Fourth Down

Portland Pioneers, Book 1

By: Heidi McLaughlin

Narrated by: Nelson Hobbs, Stephanie Rose

Length: 9 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's summary

Autumn LaRosa has been playing defense since the moment she met Julius Cunningham. After accepting a position as a meteorologist in Portland, she strives to make a good first impression. Then she meets the arrogant wide receiver who belittles her in front of her new friends. She could have walked off the sting of his bitter words, but he keeps showing up in her social circle.

Now, she is determined to meet him at the line of scrimmage and prove she's not one to back down.

Julius Cunningham is well aware there's a flag on the play after his harsh words to Autumn. The more he sees of Portland's new weather girl, the clearer it becomes his judgments of her were unfounded.

But how can he call a timeout on the animosity he created?

When Autumn attends a charity event with the Pioneer players, she sees an opportunity too tempting to resist. Julius looks miserable being a part of the date auction, making it even more fun for Autumn to bid. Will she use the opportunity for some good old-fashioned payback? Or will this be their fresh start at the 20-yard line?

Get ready for the snap and sprint for the end zone because Autumn and Julius are headed for either a tackle or a touchdown!

©2021 Heidi McLaughlin (P)2021 Tantor

Loved this book!!

This is a super sweet romance!!! Things started off rocky with Autumn and Julius, but it had an amazing ending. I read this in less than 24 hrs. I don't like sports so I'm glad it was a minor plot point lol. and the narrators were amazing

Another great book!

Amazing story and the cameos of the Beaumont characters makes it all the sweeter. Being able to hear a new love story while getting glimpses into my favorite characters lives is just perfect.

Loved the book, but the Audiobook was MINDBLOWING

I have written this review many times and have deleted it just as many times. I am having difficulty finding the words to express how much I enjoyed Fourth Down. Correction!!! I loved, LOVED Fourth Down. I want to say "Just read it. You won't be disappointed."

The author deserves better from me than that. I need to find away to tell you how much the story meant to me without giving the story away. How do I explain how much Autumn LaRosa and Julius Cunningham meant to me? How do I express how my heart ached for Julius's children, Roxy and Reggie? How do I get it through to you that their relationship is one that many can identify with and can give them hope that there is light at the end of the divorce tunnel? How do I share that you might cry and you might fume but for every down there are so many ups?

I became invested in most of the characters. There is one character I would like to flush down the toilet, but she did make for very interesting situations. I got to enjoy catching up with characters from the Beaumont Series. Who could say no to spending time with Liam, Harrison, JD and Quinn? Swoon. Drool. Heart palpitations.

Julius is struggling and not handling it well. Meeting Autumn changes everything. It isn't all roses and unicorns. There are a lot of thorns on the roses and the unicorn's horn needs polishing. There is a lot of drama. I love drama. The author has away of writing drama that has me feeling deeply, has me interacting and not always in a good way. So many emotions. What a great escape!!!!

The ending was wonderful I got the happily ever after that I expect in a romance novel. I also got great satisfaction because of the way the author handled one of the characters. I actually did a happy dance. It wasn't pretty but I did it anyways. The squeal factor was high with this book and I loved every minute of it.

Let the wait begin for Fair Catch, book two in the Portland Pioneers Series.

Weak characters

I usually like this authors work. This one was meh. Didn’t care for the main characters. Too much drama from the H and his ex. I was tired of his insecurity. I liked how he ignored her after sex. The h was too easy to forgive him. Too much about his ex and the kids. If you are looking for romance, this one is not for you!

LI is unlikable as a man and father

At its core this story is about two children with bad parents.

The author wants us to view LI as the better parent, but introducing his new gf to his kids after one date and before he has even filed for divorce doesn't line up with that. He condemns his ex's actions of going out in public with her new bf but takes that poor decision making a step further with his own choices.