Review + Giveaway: Alex by Sawyer Bennett-Cold Fury Hockey Series- Book 1

 

Alex Cover

Cold Fury Hockey Series

New Adult Contemporary

Released October 14, 2014

Published by LoveSwept (Random House)

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Kobo | iBooks

Hockey star Alexander Crossman has a reputation as a cold-hearted player on and off the rink. Pushed into the sport by an alcoholic father, Alex isn’t afraid to give fans the proverbial middle finger, relishing his role as the MVP they love to hate. Management, however, isn’t so amused. Now Alex has a choice: fix his public image through community service or ride the bench. But Alex refuses to be molded into the Carolina Cold Fury poster boy . . . not even by a tempting redhead with killer curves.

As a social worker, Sutton Price is accustomed to difficult people—like Alex, who’s been assigned to help her create a drug-abuse awareness program for at-risk youth as part of the team’s effort to clean up his image. What she doesn’t expect is the arrogant smirk from his perfect lips to stir her most heated fantasies. But Sutton isn’t one to cross professional boundaries—and besides, Alex doesn’t do relationships . . . or does he? The more she sees behind Alex’s bad-boy façade, the more Sutton craves the man she uncovers.

5 star

Michel’s Review


Sawyer Bennett has a fabulous new series featuring hot hockey players.  The Cold Fury series is a Stanley Cup win!  I am addicted to the Cold Fury icemen.

Alex is book one in the Cold Fury series.  He is a superstar player on the ice with a very nasty attitude.  He is not a team player.  He has anger issues that follow him outside of the rink.  He is the most hated player in the league and on his team.  Does he care? Hell no!  He is biding his time, playing the game as long as he can, socking his money away, and looking forward to giving the sport his preverbal finger when he no longer has to play.  But until that time he has to jump through the hoops and learn to play nice.  Management has ordered him to fix his public image and do community service.

What starts out as a mandatory visit to help social worker Sutton Price with her anti drug project turns into more than wanting to get into her pants.  She has a way of drawing people in with an understanding smile, a non judgmental attitude, and actions that speak louder than words.  Not only is Sutton teaching Alex how to love himself, she is teaching him to love the game he clearly detests.

Alex is an emotional story that will take the reader by complete surprise.  This book is not about your typical bad ass hockey player with an ego larger than life.  This story is about a man that has been severely abused and wounded in the harshest way.  It is a story of healing, acceptance, and love.

Sutton and Alex are magical together.  They share a passion that is timeless.  Together they find the perfect balance in life.

The secondary characters in this story will steal your heart as well.  Alex by Sawyer Bennett has earned it’s name in the winner’s circle.  I look forward to reading the next book in the series, Garrett, coming February 17, 2015.  This man stood behind Alex when no other teammates would.  He has a story that is going to steal our hearts.

I highly recommend Alex by Sawyer Bennett.

About the Author

sawyer bennettUSA Today Best-Selling author, Sawyer Bennett, is a snarky southern woman and reformed trial lawyer who decided to finally start putting on paper all of the stories that were floating in her head. She is married to a mobster (well, a market researcher) and they have two big, furry dogs who hog the bed. Sawyer would like to report she doesn’t have many weaknesses but can be bribed with a nominal amount of milk chocolate.

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Giveaway

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a Rafflecopter giveaway

Alex Cover

 

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Release Day Blitz: Three And Out by Meghan Quinn- Love and Sports Series- Book 3

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Title: Three and Out 

Love and Sports Series- Book 3

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Author: Meghan Quinn

Synopsis

Piper was dead to him.

The minute she walked out the door on Mason, he was done.

D.O.N.E.

Now, three months later, he’s still trying to act like he doesn’t care. Like his heart hasn’t been torn into shreds and obliterated beyond recognition.

But it’s not working.

He’s broken and beyond repair.

Then Piper goes missing.

Mason tries to show the world he doesn’t care, but his world is flipped upside down.

A vulnerable Mason finds help in an unexpected place and it’s an offer he can’t refuse.

The knot that has been gripping Mason’s heart slowly starts to unravel and he’s starting to look into his future…

Three and Out runs through the lives of Mason and his friends while they struggle to find love and keep it in their hectic, crazy, drama twisted lives.

Not everyone is meant to be and not everyone who you think should be together, will end up together in the final installment of the Love and Sports series.

Buy: Amazon

 

 

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Excerpt:

“Woah, careful there.”

“Damn, wet floor. Like mopping is going to make it any better looking.”

Jax’s ears perked up at hearing a familiar voice. He lifted them both up so they were standing. The woman was brushing off her navy blue, hip-hugging skirt, so he couldn’t tell who it was, but when she looked up, Jax instantly knew why he recognized the woman’s voice.

