The Player by K. Bromberg Cover Reveal

We are very excited to bring you the cover for the upcoming release from New York Times Bestselling author K. Bromberg. Holy hotness Batman!  THE PLAYER releases on APRIL 17th, 2017 and trust us, Baseball has never been sexier!

 

Designer: Helen Williams Photographer: Perrywinkle Photography Model: Chase Williams (IG: @bubbas_82)

Easton Wylder is baseball royalty. The game is his life. His passion. His everything. So, when an injury threatens to end Easton’s season early, the team calls in renowned physical therapist, Doc Dalton, to oversee his recovery. Except it’s not Doc who greets Easton for his first session, but rather, his daughter, Scout. She may be feisty, athletic, defiant, and gorgeous, but Easton is left questioning whether she has what it takes to help him. Scout Dalton’s out to prove a female can handle the pressure of running the physical therapy regimen of an MLB club. And that proof comes in the form of getting phenom Easton Wylder back on the field. But getting him healthy means being hands-on. And with a man as irresistible as Easton, being hands-on can only lead to one thing, trouble. Because the more she touches him, the more she wants him, and she can’t want him. Not when it’s her job to maintain the club’s best interest, in regards to whether he’s ready to play. But when sparks fly and fine lines are crossed, can they withstand the heat, or is one of them bound to get burned? ADD TO GOODREADS    

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New York Times Bestselling author K. Bromberg writes contemporary novels that contain a mixture of sweet, emotional, a whole lot of sexy, and a little bit of real. She likes to write strong heroines, and damaged heroes who we love to hate and hate to love. A mom of three, she plots her novels in between school runs and soccer practices, more often than not with her laptop in tow. Since publishing her first book in 2013, K. has sold over one million copies of her books and has landed on the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestsellers lists over twenty-five times. In April, she’ll release The Player, the first in a two-book sports romance series (The Catch, book 2, will be released late June), with many more already outlined and ready to be written. She loves to hear from her readers so make sure you check her out on social media or sign up for her newsletter to stay up to date on all her latest releases and sales HERE Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | Amazon Author | Driven Group

Curve Ball by Sloan Johnson - Excerpt and Giveaway

Title: Curve Ball
Series: Homeruns #2
Author: Sloan Johnson
Genre: MM Sports Romance
Published: July 29, 2015

Jason Klein’s living with the fallout from a decision he knew was the right one at the time. He never told anyone about the love of his life, which left him to mourn alone when he found out the man he gave his heart to had been killed in combat. Now, his heart has had time to heal, but he’s not sure he’s ready to let himself move on. Until he meets Cam Morgan… Without a job lined up following graduation, Cam Morgan took his best friend up on his offer to move to Milwaukee and stay with him until he could get on his feet. The last thing he wanted to do the day after getting to town was go to a party filled with a bunch of jocks. Sure, they were “professional athletes” but Cam was convinced that bigger bank accounts didn’t make them any more accepting of people like him. He certainly didn’t expect to meet Jason, the Mavericks’ catcher who broke every stereotype he’d had. What started out as one hot, sweaty night together quickly grows into something deeper. Jason welcomes Cam into his home and his life, but now he has to teach the younger man that it’s not a sign of weakness to let people help you.

