Category Archives: Athletes

#Review – Late To The Game by Brian Anthony Ziroli


High School football is as important as religion in states like Texas, Alabama, and Georgia. Not in a little town on the North Carolina shore. No, there it’s more important than religion. A story that takes place in 1985 and is told by its star quarterback, Johnny Pelligrino, this is the best chance for the West Pennington Pirates to win that elusive state championship. What can stop them?

Where do we begin?

Johnny is trying to deal with the pressures and struggles of high school, his first love, an overbearing father, and the entire town depending on him and the Pirates to win the school’s first state championship. He could not have imagined what he’d experience in this senior year. One night, at the County Fair, something happens to one of the
seniors, and a friend of Johnny’s. What happened? Who did it? How does Johnny get so involved? How will this impact their season? Johnny will eventually find out that his head coach holds many old secrets, let alone being the most powerful figure in the entire community. Who can Johnny trust? His friends? His coaches? His family? Anyone?

A story that is filled with drama, love, lost relationships, and twists and turns along this very important season in West Pennington history. How will it end?

Goodreads

Amazon

Review by Twinsie Kelly

First things first, high school in the 80’s! What a different time it was. It will definitely remind you how different things are today. Johnny, the star quarterback in small town North Carolina and a lot is riding on him taking the team to the championship. It’s his senior year with lots of classes, girls, and lots of pressure trying to lead the team and be who everyone expects him to be. It’s a LOT of pressure. Things are going good, really good. Things go from great to bad in about 3 seconds flat. Johnny walks away but it eats at him. One thing leads to another and an unexpected party brings out the truth. With the turmoil and the guilt eating at Johnny, he finds out that some people, even the ones you really trust, are not trustworthy at all. Tons of secrets are coming out and he really struggles with what and how he should handle things. He was learning at a young age that you really could not trust anyone and to be careful who you hold out as heroes. When everyone is telling you to “do the right thing” but they are not taking their own advice, how do you really know what the right thing is?

I have to tell you that Late to the Game was like going back in time. It was very refreshing to go back to the 80s and hang out. The author does a great job at the world building and giving the characters some depth. While there are some very heavy parts of the story, there is a lot of wit and banter that will have you laugh out loud (or LOL as we say nowadays)! It is a great coming of age story that will throw a few curveballs your way (I know this is baseball, not football, but I couldn’t think of a better way to say it), but it keeps you on your toes right to the very end. Then BAM! PLOT TWIST!

Give it a try, you won’t regret it, even if you are late to the game!

#wotr #attendingauthor #partofaseries Scoring the Player (Indianapolis Eagles 2) by Samantha Lind

Cocky, man whore, player…. Those are all ways I have been described by the media and countless women. Are they accurate? Possibly. But, that’s all I let the media see of me, Brian Kelly, defensive player for the Indianapolis Eagles Hockey team. I have no intentions of settling down and changing the media’s perception of me. I can’t tell if women are after me for my bank account, the status symbol of being with a professional athlete, or if they really want me for me. Then I meet her. The one woman who doesn’t let my charm affect her or cause her to jump directly into my bed. Can I possibly change my ways and settle down?

Grounded, selfless, giving…Those are all the ways my family and friends have described me. Are they right? Possibly. But, I’m so much more, and need some passion and excitement in my life. My best friend is moving on and I want that someone special to share all that life has to offer. Let it be known that I, Kinley Williams, want the right someone special. So why did he have to crash into me? The one man who is so clearly wrong for me. Then again, he doesn’t seem like anything the tabloids claim him to be. So is he really all that wrong?

Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38401629-scoring-the-player

Amazon https://amzn.to/44AfvDV

Review by Twinsie Dee

Brian is the know player and womanizer or the Indianapolis Eagles. but here lately he’s started thinking about settling down. after winning the Stanley Cup and traveling to Alaska to add some team member to the captain’s hometown day with the cup, he was stopped in his tracks when he spotted Kinley and he wanted to have her forever. Kinley is Becca’s bestie and friends with Scott, Brian’s teammate and friend. she has seen that he is a bit of a player but after being hurt so many times in the past she isn’t giving in to his charms after a week in Alaska Brian has to fly back home, with phone calls text and some facetime calls they find themselves back together to see their best friends get engaged with their rekindling will Kinley give into Brian and her happiness for her future or will she let the fact that there are miles between them keep them apart.