“Brooke?”

Her eyes widened, and then recognition fell over her features.

“Jax. Wow, never thought I would ever cross paths with you again. How’s it going?”

“Alright, and yourself?”

As Brooke talked about her new clothing line and her little apartment in downtown Denver, Jax took her all in. Her hair was short now, just below chin length, and styled to frame her face. Her body was the same rocking figure he remembered from when he met her at the bar, that awkward night his boys and Jake Taylor all hung out before a pre-season game, and for some reason, her eyes were brighter than he remembered, as if she was breathing a new life.

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4 star

Tracey’s Review

Mason is done with love. He’s had his heart broken, and he’s not about to go through THAT again, so he does what any self-respecting pro football star would do: he’s leaving a trail of conquests a mile long, while having the time of his life, or so he’d like to believe.

THREE AND OUT is the final book in the Love and Sports series by Meghan Quinn. And, while it is largely Mason’s and Piper’s book, it is really an ensemble story, like the others in the series. Jax and Brooke, Ryker and Hannah, Jesse and Ashlin are all featured as well, as Meghan brings the series full-circle and gives everyone the ending that they need. Even Lexi and Jake make an appearance, and it’s nice to see the crazy kids from the first book, still happily together several years down the line.

I enjoyed this book a lot. Meghan has written characters that are so nuts that you can’t help but love them, with all their quirks, insecurities, and issues. The dialogue made me laugh out loud, and I am just a little bit in love with every one of the obnoxious guys in this book. I feel like the writing, which was not bad, but more immature in the first book, has vastly improved, and is much more polished and readable. I would very much recommend this read, as much for the zany cast of characters as the storyline that rounds out the series in a very satisfying way.

 

Have a look at Book 1 and 2 of the Love and Sports series.

pFair CatchFair Catch (Love and Sports, #1)

Training, playing ball and studying is Lexi’s life and it never seems to bother her until her friend, Parker Hill, points out to her that sweat pants on a Friday night while watching sappy romance movies isn’t really living up her last year in college. Lexi didn’t see the need to party since she didn’t know what the hell she was doing with her life after college but her friends wouldn’t take no for an answer. Little did she know going to the first party of the season was going to flip her world upside down.

Jake Taylor, starting quarterback for Cal U and campus heart throb spent his entire college career, partying, getting drunk and winning football games but it is all finally catching up to him. He is ready to throw in the towel of his partying days when he decides to have one more last fling. That is when he runs into the one person that could turn his life inside out.

Lexi wants nothing to do with Jake and his partying ways but after one bet gone wrong , she finds herself on a date with the annoyingly obnoxious, egotistical heart throb. Even though she wants nothing to do with him, she finds herself gravitating toward him and giving into his charm. They fall hard and fast for each other as they find love, comfort and a home. They live in their own littler world where nothing matters besides the love they share for each other.

But love isn’t enough for Lexi when she is trying to find her way after college. She slowly sinks into Jake’s shadow and finds herself clawing out of the Jake sized hole she buried herself in so she can find who she is, who she wants to be and what her future holds for her.

Fair Catch is a true love story that goes through the trials and tribulations of Jake and Lexi’s insecurities, jealousies, short comings and strong personalities. Love is one hell of a strong bond but sometimes, it’s not strong enough. Follow Jake and Lexi as they try to hold on to the love they share while they try to find themselves and find out what life is after graduation.

 

Goodreads // Amazon // Barnes & Noble

 

3 star

Lexi Knox is the golden girl at Cal U. Captain of the softball team, she’s smart, beautiful, and a fantastic athlete. She’s also sure that she doesn’t want anything to do with Jake Taylor, quarterback of the Cal U football team, and jerk with a capital ‘J’. But Jake wants Lexi, and he’s willing to do his best to persuade her that he’s a changed man.

FAIR CATCH is the first book in the Love and Sports series by Meghan Quinn. Reading this book was like watching a tennis match. The interactions between Jake and Lexi were so back-and-forth that it was sometimes hard to keep up with the way that they kept changing their minds about their relationship. Luke has a well-earned reputation as a manwhore, having slept with practically then entire women’s athletics department at the university, so he’s got his work cut out for him to convince Lexi that he’s done with all of that, and ready to be a one-woman guy. And Lexi has all sorts of family drama, and has a hard time showing her real self to Jake, opting instead to throw in the towel with little convincing reason. This is New Adult, though, so I could forgive a lot of this, if not actually appreciate it. The supporting characters, especially Parker and Margo, made this a much more enjoyable read for me.

