Last summer, I was positively surprised by Mile High, the first book in Liz Tomforde’s “Windy City” series. This sports romance series is set in Chicago and whereas the first book was about icehockey, this second book The Right Move is about basketball. What I found refreshing in said book is the character development and the fact that the characters were more important than the sports. Was the author able to maintain this standard or did I have to lower my expectations?

About the book

The Right Move by Liz Tomforde
Series: Windy City #2
Published by Independently published on February 4, 2023
Pages: 426
ISBN: 9798374161557
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

RYAN

She’s a distraction, that’s what she is.

I’m the newest Captain of the Devils, Chicago’s NBA team, and the last thing I needed this year was for Indy Ivers, my sister’s best friend, to move into my apartment. She’s messy, emotional, and way too tempting.

But when the team’s General Manager vocalizes his blatant disapproval of my promotion to Captain, referring to me as an unapproachable lone wolf with no work-life balance, I can’t think of a better way to convince him otherwise than pretending to date my outgoing roommate.

The only problem? Faking it feels far too natural.

Having a fake girlfriend wasn’t supposed to be messy but having Indy under my roof and in my bed is complicated, especially when she wants all the romantic parts of life that I could never give her.

INDY

I never imagined I’d be living with my best friend’s brother, NBA superstar Ryan Shay. Even more unbelievable? He needs me to act as his loving girlfriend who’s suddenly changed him into a friendly and approachable guy.

Because, well…he’s not. He’s controlling of his space and untrusting of others.

Our arrangement isn’t one-sided, though. I’m in a wedding coming up, one where every one of my childhood friends, including my ex-boyfriend, will be in attendance, and there’s no better date than my ex’s celebrity hero.

Blurred lines make it almost impossible to separate real from fake. Falling for my roommate was never part of the deal, especially when Ryan is quick to remind me that he doesn’t believe in love.

I’m a romantic and can’t help fantasizing that he’ll change, but soon enough, I find myself questioning if sharing a roof with my best friend’s brother was the right move after all

My review

Before reading

I really enjoyed Mile High, but I’m too bad in reading series back-to-back. Even though these books can be read as standalones, I know I will get tired of the world pretty soon whenever I read everything straight away. I therefore waited a good while before diving into this next book. Moreover, I didn’t even own this book yet. I was curious whether Tomforde manages to maintain everything I enjoyed in the previous book when telling this story. I love character driven novels, they provide so much more depth to romances. And that’s exactly what this book is. I’m still in my romance era so I expected to enjoy this as well.

Characters

We already met our main characters in the previous book as Indy is Stevie’s colleague and best friend and Ryan is Stevie’s twin brother. Now, it’s their turn to take the spotlight. I think they work really well as main characters. They already were nice side characters, but they happen to have a story of their own. Ryan is a professional basketball player and his only goal in life is to win the Supercup. He therefore is a pain in the ass for his surroundings, he is really closed off and has incredibly high walls around him. He only lets his guard down for a tight-knit group of friends, amongst whom are Stevie and Zanders. Once this story progresses, we find out why. I wasn’t sure about Indy on the other hand, she left not much of an impression in Mile High. I thought she’s quite shallow and has not much to say. Well, she also happens to have some struggles of her own. Her ex boyfriend cheated on her and she is taking this a little too harsh, it diminished her self-esteem. Both Ryan and Indy show a lot of growth throughout this novel, but I think Ryan’s is most visible. He learns to open up more and to be more of a sporty team player instead of quite self-centered. Admittedly, Indy has a good influence on him and he on her. Of course they have their struggles, but who hasn’t? These characters are written really well and the author does a good job of making the person behind the athlete more present over the sport itself.

Writing

This book is written in dual POV. Every chapter is told from either Indy or Ryan, which makes it easier to get to know them and their stories. The writing itself is fine as well. Despite this book being a chonker, it reads very, very easy. I flew through the pages and therefore finished this book within just two days. The language is accessible and not difficult at all.

Plot

This romance is character driven. There is a storyline, but it’s subordinate to the characters and their growth. Yes, sports plays an important role as it’s Ryan’s profession, but he has a lot of doubts and questions which Tomforde addresses. The character of Ryan Shay is more important than the sport he plays and that’s refreshing. Many sports romances have more of a focus on the sports than on the romance. Furthermore, many romances revolve around sex and therefore contain a lot of spice. This book also has spice, but the romance is not just that. It’s more, it’s the characters and them supporting each other. I was intrigued from start to finish, just as I expected. Of course there were tough moments, but that’s logic and believable.

Final thoughts

As I already expected, I really enjoyed The Right Move by Liz Tomforde. It’s a character driven sport romance where the sport is subordinate to the characters and their growth. The writing is good, the dual POV narration is a bonus for me. I believe this way of storytelling adds much more depth into romances and that’s how I prefer them. The first two book sin this series were a joy to read, so I will definitely pick up the other two books as well.