Three out of Five Stars
Summary
Neil Josten is the newest addition to the Palmetto State University Exy team. He’s short, he’s fast, he’s got a ton of potential—and he’s the runaway son of the murderous crime lord known as The Butcher.
Signing a contract with the PSU Foxes is the last thing a guy like Neil should do. The team is high profile and he doesn’t need sports crews broadcasting pictures of his face around the nation. His lies will hold up only so long under this kind of scrutiny and the truth will get him killed.
But Neil’s not the only one with secrets on the team. One of Neil’s new teammates is a friend from his old life, and Neil can’t walk away from him a second time. Neil has survived the last eight years by running. Maybe he’s finally found someone and something worth fighting for.
Review
If you haven’t read this series, and you’re a fan of sports, college-aged, organized crime, then you’ll probably want to grab a copy. I had avoided reading this because I was afraid that it wouldn’t live up to the hype. So many people fell in love with this series, I didn’t want to be the person who didn’t. I read this in four hours, then proceeded to buy the next two books in the series so I could read those too and figure out what the heck was going to happen. I have some mixed feelings about this series.
Neil has lived his life on the run. He gave himself one thing to enjoy, Exy. Exy is a combination of hockey and lacrosse. He plays well and enjoys the sport. When he’s scouted to play in college, even if it’s for the PSU Foxes, he isn’t sure if he should say yes or no. He has a history with the star player, Kevin, even if Kevin doesn’t recognize him.
Throughout the summer and the beginning of the fall semester, there are a lot of growing pains for the Foxes. Trust doesn’t come easily, for any of the players. They all have their trauma and their ways of coping. Neil definitely didn’t know what he was getting into accepting the scholarship.
This is a character driven story and there isn’t any romance in this book. The entire book is setting you up for a big reveal and it leaves you on a cliffhanger. I had a fondness for Andrew, I don’t know why, but I did. He and Neil, had this chemistry even when they detested each other in the beginning.
I’m hoping that in the next installment I’m able to connect a little more with the characters and I get some answers!
