Okay, I have a little bit of a confession: I don’t think I’m a Christmas romance kind of reader. I want to give that confession to you from the outset so that you will recognize WHY I love Hoops Holiday by Kennedy Ryan. Why I believe you NEED this book for yourself.
I guess I should also acknowledge that Kennedy Ryan is one of my top 5 favorite authors (possibly even my top 3 — It’s hard to say because those top spots are constantly in flux). Given all of my confessions (which should note my bias), I want you to know why this holiday novella is a MUST READ:
- This book offers the continuing story of Iris and August and Banner and Jared. You receive more epilogue to their stories, and, I don’t know about you, that is oxygen in my lungs. Long Shot and Block Shot are two of my favorite romance books of all time. Gaining more information about their stories (as we lead up to Kenan and Lotus’s story) is my oxygen. And Ryan does NOT disappoint. These two epilogues are Austenian in nature (I’m a HUGE Jane Austen fan, so this is a compliment to Kennedy Ryan) with their happily-ever-after, everyone gets married, and life is wonderful. Even if you don’t want to read “Full Court Press” about Deck and Avery’s story, you will want the “stocking stuffers” of the other couples. Trust me.
- I didn’t read “Team Player,” the older version of the now-titled “Full Court Press.” I wish I had read it earlier so I could note the changes. But it doesn’t matter. What I will say is this story is necessary for this Hoops world. I was vaguely curious about Deck and Avery in Long Shot. While reading this story, I stopped reading it and jumped back to Long Shot to see this couple in action in August’s story. I love them.
In our time, when mental health issues are gaining more notice and traction, this story is necessary. It is difficult to understand the dilemma of people with mental health. For people who live with others who struggle with it, knowing what actions to take is difficult. Kennedy Ryan sheds light on this, along with the guilt and betrayal that others feel in the wake of tragedy related to mental health. My heart was pulled throughout this story between Deck and Avery. What was most important, though, was the compassion rife between the pages.
3. Deck is E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G in this story. He is not an August or Jared, but he is compassionate and thoughtful and self-sacrificing, all qualities attractive in a book hero. Coupled with the strength and tenacity of Avery, the story’s heroine, this is a power couple, a standard in a Kennedy Ryan book.
If you’re like me, and you love the Hoops universe, then you MUST, I repeat, MUST get this novella. It is another layer of decadence in the Hoops World, and it will be one of the best Christmas gifts you give yourself this year.
Overall:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
In love and romance,
Professor A
Professor Romance 