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Curve Ball Excerpt © Sloan Johnson 2015
“If you have something to say to me, just say it.” I tapped my fingers on the steering wheel to keep from shaking Drew. He was one of the youngest guys on the team, and right now, his immaturity showed through brightly. It was about time someone knocked some sense into him, before he wound up earning a bad reputation, both on the field and off. “I won’t apologize, because I haven’t done a damn thing to offend you.”
“Really? I shouldn’t be pissed off that I had no clue you were gay?” Drew seethed, his brown eyes narrow slits as he glared at me. “And I should be totally cool with you loading up my friend in the middle of the night to take him back to your place, right?”
“Yeah, actually you should,” I quipped, twisting the wheel tighter. “Cam is a grown man, and if you truly care about him, you should be fucking ecstatic that he’s getting out there to meet people.”
Drew muttered something to himself as he went back to staring out the window. His shoulders slumped forward and he seemed to shrink in his seat. I knew that look. It wasn’t one worn by a concerned or pissed off friend, it was the look of a man who felt the love of his life slipping away from him.
“How long have you felt this way about him?” I asked. My chest tightened, knowing that I wouldn’t stand between them. Drew and I might not be close, but I liked to think of him as a friend, a brother on the team.
“Doesn’t matter.” The response was so quiet I could barely hear the words. As I pulled up to the stoplight, I placed my hand on Drew’s shoulder, unsurprised when he jerked away.
“It does,” I assured him. “And you have to know I wouldn’t have done anything with him if I’d known.”
“Don’t say that. I’ve known for a long time that he’d never feel for me what I do for him.” I suddenly missed the anger Drew showed earlier. “If the way he looked this morning is any indication, you’re exactly what he needs in his life. And if I put my own feelings aside, you’re more than that. You’re what he’s always wanted.”
That was not how I expected this conversation to go. It started exactly as I’d seen it in my mind, but I hadn’t expected Drew to step aside. Maybe I was wrong in thinking that he was immature and selfish.
“Drew, if you say the word, I’ll back off. I’m not willing to destroy two friendships just for a few nights of fun.”
“The only way I’d ask you to do that is if that’s all this is for you.” I pulled up in front of the grocery store, but neither of us moved to open our doors. “Cam is one of the best guys I know. He’s got a big heart, but sometimes, he’s a little too open with it. If you’re only in this for a couple of hot nights, then yeah you should walk away from him.”
I felt backed into a corner. Sure, I’d thought about what it’d be like to explore something more with Cam, but I wasn’t in a place to do that. It had nothing to do with being on the road most of the year and everything to do with my own inability to be open with those around me. I’d grown accustomed to never letting anyone get too close, and Cam had already seen more than people I’d known for years. There was no way I’d be able to hold back if last night and tonight turned into something more.
“I’ll keep that in mind.” It was the most I could promise him. 

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Sloan Johnson is a big city girl trapped in a country girl’s life. While she longs for the hustle and bustle of New York City or Las Vegas, she hasn’t yet figured out how to sit on the deck with her morning coffee, watching the deer and wild turkeys in the fields while surrounded by concrete and glass. When she was three, her parents received their first call from the principal asking them to pick her up from school. Apparently, if you aren’t enrolled, you can’t attend classes, even in Kindergarten. The next week, she was in preschool and started plotting her first story soon after. Later in life, her parents needed to do something to help their socially awkward, uncoordinated child come out of her shell and figured there was no better place than a bar on Wednesday nights. It’s a good thing they did because this is where she found her love of reading and writing. Who needs socialization when you can sit alone in your bedroom with a good book? Now, Sloan is a tattooed mom with a mohawk and two kids. She’s been kicked out of the PTA in two school districts and is no longer asked to help with fundraisers because she’s been known to lose herself with a good book and forget she has somewhere to be.

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Whatever Life Throws at You by Julie Cross

* * * *

Life loves a good curveball…

Seventeen-year-old Annie Lucas's life is completely upended the moment her dad returns to the major leagues as the new pitching coach for the Kansas City Royals. Now she's living in Missouri (too cold), attending an all-girls school (no boys), and navigating the strange world of professional sports. But Annie has dreams of her own—most of which involve placing first at every track meet…and one starring the Royals' super-hot rookie pitcher.

But nineteen-year-old Jason Brody is completely, utterly, and totally off-limits. Besides, her dad would kill them both several times over. Not to mention Brody has something of a past, and his fan club is filled with C-cupped models, not smart-mouthed high school “brats” who can run the pants off every player on the team. Annie has enough on her plate without taking their friendship to the next level. The last thing she should be doing is falling in love.

But baseball isn't just a game. It's life. And sometimes, it can break your heart…

Review:

When Jim Lucas is offered a job as a pitching coach for the Kansas City Royals, his daughter, Annie, makes him take it.  Annie realizes that this is not only an amazing job opportunity for her former MLB pitcher dad but she also thinks it  might be the perfect way to avoid her wandering mother who only shows up time to time to wreak havoc on the Lucas household.  But although there are amazing perks to moving to Kansas City (a new house, an amazing school with the best track team in the state, a caretaker for Grams) there are also some obstacles.  There’s the fact that the team owner is not amused with the team manager’s decision to hire Jim Lucas.  His job is tenuous at best.  The other obstacle?  Jason Brody.  He’s super hot.  He’s not much older than her.  And he’s completely off limits.