Samantha Lind is a USA TODAY Bestselling contemporary romance author. Having spent the first 27 years of her life in Alaska, she now calls the mid-West home, where she lives with her husband and two sons. She enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, reading, watching hockey (Go Knights Go!), and listening to country music.

#review #standalone Cupcake by M. Andrews

From the time I was able to hold a ball, I have lived and breathed football. It controlled every aspect of my life. The game consumed me, that was until I met a sweet feisty blonde, pastry chef named Pippa Montgomery. The moment I laid eyes on her she turned my world upside down. Now all I want is to live and breathe her. Grayson Bennett looks like the all American boy next door, but beneath his sweet charming personality beats the heart of a dirty talking sex god, who with a single touch of his hand turned my boring existence into a wild ride of hot sticky sex. Grayson also gave me the confidence to go after what I really wanted… Him. They say some love stories are complicated, but our story gets a little sticky.

Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31294778-cupcake

Amazon https://amzn.to/3XyoW4e

Review by Twinsie Dee

Grayson is the hot football quarterback and Pippa is the sweet baker. When Grayson has a goal in mind he sets out to win his trophy. Everything he never seen in his future he now wants with his sweet cupcake. This book will get you hot bothered and wishing you were with the quarterback

M. Andrews resides in Seattle with her husband and two kids. She spends most of her time with her family and reading anything she can get her hands on. She’s a coffee lover with a mighty sweet tooth.

M. Andrews has always had a passion for writing. She started out writing short stories and fan fiction as a way to give the voices in her head an outlet. She took the leap into writing books when she found herself living in a new city, giving her the opportunity to finally live out her dream of being a writer.

#wotr #attendingauthor #seriesstarter The Perfect Pitch (Indianapolis Lighting 1) by Samantha Lind

Derek

The sound of the gavel crashing down,

Has my life flashing before my eyes.

Learning to play ball.

Falling in love,

Marrying an incredible woman and starting a family

Becoming a starting pitcher for the Indianapolis Lightning.

Everything I ever wanted… Until I struck out.

The same success that gave me the life I dreamed of,

Took it all away.

I’d do anything for a second chance,

Even throw the perfect pitch.

Jillian

A signature on a piece of paper…

It binds you to someone, or it can tear them away.

It broke my heart to file the papers.

Gutted me to sign them.

But this isn’t the life I envisioned.

Tired of competing to be his number one priority,

I had to walk away from the man I loved.

I needed to be strong for our girls, for me.

Life goes on.

People can change.

Now he wants a second chance.

But can I forgive the man who threw it all away, and trust that he won’t do it again?

Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50873746-the-perfect-pitch?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=rBh9MdmN47&rank=6

Amazon https://amzn.to/3AOzTlz

Review by Twinsie Dee

I bought this book and this is my honest opinion 

Derek just heard worst thing he’s ever heard in his life the judges gavel stating that his marriage is officially over. His wife Jillian filed for divorce because she was fed up with his parting and acting like he was single when she was home all the time raising their girls when he was on the road playing baseball. With the marriage final that gave Derek the biggest wake up call he ever had, it was time to get his shit together and get his family back at any cost. Jillian was heartbroken and hurt that she no had to send her kids overnight to their dad’s, she never wanted to file for divorce but he I didn’t have a choice. Will Derek get his head outta his ass and be able to win his wife and her heart back or did his one shot get thrown away with his past. Wow this was such a good story and of course throwing kids into the story line makes it better. 

Samantha Lind is a contemporary romance author. Having spent the first 27 years of her life in Alaska, she now calls Iowa home where she lives with her husband and two sons. She enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, reading, watching hockey (Go Knights Go!), and listening to country music.

#WOTR20 #AudioReview – The Rotation by Michel Prince

The Rotation

Katie Gills knows how to compartmentalize. She has a plan in place and although she has physical needs, those can be met by a simple set of rules created, in her mind, to save her from the ultimate distraction. Love. Limiting herself to a single sexual partner could lead to attachment and that would be breaking rule number one. Instead Katie maintains a rotation of perfectly distant and secretive lovers.

Augustus ‘Tuck’ Tuckman hadn’t been on campus long enough to get the feel of the place. The junior transfer had played his way into a football scholarship and he was using it for its intended purpose. Get a degree and get out. Life came after a career was established.

