{"id":17088,"date":"2018-09-10T06:00:23","date_gmt":"2018-09-10T13:00:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dailywaffle.com\/stage1\/?p=17088"},"modified":"2018-09-09T16:38:07","modified_gmt":"2018-09-09T23:38:07","slug":"intercepted-alexa-martin-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailywaffle.com\/stage1\/intercepted-alexa-martin-review\/","title":{"rendered":"INTERCEPTED by Alexa Martin | 4-Star Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Intercepted\"<\/h2>\n

Alexa Martin’s INTERCEPTED Scores with a Sharp, Snarky, Laugh-Out-Loud Hilarious Romance<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Review copy provided by the publisher<\/em><\/h3>\n

When you read romance, obviously you\u2019re supposed to be rooting for the main couple. In\u00a0INTERCEPTED<\/a>\u00a0(out September 11, 2018), I found myself cheering not only for Marlee and Gavin, but for the rock solid friendships Marlee has with her bestie Naomi and boss Brynn.<\/span><\/p>\n

After 10 years with her NFL wide receiver boyfriend, Marlee discovers he\u2019s been hiding a side piece and it becomes all too clear just what a selfish, been-stringing-you-along ass he is. As push comes to shove, hot shot QB (and man from the past) Gavin Pope enters the picture. Hanging with Gavin means still dealing with the team wives who\u2019ve made her life hell. But she\u2019s done with athletes, isn\u2019t she? <\/span><\/p>\n

INTERCEPTED<\/a> is sharp, snarky and laugh-out-loud hilarious. I doubted Gavin would remember Marlee years after a one night stand, dude is almost too perfect\u2014 hugely talented, hot, in-demand and single. Don\u2019t worry, there are some flaws. What matters is that getting involved with Gavin gives Marlee a little pleasure (and why shouldn\u2019t she have that?!) and it\u2019s the impetus to learn more about herself, not Marlee and Chris, not Marlee and Gavin. Just Marlee.<\/span><\/p>\n

INTERCEPTED<\/a> is more than a romance. The love story is woven with a through line that valuing yourself and owning your independence is more important than getting or keeping any guy. It\u2019s reinforced by first person POV, this is Marlee\u2019s story.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"intercepted\"
In Intercepted, one of Marlee’s specialities in red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting. So, of course, I made cupcakes.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I totally identified with Marlee and loved her friendships. With Naomi especially, these two have each other\u2019s backs in a scenario where it would be easier to just go along to get aIong with Queen Bee Courtney, the president of the wives\/girlfriends club. And when Brynn turns up to round out their trio, you know it\u2019s gonna be fun. <\/span><\/p>\n

There\u2019s a scene where Naomi is updating Marlee and Brynn on the last WAGS meeting where the main topic is the benefit fundraiser Marlee had spearheaded. It tells you everything you need to know about the friendship between these women.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSo they\u2019re all staring at me like I\u2019m the enemy intruder until Courtney bangs that stupid glitter gavel on the table and all at once their heads swivel toward her like good little soldiers, and she starts the meeting. Through the entire meeting, every time she\u2019d mention anything about the advertising or funds raised, I\u2019d call out, \u2018Marlee got so many donations,\u2019 or \u2018Didn\u2019t Marlee do a great job on the design?\u2019 Basically, I just mentioned your name at every opportunity I could find.<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd then\u2026\u201d She bounces in the seat so hard, It sends my chest into the metal edging of the table. \u201cAs soon as she hit the gavel for the final time, I paid my bill, stood up, and said, \u2018See you next Tuesday, Court. Oops. I mean Wednesday,\u201d winked at her and walked away.\u201d <\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cShut up!\u201d Brynn and I shout at the same time and startle the two women chatting at the table next to us.<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

I mean honestly, you can\u2019t help but love them.<\/span><\/p>\n

Marlee does have this one quirk, punctuating her stories with hashtags. I thought it might get annoying, but most of them land like truth bombs, and lead to laugh-out-loud moments. <\/span><\/p>\n

