I am a fan of Cannon's work which is why, even though I am not a fan of golf, I gave this book a try. Boy am I glad I did! The book is not centered around golf. Instead we have complex, nuanced characters who have to let go of some of their hangups and accept their love for each other. Another great book by this beloved author!

I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. Reading the opening blurb, “What would you do if being with the woman of your dreams meant sabotaging your career? “ and seeing the opening scenes with Leigh golfing with her horny friends I assumed the focus of the novel would be on Leigh. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the focus instead is on ex-con Peyton. She’s served nine years in prison for a crime she committed for all the right reasons. Right away the reader is drawn into her world, hoping she can make it through parole and get on with her life.

I’ve read books before with ex-cons finding love after many years of incarceration. It’s rare that the reader hears about how much was endured in prison and how that time has left a lasting impact on the released inmate. Peyton’s past and present make you root for her and hope she wins at life.

This is not a sports novel even though many scenes occur on the golf course and in the clubhouse. It is a look at second chances, at opportunities lost and the discipline required to overcome life's challenges. It is taking the chance to love again and trusting that love will enrich your life. Misunderstandings and lack of communication rear their ugly heads but the dramatic ending makes up for the predictable blocks thrown up to prevent our hoped for HEA.

I had stopped reading this author’s work a while back thinking her books were not for me but Fore Play renewed my faith in Cannon’s ability to add heart and depth to her romance novels. Well done.

ARC received with thanks from BSB via NetGalley for review.

The book was a decent read but the ending was disappointing. I knew they would end up together but Leigh should of had to work a little harder. The Elizabeth character should h ave developed more. Glad I read it.

I've read many of Cannon's books and I have to admit this I felt was one of her best. It evoked emotions in me that I thought were dormant. The main one is some people do deserve a second chance. However many do not. But I feel Peyton did. What she had done was for love not malice.

Now I am not a lover of golf but I did enjoy some of the technical stuff. Maybe some day I'll give it a go. I always thought golf was a relaxing past time. But from what I read it is far from the truth.

I would definitely recommend this book. Not just for the sporting aspect but for the story line. It really brings to the fore the benefits of a loving family and friends. It is also a triumph over evil.

My advice is read and enjoy with an open heart and mind.

*ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley*

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2419503635

https://www.amazon.co.uk/review/R1DSONPJ17L6Y9/ref=pe_1572281_66412651_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

Peyton an ex convict believes there is no chance for love.That no one could accept her for who she is.All because of her past.Because of the murder she commited.But no one knows the truth behind the story.And her confidence is broken because of it.
Leigh is a workaholic,who is making it big time in a male dominated field.The catch?They are both attracted to each other and only to the female sex.Their different background and Leigh's pessimism makes the road to the end hard.Will their love win,or leighs mistrust?

I liked the premises of the book a lot. I loved the idea of Peyton having killed a man and now having to re-enter society and have a normal relationship when nothing about your life has been normal. There was so much interest with her storyline, that I felt less enthusiastic about her love interest Leigh. It might have helped to have a little more details in her life, possibly about her job that she was so invested in, that would have made me connect better with her.

The epilogue also should have been longer, as I don't think it cleared up everything between the two leads. I didn't feel like the book itself was too short, just that the end could have had more time spent on it.

href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39937859-fore-play" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="Fore Play" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1524625061m/39937859.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39937859-fore-play">Fore Play</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3400476.Julie_Cannon">Julie Cannon</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2400861187">3 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
An ARC was rec'd from NetGalley/Bold Strokes Books in exchange for an honest review.<br />This is an emotion filled romance with main characters Peyton (ex-con) and Leigh (executive). Peyton is beautifully written but I couldn't really connect with Leigh, who a bit immature at times (for a seasoned business woman). There were a few loose ends (in particular Elizabeth/Lizzy) not fully dealt with and I found the conclusion somewhat abrupt. Ms. Cannon remains one of my favourite authors and I look forward to more of her work.<br />3 stars
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/31134832-gail">View all my reviews</a>

Leigh Marshall is a high profile executive who has worked hard to get where she is and has no intentions doing anything to stop her rise in the business world. Peyton Broader has just gotten out of prison where she served time for killing her younger sisters rapist. Leigh knows the only way to keep her career going is to play golf with her boss and co-workers. She also feels that her sexuality won’t be accepted. Be one of the boys. Peyton was a up and coming golfer when she was imprisoned so when she gets her release she goes to work with her brother at the golf course he runs. What could have been a really good story was sold short. Way too many loose ends and lots of story left to tell. Not Ms Cannon’s best which I’ve gotten used to reading. Hoping her next book get her back on track to writing really good books. This isn’t it.
eARC via NetGalley

This is a typical lesbian romance with a twist. The two lead characters are Leigh Marshall and Peyton Broader. Leigh and Peyton are complete opposites. Leigh is a high-power business executive. She works for a company which still has a few male employees who do not follow today’s equality and harassment policies. Peyton is a golf pro at her sister-in-law’s family golf course. It is at this course where they meet.

