ARC Review: Winner Takes All by Erin Kern

“Blake just didn’t cut it for me. ”
~ Under the Covers

WINNER TAKES ALL is the first of the Champion Valley series. Erin Kern is a new-to-me author and I was intrigued by the premise of this story. Unfortunately for me, the book just didn’t work.

First and foremost, I didn’t like the hero at all. Blake Carpenter was a former football star who experienced an injury that took him off the field. Since then he’s been coaching his high school football team, but he doesn’t sound too happy about it. Blake seems too used to the money and fame that he’s allowed it to get to his head. He starts off complaining in the book and then when the heroine appears, a physical therapist for the team he works for, he tells her that he doesn’t need her, interrupts her every time she tries to argue with him and even belittles her. So right from the get-go, I didn’t like the guy and had no interest in reading his happily ever after.

It’s such a shame though since the heroine, Annabelle Turner seems like such a doll. For me though, I would’ve preferred someone better for her. Blake just didn’t cut it for me.

That being said, I doubt I will be picking up the next book in the series. I don’t have a high tolerance for douche heroes and especially for a first book in the series, it’s hard to get into a book where the hero is a mean bastard even if there’s supposed to be some sort of redemption in the end. Blake was just too whiny for me and I wasn’t sympathetic to what he was going through. But if you can get over Blake, you’ll probably enjoy the football aspect of the story is Sports Romances are your thing.