The bad boy of professional fencing meets Hollywoodβs favorite good girl in this sexy sports romance set against the backdrop of a high-stakes blockbuster.
On Guard
The Hastings Series
by Kels & Denise Stone
Blurb:
DANTE HASTINGS
You might have heard of me.
I was the defending Olympic championβuntil I used my fist instead of my sabre during a match. Needless to say, I was suspended. Which means no competing for a yearβ¦and cleaning up my image.
So, instead of continuing to dominate the fencing world, Iβm working on a film thatβs poised to be next yearβs blockbuster action flick.
The upside? Working with Reese Sinclair, my celebrity crush whose poster was on my wall growing up. Spending time with her will help wash the tabloids of my suspension and convince the league that Iβm reformed.
But Americaβs sweetheart is nothing like I imagined. Sheβs stubborn, ambitious, and struggling to prove herself in a role that no one thinks she can handle. Still, her determination runs red-hot, and I canβt help but admire her.
When our late-night training sessions turn into something more, I start to realize that Iβm outmaneuvered by feelings I never saw coming.
REESE SINCLAIR
The girl next door. The best friend. The love-struck heroine.
Iβve played them all.
But with thirty creeping closer, I need to prove to myself that I can be more than Hollywoodβs darling. And this movie is the opportunity Iβve been waiting for, the project I can use to break out of my typecasting.
The problem? Iβm not cut out for action-packed stunt work.
Enter: Dante Hastings. Heβs hedonistic, insufferable, infuriatingly gorgeousβand my last shot at making this career move work.
I should stay away. His reputation alone could sink mine. But the more time we spend together, the more I see past all his tabloid exploits and rule-breaking. He knows what it means to fight for something.
But a leading lady doesnβt simper over her co-workers, right?
Yet as much as I try to resist, part of me wants to let Dante put the sin in Sinclair.
On Guard is the second book in The Hastings series, a collection of interconnected standalone sports romances about the Hastings siblings, scions of sports royalty.
Kels & Denise are authors, best friends, and the definition of the found family trope. The pair bonded over their love for romance and turned all their late-night chats into writing together. Their love for storytelling morphed into writing strong heroines and their rugged, swoon-worthy love interests with lots of dirty talk. While Kels travels the world with her high-school sweetheart husband, Denise is making her way through every restaurant with her boyfriend.
It isn’t fair. She worked so hard to be ready for marriage. If only Emma could find a different groom by her planned wedding day, nothing would have to change….
So commences Operation: Save My Date.
As Emma publicly shares her untraditional journey to the altar online, things get complicated quickly. She finds herself caught between Will, a charismatic podcast producer who is not interested in being a replacement groom; and Matt, a sweet, recent divorcee eagerly looking to settle down.
As the wedding day approaches, Emma must decide what future she truly wants for herself. After all, her family, her book editor, and a large portion of the internet are watching…
Emma Moskowitz lay face down in her parentsβ office as they talked above her inert body. The carpet irritated her sensitive cheek, but getting a rash was the least of her worries at the moment. She was used to rashes. What she wasnβt used toβat least not yetβwas the staggering pain of betrayal.
βHe didnβt explain why he was doing this?β her father, Alan, asked for what had to have been the fifth time in as many minutes.
Instead of verbally responding, Emma let out a long groan to signal that she wasnβt yet in the mood to psychoanalyze why her carefully planned life was falling apart. She was still very much in the maybe I could just lie here for a few years and then die stage of grieving. That stage wasnβt talked about nearly enough. It was important.
βWhat did she say?β Alan looked to Emmaβs mother, Debbie, for an interpretation of what could best be described as an animalistic, guttural moan.
βI donβt think she wants to talk about it just yet,β Debbie offered, despite knowing this explanation likely wasnβt going to appease her type-A husband.
