The Backup Plan by K. Bromberg

Narrated by Kit Swann & Lance Greenfield

Sports Romance. First in a Series of Standalones.

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The Backup Plan by K. Bromberg isn’t your typical football romance. Instead of focusing on young rookies, it features more mature characters and a quarterback at the end of his career who is struggling with what life might look like after football. It was a refreshing, realistic, and unique take on a sports romance that I really appreciated.

Lucas Hale has been the golden-boy quarterback for years until a shoulder injury sidelines him. After multiple surgeries, all he wants is to get back on the field. Football is all he’s ever known, and he can’t imagine a life without it. The big teams aren’t willing to take a chance on him after his injury, but the new Texas expansion team is interested in bringing him on not only as their backup quarterback, but also as a mentor to the starting quarterback and the team as a whole.

The Lone Star Rebels may be an expansion team, but they spared no expense building their facilities and hiring top talent. That includes a state-of-the-art physical therapy center led by Dr. Emery Porter. For Emery, becoming the team physician and injury specialist for a professional football team is the dream she’s worked her entire life to achieve.

Unfortunately, on her very first night in town, she finds herself in trouble and is rescued by a handsome stranger. That stranger turns out to be Lucas Hale, the very player she’ll be responsible for treating. It’s Emery’s job to determine whether Lucas is truly healthy enough to return to the field and report her findings to team management.

The chemistry between them is electric from the very beginning, but Kristy never really delves into the professional ethics of their relationship. Sure, Emery could lose her job, but it’s never even mentioned that sleeping with a patient could also cost her medical license. That was really my only issue with the book. Emery is risking her entire career and everything she’s worked for, while Lucas would probably get little more than a slap on the wrist.

Still, I loved them together. Lucas is such a genuinely good guy, but he’s also incredibly stubborn, willing to risk permanent pain and lifelong injury for one more chance to play instead of considering the many other opportunities available to him within the sport. Emery is smart, compassionate, and completely dedicated to her career. Together, they made a wonderful couple.

Likes:

I really enjoy books that dive deep into their subject matter. Kristy clearly did her research, and it shows. I appreciated not only the football details but also the medical aspects of the story.
Lucas is genuinely one of the good guys.
The story brought out all the emotions.
I loved that K. Bromberg explored the mental health struggles athletes face when they’re forced to confront the end of their playing careers.
I liked that everyone on the team was new and had been chosen for a specific purpose, making it feel like they were building something special together.
This was a great start to a new football romance series.

Dislikes:

This may just be a personal preference, but I get frustrated when female characters, especially women working in traditionally male-dominated professions, become romantically involved in the workplace. I hate that they’re often the ones with the most to lose, and in this case, Emery seemed to be taking nearly all of the professional risk. It reflects badly on all women trying to get ahead in traditionally male roles.

The Narration:

Lance Greenfield just doesn’t quite give me “sexy leading man.” I think he’d be fantastic as a coach, detective, scientist, or any number of other characters, and he remains a talented narrator, but I’ve never found his voice particularly swoon-worthy. Kit Swann, on the other hand, was excellent as Emery. The performance was great, but for me, The Backup Plan is a toss-up between reading the book and listening to the audiobook.

The Down & Dirty:

K. Bromberg has become one of my favorite authors over the years, despite the fact that I struggled with some of her earliest books. She consistently delivers excellent sports romances and strikes the perfect balance between explaining the sport for readers who want to learn more while still satisfying longtime fans who know all about the sport. I really enjoyed getting in on the ground floor with the Lone Star Rebels expansion team, and I can’t wait to see where this series goes next.