Sunday, April 13, 2014

Blog Tour Stop and Giveaway!- Seduced by the Game by Toni Aleo, Cassandra Carr with Cindy Carr, Jami Davenport, Catherine Gayle, Jaymee Jacobs, V.L. Locey, Bianca Sommerland, Nikki Worrell

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Title:  Seduced by the Game
Author:  Toni Aleo, Cassandra Carr with Cindy Carr, Jami Davenport, Catherine Gayle, Jaymee Jacobs, V.L. Locey, Bianca Sommerland, Nikki Worrell
Publication Date: April 10th 2014
Goodreads URL: HERE
Website:  http://www.seducedbythegame.com
Plot:  It’s time to drop the gloves and fight! Support the Fight against cancer that is. This anthology of 8 novellas is hot enough to melt the ice these players skate on. Featuring spell-binding novels from popular New York Times & USA Today, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble bestselling authors, including Toni Aleo, Cassandra Carr with Cindy Carr, Jami Davenport, Catherine Gayle, Jaymee Jacobs, V.L. Locey, Bianca Sommerland, & Nikki Worrell. 

Bianca Sommerland BLIND PASS (The Dartmouth Cobras 0.5)
Nothing could stop Tim Rowe, the assistant coach of the Dartmouth Cobras, from falling in love with Madeline, but love alone can’t satisfy every need. Sometimes, to reach the goal, you have to take the chance with a . . . Blind Pass.

Jami Davenport CRASHING THE BOARDS (Seattle Sockeyes 1.5)
Professional party crasher, Izzy Maxwell, needs the cooperation of reluctant party guest Cooper Black, the team captain of Seattle’s new hockey team, but Cooper can’t get past his anger over the team’s relocation to Seattle. Can Izzy melt Cooper’s frozen heart or will this party crash along with her fledgling business?

Cassandra Carr and Cindy Carr HOOKING HANNAH
When Hannah attends the NHL All-Star game, she doesn't expect a hockey player of all people to turn her world upside down. Her sister is married to a player and Hannah never wanted that life. But Scott could change everything. For Scott's part, he has to know the woman who stirred his blood with just a look, and once he does, he realizes he wants Hannah to be his forever. Now to convince her...

Catherine Gayle TAKING A SHOT (Portland Storm 2.5)
Katie Weber has had a crush on Jamie Babcock for almost two years, since he joined her father’s NHL team, the Portland Storm as an eighteen-year-old rookie. When cancer takes her health, her hair, and even her friends, she can’t bear to go to senior prom…until Jamie intervenes. 

Toni Aleo - Tangled in the Laces (The Assassins series: Prequel to Laces and Lace)
In Tangled in the Laces, Karson King is on the fast track to the NHL. Lacey Martin is coming back from a hard fight against cancer and is terrified of him but the attraction is too much to ignore. Soon their love is so intense, neither of them see the rest of their lives without the other. Will Karson prove that he will protect her heart at all costs, or will he leave Laceyto pick up the pieces of her life once again?

V.L. Locey - Heir Apparent
Superstar Cam Evans is fighting to climb out of a slump that`s growing worse with each day of living in denial. Fresh from the minors, Jacobi Neal is hungry for this chance to play back-up for the legendary goalie. Can two men battle each other, their inner demons, and the sizzling attraction building between them?

Jaymee Jacobs, A VALUABLE TRADE 
Bryan's life gets turned upside when he gets traded to the Dallas Comets, and things get even messier when he meets Georgiana, the Director of Team Services. He's got a lot of work to do to prove his worth to his new team, but Georgiana's sure he'll prove to be a valuable trade.

Nikki Worrell – Captain, My Captain (Prequel to the NHL Scorpions Series) 
Keith Lambert is the captain of the Philadelphia Flyers—until he’s not. To everyone’s shock, he’s traded to the San Diego Scorpions. As if that’s not bad enough, Phoebe, his girlfriend of two years, decides she doesn’t love him enough to follow.

All alone in a new town, Keith is drawn to Kelly, his take out delivery girl. When she shows up at ice girl tryouts, he’s lost. She’s all he can see. Can he convince her to forget her past and take a chance on him or is he destined to be alone in a new town a little bit longer?