βCan I have some water?β Emma interjected, finally moving into a seated position from a full-body sprawl. She wasnβt entirely confident that she was capable of drinking anything yet, but she thought she owed it to her family to try. She knew her mom hated seeing her in pain and her dad hated not having a clear solution to offer. Now that he was retired, Alan wasnβt sure what to do with himself. Emma didnβt want her recent upheaval to become his newest pet project (along with pickleball, online poker and brewing his own root beer). Despite her motherβs endless complaints of being smothered by her loving husband, Alan was the busiest retired person Emma knew. And as a couples therapist, she knew quite a few. Having a recently retired spouse was the new seven-year-itchβexcept this version of an itch appeared to be an overwhelming desire to be left alone. Emma wished with all her might that she was someone who wanted to be left alone instead of being herself: a person who as a child found a way to play βweddingβ at every single playdate.
βDo you want bottled or from the tap with ice?β Debbie asked as though the right form of H2O could fix a broken heart.
βDoesnβt matter.β Emma sighed for effect. βNothing matters anymore.β
Through a brief exchange of eye contact, Alan and Debbie mutually agreed it wasnβt safe to leave their youngest daughter by herself. So Alan went to retrieve the requested water, while Debbie did her best to sit on the floor, ignoring her numerous knee issues and bad back. Her hand hovered over Emmaβs leg; she was unsure if physical touch would cause comfort or alarm.
βI am so sorry this is happening to you,β Debbie whispered.
Emma thought about all the other times in her life that her mother had said this. There was the time Emma fell off a chair when she was six and broke her collarbone. The time in her early twenties when her βbest friendsβ planned a weekend trip without informing or inviting her. And there were the far too many times Emma had been unceremoniously dumped by a variety of men.
This time was different than when her college boyfriend left her to date a high-schooler. Or when her adult boyfriend left her for a college student. This felt like the sort of pain you couldnβt get over with a laugh and a puff of medical-grade marijuana. This felt like the sort of pain that changed you forever.
Alan returned with both a cold glass of ice and a plastic water bottle. When Emma didnβt move to take either one, he set them on the side table and declared, βI think I should call him.β
βCall who?β Debbie asked with the cautious optimism of someone who hoped her husband wasnβt a total moron.
βRyan! Maybe I can talk some sense into him. Or at least get some answers.β
Fear overtook Emmaβs nervous system at the mere thought of that conversation occurring. She reached out and grasped her fatherβs ankle to let him know she meant business. βPlease do not contact him. He wonβt tell you anything useful,β Emma pleaded. βAll he told me is something is missing and there is no point in working on it because it canβt be fixed. I just need to move on.β
Debbie and Alan looked at Emma with a mixture of compassion and concern. Emma couldnβt blame themβnot after showing up the previous evening crying and shouting βItβs over! He left me!β before abruptly passing out on the couch to avoid her feelings. Emma felt a pang of guilt that sheβd left her parents with such confounding uncertainty for almost ten hours. She knew more than most that not knowing was a special form of torture. It was time to fill them in.
βIt only lasted twenty minutes.β Emma moaned as the painful memory hit her again. They had been eating dinner in front of the TV when she noticed something was off. As soon as she asked about itβexpecting to hear that Ryanβs stomach hurt or his boss was annoying him againβthe floodgates opened. Apparently, heβd been having doubts for months but didnβt know how to tell her. Emma tried her best to fight for them, but a switch had been flipped in Ryanβs brain and it was like trying to reason with a concrete wall. Every suggestion she flung out to try to work on their relationship was met with steely resistance. It was obvious that once the words were finally out of Ryanβs mouth, he had no intention of taking them back. He had been set free while Emma was left crushed and disoriented. Their engagement was unceremoniously over in less time than it took to watch a network sitcom.
βWhat were the doubts? Do you know?β Alan asked in a rather accusatory tone. Despite being retired, he would forever be a lawyer combing through details in search of a win. He didnβt seem to understand that social contracts could be broken far more easily and with fewer repercussions than legal ones.
Emma shook her head. βUnless something is missing is a clarifying answer for you. Because itβs not for me!β She could feel that she was losing control of her emotions. Within a minute or two, any attempt at coherent speech would be usurped by streaming tears and a horrifying amount of snot. She tried to get a handle on herself as her brain went into overdrive, poking and pinching the most vulnerable parts of her psyche, her insecurities finding every possible way to punish her for someone elseβs decision.
