First and Forever

A pro football team’s publicity crisis leads to unexpected love in this diverting sports romance from Painter (The Love Wager). After a video of Duffy Distefano appearing to attack the mascot of the Minneapolis Coyotes during a game goes viral, she’s invited onto a morning talk show to explain her side of the story: the Coyote got handsy and she was defending herself. Coyotes tight end Connor Cunningham also shows up at the talk show, and their sparky on-air sparring belies an attraction that fans are quick to pick up on. With the team scrambling to do damage control in the wake of Duffy’s allegations, its publicist suggests Connor ask Duffy out to generate some good PR. The pair enjoy a sizzling first date and Connor is eager to keep seeing her, but Duffy is hesitant to stay in the public eye and doubtful of Connor’s sincerity. Connor sets out to win her over and eventually succeeds, becoming an integral part of her life and her close-knit family—but their happy ending will be in jeopardy if she ever discovers why he initially asked her out. Painter’s characters feel authentic, and their witty banter leaps off the page. Readers are sure to root for these two. Agent: Kim Lionetti, BookEnds Literary. (May)