Such a great book!

Being a woman is sometimes so difficult and this book shows that to perfection. Men earn more than us even if we do the same job. As someone pointed out in this book, the USA female soccer national team has a better performance than the male and they earn so much less and don't have as many advantages as them. How do I know this? I'm a huge soccer fan!

I have been lucky and never have felt insecure while I'm working. But my parents weren't as strict as Cara's so I know how to defend myself in case it happens, but I understand her situation because this have happened to some of my friends and it can turn bad. I was so happy when Wes realized what had actually happened that I cried... and he ends up being one of the most important parts of her support system during this fight.

I believe women should read this book, even if they have passed through something similar. It make me feel that if this happens to me, I will have some pointers on how to recover from it and how to procede so it never happens again. But again, I have never been harrassed, so maybe read it with caution and put aside every time you feel uncomfortable.

Don’t let the smutty cover of this fool you, it was an enjoyable book with more plot and substance than smut! For fans of women’s sports and soccer, this is a must read.

I adore Lainey Davis as well as her books (she’s got a great social media presence and newsletter)!

This, Forging Glory, her latest release, is another beautiful example of why she is such a brilliant author. She has in her author’s note at the end that she actually put aside her other work in progress when a true news story came out (something she sort of witnessed in reality when attending the women’s World Cup, downunder), and focused on turning that into the major theme of her new novel. It came out brilliantly and hopefully it will help shed light on the topic - not just in women’s sports, but in all workplaces.

I read the prequel novella about a month ago, which is pretty critical to see where everything in this book comes from - not just where Wes and Cara meet and their relationship begins at their weekend soccer training camp, but also the main inciting interaction between Cara and the character she has a huge conflict with that causes the humongous, life and potentially career altering, and certainly sport-altering experience that is the “big thing” in the story.

I won’t say more because it is such a big and important part of the plot and really can’t be summarized or talked about without giving the book away. Let’s just say that women are amazing, Lainey Davis is a special author and person, and absolutely every woman out there really needs to read this book. Heed the trigger warnings but still read it. It’s empowering. It’s incredible!

I also totally love all the character crossovers and still have a few of her back catalogue to go back to read! The way this couple (Wes and Cara) is together … chef’s kiss! I also love the side characters of her teammates and former classmates, and all his cousins(very much looking forward to Wyatt’s story next).

I cannot wait to get my ears on the audio version to re-read it in a few weeks!

I received an advance copy from NetGalley and Author Collective 20, and this is my honest feedback.

Lainey Davis delivers again. I am a huge fan of all her Stag books, and you can never go wrong with a sports theme.

In this story, I love how Wes calls out and fights what's wrong to support the woman he loves - even risking his own career.

The second-chance romance between Cara and Wes, and their professional sporting endeavours makes this a fab story.

What a great read! Well done Lainey Davis for creating a moving and steamy love story which is also a thoughtful rumination on the inequalities in women's professional sport. This is a fictionalised account of the kiss controversy in the 2023 Women's World Cup soccer (football). It's topical and contemplative and brings to life just how impactful a small dose of inappropriate contact can be if there is a power imbalance. Essentially, FMC Cara is at work, and this point is well made as she navigates the fall out from the conduct of Lou Rubeo, the all-powerful head of Soccer USA. He is a shadowy presence, with his unwanted behaviour more important than his personality.

The novel tracks the budding relationship between young football players Wesley Stag and Cara Moreno, who have vastly different experiences in the men's and women's national teams. They find each other, and Wesley shows his mettle as a Stag, a family we have met in Lainey's previous novels featuring the previous generation of Stag brothers. This is a standalone, set in Pittsburgh, USA, and very well done with Stag cameos that are fully realised, even if you haven't read the previous novels. Cara is Cuban American and her culture friends/family are well referenced, nicely contrasting with all the Stags.

This is perfect for readers who like writing with a point of view, and want more than just genre romance. That said, this is spicy and there's plenty of chemistry between Wes and Cara as they navigate each other and the pressures of Cara's situation. There's sweetness too, with shared meals, caregiving and steamy moments.

Thank you NetGalley, and the author for the ARC.

Tropes: teen/college romance, sports romance, soccer romance

Trigger warnings: assault, sexual assault, unfair workplace treatment, unfair dismissal,

Despite not being a huge sports fan and this being largely a young adult/college romance, which is also not my fav go-to, I did like reading both the MMC and FMC’s POVs. The story and the relationship development between the MMC and FMC was relatively fast paced with decent sexual tension between the two. The author’s note explains how the concept for this book came to her and while I understand the motivation for writing, I feel like the intention took centre stage over the story. Lainey Davis is a great writer and I’ve enjoyed all her Brady Family books so far. Sadly, though, Forging Glory was my least favourite out of all Lainey’s books I’ve read. 3.5 out of 5 stars.

I received an ARC of this book. I provide this review in my own words and of my own volition without compensation (apart from the ARC book).

In "Forging Glory" by Lainey Davis, the simplicity of the romance storyline was clear, and while I appreciated certain aspects, the overall narrative didn't fully engage me as I had hoped. This influenced my rating of two stars. On a positive note, I found the writing and pacing pretty good.

The book starts with Wes and Cara together, then separating after a misunderstanding. I actually really liked this aspect of the story, the fact that they started off together and then the story centred around them trying to figure where they went wrong and how to move forward from there.

As a huge sports fan, I found probably enjoyed this more because I understood the football narrative. I have to say though, Lainey Davis did a great job not overcomplicating the technical sports language / content, so even those who aren't sports fans will follow the story easily.

As characters, Wes and Cara are so likeable and you're rooting for them from the beginning. The supporting characters, such as Cara's roommate Jay and Wes' family are equally likeable and add a homely feel to the story. The thread with Cara and the powerful exec overshadowing her success is very similar to a real life incident that played out in women's football recently and I did find myself thinking of this while reading, although it didn't put me off or stop me from enjoying the story.

The only thing I was not so keen on was the front cover of the book, but that is just me personally as I tend to prefer when there are not 'real people' on fictional covers.

None the less, I still very much enjoyed the book and would recommend it.

Thank you for the chance to read an ARC of Forging Glory! The cover and synopsis sounded right up my street. The romance was slow burn, a lot of jumping to conclusions and the main storyline was a parallel to an incident from the women’s World Cup, this was forefront in my mind when reading and I felt kind of took away from enjoying the MMC and FMC and their story. However if you love womens football and and a slow burn romance with golden retriever vibes this will be for you!

Lainey Davis has a way of writing. I am not really a football (soccer) fan. Well sports in general. I felt a lot of excitement and joy for Cara and Wes with their teams. I wanted them to succeed. I felt that the characters flowed well. I enjoyed the main characters and even some side characters as well. I laughed and was worried at certain situations. There were some jarring parts where I felt the story was a bit slow paced for my liking. The romance between Wes and Cara were a little too slow in my opinion. I was not a fan of the back and forth between them. Overall it was good.

Thank you Netgalley and Author Collective 20 for letting me read Forging Glory. I appreciate it.