Spotlight – Risky Play

21 Thursday Mar 2019

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Blog Tour, Contest, Sneak Peek

Tags

Rachel Van Dyken, Red Card series, Risky Play

I’m so happy to have Rachel Van Dyken on today to share a few words about some of the best book boyfriends – sports heroes – I know they are one of my favs!

*****

Why Sports Heroes Make the Best Book Boyfriends

Hey everyone! I’m Rachel Van Dyken, author of over eighty (holy crap) books in multiple genres, one of my favorites being, sports romance! My latest book, Risky Play, is about two broken main characters who find themselves on a last minute holiday to Puerto Vallarta.

Pro Soccer player Slade Rodriguez is trying to lay low after finding out his girlfriend and his ex teammate hooked up behind his back, for over a year. Licking his wounds he changes teams and moves to Seattle, but isn’t ready to settle down yet. Needing time to himself, he gets on the first jet out. He sits next to Mackenzie Dupont on a plane and is immediately intrigued, especially since a few hours into the plane ride, they have single engine failure. She asks him what one thing he would do different. And they kiss. Once the plane safely lands, to protect his own identity, he gives her a fake name, Hugo. What he doesn’t realize is she’s famous in her own right, so she does the same thing. After all, she’s running away from a broken engagement. What follows is a whole lot of steaminess and taking chances with a complete stranger assuming that it’s just that, a one night stand, a two night stand. Whatever it is, Mackenzie’s obsessed with “Hugo’s” intense golden gaze, the eight pack helps, and the fact that he seems genuinely interested in everything she says. He promises the universe he’s going to keep her, but sometimes the universe is against us. Tragedy strikes and they go their separate ways only to meet again in Seattle, this time, sparks fly and not the good kind The “I want to kiss you, then strangle you, then kiss you again” kind.

I love writing sports romances because I think it adds this extra layer of pressure from the press to act a certain way. Not only does Slade have to deal with paparazzi but he has pressure to perform, to lead his team to the championships after training with another team. I think it brings in so many details from behind the scenes that we never think about when watching sports on TV. I’m fully dedicated to interviewing real athletes (and my last sports romance I interviewed NFL players). This time I wanted to focus on a sport that isn’t as huge here as it is internationally and really do it justice. These athletes eat, sleep, and breathe their sport, there isn’t a lot of time for a personal life and if you do have one, the balance is always going to be a struggle (not to mention the fact that Slade is still mourning). In this book, I wanted to introduce a really strong female character that wouldn’t let Slade project all those feelings and basically Mackenzie is the type of girl that doesn’t put up with his crap. I think it’s important to have strong female characters that women can look up to. I love that during the entire journey my heroine doesn’t give up. She knows her worth and demands that Slade recognize it too.

All in all it was such a fun book to write, I can’t wait for everyone to read it!

*****

Risky Play

Red Card, Book 1

by Rachel Van Dyken

Release Date: Marcy 19, 2019

Publisher: Skyscape

Blurb:

What else can a virgin do when she’s ditched at the altar? Seattle heiress Mackenzie Dupont is treating herself to a single-girl honeymoon in Mexico and a desire to relinquish her innocence to a gorgeous one-night stand. Fake names. True pleasure. But when she wakes up alone, Mackenzie realizes just how much anger is left in her broken heart.

Suffering a tragic personal loss, pro soccer player Slade Rodriguez has his reasons for vanishing without a goodbye. Right or wrong, he’s blaming the beautiful and infuriating stranger he never wants to see again. They’re both in for a shock when Mackenzie shows up as his new personal assistant. And they both have a lot to learn about each other. Because they share more than they could possibly know, including a common enemy who’s playing his own games. And he’s not afraid to get dirty.

Now there’s only one way Mackenzie and Slade can win: to trust in each other and to stop hiding from the lies they’ve told, the secrets they’ve kept, the mistakes they’ve made, and the attraction that still burns between them.

amazon us | amazon everywhere

*****

Excerpt:

I was kissing her again.

