My Review: Third and Long by Kata Cuic

Publication Date: April 11, 2017
Genres: New Adult, Romance, Sports
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Synopsis
Not everyone plays by the rules.
Eva Papageorgiou has it all: the popularity that always felt so elusive in high school, looks that men can’t ignore, and a boyfriend that other women covet. She’s gorgeous, powerful; she has the world at her fingertips.
And it’s all a lie.
The problem with living a lie is how easy it is to forget who you’re lying to. Eva’s time to withdraw into the shadows has expired, courtesy of Rob’s rising fame. Her only option is to hide in plain sight.
Amid all the chaos, Rob is her safe escape from it all. They continue to be stronger together than they ever could be on their own.
Until being together is what tears them apart.Rob Falls has everything he’s ever wanted: his dream girl, a winning team, respect from everyone. He’s at the top of his game, with a Heisman nod on the horizon, and the potential to be a first-round draft pick.
And it’s all crumbling before his eyes.
The mounting pressure of being an athlete at the next level while doing all he can to protect Eva takes its toll. He doesn’t sleep enough, he worries constantly, and he’s torn wanting to be in two places at once.
Rob never imagined the day he’d have to choose between fame and love.Sometimes life makes choices for us.
With the game and their hearts on the line, will Rob and Eva keep their secrets hidden? Or will they reveal everything to each other, to themselves, to the world…only to lose it all?
My Review
Third and Long by Author Kata Cuic is book three in the Moving the Chains series. It is a sports-related, NA novel and should not be read as a standalone.
I have tortured myself for hours regarding how to review this book, and have come to the conclusion that it is best reviewed by my personal feelings and not a professional rating.
I fell in love with Evie and Rob in book one of this series. Their love was nothing short of breathtaking and miraculous. It was fantasy and fairytale, unicorns and butterflies. Although it was not always pretty, and definitely not easy, they were Evie and Rob, so thus the fairytale notion. I felt like I knew them like my best friend or sibling. I became irrevocably attached to them.
Now, while this may sound as if I have developed quite a strange affection for this couple, I want to say that it is because Author Kata Cuic is a master craftsman in knowing how to evoke emotions from readers with the words she spins on the page. That is why this review has been a weight around my neck.
The skeleton of this story was what I have come to expect from this author. She had all the structures in place to create a well-received story. If I were to rate the story on this alone, it would easily be five stars.
However, there is also an emotional aspect that comes into play when reading and reviewing a novel. And this is where things get pretty dark. I sobbed throughout most of this story, and it wasn’t pretty; my heart is still broken. I feel like the characters I fell in love with no longer exist. They are dead to me. I have honestly had a hard time comprehending the purpose of their metaphorical demise. I know this story isn’t real. I also know it had aspects in it that could be real in people’s lives. I get that. But, a part of my heart was lost in this third installment. Things happened I could not unread and lines were crossed that, personally, made me feel physically ill. Again, I know, “it’s just a book”. I get it. But my strong repulsion is a testament to how attached this author caused me to become to her characters. And how horribly devastating it was to witness these chapters of their lives.
I will not say this was a bad or poorly written novel; it was not. Kata Cuic continued to deliver quality writing. For me, as a reader and lover of Rob and Evie, it was just emotionally too much. It ruined me.
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