Catherine Hart’s Impulsive is a treat for readers out there like me who enjoy sports. Note: Editors, there are quite a few of us out there hint, hint. Impulsive is, in part, a great romantic comedy. Unfortunately, a tacked-on mystery subplot added nothing to the book. It all evens out to a B-.

Jessica Myers is an investigative reporter. Her godfather asks her to use her talents to write some flattering pieces for his new expansion football team, the Columbus Knights. Jesse, who is fond of her godfather, agrees. Besides, she loves sports and was a star on her college soccer team. Then her godfather asks her to pose as the quarterback’s girlfriend. Jesse is not too happy about that – she finds the quarterback, Ty James, to be an arrogant jock at first, but things rapidly change between the two of them.

The best thing about Impulsive was the rapport between the hero and heroine. Ty and Jesse exchange some of the funniest dialogue I have ever read. It’s so full of thrusts, parries and double entendres that you have to read some parts twice just to catch all the verbal byplay. Also, Jesse and Ty are two wonderful characters. Ty is, well, he’s unique. He’s a quarterback for an expansion team which means that they get beat a lot. Ty is a good athlete, but does not plan on going into any of the ex-jock professions after his football career is over. He graduated from college and plans to be an accountant. Plus, he is the only boy in a family of sisters and his mother is a beautician. Ty used to hang around the shop and can cut, curl and style hair like an expert. When he gives Jesse a make-over, well how could any woman not love a man like that? Add to that, Ty is from my home town of Bowling Green, Kentucky. I love that man!

Jesse is a wonderful heroine. She is tall and lanky with a perpetual case of bad hair (until Ty gets his expert hands on it). She is sharp and witty and does not realize what a beautiful woman she really is (until Ty gets his expert hands on her). Some of the scenes where she trades barbs with Bambi the busty but dumb head cheerleader are side-splitting. She and Ty make a fabulous and witty couple.

The mystery subplot is a let down. Players begin to turn up dead, and as the bodies piled up, I began to lose it. The ending is way over the top even for me and I am more than willing than most to suspend disbelief. However, if you ignore the subplot and concentrate on the wonderful romantic comedy byplay between Ty and Jesse, you will have a good time with this book – even if you are not a football fan. If you are a football fan, well, so much the better.