The entire breakup had felt surreal from start to finish. Emma hadnβt even fully realized she was experiencing a breakup until about halfway through. Sheβd known things had been off between them for a few months, but it seemed to be more of a Ryan issue than a Ryan-and-Emma issue. He was unhappy with his job. He was struggling with anxiety. He had less interest in his hobbies than normal. To Emma, a licensed marriage and family therapist, it was pretty obvious he was in the midst of a depressive episode. She tried her best to be supportive while her partner was going through a tough timeβand she used every ounce of self-esteem that came from her newly earned secure attachment style to not take it personally. Turns out, she should have taken it personally. Because, according to Ryan, the issues in his life were not related to anxiety or depression after all. He was miserable because he was in the wrong relationship. She was the source of the problem, not him. And once he realized that, he had to end things right away. Or, you know, once Emma dragged it out of him on a random Monday night.
As Emma recounted this to her parents, somehow managing to make it through without dissolving into incoherent sobs, she felt slightly vindicated by the looks of confusion on their faces. This was objectively confusing, right? To ask your live-in partner to marry you and then walk out six months later completely certain that there was nothing to be done to salvage the relationship? Emma was a couples therapist, for Christβs sake! She made a living salvaging relationships and Ryan wasnβt even willing to try? It was both a personal and a professional slap in the face.
Emma had a bunch of clients in far worse situations than hers whoβd been tirelessly working on fixing things for years. One notable client had slept with his wifeβs second cousin for three years and they were still together. Yet Ryanβwho only a few months ago had cried with happiness as he put an engagement ring on Emmaβs fingerβinsisted there was no point in even attempting to repair whatever he thought was broken. He had too many βconcerns,β so it was best to just move on. What those concerns were exactly remained a mystery that would likely haunt Emma until she died in what she anxiously feared would be an untimely and possibly gruesome fashion.
Allison RaskinΒ is aΒ New York TimesΒ bestselling author. She is the cohost of the popular podcastΒ Just Between UsΒ and cocreator of a YouTube channel by the same name. Allison has written and developed multiple TV shows and created the original scripted podcastΒ Gossip. A vocal mental health advocate, Allison has a master’s degree in Psychology from Pepperdine University. SheΒ also runs the mental healthβfocused Instagram account @emotionalsupportlady.
Length: 70,000 words Prior Reading: not required Genre: contemporary, sports Tropes: Light-angst, hockey, enemies-to-lovers Trigger/Content Warnings: n/a
Blurb:
Jake
Favorite things and peeps: hockey, family, friends. Least favorite person in the entire history of the universe: Mason Trinsky.
I have my reasons, but since youβre curious, Trinsky is a showboat and a loudmouth. Sure, heβs a great athlete. Good for him. I accept that we have mutual friends, and I grudgingly accept that heβll be a coach at Elmwood Junior Camp this summerβhowever, I plan to keep my distance.
Of course, some wise guy pairs us up for a camping expedition, and everything that can go wrong does go wrong.
Guess who Iβm stuck with?
Trinsky
Favorite things and peeps: hockey, surfing, and my kid brother Least favorite person in the entire history of the universe: Jake Milligan
Look, I might be in the minority, but if you ask me, Jake is a nitpicking diva who wants everything his way. I hope my NHL team crushes his, and this summer, I want my campers to out-prank his. Childish? Nah, itβs all in good fun.
Until it starts to feelβ¦complicated. I shouldnβt care if heβs happy, should I? I donβt want to be Jakeβs friend. I donβt want to have feelings for him at all.
The only thing that matters is hockey. It’s all about the puck. Not love.
Or is it?
Puck Love is an MM bisexual, small-town romance featuring hockeyβs hottest rivals, a hiking trip gone wrong, and a shot at foreverβ¦
And of course, we had Jake. No description needed, but in case youβre curious, his navy swim trunks matched his ball cap, his backpack, and his Crocs. Yeahβ¦Crocs.
I didnβt actually hate Crocs, but Iβd diss βem βcause I had the maturity of an eggplant, or so Jake inferred. Besides there was really no way I could be expected to be nice for forty-eight hours straightβ¦was there?
