NYT and USA Today Bestselling author Kaylee Ryan brings you a new standalone series surrounding the Nashville Rampage football team. Follow the Play is a single dad, nanny, friends-to-lovers, forced proximity sports romance.
Baker
Being a single dad was never part of the playbook, but one look at my son and everything changed.
Now football and fatherhood are my whole world—a world that gets turned upside down when my nanny quits two weeks before training camp.
Sloane Peterson runs interference by stepping in to help.
She’s sweet, dependable, and the one woman I shouldn’t want. Not when our lives are so entwined.
But every time she smiles at my son—or me—it gets harder to remember that our little arrangement is only temporary.
Sloane
Taking a short-term nanny gig for Nashville Rampage’s most eligible DILF has disaster written all over it.
But when Daddy Sin is in a bind, I do just that. It keeps me from waiting tables, and his son is the cutest little boy on the planet.
Baker Sinclair is famous, has a body like a Greek god, and when he’s in daddy mode… he’s irresistible. He’s also currently my new boss, and completely forbidden.
The longer I’m in his home, the less this feels like a job.
Because between reading bedtime stories and baking cookies, I can’t imagine my life without them… either of them. Too bad love doesn’t follow lesson plans… or playbooks.
New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Kaylee Ryan has been crowned the Queen of Swoon by her readers. With nearly fifty romance books under her belt, she’s known for penning happily ever afters with heart. When she’s not writing, you can find her with a book in her hand or hanging out with her family where she resides in her home state of Ohio.
NYT and USA Today Bestselling author Kaylee Ryan brings you a new standalone series surrounding the Nashville Rampage football team. Follow the Play is a single dad, nanny, friends-to-lovers, forced proximity sports romance.
Baker
Being a single dad was never part of the playbook, but one look at my son and everything changed.
Now football and fatherhood are my whole world—a world that gets turned upside down when my nanny quits two weeks before training camp.
Sloane Peterson runs interference by stepping in to help.
She’s sweet, dependable, and the one woman I shouldn’t want. Not when our lives are so entwined.
But every time she smiles at my son—or me—it gets harder to remember that our little arrangement is only temporary.
Sloane
Taking a short-term nanny gig for Nashville Rampage’s most eligible DILF has disaster written all over it.
But when Daddy Sin is in a bind, I do just that. It keeps me from waiting tables, and his son is the cutest little boy on the planet.
Baker Sinclair is famous, has a body like a Greek god, and when he’s in daddy mode… he’s irresistible. He’s also currently my new boss, and completely forbidden.
The longer I’m in his home, the less this feels like a job.
Because between reading bedtime stories and baking cookies, I can’t imagine my life without them… either of them. Too bad love doesn’t follow lesson plans… or playbooks.
New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Kaylee Ryan has been crowned the Queen of Swoon by her readers. With nearly fifty romance books under her belt, she’s known for penning happily ever afters with heart. When she’s not writing, you can find her with a book in her hand or hanging out with her family where she resides in her home state of Ohio.
The only commitment I adhere to is being the best hockey player out there on the ice. That’s why I’m captain of my team and center the top line.
Relationships? Nah, they’re not for me.
But I’m far from a monk. Women flock to me, so I give them what they want—a good time and that’s it.
But now there’s this one girl, Madison Ellery, who I can’t get out of my head. I want her like I’ve never wanted anyone before. What’s even crazier is that I want more from her than just the usual one lusty night.
What is happening to me?
Madison
I want Lennox Foley, and I’m going to get him. But he better not fall for me. I’m too much of a “love ’em and leave ’em” kind of gal.
Even gorgeous Lennox can’t change my ways.
Or can he?
Send help!
Lennox is the story of two perfectly matched people trying to fight fate, and it’s the second novel in the new Glacier Hockey series.
*can be read as a standalone*
S.R. Grey is a USA Today Bestselling Author of the Breakaway hockey series, Boys of Winter hockey books, and Men of Fall football novels. Other New Adult and Romantic Suspense works of hers include the Judge Me Not books, the Promises series, the Inevitability duology, A Harbour Falls Mystery trilogy, and the Laid Bare series of novellas.
When not writing Ms. Grey can be found reading, traveling, running, and cheering for her hometown sports teams. Sometimes all at the same time!