Maybe it was because it had been months since I’d had a decent kiss, since I’d jumped into the arms of anyone who didn’t know me by name.

I could be Hugo for a few days.

Hugo seemed spontaneous.

Hugo seemed relaxed.

Hugo seemed fun.

I sure as hell needed some fun.

I broke away from her kiss and trailed my fingertips down her chin. “So, now that we’ve established the plane didn’t crash and we’re here side by side, what did you have in mind?”

Ashley grinned up at me, her eyes a bit hesitant as she looked from me to the ocean. “Well, I’ve never gone cliff diving, I heard there’s a great place close by.”

My eyebrows shot up. “No offense, but you don’t seem like a thrill seeker.”

She laughed. I decided I liked the way her laugh relaxed me, made me respond with a smile and a need to kiss her again. “I’m not, trust me.” She sobered a bit. Her lips turned down.

I wanted nothing more than to press a soft kiss to the corner of her mouth just to see if it would it make it decide to smile in my direction again.

“But it would be fun, I need fun.”

I sighed heavily and looked at my feet. When the hell had I ever looked away like that? “That makes both of us.”

“Great!” She walked ahead of me into her penthouse suite, which matched mine even in color. I suddenly wondered what she did for a living. I mean I could afford it because I had been the highest paid soccer star in Europe for the last ten years.

The place was around three grand a day.

I eyed the large master suite as she ran around and then held up her hand. “One sec, I’m going to change into a suit, alright?”

“Great.” I smiled reassuringly. It would give me time to look around, not that I was stalking her, but I could never be too careful. I was still surprised she didn’t recognize me. And I knew when she did, this little facade, this freedom I felt in my chest, the easy way she let me breathe around her? It would go to hell, and I’d need another escape.

I thumbed through a few of the magazines on the table, and dropped the last one down just in time to hear the sliding bathroom door open and see a goddess emerge.

A one-piece swimsuit covered her body. It had a plunging neckline that showed off two generously sized breasts, and I immediately regretted not telling her who I was.

Because clothing tended to get pulled off, not put on, when I was in the room.

I eyed the scrap of material she called a swimsuit, my eyes raking over her muscular legs, her curvy body.

“Unless you’re jumping naked, you should change too,” she pointed out, then cleared her throat and looked away like she was insecure. Damn, the woman could make a man cut his own heart out for a taste of her special brand of sin.

I peeled my shirt off over my body and shrugged. “Ready.”

Her eyes went so wide I had to fight not to laugh.

I knew what she saw.

I had Instagram pages dedicated to my eyes alone, don’t even get me started on my abs.

Eight.

Tight, packed abs, all tanned and golden like I was the sun god himself.

“Uh, right.” Her cheeks brightened as she clasped her hands together. “Let’s go!”

I checked her out the entire time she walked ahead of me, and when she caught me staring I just shrugged and said, “Next time wear more clothes if you don’t want me to look.”

“You should talk,” she fired back.

“Misunderstanding.” I grinned. “I wanted you to look.”

She slapped a hand against my bare chest.

I laughed, and then grabbed her hand and kissed her fingertips. “You ready to jump off a cliff with a stranger you’ve kissed twice?”

“Once,” she corrected with a whisper. “I kissed you, you kissed me, we’re even.”

The doors to the elevator opened as I whispered under my breath. “Not for long.”

*****

Author Info:

Rachel Van Dyken is a Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and #1 New York Times bestselling author known for regency romances, contemporary romances, and her love of coffee and Swedish fish. Rachel’s also recently inked a deal for her Wingmen Inc. series—The Matchmaker’s Playbook and The Matchmaker’s Replacement—to be made into movies.

A fan of The Bachelor and the Seattle Seahawks (not necessarily in that order), Rachel lives in Idaho with her husband, a super cute toddler son who keeps her on her toes, and two boxers. Make sure you check out her site, www.RachelVanDykenauthor.com, and follow her on Twitter (@RachVD).

