The Football Whisperer…

About the Book:

When life makes you play a whole new game…

In a spectacular career-threatening clash, professional footballer, Brendan Ward, is injured. Devastated and desperate to recover before facing risky surgery, Ward’s wacky family search alternative remedies that Ward refuses to try.

The local racetrack’s Reiki Master, Zara Phelps, specialises in thoroughbreds and won’t touch people—especially famous footballers. But Zara’s father, an avid fan of Ward’s Club, forces her to make that first house-call.

Ward is shocked-at-first-sight of meeting Zara, sparking a connection that is far too intense to ignore.

Zara, in turn, fights her attraction to Ward, who not only tests her professional ethics but also awakens her deepest fear—falling in love again.

But Ward has never let a man get away from him in a game, and won’t surrender what he feels for Zara, and in need of her help, he finds himself far from his fans, coaches, and his team. Stranded in the country, amongst ex-car-thieves and a stalking pit bull, Ward faces his biggest challenges while trying to heal. But at what risk – the love of his life or the life he loves?

If you enjoy quirky characters and witty dialogue, then you’ll love The Football Whisperer.

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My Thoughts:

The Football Whisperer is a such a lovely novel, warm-hearted and witty, with a clear focus on healing, facing your fears, and loving without reserve.

I will admit that I wasn’t too keen on Brendan Ward at the beginning of this novel, our injured footballer. He came across to me as impatient with everything and everyone, overly spoilt by his mother and dismissively rude to his sister – although, in all fairness on this point, she really was a bit hard to take! He seemed to have little grasp on the world beyond the borders of his football universe. When he meets Zara’s family, it’s immediately apparent that he can’t wrap his head around their dynamics. The idea that you take someone into your home to help them, even if they do have a sketchy background, was not something that happened in Ward’s world. And this is where he began to get interesting as a character, because once he was removed from his comfort zone, and consequently pushed into scenarios he’d never been in before, we began to see beneath the outer layer of Ward, the fear he was nursing, the untapped trauma left over from his horrific injury. I absolutely loved how Max, a traumatised and wounded rescued pit bull, decided to make Ward his person. And correspondingly, how Ward, who was not a dog person at all and who was also more than a little wary of Max, found himself bonding with this animal in a way that saw the two of them recovering from trauma together. I always love a story that involves animals healing humans and vice versa – I got both in this novel!

Zara on the other hand, I connected to instantly. I was particularly fascinated by her career as a practitioner of Reiki. She was such a loving person and the secret she was nursing saddened me greatly. She really did bring the best out in Ward and I enjoyed witnessing the way he chipped at her armour, persisting with her and not giving her any room to shut him out. I thoroughly enjoyed the dynamics within her family, a domestic set up quite familiar to me as I see this often out here where I live. I love how she was putting her skills and knowledge to use by treating horses. Despite the terrible thing that occurred in her past to turn her away from treating people, she hadn’t abandoned her calling, instead shifting her focus onto animals; I admired her for this. The connection between Zara and Ward sizzled from the outset but she did a great job at keeping the focus on healing his injury for as long as she did. The way she dug in a bit deeper too, understanding the trauma that lay beneath his injury was a testimony to her holistic approach to her work.

The Football Whisperer is well written with its engaging scenes, witty dialogue, and unique band of characters. The more serious undertone threaded into the narrative that takes a closer look at healing your way back from trauma is balanced by the lighter moments and the blossoming romance between Ward and Zara. By aligning the experiences of traumatised animals with traumatised humans, Mel has given us a novel that highlights these healing connections in a thought provoking context. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and recommend it to fans of contemporary fiction.

🍵🍵🍵🍵

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Thanks is extended to the author for providing me with a copy The Football Whisperer for review.

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About the Author:

Mel A ROWE is a writer whose pen blends comedy, suspense, urban fantasy, crime, adventure, and romance. Her common characters’ uncommon journeys can lead from boardrooms to billabongs in search of their own happily ever after. Join Mel on her word-journey for that escape to Happily Ever After at http://melarowe.com/

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The Football Whisperer
Published by Mel A Rowe
Released on 23rd October 2018