The crash of a beautiful girl into Tuck’s arms had feelings sparking in all parts of his brain, but she had a wall in place that made a future questionable. Can he play the game by her rules and still win? Or will he need to show her every thing is legal between the whistles? Even love.


Goodreads


I purchased this audio book.

I will say I am very picky for my audio voiced but I loved listening to the story told by the narrator.

I was very excited to read this book when I had an audio credit.

The whole concept of a women keeping a man on his toes was a breath of fresh air.  It’s usually the man in that roll of juggling multiple women.

Sooooo Katie is kinda an ice princess.  She is smart and loyal but she is not about to get attached.  Her father has made sure to instill maintaining a distance with people.  She also had a bad life situation that also made her heart black as night to the concept of love.

Tuck sees Katie and is immediately interested.  He seems to do some digging to learn about her and then discovers her distance policy.  I loved him breaking her down at each and every point with her rules and craziness.  Seeing these two fall in love and seeing Kate learn to trust someone without second guessing them like she does her best friend Mark was amazing.

Right as I was falling in love with the story, we have a time jump.  Now I do not know if it is mentioned in the book because the audio didn’t tell me, so I was way confused.  I even messaged the author to ask what was up and she told me.  The I get back to the flow of the story and we Katie and Tuck have a drastic plot twist but I have to say I didn’t like what Katie did in regards to how she handled it.  I think I was just as mad as Tuck by her characters decisions.  When we see and understand why she did what she did and the journey that is taken, I got it but I was hurt all the while.

The final chapters of the story seemed to make all the ends meet up and we see Katie and Tuck figuring out everything but I was a bit sad and glad he gave her a lot of grief for what she put them through.  I did like the story.  They did face a lot of issues due to them being an interracial couple,  trust issues, and Katie being a bit of a head case at times.  I will say I loved Mark.  I would love to read a book about him because seeing him with someone at the end and seeing him happy was a nice cherry on top of the books ending!!

Michel Prince is an author who graduated with a bachelor degree in History and Political Science. Michel writes young adult and adult paranormal romance as well as contemporary romance.

With characters yelling “It’s my turn damn it!!!” She tries to explain to them that alas, she can only type a hundred and twenty words a minute and they will have wait their turn. She knows eventually they find their way out of her head and to her fingertips and she looks forward to sharing them with you.

When Michel can suppress the voices in her head she can be found at a scouting event or cheering for her son in a variety of sports. She would like to thank her family for always being in her corner and especially her husband for supporting her every dream and never letting her give up.

Michel is a member of RWA Pro and Midwest Fiction Writers. In 2013 she was awarded Elite Status with Rebel Ink Press. She lives in the Twin Cities with her husband, son, and cat.

#WOTR20 #5YearFamily #EventHost #CompleteSeries #Football – The O-Line Series by Jillian Jacobs

Ember's Center book 1 Rachel's Guard book 2

Maude's Score book 3 Clayton's Star book 4

Erik's End (The O-Line Series Book 5) book 5

Book 1-

She spent her life fighting for middle ground, and now that she’s found it, she’ll fight for her life.

Ember Brooks yearns for an end to the dark chapters of her life—abusive mother, negligent father, teenage trauma, and sibling suicide. Determined to escape her traumatic past, Ember is finally headed for solid ground, gathering strength and balance with the help of her trusted counselor and friend, Xander Kane.
Still reeling from the death of her brother, Ember finds solace when Manchester Marauders center, Owen Killion goes on the offensive and barrels into her life. Both on the football field and off, Owen is sure-footed and confident. With his domineering presence and reliable nature, he alters her game-plan. But for a girl continually left on the sidelines, can she leave her heart on the line?
When Ember is the victim of increasingly dangerous incidents, and Xander changes the course of their relationship, once more her life spirals out of control.
Ember trusts Owen to guard their love, but when someone else is calling the shots, can they reach the end zone or will they fumble?

Contemporary romance with a jagged edge.

Book 2-

One hidden secret. One tragic mistake. Two lives converge to discover one final truth.

