Book Review | Heartbreaker Handoff – Lex Martin ( Varsity Dads Series, Book Five)

Heartbreaker Handoff
By: Lex Martin

Series: Varsity Dads
Book # in Series: 5 out of 5
Genre: New Adult Romance
Tropes: Fake Relationship Arrangement, Coach’s Daughter, Friends To Lovers, Single (Soon To Be) Mother
Publisher: Lex Martin
Publication Date: March 8th, 2024
My Rating: ✮✮✮✮✮
My Reading Format: I received a complimentary copy from the author to review honestly

Synopsis:

Billy’s not my baby daddy, but he doesn’t mind pretending to be…

I’m a Division 1 cheerleader with hopes of becoming a sports broadcaster. None of my plans for college include getting knocked up by a cheating ex who just got engaged to another girl.

When my father finds out I’m pregnant, he goes ballistic. That’s when my BFF, bad boy Billy Babcock, comes to my rescue and agrees to “take responsibility.”

Billy and I solidify our contract on a napkin—he’ll pretend to be my baby’s father, and I’ll help him clean up his image. The only problem is my father, the football coach, hates Billy. He warned me off dating players a long time ago, and he thinks Billy’s the biggest player out there.

Now that we’re in a “relationship,” Billy thinks we should spend some quality naked time together, but I’m worried about crossing that line. Because athletic guys with big muscles, intricate tattoos, and sexy smirks are my biggest weakness, and Billy ticks off all those boxes.

Can my football player “boyfriend” walk the straight and narrow for me? Or did I just get handed off from one heartbreaker to another?

* * *

Heartbreaker Handoff is an angsty, friends-to-lovers, forbidden romance featuring a sassy cheerleader, who’s about to be a single mother, and a criminally charming football player determined to prove he’s the man for her, one sizzling kiss at a time. Heartbreaker Handoff is a dual POV standalone in the USA Today-bestselling series Varsity Dads.

Heartbreaker Handoff is the fifth book in Lex Martin’s Varsity Dads series. This novel can be read as a standalone, but is best read within the series. Before I start this review ‘officially’ I want to state the fact that I freaking love this series. There has never been a series when I rated each and every book with a five-star rating. To this day, I’m still shocked that all the books were five star reads, for me. What enamors me about this series is the trials that come with having a baby in college. And let me say this kindly, Lex Martin does not sugar coat those trials. There are moments of angst, moments I feel like breaking down and crying for and with these characters. There are moments I literally feel so enraged with a few side characters, I want to throw my kindle into a wall…. I have never done that before, but my hands have been twitchy a time or two. And then, most importantly, there is joy. Joy of a happily ever after that you sometimes never see coming. My heart adores this series, and my heart adores Lex Martin for all the wonderful novels she’s graced us with. So, let’s get started with my review for Heartbreaker Handoff. This is Billy Babcock and Roxy Santos’ wonderful friends to lovers’ romance with an epic happily ever after.

Good Gracious! Lex Martin set my heart a blazing with Billy and Roxy’s story! She put me through an emotional rollercoaster with all the ups and downs…. And I’m not ashamed to admit, I may have cried a few hundred tears! So just a heads up, there may be some serious waterworks if you decide to pick this book up, but the tears will be worth it for that ending!

Let’s start with Billy Babcock, bad boy extraordinaire! Billy caught a bad reputation and the proof is unsettling to those who hold his career in their hands. That is why he finds himself being moved around on the field all the time. A feature no NFL team wants to deal with, and his goal is to be drafted sooner, rather than later. My heart legit felt for this man and all the trials he was put through in the name of his career. This man is hardworking and is a team player, he dominates in all positions he’s put in, but nothing is ever good enough in, not only his coach’s eyes but also his father’s eyes. I legit wanted to reach into this novel and fight his coach and his dad. One more than the other….

And then we have Roxy Santos. Roxy is Coach Santos’ daughter… can you say DRAMA!! Roxy lived for cheerleading, her family, and her boyfriend. But ever since that pregnancy test flashed positive, everything in her life came unhinged. She found out her boyfriend was a slimy cheater, and obviously she wasn’t going to be able to do stunts so cheerleading was out of the picture. I cried so many tears for this woman and all that she endured throughout this novel. Having to say goodbye to a dream, finding out everyone was right about her boyfriend being a toad, and then the disappointment in her father’s eyes had the waterworks coming on strong. My heart hurt for her. But then, Billy Babcock, came in the picture. This man melted my heart with every smile he brought to Roxy’s face. I also loved how connected he was to Roxy’s unborn child. Calling the baby ‘Bean’ had me swooning so hard!

I loved the vibe between Billy and Roxy. I felt like Roxy could be her quirky self around him, and Billy could be vulnerable around her. It was the perfect Yin and Yang situation. This isn’t a spoiler due to it being in the synopsis… The main feature I loved was Billy stepping up to the table and helping Roxy through this pregnancy. I loved how every chapter brought him closer to her and to the baby. I loved the connection he had with both from the start until their happily ever after. It takes a strong man to step up to the table and raise another man’s kid without hesitation. I loved this character from start to finish. There was never a moment when I thought he wasn’t doing all that he could do. Same goes with Roxy. Sure, there were moments that had me wanting desperately to reach into my kindle and shake some sense into the two of them, but that’s another reasoning why I’ve become a fan of Lex Martin’s Novels. She shows the struggles along with the joyous vibes. No relationship is perfect, and she flawlessly shares that nature within each of her novels.

Overall, I’m a huge fan of Billy and Roxy’s story!! Honestly, I can’t think of a single thing I would change about this novel. My heart was invested from beginning to end. I loved every word. If you love single mother romances with a coach’s daughter forbidden vibe along with best friends to lovers, I highly recommend you pick up Heartbreaker Handoff today and give it a read!

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Amazon US: https://amzn.to/486Kfxh
Amazon World: https://mybook.to/heartbreakerhandofflm

Peace Love and Happy Reading,