Fumbled by Alexa Martin

 

Welcome Back Booklovers! I was in such a rut I needed a palette cleanser before jumping into my next fantasy read. I had previously read Intercepted by Alexa Martin and it was Superbowl Weekend so I figured I'd try another book. Plus I heard Alexa Martin say male lead TK was inspired by Travis Kelce so it felt extra relevant. I'm not a football fan but I'll read a sports romance. Plus these types of romances are quick and easy to read.

Why was this a retread of Intercepted but with less wit and without the fresh heroine? The reviews were so high for this one too! But I'm like this is Marlee's story without the fresh voice and wit. Similarities are one thing but it was like she said, "Copy, Paste"! It even takes place in the same city. Although if you wanted Intercepted without the hashtags this might be the one for you.

Poppy Patterson is a 27 year old single mother just trying to make ends meet as a waitress at some step above a strip club style club. One night while working VIP she runs into her ex boyfriend football player TK Moore. TK previously appeared in Intercepted but we didn't hear too much about him. He was just a loveable guy who was rooting for Marlee. Chris and Gavin were the elites in that story and fan favorites. Extremely popular and supposedly well loved with women falling all over themselves for a taste. Did he have some kind of surge in popularity after Gavin left? Like one beloved white footballer left and a new one pushed through. 

Anyway despite about 10 years having passed TK is still very hung up on Poppy and I just didn't see why. Yes, she was his high school sweetheart but he's had his share of women since then. It was hard to believe he never found a real relationship. For her it was a little more believable to still not be over him since she had his baby and has been keeping it secret for years. Though I don't understand how she kept it a secret. Who tells their partner that they're pregnant over text? Why just take his nasty mother's rejection without talking to him directly? I hate secret kids second chance romance! Why does no one write it well?

After Poppy tells him her son Ace is his (she named her son after her old nickname for him) he flips out and verbally tears her to shreds. We're supposed to see it as out of character for him because he's known for his calm demeanor. Later in the story it's alluded to as an early sign of CTE. I just figured for once we were getting a man being rightfully mad about his ex keeping a huge secret from him and causing him to miss out on years of his son's development.

Everything came very easily for this couple. Nothing felt hard or like it was ever actually pulling them apart. They were able to easily fall back into a relationship alongside their son. Poppy acts way too childish for someone who had to grow up fast to raise her son. Even the whole reveal never stirred up any media drama. The blogs never even caught on to it.

I never felt like I really got to know these characters either. In Intercepted Marlee and Gavin were more fleshed out with actual goals. Poppy had no drive and was content with just struggling to get by. I never felt like I really got to know who TK was. He just kind of was a nice guy who played football. No depth outside of it.

All in all Fumbled is a quick read you can get through in a day to keep you slightly entertained.