Review: Line of Scrimmage by Marie Force

Emotional damn roller coaster, that is what this book was! Plan and simple, yet I loved every page of it! Sucker! That is what I am. Marie Force has captivated me with Line of Scrimmage, creating a strong but wounded Susannah who thinks her life will be at peace with her new marriage to Henry, her long time friend and High School boyfriend. But little does the debutant know that her current husband (soon to be ex) has shown up 10 days before their divorce is to be finalized to re-claim his wife and their marriage. Ryan blackmails her into giving him these last ten days to see if they can rectify what went horribly wrong. They have been separated for a year now and Susie thought she was getting the "safe" marriage she desired. But what she really desires is her husband Ryan. Ryan is a football star for the Denver Mavericks, actually more than a star, a God really to the football league and hailed as one of the best if not the best quarterback of all time. He is madly in love still with his wife Susie and after winning what becomes his last game, the Super Bowl in which he got severely injured, has made his escape from the hospital to force Susie to realize they still have something worth fighting for. Problem is that there are a couple of open wounds in their marriage that they have yet to talk about. First the loss of their son while Susie was eight months pregnant, second the alleged affair Ryan had with a super fan after the death of their son, and third the continual neglect that Susie felt as Ryan picked his career in Football over her. The ups and downs that these two take will take you on a wild ride as anyone who has miscarried can sympathize with the pain. It was really beautiful to see the two FINALLY talk about their feeling from the loss and try to heal some of the old pain that both had buried under the rug for two years. Then just as you feel that your happy ending is in sight here comes the current fiance Henry ans super fan (aka stalker) Betsy to ruin their HEA. Again old wounds as Ryan never fully explained his association with Betsy and Susie never asked him to. So she assumed that all the rumors must have been true all along about the affair. Mistrust and miscommunication come to an ugly head as the two struggle through once again. Ryan's emotions were so raw as well as Susie's and not blown out of proportion. I felt that both characters were captivating and just downright real! No Hero that comes in and saves the day, Ryan was intense and addictive as well as the boy next door personality so much more than your typical romantic Hero. Susie, she is every woman who has felt neglected, wounded by the loss of her son before his birth, and a woman scorned. Although she learns that trust is more important that ideal gossip, and not just that, but to trust her husband with her feelings. To share her anger and sadness of the loss as well as letting herself be open to misunderstandings and giving Ryan the chance to explain instead of jumping to conclusions. Lastly Marie's research was right on as well. Ryan had attended the University of Florida as the star quarterback, and since I went to school there I have to say she hit the nail on the head for details. Plus the sports aspect, it wasn't overwhelming, BUT it was a huge part of the book since afterall our Hero was a Football Star. Once again, details right on the money (per my husband who I asked several times), and honestly didn't take away from the book.

5 STARS- LOVED IT! COULDN'T PUT IT DOWN

SNIPPET: "She's given up on him and moved on...
Susannah finally has a peaceful, calm life and a no-surprises man. Marriage to football superstar Ryan Sanderson was a whirlwind of passion, heat, energy, and excitement, but Susannah got sick of playing second fiddle to his team, watching women throwing themselves at him, and living in terror of the hard hits he took on the field. With their divorce just days from being final, she's already planning a wedding with her new fiance...
He's finally figured out what's really important to him. If only it's not too late...
Ryan has just ten days to convince his soon-to-be ex-wife to give him a second chance. He has just brought home his third championship and his career is at its pinnacle, but during the year of their separation, Ryan's come to realize it doesn't mean anything at all without Susannah..."