They fell in love in high school and found their way back to one another despite the odds. But can first loves really be forever?

For Reed Johnson, the dream was always football. But then Nolan Lennox took over his heart. She was the good girl who made him want to be better—made him whole. Whatever man he was becoming, he owed to her. The life he dreamed of was right there to take—bowl games, national championships, and maybe…going pro. But a hundred of miles of desert between them and four long years of college ahead might prove to be the toughest challenger of all.

Hearts can’t help but want to play defense when they’re wounded, and some wounds seem impossible to heal. But Reed Johnson isn’t the kind of man who backs down from the challenge. He digs in, and he fights—just like the woman he loves taught him to do.

But is he willing to give up his first love just to keep his true love? Or will he be too late?

GOING LONG

by GINGER SCOTT

After the first installment of this series it took me a couple of weeks to go back to it because I had to digest the teenage angst of book 1. Now let me start by saying what a wonderful job these narrators do. Again, Laura Darnell narrated a convincing Nolan and I was extremely impressed with the male narrator, James Fouhey who I hadn’t heard before. On to the story of GOING LONG…

Remember how I told you in my review for WAITING ON THE SIDELINES that I was conflicted about Reed? He SO redeemed himself. He was understanding, adoring and an all around good boyfriend for his girl. He isn’t perfect so he makes a few mistakes along the way but that’s alright – nothing was bad enough to make me feel anger towards him as I did in Waiting on the Sidelines.

Nolan had to go through so much. To me, it was perfectly understandable why she needed to come to terms with the events in her life until she could talk to Reed about it. At no point I felt there was a lack of communication on her side. In fact, it was again outside forces who led to their relationship hiatus and it’s something that depressed me a little bit.

These two had to come to terms with tragedy and on top of that they have to deal with two douchebag characters who did nothing but stir up trouble. Look, I love my angst in books but I have to admit that this was a recurring theme. In the first book Ginger Scott gave us a girl who drove a wedge between Nolan and Reed. This time it’s Gavin. I just thought it was a little too convenient and that it turned the angst into drama. And Reed’s brother? I wanted to throw my phone against the wall!

All that notwithstanding I absolutely enjoyed GOING LONG. Ginger Scott really writes beautiful stories with likable characters. She let Nolan and Reed grow up in this installment and it’s palpable how much they have grown. Now I hope that THE HAIL MARY will continue to impress me!