Mary pouted then, her impossibly plump lip poking out as she reached behind her for what I presumed was for the zipper of her skirt. Mary pulled the covers up to her face, inhaling a deep, dramatic breath before she flopped around and sighed just as deeply. “Ugh,” she groaned. “Why do you have to smell so good?” Living across from him and watching him parade his one-night-stands in and out only reminds me of how he broke my heart.

Brief Summary of the Storyline: This is Mary and Leo's story. Mary and Leo meet online gaming when they are sophomores in high school. They connect instantly but when they meet in person it is a disaster. Years later, Mary finds herself homeless and Leo (not knowing she is from his past) gives her the option to stay at his house with some other football players. While Mary hates Leo and doesn't trust him, she has no choice to move in. When they spend more time together, she can't help but see the boy she fell in love with years ago. There are some secrets revealed, some drama, and some sexy times...and they get a HFN ending. Nonetheless, despite the good parts of this book, I have to admit I got very bored after about the halfway point. The build-up between them was great, but once they finally got together they lost their spark. It actually felt a little awkward and forced to me. Like, it suddenly occurred to me that they really didn’t have as much depth to their relationship as I would have liked. The fact that they jumped straight into bed after all that definitely did not sit right with me either.But with rent this cheap and so close to the tattoo shop, I’ve learned to ignore him until this summer. Because when a water and mold disaster leaves me with no choice but to vacate my house, I have nowhere to go. And Leo Hernandez offers me a deal I can’t refuse.

Leo — this man is incredibly attractive! I love him so much! I loved his character, even though he made so many mistakes, knowingly and unknowingly. He was always genuine in everything he did. He was gentle and caring, and despite his dual facade in the media and with his friends, he was raised well by his mama and was NOT a play boy. I went into this book blind and had no idea what I was getting myself into… and for the first little bit of it, I was completely hooked. I connected to the characters and their story, I thought it was written well, being built up well, I felt the chemistry, the tension, the angst, the longing… it was all there. Hail Mary is Kandi Steiner’s latest book release in her college sports romance series that is a second chance, roommates to lovers story. Now to the book itself. It was so freaking good omg… Kandi Steiner just keeps on improving and improving. I love to see it! This one is definitely my second favourite in the whole series. Tbh at some points I thought that it might become my favourite but let’s be honest… nothing can top Blind Side (at least imo).Thought you didn’t drink much,” I said as I unfastened her skirt and tried to think of road kill and politics and anything else but the fact that I was undressing Mary, that she asked me to do it. Push/Pull: Yes the h hates the H at first (after being reunited) and pushes away a good bit, and I'd say the H is the main pursuer of the relationship Heat level: Hot. They have some hot tension, chemistry, and scenes -- but not so much it takes away from the story. You have consumed me for months. Por años. I couldn’t sleep one more night without making you mine.” ~ my ovaries are weeping. WEEPING.

She shot a hand out from under the covers with her index finger pointed up. “Technically, you gave me one to wear first, so it’s in the rules that it’s okay to wear them whenever I want to now.” anywho this book absolutely destroyed sports romances for me i fear nothing else will ever compare 🥲 Leo and Mary's youthful online gaming relationship and fallout was a real testament to how traumatizing past hurts can be, especially if they continue to fester through adulthood and/or cause a person to build indestructible walls around their heart. I really loved Leo/Mary's dynamic, and how she was the only person to see past his jokester/party boy facade.Steiner delivered on a romance book I couldn’t put down because of its great writing, awesome story and amazing characters. It’s a must-read if you love: I also didn’t love that a lot this book focused on her body and her weight. She is a curvy woman and it was just always the focus. And not in a good way. The fmc was very insecure about it which left the mmc to be like “no baby🥺” HURL. Sometimes when she looked at me, I saw actual disdain. And it killed me that I didn’t understand why.❞ At least, until this summer. Because when a water and mold disaster leaves me with no choice but to vacate my house, I have nowhere to go. And Leo Hernandez offers me a deal I can’t refuse. Hail Mary is a NEXT LEVEL second chance romance! The history, the friendship, the deep connections, THE LOVE…in typical Kandi fashion, she makes you feel EVERY. SINGLE. THING. This book is EMOTIONAL and RAW and SEXY and… EVERYTHING I look for in an EPIC ROMANCE! I wish I could give this more than five stars! Ahhh… the Red Zone Rivals series goes down as one of my all time favorite series and Hail Mary is a TOP READ of 2023 for me! Highly, highly, highly recommend! — Laura Pavlov, USA Today Bestselling Author

Leo, however, is such a charmer that he slowly breaks down Mary’s walls that have been built up around her heart ever since he broke hers. I would describe this as a sort of second chance love story with a roommates to lovers twist! Hail Mary made my list of most anticipated romance books of 2023 before it even had a cover and full book blurb and with good reason! Closure: This ends in an alright place with what I would call a HFN ending they've stayed together, shared "ILYs", and are making vague plans for their future, but it wasn't enough for me to call it a HEA.

Mary was a fun heroine. I loved how she was unapologetically herself. She loves tattoos, videogames, and is just herself. Leo is a college football star and it honestly seems like these two wouldn't work together but they have insane chemistry! For real, you can just tell these two are meant to be. The Bad: The explanation of how the H behaved/and thought when they were younger. How could he not put 2 and 2 together?! This kind of drove me bananas and made me think he was not the sharpest tool in the shed. The h's reaction to her drama with her boss also really bugged me. I hated how she directed her issues at the H and made it about him not being trustworthy. Felt a little OTT and I rolled my eyes a few times. While Hail Mary is the last book in an awesome 4-book college sports romance series, each book is an interconnected standalonefollowing the football players of North Boston University. I’m so so SO incredibly sad that this is the end of the series. I will miss all these characters SO MUCH. I’m not ready to let go 🥹