First Down: Beyond the Play, Book 1

I have been waiting to get my hands on this book! Finally another sports romance for me to dive into! The story centered around James Callahan and Bex, both students at McKee University, and how one night at a Hallowed party started a change both James and Bex weren’t exactly expecting. With chemistry brewing between the two, Bex needing James to pretend to date her and James asking Bex to be his tutor for their English class, they somehow found themselves in a fake dating arrangement, and of course when it comes to fake dating nothing goes according to plan which makes it even better for us readers to enjoy!Right away when I started reading, I liked the laidback vibe of the book. With James and Bex at the center of the story, they were easy to like, reading the book went by quickly for me, and I really enjoyed seeing them go from “fake dating / tutor” to something more serious. For the longest time, I had been eyeing this book, and with all the teasers and glimpses I would see Grace post on her Instagram and Tiktok account, I grew more and more intrigued by the day! Bex was a self independent person who always had to juggle a lot of responsibilities from her mom’s diner to her job at the coffee shop near campus to her day to day classes. Bex to me seemed unstoppable and motivated which was very admirable. James was equally motivated in making his dream of getting drafted into the NFL, but of course he also had to work on getting good grades in order to graduate so he could get his degree. Both Bex and James were equally lovable with them fake dating, I was enjoying it all and smirking to myself at all the fun that they got into *wink, wink.Once again, the cute cover strikes again! This book may look sweet and innocent, but Bex and James weren’t innocent at all! The spice was pretty good with the occasional praise from James and of course all the fun stuff that ensued between him and Bex. Of course, whenever a fictional man says, “Good Girl” OMG! HAVE MERCY! That line just gets me weak in the knees every time!The romance started off as fake dating, but with Bex and James’s mutual attraction, it became real right away. I loved seeing how attentive and caring James was with Bex from constantly showering her with affection to helping her out with her family problems. Bex was the type of girl who was use to doing things on her own so to have someone like James actively want to help her in anyway possible was new to her. James was sweet and devoted to Bex, he got her a new camera after her previous one was destroyed and not to mention what he did towards the end of the story after finding out what Darryl did to Bex, dang can’t say that James wasn’t devoted to Bex because, again when it came to her, he would “burn down the whole stadium” for her! Whoa.Bex and James were in a way opposites, but somehow found a commonality between them, their love for each other. Each Bex and James loved each other deeply, and despite so much being on line for their futures especially James’s future in the NFL, when it came to Bex, James was focused on her safety and protection. I felt bad for Bex because, she felt like she wasn’t “good enough” for James when that wasn’t true at all! Bex deserved happiness and the way she was with James was evident in the way she would immediately smile and jump into his arms. For the longest time, Bex had to deal with a lot of responsibilities so when James came into her life, she finally found someone she could be herself, but also grow with too. I also loved Bex for James because, similarly to Bex, he always had his sights on his future, but when it came to those he loved I.e. Bex, his priorities changed. One of the things I loved about James was his immense love for his family and Bex, the fact that he did what he did at the big final game was a statement in itself just how much he was willing to go in order for Bex. Although the way he went about it at the big game may not have been the best, I feel like the meaning behind his actions spoke volumes when it came to Bex.Overall, this was such a cute, lighthearted book. From Bex and James’s initial fake dating that quickly turned real to the sports romance element of James playing football, and the entire Callahan family, I liked the story. James and Bex were sweet together, and despite some obstacles that came their way, I was glad to see they worked things out and came to an understanding about their futures together. The epilogue was a nice touch in getting to see how things ended up for James and Bex, and while I don’t know much about football (or sports in general lol), I was so happy for James and Bex. Now, I’m excited to read the next book and see how things turn out for the next Callahan brother!

This one got me out of a reading slump. I wanted a cushy love story to kinda tease my pallet and boy it didn't disappoint. Of course with all roms I was annnnnnnoyed as shell at bex bc well come one so much back and forth and personal derailment but James was a true one and stuck by her. Loved it

If you want to read the fake relationship trope, why haven't you dived into this?!?Bex and James fake a relationship since Bex's ex wouldn't leave her alone and in exchange for that she tutored James, and there is not much that needs to be said after that, is it? They became close and from then their friendship developed into a real AF relationship.I think aside my love for James -who loves so deeply and the purest thing I've ever seen-, I love that the book is pretty real, or at least real by my standards. There is not some big drama going on which is what I usually like but it is so good that I didn't care.If you're looking for something light and cute, this is it. Plus the extended epilogue... <3