Skating and Fake Dating Ellie Hall (Love in Maple Falls, #4)) Publication date: September 3rd 2025 Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Sports
I’m pretending to be his stable girlfriend while he plays my successful boyfriend. But now faking feels a lot like falling.
Bailey
I’m a walking contradiction—professional on the job, a hot mess at home, and working my “I’ve got this” smile until my cheeks ache while hiding my hobbies: making maple butter and finding a husband. With my perfect sister’s recent engagement, I’m desperate to avoid Mom’s pitying looks and matchmaking attempts.
Carson
I used to be hockey’s laid-back southern charmer until a crushing rejection from my high school sweetheart transformed me into a workaholic. When I’m unexpectedly traded to a new team, rumors circulate about whether the gentleman wingman lost his edge. I’ll do whatever it takes to prove them wrong.
Bailey
When our worlds collide after a dessert disaster, we come up with a mutually beneficial solution to our respective woes: a fake relationship. The rules are simple: I get a “successful” boyfriend for family events. He gets a “stable” girlfriend for team image. No feelings, no complications, and a definite expiration date.
Carson
But between posing as a couple at the fall festival, midnight maple butter-making sessions, trying to keep our stories straight, and undeniable chemistry, what started as a convenient lie is beginning to feel inconveniently real. As the clock runs down on our arrangement, we’ll have to decide: walk away when the final buzzer sounds, or take a shot at the love neither of us saw coming.
***
Skating and Fake Dating is a heartwarming hockey romcom featuring Bailey and ‘Bama who are perfect for each other in all the most imperfect ways, plus, small-town charm, family shenanigans, and a guaranteed happily ever after sweeter than homemade maple butter blondies.
Welcome back to Maple Falls—the small town where hockey players fall in love! This is a multi-author series of seven full-length books that could be read as standalones, but we think you’ll enjoy them best in order.
Fake-Off with Fate by Whitney Dineen Offside and Off Limits by Kate O’Keeffe Checking Mr. Wrong by Anne Kemp Skating and Fake Dating by Ellie Hall Goalie and the Girl Next Door by Elsie Woods Soulmates and Slapshots by Melissa Baldwin The Icing on the Cake by Grace Worthington
“In one simple move—” Waving his hand across the links of the cuffs, my pulse skips and then plummets.
Nothing happens.
A consummate professional, he declares, “That was to show that no ordinary person has the ability to free these people from their bonds. No, it takes a special flick of the—” He motions again, and I expect the handcuffs to drop from our wrists, but they remain fixed, locked.
His smile wavers. My expression morphs into a scowl. Bailey grins as if this is all part of the act and she’s expecting the handcuffs to vanish like the coin from the box.
I know better … or at least, my stomach thinks it does.
The magician tries one more time, but we remain locked together.
“Ah, yes. I must’ve, um, we’ll just take a moment in my stall to—” Turning his back on the crowd, he ushers us inside and then closes the black curtain at our backs.
“Get these off, now,” I say, forgoing my manners and the word sir.
Bailey adds, “Please.”
Sweat dots his forehead. “I don’t know what went wrong. Yes, of course. Let me just find the key. It’s here—” He rifles through a little drawer in a wooden chest.
I glance at Bailey and her shoulders droop slightly. She mouths, I’m sorry.
No, it’s this clown show of a magician who should be sorry.
“Ah ha!” He says, pinching a small key between his fingers.
“Hurry up. We have a wedding to go to.” I belatedly realize I included myself when in reality I’m dropping Bailey off and then going, well, I’m not sure where. She must, though, having arranged my moving plans.
The magician slides the key into the lock, but again, nothing happens. Wrenching it from his fingers, I say, “Let me try.”
Author Bio:
Ellie Hall is a USA Today bestselling author. If only that meant she could wear a tiara and get away with it. 😉 She loves puppies, books, and the ocean. Writing sweet romance with lots of firsts and fizzy feels gives her joy. Oh, and chocolate chip cookies are her fave. Ellie believes in dreaming big, working hard, and lazy Sunday afternoons spent with her family and dog in gratitude for God’s grace.
Tropes: Single Mom; Single Dad; Baseball Romance; Blended Family; He Falls First
Release Date: May 1, 2025
Cover Design: Cover Me Darling
Illustrations: Anna Noel Books
I had a one-night stand with a gorgeous stranger, believing I’d never see him again. Except who did he turn out to be? Troy Winters, starting pitcher for the MLB and the hottest single dad to grace the planet.
