Intended for Bristol: A Second Chances Novel

L.P. Dover

Dec 2016 · Second Chances Book 3 · Loveswept

About this ebook

L. P. Dover’s tantalizing Second Chances series scores once again as the Carolina Cougars’ infamous bad boy takes a shot at seducing a driven career woman who’s supposed to be out of bounds.

Trying to live down his very public indiscretions, Carolina Cougars kicker Jaxon Reed feels like the most hated man in the NFL. Fans and teammates alike treat him with the disrespect he figures he deserves. Unfortunately for them, Jaxon’s no easy target. As payback, he sets his sights on the quarterback’s sister: a sultry brunette who’s curvy, confident, and sexy as hell. But what begins as a revenge fling turns into so much more—a lesson in humanity, and in love.

Bristol Thomas doesn’t have time for games, especially those played by her brother’s Neanderthal teammates. A talented interior designer with lofty goals, she doesn’t know the first thing about football, or Jaxon—except that he’s exactly the type of man she usually avoids. But when his deep laugh and deeper kisses break through her walls, she becomes the target of a fan who’s obsessed with Jaxon. Now she needs to know that Jaxon has her back . . . because he already has her heart.

Don’t miss any of New York Times bestselling author L. P. Dover’s red-hot Breakaway novels:
HARD STICK | BLOCKED
 
Or these heartwarming Second Chances romances:
CATCHING SUMMER | DEFENDING HAYDEN | INTENDED FOR BRISTOL
 
“L. P. Dover knows how to create the men who make us swoon, the book boyfriends we all want.”—New York Times bestselling author Heidi McLaughlin

Praise for Intended for Bristol

“Dover packs an emotional punch. . . . Deft plotting and a hair-raising finale elevate this pulse-pounding tale.”—Publishers Weekly

“I loved this book.”—A Crazy Vermonter’s Book Reviews

“A fun and entertaining story . . . I can’t wait to read more books in this series.”—Cocktails & Books

“This is a loving book. I love all the characters in this series. L. P. Dover does not disappoint with this story.”—Alpha Book Review

“I just love this author’s amazing ability to tell stories that keep my undivided attention all throughout. This five-star love story with a touch a suspense kept me reading for hours on end.”—TDC Book Reviews

“[Intended for Bristol] provided me with sweet romance, some suspense, and escape from the world. I will certainly check out more books from the series.”—Musings of the Modern Belle

Includes an excerpt from another Loveswept title.

Ratings and reviews

I really loved this story. It was great to see bad boy Jaxson Reed work to change his ways and make up for his past indiscretions to his teammates. He's still a bit of an ass at the beginning but once he meets Bristol he knows he wants to be a better man. Jaxson and Bristol seem to be doomed from the beginning but Jaxson won't give up thank goodness. I really liked these two together and I couldn't help but cheer for them throughout the book. This is the 9th of the series but all these books are easily read standalone. I highly recommend this one.

***4 ‘It's all about Jaxson’ Stars*** Jaxon has been that character that I’ve been dying to know more about since reading Catching Summer (my first LP Dover book). Never mind that he’s been the biggest a$$hat ever, which is a huge understatement, but he was the one that captured my interest and then seeing where he was at in Defending Hayden I was more than ready for his story and I wasn’t disappointed! I loved finding out what made him tick and watch as he changed his outlook on the way he was living his life. Now, I have to make a little confession here, when I wrote “It’s all about Jaxson” I really meant it. Much of, if not all of my enjoyment of this book was because of Jaxson, everything else felt more like vehicles to help him grow as a person than anything else for me, so didn’t really factor to much into my rating. It really was All. About. Jaxson. But this isn’t to say I didn’t like any of it. Take Bristol. I actually liked her. I loved her honesty and how upfront she was with Jax about where she was at in regards to getting into a relationship and why she was hesitant. She was sweet, witty and had an inner strength that I loved. If you’ve read any of the Second Chance books you’ll know that things tend to happen quickly when it comes to the MC’s relationship, and while it’s no different here in general, I did like how it wasn’t an insta-love situation. There was insta-attraction and insta-interest between Jax and Bristol, but they did get to know about it each other, at least in one sense, before jumping into the ‘I Love You’s’. The whole revenge thing wasn’t as intense as I thought it would be, but did add a good dose of drama and anticipation to the story about how Bristol would find out about it. There is also a little plot twist thrown into their relationship and I’m on the fence about how I really feel about it, I have to say I liked how the resolution to it wasn’t sugar coated in any way. But while all of the above was enjoyable, it was all about Jaxson. I love it when an author can take the a$$hat of the series, show me what makes them tick and have them evolve into a character that I adore without giving them a complete makeover and that’s what happened here. Jaxson hasn’t gone soft, his confidence that borderlines on arrogance is still intact, but he’s slowly coming to realize that he can have so much more if he’d just be himself and not constantly try to poke, prod and bait people all the time. And if Intended for Bristol is the first book of this series that you are reading, or if you’ve skipped a couple, I must insist that you read Catching Summer and Defending Hayden first. Ms. Dover does a good job at getting the reader caught up with all the crazy that happened, but that the impact of Jaxson’s evolution won’t be as intense, or satisfying. Intended for Bristol was an enjoyable read overall. There were some spots that dragged for me, but that had to do more with the fact that Jaxson wasn’t apart of them than anything else. I enjoyed spending time with Derek, Hayden, Evan, Aaron and the rest of the characters as well as getting introduced to a few new faces and am interested to see who will be next up on the chopping block. ~ Copy received from the publisher via NetGalley & reviewed voluntarily ~

I went into this book not liking Jax very much so there was going to have be a lot of redemption needed for me to root for him. In the beginning, I thought redemption might be a stretch but maybe I could like him a little bit. It takes a talented author to turn a hated character into a loved one, and this author is definitely that talented. By the time this book was finished, I loved Jax! Jaxon Reed is the kicker for the Carolina Cougars. While he may be the best in the league, he's more well-known and hated for his antics off the field. When a new quarterback joins the team with his own bad reputation, Jax is determined to take him down a peg. Bristol Thomas is determined to become the best interior designed in North Carolina and she has zero interest in dating game-playing athletes. When Jax breaks through Bristol's walls, he'll do whatever it takes to stay in her life. I loved this story so much, which was definitely a surprise since I didn't like Jax at all when I started the book. I was great to meet the man behind the bad behavior. Jax is a devoted family man and dedicated friend. Bristol is strong and fights for what she wants and deserves. These two were perfect for each other. The suspense of Jax's stalker kept me on the edge of seat, hoping everyone came out ok. I'm hoping the rest of the Cougars get to have their story told!! *This is my voluntary review of an Advanced Reader Copy*

About the author

L. P. Dover is the New York Times bestselling author of the Second Chances series, the Forever Fae series, the Gloves Off series, the Armed and Dangerous series, and a standalone novel, Love, Lies, and Deception. She loves not only to write, but also to play tennis, hike in the mountains, go white-water rafting, and sing. A Southern belle with a former life in periodontics, L. P. Dover lives in North Carolina with her husband and two beautiful girls.