EXCERPTS:



Excerpt 1 from Taking a Shot by Catherine Gayle


“I’m going to murder that dipshit,” Dad said, but somehow his voice was growing distant, like he was moving farther away from us instead of coming closer.
Jamie’s lips quirked up on one side. “Zee and Soupy hauled him out of here. Looks like they were waiting on him to come in like that. I don’t know how much longer we have before he comes back to finish me off.” He laughed. How could he laugh about something like that? “So will you? Let me take you?”
“But my dad…” No matter how tempting it was to forget reason and agree to go to prom with Jamie, I knew it was nothing more than a dream. There was no chance my father would ever agree to let one of his teammates take me out, whether it was to my prom or anything else. That would be an absolute nonstarter.
Jamie moved his hand, and his fingers dipped beneath the edge of my scarf. I wanted to pull away, but the look in his eye held me in place while he used nothing more than his fingertips to caress my newly bald scalp. “I’ll deal with your dad. Let me worry about that.”
Maybe having no hair made my skin more sensitive, or maybe it was the effects of the chemo—I couldn’t be sure. All I knew was that my whole body was zinging with awareness from the way his fingertips were dancing over the skin an inch or two above my ear.
I’d dated a few boys before. I’d been kissed and touched in various ways, and it had all been exciting and wonderful and new, but this was so different. The way he was touching me was so much more intimate, and I felt more vulnerable and scared and raw than I could ever remember feeling in my life, but I didn’t want it to end. Because it was perfect.
It made me wish I wasn’t sick, that I was whole and alive and vibrant like I used to be.
I wasn’t entirely sure what came over me because everything I’d said about not wanting to be the bald girl at prom was still a massive deterrent to going, and I had a very real fear that my father would do actual physical harm to Jamie, but I said, “Okay. Yes. I’ll go with you.”
He smiled, one of those amazing, shy smiles he had that made his dimples come to attention and left me wanting to kiss him. “Good. Now I’d better go deal with Webs before he hurts one of the boys.”
I took his hand when he pulled it away from my head, holding it in mine for just a second. “Don’t…don’t let him hurt you, either.”
“Don’t worry about me,” he said, squeezing my hand and sending a flood of warmth through to every nerve ending I had.

Excerpt 2 from A Valuable Trade by Jaymee Jacobs

“Dallas.” Fuck.
“We’ll pack up your things and send them along for you. Thank you for your years of dedication, Bryan. Good luck with your new team.” The general manager of the Tornadoes stretches out his hand, which I reluctantly shake. Then I shake my coach’s hand—well, my ex-coach’s hand. I can’t look either of them in the eye.
As I leave the GM’s office and head for the exit, the threshold from my old life to my new one, I run into a couple of my teammates. My former teammates now. They express their regrets regarding my trade and say they’re sorry to see me go. That they’ll miss me. But it’s not like that matters.
Soon after my conversation with my old GM, I get a call from my new GM of the Dallas Comets. He’s excited to bring me on board and talks a lot about how I’m going to fit in with their team and help them make the play-offs. He lets me know that they’re going to take care of everything for me and help arrange my move; that way, I only have to focus on my play.
I don’t want to go, but I don’t really have a choice. So I head home to my girlfriend Corinne to break the news to her. Somehow, though, she already knows. As soon as I walk through the door, she stands and asks, “Is it true? Are they sending you to Dallas?”
My shoulders fall. “Yeah. Just got the news.”
“How can they do that? How can the Tornadoes just give you away?”
“It’s the business side of hockey,” I explain to her. “The Tornadoes needed a forward, and the Comets needed a defenseman. Unfortunately, I’m the guy caught in the middle.”
Corinne frowns and crosses her arms over her chest. “Don’t be selfish, Bry. You’re not the only one involved in this. What am I supposed to do?”
“Come with me, of course. I’m flying out tonight.”
“I can’t! I have to pack everything up, arrange to move it all, get this place listed...” Her voice fades out as she thinks about all the things that need to be done.
“The Comets’ll take care of all that. Cory, baby,” I say, grabbing her hand and pulling her body into mine. I need the comfort more than ever now. “I just need you with me. Please come with me to Dallas.”
She takes a deep breath; I feel her body expand and then shrink back down. “I think I should stay, though. Oversee everything. And then I’ll follow you down.”
It makes sense, but that doesn’t mean I like it. I’m getting traded, and I could use the familiarity of a friendly face to keep me company in a new place. But what else am I supposed to say? I’m saddened that she won’t be joining me on my flight. “Okay.”
“Texas,” she spits out. “I can’t believe we’re going to Texas. Why couldn’t they have traded you to the Rangers? I would’ve loved New York City.”
I wish I had an answer for her—or yet, a better locale to take her to. Dallas is a great sports town in general but not necessarily a great market for hockey. Corinne doesn’t sound very pleased with it either. She and I met our freshman year at the University of North Dakota, where I had been playing with the Fighting Sioux. Once I went pro and started playing for the Tornadoes, she kept up with her studies and graduated with great grades. She wanted to move to New York to start her career, but I persuaded her to come with me to Raleigh by telling her that long-distance relationships don’t work. I don’t think she ever really adjusted to North Carolina.
Because of a freak snowstorm in Raleigh that lays down more snow than anyone expected, I’m stuck here until the following morning. I know I won’t have a chance to make it to the morning skate before the game they’re playing tonight, so I’ll have to play without getting a practice under my belt. It’s bad enough getting traded...but how am I supposed to make a good first impression when I have no practice and no chance to learn the new systems?
The flight feels both too short and too long. I want it to be over, but I want it to never end, either. But I can’t have it both ways. When I get off the plane and pick up my bag, I keep my head down and head toward the taxi stand. As I navigate through the crowd, though, I see my name scrawled on a poster board and tentatively head toward the holder of the sign. It’s got to be a joke, though. The person picking me up is a caricature of a Texan. She’s wearing dark jeans with a hole in the knee, a clingy white tank top, cowboy boots, and a cowboy hat. Or is it a cowgirl hat? Is there a difference?
“Hi, Bryan, I’m Georgiana Pierson. I’m from the Comets. Welcome to Dallas! We’re so excited to have you.” She has a southern drawl, but it’s anything but slow. The smile on her face is wide and genuine. She extends a well-manicured hand. I expect a weak handshake, but she surprises me with a firm grip and vigorous pump. “We’ve got housing set up for you, and I’m going to help you get settled in before tonight’s game. If you need anything as you get acclimated here—and I do mean anything—then I’m your girl. Let me help you with your bag.”
I’m kind of overwhelmed by her. She talks fast and moves even faster; before I can tell her that I’m more than capable of handling my own stuff, she takes the duffel bag of mine and hoists it over her shoulder. The sight is reminiscent of something out of a rodeo, the way she manhandles it. She’s solidly built, but not in a masculine kind of way. No, she’s all woman, with curves and dark brown curly hair that spills out of her hat almost like a wig. Her brown eyes smile just like her mouth. It’s kind of catching, except I don’t feel like smiling. As we head for the door, I wonder if she’s picking me up from the airport on a horse.