FIRST DOWN BY GRACE REILLY🌟5🌶️2.5 (only because I know the 🌶️ contents of the next one)---***SPOILERS***"This is my present, but she's my future. There's nothing I wouldn't do for her. Maybe it's wrong, but I'm going to defend her. As much as I love football, I love her more."-In a desperate attempt to get her cheating ex to leave her alone, Bex finds herself kissing the McKee University's new star quarterback, her ex's teammate. This begins a fake dating scheme, in exchange for a tutor, James will be her fake boyfriend, except they quickly realize their feelings are very real.--I don't know what kind of crack @authorgracereilly puts in these books, but I couldn't put it down on my second reread. This is one of my favorite reads and the tropes are executed so well.--James Callahan is the ultimate sweetheart. He cares so much about those he loves and Bex is no exception. I love that he was willing to give everything up for the woman he loves (even though I wanted to smack him upside the head). He's a man of his word and the ending is just proof of that (President of the Darryl hate club right here). I have such a love hate relationship with his father, but I know he means well because he's seen his son's career nearly go down the drain once before.-Bex, sweet sweet Bex. I love how stubborn she is about the things she's set on, like the diner and she carries the weight of the world on her shoulders. I'm so glad that by the end her mother came to her senses to sell the diner so Bex no longer had to be tied to it. She deserves so much, and I hate how much she undermines herself.--I loved how by the end of it, neither had to give up what they love, and that they get to spend the rest of their lives doing what they love with the person they love. This book will forever have a special place in my heart when I'm feeling down and it's such a quick, easy, carefree, read. I could go on and on but I'm running out of characters!P.S. Can we talk about the "One day, you'll tell our kids that" scene!!!! Get's me everytime.

I think my favorite thing about indie romance is you’re going to get the tropey goodness AND you’re going to get fully fleshed out characters who feel real. The kind of characters and love you instantly want to root for. Bex and James are, at face value, an unlikely pairing. The jock who needs to pass a class and the girl he wouldn’t cross paths with if it weren’t for her ability to help him do just that.This was a quick, easy, and delightfully satisfying read.Read if you love:🏈 Sports romance🏈 Fake dating🏈 College romance🏈 spicy!🏈 cinnamon roll MC🏈 Dual POV

After seeing a lot of content about this book on social medias I was very curious to discover James and Bex story ! I love sports romance so of course this one was meant to be a VERY NICE read for me !!First Down didn't disappoint at all. I really enjoyed reading about this relationship. If you like a cute fake-dating college romance, this one is obviously for you. James was a wonderful bookboyfriend in my opinion and I really loved how he was ready to stood up for Bex ! Their relationship is not the easiest but in the end, we can witrness how they learnt to evolve as people with each other and I really adored this aspect of the book.Of course it was a bit spicy but Grace has a special power to write those scenes perfectly so even tho it is not what I am looking for while reading romance, I had a nice time reading this book :)Overall, it was a wonderful reading and I adored Grace's writing style ! I really think she is doing a wonderful job with this series and I can't wait to see what is next for the rest of the family (I LOVE THIS FAMILY !!!!)Give it a go !! First Down was an amazing reading !!

Loved this book and so happy I came across it on kindle unlimited ❤️ it made me laugh and cry!!

First Down is absolutely adorable. I love James and his passion and determination when it comes to playing football but also when it comes to the person he loves. I really love how he connects with Bex and truly would do anything for her… even if it goes a little to far.I will say though that I was a bit disappointed in his reaction during the last game and didn’t agree with how his character handled things… but it just added to how dedicated and passionate he is with Bex and their relationship. It just seemed a little much being that he doesn’t really own up to it publicly and in a sense got “away” with it… which in reality would have been chewed out by the league and his fellow teammates…It has a little spice but nothing to dramatic and I enjoyed the football games, often many of these books don’t include the actual game or plays but I appreciated that they were there and written well!Overall, I really enjoyed this one and look forward to reading the others in the series!

I have has this book in my TBR list for quite some time now, and I’m sure glad I finally opened it and got to reading this story.You meet and instantly fall for James. He is exactly what every book boyfriend should be. Then there is Beckett, she is sassy, loyal, loving, and hilarious. You can’t help but stand up and cheer for them to get their HEA.

I love jocks and sport romance so I basically read this one in one sitting. Cute and fun. At times the characters are immature but since they are still kids it works.Excited to read the next in the series. I liked all the side characters and I heard the spice is dialled up a notch.