What’s worse, he’s now my son’s new baseball coach.
In my defense, Troy and I had agreed to exchange fake names and occupations that fateful night in a seedy Colorado bar. One perfect night of no strings and a quick escape from my busy single mom life. . . Right?
Fast forward to a re-meet-cute that had me diving under a chair, an injury that sidelined him for a year, and now Troy is coaching my son’s team while he recovers.
His smoldering golden-hued gaze makes one thing clear: he’s not letting me disappear again.
But after a highly publicized divorce from a narcissistic pro-golfer, I’m done with the spotlight and athletes. No matter how cute their rear end looks in a uniform.
Yet Troy is relentless. Between his bond with my boy, his tenderness for his daughter, and our scorching chemistry, my walls are crumbling.
So I offer a compromise: a friends-with-benefits situation while he recovers. Once he returns to the MLB, we’ll go back to being just friends.
Simple enough, right?
Except, the more time I spend wrapped in his arms, the less simple everything becomes.
Now, with the MLB calling him back, I have a choice to make: stick to our deal and protect my heart or risk everything for the spotlight I’d vowed to avoid.
I turn toward the sound before I think better of it, and there he is–-Mr. Troy Winters, no longer wearing a brace and in all his gorgeously gorgeous glory. He’s wearing a tan henley that stretches across his shoulders like it’s holding on for dear life.
What is he doing here?
I mean, obviously, I know what he’s doing here, but why was I not alerted by someone that he was coming? Why was I not alerted that he’d become a client of ours?
Why do I smell planned deceit here from my best friend and my sister?
Troy’s gaze catches mine, holding momentarily, before mine disconnects and lands on an adorable little girl at his side, holding his hand. Her cherub cheeks seem naturally pink, and while her eyes are the same color as her father’s, her hair has various shades of auburn, copper, and maroon.
I’m just about to speak—though I have no idea what I’m about to say; I was just going to let my mouth take the lead—when I see Dad’s eyes spark, and he zeroes in on Troy like a heat-seeking missile.
“Well, hello, handsome,” he practically purrs, walking toward Troy and his daughter. “You look vaguely familiar. Are you one of my daughters’ clients?”
“Dad,” I manage, feeling my cheeks heat. “This is Troy Winters, the pitcher for the Blazers. He’s also Rome’s temporary assistant baseball coach while he recovers from his surgery.”
Dad extends his multi-ringed hand in Troy’s direction, as if he’s expecting Troy to bow and press a kiss. “Suraj Arora.” He eyes Troy’s arms appreciatively. “My boyfriend Emanuel is a huge fan of the Blazers.” My dad bends to greet the little girl, now scooting behind Troy’s leg. I don’t blame her; I’m planning another escape underneath one of the tables myself. “And who is this little darling?”
And that’s when my heart thuds against my chest once again. Troy kneels down to his daughter’s level and signs to her.
Signs!
My hands tingle with muscle memory and suddenly, I feel like I’m ten again, signing jokes to my mother while sitting next to her on the sofa.
“Can you tell him what your name is?” Troy’s fingers move with precision, and I find myself walking toward them before I even realize I’m doing it.
The little girl watches me approach and something about her tugs at my chest, begging for me to be near her—perhaps it’s her shy and angelic face, or perhaps it’s her vibrant eyes that speak louder than any spoken words could.
I drop to my knees, my hands moving on their own. “Hi,” I sign, my hands recalling how to speak fluidly, despite not doing so on a daily basis anymore.
Swati MH is a Texas raised contemporary romance author living in the Bay Area with her very own book husband and two beautiful daughters. When she’s not writing stories full of humor, heart, and heartbreak, she’s likely thinking about doing so . . . preferably while holding a glass of wine.
As she enters her ninth season in the North American Hockey League, Sophie’s pressure on herself to perform well has never been higher. Next season will mark a decade as the first woman in the League, a milestone no one will let her forget, especially as her expected replacement will be old enough to be drafted herself.
Sophie has the support of Coach Elison and her team behind her. She has come into her own on the ice as the captain and face of the Concord Condors. Off the ice, her life is looking good as well. She and Elsa are living together with plans to build a home, provided Concord signs them to contract extensions.
