It's Scott Harper's turn to fall in love! Can he handle being in a serious relationship with a girl who is leery of being with him? There's an excerpt and giveaway too!
Publication Date: March 13, 2015
Synopsis
For New York Kings' first baseman Scott Harper, scoring women is easy. He's ready to get naked anytime, anywhere. But when a hacker leaks his nude selfies, he's unprepared for the scrutiny his full-frontals receive.
Carrie McKenzie has a love-hate relationship with her body. No longer the fat chick guys can ignore, she wins the job as the Kings' clubhouse reporter. With her svelte new figure, she nabs an exclusive interview with Scott to get his take on the scandal.
However, the two are already on a first-name basis after Scott came on to her in the hotel bar, and she woke up in his arms. The problem is that Scott doesn't do relationships and Carrie doesn't date jocks, yet the way they burn up the sheets is deserving of more than just a one-night stand.
Scott shows Carrie that he has a sweet, caring side beneath all the swagger. But can she really trust her heart to the biggest player in the game?
Excerpt
I turn around, and my eyes zero in on the door. My heart starts hammering in my chest because Scott is standing there looking absolutely incredible in a crisp, white shirt and tight, black pants. "Oh my God, he came alone,” I mumble, hardly believing it to be true as my heart skips a beat. I thought for sure he’d want to show me up by draping some rail-thin model on his arm. “Damn it. Why does he always have to look so amazing?” "'Cause he's Scott Harper,” Grey chuckles. Chase is waving Grey over, and she gives me a wry grin. “Poor Jake never stood a chance, did he?" She gives my hand a quick squeeze before moving through the crowd to join her husband. I turn my back to the revelry and face the wall, trying to collect myself. This is going to suck so bad. Yeah, I accepted Jake’s offer just to piss Scott off because I'd thought he’d bring one of his past flames in a surefire tit-for-tat move, but he didn’t. Now, I feel like an idiot. I thought Scott didn’t want to be seen with me in front of his teammates because I don’t quite measure up to the standard he’s used to. But this is a couple’s party, and he flouted the rules and came here stag, willing to be the odd man out, just because of me. He'd asked me to go with him and I'd said no, but he hadn’t asked anyone else either. He'd been serious. He hadn't just offered me some secondhand invitation because his friend had beat him to it. He really wanted to go with me, and I messed it all up by coming with Jake. Damn it. I feel myself start to shake, but then a familiar hand grazes the exposed skin on my back, making me shiver. "Hey, Care Bear.” I glance over my shoulder, and Scott’s face is so close that I can almost taste the velvety softness of his lips. I’m lost in the moment as I find myself turning into his strong, hard frame, loving how his hand never leaves my body. Instead, his fingers skim the curve of my waist, following my every movement. His gray eyes are stormy with desire when we finally come face to face. He wasted no time in coming over to me, and my heart flutters at the thought. He’s sending a clear message: He’s here because of me, and he doesn’t care who knows it.
Review
★★★★ stars
Boy did Scott Harper really get himself into a mess. I've met Harper in previous books featuring members of the fictional New York Kings, and while he was eye candy, I had no idea he'd be such a huge catalyst for changes at the Kings. The story started off a little oddly but I was hooked by the end of the book.
Initially when I started reading I felt as if there was some back story to how Scott and Carrie met that I was missing. As the story continued, the first 30-40% really seemed to drag. I wasn't sure Scott and Carrie's relationship was really leading anywhere besides Scott trying to get her into bed and match Joe DiMaggio's hit record. I was seriously thinking of not finishing this book, but then Carrie took Scott home to meet her parents and all of a sudden the book was interesting again. Thankfully the pace picked up and I was hooked to all of the drama going on in the lives of Scott and Carrie, and the Kings team as a whole.
I liked Scott. He might be the eye candy of the team and nailed some leading women, but he was all in with Carrie. I think the fact this book was dual point of view went a long way to making him likable. It also helped that I loved how he was with his family. I also liked Carrie. I liked how she was willing to help Scott repair his tarnished image even as she didn't like the image it was giving her. I also shared her concerns about how serious others took her and her career. By the way, the nickname Scott gave Carrie was totally adorable.
It was wonderful seeing characters I'd read about before, especially Jilly. This book also gave me hope the undisputed jerk of the team, Drake, might on day redeem himself. As it is, Jake another on the player gave us a little insight into his past. I also loved seeing the strong female characters in this book. Another aspect of the book I enjoyed was the involvement of Scott's family. The surprising relationship that developed between Bob, Scott's brother, and Alex, Carrie's sister, was wonderful to read and it uplifted my spirits when it felt like everything else was going wrong for the Harper and McKenzie families.
I'm hoping Collette West will continue this series. I'm hoping to see Drake reform and perhaps have Jake meet a nice girl. These New York King characters are such a wonderful tight knit family for the most part, and I love reading about them. I'm looking forward to seeing how I'll be surprised in the next book.
*Thank you to the publicist for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and I was not compensated for them in any manner.*
About Collette West
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.
Giveaway
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