Excerpt 3 from A Valuable Trade by Jaymee Jacobs


I may not be a hockey player, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t know how hard trades are. When I said goodbye to winger Tim Fletcher, it was like I was losing a brother. I may not be a player on the Comets, but the players have always made me feel like I was a part of the team. Like I was one of them. I care about them, and I try to make sure they’re all taken care of. Sure, it’s a part of my job, but Lord knows I don’t just do it because I’m paid to do it; I do it because I want to. I’m like a mother hen keeping her chicks in check. I’m polite and kind, but I can get feisty and sassy if I need to in order to get things done.
So when I meet our newest star at the airport, Bryan Comstock, I can immediately tell that he’s wary about this new city and his new team. I can see it in his slumped posture. He’s a big man—or at least that’s what his bio says. He’s six feet tall and 195 pounds, but he looks smaller as he walks toward me. Of course I’m sad to see Tim go, but he’s not under my wing anymore—so my allegiance stays with the Comets. Now, everything in me is telling me to take care of Bryan and help him adjust to Dallas. My maternal side comes out, and I want to fix whatever’s wrong. After all, I’m a problem solver. I make things better.
Bryan never smiles at me, even though I try my best to make him feel as welcome as he should. We’re all hoping that he’ll lift us out of the slump caused by injuries and fatigue, as well as by a little bit of complacency. As I drive him into the city, I do what I can to break through to him, always by talking about Dallas and the promise of the future of the team as well as his bright potential here—and never talking about the past or Carolina. None of those things matters anymore. I do most of the talking as we cruise down the highway with the windows down; it’s hotter than a goat’s behind in a pepper patch. Before coming to the airport, I had been making sure everything was set up and ready for Bryan’s temporary housing, until he is able to find something of his own, and I am hot, sweaty, and dehydrated from working in this heat.
I really didn’t know who this guy was before the trade. We played the Tornadoes months ago and won, but I don’t remember much out of that game. Especially Bryan Comstock, who I wouldn’t have recognized if I hadn’t been shown his picture before being sent to the airport by management to pick him up. Physically, there’s not much that makes him stand out. He has brownish hair cropped close to his head, brown eyes, and thin pink lips. He’d be handsome if he smiled, but he doesn’t look like he does much of that.
Bryan looks stoic but also a little queasy, I think. It had been a big day for him, with getting the news and all. I know that Tim was taken aback, too. It’s hard to start over in a new city alone, but that’s why I’m helping: to ease the transition. When we get to the small townhouse where he’ll be staying—bought by the Comets for instances just like this, conveniently complete with a car in the driveway for him to use—I help him bring his bag inside and give him a brief tour before telling him that directions to the American Airlines Center are printed out and on the passenger seat of the car.
“And the keys are on the counter. So you’re all set,” I tell him. “Coach said not to worry about trying to figure out our system yet—we’re just gonna let you play your game, and we’ll see what you’ve got. I know I’m excited to see how it goes.”
He nods, but he doesn’t look excited. I wish I could make him see that this is going to be good for him. I want to tell him that he’s going to fit in well here. I want to tell him that he’s a top-four defenseman, and that’s where he’ll be put here in Dallas. He was on the third pairing in Carolina, always held back by the bigger names on the Tornadoes’ roster. He wouldn’t have been able to show off his skills like he can here in Dallas. He’ll get more minutes, he’ll get more chances, and he’ll make a bigger splash.
But I feel like even if I tell him all that, he won’t believe me. So I don’t bother to say those things. Instead, I reach out and touch his arm. I make sure he has my card so he can call if he has any questions about the team’s routine or about Dallas in general, but he doesn’t even glance at it before he shoves it in his pocket and just nods at me. So I then tell him that I’ll see him around the rink and leave him there for the afternoon to get acclimated to his new, albeit temporary, home in Texas.
Lord knows I’ve got my hands full of stuff to do back at the arena, so I leave Bryan and head back home so I can shower and change into appropriate work attire before going back into the office. It’s a lot of work, taking care of my Comets, but I can’t imagine doing anything else.


