Offensive Rebound

Holding Court Series – Book 1

By MJ Fields

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Blurb

TRAE
It’s a call that changes my life–and my little girl’s. Years ago, playing for the NBA was the dream, but the Seattle Stallions suck. Worse than that, my old teammate is now the star center–not to mention my number one rival. There has to be a catch, some sort of agenda. Before I was injured, I was the best. Now? There’s no way they want me.

But when I see the roster and salaries, it all comes together. It’s a chance to get on the court again and change our lives. And I just can’t wait for the opportunity to finally take him down. What I never counted on is Courtney Cohen being the game changer.

COURTNEY
I inherited the Bad News Bears of the NBA. When I discovered the star center, my ex fiancé, cheating on me, all I want is to jump ship before the whole thing sinks. But with revenge on my mind, I exact a plan. Take down the dirty player and save my father’s dream.

Suddenly twelve minutes is too little time, and a season is not long enough.

Excerpt

“You still afraid of me?” Courtney asks. I push her hair out of her face. “No.” “I’m afraid of you.” “No beer muscles tonight?” I ask, glancing at her empty glasses. She shakes her head. I scoot in closer to her. “Tell me what you’re afraid of.” “Liking you too much,” she says then takes a drink. I turn her in her seat so she’s facing me. “You’re gonna like me even more when I’m inside you.” Her body grows taut. “You can’t say stuff like that. It makes me uncomfortable.” “Well, now I’m going to have to do it more often to get you used to it; make you crave it, beg for it.”

Michel’s Review

I am a huge fan of sports themed romance books. I have read about almost every sport except for basketball.  When I was presented with the opportunity to review Offensive Rebound by MJ Fields, I jumped on it because I knew it would be a new reading experience for me.  While I thoroughly enjoyed the book, liked the characters, and felt the passion, I found a few glitches in the story that held me back from fully investing in it.

Courtney Cohen has inherited the Seattle Stallions Basketball team.  This team is relatively new and the joke of the NBA world.  Her father had purchased the team and built a state of the art arena with the hopes of leaving a legacy behind for her.  Before he could carry out his intentions and build the legacy he passed away from a sudden heart attack.  Courtney was still in college and had no idea how to handle a multi billion dollar business.  She handed the management over to her boyfriend, Brock Boehiem, who was the star player of the Seattle Stallions.  Months later she’s informed that the organization is almost bankrupt and is about to go under.  She is forced to take over the reins.  Upon her arrival she not only finds out that her team has been mismanaged but that her boyfriend is also a lying cheat.  He has a solid contract so she cannot fire him but she can take over the management.

The organization is a complete mess.  She is going to have to rebuild the inner management from the ground up.  She is also going to have to assert her management over the players and the coach.  She is not a member of the good old boys club and is met with defiance, rebellion, and attitude.  She must gain control of the players before the ball is in her court.  The only player cooperating is the new guy, Trae Rhodes.  Trae Rhodes is a washed up college player that was signed by her father before he passed away.  Why would her father bring on a player that isn’t on the same playing level as her team members.

Trae Rhodes is grateful for the opportunity and a chance in the pros.  His life had drastically changed after a college injury that left him unable to play the game he loved.  His life went in a different direction and he had new priorities that outshine basketball.  Playing at a professional level will give him the income he needs and the credibility he needs in the world of basketball.  It is merely a stepping stone in his life.  Becoming a Seattle Stallion will also give him the opportunity to settle an old score with Brock Boehiem, his most hated enemy.  Charlie Cohen signed him on for a reason and it may not be for his playing abilities.

It’s become clear that Courtney Cohen is Brock Boehiem’s achilles heel.  Trae isn’t sure if can use Courtney to settle his score.  He had too much respect for her old man.  He is beginning to immensely respect the powerful woman Courtney Cohen is becoming.

All is not right on the Seattle Stallions playing court.  Courtney and Trae will soon learn there’s a different game being played.  Together they can turn this team around and make it a contender in the NBA world.

I thoroughly enjoyed the romance between Courtney and Trae.  I loved his dedication to the ones he cared about.  I loved his sense of integrity.  I enjoyed watching Courtney grow from a naive young woman to a powerful executive and sensual woman.  The story had a good premise but I struggled with the professional aspects of it.  My logical mind struggled with it.  It takes more than one or two people to handle a multi billion dollar business.  An organization of this magnitude has an army in the office. It takes multi managers, multi departments, micro managers, and a specialized staff.  The players are professionals under contract.  Their careers and lively hood depends upon their performances.  Their performances dictate whether they stay within the professional world of basketball.  In this book the players seemed to have a high school or college mentality that followed the leader rather than relying on their agents and attorneys.  One player had too much control and that would never happen in the world of professional sports.  The same goes for the coaches.  Coaches and players are not involved in the financial aspect of the business other than receiving their earnings and meeting contractual obligations.

I enjoyed this basketball romance and would recommend to other readers.

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USA Today bestselling author MJ Fields love of writing was in full swing by age eight.

Together with her cousins, she wrote a newsletter and sold it for ten cents to family members.

She self-published her first contemporary, new adult romance in January 2013. Today she has completed seven self-published series, The Love series, The Wrapped series, The Burning Souls series, The Men of Steel series, Ties of Steel series, The Rockers of Steel series and The Norfolk series.

MJ is a hybrid author and publishes an Indie book almost every month, and is signed with a traditional publisher, Loveswept, Penguin Random House, for her co- written series The Caldwell Brothers. Hendrix, Morrison, and Jagger. All three books in the series are published. The Caldwell brothers don’t grow into alphas, when their mother passes away they become her legacy, her good in the world of bad.

MJ was a former small business owner, who closed shop so she could write full time. She lives in central New York, surrounded by family and friends. Her house is full of pets, friends, and noise ninety percent of the time, and she would have it no other way.

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