ARC Review: The Quarterback by Mackenzie Blair

The Quarterback
by Mackenzie Blair
Published by Riptide Publishing
eARC
New Adult, LGBT, contemporary, romance

Matt Lancaster is the star quarterback at Bodine College, a small Southern Division II school with an ultra-conservative Dean of Athletics. Matt is also very much in the closet, and he thinks he’s kept his secret well hidden. Until his best friends take him to a happy endings massage parlor and request a male masseuse for him.

In walks Trevor Kim, a gorgeous, pierced, tattooed fellow Bodine student who does massages—without happy endings—to pay for school after his family kicked him out for being gay. Trevor takes one look at Matt and breaks all his own rules about mixing business with pleasure.

Matt needs to keep his scholarship, win the National Championship, and survive his asshole father. Instead, he falls in love. Trevor needs to accept that the football god is meant to end up with him rather than a perky cheerleader. It’s time for a happy ever after for both of them.

The Quarterback was heartwarming and delightful read with a dash of angst that never got too overwhelming. The best part of the story was definitely one of the main characters, Matt, because he was just so adorable and sweetheart. Matt also breaks the stereotype of dumb jock - he's majoring in environmental science, and he doesn't want to make a career out of playing football.

The main characters, Matt and Trevor, are complex and flawed, as was Matt's situation: he's deeply in closet because he's the quarterback of small southern college football team and because his father is controlling Matt's younger sisters. Matt could lose his scholarship and not see his sisters until they turn eighteen if he'd come out. It's a heavy burden for Matt, and his facade starts to crumble when he meets Trevor, who's confident, and the chemistry flares between them. Matt and Trevor are adorable together, but the problem arises because Matt is so closeted and Trevor isn't. However, the story manages to avoid the usual, huge melodrama moments. There was various fights over the issues, which mainly centered around Matt being in the closet and scared, but I loved how the fights were never dragged on. Instead they dealt with them by talking about it. Sometimes Trevor might have caved in a bit too quickly, but personally I didn't find that as a bad thing, mostly because I understood Matt's situation and how much he could lose if he'd come out.

Despite the issue of Matt being in the closet, the angst wasn't overwhelming. The story was funny and heartwarming and the relationship was steamy and adorable at the same time. The story also included moments with Matt's family and both Matt and Trevor's friends. Let me just say that Matt's father was absolutely despicable! But then there was Trevor's roommate Drew, who was so funny and nice, and his family had basically adopted Trevor and it was heartwarming.

The Quarterback was a good story, and it definitely left me with a smile. It's a sport romance without being overwhelming on the sport part, which I really liked.

4 of 5 stars

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Thank you, Riptide Publishing, for giving me a chance to read and review The Quarterback!

(A copy of this ebook was provided in return for an honest review.)