Review

✍🏻 Professor Romance’s 5 ⭐️ Review: Kandi Steiner’s Hail Mary ✍🏻

Overall Grade: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Tropes: second chance romance; forced proximity; enemies to lovers; sports romance; neighbors to roommates; slow burn; angsty tension; new adult college romance

Kandi Steiner’s Hail Mary is a masterclass in enemies to lovers, second chance, sports romance. Attempting to find the words to describe the fearlessness of Steiner’s writing is difficult. There is great intentionality in her storytelling which creates in her readers a rabid fandom and adoration over her books.. Initial reviews pour out high praise for Hail Mary for good reason. Just as her MMC Leo Hernandez catches a hail mary pass attempt in a crucial game against their rival, Steiner’s book is the hail mary ending of her Red Zone Rivals series. Like most hail mary passes, this book is a thing of beauty, inspiring big emotions in its readers. If you do nothing else right now, grab this one. Here’s why:

Steiner writes the heck out of a sports romance. She mixes in real football with off-the-field shenanigans. She doesn’t overwhelm her readers with the sport; instead, she sprinkles it over the relational journey of Leo and Mary. 

The pacing of Hail Mary pulls the reader in and keeps them engaged. Steiner creates delicious tension through the first half as Leo and Mary negotiate past wrongs. This is where Steiner shines. For me, Chapters 22 and 23 are the chef’s kiss as they bring Mary and Leo’s attraction and disdain to a boil. After that, the story finds its cruising speed as Leo and Mary’s attraction evolves into more. In each step of her story, Steiner dictates her readers’ emotions, winding heartache and humor, pain and pleasure together into a story that clings to you days later. 

Even though Hail Mary can be quantified by so many tropes, two truths are foundational to this book: the Red Zone Rivals community adds depth and breadth to sports romance and two, romance can be more: bigger than second chances, forced proximity, enemies to lovers, sports romance. In this romance, Steiner uses Mary’s characterization to spotlight autonomy in two ways: personal choices vs. parental expectations and the consequences of $exual harassment for its victim. These messages underpin Leo and Mary’s romance, and they suggest that authors can write romance that marries steam with social responsibility. Steiner doesn’t overwhelm her readers with these messages; instead, she deftly weaves them within a story that is an emotional and $exual powerhouse (I think the spice level of Hail Mary and Blind Side are tied).

Don’t miss on Kandi Steiner’s Hail Mary or its predecessors. This series is some of my favorite sports romances of the past year. Leo and Mary’s story simply offers up a stellar ending to this spectacular series. 

In love and romance,

Professor A

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Hail Mary by Kandi Steiner is now live!

Leo F*cking Hernandez.

North Boston University’s star running back, notorious bachelor, and number one on my people I would murder if I could get away with it list.

And now?

He’s my new roommate.

I used to think I loved him.

But that was before I hated him.

He doesn’t remember who I am, or how he made my life miserable for years. And before I unknowingly moved across the street from him, I couldn’t have cared less. I was living my life despite him and what happened that summer, chasing my dream of becoming a tattoo artist.

“The Pit,” as the university so gracefully nicknamed the house he lives in with three other football players, has served as nothing more than a pain in my ass and a constant reminder of the boy who broke my heart. Watching him parade his one-night-stands in and out of it never helped, either.

But with rent this cheap and so close to the tattoo shop, I’ve learned to ignore him — no matter how he’s tried to get under my skin.

At least, until this summer. Because when a water and mold disaster leaves me with no choice but to vacate my house, I have nowhere to go. And Leo Hernandez offers me a deal I can’t refuse.

Live at The Pit with him and the guys, free of charge, until my landlord fixes this mess.

Ignoring him was easy when I lived across the street, but in the same house, with him shirtless half the time and watching me with his cocky grin and searing gaze? It’s impossible.

Still, I have to try. I have to push him away, even when he makes it infuriatingly difficult to do so.

He’s broken my heart once.

I won’t let him do it again.

Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3QqAF1f

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Meet Kandi


Kandi Steiner is an Amazon Top 5 bestselling author and whiskey connoisseur living in Tampa, FL. Best known for writing “emotional rollercoaster” stories, she loves bringing flawed characters to life and writing about real, raw romance — in all its forms. No two Kandi Steiner books are the same, and if you’re a lover of angsty, emotional, and inspirational reads, she’s your gal.

An alumna of the University of Central Florida, Kandi graduated with a double major in Creative Writing and Advertising/PR with a minor in Women’s Studies. She started writing back in the 4th grade after reading the first Harry Potter installment. In 6th grade, she wrote and edited her own newspaper and distributed to her classmates. Eventually, the principal caught on and the newspaper was quickly halted, though Kandi tried fighting for her “freedom of press.”

She took particular interest in writing romance after college, as she has always been a die hard hopeless romantic, and likes to highlight all the challenges of love as well as the triumphs.

When Kandi isn’t writing, you can find her reading books of all kinds, planning her next adventure, or pole dancing (yes, you read that right). She enjoys live music, traveling, playing with her fur babies and soaking up the sweetness of life.

Connect with Kandi

Website: www.kandisteiner.com

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7319216.Kandi_Steiner

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Kandi-Steiner/e/B00JDJOINE

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KandiSteiner/

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/kandilandks/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kandisteiner/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KandiSteiner

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/kandi-steiner

Verve: https://ververomance.com/app/kandisteiner

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@authorkandisteiner

Pinterest: pinterest.com/authorkandisteiner

Kandi Steiner may be coming to a city near you! Check out her “events” tab to see all the signings she’s attending in the near future: www.kandisteiner.com/events