As always, though, it isn’t enough. Sophie has her eyes set on the Maple Cup, the trophy given to the best hockey team each year. She has all the motivation she needs—a contract to live up to, a personal hockey hero on the team who has never lifted the Cup before, and a need to prove herself, again, before Emily Skelton is drafted and takes the League by storm.
Sophie greets Armand Mason with a smile and a brief handshake. Mason is a middle-aged man with dark skin and even darker hair. He wears a green button-down, but the sleeves are rolled to his elbows in deference to the summer heat.
His grip is firm but not overpowering. He has callouses on his hands, in different places than Sophie does. She suspects his are from holding pencils or, maybe in this modern age, a tablet stylus. Sophie’s callouses are from gripping her hockey stick and from all the weightlifting she does.
Elsa shakes Armand’s hand next. “Thank you for agreeing to meet with us,” she says.
Elsa, who normally only has a scant few inches on Sophie, has closer to four today, because she’s wearing wedge sandals. They’re open-toed to show off her lime-green toenail polish. The color clashes with Elsa’s dress, a light-pink halter-top. The green-pink combination reminds Sophie of watermelon, but she’s smart enough not to mention it to Elsa.
While her girlfriend—and that’s still a thrill, thinking of Elsa as her girlfriend—is understanding of Sophie and her quirks, Sophie doubts that will extend to being compared to a watermelon.
Sophie doesn’t wear a sundress like Elsa or business casual like Armand. She wears black capri leggings and a black T-shirt boasting her team’s name and logo.
The Concord Condors are New Hampshire’s North American Hockey League team. Their logo is a condor with its wings stretched wide and a hockey stick clutched in its talons. Concord was one of the newest teams to be added to the league. The NAHL decided New England could support two teams, one in Boston and one in Concord, and that the proximity would create a rivalry which would sell tickets.
In the early years, there wasn’t much of a rivalry. Concord was where Boston fans went because the tickets were cheaper. Now, though, Concord is a proper NAHL team. They have a Maple Cup to their name, having won hockey’s most coveted prize in Sophie’s third season. She hasn’t managed to do it again, but she has a good feeling about this year.
Sophie gestures for Armand to sit at the booth she and Elsa picked out at the coffee shop. She and Elsa sit side by side opposite him. This year is going to be a good one, for many reasons. Yes, Sophie is chasing the Cup again, something she will do every year she’s still playing in the NAHL, but there are other things she’s focused on.
She has a girlfriend to take out on dates. She has a contract negotiation she wants done with before the summer is over. She has plans to go to Sweden with Elsa, then for Elsa to visit Sophie in Thunder Bay.
And, of course, she has this meeting with Armand Mason, a local architect.
Sophie and Elsa plan to sign contract extensions this summer, the two of them committing to Concord for as many years as they can. They’ve already committed to each other, for more than the eight or ten years their hockey contracts will last. Another declaration of their intent is this: planning a house together.
They’re going to build their dream house. They’ll have enough bedrooms for when their respective families come to visit or for when their teammates need a place to crash. They’ll have a sleek, modern kitchen where Sophie can cook when she has the energy and heat up team-prepared meals when she doesn’t. They’ll have an open living room with enough seating to host their teammates.
It will be perfect, and Armand is going to help them make it happen.
“Are congratulations in order?” Armand asks with a glance between them.
It isn’t an unfair guess, and Sophie feels a twinge of guilt for lying to him, for using him, as she smiles and says, “Not yet. We’re hoping by the end of the summer to have ironed out our new contracts. Once the ink is dried, we can begin building, but we wanted to start planning ahead of time. We think it will go well.”
Armand’s surprise morphs into a polite smile.
Sophie knows the assumptions people will make about her and Elsa. They see them together and think they’re a couple. They are a couple, but Sophie doesn’t want the wider world to know. So few things in her life are allowed to be hers, are private, that she clings to this one.
She was the first woman drafted into the NAHL. It means she’s been the first for a lot of milestones in the league. She is the face of her franchise, and in some ways she’s the face of the league. It’s a lot of responsibility, and she accepts that it’s part of the price of entrance.
She doesn’t want to be the first hockey player to openly date their teammate. She doesn’t want the pressure or the attention or the people who will dig into every detail of her life. She values her privacy. Even more, she values her relationship with Elsa, and she doesn’t want to constantly defend it against people trying to twist it into something bad.
