I am a fan of Julie Cannon and this was one hell of a book. The length however did not do justice to such a complicated story. I know real life doesnt tie up neatly nor can we have satisfactory answers and endings for everything, however after reading a book on a similar topic; i expected a better ending.

'The End' shows up while there are still problems left in Peyton's life to be sorted. WE never got to see Leigh and Peyton interact with each other's families and friends. No idea what became of the sister. No clue as to Peyton's relationship with her parents. I feel adrift after spending so much time and emotions on these two leads. I wish the book was longer.

This was an okay read. I’m not a golfer, I don’t like golf, but I do like sports books. This book doesn’t have a ton of golf, and I would not really call it a sports book, so you don’t really have worry if you don’t like either of them. This is more a story about an ex-con trying to get her life back together. I’m normally a fan of the ex-con storyline, but this book didn’t click with me like I hoped.

Peyton has recently been released from jail for murder. I don’t want to spoiler anything so I won’t go into the whys. Peyton meets Leigh at a golf course and the attraction is undeniable. But what will happen when Leigh finds out about Peyton’s past?

I felt like Cannon did a good job of building the character of Peyton; who she is, how her life has changed. She was a successful sympathetic character. The problem was most of the time was spent on Peyton, so I never connected with Leigh. I know Leigh worked hard and liked sports, but that’s it. While I thought the characters absolutely had chemistry together, I didn’t really believe in a deeper connection. I’m not sure if it’s because how it was written or because I could not connect to Leigh. I felt the sex scenes where only average because they were very fast-paced.

What I didn’t care for was the ending. You know when an author has to write “The End” because it ends so abruptly you might not know otherwise… it is probably not a good sign. I have read many Cannon books, but I didn’t realize how abrupt her endings were until another reviewer pointed it out to me. But even knowing Cannon does this regularly, this seemed extra abrupt for me. The problem was there were so many loose ends that weren’t tied up. So many issues that needed to be addressed about their relationship, and there were secondary characters that you don’t know what happened to them. If an author spends the time on these mini storylines, we as readers want to know how they will play out. It almost felt like Cannon got sick of writing the book and just wanted it to end.

I still like Cannon as an author. Most of her books are interesting, and they keep me reading, I just hope she will change up her endings. I really need more. Even with my complaints the book is still okay, it is just one that I can’t recommend.

The book had too many storylines and most of them stayed unresolved. A lot of things didn’t make a whole lot of sense either, like the parking garage Situation - there are cameras so why didn’t she try to defend herself??

The romance part wasn’t great either and also didn’t have a resolution in the end. It felt forced and there wasn’t much chemistry between them.

I hate golf so I’m glad it didn’t dominate this book, I found this story really interesting but also very frustrating, I was beside myself with anger for peyton, I felt sorry for her most of the way though, I thought Leigh was an ignorant twit and I’d better not get started on that shit of a parole officer, he really got my goat up the bloody scumbag, the sex scenes were a little fast I thought (must be them magic fingers we read about so often) “eye roll” 🙄.
I wasn’t keen on the ending, not a bad ending but still I didn’t like it, so, overall it was a good romance and kept me interested throughout....

The story is a little bit different, this one is quite real life, part brutal and not all sweetness and light. The story has the usual evil and chauvinistic men but I also felt that some of the women in this story were also more than chauvinistic, the googling, lusting and drooling of Hilde, Jill and Denise towards Peyton just didn't feel right in today's society. The two main characters fit well together and its enjoyable to see how they build their relationship.
Overall a nice simple book that I would recommend if you're just looking for that 'time out' moment

I received this book as an ARC form NetGalley and bold strokes books in return for an honest review.
I finished this book about a week ago and I have been struggling since them about how i should review it. First I would like to state that the book wasn't all bad, but it was mostly bad. First there were too many story lines for a 300 page book, and the author left most of those unresolved. Besides the fact that she committed murder, I did not understand why her parole officer hated her so much, nor why she took the punishment until then end. Also I don't understand why she didn't defend herself against him in the garage, she wouldn't have gone back to jail and garages have cameras.
The next thing is that the last we see of her sister is in the hospital. there is zero resolution to that story line. Clearly we know the sister was upset because someone was killed for her and she was also messed up from the kidnapping and rape. So what was the solution. "Meh shes a drug addict we have tried, but she isn't getting better"? I did not love the love story in this book, it seemed forced and way too fast, and there wasn't even a resolution to that at the end of the book.. Overall there were far too many holes in the plot for me to fully enjoy this book.