“I killed you.”
With his grandmother’s words, pro-football player Warren “Bronco” Murray’s picture-perfect world takes a direct hit. After mistaking him for a man from her past, Bronco believes his grandmother’s confused confession reveals the man who raised him isn’t his real father. Is his grandmother’s mind slipping? Or is she harboring a deadly secret?
Searching for an answer to a question he’s not even sure exists, Bronco hires Rachel Harris, a local private investigator and a woman who brings out his protective—and primal—instincts.
Rachel’s spent her life seeking her own resolution for a tragic mistake made years ago. Unwilling to suffer through another loss, she vows to keep her relationship with Bronco strictly professional. Yet with each step into Bronco’s past, she finds that the players shaping her life also shaped his.
Working together to uncover the facts, they falter when the game turns deadly. Nothing is as it seems and they must fight to unearth the truth buried under past deceptions and lies.
Bronco and Rachel survive personal attacks and shocking revelations only to discover that the answers they sought have created a new path…but will they endure the journey together or falter under the truth?

Book 3-

He knows how to play the game, but can he win when the stakes turn deadly?

Manchester Marauders offensive lineman Jason Stafford has everything going for him until he is blindsided by a calculating woman who names him as the father of her unborn child. Unsure of the validity of her claim, he treads carefully, despite being willing to accept responsibility.

Maude Killion, the younger sister of one of Jason’s teammates, has been sidelined by a crush on Jason. Determined to revise her game plan, Maude asserts her independence from her overprotective brother and a controlling boyfriend.

While working on a charity project, Maude and Jason discover they play well together. But when Maude becomes the victim of a malicious foe, it appears that another player has entered the game—one with deadly intentions who will stop at nothing to win.

Now, Maude and Jason must join forces to defeat their opponent and score a victory for love.

Each book in the O-Line series is a stand alone

book 4-

A Hollywood starlet fearlessly prepares for danger but finds herself unprepared for the perils of love.

On the big screen Sheridan Bennett’s got the face of an angel and the body of a…well, isn’t that what’s expected of an award-winning actress? But there’s something about her Clayton Kincaid can’t quite figure. The former Ranger is transitioning from local police detective to private investigator, and Sheridan Bennett is one case he’d like to solve.
Sheridan knows her luck has taken a turn for the worse when her criminal father appears in the middle of a police fundraiser. Not only that, the one man capable of uncovering her secrets witnesses her distress. Her idyllic life falls apart as her father’s demands for money escalate and a stalker begins a menacing game.
Determined to keep Sheridan safe, Clayton works his way into her life and her heart. But when Sheridan learns Clayton has secrets of his own, she decides to face the fight alone. Undeterred by Sheridan’s belief in his deception, Clayton uses all his resources when the path of her notorious father and her stalker converge.
Together they must learn that the spotlight shines brightest when it’s shared, and that not all love is an act.

book 5-

Kidnapped as a child and raised within an Ohio-based Russian mafia post, Erik Pavel has been honed to a razor’s edge—ruthless and deadly. Yet, at age fifteen, the head of his brigade deems Erik weak and murders his surrogate mother, fueling him to live for only one thing—revenge. Now closer than ever to the vengeance he seeks, Erik will allow no one to stand in his way.
Nicki Nobles fought her way out of a life where survival was key. Now strong and independent, she refuses to let her past dictate her future.
After Nicki helps him gather information on his nemesis, Erik is forced to work with her again. Fearing for her safety while fighting an attraction to her, Erik would prefer to keep Nicki out of his life.
Seeing so much of herself in the broken man, Nicki agrees to Erik’s plan only to discover she’s falling for someone who will never believe she can be more than her past.
As Erik’s plan unfolds, he must learn to rely on Nicki and realize that families aren’t always bound by blood and that trusting another doesn’t make you weak.

Goodreads

Author Bio: In the spring of 2013, Jillian Jacobs changed her career path and became a romance writer. After reading for years, she figured writing a romance would be quick and easy. Nope! With the guidance of the Indiana Romance Writers of America (IRWA) chapter, she’s learned many “rules” to writing a proper romance. Being re-schooled was an interesting journey, and she hopes the best trails are yet to be traveled.
She is the co-founder of Healing with Words–a not for profit 501(c)(3) established for healing survivors of abuse, addiction, trafficking, and prostitution. The mission is to bring together readers, authors, and survivors in a positive manner that affects change and relief from negative influences. Writers on The River, an author event in Peoria, Illinois is hosted by Healing With Words.
Her genres are Paranormal and Contemporary with suspenseful elements.

#WOTR19 #review #sports #Collection #Baseball – Over the Fence Collection – Fear of Striking Out by Lyssa Lynne


Over the Fence

Over the Fence is a collection of Lyssa Layne’s baseball romances including The Right Pitch, Fear of Striking Out, Another at Bat, and a BONUS STORY, A Diamond is Forever.