Website: http://rachelvandykenauthor.com/home

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RachVD

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4882127.Rachel_Van_Dyken

*****

Giveaway:

$25 Amazon Gift Card and Digital Copy of Rachel Van Dyken’s RISKY PLAY

https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/07c2363f218/

*****

Spotlight – The Consequence of Loving Colton

21 Tuesday Apr 2015

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Blog Tour, Contest, Sneak Peek

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Rachel Van Dyken, The Consequence of Loving Colton

And now I want to share a new book that just might be perfect for your TBR pile … I know I can’t wait!

*****

It’s all fun and games…until someone’s heart is broken.

They’re not kids anymore, but Milo Caro is certain that Colton Mathews will only see her as his best friend’s little sister for the rest of their lives. After all, he made that clear the night before she left for college. But four years later, her brother is getting married and Colt’s the best man—and guess who is the best man’s last-minute date?

Milo vows to use the wedding to either claim the smoldering firefighter’s heart or douse this torch for good. When Max—her best friend from college, who may be carrying a torch of his own—crashes the party, they devise a plan to make Colt see what he’s missing. But after Colt catches on, he decides to cook up his own revenge.

Now it’s personal. Colt and Milo are at war, and between Max’s questionable acting methods, an unfortunate trip to jail, and a maniacal fiancée, what could possibly go right?

AMAZON: http://amzn.com/B00P9QJVSW

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23381448-the-consequence-of-loving-colton

*****

Excerpt:

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Max gave me a tender shove. “We were fine until you started stepping on my foot and elbowing me!”

“You were hitting on my mom!”

“She’s a beautiful lady!” he argued.

“Oh, my gosh.” I fell into one of the chairs and moaned. “This is a catastrophe.”

“Not true.” Max shook his head. “You just have to be more believable. I mean, would it kill you to find me screw-worthy?”

“Screw-worthy? What does that even mean?”

“That’s it.” Max grabbed my hand and pulled me down the hall. “Where’s the bathroom?”

“Uh . . .” I pointed.

With a jerk he had me in the bathroom under the stairs and closed the door. Words and sounds were coming out of his mouth but I couldn’t make anything out. Max pushed me against the door and pointed his finger in my face. “I’m going to kiss you, damn it, and you’re going to like it. And I’m going to take off my shirt and you’re going to manhandle me, and you’re going to stop being so damn nervous or so help me God I’m going to bend you over that sofa in the living room and spank your sexy ass.”

Shocked, I was paralyzed in place. “Where did that come from?”

“Inside.” Max looked at me and smirked. “I have lots of feelings and I’m sick and tired of you looking at me like I don’t have a penis. I may be used to your innocence but for my own pride at least try to be attracted to me. Now close your damn eyes.”

“Stop cursing at me.”

“Stop being difficult! I’m trying to help you. And stop squirming. Shit, take a Xanax or something.”

“Max.” I closed my eyes and huffed. “This isn’t going to—”

My hand was on something hard.

I blinked my eyes open.

Since when did he have a six-pack?

I tilted my head, you know, to get a better look. His skin was really smooth but bumpy, each muscle defined so much that there was enough of a ridge for my hands to play with.

“Oh, look, he’s a man after all,” Max said, sounding bored. “I’m not your sexless friend. I’m not your damn brother. I’m not your gay friend. And I sure as hell am not thinking about anything right now except that your hands feel really good against my skin. So I’m going to kiss you, and you’re going to respond like the idea of my mouth on yours doesn’t make you want to cry—and you’ll like it.”

“I’ll like it,” I repeated.

“There’s my girl.” His eyes flashed, and then he was kissing me again, only this time his body was on fire as it pressed against me. I felt every ridge of his abs; the length of his body was beyond devastating.