Intriguingly different than the usual romance. The plot is cleverly connected and I enjoyed the sport references as much as the attraction between the two women. Well written and has good pace up until about 80% of the book where it loses a star rating (from 5 to 4) because of the sudden rush to the end. Could be a publisher word count limit or just a run out of steam, but either way it squished my enjoyment.

This is a read that has you thinking about finding the one and if you should let go if the risk is too great. Peyton Broader is challenged by family, self, and Leigh Marshall. Payton is a character working to get past her life behind bars. She is doing okay until she encounters Leigh. The character of Leigh reminds me of a number of people that are successful at their job but are they happy with other aspects of their life. The story appears simplistic while we wait for Leigh's awareness but the parole officer's behavior makes you want to scream for justice.

This is an good read. Payton spent 9 years in jail for murder and when she was released all she wanted was to keep her head down, work, and meet with her parole officer. Once she met Leigh all her plans went right out the window. Payton’s backstory was interesting and a reader can totally understand why she did what she did. The emotional development between Payton and Leigh was very very slow. I found that the ending was a bit rushed. I would have liked to have known how Elizabeth turned out as well. Overall it was a good Julie Cannon read.

Reading the synopsis of this book you can already assume much of what will happen in it. And as we already know that Peyton is an ex-convict and as the book progresses and Leigh does not quite realize this fact, you are always waiting for the thing to explode at the least opportune moment ... By this I mean that the book is quite predictable, although this is not entirely negative in my opinion.

That said, it seemed to me that Peyton has been a better-defined character than Leigh, which I've found a bit irritating. Certainly it is easier to develop a character with Peyton's past. And maybe the personal things about Leigh are vaguely explained, they lack detail, such as things about her family or work. That's why I disliked Leigh a bit.

For those who like books with a sports background, the plot also has some golf, not much to learn here since it is not the main theme, it also has some motorcycle races or something similar, without much prominence in the book either.

But it's a story that hooks you a lot, more than anything to see if Peyton manages to leave behind her past. The romance is insta at first but it develops slowly, given the circumstances, being Leigh a client of Peyton in the golf club and the customer-employee relationship being a little out of bounds.

And the end, well, I can understand deadlines, get to the number of words that you have proposed, whatever, but in this case I think the end is more than abrupt.

But it is an entertaining book that can be recommended, without being anything special.

<i>An ARC was sent to me from Bold Strokes Books through NetGalley for an honest review </i>

3.5 stars

Julie Cannon is one of those reliable romance writers. Her characters are interesting and smart, and the plot normally ticks along to a delightful conclusion. This time, Cannon has pushed the boundary of the romance genre with sharper realism in one of her characters, but unfortunately has lost control and bailed before the natural ending of the story.

There are two main characters in the book. Peyton is freshly out of gaol and trying to keep her bullying parole officer in check until she is finally free of the penal system. Fortunate enough to have a family who love and support her, she works for her brother at the local golf club. It doesn’t hurt that Peyton was a golf champion when she was younger. It is while caddying that Peyton comes across the magnetic Leigh, a high profile business executive, who is finding it tough to keep proving herself to the men in power at the company.

Leigh is still coming to grips with a new job, and is worried about how she is seen in a male dominated industry. Her response is to bury herself in work and to avoid romantic entanglements. That is, until Peyton happens across her path and the two of them are inescapably drawn to one another.