Excerpt 4 from Crashing the Boards by Jami Davenport

Party crashing was an art—if done right.
Isabella Maxwell should know. She’d been crashing parties for years, at first to get a decent meal and later—much later—as a part-time profession with her three younger sisters. She’d never crashed a party she didn’t take from dud to memorable in minutes. 
Tonight she might have met her match.
She’d done her research and knew the obstacles and challenges, but nothing prepared her for the scene awaiting her on the party deck of the Washington Queen, a local tour boat rented by the Seattle Sockeyes hockey team for an evening dinner cruise around Elliott Bay. 
As security checked invitations at the door, Izzy snuck past them and peeked in the doorway, scoping out the scene inside—DJ in the corner, empty dance floor complete with mirror ball and flashing lights, not a dancer anywhere. Hockey players were slouched in chairs clumped around tables, reminding her of pimply faced preteens at a junior high dance. Only these boys weren’t preteens or pimply faced. They were a formidable wall of broad chests, muscular thighs, and determined expressions. Each one mirroring the other, but she’d done her research. There was one man she needed to win over to salvage this party, and he hadn’t arrived yet. 
Her sisters had already boarded the boat, managing to sneak past security, every one of them dressed to kill or at least to charm a professional hockey team, Bethany in her plunging Vera Wang gown and deadly high heels. Emma and Avery, the youngest at twenty-one and identical twins, looked every bit like giddy hockey groupies who’d managed to snag an invite to the party. Standing near the buffet table, they giggled and whispered as they stole glances at the players. Several players stared right back. Nearby, Bethany engaged the team play-by-play announcer in conversation, while he stared at her boobs, but men always stared at Bethany’s boobs. 
The stage was set. 
Time to get this party started. The Sockeyes were going to have the time of their lives if she had to threaten bodily harm with their own hockey sticks.  
“Ma’am, I need to see your invitation.” A security guard with a receding hairline, the waist of his polyester pants pulled up to his armpits, and a determined set to his skinny jaw, stepped in front of her before she could enter through the double doors.
“Oh, that.” Izzy made a show of digging through her saddlebag of a purse, not exactly in keeping with her little black sheath, but it served its purpose. “I know it’s in here somewhere.”
The security guard wasn’t the least bit impressed. He tapped his toe on the floor and took a ready stance as if he expected her to run any moment. Just what she needed, a SWAT team wannabe. She batted her eyes at him and continued to dig in her purse. 
“I’m sorry. I know it’s here somewhere.”
“Ma’am, you’ll need to leave the boat until you can find it.”
She laughed and rubbed one perfectly manicured finger across his name tag. “Now, Carl, you just hold on one teensy bit. We’ll get this straightened out.” Izzy slipped into her fake Southern drawl; it brought most men to their knees. 
Not Carl. In fact, not one hair quivered on his mustache. “My orders are strict. No one, not even the governor, gets in without an invite.” He wrapped scrawny fingers around her arm and pulled her none too gently from the doorway. He might look like a wimp but the guy was surprisingly strong. 
No matter. She’d switch to Plan B.
“My boyfriend will be here any moment. He must have the tickets.”
As if on cue, her target for the night walked up the ramp and onto the boat. Cooper Black. The captain of the newly christened Seattle Sockeyes, and the most outspoken man on the team especially when it came to the team’s move and current situation, which he hated—the very man Izzy needed to tame tonight for this situation to turn around. 
Judging by the stubborn set of his jaw and those steely blue eyes, this wasn’t going to be easy. 


Excerpt 5 from Heri Apparent by V.L. Locey

G-rated excerpt

“Ivan said I’d find you in here,” he said, filling the doorway. I glanced around the goalie coach’s sparse office. “Listen, about last night…”
I lifted a hand. He clamped his lips tight. “It’s okay,” I said. “I just want you to know I’m not here to take your job."
Cam stepped into the room, nodded at a knot of players heading to the weight room, then closed the door after they passed. I kicked a rolling chair out for him. He smiled uncomfortably before sitting down. 
“Yes, you are, and that’s okay.” I started to argue. It was he who silenced me this time with a raised palm. “You say you’re not, and maybe in your heart you think you’re not, but on some deep, competitive level, you are. When you hit that ice last night, and the crowd was on its feet, tell me you didn’t fantasize about skating over to the net.”
I averted my eyes. Cam chuckled sadly.
“Been there and done that." I found myself drawn to look at him. There was something about him. The way his eyes turned up at the corners, or the laugh lines, or maybe even the strands of silver that were threaded through the cocoa brown. Hell, maybe it was his full bottom lip or the sandalwood cologne he wore. Who knows? “I didn’t mean to get on you like that, though. I watched your tapes last night. You’re good, Jacobi, damned good. Maybe Plante good.”
I sat in that cheap office chair with my mouth open. Cam reached out to playfully close it. His fingers were warm. I so wanted them to stray over my cheek but they didn’t. He simply shut my mouth then smiled while placing his hands to his thighs. 