FAIR CATCH is the first book in a trilogy, and, since I like Meghan’s writing style, I will continue to read the series, and look forward to seeing the characters grow and mature in the subsequent installments.
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Double Coverage (Love and Sports, #2)

91iQKAE8-9L._SL1500_Unfortunate inconvenience, that is the way Piper describes her encounter with Mason Dashel. From the minute the alpha male interrupts her morning after hangover on the airplane, she can’t stand to be near the egotistical maniac with a booming voice and annoying sex appeal. But to her misfortune she finds herself not only having to spend time with him at their best friends’ wedding but she also can’t seem to shake the infuriating man in her everyday life.

Psychotic Una-bomber with the constant mensies is the way Mason describes his flying companion, Piper Shores. After a horrific break up with his now ex, Brooke, he finds himself being engulfed by the temperamental red head that just so happens to be the maid of honor to one of his best friends, Lexi. Even though she grates on his every nerve, he can’t help but want a piece of her.

The two are like oil and water, a science experiment ready to explode any second but they can’t help but be drawn to each other. The only problem is… there are other people they are involved with who not only prevent Mason and Piper from being together, but interrupt any chance they have at making a relationship work.

Goodreads // Amazon

 

About Meghan Quinn:

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When I was in high school I occasionally read books but was consumed by other teenage things so I didn’t take the time to appreciate a good book on a cloudy day, wrapped up in a blanket on the couch, besides “The Notebook” I made time to read the heartbreaking novel.

It wasn’t until I received a Kindle for Christmas one year that my world completely flipped upside down. When looking for books, I came across the Contemporary Romance genre and was sold and I haven’t turned back since.

You can either find my head buried in my Kindle, listening to inspiring heart ripping music or typing away on the computer twisting and turning the lives of my characters while driving my readers crazy with anticipation.

I am currently residing in beautiful Colorado Springs where the sun is always shining and there is a trail waiting to be hiked on every corner. I share a lovely and warm home with the love of my life and my five, four-legged children.

Website // Twitter // Facebook // Goodreads

 

 

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Review: Devil In Denim by Melanie Scott- Saints Series- Book 1

devil in denim

Devil In Denim

Saints Series- Book 1

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By Melanie Scott

Synopsis

LIFE JUST THREW HER A CURVEBALL.

As the team-owner’s daughter, Maggie Jameson grew up in the New York Saints’ stadium—glove, cap, hot dogs, and all. Baseball’s in her blood, and she’s always dreamed of the day when she would lead the Saints to victory herself. That was before her dad had to sell the team to Alex Winters. The fast-talking, fiercely attractive businessman has a baseball pedigree that’s distinctly minor league. Maggie wants to hate him but his skills of seduction, however, are off the charts.

 

WILL LOVE BE A HOME RUN?

Alex could never have imagined how much this team means to Maggie. He needs her to help show the players that they’re still a family…even if he and Maggie are at the verge of exchanging blows. But her fiery determination and gorgeous looks prove irresistible to Alex. And much as he wants to relegate their relationship to the playing field—and get the Saints back in the game—Alex just can’t help himself: What he wants to win most is Maggie’s heart…in The Devil in Denim by Melanie Scott.

Buy: Amazon / Barnes and Noble / ITunes

4 star read

Tina’s Review

Maggie Jameson has been molded and shaped her entire life to live and love baseball. Her father, being the owner of a major league team, the New York Saints, raised her at the stadium. The team became her extended family. Fans had adopted her as the unofficial mascot, dubbing her “Saint Maggie”. She left NY only to attend college in Chicago to learn the ins and outs of owning and operating a MLB team so she could take over the Saints when he was ready to step down. Or so that was the plan before the devil and his minions arrived.
Alex Winters and his two best friend, Lucas and Malachi, lived and loved baseball in college. Alex was an outstanding catcher. But things can change in a single, horrific second, like when a bomb detonates during a game. Alex and his friends were heroes for diving into the wreckage, saving lives.
But their heroic acts came at a price.
Their days on the team were over, the damage they’d sustained was to much to return. Although they had branched out over the years since, they remained as close as ever & his friends backed him when he declared that he wanted to buy & save his favorite team from certain death.
“Plan for the worst, expect the unexpected.”
That was the motto that Alex, Lucas, and Mal now lived by and Alex knew that Maggie was going to be one the biggest “unexpected” of all. Especially with the owner’s vote coming up and a smarmy competitor looking to sabotage his bid.

