Book Review | The Varsity Dad Dilemma – Lex Martin

The Varsity Dad Dilemma
By: Lex Martin

Genre: New Adult Romance
Trope(s): Sports, single father, Second Chance, Small Town
Publisher: Indie
Publication Date: July 20th, 2021

My Rating: 4 Stars

Blurb:

What’s worse than having Rider Kingston, the star quarterback, give you the big brushoff because he doesn’t want to get serious? You’d probably think living across the street from him where you get a first-hand view of his hookups, right?

That’s what I thought. Until someone drops off a baby with a note pinned to her blanket that says one of those jocks—either Rider or one of his roommates—is the father. The problem? Baby mama doesn’t mention which of these numbskulls is the sperm donor.

I wouldn’t care about their paternity problems—not the slightest bit—except my brother lives there too. Which means that adorable squawking bundle might be my niece, and there’s no way I’m leaving her unattended with those bumbling football players.

They need my help, even if they don’t know it yet. Once we solve this dilemma and figure out who’s the daddy, I’m out.

I’ll just ignore Rider and those soul-searing looks he gives me every time I reach for the baby. He broke my heart three years ago. He won’t get a second chance.

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My Review

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I was scrolling through new upcoming releases and for some reason, The Vasity Dad Dilemma by Lex Martin jumped out at me. Given the title and the cover I was already anticipating the release of this novel. But the blurb is what drew me in 100%! I knew I needed it as soon as it was released.

In My Own Words:

The Varsity Dad Dilemma by Lex Martin is a college sports romance and can be read as a standalone. Told from both Gabby and Rider’s point of view.

Rider has made a name for himself on and off the field. He’s lived his life, made a name for himself when it comes to football, and had his fair share of one night stands. But now, Rider is looking for something more, something, even he, doesn’t know he wants. All he knows is the party life is becoming old.

Freshman year Gabby had her heart broken and since that moment she vowed to never indulge a relationship of any sorts with a football player. But what happens when the football stud who broke her heart, is coming back to reclaim what was his all along? Her plan is to avoid the man at all costs, until that plan backfires on Halloween night when a baby is found on the porch with nothing but a note stating one of the football player’s in the house is a daddy… but who?….. Hello Drama.

My Thoughts:

Sexy as sin and sweet as sugar! Exactly how I love my romances!!

Holy Drama!! Lex Martin brings it all to the table with The Varsity Dad Dilemma! This secret baby romance is unlike any I’ve ever read. Usually the father is thrown off that he is a father and then we get into the why of the matter…. but in this case, the mother is a mystery… and for the first part of this novel, so is who fathered sweet Poppy. Okay, let’s start with my feelings towards all these muscled up football studs adoring this little girl! If it was possible to get pregnant while reading the sweetest scenes in this novel, I’d have five kids by now!! Oh my good gracious, I couldn’t get enough. They all turned into softies! I wanted more of these moments!!!

Aside from the mysterious baby premise, The Varsity Dad DIlemma also takes on a tale of neglect. You see, both Rider and Gabby come from neglectful backgrounds. 

Rider was raised with an alcoholic as a father. He lives his life supporting himself and his father. My heart broke for Rider and the fear he felt on a day to day basis. This man had the weight of the world on his shoulders. 

And Gabby, this woman was practically raised in foster care after her mother and father both passed away. It hurt to read all about how she was cast aside in her younger years. She lived her life refusing friendships and refusing to put her trust in people…. And honestly, who can blame her. She learned to depend on herself and those who were worthy of her friendships. And in the end, her childhood only made her stronger.

Freshman year, Gabby and Rider were the best of friends, or so we were told. And here lies one of the reason’s I didn’t rate this one a five star read. I wanted to see Gabby and Rider in those moments where they are new to college and open with one another. I would have also loved to see all that Rider went through in that year that caused him to run away from his feelings for Gabby. Seriously!!! I needed those moments like I needed my next breath of fresh air. I feel like those moments would have gained a greater connection to these characters and their romance. 

Call me sinister, but I loved when Poppy showed up out of the blue and sent the football players in a tailspin. These men were scared for their lives and for the futures they practically had carved in stone. I loved the raw emotion coming from them all in this moment, but mostly I loved the emotion coming from Rider in this moment. Hell, even I was scared for him.

Throughout all the drama, there was always one constant in Poppy’s life, from beginning to end. Lex Martin effortlessly showed Gabby’s heart throughout this novel, in a way unlike any other. From the moment Poppy showed up in The Varsity Dad Dilemma, Gabby took on the mothering role. She was a force to be reckoned with when it came down to protecting Poppy and doing what she could to see this issue get solved fast. I loved her take charge method!

However, I feel like the situation between Gabby and her brother is still unsolved. Those moments felt important to her story, but in a way also felt like it was brushed under the table. I would have loved to see her family rally around her towards the end of the novel. And this fact is also why I rated this one a four star instead of the full five star rating. But I’ll also chalk this one up to ready preference.

Overall, I thought The Varsity Dad Dilemma by Lex Martin gave me a mixture of everything I love when reading romance. From the adorable moments to the sinfully delicious, I couldn’t put this one down. Gabby and Rider’s story was epic.

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Amazon US: https://amzn.to/3gy8Cg1
Amazon Universal: http://viewbook.at/TVDDLM

Peace Love and Happy Reading,

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