Armand won’t be the only person to make assumptions based on Sophie and Elsa planning a house together, but there won’t be a lot of people like him, either. For most of the hockey world, Sophie and Elsa are simply Sophie and Elsa. They shared an apartment in Elsa’s first season in Concord, and they’ve shared a house every season since. There was a brief time when Elsa moved in with a boyfriend, but she was back with Sophie the next season.
Their relationship is teammates being teammates. Sophie is happy to feed into the misdirection, because it allows her to protect what’s most important to her. She and Elsa will plan their house, and pictures will leak from today’s meeting. The two of them will train with each other, first in Sweden then in Thunder Bay. At some point, they’ll sit down with Concord’s front office and sign matching contracts.
It isn’t the first time Sophie has spun a narrative. It is, by far, the largest scale deception she’s ever undertaken. Part of her feels guilty for it. There aren’t many out athletes, and this is an opportunity for her to be a role model and a spokesperson. The thought of it exhausts her. Maybe, it’s selfish. Or maybe, it’s self-preservation. She isn’t sure. She’ll bring it up with Dr. Malone in her next therapy appointment. For now, though, her relationship with Elsa is a well-guarded secret.
Elsa’s immediate family knows, and Sophie’s brother knows. Soon, Sophie will have to tell her parents, but she doesn’t intend to tell anyone else. Concord’s front office won’t be told, her teammates won’t be told. One day, she’ll tell a wider audience, either because it leaks or because she’s ready to, but she isn’t ready now. And Elsa isn’t pressuring her.
“We’d like to stay within a thirty-minute drive of Concord,” Sophie tells Armand once they each have their beverage of choice. Sophie has a smoothie which has too much sugar to be healthy, but there’s fruit in it so she can pretend.
Elsa doesn’t even make that small effort. Her iced coffee has several syrup shots and a tall spiral of whipped cream. It’s a toothache in a cup, but Elsa’s happy with it so Sophie doesn’t say anything.
“I don’t know if that limits what we can do,” Sophie adds because Armand is their architect, not their realtor.
“Are you looking to build a large house?” Armand asks.
“No,” Elsa answers, and she grins at Sophie’s look. “He’s thinking McMansion. We want space, but not that much.”
Armand smiles and ducks his head, almost bashful. “Large isn’t exactly a precise word.”
“A little bigger than what we have now,” Sophie says. She slides the pictures and specs of their current house across the table.
The house is a good size for them, but its true benefit is the attached in-law apartment. It’s the perfect place for their respective families to stay when they visit. They’re close enough to see, but there’s enough separation that Sophie and Elsa don’t feel crowded. Would it be weird to have two in-law apartments in their future house?
“The biggest upgrade will be in the size of the yard,” Elsa says. “We’re looking to put in a saltwater pool.”
“We aren’t,” Sophie says. She tries to frown at Elsa’s impish look, but Elsa’s too pleased with herself for Sophie to hold out for very long. They have playfully argued about their pool since they first considered the idea of building a house.
Elsa wants something whimsical and impractical, a saltwater pool with a grotto and a waterfall. Sophie thinks if she’s going to have a pool, it should be a lap pool, something with purpose. Unlike their disagreement over toasters, which was solved by buying two, Sophie doesn’t think this one will be solved by having a pool for each of their preferences.
Armand laughs at their antics and sips his tea before he pulls out a blank piece of paper. “Let’s make a list. No judgements yet, anything and everything you might want. Next session, we can whittle it down based on practicality and preference.”
“All right,” Sophie says.
Her life is measured in milestones; from leagues she’s broken into to hockey achievements, even to things like her first car, her first apartment lease, her first house. This is another milestone, planning a house with the woman she wants to live with for the rest of her life.
Under the table, where no one will see, Sophie reaches for Elsa’s hand. Elsa meets her halfway, and they lace their fingers together.
K.R. Collins went to college in Pennsylvania where she learned to write and fell in love with hockey. When she isn’t working or writing, she watches hockey games and claims it’s for research. Find K.R. on Twitter.
Giveaway
One lucky winner will receive a $50.00 NineStar Press Gift Code!
