Review – Game Changer

25 Tuesday Apr 2023

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Blog Tour, Book Review

Tags

Book Review, Game Changer, King of the Court series, Piper Lawson

A steamy, grumpy sunshine sports romance featuring a woman down on her luck, a star basketball player with a filthy mouth, and a connection neither of them can deny.

Game Changer

King of the Court #1

by Piper Lawson

Blurb:

After being dumped and losing my job the same week, the last thing my broken heart needs is a rebound.

I’m escaping across the country to help my perfect sister plan her dream wedding, and to prove to both of us everything is under control.

But a combination of tequila and turbulence on the flight there lead to word-vomiting all my troubles to the huge and handsome stranger in the first-class seat next to mine.

Only his whispered dirty diversions keep me sane until landing.

Despite the spark of attraction, we go our separate ways.

Or so I thought.

Turns out the tall, muscular, tattooed tower of a man from the plane is the star player on my future brother-in-law’s pro basketball team.

Clay is the last person I should gravitate toward. They’re called “players” for a reason.

Grumpy and cynical, he carries a weight on his shoulders I can’t possibly fathom.

He’s also the only one who knows my secrets and gets my heart racing.

The more we’re thrust together, the stronger the chemistry between us becomes.

Hooking up with the all-star athlete isn’t the way to get my life on track…but it could just be the game changer we’ve both been searching for.

Download today on Amazon, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Google Play, and Kobo!

Amazon: https://bit.ly/3xjIJrS

Amazon Alt. Cover Paperback: https://bit.ly/3KIJzEI

Apple Books: http://bit.ly/3K05c4J

Nook: http://bit.ly/3jMN181

B & N Alt. Cover Paperback: https://bit.ly/3AdWLg0

Kobo: https://bit.ly/3zdO9Wh

Google Play: https://bit.ly/3IkFdnf

Add to Goodreads: http://bit.ly/3YJWE6a

*****

Review:

I was super intrigued by the blurb, so I was willing to try a New Adult romance – which is SO not my thing. Usually, they are full of drama all mixed up with inexperience and poor decisions. I’ve been steering clear of them for years and now I’m wondering if I judged them too harshly. Granted, there is ALL sorts of angst here and I really wanted Nova to walk away from Clay’s hot & cold routine at the beginning (girl deserves better than being jerked around) but she stuck it out and I’m glad I did too.

Nova has hit a rough patch and is using the excuse of helping her sister to lay low a little, waiting for things to settle. They used to be close but over the years have grown apart. Time together is going to be good for them…if Nova can survive the plane ride there. Luckily her grumpy, and super sexy, seat mate is the perfect distraction from her fear of flying.

Clay has somethings in his past that still haunt him but he’s not going to let them distract him from his goal of a championship. That also goes for the hottie who stole his seat on the plane and proceeded to have quite the freak out. Too bad fate has other plans.

I’ll be honest, I almost gave up on this one more than once. Before I even started it, really, once I found out it ended in a cliffhanger, which I NEVER do, but I’m glad that I stuck with it. The beginning was a little rough, and there were a few times where I was like WHY? to something one of the main characters did, but I like them. Nova is the perfect mix of sunshine and vulnerability and I’m very much looking forward to finding out more about Clay’s past. I’m not sure I can take two more books of drama without a HEA but if Lawson keeps delivering such interesting characters, I’m willing to give it a shot 🙂 (and I’m really hoping Nova hands Clay his @ss in the next book!)

*****

Author Info:

Piper Lawson is a Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author of smart and steamy romance.

She writes women who follow their dreams, best friends who know your dirty secrets and love you anyway, and complex heroes you’ll fall hard for.

Piper lives in Canada with her tall and brilliant husband. She’s a sucker for dark eyes, dark coffee, and dark chocolate.

Connect with Piper

Website: https://www.piperlawsonbooks.com

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13680088.Piper_Lawson

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/piperlawsonbooks

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/piperlawsonromance/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/piperlawsonbooks

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/piper-lawson

Spotlight – Game Changer

08 Friday Aug 2014

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Blog Tour, Contest, Sneak Peek

≈ Leave a comment

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Collette West, Game Changer

First up we get to take another look at Game Changer, complete with a new excerpt.

*****

Game Changer

by Collette West

Publication Date: July 25, 2014

Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Sports

Purchase from: Amazon

Add to Goodreads

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Blurb:

Young, rich, and unaware of how seriously hot he is, Brooks Davison is tearing it up as the latest shortstop for the New York Kings, despite his tendency to blush whenever girls scream his name.

When a health scare forces his best friend, Kyle Roberts, off the team, no one can stomach the thought of replacing him, especially so close to the playoffs.

Until Kyle’s sister, Sasha, steps in, convincing management to let her take his place. The idea of signing the first female player in Major League history proves too tempting for the Kings to resist.

Nevertheless, Brooks doesn’t want any part of it. Sasha is Kyle’s little sister, not some sideshow.

Yet when Kyle takes a turn for the worse, Brooks promises to do everything in his power to help Sasha win a championship for him. Because there’s no way he’s letting either of them down. Not now, not ever.

*****

Excerpt:

About an hour later, she opens the bathroom door with a towel wrapped around her body. She takes a step back when she sees that I’m still lying in bed, where I was dozing to the

whir of her blow-dryer.

