First and Forever by Lynn Painter is a football romance about Connor and Duffy, who decide to fake date each other for different reasons.
If you are looking for a super cute and quick football romance read with a lot of banter, then you need to add First and Forever to your To Be Read list now. This book is full of humor, side characters you’ll love, a main male character with no big ego, and a main female character who you can relate to or feel like she might be your friend. I’m a fan of Lynn Painter, and it was no surprise that I love it too.
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First and Forever Overview
Title: First and Forever
Author: Lynn Painter
Pages: 320 Pages
Publish Date: May 12th, 2026
Genre: Sport’s Romance
My Star Rating: 4/5 stars! (I loved this book and would recommend it to most people!)
Grab Your Copy Here: https://amzn.to/4cv41bh
Synopsis from Amazon
Duffy Distefano loves three things: her dad, the family cat, and Minneapolis Coyote football. So after she gets booed out of a game and becomes the internet’s villain following an awful encounter with the team’s beloved mascot, she is disgruntled, to put it mildly. Eager to clear the air, Duffy agrees to an interview on a hit morning show. She doesn’t expect a co-guest to join her—especially not the Coyotes’ star tight end.
When MVP Connor Cunningham gets tasked with damage control to help his team out of a PR nightmare, he finds himself in a highly amusing verbal sparring match with a recently wronged fan on live TV. The interview instantly goes viral, and the public is obsessed with them. Despite his distaste for PR stunts, a strong push from the Coyotes’ PR team to ride the wave results in Connor asking Duffy out. But he quickly discovers being with Duffy is much easier than he anticipated, and somehow it doesn’t feel fake to him. This secret can only blow up, but all he knows is that if he messes things up with Duffy, it’ll be the greatest fumble of his life.
Oozing with chemistry that feels like fireworks and banter that makes you swoon, Lynn Painter delivers her signature blend of heart and humor in this love story that you won’t soon forget.
My Review of First and Forever
First off, thank you to Lynn Painter, NetGalley, and Berkley Publishing for an advanced reading copy of First and Forever. I loved reading Connor and Duffy’s love story.
Second, I absolutely LOVED the banter between Duffy and Connor throughout the book. Especially when they first met. I just loved that Duffy was giving him a hard time on TV for his dropped pass. So funny and also perfect for their first meeting.
This was a quick read for me, and I felt like it went by too fast. I just wanted more and more from their romance. It was definitely a slow-burn, and that first kiss was so worth the wait.
Also, I really loved Duffy’s family. Her Dad, Tony, is my favorite side character. I just enjoyed how much he meddles, how he truly wanted what was best for Duffy, and his humor.
First and Forever is great for anyone who enjoys sports romances with very well-done banter. Plus, the main male character lacks an ego. which I really liked.
More Sports Romance Books
- The Follow Through By Lauren Andrew Book Review
- Wild Hit by Mari Loyal Book Review
- Game Point by Meg Jones NetGalley Book Review
- Home Safe by Tracy Baack Book Review
Final Thoughts
I hope you enjoy First and Forever by Lynn Painter as much as I did. It’s such a quick read and a cute story. If you have any questions about this book, let me know in the comments below. I love hearing from all of you.
Lastly, if you enjoyed this book review or know someone who would enjoy this book, don’t forget to share this post. I really appreciate all the love and support.
Thanks for reading,
Kel
