Release Blitz + Review: "Unrivaled" by Jerica MacMillan

I'm pleased to take part in today's release blitz celebrating "Unrivaled" by Jerica MacMillan. It's the third book of MacMillan's Marycliff University spinoff series (following "Off Limits" and "Trick Play"), but reads as a standalone.

While attending a party the night after a nasty breakup with her cheating ex-boyfriend, the quarterback of her high school's football team, head cheerleader Tiffany hooked up with Grayson "Gray" Kilpatrick, the quarterback for their cross-town rivals. All she wanted was a little revenge on her ex, but what she ended up with instead was an unplanned pregnancy. She made several efforts to contact Gray but he never responded, so she assumed he didn't want anything to do with her or the baby. Four years later, single mom Tiffany was living with her parents and trying to finish an accounting degree when she unexpectedly ran into Gray outside one of her classes at Marycliff University. A recent transfer to Marycliff, Gray was now a college senior and star quarterback preparing to enter the NFL draft. Tiffany avoided Gray as much as possible, but it wasn't long before a mutual friend figured out that he was her son Ben's father and didn't know. It turned out that Gray had never received Tiffany's messages letting him know of her pregnancy, and even though she wanted nothing to do with him, he was determined to get to know his son.

I really liked how realistic both Gray and Tiffany's reactions to the situation seemed, as well as the measured approach Gray took towards building a relationship with Ben. It took time for Tiffany to adjust her thinking and let go of her anger towards Gray. She was understandably concerned about introducing Gray to her son when she didn't know if he'd stick around, plus it had to have been difficult to contemplate sharing Ben with his father when she'd never had to do it before. I appreciated that Gray didn't immediately push to tell Ben that he was his father or have unsupervised visitation with him. They needed time to get to know each other first, and even then, the first time Gray had Ben on his own, it didn't go well. Little Ben just wanted his mom when it was time for bed!

 

Gray and Tiffany had good chemistry from the start, and it was easy to see the connection between them even when they were at odds. Gray was surprisingly sweet, genuinely committed to being a good dad and finding a path forward with Tiffany and Ben. That said, I found myself becoming frustrated with the state of his relationship with Tiffany as the end of the story approached. They just wouldn't talk to each other about their feelings for each other, what they wanted from the relationship, or how they might make it work after Gray graduated and moved to whatever city drafted him into the NFL. They did seemingly work out a compromise, but there were several questions left unanswered by the epilogue, which further frustrated me. For example, what did Tiffany work out in regards to finishing her degree? (The epilogue itself was a bit of a frustration in that it wasn't even about Gray and Tiffany; it jumped ahead to the characters that will be featured in the next book.)

Overall, I did enjoy and would recommend "Unrivaled," but I'm on the fence about continuing with the series. I don't read much new adult romance (I have a very difficult time connecting with characters that age given how long ago college was for me), and I wasn't particularly attached to either of the characters that will be featured in the next book. That said, I may go back and read Gray's sister Piper's story at some point.

 

*Review copy provided by the author/publisher via Grey's Promotions. All opinions expressed are my own.  

 

 

About "Unrivaled"

Secret baby meets enemies to lovers in this sizzling sports romance.

I never planned on seeing Grayson Kilpatrick again.

For a few reasons:
1. I didn't have a way to get in touch with him
2. He'd been recruited to play football for Ohio
3. He pretended he didn't know me when I tried to tell him I was pregnant

I have built my life around a new set of goals that I determined as soon as I had my son. My parents help out while I go to school. I have a plan. And I'm moving forward.

Until Grayson Kilpatrick makes a reappearance and upends all my plans. Again.