M. J. Fields

ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

Courtney Cohen has inherited a basketball team, but not just any team, she inherited The Stallions, the laughing stock of the NBA. To make things worse, her ex-fiance, Brock, is team captain and prior to his passing her father hired Brock's arch-nemesis. Desperate to prove everyone wrong, Courtney takes on The Stallions and begins turning things around, but things get confusing when Trae Rhodes shows her he's more than just Brock's enemy and her show more Plan B.
Trae has everything riding on this year with The Stallions, he needs the money, he wants to prove Brock wrong after years out of the spotlight, and his little girl needs her dad, but he doesn't expect Courtney Rhodes to be the type of girl he wants for more than just revenge. What starts as necessary arrangement soon becomes friendship and flirting, but neither can give each other more than the season.

“When I’m near her, I am aware of every breath she takes—that’s what I told your mom. What I learned last night is that, when I’m not near you, it’s harder to breathe, knowing you are steps away. You have my season, I have your time, and we do this one hundred and ten percent.”


Offensive Rebound is a standalone, sports romance novel told from the dual POVs of Courtney Cohen and Trae Rhodes. Courtney is a 23 year old girl who is a whole heck of a lot smarter than most people I know in that age group and Trae is a handsome, player type that isn't quite the bad guy he's made out to be. I found the slow-paced novel to be incredibly accurate to the world of basketball and loved the multiple layers that M.J. Fields gave to each character, even the secondary characters that consisted of family members and other teammates. I don't think the story would have been nearly as interesting if it didn't have Christa, the ditzy best friend. The story line is cute, a bit cliche, but done so well I never found myself bored. The situation between Courtney and Trae is taboo in nature, a forbidden romance, but the chemistry between them allows both to throw caution to the wind. Trae's desire to woo Courtney is entertaining and ultimately the basis of their blossoming relationship, despite Courtney's still fresh break-up from the Stallion's team captain. There's history there too, between Trae and Brock, it builds overtime, creating a twist readers won't expect. The entire novel is angst-riddled, filled with smart dialogue, heated arguments, and smut that will make every reader a bit swoon-y for Trae Rhodes.

"When I'm on court I own it.
When I'm inside Court I own her."

I absolutely was beyond impressed with the world building that went into Offending Rebound. It is apparent that M.J. Fields not only did her homework, but cared to make the novel as realistic as possible. The NBA team, the Stallions, features a group of young men with filled pockets and ginormous egos, they fight on the court, they party off the court, and they bring a significant level of depth to the novel, making it truly a sports romance. The description of practice and game time was on point, especially for a reader like me who spends a significant amount of time in front of the TV yelling at my team. Then there's Courtney's relationship with her deceased father, her overly-anxious mother, her stepfather, her best friend, her ex, the entire team, and the list could go on. I actually felt like her interaction with each character made me like the book more, because I recognized their significant impact on her character development and her growth with Trae as he shifted from employee to friend to something more. Then there's the heavy situation that I won't give away, but it took the novel to another level. I found respect for the characters, lost some for others, and easily thought of the characters as people from real life, dealing with real life situations.

"You are woman, hear you roar, and I am gonna be your Rafiki, and be with you every step of the way.”

It's not insta-love, it isn't just a romance that features a sports professional, Offensive Rebound is a complete novel filled with a spectacular cast of characters, brilliant writing, and plenty of laughs and swoon-worthy romance. I absolutely recommend this slow burn, across the board, to readers who are fans of M.J. Fields previous works, sports romance fans, and contemporary romance fans in general. show less

4.5 Stars
ARC won during Shh's Summer Buzz Book Event! Thanks M.J.!

Oh my lanta. I have so many feelings after finish this book! I have to wake up for work at 4:30 am and I didn't finish reading 27 Truths until a little after midnight. It was that good. It was worth not sleeping enough. It was worth bawling my heart out into a blanket.

Like every Christmas past, Ava is going home to her family, to her friends, to the man she's been in love with since she was a girl and he was a boy. After show more seven years of keeping her feelings to herself she is ready to admit to Luke Lane about her dreams for them. Breaking their promise is worth it, she knows he must feel the same, there's no thought in her head that he doesn't. Except, he isn't the same man anymore and she isn't the same girl and there's no way to force them into a fairy tale bubble. As she comes to recognize that fairy tales aren't always complete with happy endings she learns to open her heart up to another.

He was my home. He just didn't know it yet.

From the very beginning I was invested in Ava's story, I couldn't get enough of this sweet girl with rose-colored glasses clouding the truths of life. She's the most loyal character I've ever had the opportunity to read from, always giving her all to her family and her friends, ignoring herself. Like most young women, she's in love, hopelessly and desperately in love with a man who cannot feel the same for her. I could connect with her on so many levels because of this, the desire to hold onto something, to make it work, to love enough for two people. It's also heartbreaking, to read about a girl so willing to make things work that she hurts herself along the way. To watch her recognize that fairy tales are not always like the ones we are told as children. Then there's Luke and Liam and T. These men are like bookmarks in her life story, the monumental people that stand out in every memory. These relationships are good and bad, and when all are brought together it's turbulent, to say the least. In a short period of time Ava grows tremendously and as she recognizes fairy tales aren't always like the one she's imagined she finds happiness in a new way.

“The world doesn’t begin here, not does it end here. And I hate like hell to say it, but the same goes for being between your legs.”
Silence. Deadly, ugly, excruciating silence.