Excerpt 6 from Heir Apparent by V.L. Locey

R rated(due to some mature language and two men kissing)

I padded along beside him with no reply for his comment. He was right. Everyone knew his face in “The Burgh.” The longer we walked, the more I accepted that I would freeze to death. We made two complete laps in total silence. Cam stopped to drop his empty coffee cup into a trash can. We stood under a streetlight, our breath twin clouds of steam hovering in front of us. 
"You have to understand that this…I don’t know how to go about…shit." He stuffed his hands into the pockets of his parka. Again, we started walking. 
"Look, man, if I knew for sure what we were dealing with, maybe I could help a little better," I said. A biracial couple hurried past us. I burrowed into my flimsy coat until all that stuck out of the collar were my eyes. 
"I have a daughter. She’s a senior in high school."
"Awesome," I mumbled into my coat. My forehead was extremely cold. Like ice cream eaten too fast cold. We kept walking that block.
"She is awesome." I peeked over at him. I wished he would drop that fucking hood so I could see his face. "And not aware of how things were with her mother and me."
"How things were, or how you were pretending they were?" I chanced it. What the hell? He would either slug me, call me a motherfucker, or stalk off. Whatever happened it had to be better than roaming around this fucking city block when the temperature was a balmy four degrees. "I mean, that is what you’re dancing around, right? That you’re so far back in the closet you just discovered Narnia? Why not just admit that much to yourself before we both succumb to fucking hypothermia."
I should have known that Cameron Evans was a man of action. I mean, I followed his career all though my school years. He was fast. My back was against the wall under that old clock before I could register the shove. Cam then got all sorts of in my face. I did not raise my hands. His angry exhalation was flavored with vanilla. 
"Are you calling me a queer?" I shrugged one shoulder. 
"I call them as I see them. Now, you can either step off or you can kiss me." I threw the challenge out without a second thought. I stared into the shelter of his hood, finding his dark eyes in the shadows. They flickered down to my blue lips. "Whatever you decide to do, do it fast. I’m cold, tired, and hungry."
He did. He captured my mouth with a kiss so aggressive my teeth ground into my lips. Yeah. This was it. This was what I had been pushing him to do…hoping he would do.

Excerpt 7 from Tangled in the Laces by Toni Aleo

“So you’re Grady’s sister, right? Younger sister?”
She nodded as he got lost in depths of her green eyes. “Yes, I may be younger, but I can still make him cry.”
Karson laughed. “Good to know and, if I may add, that’s kind of hot.”
He wanted to make her laugh. When her lips curved in a smile, the laughter followed, and his dick came to life in his pants. It was such a heavenly sound, and he had never wanted to make a girl laugh as much as he wanted to make Lacey.
“You’re a dork.”
“That’s a good thing, right? That turns you on?”
She laughed again as she shook her head. Looking at him through hooded eyes, she said, “Maybe.”
“Good to know. It was great to see that you came to watch me play tonight. I’m pretty good, huh?”
She laughed, rolling her eyes. “Wow, conceited much?”
Karson grinned. “I know what I saw.”
“You’re delusional. I came to watch my brother.”
Still grinning, he said, “But you watched me.”
“You were on the ice; I was watching the game,” she protested, but he shook his head.
“Your eyes never left me.”
“How do you know?” she asked with an amused look.
“Because when I wasn’t trying to score, I was watching you.”
Her cheeks deepened with color as she looked down, playing with the label on the beer. “I’m not sleeping with you; you’re wasting your time throwing all this game at me.”
He was a goner. This girl was it. Any other girl would have fallen for his game, but not Lacey Martin.
Smiling, he said, “Who said anything about sleeping together? Are you thinking about having sex with me?”
Her cheeks colored more before she looked away, laughing louder, making him think that maybe she was. He liked that. A lot. “Oh my God, shut up!”
“I never once brought up sex, and you did.”
“Whatever,” she said, a grin still pulling her lips.
“You are really beautiful when you do that. I like that half smile thing. Really hot.”
Meeting his gaze, her smile fell as she looked away, shaking her head. “You’re wasting your time.”
“Let me be the one to decide that, and aren’t you supposed to thank me? I did just say you are the hottest girl in the world.”
Her cheeks still burned with color as she nodded. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