Nah.
βLookinβ Croc-tastic, Milligan,β I whispered.
Jake frowned and shushed me, which made me want to step on his toes. βI donβt know if this is possible, but we need to come up with a plan to stay out of each otherβs way.β
βEasy. Iβll take two, you take two. I call Howard and the kid with braces.β
βWhy donβt you want David?β
βToo serious and eager for me. Perfect for you,β I replied, leaning close.
He smelled good, like peppermint and evergreen andβ
Geez, was he wearing cologne? Better questionβ¦why had I noticed? Maybe I was allergic to peppermint and associated it with terrible things likeβ¦uhβ¦the holidays.
Okay, totally false. I loved the holidays, and peppermint was awesome. It was just weird that Jake would smell good and lookβ¦
Ugh, it pained me to admit it, but Jake was kind of sort of handsomeβ¦today. His summer tan made his blue eyes pop and wove golden strands into his dark-blond hair. Iβd only noticed because I was in dire need of vitamin D. And this entire mental sidebar probably meant I was in desperate need of a vacation too.
βFine. Iβll take David and Milo. Letβs win this.β
I furrowed my brow. βWin what?β
Jake spared me a glance, his lips quirked in vague amusement. βThe whole weekend. I know itβs lighthearted fun, but itβs also basic swim and running relays too. Can you swim?β
βOf course I can fucking swim,β I scoffed.
βCool. If youβre faster on the ground than you are on ice, we should do all right.β
βAre you insinuating that Iβm a slow skater? That is fucking priceless.β I snorted.
Jake just smiled and clapped along to whatever Vinnie was yapping about. βIf you say so. By the way, you might want to curb your F bombs. This is a G-rated family weekend. Show some class, Trinsky.β
βFuck yourself, Milligan.β
βNice one, asshat. Youββ
Ray or Jay bumped my elbow as he sidled close, camera in hand. βOh, donβt stop on my account. This is perfect.β
I gritted my teeth and probably would have said something rude, but I was interrupted by a cheer from the crowd.
βAre you ready to party?β Vinnie hooted, fists pumping the air. βLetβs do this!β
*****
Author Info:
Lane HayesΒ lives in sunny Southern California with her amazing husband, who thankfully doesnβt mind cooking, and their fabulous fox red Labrador, George, whoβs pure mischief. Both provide oodles of inspiration for the low-angst, humorous books Lane loves to write.
Sheβs been telling stories about sexy, funny, sometimes geeky and quirky men who find love for a dozen years now and loving every minute. In her previous life, she sat at a desk and dealt with numbers, so yesβ¦romance is much more satisfying!
Lane loves tea, travel, and chocolateβ¦in any order. Add a book and sheβs set!
I couldn’t tell you when I fell in love with Owen Harper. I just always was. And still am. He was my first everythingβfirst love, first kiss and the only man that has left an indelible mark on my soul. I never thought that I’d call him anything but mine. But that was the thing about first loves. They weren’t made to last. Owen was destined for greatness, and I couldn’t be the one to stand in his way. So I broke both our hearts, and walked away. But after a heated reunion, I knew I’d made a mistake all those years ago and would do anything to start over β even move to a brand new city all by myself to win back my forever love. Owen Harper
Ellie Bradford is the only woman I’ve ever lovedβand the one who shattered my heart. The day she left me, I didn’t just lose the love of my life–I lost my best friend, too.
Five years later, I’m home at the end of hockey season and I see her again. One thing leads to another and our “one last night” together doesn’t go as planned. My feelings for her never left, but I realize closure just isn’t in the cards for us. One night would never be enough for us, but she wasn’t mine anymore. Then she showed up in Seattle, in the stands at my hockey game. Despite my intentions to move on, I offer her my spare bedroom when her new apartment floods. Even though I knew I should have been attempting to move on, it was hard not to feel like we were finally getting our second chance. I just hoped that this time, she would stay. For me and for us.
A sexy, second chance, roommates to lovers, sports romance from bestselling author Jennifer Chipman.