“What are you still doing here?” she shrieks. “There’s no way you’ll be able to sneak back to your room now. The other guys will be up and moving around and you’re all the way down at the end of the hall.”

She looks panic stricken, like the world’s going to end if I get caught leaving her room after spending the night with her. But for me, it’s no walk of shame. I couldn’t be prouder of where I laid my head last night.

She shoots me a frazzled look, grabbing a pair of jeans and a striped top that was folded the way I’d taught her on the dresser, and strides back into the steam-filled bathroom to get dressed, slamming the door.

That didn’t go very well. But it makes me chuckle and wonder what it’s going to be like to live with her someday. I have a feeling that she’ll keep me on my toes.

A few minutes later, she barges out, sliding her feet into a pair of sandals with a towering heel, tossing the strap of her cross-body bag over her head. I enjoy sitting back and watching her get ready as she peers in the mirror, slipping a delicate pair of silver hoops into her ears before placing sunglasses on top of her head. Her allure is so natural that she doesn’t even realize how devastatingly attractive she is.

“Are you ready?” She turns around, raising an eyebrow in my direction.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” I respond without even the slightest hint of sarcasm, getting out of bed.

“What are you up to?” She eyes me warily, her hand on the door handle as I shuffle up behind her.

“You’ll see.” I wink at her, bestowing a kiss on top of her hair.

She shakes her head, opening the door and peeking out before quickly ducking back inside. “Shit, Drake is holding court with Scott and Colton by the elevator. You’re never gonna get out of here without them seeing you.”

“Go ahead,” I urge as she looks up at me in surprise. “It’s time to face the music.”

*****

Author Info:

Collette West grew up as somewhat of a jock-nerd hybrid. Entering the world three weeks premature, her dad nearly missed her birth because he had seats behind the dugout for a sold-out, highly-anticipated match-up between two of baseball’s biggest rivals. Not to be outdone, her book-loving mom taught her how to read by the time she was three. A love of the game coupled with an appreciation for the written word were instilled in Collette’s impressionable brain from a young age. No wonder her characters believe in the philosophy: sports + romance = a little slice of heaven.

Splitting her time between the Pocono Mountains and Manhattan, Collette indulges her inner fangirl by going to as many games as she can from hockey to baseball and downloading every sports romance novel in existence onto her iPad. When she’s not clicking away on her laptop, she enjoys walking her dog in Central Park, satisfying her caffeine craving at the Starbucks on Broadway and keeping an eye out for Mr. Right. But above all, she loves dishing with her readers. Email her at collette_west@yahoo.com.

She is the author of NIGHT GAMES and GAME CHANGER.

Website • Blog • Twitter • Facebook • Goodreads

*****

Giveaway:

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/5440a35488/

*****

Spotlight – Game Changer

25 Friday Jul 2014

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Blog Tour, Contest, Sneak Peek

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Collette West, Game Changer

Friday is a full day and we’re going to start with a fantastic baseball romance …

*****

Game Changer
by Collette West
Publication Date: July 25, 2014
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Sports
Purchase from: Amazon
Add to Goodreads

Young, rich, and unaware of how seriously hot he is, Brooks Davison is tearing it up as the latest shortstop for the New York Kings, despite his tendency to blush whenever girls scream his name.

When a health scare forces his best friend, Kyle Roberts, off the team, no one can stomach the thought of replacing him, especially so close to the playoffs.

Nevertheless, Brooks doesn’t want any part of it. Sasha is Kyle’s little sister, not some sideshow.

*****

Excerpt:

“Why are you freaking out about this?” she asks, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. “I’ll still be in the city. It’s not like we’re never going to see each other.”

“It’s better if I’m nearby…so I can keep an eye on you,” I insist as she struggles to get up off the couch while I stubbornly hold on to her feet.

“So that’s what this is all about?” She’s angry with me, but I don’t know why. “You made some kind of promise to Kyle that you’d be my watchdog. Well, you don’t have to worry about it. Kyle thought that it’d only be for a couple of days. He never would’ve put you up to it if he knew how long I was going to be here. It’s not fair to ask you to babysit me. I’ll be fine. The Kings will make sure of it.”

“And that’s what worries me,” I grumble, absently stroking her ankle. “I don’t want you falling under their influence. You need someone in your corner who will watch out for you, someone who cares about you.”

She whips around to face me. Shit. Did I really just say that? I can’t control my thoughts whenever I’m around this girl. They just come tumbling out.

“What do you mean by that?” She levels me with her gaze, daring me to lie to her. “You care about me…how exactly? Like a friend? Like the sister you never had? Or something more?”

Damn. She doesn’t mince words, does she? It’s her first night here and she’s laying it all on the line. She wants answers. She deserves answers. But I’m not ready to give them to her yet. Not when we don’t know what’s going to happen to Kyle. He trusts me to look out for her. I can’t let him down, especially once he hears about what she’s gone and done.

But Sasha doesn’t give me a chance to respond. I relax my grip on her legs, and she scoots them underneath her, drawing herself in next to me. She’s so close. I can see the gold flecks in her eyes. Our lips are inches apart. It would be so easy to lean in and kiss her. I remember how she tasted that night on the beach, sweet and soft. I couldn’t get enough of her.

Until Kyle interrupted us and told me to get the hell out of there before he beat the crap out of me.

*****