The Guy on the Left by Kate Stewart is LIVE! Review

Synopsis

It started with a lie. A night of blurred lines between a teacher and a student.

I wasn’t her student, yet it was the single most defining night of my life.

I’ve never been the man she thinks I am.

Most people have no idea about the life I’ve lived or the words that ring true when it comes to me—still waters run deep.

But you’d be hard-pressed to find a coed on the TGU campus who knows otherwise…because I’ve never corrected them.

The clock is ticking down, it’s Fourth and Inches with the ball inside the one-yard line and the focus is on me, The Guy on the Left. I’ve never felt like a football god, inside I’m…just Troy.

It’s time to set the record straight.

For my son, I‘ll find the strength.

In her eyes, I’m determined to gain redemption.

I will have them both, even if I have to take my eye off the ball.

*The Guy on the Left is a stand alone novel in the Underdogs Series. This is Troy’s story.

Contemporary Romance/Romantic Dramedy
Stand Alone
Designer: Q Design
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2WsCGhh
Blog tour by Wordsmith Publicity

Review

4,25 stars “in general” and 5 stars for Troy (and Dante).

What I really like is that Kate chose to begin this series of interconnected standalones with Theo’s story. I got to meet Troy through Theo’s eyes and he appeared to be your typical douche jock!
So now that I have been inside Troy’s head and had his story from his perspective, I am acutely aware that appearances are deceptive!
I think this could be the recurring theme of this “series of interconnected standalone” as none of the boys are what they appear to the outer world.
And I love it!
I love being surprised.
I love when an author totally changes my mind about a character and open my eyes in such way that I am “Duh! I’ve been so blind!!!!”
For that only Kate once more deserves all my respect and admiration!

What’s this story about in a nutshell?

It’s about a teenager/young adult of eighteen year making a mistake to score the hot twenty something woman fall for one crazy night of sex. The problem is: their one-night stand left a surprise!
And when said woman, Clarissa, who also happens to be a young teacher in high school realizes that her one-night stand is not a working man but a high school boy, all hell breaks loose!
She is furious and rightfully so! Never will Troy be allowed close to her and the baby again! Cut ties and all.
Only …
Only Troy under his jock appearance is someone who has his heart in the right place. He’s been raised by a single mom and does not want his kid to grow fatherless.
For years he’ll watch them from afar, offering checks that Clarissa will never use.

Nearly seven years later and now 25 he intends to make his move to get his son to know him. Of course, he’ll have to be clever and patient.

I think the biggest asset in this story is Troy.
No, he was not flawless and yes, he made a mistake, several in fact but he has depth! He cares and has an infinite pit of love for his son. Deep down he is a good man, someone you can rely on. He also is extremely courageous studying, training in the hope to get drafted and play for the NFL all while working for UPS at night! His days were grueling yet he never complained because he could help Clarissa and Dante, shouldering some of the bills.
His love for his son was unwavering. For them he would have left everything behind. He was so different from the image he presented to everyone, me included in the first story!

But I also was frustrated in this story because if Clarissa was a great mom and had Dante’s best interests at heart, her past also had her making decisions that hurt Troy. And I grew frustrated and mad with her. I wanted to shout: can’t you see how great he is??? What are you waiting for? What more do you want???

Several lessons to draw from this story:
-appearances are deceiving!
-we all make mistakes but it’s important to not let our past define our future;
-loving is taking risks. It’s opening up, becoming vulnerable and yes, maybe getting hurt. It’s trusting the other;
-age does not define worth, acts and dedication do.

I hope I’ve convinced you to read this story by that point and I even have not told you how HAWT Troy is and how adorable and unique Dante was!
Should you read this? If you love romance, single parents, moving heroes and special kids absolutely!

As I am on the blog tour, I am leaving the buy links if you are interested (I hope I convinced you):

AMAZON US: https://amzn.to/2PmwlRs
AMAZON UK: https://amzn.to/38j4dHh
AMAZON CA: https://amzn.to/351VsPQ
AMAZON AU: https://amzn.to/2YpMhXf