Excerpt 8 from Tangled in the Laces by Toni Aleo



When the song ended, Karson stopped moving and slowly lifted his hands up to frame her face, his eyes searching hers. Softly, he said, “I can’t sing for shit, but I will pay to have someone sing to you. I don’t dance well, but I’ll do it just for the chance to touch you. I’m not one to listen to guys sing to find the perfect song for a girl, but I did for you. Most of all, I don’t usually pour my heart out to a person in front of a full coffee shop because I’m not that much of a romantic, but for you, I’d do it all. I’d do anything to be with you, and I’ve waited for someone like you my whole life. It’s true, all of it, and I would be the luckiest man in the world if you’d agree to go out on a date with me. Please give me the chance to make you fall for me, like I have been falling since the first moment I set eyes on you.”
Never in her life had she had someone so ruthlessly come after her. Her heart pounded in her chest as he held her gaze. His eyes pleaded with her, begging for that chance. She wanted to scream yes and never let go of him, but there was a part of her that had her frozen with fear. “I’m terrified of you, Karson. You don’t know what you are getting into. I’m just now picking up the pieces of my life. I can’t redo it all when you run for the hills.”
“I’m not going anywhere, Lacey. I’m here. I’m yours. Just give me the chance.”
Biting into the inside of her cheek so hard it hurt, she closed her eyes as she leaned her forehead against his lips, taking in a deep breath. She was given a second chance at life to live it, not to hide. She had to live her life to the fullest, and a part of her knew that she wouldn’t be living if Karson weren’t a part of her life. Yes, she was terrified, and yes, there was a chance that he would completely break her, but she couldn’t help but try. She didn’t care how crazy it was. She felt the same thing he did. So she slowly nodded, as she looked back up into the caramel eyes she craved to look into daily.
A grin came over his lips, and she returned it before whispering, “Yes.”

Excerpt 9 from Blind Pass by Bianca Sommerland


Authors Note: So many people wanted Tim and Madeline’s story and I couldn’t think of a better place for it than in an anthology put together for such a wonderful cause. We also get a chance to meet some of the players when they were younger, which is fun! I hope you all enjoy this wonderful collection of stories and I’d like to give special thanks to all those who donated their time to putting this together. Fiona Jayde for her beautiful cover, Stacey Price for organizing, formatting, marketing, and handling a dozen other responsibilities to make the process go smoothly, Heather Norris Harrison for her smooth Southern way of handling all communications and everything else that came up. To all the authors involved, you are such a talented group and I’m so grateful to have you on board.

And of course, to the readers! We couldn’t do any of this if not for all your love and support! Happy reading!

Blurb: 
Tim Rowe, the assistant coach of the Dartmouth Cobras, is drawn to the lovely flight attendant after the care she shows one of his rookie players. A glimpse of her submissive urges has him thinking she’s far better suited to his brother, but after a single night with her at his side, he’s determined to find a way to keep her there.
Madeline’s heart wants only Tim, but can her need to surrender control be ignored? Or is there more to her than even she knows. Tim proves he’s willing to do whatever it takes to make her happy, but how far can they really go before the things they both crave destroy everything they’re trying to build.