As much as I\u2019ve talked about Marlee, there are other things to love in Intercepted:<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. It\u2019s a sports romance with SPORTS!<\/b> INTERCEPTED<\/a> has some game play, some sports business, NFL politics. It makes me nuts when a sports romance references a team, but barely has time on the field\/ice, or takes place entirely in the off-season. No worries about that here.<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Marlee (and Naomi) are bi-racial. <\/b>It\u2019s not a thing, it just is. And I\u2019m here for the new crop of debut novels that are making romance more inclusive and diverse. 2a.)\u00a0<\/span>Of course, I\u2019m always about the food, and I love that Marlee\u2019s nonna\u2019s lasagna and\u00a0<\/span>red velvet cake are expressions of her identity.<\/li>\n
  3. The Ending. <\/b>Without spoiling anything, the ending has that urgency, that final play of the game, seconds left on the clock feel. It\u2019s a nail biter, everyone\u2019s up in the stands, hands clasped together. Can they make this happen?! So good.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    The good news is INTERCEPTED<\/a> is just the beginning. FUMBLED, book 2 in Martin\u2019s Playbook series is due out early to mid 2019.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Get INTERCEPTED at the Ripped Bodice<\/a> | Amazon<\/a> | iBooks<\/a>\u00a0(These affiliate links kick us a small percentage and help support the site at no cost to you. Thanks for your support!).<\/span><\/p>

    <\/div>
    \r\n \"logo\"\r\n
    \r\n Food Advertisements<\/a> by\r\n <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/center>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Alexa Martin’s INTERCEPTED Scores with a Sharp, Snarky, Laugh-Out-Loud Hilarious Romance Review copy provided by the publisher When you read romance, obviously you\u2019re supposed to be rooting for the main couple. In\u00a0INTERCEPTED\u00a0(out September 11, 2018), I found myself cheering not only for Marlee and Gavin, but for the rock solid friendships Marlee has with her…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":17089,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[149],"tags":[2203,2207,1789,307,2204,2202,2205,2208,2206,1133,1559],"class_list":["post-17088","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-book-reviews","tag-alexa-martin","tag-berkley-romance","tag-diverse-books","tag-football","tag-gavin-pope","tag-intercepted","tag-marlee-harper","tag-nfl","tag-playbook-series","tag-romance","tag-sports-romance"],"yoast_head":"\nINTERCEPTED by Alexa Martin | 4-Star Review - DailyWaffle<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"INTERCEPTED, Alexa Martin's debut novel, scores as a sharp, snarky, laugh-out-lound romance with a message.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Michelle\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dailywaffle.com\/stage1\/intercepted-alexa-martin-review\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dailywaffle.com\/stage1\/intercepted-alexa-martin-review\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Michelle\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dailywaffle.com\/stage1\/#\/schema\/person\/699f5bbc3243018b1b4177972fd4c932\"},\"headline\":\"INTERCEPTED by Alexa Martin | 4-Star Review\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-09-10T13:00:23+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dailywaffle.com\/stage1\/intercepted-alexa-martin-review\/\"},\"wordCount\":816,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dailywaffle.com\/stage1\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dailywaffle.com\/stage1\/intercepted-alexa-martin-review\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/dailywaffle.com\/stage1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/intercepted.jpeg\",\"keywords\":[\"alexa martin\",\"berkley romance\",\"diverse books\",\"football\",\"gavin pope\",\"intercepted\",\"marlee harper\",\"NFL\",\"playbook series\",\"romance\",\"sports romance\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Book Reviews\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/dailywaffle.com\/stage1\/intercepted-alexa-martin-review\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dailywaffle.com\/stage1\/intercepted-alexa-martin-review\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/dailywaffle.com\/stage1\/intercepted-alexa-martin-review\/\",\"name\":\"INTERCEPTED by Alexa Martin | 4-Star Review - 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