Challenge by Amy Dawes

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He’s her patient. She’s his doctor. They shouldn’t. But God, do they want to. 

Camden Harris, the famously hot, hulk of a footballer is laid up in a London hospital. But his busted knee doesn’t stop him from running his well-practiced game on Indie Porter—his redheaded spitfire of a doctor. She’s not his type, not even close. But she could be the perfect distraction from the soul-crushing damage this injury could cost him. 

Indie’s tired of her naivety putting a target on her back. As a gifted child, she’s let her education take the front seat her whole life. But a fling with a footballer like Camden might be just what she needs to grab life by the balls. 

And he could be the perfect guy for the plan she’s been sitting on for over two years. 

But when feelings make a final play, there’s no amount of medicine that can heal the damage to their hearts.

Source: e-galley provided in exchange for an honest review 


You put football, an English footballer and a sports romance featuring both in front of me, you bet that I'm going to be all over it!

Camden hails from football royalty. It encompasses his entire family and his entire life. He ends up at the hospital when he injures himself during a game. Such an injury could possibly derail his career but in the hands of Indie, a surgeon at the hospital and her mentor, he could be playing sooner than expected thanks to a revolutionary new surgery. With the fears and stress swirling around in his head, he eyes Indie as the perfect distraction. Indie on the other hand, takes her career seriously. She's normally self-assured but her naivete around men becomes apparent because Camden easily flusters her. Still, he may just actually serve a purpose as far as teaching her a thing or two. The two of them embark on an unusual agreement whereby they agree not to expect anything other than sex.

This is where I have some mixed feelings. I enjoyed their chemistry - their playfulness totally worked. I liked Indie's nerdy side as well as her innocence, and I thought Camden's charm was perfect. I got my fair share of amusement from his cockiness. They're both at a stage in their lives where they know how much of themselves they can give. Therefore, their "friendly" arrangement makes sense and is loads of fun. What bothered me after a while was Indie's judgment. She's ambitious and already accomplished in her young career but she just loses her sense around Camden, in turn putting her career in jeopardy. Surprisingly, Camden turned out to be insecure and I thought a tad bit selfish, to the point that it put Indie in several risky positions including her career. Some readers may see it as a romantic gesture but this was an aspect of the plot with which I had trouble seeing past.

Even though I'm not crazy about some of their motives and actions, I liked the story overall. I enjoyed a glimpse into the football world and squealed at the mention of some of the Premier League teams. I was also keen on the writing which included colloquialisms that made the setting feel authentic. By the way, Camden does have what seems like 35 other brothers (not really, he has 3 others  - his twin, Tanner, Gareth and Booker), and all of them footballers so I'm already curious about their stories. In fact, I have a sneaking suspicion about one of them already. If you fancy a sports romance and English footballers to be exact, add Challenge to your list.

~ Bel