*****

Author Info:

Rachel Van Dyken is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling author of regency and contemporary romances. When she’s not writing you can find her drinking coffee at Starbucks and plotting her next book while watching The Bachelor. She keeps her home in Idaho with her Husband and their snoring Boxer, Sir Winston Churchill. She loves to hear from readers! You can follow her writing journey at www.rachelvandykenauthor.com

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RachVD

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4882127.Rachel_Van_Dyken?from_search=true

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Rachel-Van-Dyken/e/B0054TW5AA/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1407369649&sr=8-2-ent

Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/8l7hP

*****

Giveaway:

Enter to win a fantastic prize pack from Rachel

https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/651102d377/

*****

Spotlight – The Bet

03 Friday Apr 2015

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Blog Tour, Sneak Peek

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Rachel Van Dyken, The Bet

Y’all, I was SOOO excited to hear that Rachel Van Dyken’s book is going on sale today – I can NOT wait to get my hands on it. Check out the sneak peek below … just a little taste but I’m ready for more!

*****

“I have a proposition for you.” Kacey should have run the minute those words left Seattle millionaire Jake Titus’s mouth. It’s been years since Kacey’s seen her childhood friend Jake, but the minute Jake mentions his ill grandmother, Kacey is ready to do anything for the sweet old woman. And if that means pretending they’re engaged for her sake-so be it.

But Kacey wasn’t counting on Jake’s older brother Travis still being there. She calls him “Satan” for a reason: she’s never forgotten the way he teased and taunted her. Yet when they meet again, Travis’s gorgeous smile is a direct hit to her heart . . . and Kacey’s more confused than ever. As the days pass, only one thing starts to become alarmingly clear-she never should have accepted Jake’s deal . . .

Amazon: http://amzn.com/B00DB7RCD2

*****

Excerpt:

“Well, well, well. Look what we have here.” Travis’s smooth voice seemed to rumble in her chest.

Stupid man.

Dear God, please have mercy and let him be bald and fat.

Slowly, she turned and faced her nemesis.

Hell.

Would it have been too much to ask for him to at least not have grown into his perfect nose?

“Kacey.” He nodded.

“Satan.”

“Your hair’s different.”

Kacey flinched. “You’ve grown into your nose.”

Jake walked up and stood between them. “Can you guys at least pretend to play nice?”

“No,” they said in unison.

“Look…” Jake glanced at his phone. “This is work. I’ve gotta take this. Travis, can you drop me off at the Portland office and then take Kacey to the house?”

“Pretty sure Mom’s going to be upset if you don’t make it home for dinner. Not that I’m scared to be alone with this one.” He pointed to Kacey. “But last time we were alone in the car, she nearly killed me.”

“Don’t be a drama queen,” Kacey huffed.

“Drama queen?” Travis raised an eyebrow. “There was a cliff, snow, and I’m pretty sure Benadryl was involved.”

“Always is.” Jake shook his head.

*****

Author Info:

Links:

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RachVD

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4882127.Rachel_Van_Dyken?from_search=true

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Rachel-Van-Dyken/e/B0054TW5AA/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1407369649&sr=8-2-ent

Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/8l7hP

*****

Excerpt – The Dare

02 Wednesday Jul 2014

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Blog Tour, Sneak Peek

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Rachel Van Dyken, The Bet series, The Dare

Some of you may remember that we got a chance to check out the trailer for The Dare a few days ago. Now we get a sneak peek!

*****

The Dare

by Rachel Van Dyken

From #1 New York Times Bestselling Author Rachel Van Dyken, comes the third and final book in the New York Time’s Bestselling Bet Series…

Blurb:

Boring Beth Lynn has always lived up to her nickname… until she wakes up in a hotel bed next to a sexy as sin state senator she re-connected with at a wedding the previous night.

The biggest problem? She can’t seem to remember anything about the night before except for crying into a box of cookies, and she’s pretty sure Grandma Nadine slipped something in her drink. And what should have been a one night stand turns into a six day adventure when Grandma whisks them off to Hawaii to save them from the ensuing media firestorm.