“The pillow…” He blinked. Nodded quickly. “Of course. We’re staying at the Marriott. I could meet you in the lobby—of course, White could meet you there himself.”
“Yes, he probably could.” Madeline decided to just go for it. She wanted to spend some time with Tim, away from his brother and the team. That he hadn’t taken over and asked her out didn’t change that. This would probably go nowhere, but she needed to see that for herself. So she went for blunt honesty. “I think he’s playing matchmaker, which is adorable. I couldn’t disappoint him.”
The skin around Tim’s eyes crinkled as he gave her a broad smile. “You do know he’s twenty-two, not twelve? And a big boy like that isn’t ‘adorable.’”
“Ha! I’ll have you know men don’t fully grow up until they hit their thirties. Most of your team is made up of children.”
“True.” Tim cocked his head slightly. “So you’re going out with me to make the boy happy?”
“I don’t know, Tim.” She grinned at him, having more fun just talking to Tim than she’d had on actual dates. “You haven’t asked me.”
Casually resting his hip on the arm of a seat, arms folded over his chest, Tim shrugged. “I said we could meet in the lobby.”
Something slapped a seat in the back of the bus. Dean made an irritated sound as Tim looked over at him. “You, brother, are an idiot. If you don’t ask her out for coffee, I will.”
Dean’s sharp tone made Madeline shiver. She could imagine him using that tone with her if he wasn’t pleased. Could see herself doing everything in her power to make sure he rarely had a reason to.
She’d been in the lifestyle for a few years, going to clubs in different cities, always sceneing with men more like Dean than Tim. There was no way she’d refuse if Dean asked her for coffee…or pretty much anything. He pushed all the right buttons by simply being in the same space as her.
Tim seemed to notice. He gave her a stiff smile. “He doesn’t say anything he doesn’t mean. He will take you.”
No mistaking his meaning. She frowned, irritated that Tim wasn’t making more of an effort. Even more irritated at herself for wanting him to. She took a deep breath. “I didn’t come here to see him. But I do think I’m wasting both our time. I’ll meet you in the lobby after the game. Good luck.”
Before she could turn her back on him, he put his hand on her arm. She went still. He spoke softly. “Wait.”
For several beats, she stood there, shaking with a strange mix of humiliation, frustration, and…anticipation. His grip on her arm was firm, not enough to hurt, but enough to keep her from walking away. She sensed something in him that she’d been missing before, a power that wasn’t quite as bold as his brother’s, but no less intense.
“I think I misunderstood—it doesn’t matter. Would you like to have coffee with me? Or we could go out for a beer.” He loosened his hold on her arm, but didn’t move it. “I’ll pick you up wherever you’re staying.” His lips twitched at the edges. “We’ll have to stop by the hotel to bring White his pillow though.”
“Naturally.” She wasn’t sure why it made her so happy that he’d finally stepped up, but it did. She turned to face him. “And I wouldn’t mind a beer actually. My treat if your boys win.”
“Hell no! I’ve made enough of a mess of this.” He lifted his hand, brushing his fingertips across her cheek, his gaze as soft and warm as his touch. “Let me show you I can be a gentleman.”
Dean covered a laugh with a cough.
Madeline ignored him. Which was so much easier now with Tim so close. All the Doms she’d been with were sure of themselves, took control of her easily, fulfilled her needs—and nothing more. She had a feeling Tim could give her more, which was frightening and thrilling all at once. She hadn’t gone on a date in a very long time unless one was to count a few meetings with potential Tops. Having a beer with a man who clearly wasn’t trying to get in her pants as quickly as possible, who wasn’t interested in her submission, would be a nice change.
“I’m not sure I’ve ever met a ‘gentleman.’” Oh, that sounded lame. She rolled her eyes and laughed. “Forget I said that. Going out for beer would be nice.”
“Nice?” Tim slid his hand into her hair, moving forward until she was trapped between a seat and his body. His lips were so very close to hers, close enough to feel his breath on her flesh, his heat. “Nice sounds boring.”
She swallowed hard, waiting for him to kiss her. Knowing if he did she was a goner. “It does.”
“I promise not to bore you, Madeline.”
“Good.”
“I hope you enjoy the game.” He released her hair and took her hand. Bent down to press a kiss to the back of it. Smiled up at her when she stared at him. “The way you were looking at me, you were about to make me into a liar. You should go before I stop caring that this bus is about to get very crowded.”

For more of The Dartmouth Cobras, go to http://www.thedartmouthcobras.com/
Connect with Bianca Sommerland:
Website: www.Im-No-Angel.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bianca.sommerland
Fan page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Im-No-Angel-Bianca-Sommerland/201933239834387
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BSommerland
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Bianca-Sommerland/e/B004R7VTUM 


Excerpt 10 from Blind Pass by Bianca Sommerland

Authors Note: So many people wanted Tim and Madeline’s story and I couldn’t think of a better place for it than in an anthology put together for such a wonderful cause. We also get a chance to meet some of the players when they were younger, which is fun! I hope you all enjoy this wonderful collection of stories and I’d like to give special thanks to all those who donated their time to putting this together. Fiona Jayde for her beautiful cover, Stacey Price for organizing, formatting, marketing, and handling a dozen other responsibilities to make the process go smoothly, Heather Norris Harrison for her smooth Southern way of handling all communications and everything else that came up. To all the authors involved, you are such a talented group and I’m so grateful to have you on board.

And of course, to the readers! We couldn’t do any of this if not for all your love and support! Happy reading!