Jennifer Chipman lives in Orlando with her dog, Walter and cat, Max. She loves writing romance heroes who fall first and hard for their women. In her free time, you can find her with her nose in a book or going to the Disney Parks. She loves the color pink and thinks sequins and sparkles are always a good idea.
Callahan Hastings is relentless when it comes to getting what he wants, and what he wants is meβto be his private chef in the Hamptons for the summer.
My dream job served to me on a silver platter by one of the wealthiest members of Pembroke Hills Country Club.
The only catch? Heβs my ex-boyfriendβs older brother with a reputation for being as charming as he is cunning.
But Cal doesnβt take no for an answer. He draws you in with flirty smiles and extravagant promises.
I should have seen him coming, but I didnβt. I should have stayed away, but I couldnβt.
His playful touches and burning gaze have ignited a fire in me. The more I resist him, the more irresistible he becomes.
I’ve always known there’s an expiration date on the jobβan expiration date on us.
But leaving isn’t going to be easy with Cal on his knees, begging me to stay…
Kat Singleton is an Amazon top 5 bestselling author best known for writing Black Ties and White Lies. She loves writing elite banter and angst mixed with a heavy dose of spice. Kat strives to write an authentically raw love story for her characters and feels that no book is complete without some emotional turmoil before a happily ever after.
She lives in Kansas with her husband, her two kids, and her two doodles. In her spare time, you can find her surviving off iced coffee and sneaking in a few pages of her current read.
Brax Gallo doesnβt believe in love at first sight. Heck, he doesnβt stay in relationships long enough to develop real feelings for any woman. But one look at the sad girl alone at his bar, checking her phone, and gnawing her lip with worry and heβs absolutely smitten. He knows in that moment; itβs possible to fall hard and fast.
Iris has always been unlucky with love. After being stood up at the altar two years ago, she has no interest in dating. But her friends leave her no choice when they create a dating profile for her and set up a date. She hopes for the best, thinking sheβs due for a break. She waits for him. And waits. But when he doesnβt show, sheβs reminded that men break her heart every time.
What starts out as a flirty banter leads to something neither of them wanted, but everything they needed.
WANT is a Men of Inked Sinners book which features grumpy sunshine, found family, family saga, afraid to commit, alpha hero, playboy, jilted bride steamy romantic suspense novel.
Want is very similar to the other Men of Inked book I’ve read – Cinder, Men of Inked Heatwave. Like with Cinder, I loved the characters, individually and as a couple. And their friends & family are fun and entertaining – teasing, supporting, and loving each other with abandon.
The romance isn’t quite as insta as with Cinder but it is low angst between them. Brax and Iris meet at his bar when she’s stood up on a blind date, end up spending some time together due to a snowstorm, and thanks to her hilarious & pushy friends meet again when they drag her back to the bar with the hopes that he’ll ask her out. Which of course he does and it’s pretty smooth from there on for them as a couple.
There’s a bit of a gray area when her ex comes back in the picture. My personal preference is usually not for those that flirt with that edge but it’s a minor point of the story. It may play more into future stories, I’m not sure, but it may just be a personal quirk of mine. (And based on the popularity of dark romances I think I may be in a minority π )
I’m not sure why I don’t read more of Bliss’s books. This is my third so far and I’ve really enjoyed all of them. The characters, main and secondary, are great, as is the relationships between them. I’ll be adding her to my list to keep an eye out for.
*****
Author Info:
Chelle Bliss is the USA Today bestselling author of the Men of Inked and ALFA P.I. series. She hails from the Midwest, but currently lives near the beach even though she hates sand. She’s a full-time writer, time-waster extraordinaire, social media addict, coffee fiend, and ex high school history teacher. She loves spending time with her two cats, alpha boyfriend, and chatting with readers. To learn more about Chelle, please visit chellebliss.com.
Paige Turnerβs time to fulfill her New Yearβs Eve resolution is almost up. She and her book club friends resolved to use the heroines from their favorite romance novels as inspiration for the year. Paigeβs resolution had her going through a romance genre and trope checklist to try to lose her V-card, but what she foundβbesides making new friendsβwas self-discovery and the confidence to rival any heroine. Paige had used their inspiration to gain her dream job, but now it was time to finally find someone to punch that card.