Jace isn’t looking for commitment — he believes he made that clear when he left the wedding with Beth. Then again, he can’t remember much of anything other than the way her skin felt beneath his hands. Now he’s stuck with her at some lame couple’s retreat and trying his hardest to fight the attraction only a woman like Beth could invoke.

He doesn’t think it can get any worse.

But one spider attack… A donkey ride from hell… And an unfortunate episode with Viagra tea — and there’s one thing Jace knows for sure: He should never have agreed to Grandma Nadine’s suggestion in the first place.

Because if this isn’t paradise, and it isn’t a vacation — that only leaves one option.

Survival.

But to make it through alive… they might lose their hearts in the process.

(Romantic Comedy, Friends to lovers, Vacation Romance, New Adult Romance, Funny Stand Alone, Bargain Books, Humorous Romance)

BUY LINKS

Amazon:

http://amzn.com/B00KLJCUIK

Barnes & Noble:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-dare-rachel-van-dyken/1119573016?ean=2940045955768

iTunes:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-dare/id880917031?mt=11

TRAILER

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrKf68adP6U&feature=youtu.be

*****

Excerpt:

“Beth!” Jace knocked on the door. “If you’re done freaking out, we need to go.” “Right.” I wiped my wet cheeks and clenched the dress in my hands. It wasn’t magic. If anything, it was just a reminder that I was exactly where I’d been when I’d graduated in 2000. A loser. A loser with a small rack who preferred math and science to Facebook. “Beth, I’m serious. It’s not looking good.” “Keep your pants on!” I yelled, irritated that he was making me hurry. With a curse, I pulled on the dress, put my wet hair in a quick pony tail, and opened the bathroom door. “What’s the big hurry?” Jace held up his phone. It said Grandma Nadine. “Hello!” a loud voice yelled. “Jace! Beth! Hurry! Grandma has this all figured out.” “Famous last words.” Jace nodded. “But we have no choice.” “No choice?” I repeated. “What? Is the mafia after us or

something?” “Worse.” “I highly doubt that.” “Look.” He pointed to the TV. Reporters were in front of a hotel, looking excited as hell. “The news?” I asked. “Why is that worse than—” “Special reports say the senator took a prostitute back to his room at midnight last night and has yet to check out! Which raises the question, has the senator truly put his murky past behind him? Sources close to the senator’s ex-fiancée say the cheating scandal from two years ago nearly destroyed him. One more scandal won’t bode well for the youngest senator in state history. Could a trust issue in his personal life have a reflection on his public one?” “That’s enough.” I grabbed the remote from Jace’s frozen hand and threw it onto the bed. Great. So not only had I lost my virginity to a politician, but now I was a prostitute. I reached for his cell phone and growled into it. “We’ll have words later.” Grandma snorted. “But get us out of here first.” “Say the magic words.” “Uh, please?” I nudged Jace out of his paralyzed state. “Not those words.” I closed my eyes and allowed visions of my calm and sterile office to bring back the peace into my body. That didn’t work. I needed to think about Vampire Diaries. Damon Salvatore. Damon Salvatore. Damon Salvatore. And happy place found! “I can’t read minds. What words do you want me to say?” Grandma chuckled. “Why, thank you, of course!” “For?” “How was he?” She giggled like a school girl. “Men with power seem to have a special type of—” “Thank you!” I all but shouted. “Now get us out of here.” “Roger.” The phone went dead. I looked to Jace for help, but he seemed to be fighting a losing battle with his tie as he tried to pull it from his neck. “Stop.” I swatted his hands away. “You’re going to hang yourself if you keep doing that.” He shrugged. “What?” I loosened the tie. “No snappy retort?”

“Not feeling snappy,” he said dryly. I slapped him. I never said I was good with emotions. “What the hell was that for?” “Singing Katy Perry.” I grinned. “Now snap to it, Mr. Senator. We’ve gotta make it out of this hotel without that skinny bitch reporting it on the evening news.” “Grandma?” “The reporter.” “You understand my confusion,” he added, just as someone knocked on the door. “Stay here.” “It feels like a bad movie,” I whispered to myself as I chewed the nail polish off my thumb. “Shit.” Jace looked through the peephole and then said shit about five more times before slowly opening the door. Why was he so upset? Why the hell would… “Aw, shit.” I repeated. Because there really wasn’t any other word that existed in the English language that would fit as well. So I repeated it again. As did Jace. Grandma shrugged and pulled off her sunglasses. “Let the fun begin!”