The twist in the romance is that Peyton is an ex-con. She was recently released from prison after serving nine years for killing a man. Readers learn of her time spent behind bars and the day-to-day abuse. When she is released, her main objective is to work hard, save money and help her family. Unfortunately, she has a parole officer who is abusive. All Peyton wants to do is move on with her life and keep out of trouble and other people’s problems.

Neither Peyton nor Leigh are looking for a relationship. Leigh feels that she doesn’t have time in her life to get involved with someone. Peyton, on the other hand, fears that it might cause problems with her parole officer and she doubts that anyone would want to get involved with a murderer. But, of course, the women finally surrender to their feelings and start seeing each other.

The plot really caught my attention. I enjoyed the different slant on romance. I have read all of Ms. Cannon’s books and loved each one. She writes interesting plots that generally flow nicely and have a good pace.

I recommend this book and give it 4 out of 5 stars. This is a good summer romance.

I was given this ARC in return for a fair and honest review.

This book tried to do something really interesting: treat an ex-con heroine’s experience seriously without softening the facts of it even a little bit. Peyton’s story is a gritty, blue-collar book about people who’ve been hard done by and who have to make imperfect choices to protect the ones they care about. This could have made for a really unique, brave romance. She killed a man who needed killing, served hard time, and now works as a golf pro/caddy/beverage server at the club her brother runs. Unfortunately, she’s paired with a heroine who seems to have been pulled from another book entirely—Leigh is a female CEO right out of the escapist, glamorous realm of Harlequin Presents. She drives an imported car, wears designer clothing, and does adrenaline-fueled sports on the weekend (motorcross) to work off the stress of the corporate world. Leigh is determined to become a better golfer to impress her wealthy colleagues and boss. Peyton is DIY-installing secret video cameras in her apartment to film the abusive midnight visits of her parole officer, who likes to trash her apartment and cop a predatory feel.
These two have *absolutely* nothing in common except that they really want to have sex with each other. And they don’t even do *that* until nearly seventy percent of the way through the book! And then it’s *just* sex—no bonding, no sharing, no establishing of any kind of partnership outside nudity and bedsheets. It feels like the author is trying to corral them into a relationship, and the characters are digging in their heels. The only reason I finished the book was to see how long our heroines could hold out against authorial pressure. Some romance novels, like some relationships, are just not meant to be.

Peyton just got out of prison and is living her life following all the rules until Leigh shows up. All she has to do is make it a few more months to finish her parole and she doesn't need any distractions. She has to deal with her probation officer who pushes the limits.
Over all I thought this book was good, for me it lagged in a few spots. I also felt there should be more to Leigh's story.

** I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**

Fore Play was a great story. It’s about Peyton a former golf NCAA all star who just got out of Jail and is working at her brothers golf course as a golf pro amoung other taskes. She meets Leigh on the golf course and an attraction to each other begins between the women. Leigh is an Important executive at her company and appearance at her company is important to her to move up the ladder. The sexual tension between the women is incredible and they try and fight it. Fore Play is well written and another super story from Julie Cannon. I highly recommend Fore Play and enjoyed it all the way through.

Leigh is a new CIO at her company. A company where the higher ups seem to be very obsessed with golf. She plays too and is playing at her home course when she meets Peyton.

Peyton is a golf pro at the club Leigh belongs to, as well as an ex-con. I have to say that from that point on in the story, I anxiously awaited the reveal of Peyton's full story, and I wasn't let down at all when we finally got it!

They have a sort of build up a relationship with its ups and downs, but it was most definitely a slow build not a fast one, then, boom, sex and drama. I did feel like the end was rushed a little, and since I felt like Peyton seemed to have this undercurrent of always believing she owed everyone, I was a little bummed when that facet of the story wasn't fleshed out as much as I would have loved to see it expanded upon.

On the whole it seemed a little like the Bad Girls Nikki/Helen story, but, after Nikki got out.

Ooh, ooh, and my very favorite parts of the story were the awesome motocross stuff. Yeah, woo!. Action! Thrills! Compound Fractures!!

It was a fun read and the title still makes me chuckle even after finishing the book.

I received this book via Netgalley thanks to Bold Strokes Books.

A very well written and hot romance. The first 3/4 of the story was very warm, interesting and full of emotion for the main characters past and the current evolving romance. But then there is an event that shocked me into reading as fast as I could to find out how this dilemma could be resolved. It is resolved but emotionally unsatisfactory. I needed more emotional revenge, relief, whatever you want to call it....I didnt get it. What happens to the villain, what happened to the addicted sister, how was the lover ever going to take back all the vial words spoken. I wanted the author to explain it to me....why else was I reading this book. And that makes me sad because it was a really good story until the end.

RC received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve read a lot of Cannon’s books, but the last two have fallen short for me, this one started well and then devolved into a hot mess.