Paige dives head first into the last part of the year with her own Roman vacation romance, motorcycle club romance, and hello sports romance! However, the heroines in her books never had the unexpected problems Paige faced trying to live out her hockey romance and football romance tropes. And what was she thinking going to an MMA fight? Thatβs just the beginning, though. Itβs Halloween and time to live out as many paranormal tropes as possible in one night. Entering the holiday season, Paige goes from launching the book of her career to a New York City celebrity bachelor auction to heading home to save her small townβs bookstore at Christmas.
By the end of the year, Paige will have gone from bookworm to bookdragon. The questions are: who will be standing next to Paige when the ball drops on New Yearβs Eve? And will Paige find more than just someone to punch that card, but someone to deliver her very own happily ever after?
Like the previous two books, The Adventurous Bookworm is full of humorous hijinks, quirky fun, and fantastic characters. And like the previous books, is it always 100% realistic? No. Is it entertaining and satisfying? Oh, definitely. It delightfully ties up all of the loose ends and does a wonderful job of wrapping up Paige’s year of adventure, giving her the HEA that I was waiting for. And that ending, whew! I didn’t see it coming and maybe I should have but that just means I’m going to have to go back to see what clues I missed π
If you are looking for a fun rom-com, the Paige Turner series is a fantastic choice.
*****
Author Info:
Kathleen Brooks is a multiple time New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author. Kathleenβs stories are romantic suspense mostly set in small fictional towns. Kathleen loves writing about strong female heroines, the men who love them, quirky characters, funny animals, strong communities, sassy octogenarians, and happily-ever-afters.
Kathleen lives in Kentucky with her husband, daughter, and dog who is waiting to make her appearance in one of her books. When not writing, Kathleen always finds time to enjoy reading a good book.
When I attended my teammateβs wedding, I wasnβt expecting to come face to face with the man who broke my heart fourteen years ago.
He was my teammate. My first love.
But when I got traded, he threw what we had away.
Now heβs back in my life and he wants to give things another go.
If I agree to try again, and it all goes wrong, itβs not just my heart thatβs at risk of breaking. Itβll be my kids’ hearts too.
Hayden
I donβt have many regrets in life. Only one.
Hurting Jackson Wilde.
Since my career ending injury, my life has been on a downward spiral. Iβve projected to the world that everythingβs fine, but deep down, Iβm a broken man.
For the last six years Iβve been working on getting back pieces of the man I used to be. Not just to save me from myself, but for this moment.
A chance to win Jackson back.
I know itβs not going to be easy, but Iβm going to give it my all.
Power Forward is a second chance sports romance featuring a hockey player and an ex-teammate turned sports agent. It includes mental health rep, adorable kids, unintentional matching Halloween costumes and all the Thunder found family vibes.
It is book four in the Chicago Thunder series and can be read as a standalone.
There’s so much to like about this one – the mental health rep, the fact that love doesn’t fix everything, the found family love … so many feels. Every chapter just grabs the heart more than the last.
I felt for Hayden from the beginning. His struggle and regret is so obvious, as is his continuing feelings for Jackson. Their breakup may have been his fault but there is so much going on with him. And Jackson realizes it as well and, while he is still hesitant, is willing to listen and maybe even forgive. It’s complicated and heartbreaking, but some second chances are worth facing the past and being vulnerable for.
There’s also a great group of secondary characters. The people in Hayden’s life who have been there every step of the way as he does the work to find more stable footing. The Thunder players who are obvious in their love and support to one another. And Jackson’s oh-so-adorable children and the relationship they develop with Hayden and the other players is so very sweet. I love the little family that they’ve created.
While Oliver delivers a great read, it definitely isn’t an easy one. It’s raw, emotional, sweet, funny, steamy, and angsty. Worth all the feels!
*****
Author Info:
Jodi Oliver is a British author who writes MM romance, happily ever after guaranteed. She loves donuts, dogs and ice hockey, and when she hasnβt got her head in a book or hiding in the writing cave, you can find her at an ice hockey game.