Tropes: Hockey Romance; One Night Stand; He Falls First; Forbidden Love
Release Date: May 24, 2024
Cover Design: Thunderstruck Cover Design
I kept my nose clean. Bad publicity was the last thing you wanted, and I’d had my share since my last breakup went public. We’d also just lost our last five games.
The boys and I decided to head to the islands for a little R&R. I’d never been so happy for a break. That was where I saw her. She didn’t seem to recognize me, which made it better, so I made my move. We didn’t exchange names or numbers. We shared one carefree night, that was all I wanted and that was all it was supposed to be.
A few months later, regret from that night had almost eaten away at me. I hadn’t been able to get her out of my mind. I wouldn’t say I fell in love with her, or maybe I did. All I knew was that night was the closest I’d ever come to insta-love and I wanted more but we’d had our fun. Yet, I was still mentally kicking myself for at least not getting her name.
We’re about to head into the playoffs when I return home and that is when the universe decides to bring us back together in one of the worst places ever. Only this time won’t be like the last, I decide I won’t let her slip through my fingers. This time, I’ve promised myself nothing, and all bets are off.
S.L. Sterling was born and raised in southern Ontario. She now lives in Northern Ontario Canada and is married to her best friend and soul mate and their two dogs.
An avid reader all her life, S.L. Sterling dreamt of becoming an author. She decided to give writing a try after one of her favorite authors launched a course on how to write your novel. This course gave her the push she needed to put pen to paper and her debut novel “It Was Always You” was born.
When S.L. Sterling isn’t writing or plotting her next novel she can be found curled up with a cup of coffee, blanket and the newest romance novel from one of her favorite authors on her e-reader. Her favorite authors include Kendall Ryan, Vi Keeland, Penelope Ward, Lauren Blakely, Alessandra Torre and Willow Winters.
In her spare time, she enjoys camping, hiking, sunny destinations, spending quality time with family and friends and of course reading.
She thought the game ended in the first quarter, but I play to the final whistle.
Out of Bounds
Game Time Series Book 2
by Tam DeRudder Jackson
Genre: Contemporary Sports Romance
There is only one truth: guard your heart.
All I want is a quiet drink. Guess it is too much to ask. Especially for my ex who will not take a hint when I tell him the seat beside me is taken—by my purse. My gaze snags on the super-hot guy in the reflection behind the bar, the one whose knowing wink should put me off. But my attention keeps straying to him. When football standout Wyatt “Bax” Baxter makes his move, steals the barstool from my purse, and sends my ex on his way, I can’t decide if I’m irritated or intrigued. After I caught my ex cheating, I know better than to trust a man with my heart. Yet when one thing leads to another, Bax becomes the only thing on my mind.
It was supposed to stop at a one-night stand.
Bax is unexpected. I don’t usually date football players. The fact that he listens when I talk is as big a turn-on as his broad shoulders stretching his T-shirt. When we hook up, he rocks my world. But my terrible history with men stops me from giving him my number. One and done, moving on is my motto these days. Though Bax lets me walk away, he refuses to let me go. He finds a way to live rent-free in my head, and to my everlasting shock, I keep seeking him out. Our backgrounds are wildly different. We make no sense together, but I can’t stay away.
She’s out of my league—like that ever stopped me.
Piper Maxwell is the whole sexy package—smart, independent, and the best time I ever had. When I wow the crowd with a pick-six during a big rivalry game, I know exactly where to point the ball—at a purple-haired hottie cheering in the student section. She insists on keeping it casual, but she is too special to let get away. I’m known for my tenacity on the field, something Piper is about to find out extends off the field too.
She thought the game ended in the first quarter, but I play to the final whistle.
Tam DeRudder Jackson is the author of the paranormal romance Talisman Series and the contemporary romance Balefire Series. Her favorite “room” in her house is her patio where she dreams up stories of romance and risk. When she’s not writing her latest paranormal or contemporary romance, you can find her driving around in her convertible or carving turns on the slopes of the local ski hill. The mom of two grown sons, Tam likes to travel, attend rock concerts, watch football and soccer, and visit old car shows with her husband. She lives in the mountains of northwest Wyoming where she spends most of her free time trying to read all the books. Her TBR piles are threatening to take over her office, and she’s fine with that.
Catch and Release Tracy Solheim (Milwaukee Growlers Football Romance, #3) Publication date: February 26th 2024 Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Sports
A second chance, enemies-to-lovers football romance.
He’s the pro athlete everyone wants to be.
