he thought was the love of his life choose someone else; since then, he’s been in a bit of a downward spiral. Cooper is now the damaged football player whose past actions have made him a favorite with the tabloids and an outcast among the NFL, and now, he finds himself with one last chance to get back to being the confident, winning quarterback he used to be. Coop comes to his uncle’s team looking for redemption on the field, but it’s the woman on the sidelines that just might be who he needs to get back to being not only a player but a man worthy of victory both on and off the field.
Kate Townsend has a past of her own that has prevented her from getting close to anyone, fearing the damage that she could cause another person. So, she keeps to herself, focusing solely on her job. But a certain motorcross superstar, Luke Collins, who just so happens to be Kate’s brother’s best friend, is slowly changing her mind, but just when Luke finally persuades Kate to take a chance on him, she gets a call from the coach of the NFL team she’s a physician for to come check out their new quarterback – Cooper Davis. Now, there’s two men vying for Kate’s heart; a heart that she doesn’t know if she can risking giving to either one.
I’m not a big fan of love triangles, so at first, I wasn’t sure this was going to be the book for me, but this is not your typical love triangle. Early on, there’s a clear cut winner regardless of how much the other guy doesn’t want to face that fact. So this story isn’t really about two guys fighting over the same girl; it’s about the hero and heroine fighting for each other. It’s about seeing past someone’s external persona and diving underneath to see who s/he really is. It’s about feeling like someone has your back no matter what’s uncovered. The story’s about so much more than who gets the girl.
I loved getting Kate and Cooper’s perspective as everything begins to unfold as well as unravel. It definitely helps to understand where they are both coming from and what they’re risking for each other. Kate is an incredibly strong woman, but she internalized her guilt so deeply that it controlled her life until Cooper helps her to see beyond the pain. L.P. captures Kate’s struggle brilliantly through the first person point of view. Cooper hit rock bottom, but with Kate’s assistance, he slowly pulls himself out and makes amends for his actions. I don’t think readers would be able to clearly understand how far Cooper’s come without hearing it from his perspective. Kate and Cooper’s road to redemption needed to be told through their own eyes, and L.P. does a fantastic job of allowing their story to be told.
Intercepting Love has a great mix of angst, suspense, steam, and romance. At first, I found it a bit hard to get into, but once the storyline picked up and secrets started to be exposed, it had my attention until the end. Now, I need to go back and check out the first four books in the series!
A complimentary copy was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
4/4.5 poison apples
Teaser 1:
We pulled into the parking lot of the practice field and I shut off my car, the tension in the air crackling like fire. When I turned to look at her, it was like her stormy gray gaze could see right through me. There were a shit ton of things I wanted, but nothing as much as leaning forward to kiss those lips of hers.
With her breaths coming fast and low, she licked her dry lips and shook her head. “Cooper, we can’t.”
Bending over the center console, I glanced down at her lips and murmured low, “Yes we can, Kate, and I’m going to make sure we do.”
Teaser 2:
Taking my elbow, Cooper guided me to his car and opened the door. “I’m not worried about your brother, Kate. I’m not going to do anything to you unless you ask me to.”
“Like what?” I asked coyly.
Shielded from view by the car door, Cooper leaned in and brought his lips closer to mine, opening them slightly. I couldn’t move, but then again … I didn’t want to. Instead of kissing me, he murmured across my lips, “I’m sure you’ll figure that out when the time comes. If you want me to kiss you, I’m not going to do it until you place your soft lips on mine first. If you want me to touch you, I’m not going to unless you beg me for it. It’s all on you now, love.”
Teaser 3:
“In your eyes I see exactly what I want. You’re not here with me because of my money or because of what I do. You actually see the people you’re around and the goodness inside of them. That is what gives me hope.”
“Hope for what?” I asked breathlessly, mesmerized.
He brushed my hair away from my face and smoothed his thumb along my jaw. “Hope that one day you will see in my eyes what I see in yours. There’s a craving deep inside of you that I can see each time I touch you. It burns brighter every single time. I’ve never seen that with anyone, and that is how I know I have a chance.”
Teaser 4:
Finally, Cooper gazed up at me, his eyes red and pained. “Please tell me you forgive me for this, Kate. You know I never wanted to hurt you.”
“I know, and there’s nothing to forgive,” I whispered, tears falling down my cheeks. “I’m so proud of you for pushing through it. I know it wasn’t easy.”
Nodding quickly, he got to his feet and pulled me over to my bed, holding my hands gently in his. With his weary gaze on my wrists, he thumbed the bruises gently and murmured, “Do you want to know why I don’t ever want to hurt you? Why it kills me that it was my hands that did this to you?”
“Why?” I whispered, holding my breath.
Sighing heavily, he lifted his gaze and placed both hands on my cheeks, wiping away my tears. “It’s because I love you, Kate, and people aren’t supposed to hurt the ones they love. The last thing I want is for you to hate me for what I did.”
Me and My Broken Heart by Rixton
Story of My Life by One Direction
Not a Bad Thing by Justin Timberlake
Just a Kiss by Lady Antebellum
Chokehold by Adam Lambert
I Need Your Love by Calvin Harris & Ellie Goulding
USA TODAY Bestselling author, L.P. Dover, is the author of the Forever Fae series, as well as the Second Chances standalone series, and her NA romantic suspense standalone called Love, Lies, and Deception. She lives in the beautiful state of North Carolina with her husband, her two wild girls, and her rambunctious kitten Katrina.
Before she began her career in the literary world, L.P. Dover spent her years going to college and then graduated to cleaning teeth, which she loved doing. At least until the characters in her head called her away. She has never been the same since.
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