Spotlight – The Dare

23 Monday Jun 2014

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Blog Tour

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Bet series, Rachel Van Dyken, The Dare

You guys have GOT to check out this really cool (and sexy!) trailer for Rachel Van Dyken’s third (and final book) in the Bet Series – The Dare

*****

The Dare

by Rachel Van Dyken

From #1 New York Times Bestselling Author Rachel Van Dyken, comes the third and final book in the New York Time’s Bestselling Bet Series…

Boring Beth Lynn has always lived up to her nickname… until she wakes up in a hotel bed next to a sexy as sin state senator she re-connected with at a wedding the previous night.

He doesn’t think it can get any worse.

Because if this isn’t paradise, and it isn’t a vacation — that only leaves one option.

Survival.

But to make it through alive… they might lose their hearts in the process.

(Romantic Comedy, Friends to lovers, Vacation Romance, New Adult Romance, Funny Stand Alone, Bargain Books, Humorous Romance)

BUY LINKS

AMAZON

http://amzn.com/B00KLJCUIK

Barnes & Noble:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-dare-rachel-van-dyken/1119573016?ean=2940045955768

iTunes:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-dare/id880917031?mt=11

*****

TRAILER

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrKf68adP6U&feature=youtu.be

Cover Reveal – The Dare

06 Friday Jun 2014

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Blog Tour

≈ Leave a comment

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Rachel Van Dyken, The Bet, The Bet series, The Dare, The Wager

Today we’re getting the first look at The Dare, the latest in Rachel Van Dyken’s “The Bet” series and I’m super excited about this one – it looks like a ton of fun!

*****

THE DARE

Blurb:

Boring Beth Lynn has always lived up to her nickname… until she wakes up in a hotel bed next to a sexy as sin state senator she re-connected with at a wedding the previous night.

He doesn’t think it can get any worse.

Survival.

But to make it through alive… they might lose their hearts in the process.

Amazon: http://amzn.com/B00KLJCUIK

iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-dare/id880917031?mt=11

Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-dare-rachel-van-dyken/1119573016?ean=2940045955768

*****

THE BET

The #1 New York Times bestseller…

http://amzn.com/B00DB7RCD2

*****

From the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller, THE BET

THE WAGER

Lose a bet, lose your heart…

What is it about a junior-high crush that can send an otherwise intelligent woman into a tailspin? TV reporter Char Lynn wishes she knew. Jake Titus is too rich, too handsome, too arrogant: a trifecta that once lured Char into the best night-and worst morning-after-of her life. Now they’ve been thrown together in a wedding party. It’s awkward, but survivable . . . until Jake stops acting like a jerk, and starts acting like the man she’d always hoped he could be.

If watching your brother marry your best friend is weird, being attracted to your best friend’s other best friend is downright bizarre. Unfortunately for Jake, Char hasn’t forgotten how he once tossed her aside. Worse still, Jake’s already-nutty grandma is even crazier about Char. Cue meet-cute shenanigans and all manner of meddling, and somehow, Jake’s falling. For Char. Now all he has to do is make her believe it . . .

http://amzn.com/B00E7XUGM8

*****

Author Info:

Rachel Van Dyken is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling author of regency and contemporary romances. When she’s not writing you can find her drinking coffee at Starbucks and plotting her next book while watching The Bachelor.
She keeps her home in Idaho with her Husband and their snoring Boxer, Sir Winston Churchill. She loves to hear from readers!

You can follow her writing journey at www.rachelvandykenauthor.com

EMAIL ME: rachelvandykenauthor@gmail.com

*****