Running Back [Kindle Edition]

Allison Parr

Allison Parr (Author)

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Book Description

Natalie Sullivan is on the verge of a breakthrough most archaeology grad students only dream of: discovering a lost city. Her research points to a farm in Ireland, but to excavate she needs permission from the new owner: the Michael O'Connor, popular NFL running back.

On TV Mike seems so charming and good-natured that Natalie figures getting his cooperation will be a breeze. So she's not prepared to deal with the arrogant—and adamantly opposed—man she meets in person. Or the way one look from him sends shivers down her spine…

Determined to kick-start her career, Natalie travels across the Atlantic and finds herself sharing an inn with Mike, who has come to Ireland in search of his roots. She tells herself her interest is strictly professional, but the more she gets to know him, the harder it is to deny her personal attraction to the sexy sports star. And when Mike confides why he refuses to allow the dig, Natalie must decide if she can follow her heart without losing sight of her dreams.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Each setting is super special and significant in each scene that's uber descriptive. And, the romance is ohhhh so special... A winning touchdown in the fourth quarter." - Romantic Times

Product Details

• File Size: 497 KB
• Print Length: 229 pages
• Publisher: Carina Press (October 21, 2013)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B00CC68FF2
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray:
  Enabled
• Lending: Not Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #270,615 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 26 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Smart and understated romance October 21, 2013

By Carrie B

Format:Kindle Edition

Originally reviewed at Red Hot Books

I'm a girl who loves sports, so when watching football the other Sunday, I got the urge to read a good sports romance and this one came up for review and sounded promising. Football - check. Smart heroine - check. Set in Ireland - SOLD.

Archeologist Natalie Sullivan is finally about to achieve her dream, to uncover a lost city under layers of dirt on a farm in Ireland. Just as she's gotten the contracts signed, crews assembled and secured grant money for the dig, the landowner unexpectedly dies. Determined not to let her dream slip through her fingers, she goes after the new owner, Michael O'Connor, who just so happens to be the running back for her favorite NFL team. Remembering his charming persona from television interviews, Natalie is taken aback when not only does Michael not agree to the dig, but is cold and rude to boot. Faced with spending the summer with her estranged parents, Natalie decides to go to Ireland anyway to do local research.

Michael O'Connor is in Ireland with his mother and two sisters to attend his uncle's "month's mind"- a mass and meal held a month after a person's passing. Mike has always held his family at arm's length and it was only at his sister's behest that he was even in Ireland. Why should he care about an aunt and uncle who didn't even come to his father's funeral ten years prior? Compounding his disgruntled mood was walking out of his room at the inn and right into Natalie Sullivan. As his sisters and mother fold Natalie into their group, Mike drops the pissy attitude and starts to like the smart easy going woman.

Mike and Natalie's relationship is very natural as it slowly unfolds through conversations. It's always refreshing to read a couple who genuinely likes, and respects, the other as an individual. Natalie shares her dreams about the dig while not pushing or trying to manipulate Mike into agreement. Mike has her tag along as he discovers the life, and people, his father had kept silent about. They both have emotional hang-ups because of their respective upbringings - Natalie more so - but they aren't overly convoluted. The steam factor is low because most of the scenes are fade to black but I don't think that detracts much from the romance.

Parr's prose was pictorial in her descriptions of the natural beauty of the land. She captured some of the things I, personally, love best about Ireland. The history nerd in me also enjoyed the information presented about the Iron Age and the island possible connection to ancient Rome. I definitely felt like I took a mini-trip while reading.

Even though there wasn't much of football to the story line, I really enjoyed this book for its smart and understated romance between two people who come together first with their minds and then their hearts.

Grade: A-/B+

*ARC courtesy of Carina Press via NetGalley Read more ›

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Fiesty Chick, Sexy Football Player, Ireland...enough said. December 4, 2013

By Black Heart Reviews (formerly GingerRead)

Format:Kindle Edition

I am obsessed with Ireland, when I noticed that Parr's second book not only involved hottie running back Micheal O'Connor but was set in Ireland...I'll admit to squeeing just a little.

