C.H. Armstrong Books

Title:  On the Rebound
Author:  Jim Cangany
Publisher:  Penner Publishing
Release Date:  January 26, 2016
My Rating: ★★★★

SYNOPSIS

Sabotaged by scandal, basketball coach Greg Miller can’t find work in the men’s division. Humble and defeated, he takes a job as an assistant coach for a women’s college team. Deciding that he’s going to make the best of it and clear his name of any wrongdoing, Greg sets out to make a difference and prove himself to everyone who doubted him.

But when circumstances arise and a valuable player needs some help, the coach begins working alongside elegant and determined academic advisor Ciara Monaghan. Soon, Greg finds he needs more than just a victory on the court.

Disgusted by his immoral reputation, Ciara steers clear of the basketball coach’s full court press. However, as they are forced together and the truth comes out, Ciara realizes there is more to Greg than she ever realized.

But with the season coming to an end and the clock running out, will one of them take the shot and finally change the game?

MY REVIEW

One of my goals for the Christmas Holiday was to try to get caught up on my reading.  I’m so behind! Toward that end, I finally sat down to read On the Rebound, by my dear friend, Jim Cangany.  Jim’s book is set to release a week after mine on January 26.

Let me start by being honest:  I was really worried about whether I’d like this book.  I knew that Jim wrote sweet romances that women enjoyed, but I had a hard time wrapping my head around the idea that the Jim I’d come to know could write women’s fiction.

Oh boy was I wrong!  On the Rebound was wonderful!

The premise of the story is based around Coach Greg Miller whose career is in the toilet after a cheating scandal at his last university.  He was totally innocent, but s*%! runs downhill, and he got caught up on the scandal, making him mostly unhirable just as his career was really taking off.  He’s offered a job as an assistant coach under a former college friend who needs a good coach to help with her collegiate women’s basketball team.  It’s a huge step down in the world, but he’s desperate to prove himself.

Things start off rocky at Irving University and Greg finds it difficult to fit in — nobody wants him there, especially the athletic department’s Academic Advisor, Ciara.  She wants nothing to do with Greg, and wants him gone.

I don’t want to give too much of the story away, so I’ll just tell you that sparks fly between Greg and Ciara until they eventually embark on a romantic relationship.

Now, here’s what I really enjoyed about this book:

★ The characters are real with real problems (realistic trust and breakup issues, depression/anxiety concerns, etc).

★ Much of it is written from the male perspective, and it’s refreshing to see men be as awkward and unsure as women are in the dating world.

★ The characters are mature adults who really aren’t into playing games. They may not be ready to settle down (or are they?) but they behave like adults.

★ The relationship develops naturally and, though I don’t mind at all the depiction of intimacy between characters, the relationship was about getting to know and enjoy each other first and foremost.

★ The intimacy wasn’t explicit.  Let me explain:  it’s not that I don’t read and enjoy my fair share of very graphic romance novels, but I’m always looking for something that wouldn’t embarrass me to pass on to my 85 year old mother.  There just aren’t a lot of romance novels like that out there anymore.  And, to be honest, as I told Jim:  I’m not sure I’d ever be able to look him in the eye when we finally meet face-to-face if there was too much graphic intimacy in the novel.  I can take it when “the girls” write it, but having to read it from Jim would be like playing voyeur to one of my bothers.  Phew!  Dodged that bullet, thank goodness!

Overall, this was a great read!  With On the Rebound, Jim Cangany has definitely scored a home run…er…knocked it out of the ball park….er…um…scored a 3-pointer to win the game?  You get the idea. It was a wonderful read and I give it an enthusiastic 4-stars!

On the Rebound releases on January 26 and is available for preorder through Amazon and iBooks.