Quarterback Trey Van Horn didn’t become the league’s MVP by accident. Years of self-discipline and iron-clad control have made him the envy of everyone in and around the game of football. But when he comes face-to-face with the one who got away, his tightly managed life is turned upside down. Now he’ll do whatever it takes to score the greatest comeback of his life.
She’s tired of being every guy’s doormat.
London Headley is on the verge of having the career she’s always dreamed of. Too bad the path to her promotion runs through the guy who broke her heart a decade earlier. So what if everything about the Milwaukee Growlers QB sets her panties on fire? She’s determined to keep things professional. Life has taught her that men will always choose something—or someone—over her. It’s going to take more than a Hail Mary to get her to buy into the fairy tale.
The only problem? Her lips don’t seem to want to follow the game plan. Not when Trey is executing an all-out blitz to prove he’s worth a second chance.
“I’m all in,” he repeated softly, his breath teasing the skin near her ear. “You can count on me, London.”
Could she?
It wasn’t like she had a choice. Besides, Bennie said Trey’s reputation with advertisers was nothing but professional.
“I’d like it if we could get through this without every moment in each other’s presence being a battle,” he added.
Well damn if he wasn’t being the mature one.
She was the one being ridiculous by reading too much into everything he said and did, that’s all. If he could approach the situation like a grown up, then so could she. After all, she wasn’t that naïve eighteen-year-old any longer. No way was she falling for Trey Van Horn again. If he could keep things light and businesslike, she would put on her big girl panties and do the same.
But not if he kept touching her. It was impossible for her to think with his body so close to hers. She hurriedly untangled her fingers from his and put some distance between them.
“I’d like that as well.” Too bad her voice didn’t sound as steady and committed to the new plan as she’d like. She managed a smile that she hoped looked more assured than she felt. “I’m looking forward to making this campaign a success.”
He returned her smile with one of his own. Only his bordered on sly, as if he knew what the words were costing her.
“Me, too.” He opened her office door and gestured for her to exit first.
Author Bio:
USA Today bestselling author Tracy Solheim writes books with shirtless men on the cover. Some of them are actually best-sellers. The books, not the men. When she’s not writing, she’s practicing her curling. . . bottles of wine, that is. She’s been known to cook dinner but no more than two nights in a row. Most days, she’d rather be reading, which to her is just necessary research. She lives in the suburbs of Atlanta with her husband and a neurotic Labrador retriever. Her two adult children visit but not often enough. (See the note above about cooking.) Check out her romantic suspense series featuring the Men of the Secret Service–shirtless, of course! See what she’s up to at http://www.tracysolheim.com
LUKE: No one seems to comprehend the pressures of playing
for an NCAA college hockey team and being in the pre-med program. With the NHL draft and
graduation looming, I can’t handle any distractions in my life. Discipline and focus are my two best
friends.
The absolute last thing I need my senior year is to be roped into some campus
social media project with a sexy junior who changes majors more times than she does clothes. Yet
here I am, posing for a calendar I had no intention of participating in, attending parties, and making
out, among other things, in public. And yeah, if I’m smiling the whole way, it must be because I’ve
finally cracked. That’s the only explanation why I’ve let Jax sashay her way into my every thought.
Puck me!
My world has been irrevocably turned upside
down once already, and I won’t let it happen again—even if it means becoming the “Ice Man” that
everyone calls me.
JAX: It might have taken me three
years to decide on a major, but I’ve got it all figured out now, and I’m going to win a coveted
communications internship too. I just need the grumpy hockey captain to relax a bit and help me
help his team. So what if I know diddly about the game and that he won’t even let me past the front
door? I’ve got this! And if I’m shivering at his touch, it’s because he’s so cold, not because he
makes me hot.
Nope, despite the rumors circulating on campus, we’re only spending
every waking minute together because of my assignment, that’s all. Although, maybe we’re dating?
I don’t know, but I plan to find out! Because it’s starting to feel real, especially his kisses. Yup, I’m
totally pucked!
Bestselling, multi-award-winning romance author of steamy
& sassy Contemporary and New Adult stories that will leave you “grinning like a Cheshire
Cat.” Residing in NYC and Southwest Florida, Tara holds a master’s degree in journalism from
New York University and is the proud mom to twin boys and four writing distractions, I mean cats.
