Series: Play by Play

Review: Shot on Gold by Jaci Burton

Posted February 20, 2018 by Rowena in Reviews | 2 Comments

Review: Shot on Gold by Jaci BurtonReviewer: Rowena
Shot on Gold (Play by Play, #14) by Jaci Burton
Series: Play by Play #14
Also in this series: Holiday on Ice, Rules of Contact, The Final Score (Play by Play, #13), Changing the Game (Play by Play, #2)
Publisher: Penguin, Berkley
Publication Date: February 13th 2018
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Add It: Goodreads
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three-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

In the new Play-by-Play novel by the New York Times bestselling author of The Final Score, opposites attract when a figure skater and hockey player lace up their skates--and go for the gold...

Will "Mad Dog" Madigan is making his second trip to the Winter Games, and he couldn't be happier. Hockey is his life and playing for the U.S. team is a privilege. Then he meets U.S. figure skater Amber Sloane. She's beautiful, ambitious and driven--everything Will desires in a woman. He would love to show Amber how hot life off the ice can be.

Amber has skated her entire life, sacrificing everything in the hopes of one day winning gold. Now she's competing for the third and final time. She intends to win, and nothing's going to get in her way--until she meets Will. He's an irresistible charmer, and before long Amber is wondering if this sexy hockey player is the perfect guy to show her some moves outside the rink.

But after all the medals have been awarded, Will and Amber will have to decide if what they have together is just a fling or a real shot at true love.

Shot on Gold is the fourteenth book in the Play by Play series by Jaci Burton and it was a sweet romance. Both the hero and the heroine were so sweet and so polite to each other and they were super nice and all of that but that’s pretty much it.

This book follows Will “Mad Dog” Madigan and Amber Sloane as they fall in love during the Winter Olympics. They’re both competing in the Games and they meet in the athlete’s village and their romance takes off right from the very beginning.

Will is at his second Olympics with the US Men’s Hockey team and this time around, he wants to experience the whole thing with a clear head and make actual memories. His first time around, he won the silver medal with his team and he remembers a lot of alcohol, lots of women and lots of partying. He’s older now so he wants to savor the experience and he wants to help his team win the elusive gold medal. He’s serious business this time around so when he meets Amber Sloane, he’s definitely interested and wouldn’t mind a little female company during the two-week international tournament.

Amber Sloane is competing in her last Winter Olympics. She’s an ice skater who has always put skating above everything else and while she is a very decorated athlete, she doesn’t have a gold medal and she doesn’t have any friends. She’s twenty-four years old and she vows to have some fun during these Olympic games because she deserves a bit of fun after all of her hard work. She’s ready to compete for that gold and she is very confident that this is her year to finally win it. Her one friend is a Canadian snowboarder and they’re roommates again so Amber knows that if anyone can help her let loose a little, it’s Lisa. When Lisa takes her a party, Amber meets Will and she’s just as attracted to him as he is to her and she’s determined that he will be the person that she gets cozy with and he doesn’t disappoint.

Over the course of the two weeks that they’re both competing in Vancouver at the Olympic Games, Will and Amber fall into a relationship that is pretty hot and super steamy. They get closer and closer and they spend as much time as they can together and everything is just peachy. Being together makes them happy and it shows in their performance in the games. Will is killing it on the ice and so is Amber. Everything is perfect. Nothing is ever wrong, except for a few mean words from Amber’s Mom…and I think that was my problem with the book. There weren’t any real conflicts in the romance and the conflict that we do get, happens after the games and to be honest, it was pretty weak.

This book reads like a fairy tale where everyone is accepted and everyone wins a gold medal and while that’s fine, I wanted more meat from the story. The romance itself worked but outside of that, everything was pretty tame. Everyone got along, there was no drama between any of the athletes and I expected…more. I finished this book wanting more. I would have enjoyed the setting and the environment a whole lot more if something actually happened instead of happy, happy, joy, joy, all the time. So while the romance was sweet, the rest of the story low key needed more umph for me.

Play by Play Series

Grade: 3 out of 5

three-stars

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Review: Changing the Game by Jaci Burton

Posted November 24, 2017 by Rowena in Reviews | 1 Comment

Review: Changing the Game by Jaci BurtonReviewer: Rowena
Changing the Game (Play by Play, #2) by Jaci Burton
Series: Play by Play #2
Also in this series: Holiday on Ice, Rules of Contact, The Final Score (Play by Play, #13), Shot on Gold (Play by Play, #14)
Publisher: Penguin, Berkley
Publication Date: August 2nd 2011
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 310
Add It: Goodreads
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four-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

Most people play by the rules. Gavin and Liz aren't most people....

Win at any cost. That's always been the mantra of sports agent Liz Darnell. When she carries things too far and risks losing her number-one client, baseball pro Gavin Riley, Liz realizes that she'll have to work extra innings to win him back. It might not be too much of a stretch. She's had a thing for this player's moves since she first laid eyes on him, and by the looks of it, he wants her just as bad.

Gavin's more than ready—especially when Liz is offering herself as part of the bargain. And as much of her as Gavin wants. For added thrills, he decides to throw a little curve ball Liz's way to see just how far she's truly willing to go to keep him as a client. But when love unexpectedly enters the playing field, neither Liz nor Gavin are ready for the biggest game-changer of them all.