For a debut novel, I am very pleased.
Maggie has finally graduated college and is ready to stand by her dad’s side as owner/CEO-in-waiting but her dreams are instantly crushed when the business meeting she attends blindsides her. Her dad just accepted a bid from Alex Winters to buy the team. Dear ol’ dad gave Maggie no warning or indication that he’d even WANTED to sell, so she’s left full of rage and hurt.
Alex has always loved the Saints and knew it was struggling, so in an effort to save the flailing team, be offers to buy it from Tom Jameson. He’s got to somehow convince Tom’s daughter that he’s the best chance the team has to survive and that he needs her help to make it happen. 
Add one disgruntled former employee with plenty of attitude and newly-gained money to burn and you’ve got a wonderful recipe for escalating conflicts.
Alex is a phenomenal character, I really couldn’t find a flaw in him at all. Maggie was well-written as well, but I think she needed to put her professional panties on and quit allowing her emotions overwhelm her over everything. The pity parties would only be tolerated for so long. The plot was solid, the concept was strong. I really liked all of the secondary characters, except Will Sutter. His character was portrayed beautifully as the extremely dislikable villan. The story flowed smoothly and was easy to read. The numerous conflicts escalated throughout the book and each time were met with a level-headed resolve. The final conflict was managed and conquered methodically and with precision. 
Well done, Melanie Scott!
The ending was a little loose, but with the next installment of the series, ANGEL IN ARMANI, due to release only four months from now, I imagine the story will pick up close to where this one left off. 
I look forward to finding out how this all continues!

Author Bio:

Melanie ScottMelanie Scott is an unrepentant bookworm. Luckily she grew up in a family that fed her a properly varied diet of books and these days is surrounded by people who are understanding of her story addiction. When not wrestling one of her own stories to the ground, she can generally be found reading someone else’s. Her other distractions include yarn, cat butlering, dark chocolate and fabric. She lives in Melbourne, Australia. To keep in touch, sign up for her newsletter at http://www.melanie-scott.net.

She also writes fantasy and urban fantasy as M.J. Scott To find out more about M.J’s books, check out her website or sign up for her newsletter at http://www.mjscott.net.

Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Goodreads

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Review: Straddling The Line by Jaci Burton – Play By Play Series – Book 8

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Straddling The Line by Jaci Burton

Play By Play Series ~ Book 8

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Synopsis

Trevor Shay has it all—a successful football and baseball career, and any woman he wants. But when he finds out his college mentor’s daughter is in trouble, he drops everything to come to her aid.

Haven Briscoe has finally landed a dream job as a sportscaster for a major network. But she hasn’t been able to move past the recent death of her beloved father, and it’s affecting her career. A plum assignment following the daily life of sports superstar Trevor Shay might be just the inspiration she needs…

Trevor will do anything to spark life back into Haven, including letting her into every aspect of his world. The chemistry between them flames higher than one of Trevor’s home runs and faster than his dashes to the end zone. But as they grow closer, Haven stumbles onto Trevor’s closely guarded secret, one he’s hidden his entire life. And despite his protests, now it’s Haven’s turn to put everything on hold to help Trevor. Will he let her in and trust her with a secret that could blow his professional and personal world apart?

Buy: Amazon / Barnes and Noble

Michel’s Review

2.5 Stars

Straddling The Line is the eighth book in Jaci Burton’s red hot Play By Play series. I love this series. I love books that are based upon the professional athletic scene. But Straddling The Line fell short on the scoring.

Straddling The Line features Trevor Shay. Trevor is a dual professional athlete. He plays baseball for the St. Louis Rivers and football for Tampa. He is juggling to professional careers and trying to stay on top of his game. When the death of his suriggate dorm father brings him back into the Briscoe family fold at surrogate mother’s request, he finds that he may be adding one more thing to his list. That is Haven Briscoe.

Haven has struggled after her father’s death. She gave up a successful job in New York as a sport’s journalist to go home to Dallas. Being around Trevor again, her secret crush in college, has her reeling. But she can’t seem to get out of her funk. Trevor knows just how to get her kick started.

Trevor sets up a full tell all expose with the network with the condition that Haven is to be the interviewer. He is hoping that this will bring Haven back into the fold and back into her game.

This tell all interview ends up to be much more than Trevor and Haven planned. This lengthy interview will reveal secrets, expose feelings, and build a relationship neither anticipated. Their chemistry will escalate from hot to a scorching passionate burn.

 While I love Jaci Burton and the Play By Play series, Straddling The Line just did not work for me. I felt the scenes were rushed, the chemistry between the characters pushed, the story was rushed and did not flow well. The ending and epilogue were rushed and abbreviated. The characters just did not get under my skin. I found that I was forcing myself to finish this book.

Author Bio:

Jaci BurtonJaci Burton is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling, award-winning author of over 60 books. She lives in Oklahoma and when she isn’t on deadline, she can usually be found trying to convince her husband to remodel some room or another in their house (she blames HGTV for this). She loves gardening, sports, casinos and getting lost in a great book. She’s a total romantic and longs for the happily ever after in every story, which you’ll find in all her books.

Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Goodreads

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