Review: The Romantic Pact by Meghan Quinn

I haven’t seen her in three years.

I haven’t talked to her since the kiss.

So why am I on a plane, flying across the world to spend a week with her in Germany?

One word: Pops.

My life’s a mess.
My possible football career is hanging on by a thread.
I’m driving the roads of Germany in honor of Pops with the one girl I can never have.
And I’m sharing a bed with her, the girl I’ve measured everyone else up to, while desperately trying to not to touch her.

We made a pact growing up, never to get romantic with each other – never fall in love.

And I’m about to break that pact. For good.

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This is a slow-burn friends-to-lovers, boy/girl-next door romance and an adorable Christmas love story with a holiday theme. Crew spent a lot of time on his grandparent’s farm as a child and Hazel, the girl next door, was his best friend for years. The visits came fewer and farther between as football became his life and his relationship with Hazel has been pretty much non-existent for the last few years after an awkward kiss. She grew up to work on the farm and eventually run it. Crew’s grandpa (Pops) arranged a lovely road trip through Germany at Christmastime for them, as one final gift to two of the people he loved most in the world.

The old friends are a bit nervous at first but quickly become comfortable again and it soon becomes apparent that there was an ulterior motive to the trip. The trip is a family tradition of sorts for young couples in love and Pops apparently saw something that Hazel and Crew didn’t – or maybe something they were just afraid to admit. They get closer than ever and soon can’t resist more but reality comes crashing down when the trip ends. They live far apart and both have big decisions to make about their future. Crew’s lifelong dream has been to play football but is that really what he wants? He’s no longer sure, because football hasn’t meant as much to him lately. This is a decision he was already struggling with but it just gets harder now that he’s mired in grief over losing Pops and wondering if there’s a future with Hazel.

For her part, Hazel can’t imagine life away from the farm. It’s all she knows and all she wants to know but she needs a business plan and help, along with the consensus of Crew and his parents. Pops left them as part owners but selling or keeping the farm will be a joint decision. She’s determined to hold onto it, but at what price? There’s a lot of anguish at the end but they get their HEA.

I loved Hazel immediately. She’s outspoken, fun and hilarious. Crew is also a very likeable character and they it together very well. I enjoyed the interaction Crew has with his best friends, the stars of the other books in the trilogy. Quinn is fantastic with description throughout this story. She truly paints a beautiful picture of the gorgeous scenery and quaint places. This is my first book by her, but won’t be the last.

This is the second book in the Kings of Football trilogy which begins with River Tate’s story in The Revenge Pact by Ilsa Madden-Mills. The series ends with Hollis Hudson’s story in The Relationship Pact by Adriana Locke which also ties into her Mason Family series.