There is so much that went into Ava's story, you see her family, her youth, her teenage years, and all she's done to become the 25 year old she is today. We see how her family has shaped her vision of what love is, how her upbringing as a princess has spoiled her. We also see how stuck in her dreams she really is and how much it takes to break the habit of dreaming to see reality. Her relationships are somewhat funny, a bit dramatic, and absolutely heartbreaking in every way. You feel for her endlessly, you want to give her the happiness she so deserves, and once she has it you want to hold tight to it like she does. I certainly didn't expect M.J. Fields to take my heart and burst it into ten million little pieces. Luke and Ava are so hard to accept, you see the right and you see the wrong in them, you see how they just don't work. I sort of wanted to shake Ava and punch Luke. We see how Liam stands by her side, now as a friend. T bides his time, he wants the opportunity to show Ava he is Thomas, not just T, and that he can be her more. It was amazing what it took for Ava to open her eyes, to face the heartbreak and open her heart up for more. It was so easy to be swept up in this story, to forget everything but Ava and her desperate want to love and be loved. Just like Ava, we soon see that one of the men is the right one for her, and despite the jealousy, the drama, and the absolute angst we hold onto hope for their happiness. Of course, it wouldn't be an M.J. Fields novel without ups and downs and 27 Truths: Ava' Story has a lot of them. It truly was like riding a roller coaster of emotions the entire time I read this book. And the journal, the love journal, I wanted to have it for myself, to have their love for myself, to give up anything I had to for them to have everything they ever wanted.

“Ava Links, you are my Goddess” He cups my chin. “Even more so now than before. Let me be the guy who makes you forget your heart was ever broken.”

If you are looking for an HEA, walk away, but if you are looking for a novel with every emotion a person goes through in life with relationships, this is it. Love is all encompassing in this novel, Ava has made it the center of her life, and with it comes some of the most agonizing, yet beautiful truths. It's an unforgettable story about timeless love, about life lessons and acceptance, about making the journey into your own fairy tale. The plot flowed perfectly, the writing was excellent, and the characters were exactly what I want out of a coming of age romance. It hurt my heart in the best way possible and I want to read it all over again. show less

4.6 stars

Sweet Holy TITFIRE. This is hands down my favorite of any MJ Fields book. I am pretty sure I highlighted almost every part of the first 10% of the book. Even after those highlights, there were so many parts of this story that stood out. It is books like this that make me savor words. When they are written correctly it is mellifluous and spellbinding. Poetry in motion.
"She has a heart the size of the sky and room enough for all the stars she holds in it to shine. I wanted to be one show more of them.”


This book was FIRE. Eric just moved up into my top BBF's and he deserves to be there. This gorgeous man was proof that age is nothing but a number. The things that came out of his mouth was hotter than a Las Vegas sidewalk in August.

"I’m a water sign. And Autumn, I’m so fucking thirsty."


It's a good thing that I can't have babies anymore because this man would've changed my mind in a heartbeat. I loved how he loved with such devotion and wasn't afraid to show it whether it was with Autumn or with his family. I loved his connection with Shelby.

Autumn. This sweet girl. She deserved to have someone treat her that she was the sun in their galaxy. I loved that the author showed her with real issues and how there was no shame in how to overcome those demons. Not everything is as it seems and I loved that the author didn't sugarcoat some pretty heavy baggage. Beautiful stuff.

I did get a little frustrated about 3/4 of the way in because it jumped a portion of time that I didn't feel was needed especially for that length of time. Other than that. This most definitely was a fantastic book and one I would highly recommend. show less

My thoughts on books 1 to 3

The last time I read a couple this buggered, is the Closer Trilogy.. Except Lucas and Tessa are WORSE. Much worse. They are so wrong for each other. The words: obsessed, possessive, needy, territorial, jealous don't come close to describing how he feels about her. She is exactly the same. I wish I could put into words how intense this read is.

The blurbs of each book explains exactly what stage they are at in their lives, so we sort of know where each book is show more going. But believe me, nothing prepared me for the love and pain the H and h experience. She's a friggin martyr. He is the worse boyfriend any girl could possibly ask for. I hate him. He is the devil incarnate beautiful bad-boy. And she irritates me. Shes a gorgeous goody goody two shoes with a mean streak and gives as good as she gets. But their connection is such an explosive train wreck, I'm morbidly glued to the devastation that is their relationship. They grow within themselves and their relationship and then backslide into despair so much, its like they never grew in the first place. I'm so SO frustrated!

There is so MUCH happening in each book. Im sure some will think that its OTT but its all very believable to me. Very real. Each one is lengthy and has a bittersweet ending. The other characters are wonderful to read. I love them all. The author isn't afraid to flesh them out. The thing is, you'd expect this kind of read to not have much "together time" for them, but nope, they're together even when they're not together. Weird. Addictive.

I don't like: that its an installment read of 4 books, its expensive, that it seriously needs a good cleanup iro grammar, punctuation, spelling. In fact, the lack of editing is disconcerting, more so because its such a good story and otherwise so well written. But its not enough to deter me from it. I'm enthralled and horrified that I AM enthralled in the first place. But truly, I can't be bothered with all these problems cos I love-hate this story so much. I'm also gonna check out the author's other books. I love her writing style.

Oh, and Lucas is a crying hero. A b@stard crying hero. He messes up. ALL. THE. TIME. But dear goodness I love him. And I love the hold she has over him cos he is just too much of an arrogant @.$$hole and I'm gleefully watching him squirm and flounder around like a lost fool. The pig. If he wasn't so f'd up and so addicted to her, so vulnerable and so misunderstood, I'd have thrown in the towel long ago. I mean, they go around in CIRCLES! Over and over again!

I'm almost done with book 3 and have NO idea if there's even a HEA for them in book 4. You know I must have a solid HEA, right? This is the first time I can honestly say that if it doesn't happen, I'm probably gonna be fine with it. Right now, he is hurting her too much, she's allowing it too often and the one MAIN thing that keeps me reading is that HE hurts JUST as much as her every time. show less