The Right Pitch
Colie Adger is trying to make it in the big leagues as an athletic trainer. Working in a man’s world isn’t easy. Colie must figure out how to make the best decisions for all the men in her life—both on and off the field. As good as she is at making decisions for others, can Colie figure out her own heart and hit a homerun off the right pitch?

Fear of Striking Out
Shortstop Tate James is less than excited about his trade to the trendy City of Angels. That is until he crosses paths with beautiful Mia Tomko. She lets him know that not all L.A. women are just after fame and fortune. When someone from both of their pasts arrives, will it tear them apart or make them closer?

Another at Bat
Pitcher Jace Richards had it all. Fame, status, money, and the perfect girl but it wasn’t enough. Laurel Darbis is the mom to ten-year-old Grey who is about to start baseball. All of the parents are thrilled when the new coach arrives, everyone except Laurel.

A Diamond is Forever
Pitcher Benny Martinez and his longtime girlfriend Isabel Soltero are afraid that history will repeat itself. With Benny on the road, Isabel is doing her best to be both the mother and the father to their teenage son. Throughout Benny’s travels, he watches his fellow ball players, Grant Adamson, Tate James, and Jace Richards interact with their family and he soon realizes what he’s missing. It’s time Benny makes a decision which comes first—his family or his career?

Goodreads

I received this book from the author for an honest review.

Ok so I begged for this book after falling in love with Mia’s brother, his best friend and the woman they both end up loving!!!

Mia and Tate are side characters, so I KNEW a little bit of their history from that but actually seeing them fall in love was awesome.

Mia is attracted to the hottie on the field, but she is a bit skittish after her ex-husband left her with a few scars from his abuse.  But Mia isn’t the only one dealing with past issues scars.   It was a great read seeing the two try to figure everything out to not let their past win to ruin their future happiness.

If you love Lyssa like I do, then you will be claiming and licking Asher like I have…well actually I think I claim and lick all of her characters. #GreedyReader

Lyssa Layne is first, and foremost, the proud momma to her precious daughter, AR. In addition to working full-time and being a mommy to AR, she is also an avid St. Louis Cardinals fan, a runner, blogger, and an infertility survivor.

Having watched one too many medical dramas and being inspired by author Rachelle Ayala, who introduced her to the world of indie writing, Lyssa decided to try her hand at writing a romance story. Her attempt turned into the Burning Lovesick series. You can find Lyssa’s own interests throughout her stories although all stories are fictional.

You can visit Lyssa’s writing blog at http://www.authorlyssalayne.blogspot.com You can also follow her on Twitter @layne_lyssa or check out her Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/lyssalayne

Feel free to contact her regarding blog reviews, giveaways, or blog book tours authorlyssalayne@gmail.com Happy reading!

 

#REVIEW – Coach Long by K Webster

Coach Everett Long has a chip on his shoulder.
Working every day with the man who stole his
fiancée leaves him pissed and on edge.
His temper is volatile and his attitude sucks.

River Banks is a funky-styled runner
with a bizarre past.
Starting over at a new school was supposed to
be easy…but she should have known better.
She likes to antagonize and tends to go after
what she’s not supposed to have.

When the arrogant bully meets the strong-willed
brat, it sparks an illicit attraction.
Together, they heat up the track with
longing and desire.
Everything about their chemistry is wrong.
So why does it feel so right?

She’s a hurdle in his way and, dear God does
he want to jump her.
Will she be worth the risk or
will he fall flat on his face?

Twinsie Jo’s Review

Well this was a delicious little treat. I had found this new release on my newsfeed and was intrigued. I love little taboo stories and this one was perfect. This story is part of K’s taboo series but can be read as a standalone. It was my first book by her and I didn’t feel lost at all but I’ll definitely be going back and reading more of her books.

So we meet River and Coach. And wow do the sparks fly instantly. River is filled with fire and sass and keeps Coach on his toes the whole book. They’re back and forth banter is funny and hot. So so hot.

Coach had his heart ripped out by his ex so he’s now dark and brooding and yummy. River is everything that he needs.

The only thing I would have loved to have seen was Coach punch out River’s father. Lol!

This story is short, hot and filled with all the sexy little kink I enjoy in my stories. It’s insta-love so if you’re looking for a filler between books or something to read while curling up with a glass of wine, this book is perfect.