Blurb: 
Tim Rowe, the assistant coach of the Dartmouth Cobras, is drawn to the lovely flight attendant after the care she shows one of his rookie players. A glimpse of her submissive urges has him thinking she’s far better suited to his brother, but after a single night with her at his side, he’s determined to find a way to keep her there.
Madeline’s heart wants only Tim, but can her need to surrender control be ignored? Or is there more to her than even she knows. Tim proves he’s willing to do whatever it takes to make her happy, but how far can they really go before the things they both crave destroy everything they’re trying to build.
~~~

For more of The Dartmouth Cobras, go to http://www.thedartmouthcobras.com/
Connect with Bianca Sommerland:
Website: www.Im-No-Angel.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bianca.sommerland
Fan page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Im-No-Angel-Bianca-Sommerland/201933239834387
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BSommerland
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Bianca-Sommerland/e/B004R7VTUM 


Tapping her butt lightly, then taking hold of her wrist to pull her up straight, Dean spoke softly. “I could have drawn that out a little longer, but I wanted to end it on a pleasant note. And he’s suffered enough.”
Her behind throbbed, but she dismissed it as she followed Dean’s gaze to where Tim was sitting at the edge of the seat, his white-knuckled grip seeming to be the only thing that kept him there. He looked like he wanted to kill his older brother.
“I’m all right.” She pressed her hand to Tim’s cheek and kissed him, long and slow, relieved with how quickly he responded to her. “I have been punished before.”
Helpful as ever, Dean came up to her side with a smirk on his lips. “She liked it.”
Rolling her eyes, Madeline held her hand out. “Could you pass me a flogger, Dean? And not the rubber one?”
“I wouldn’t have you start on him with a rubber one.” Dean reached into his bag and took out a midsized flogger with long black and red suede falls about the length of her forearm. He smiled as he handed it to her. “You can keep this one. It’s new, a gift from a Domme I trained. She made it herself, but I didn’t have the heart to tell her the strands are too short for the impact play I do.”
Considering the rubber flogger he’d used on her, Madeline wasn’t surprised. But she was feeling a little airy and quite happy. A nice rush of endorphins.
Maybe he’s not really an asshole. He can be…decent.
“Thank you.”
“You’re very welcome. Now, stand facing Tim, feet shoulder-width apart.” Dean shook his head as she did as he asked. “No, not like you’re waiting for a bus. Like you’re a queen, tall and proud. Yes, that’s better. Find the hand you feel most comfortable with.”
Her whole body quivered with excitement. She looked at Tim and laughed when he grinned at her. If she hadn’t felt magnificent with the stance, his appreciative gaze, so full of heat and something close to worship, would have done it.
“We’re going to keep this light. Trail the flogger over his flesh and…” Dean stopped and cleared his throat. When she turned to him, he was staring at the wall. “I apologize. This is awkward. You can try a few light thuds by running the falls through your hand. Aim at the same spot every time. When you practice, use a pillow to see if you can go harder with accuracy. I’ll show you further techniques when my brother isn’t sitting in front of us almost naked with a fucking hard-on.”
Struggling not to laugh again, this time at Dean’s discomfort, Madeline gently teased Tim with the soft suede, running the falls up his thigh, avoiding his swelling dick and letting them drift over his chest. She made them sway with a playful flick of her wrist. Wrapped one arm around Tim’s neck and kissed him as she flicked the flogger against the side of his leg.
A little harder than intended. She winced as half the falls hit her own leg.
Dean groaned and took the flogger away from her. “The lesson is over. My pupils don’t accidentally flog themselves. No toys for you two tonight.”
Tim dropped his head back as she slid her hands between them and cupped his balls through his boxers. “We don’t need them.”
She knew Dean had walked away, but she realized Tim was right. She’d taken over all on her own, and right now, no tools or toys or instructions were needed. She knew what she wanted and exactly how to get it.
Every scene she’d ever participated in had tapped into the passive side of her that was so eager to please. This, this was different and exciting. Instead of giving, she could take. Tim wasn’t as big as his brother, but he was still strong. She couldn’t physically overpower him, could do nothing if he decided he wanted the control back. But that was part of the thrill.
At this moment, he would do anything she asked. In a breath he could flip her on her back and demand she give in to his every desire. She couldn’t decide which she wanted more.
The wonderful thing was, she didn’t have to. She could simply go with whatever felt right.




MY REVIEW:
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Seduced by the Game had a taste of old and new for me. I was familiar with some of the authors and even followed a couple of their hockey series but even the unfamiliar ones stood out after reading them as well.

I thought that I'd be completely lost by trying to read anthologies from series that I had never read but it didn't prove to be a problem at all.

It's like how the author, Nikki Worrell, had pointed out to me: each story was based to be standalones so readers shouldn't feel any grievance to backtrack or familiarize themselves in all of these book installments.

I liked how each story was unique and had a different feel to it. Sometimes it was funny, sometimes it included a lot of angst, hardships, and even happiness. But most of all, it was eye opening and heart warming.

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This book has everything from love, faith, perseverance, suspense, homosexuality, choices, and just life in general.

I feel very blessed to have been invited to this blog tour (by Nikki) and to be exposed to these other talented authors. I had been stalking Nikki and even Toni Aleo's goodreads and facebook accounts for a long period so when I got asked to participate in the release blitz and tour I jumped on it right away!

Trust me guys. You won't regret purchasing this. Not only does it contain great authors and their stories but all proceeds go to the fight against cancer!! Please pick this book up and help us take a stand as about 8 million people lose the battle and die from it each year worldwide (ref. http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/dcpc/resour...)!!

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My Rating:
-Overall : 10
-Plot : 9
-Writing : 9
-Characters : 9
-Cover : 9





Giveaway!


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2 comments:

  1. Thank you so much for your support!

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  2. I absolutely loved the excerpts~ this collection is so worth buying and it supports such a worthwhile cause. Thanks ladies for doing your part to heighten awareness~ you all are fantastic.

    ReplyDelete