I’ve been reading A.J. Pine’s contemporary romances for about ten years (her New Adult series, If Only, is a personal favourite) so anytime I see one of her romances crossing my path I’m always going to take a second look. Almost One Night Stand delivers what it promises, an entertaining forced proximity romance about two high school soccer coaches with a fun meet-cute to start things off.

After the death of her grandmother, Haddie Martin decides to leave Chicago and take a position as the girls’ high school soccer coach in Summertown, Illinois, where her best friend Emma lives. On route, she stops overnight in a hotel where a wedding reception is going on and meets a handsome stranger in the bar. Attraction between them flares instantly, and Haddie almost spends the night but changes her mind and ducks out while her handsome ‘Mr. Tux’ is out of the room. Her nickname, ‘Birthday Girl’ (because its is her birthday and she shared that with him after they decided right at the start to not give their real names) is all ‘Mr. Tux’ will have to remember her by, along with a steamy kiss and a full body view of her in his room’s hot tub before her unexpected departure.

Arriving in Summertown, Haddie is all set to rent a two-bedroom apartment above a hardware store, one of the very few places available. But when she comes down from viewing the apartment, she discovers that none other than ‘Mr. Tux’ himself is downstairs, and equally keen on renting that apartment.

Levi Rourke is in a pickle. Being suspended from his college football coaching job for a year (for reasons that are not revealed until later) left him with little option but to accept a position back in his hometown as a high school boys’ soccer coach. Never mind that he’s never coached soccer before, beggars can’t be choosers. When he arrives home however, his plans to stay with his dad are upended by a termite infestation, leaving Levi with no choice but to approach his best friend Tommy’s dad, who also happens to be the Principal of the high school and his new boss. Coach Crawford (as he likes to be called, as he is also the long-time high school football coach) also has a family hardware store with the upstairs apartment available to rent. When Coach originally offered Levi the apartment with the job, Levi had turned him down, intending on living with his dad. But now he can’t do that, he’s come to see about renting the apartment. The last thing he expects is to find his ‘Birthday Girl’.

Coach Crawford’s solution is to suggest that the two share the apartment. It’s got two rooms, they’re both going to be coaching soccer at his school, and really, they don’t have a lot of choices. Reluctantly, they agree; they’ll just have to put what almost happened behind them and figure out a way to work – and live – together.

As Haddie and Levi get to know each other, they become friends. But underneath it all is the attraction that drew them together in the first place. Still, Levi’s not planning to stay longer than he needs to. After all, football is his life, not soccer, and he’d never intended to move back home for long. Will Haddie be reason enough to change his mind?

I was hooked from the start by how these two met, and I enjoyed seeing their predicament as they become roommates. Haddie and Levi each have some emotional baggage to contend with. Haddie lost her mother when she was young so she was raised by her grandmother, a woman who wasn’t affectionate and left Haddie very careful about whom she opened her heart to. Only her best friend Emma has gotten behind Haddie’s walls. As for Levi, his mother died several years before and he hasn’t dealt well with that grief. Being home in Summertown brings back a lot of memories and his dad is now dating the widow next door, which is an adjustment for him. His brother Matteo is getting married (coincidentally to Emma, Haddie’s best friend), reminding Levi that his devotion to his career has cost him a lot in terms of his relationships with family and partners. This leaves Haddie and Levi both wary about opening up to each other, even as they work together to support the school’s soccer teams.

I enjoyed their interactions with the students and the teams. Haddie is obviously an accomplished soccer coach whereas Levi is still learning, making for a fun contrast. And as Haddie and Levi bond over the teams, they allow themselves to explore their growing feelings for each other. They get into the habit of texting each other in their apartment, because they find it easier to open up and share real feelings that way. My one real nitpick is that the romance takes place over a fairly short timeframe, so their story is more insta-love than I expected. Almost One Night Stand isn’t labelled as being part of a series, but I did find Matteo and Emma’s story in The Second Chance Garden, and I look forward to reading it. In the meantime, I’m happy to recommend this charming romance.