April Renn
WINNER TAKES ALL by Erin Kern is an interesting Sports Romance, set in small town Champion Valley, Colorado. Book 1 in Ms. Kern's new "A Champion Valley Novel" series. An adorable, and charming story, but a bit predictable. Slow to start with, so hang in there, it picks but nicely, after about the second or third chapter. A Small town, sports Romance, which is adorable, charming, and entertaining, with some bitter sweet topics. Boy meets girl or in this case, former football hero, meets, vulnerable, but resentful Physical Therapist. Blake Carpenter, a former football hero, whose career spiraled out of control, ending his career, due to an injury. Annabelle Turner, is a recent divorcee, who is a bit resentful of her sister (who is a free-spirited). Annabelle is a tough, hard shell, Physical Therapist. While, Blake and Annabelle's story is not a unique tale, it is a tale of vulnerability, resentful, a brooding football star, sensual tension, hope, promise and hoping for a HEA. "Winner Takes All" is a tale of healing, forgiveness, the darker side of professional sports, especially football (NFL), the consequences of a major injury, the feelings that occur after said injury, vulnerabilities, romance, with a bit of humor mixed into the story, and how one wrong decision can destroy one's hopes and dreams, or does it just change one's outlook and the direction of one's life. Ms. Kern does a great job of step-by-step football strategies and plays. It was interesting to watch Blake and Annabelle's relationship grow, and develop into something more, with the help of some quirky, secondary characters. Oh, the life of small town romance! I do hope some of the secondary characters find their way into stories of their own! A sweet Sports Romance, which, however, does have some strong language, which some readers find offensive. Otherwise, an entertaining, and enjoyable read. Please, note... it does not have any actual sex scenes. Ms. Kern has done an excellent joy with her portrayal of the characters, the dark side of the sports world, the difficulties that occur due to one's choices, small town life, and it's quirks, and the promise of hope and healing. Fans of Sports Romance, Football, specifically NFL, the promise of love and the hope of achieving an HEA, will truly enjoy "Winner Takes All". I find it to be an enjoyable and satisfying read! Received for an honest review from Net Galley. However, all thoughts, opinions, and insights are my own personal opinions. Rating: 4 Heat rating: Sweet, however, does have some strong language, mixed into the story. Reviewed by: AprilR, courtesy of My Book Addiction and More
Tamara Bass
Winner Takes All is the first book in the Champion Valley series, and if this installment is any indication of the awesomeness that awaits us, then I positively will be on pins and needles until Back in the Game releases. Erin Kern has an amazing talent of bringing her characters to life with exceptional writing, excellent attention to detail, and outstanding character development. Even for this reader, who has a strong diversion to football, I found myself routing for the team and most of all for Blake and Annabelle to finally get over their control issues and just let love happen. I really loved that there was a slow building to the couple's relationship - no instalove - just good old fashioned romance, which is something I believe we need more of in the book world. I thought that this story was more realistic than other books that I have read lately and I could relate to it more in terms of 'real life'. Winner Takes All was beautifully written and the story flowed perfectly. With no cliffhanger and a happily ever after, this book was a great start to a new series and one that I would highly recommend!