The Defender: Book 2 in the Gods of the Game series

Intro

Vincent and Brooklyn hate each other. Unfortunately, Vincent's sister is Brooklyn's best friend and Brooklyn is the daughter of Vincent's coach, so they're forced to be in each other's lives. When Vincent gets life-threatening information, he is forced to move out of his house and after multiple failed living attempts, his last resort is to live with Brooklyn. They get on each other's nerves, but neither of them can stand being so close. They make a bet that whoever can kiss the other person first wins, but as they keep trying to provoke each other, they end up getting feelings along the way.

How I came across the book

The Defender is the second book in the Gods of the Game series.

Other books by the author/In the series

Besides The Defender, the other books in the Gods of the Game series are The Striker and The Keeper which releases next October. Ana Huang also is the author of the Twisted series, the Kings of Sin series, and the If Love series.

The Good

• This book is about Vincent and Brooklyn

• VINCENT CALLS BROOKLYN BUTTERCUP

• When vincent is at lunch with Scarlett and Asher and Brooklyn her gaze dips to his mouth

• BROOKLYN AND ASHER ARE GOING TO LIVE TOGETHER AT BROOKLYN'S HOUSE

• Brooklyn makes a rule that Asher can't bring girls over and Asher says he has zero interest in bringing OTHER GIRLS OVER

• Brooklyn and Vincent are going back and forth about wearing more appropriate clothing and Vincent says HE NEVER THOUGHT HE COULD CONTROL HIMSELF AROUND HER

• THEY MAKE A BET ABOUT STARING AT EACH OTHER THAT WHOEVER CABES AND KISSES THE OTHER PERSON FIRST WINS

• Brooklyn gets offers a job as a junior nutritionist and blackcastle after her internship ends

• Brooklyn said no to the date with mason

• VINCENT CONFESSES TO SCARLETT THAT HE CAN'T STOP THINKING ABOUT HER AND HE COULDN'T SAY NO TO HER IF HE TRIES

• Brooklyn's dad makes her move in with him until she finds another job while Vincent is also living with him

• When Vincent sees Brooklyn in the red dress on his birthday he realizes he likes ber

• He tells her she looks beautiful

• Brooklyn asks if Vincent would have kissed her at the flat before the fire and he said he would lose every single bet if it meant he would get to be with her

• Brooklyn tells Scarlett she kissed Vincent and she is happy and wanted them to kiss so she's not mad

• Brooklyn asks Vincent what they are and he says he's her's and she's his and it was never a question because he's done hiding

• VINCENT TELLS SCARLETT THAT SHE RUINS HIM

• Vincent finally stands up to Brooklyn's mom and Brooklyn says her mom doesn't need her

• Brooklyn moves back to London to be with Vincent

The Bad

• Asher got a reminder on October 3rd which scares him so badly he had to go home early from hanging out with his teammates saying do not contact and Scarlett had a version of October 3rd what could have happened on October 3rd

• He got a mysterious box on his nightstand when he wasn't in the house

• In the mysterious box is a doll that looks exactly like Asher and says BFF

• Brooklyn's mom is pregnant and tells Brooklyn she is finally getting a daughter

• Brooklyn's mom would leave her alone at arcades when she was little because she liked her alone time that's illegal and she should take proper care of her child

• BROOKLYN AND VINCENT WERE ABOUT TO KISS BUT THEN VINCENT REMEMBERED THE BET AND DIDN'T KISS HER

• Brooklyn's dad comes into her house and sees her and a shirtless Vincent in the kitchen

• Coach is so mad about Vincent and Brooklyn that he makes Vincent live with him

• Vincent gets a unknown message from a number on his private phone and asks who it is but doesn't get an answer

• Noah tells Brooklyn that her dad extended her job offer to a month instead of a few days like every other employee when all she wants is to be treated normally

• The intruder was an obsessive fan who had photos of vincent and magazines of him

• October 3rd is vincent birth mom's birthday and that's why it says do not contact and he wants her to know who he is

• Brooklyn got her job offer in Chicago and Vincent thinks she should take it even if it means being thousands of miles away from him

• SETH IS THE INTRUDER AND TRIES TO KILL BROOKLYN

Who else would like this

Fans of sports romances and forbidden love

Rating

8/10 I would have liked to see more of the long distance conflict between Vincent and Brooklyn when Brooklyn is in Chicago but I loved everything elese. Brooklyn's mom was so horrible and I'm so happy that Brooklyn cut her off. The fact that Brooklyn was the coach's daughter added an extra level of tension and conflict to them sneaking around and lying about not wanting each other. I couldn't get enough of the forced proximity and the bet, there were so many moments when they both were about to give in but then remembered the bet and it just made it all the more interesting.