Can the need for help erase the dark clouds of the past?

Synopsis

A disgraced football star, a high school in need of saving and a reunion too hot to handle

Headteacher Ella Lucas and football star Jake Prince have a very complicated history! Their mind-blowing encounter two years ago is proving impossible to forget now Jake is back, in her small town after being kicked out of the NFL.

She knew he was trouble then, but Ella has enough on her plate without having to worry about Jake Prince. Her school’s on the brink of closure, and she needs help. Then it dawns on her that maybe they can benefit each other – in more ways than one! Ella will help Jake to restore his disgraced reputation, if he can coach the football team to a winning streak. With nothing to lose, Jake reluctantly agrees….

As the school season heats up so does the inevitable chemistry between them. Far from being stuck in the past, the sparks between them are still there. And although he may look like her next mistake, Ella is determined that she will keep her hands off Mr Anti-hero even though she has an itch longing to be scratched. Because Ella’s has one golden rule: this is strictly business, they are never ever getting back together….

My review

Ella Lucas does not know what to do. She is head teacher but her school is on the brink of closure. There is one solution, bringing Jake Prince, former NFL – player, as a coach. But Jake has not only a reputation, but he and Ella also have a complicated history. And that not only involves a mind – blowing night two years ago…
As Jake himself hasn’t got that much to do himself, except running his own bar, he agrees to help Ella out. Especially as perhaps it can restore his own reputation because the end of his career wasn’t on a positive note…
With the spirits lifting up for the underdog football team, also things between Ella and Jake heat up again. However, the both of them are determined to keep their distance, and aren’t looking for getting together. And the fact that they have been living in the same town as children, and having their past resurfaces time after time, keeps on making things more complicated than ever…

I thought at the start of this book that it would be a very light story. Man and woman (re)meet, have lot of action, fall in love during the process, one big issue nearly the end, to end in a happily ever after.
And after that first chapter, I was even more convinced of my initial thoughts.

But once I got into the story, it was clear that not only the characters but also the story itself is filled with depth. Depths in unexpected ways, but also in some expected ways.

Let’s start with understanding Ella better…
She is fighting in so many different ways, in so many fights, that I felt sorry for her.
First of all, she is fighting to keep her school open. And that is truly admirable because the school is not only in bad papers, but also doesn’t have the best of reputations and the teenagers there don’t have the most privileged lives.
So seeing Ella fighting for them, wanting them to have a bright future, was something not only right but great to see too!

And that while her own personal life isn’t going that smoothly at all… Not only is she carrying around the shame of what her mother did for a living but she also has the most difficult relationship with her brother. Difficult, because for years she didn’t know she had in fact a brother…

She is struggling so much, that I think someone else would have already thrown the towel in the ring! But that is not Ella, because she fights for everything and everyone, and doesn’t just give up because that would be the easiest option.

And then there is the simmering sparks with Jake. While Ella does her best to pretend she despises him, it’s clear that in fact it’s the total opposite. They have been gone through the same struggles while growing up, so there is already that one connection between them.
Obviously there is also a physical connection between them, but once again, there so much more depth in their relationship that what I expected.

Jake is the kind of man that hasn’t had it easy growing up, had to fight hard to gain his success, but also lost it too. And now is seemingly muddling along, with a bar that isn’t his real passion. Also in his case, it’s his own past, and the burden he is carrying around of his father’s “burden”.

I found it in a way sweet to see how two characters, both scarred by life, find not only the guts to fight for something important, but also find each other.
You would think that with someone knowing your ugly background, it would be more difficult, as the past would always hang over you. But the opposite is true, because they know who you have been and can see the growth you have made.

And I found it truly inspiring even to see how they join forces, reluctantly perhaps at first, and want to make a change. Plus seeing that actual change, seeing how a whole school get excited, involved, just wonderful!

It’s mandatory that there has to happen something that risks to jeopardize everything Ella and Jake have been building. This happens on a few levels, as just one level would be too easy, right?
But also here, after the initial shock, the main characters show how much they have grown, matured not only before but also during the story.

I truly enjoyed reading this book, as of course there were some heated moments, in more ways than just the one 😊. But it also shows us how much people can change during the years, how much they can mature. And perhaps most important, how engaged people are for the right cause. All this is also added with learning to accept the past for what it was, and have your closure so that you are able to look forward to your own future, that will be brighter with all the acceptance and changes that you made!