Peyton has just been released from prison and is trying to get her life back on track and is working for her brother as a golf pro. Leigh is a corporate bigwig who is playing golf as a way to further her way into the boys club at her work. They meet and are attracted to each other but neither wants to make a move. Through the first part of the book things are just moving at a slow burn.

Meanwhile, Peyton has a ridiculously slimy parole officer, a sister going off the rails, and hasn’t bothered to tell Leigh about her background. Leigh just works, talks to her friends and races motorbikes. Although they spend time together golfing, they do not talk about anything else, and still manage to fall in love.

The last quarter of the book is filled with ridiculous melodrama, and the two of them manage to get back together in the last few pages without resolving anything at all. It was so fast (and unrealistic) that Cannon actually uses ‘The End’ to signify that she’s done. I have to say, I was done way before that.

This story is frustrating because it had so much potential. Peyton’s family had also paid a price for what happened to her, but it’s barely touched upon, it would have been interesting to explore that further. Leigh’s reaction was also overblown, she seemed far more reasonable than how she was portrayed at the end. It just all seemed very disjointed. If Cannon hadn’t spent so much time on the craptastic (supposedly dramatic) storylines towards the end she might have had time to flesh out the two main characters and how they formed a relationship given Peyton’s background. She would have also been able to delve more into Peyton’s relationships with her family. Instead we’re left with a shallow story with a ridiculously abrupt ending. 2 stars.

Major spoilers on Goodreads

An honest review thanks to NetGalley. I love Julie Cannon and have read all of her books in the past. This was a great read, I was pulled in immediately and hooked. This was a great romance read; I could have read a lot more about these characters. Which is the only disappointment that occurred during this book, I wanted more. I felt a little cheated out of information and story progression with how quickly it seemed to pass. Overall it was a great quick romantic read.

*I received an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion *

3.5 stars. I enjoyed this book. This book was about Peyton, an ex-con who killed someone and now worked as an instructor on a golf course, and Leigh, a businesswoman who belonged to that gold course. Their paths cross multiple times at the gold course and they start to feel an attraction to one another that they want to avoid. This book does a good job of building the tension and not just throwing them into a relationship. I enjoy a little tension and build up in my books. Both of the characters seem to develop a little throughout the book, although I did think this books ending was a little rushed.

My only complaint about this book would be the ending and that it seemed to be rushed until that point. This book was a solid read and is a good book for someone looking for an easy read. There are other books I would recommend before this, but it is still a good book.

I never miss a book by Julie Cannon, and I knew this would be interesting with the golf setting. I haven’t read many romances where the main character is fresh out of jail, so this is a nice combination. I’m not sure we learned enough about Leigh, other than “her job is really stressful and she’s trying to climb the corporate ladder”. What exactly does she do that’s so stressful? I wouldn’t have minded a few more details there. In general, I liked this book but I felt the ending was really rushed. I needed a couple of additional chapters before the Epilogue, and then I needed more Epilogue.
One super picky detail … Peyton remembers in college all the golf team girls would braid each other’s hair with red and blue ribbons, but they attend LSU. LSU is a purple and gold school. Maybe red and blue is a golf thing?

There aren’t enough words I can use to describe how awesome this book was. Couldn’t put it down. An easy to become engrossed style of writing- had me rooting for both ladies and to be honest not that sure of what the outcome would be. Didn’t want it end and wouldn’t mind a follow up - hint hint if the author reads this!

Fore Play by Julie Cannon is the perfect romance for golf lovers. Peyton Broader was a winning NCAA golf champion with a bright future, which included medical school. Her dreams are shattered when she murders the suspect arrested for the kidnapping and rape of her young sister. Just out of prison, Peyton is working at a private golf course as a golf pro. She is intent on getting her life back on track. She meets high-powered executive, Leigh Marshall and the attraction is immediate. The romance is on.

Ms. Cannon does a fantastic job revealing the deep and conflicting emotions that Peyton goes through on a daily basis. The way we learn about Peyton’s time in prison, the murder, and her ongoing persecution by her parole officer is done with finesse. She includes Peyton’s family members in establishing her complex situation. I really felt like I got to know Peyton and she was very relatable. Cannon also does a great job in making each of Peyton’s family members stand out as unique characters.

I was somewhat disappointed with Cannon’s treatment of Peyton’s love interest, Leigh. I didn’t feel like I got to know much about her. We know she is an executive at a large corporation and that she is preoccupied with promoting her professional image. That’s about all we learn about Leigh. She has a best friend who she uses as a sounding board, but I didn’t feel like I really got to know her. There is virtually no backstory for her.

Of course, the relationship goes off the rails when Leigh learns about Peyton’s past before Peyton has the chance to tell her. That in itself is very distressful to both characters and where the real emotional work of this book takes place.

Overall, I would give this three and a half stars. It’s a nice romance with some nice dramatic moments.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.