I had somewhat of a difficult time relating with main female character in Rush Me, I am happy to admit that I did not have the same difficulty with Running Back. Natalie is adorable. An extreme skeptic when it comes to love and forever, a daydreamer when it comes to ancient history, slightly nosy and charmingly goofy...she's the perfect protagonist.

Natalie has spent her adult life in an effort to find the mother load of Iron Age buried treasure. She's convinced she's located the site of an ancient lost city on an old empty farm in the Irish countryside. She's lined up all her ducks and is ready to dig when ownership changes to a man who no longer wants her anywhere near his land.

Micheal O'Connor, NFL star, has recently inherited the land his deceased father loved and is determined to keep Natalie far away from it. Micheal is normally able to charm his way into getting anything and everything he wants but Natalie sees through his facade and slowly chips away at it, finding a special place in Mike's heart. But how do you convince someone who does not believe in forever love to give up her archeological dreams and take a chance at love?

The setting for Running Back is nothing short of gorgeous and magical. Parr did a wonderful job at creating a loveable homey little village, filled with interesting characters. There wasn't a single one I didn't like in some fashion.

Add to that the slow and simple love that brews between Mike and Natalie and you have the makings of a great read. By simple, I mean it's real and though there are struggles for each of them it isn't drama filled. They aren't big breakup and total turmoil type of characters. They, and the story, felt very real world. I fact I appreciated very much.

I am a fan of companion series, such as this and getting little bits of the other team mates keeps me excited for what Parr has in store for them in future titles.

*copy provided for honest review* Read more ›

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Allison Parr is a Genius at Creating Smart, Fun, Real Women in Their Twenties October 27, 2013

By Maggie

Format:Kindle Edition

This is one of those instances where I am so mad at myself for never having written a review for the first book in this series Rush Me. I read it back in September and I loved it and I'm happy to say that this one was no different.

I will say that I didn't love Natalie immediately like I did for Rachael in Rush Me. The book kind of jumps right into Natalie's story and there's not a lot of background information which made it difficult for me to immediately connect with her. But I liked her.

And that's what I really freaking love about Allison Parr. Her ability to create and write strong, intelligent female characters in their 20s is really remarkable. As is her ability to show what life in NYC is really like. I moved to NYC when I was 22 and I was making no money and let me tell you, the NYC life depicted in so many books is just totally bogus. But not Allison Parr's books. From the places the characters live, to the places they eat, to the struggles they go through, everything is just so true to life.

But back to Natalie. Although I wish we got some more background on her personal life (we learn a lot about her academic/professional life and some things about her family life, but I wanted to know more about her previous dating life), I respected her so much. Natalie is an archeology grad student who, since her lonely childhood, has been obsessed with finding a lost Irish city that connects Ireland to the Roman Empire. When the book starts Natalie has just gotten funding and is about to go to Ireland to start a dig on a site that she believes is the lost city. But then the owner of the land suddenly dies and the deed passes to Mike O'Connor, the star running back for the New York Leopards football team.

Natalie grow up as a Leopards fan, something I loved as someone who, along with most of my girlfriends in our twenties, is a big football fan. So she's a little star struck to meet Mike, but she's also a professional who knows what she wants. Unfortunately Mike isn't as charming as his persona led Natalie to believe and he refuses to let Natalie dig on the site. The description sells Mike as being a real a-hole, but I didn't think he was that bad. He has his hangups and is a little inflexible, but I still really liked him.

Once Mike refuses to let Natalie dig she decides to go to Ireland for the summer anyway to do research. Mike also goes to Ireland with his mom and sisters to research his family roots. They end up staying at the same bed and breakfast and hit it off with leads to problems since Natalie still wants to dig on Mike's land and Natalie is kind of emotionally stunted.

I loved Mike and Natalie together. They were such good foils for each other and I loved how both of them, Natalie especially, still retained their personalities and goals even though they were with another person. And, honestly, I was really worried that Mike had some totally stupid reason he didn't want Natalie to dig on his land, but when the truth eventually came out I was really surprised and impressed by the reason Allison Parr came up with.

Bottom Line: Allison Parr's writing and characters literally blow me away. I guess this could be the top end of new adult since Natalie is in grad school and very much still trying to figure out her path in life. If we're going to call this new adult then this is truly what new adult should be: smart characters, interesting situations, and a great romance. Read more ›