Fumbled

Alexa Martin

Berkley, 2019

Agent: Jessica Watterson

A second chance doesn't guarantee a touchdown in this new contemporary romance from the author of Intercepted.

Single-mother Poppy Patterson moved across the country when she was sixteen and pregnant to find a new normal. After years of hard work, she's built a life she loves. It may include a job at a nightclub, weekend soccer games, and more stretch marks than she anticipated, but it's all hers, and nobody can take that away. Well, except for one person.

TK Moore, the starting wide receiver for the Denver Mustangs, dreamt his entire life about being in the NFL. His world is football, parties, and women. Maybe at one point he thought his future would play out with his high school sweetheart by his side, but Poppy is long gone and he's moved on.  

When Poppy and TK cross paths in the most unlikely of places, emotions they've suppressed for years come rushing back. But with all the secrets they never told each other lying between them, they'll need more than a dating playbook to help them navigate their relationship.

Accolades:

• Selected as one of NPR's Favorite Books of 2019

• One of The Oprah Magazine's 28 of the Best Romance Novels of 2019 That'll Instantly Have You Addicted

• Amazon Best Books of 2019

• One of Women's Health Magazine's 25 Best Romance Novels to Read in 2019

• Featured in Bookbub’s New Releases in Contemporary Romance

• Goodreads Best Romance Books of April 

• Featured on Bustle Must Read Romances of Spring 2019 

• Apple's Best Books of April 2019 

• Amazon Best Books of the Month for Romance in April 2019

• Goodreads’ Sweetest and Sexiest Romances of Spring list

• A POPSUGAR Buzz Book pick for Spring

• A BOOKish pick for Spring Must-Read Romances

Reviews:
"Whether you love or hate the sport, Fumbled is a second-chance romance that delivers as many laugh-out-loud moments as heartfelt sighs – all in the name of love."
—Denny Bryce, NPR Books

“Martin has a talent for creating independent, relatable heroines and steamy love scenes, and this second-chance romance does not disappoint.”
Library Journal

"Martin takes a hot-button contemporary issue [CTE] and tackles it with emotion and verve, making it the perfect obstacle in the relationship — the resolution of which only makes the happily-ever-after expertly bittersweet and all the more earned."
Entertainment Weekly

“Blending an emotional journey with an intoxicating romance, Alexa Martin's Fumbled— the second novel in her Playbook series — scores touchdown after touchdown.”
NPR

"Rom-com fans will flip for this sassy (and steamy!) story." 
Woman's World Magazine

"Martin’s Intercepted was one of our favorite romances last year, and she returns once more to the drama of the hot football players of the Denver Mustangs... Funny, touching, and sparking with power."
The Amazon Book Review

"Martin expertly captures the struggle between the need for a quiet, ordinary life and the demands of an all-star career path that invites gossip, grudges, and jealousy. In this delicious follow-up to Intercepted (2016), Martin once again draws on her own experience as an NFL wife to create a winning sports romance."
—Booklist Review (Starred) 

"Readers will laugh, swoon, and grow to love every character in this entertaining contemporary romance."
Publishers Weekly

“A hardworking single mom comes face to face with the gorgeous star athlete who got away in the second installment of a football romance series by a fresh-voiced newcomer to the genre… Poppy leaps off the page as a contemporary biracial woman navigating dating, motherhood, and career with seriousness and a fantastic sense of humor.”
Kirkus Reviews

"Fumbled won my heart all over again. Alexa Martin is so good at this; I'm so impressed by how nuanced and thoughtful this book is, while still being hilarious and sexy! When I finished this book I missed hanging out with Poppy and TK so much. I wish I could jump into the FUMBLED world and hang out on the couch and drink wine and gossip with Poppy and her friends!" 
Jasmine Guillory New York Times bestselling author of The Proposal

"Alexa Martin charmed us last fall with Intercepted, the first novel in her Playbook series, and now she’s back with another winning sports romance." 
—BOOKish