Grant Turner’s name is synonymous with football. The fans and media can’t get enough of the player known as The Invincible Man, a nickname he earned while growing up in one of the toughest neighborhoods in the country and the nickname he’s kept by being one of the best players in professional football today. No one can take him down. He’s unstoppable.
But even a suit of armor has its weak point, and Grant’s has always been Ryan Hale.
They were a couple of kids when they fell in love, and just when it looked like the happy ending neither expected was within reach, Ryan disappeared. No explanations. No good-byes.
Grant coped by throwing himself into the game for seven years, and he’s finally moved on. Or so he thinks.
When she walks back into his life, all of those feelings come crashing back, despite the warnings in his head that tell him she’ll leave him again. Grant can withstand the league’s toughest defensive line, but he’s always been weak where she’s concerned.
No man can take Grant Turner down.
But one woman certainly can.
One woman will.
My Review
“One moment you’re soaring. The next one, you’re touching down, scraping rock bottom.”
“These were the moments a person lived for. The moments a person died remembering. That place between life and death, that was where we were really alive. That was what I’d come to realize. That space between was where all the good stuff happened.”
Touching Down was a quick and easy read for me. From the moment I picked this book up, I was curious to know more about Grant and Ryan. They both intrigued me. Their story was complex and you could tell that there was a lot of hurt involved. Ryan made a lot of mistakes when she was younger and wanted a chance to make things right with Grant. For her, Grant was the love of her life. The one that got away. The one she could never forget about. And Grant, he was madly in love with Ryan. Hurt doesn’t even describe the pain he felt when Ryan left without so much as a word or explanation why. You could tell by just being around these two that their connection was just as strong as ever and that the love they once shared was strong enough to withstand even the biggest hurt.
As much as I liked and was intrigued by this story, I did have some issues with it. I felt like once Ryan’s big secrets were revealed that the story picked up and went at warp speed. With all the time that had passed between Ryan and Grant’s separation, I would have liked there have been a little more anger about the situation and groveling on Ryan’s part. It felt like Grant got over his issues way too easily and for me, made the story feel unbelievable….Especially once you find out what Ryan has been keeping secret. I also really would have liked to see Ryan and Grant work more on rebuilding their relationship and trust.
So, overall, I think this is just going to be one of those books that’s going to be a hit for some and a miss for others. For me, I’m right in the middle because while I did have some issues with the story, I do feel that it was overall well written, it just left me wanting and needing more.
*I was provided with an ARC copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review*
He took my hand and helped me out, grinning all goofy-like when the hem of my dress slid up my legs as I crawled out.
“Give me a goodnight kiss?” I added as I let him take my hand.
He peered over at me, brow raised. “Or a good night something.”
Giving him a light shove, I tried not to pretend that a good night something sounded as appealing to me as it did to him. “I never should have told you it’s been seven years since my last time.”
“Yes, you definitely should have.”
“Why’s that?”
He grinned at the ground. “Because I can use that knowledge in my favor.”
“How does knowing that work in your favor?” I angled toward him as we climbed the stairs together.
After we’d stopped in front of the door, he turned and pulled me closer. “Because I know how bad you need it now.”
The skin on the back of my neck raised, my lips parting from the acceleration of my breath. “How do you know it’s not a case of the longer you go without it, the less you need it?”
“No,” he said at last, his head slowly shaking. “Not with something like that. Not with someone like you.” Grant moved closer, not stopping until his chest was pressing into mine, walking me backward until my back ran into the wall. “In fact, I bet you’ve gone so long, I could barely touch you and you’d fall apart in my arms. Am I right?”
My chest was brushing against his, my legs feeling weak from what was happening. Or what was about to happen. Or what I was imagining was about to happen.
“No,” I whispered, “you’re not right.”
His eyes called me out. “There’s only one way to know who’s right.” He kissed the outside of my neck before lightly sucking on my earlobe.
The moan he drew from me seemed to sweep across the entire estate. My hand clamped over my mouth, but he pried it away.
“No. I don’t want you stifling the sounds you make for me.” Holding my wrist, he slid my hand up the wall until my arm was fully extended above me. The stone was still warm from the sun, heat seeping into my skin. “Other hand,” he ordered before sinking his teeth into my lobe.
The sensation made me jolt against him, but all he did was press his body into mine harder until I felt trapped between two walls of stone. When I lifted my other hand for him, he gathered it up in his hand with my other wrist. The task of winding around both of my wrists was no challenge for hands the size of his.
Once he had me pinned, he rocked his hips into mine, practically lifting me up the wall. Another moan escaped from my mouth, but this one was more a cry of pleasure. He was right. He’d barely have to touch me.
His other hand moved from the bend of my hip to reach something above us.
“What are you doing?” I breathed, my ribs feeling as though they’d crack from the way my heart was pounding.
“Unscrewing this light bulb,” he said, right before the wash of light disappeared and darkness moved in around us. “And now, I’m going to take care of you.”
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