The ball club is buzzing with rumors about rookie pitcher, Jason Brody.  He’s a drop out.  He’s an ex-con.  He killed a man.  Just kidding.  Not that last one.  Fortunately, Brody is smart and he keeps his mouth shut as his teammates talk shit about what he may or may not have done in his past.  The only rumor he’s willing to confirm or deny is the fact that he’s an amazing pitcher.  He might be young and new but Jason Brody is determined to show the world that he and his new coach, Jim Lucas, are indispensable. 

Julie Cross does an amazing job of treading that sometimes fine line between Young Adult and New Adult.  Since Brody and Jim are constantly working together, it’s no surprise that Annie and Brody become friends.  Annie is a seventeen year old high school junior.  In a different world, the 1 ½ year age difference between her and Brody would seem rather inconsequential.  But considering he’s a rising MLB star that is constantly in the limelight and she is just a regular kid that still has a year and a half before heading to college, the gap between their ages and their current positions in life seem insurmountable.   Annie feels like a kid next to Brody and the life he is leading.  Brody definitely doesn’t see Annie as a kid, but a relationship between them would cause all sorts of issues.  With Jim Lucas.  With the team owner.  With the media.  Together, Brody and Annie need to figure out if the relationship they both want so much is possible and if the risks are worth it.

I have a confession.  I've been unfaithful to the American League.  I’m a White Sox fan.  So you would think I’d be cheering on the Kansas City Royals during this year's World Series.  But no, I’m a fickle baseball fan.  I have so much shame (not really) in admitting that I think Buster Posey (San Francisco Giants catcher) is cuter than fluffy puppies, prickly hedgehogs and smiling turtles.   And I pretty much would do anything to again see that cuteness rushing the pitcher mound after winning the Series.   And by “anything”, I mean cheering on the Giants. 

But today?  After reading Whatever Life Throws at You?  As I simultaneously write this review and watch the second game of the Giants/Royals series?  Today I’m feeling a little guilty.  You see, I’m also a little in love with Jason Brody.  And although he might be a fictional character, I can’t help but imagine him up there on that pitcher’s mound when the Giants are up to bat.   And if a book can make me consider switching baseball loyalties to support its main characters, then that’s a good book indeed.

If you love romance and baseball do yourself a favor and buy yourself a copy of Whatever Life Throws at You by Julie Cross.  You won’t be disappointed.

Nat

Stealing Parker by Miranda Kenneally

* * * 1/2

Red-hot author Miranda Kenneally hits one out of the park in this return to Catching Jordan's Hundred Oaks High.

Parker Shelton pretty much has the perfect life. She’s on her way to becoming valedictorian at Hundred Oaks High, she’s made the all-star softball team, and she has plenty of friends. Then her mother’s scandal rocks their small town and suddenly no one will talk to her.

Now Parker wants a new life.

So she quits softball. Drops twenty pounds. And she figures why kiss one guy when she can kiss three? Or four. Why limit herself to high school boys when the majorly cute new baseball coach seems especially flirty?

But how far is too far before she loses herself completely? (GoodReads)

 

I absolutely adored Catching Jordan.  The characters and romance were adorable and perfectly imperfect.  When I heard that Stealing Parker would be the companion novel, I was very excited.  How could I not love a baseball romance?  My favorite sport partnered with some romance?  Win/Win!

Much like Catching Jordan, our heroine, Parker, immediately captured my attention with her realistic teen voice and her significant insecurities.  Noticed I said significant?  Parker’s mom has left, her brother is on a downward spiral and her dad is in complete denial that any help is needed other than prayer and church.  Add that to Parker’s focused attempts to prove she is not like her mom and you find that Parker has a lot to be worried about.   

Although this book has romance, it is more about Parker overcoming her own issues rather than finding a boyfriend.  It took a while before I even knew who her love interest was.  Kenneally handles this story with care and realism.  Not everything is happily ever after and everybody’s future is most definitely not wrapped up with a bright and pretty bow.   Not to say that there aren’t a few “Aww” moments in this book.  There certainly are. 

This story was definitely a bit dark but it was still an enjoyable read.  I would definitely recommend it if you enjoyed Miranda Kenneally’s first novel, Catching Jordan.

  

Nat