The two main characters are quite well written. Leigh is a boilerplate example of an executive, but Cannon makes her more interesting by making her a motocross racer. However, even with this, Leigh is the less interesting of the two characters. It is with Peyton that Cannon’s writing really shines. In for a murder to which she confessed, Peyton has strength and determination, as well as the resulting physical and psychological damage that is appropriate for someone in her shoes. Cannon gives us a good sense of what that nine years has done to, and for Peyton, in well-timed snippets of backstory spread throughout the book. These give Peyton a depth that is really engaging, and quite fascinating.

The standard threat to the main characters is delivered via the parole office, who is suitably creepy and nasty. There is a lovely build up, both to this plot line as a threat to the main characters, as well as the addition of tension into the story.

It all works really well for the first two thirds of the book. It was a solid 4 stars at this point, with room to grow. There was a lot of heat between the women, which was well written. The transition from lust to love for the main characters was a bit quick, but that wasn’t the main problem. Unfortunately, it is in the final act that Cannon realises she is writing a ‘romance’ and bails on the difficult scenes coming up. The scenes of revelation and the characters’ emotional journeys at this point are given very superficial treatment, which is a shame. The book’s ending is really abrupt; giving me the feeling that it was a case of “it’s getting too difficult so we’ll just make it a ‘happy ever after’ ending and finish it.” It was really odd.

What disappoints me most is that this was building to be a really fascinating book looking at how the characters, and us by proxy, might actually deal with the events in the story. The ethical and moral dilemmas were complex and compelling, and the characters had enough depth to dig in and tackle them.

I still recommend it as a book, but perhaps come up with your own, more satisfying ending.

Advanced reading copy provided by NetGalley for an honest review.

Peyton Broader has recently been released from prison after serving nine years for manslaughter. She has a job at a golf club, a place to live above her brother’s garage and is slowly getting her life back on track. Until one day she’s serving drinks on the course and she meets Leigh Marshall. Leigh loves golf but is also trying to improve to impress her boss. Peyton and Leigh feel an immediate attraction for each other but neither seem to be looking for a relationship.

Peyton is an interesting character with a complicated past and a hopeful future. She’s been well-described/characterised and has a good depth to her. Her support system in the form of her brother, sister-in-law and friend, Lori, also contribute to her depth as a character. Leigh is also a good character but it feels like she’s been given too many attributes but not enough focus on any of them. She’s very driven to achieve vocationally however little time is spent in her office environment or with colleagues. Together Peyton and Leigh have fantastic chemistry which leaps off the page.

Cannon managed to make golf sexy (which I would have thought was just about impossible) and the story was engaging with enough angst to keep my attention without going over the top. The only thing that really jarred for me, and I’ve come to expect this from all of Cannon’s books, is the sudden ending. It’s okay though, because I psyched myself up from 70% so I wasn’t left reeling.

Book received from Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.

Fore Play is unlike any romance you’ve ever read. What would you do if you found out the woman you’ve fallen in love with is not only an ex-con, but an unapologetic murderer? The book slowly and artfully builds up to that burning question Leigh will eventually face. In the meantime, you will enjoy the slow, sweet build of the romance between enigmatic and classy Leigh with charming and dashing Peyton. Their journey eventually leads to that dynamic crescendo, and with a few surprise plot twists you won’t expect. I can guarantee that you will mull over Leigh and Peyton’s predicament, and consequently this book would be an excellent book club selection to debate reactions, possibilities, and the brilliant plot line. This book will challenge you, but at the same time you get to enjoy their beautiful romance. One minor flaw was that their epilogue was short and abrupt with a little cheesiness that didn’t do the rest of the story justice. Regardless, I think this is one of her best books to date.

I really liked the plot story of this book. The book is well written and flows well until the final chapters. It has such a good start, The flashbacks about Peyton's past were well done and gave a good insight into how her life changed. But then the last chapters it seems the writer got tired of the story and ended it. I would have gladly read 100 pages more for a more deep and developed ending. 2.5 stars because I can't remember being so disappointed in an ending.