She lives in England but dreams of living in the Canadian countryside, with some highland cows and otters.
One month. One fake boyfriend. One shot at forever.
Iβve got four weeks to cross one thing off my bucket listβand it isnβt exactly PG.
Iβm not the type to take risks, but when a friend battling cancer dares you to go big, you donβt say no. My mission? Lose my V-card before my baby sisterβs wedding.
Did I mention sheβs marrying my high school crush? Yeah. Thereβs no way Iβm walking into that ceremony as the awkward, untouched older sister.
Enter single dad Ian Barloweβmy sinfully hot, NFL legend neighbor, who owes me big time after his daughter breaks into my house. He offers to make amends by playing my fake boyfriend. How can I say no?
It should be easy enoughβexcept nothing about Ian feels fake. The chemistry? Explosive. His unexpected sweetness? Heart-melting. And the way he seems to like me just as I am? Ruh, roh.
Hereβs the thingβI donβt do vulnerability, and neither does he. But as the line between pretend and real starts to blurβespecially in the bedroomβI wonder if happily-ever-after is a game we can win.
I set out to score one for the bucket list, but now Iβm playing for keeps. And if weβre not careful, I might lose my heart in the final play.
There were moments of humor, some of feels, and a little frustration. Ian and Sadie together are enjoyable, with his support of her and working to improve her confidence. Ian recognizes that she’s giving and loving, sacrificing for others, but that it’s not recognized or returned. I do wish that by the end she’d have been more appreciated by the people around her. She’s getting there and maybe we’ll see more thru the rest of the series.
Ian is working hard at being a good dad, settling into retirement and a new town. He’s trying and it’s obvious, as is his struggle with being loved. This is another one of those moments where I wish we’d gotten a bit more. He has reason for struggling with relationships – his childhood as well as past relationships – but it needed just a little more … explanation? Examples? Just a bit more show not tell, I guess?
It was obvious that we were going to get a third act breakup due to some misunderstanding or miscommunication. These two are struggling so much with their feelings, past hurts, and insecurities. And neither is confident enough to put themselves out there or get advice from someone else.
Overall, though, I liked what Major does here. The characters are interesting and the plot has a good mix of angst, humor, and steam. Looking forward to seeing what happens next for the citizens of Skylark.
(There was a moment that I really had an issue with – Ian and his brother talk about people with an Only Fans account and suggest that they are bad people. I was hoping we’d be past looking down on sex workers. Surely they could have found another way to do this.)
*****
Author Info:
USA Today bestselling author Michelle Major loves stories of new beginnings, second chances and always a happily ever after. An avid hiker and avoider of housework, she lives in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains with her husband, two teenagers, and a menagerie of spoiled furbabies. Connect with her at http://www.michellemajor.com.
Therefore, I do what any sensible guy does when heβs trying to get a girlβs attention, I ask her out.
Except Iβm too late.
Thanks to the job offer on the New York Lions Social media team, Scoutβs focus is on work, so while pining for her I focus on making her my friend instead. Friends first, date later.
Or at least I thought.
The more time we spend together though, the harder it becomes for both of us to deny our feelings.
And when a new company policy makes it almost impossible for us to give in, we find ourselves falling for one another.
Now all we need to do is keep our relationship a secret until after the playoffs, and avoid Coach breathing down our necks.
The Strike Zone is a dangerous place to stay, but weβre going out swinging.
Lulu started writing by accident, and somehow found herself stuck in a fictional world of ice hockey, baseball and billionaires. A world she has no plans to leave. She’s the creator of The New York Players Series, The Tuesday Club Series, and The New York Lions – the worst team in the M.L.B.
More recently she’s ventured across the Atlantic to where her latest novel is set – the beautiful cities of Oxford and Cambridge, and the annual rowing showdown on the River Thames.
She’s a big fan of strong heroines, because those fierce alphas need someone to keep them in check. You’ll find her navigating her way through Romance Land one HEA at a time, and trying to figure out the latest social media platform she needs to post to.
Romantic Reads and Such 