The Total Package

STEPHANIE EVANOVICH

Stats for my copy: Mass market paperback, Harlequin, 2014.

How acquired: Via BookCrossing.

First line: Although smoking had been outlawed inside public establishments more than a decade ago, the bar still had leftover smog. 

My thoughts: Ok, so, I have a confession. I got this author mixed up with Janet Evanovich. I have a bunch of Janet's books in her series, the name of which had escaped me, and which I hadn't started reading yet, and when I saw this book offered up in a BookCrossing friend's post on FB, I thought it sounded good and would be a good introduction to Ms. Evanovich. It wasn't until I finished this book that I suddenly remembered her series was Stephanie Plum. And then I thought, wait, she named her main character after herself? And then I suddenly remembered that author is Janet, not Stephanie!

But I am sooooo glad I made that mistake because I LOVED this book! I was expecting light fluffy romance, which would've been great, I'm always down with that. I was not expecting to be 70 or so pages into the book and so far it was all about the hero battling his alcoholic demons. And the heroine nowhere in sight. But I zipped through half the book on a Saturday afternoon, and then last night I was up way too late finishing it. Yes, it was that good!

I'm often a little leery of secret baby plots. To empathize with the heroine there has to be really compelling motivation for her to keep the dad in the dark, and Ms. Evanovich pulled that off wonderfully here. I was completely on board with Dani's reasons, and understood completely why it took her so long to come clean. And I loved Tyson for sure.

I was excited to learn that two of the other couples in this book have already had their own books! I went straight to Book Mooch and found and requested both of them.

The Total Package. An apt title. Stephanie Evanovich has a new fan!



Goodreads synopsis: Heartthrob star quarterback Tyson Palmer has it all: a million-dollar arm, a winning season and the promise of a Superbowl ring. But more importantly, football’s biggest star is the ultimate comeback kid. After an addiction to painkillers nearly derailed his career, Tyson got sober and went from zero to hero in the eyes of the public.

But one person remains unconvinced: Dani Carr, a sports commentator with high ratings and following of her own. Dani can’t forgive Tyson’s transgressions or forget a single passionate night with him back in college. To make things worse, Tyson doesn’t realize that the bombshell with huge ratings is the cute co-ed whose heart he once broke.

But can a sports journalist trying to claw her way to the top and a quarterback who knows all about rock bottom make it to the Super Bowl without destroying each other? And what will happen when Tyson—riding high now that he’s revived his career—realizes he needs to make an even more important comeback with Dani? Can he use his million-dollar moves to get past her defenses—or will she sideline him for good?