Changing the Game is the second book in Jaci Burton’s Play by Play series and it features Gavin Riley, the hero of the first books brother. Gavin’s heroine is the villain from the first book and I didn’t know how I’d come around where Liz was concerned, knowing what she did to Mick, Tara and Nathan in The Perfect Play but Burton did a great job of redeeming her character in my eyes.

What surprised me was how much I wanted to knee Mick in the balls in this book. We really see him in the eyes of his brother and he was annoying as hell but alls well that ends well because in the end, he turns back into the man everyone loves.

Gavin Riley plays professional baseball in St. Louis and loves his life. He loves the freedom he has to be with whoever he wants, he spends his days training for or playing his favorite sport in the world and his life comes with a lot of perks. He knows that he shouldn’t be attracted to his agent, after the hell she put his brother and family through but he can’t help it. She creeps into his thoughts and he wants her. When she starts avoiding him, Gavin finds the right opportunity to clear the air between them…and maybe dirty up his sheets.

Liz Darnell has been in love with Gavin for years but he’ll never know that. She’s worked really hard at keeping her feelings for her client at bay and now that she royally screwed up with his brother (and her #1 client), she is waiting for Gavin to drop her as an agent just like Mick did. When Gavin corners her for a meeting and then that meeting turns into spending time together knocking boots, Liz is equal parts thrilled and scared to death because what is she going to do when he’s had his fill of her and moves on?

Watching the sparks fly between Gavin and Liz was fun. This wasn’t one of those books where there is major angst and so many things are happening at the same time that the main couple is falling in love. No, this book was simple romance where the story hinged on the reader connecting with the characters and for me, it totally worked. I wanted to read a baseball romance after being completely obsessed with the World Series and a pretty remarkable season from my Dodgers and this book really fit the bill.

Gavin was such a normal younger brother. Not wanting to live in his brother’s spotlight but wanting to shine on his own. I really enjoyed getting to know him and seeing him connect with Liz. I also really enjoyed seeing his own connection with his family. The Rileys were family goals and I loved seeing them again. Don’t get me wrong, there were times when I was right there with his parents and wanted to strangle him for being such a dumbass but he gets it right in the end and Liz’s love for him was strong and I was happy that he was able to make things right with her before it was too late.

Liz was such a strong heroine and getting to know her was great. She was remorseful for her actions in the trouble with Mick and his family and I loved that she learned her lesson and wanted to make things right for everyone involved. She was a damn grown up and handled everything that came her way the same way that I hope I would and I just admired the hell out of her when all was said and done. She was a good person, inside and out and she worked hard and loved deep and I was so happy when she finally got her happy ending because I truly thought she deserved it.

Overall, Burton did a great job of writing Gavin and Liz’s story and I’m low key mad at myself for waiting so long to read this book. It’s a good one and I definitely recommend it if you’re in the mood for a contemporary with a strong romance and a great secondary cast. This will hit you in the feels, I promise.

Grade: 4 out of 5

four-stars

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Review: The Final Score by Jaci Burton

Posted September 11, 2017 by Rowena in Reviews | 4 Comments

Review: The Final Score by Jaci BurtonReviewer: Rowena
The Final Score (Play by Play, #13) by Jaci Burton
Series: Play by Play #13
Also in this series: Holiday on Ice, Rules of Contact, Changing the Game (Play by Play, #2), Shot on Gold (Play by Play, #14)
Publisher: Berkley
Publication Date: September 12, 2017
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Add It: Goodreads
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four-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

In the new Play-by-Play novel by the New York Times bestselling author of Rules of Contact, a star quarterback is torn between his love of the game—and the woman who may be the love of his life.

Nathan Riley is ready to follow in the footsteps of his famous football player father. He’s been drafted as quarterback for his dad’s former team, and his sports future is bright. When his friend Mia Cassidy moves to the same city, their years-long friendship suddenly sparks hot, reminding him of the one night they had together in college that he can never forget.

Like Nathan, Mia is from a sports dynasty family and embarking on an incredible new career—as founder of her own sports management company. Her friendship with Nathan means everything to her, and tossing sex into the mix again could jeopardize it all. But the chemistry between them has always sizzled, and it isn’t long before Mia realizes she wants more with Nathan than just late-night talks and pizza.

Passion has a funny way of changing the rules, and soon Nathan and Mia realize that to win it all, they’ll have to make an unexpected play for love.

The Final Score is the thirteenth book in the Play by Play series and it was another cute contemporary romance that made for a pleasant way to spend a few hours.

Nathan Riley and Mia Cassidy have been best friends since college. They’re good as friends. They’re supportive of each other, they care about each other and Nathan has wanted more for a long time. Mia has dug in her heels and has refused to risk their friendship on a relationship that she wasn’t sure would work out. His friendship meant too much to her and she didn’t want to rock the boat…even though they rocked the boat once in college. So they continue on as friends only and Nathan has put his feelings for his bestie on hold.

Fast forward a few years and they’ve graduated from college and are both working hard in their respective careers. Nathan is the new starting QB for his father’s team and he’s feeling the pressure to lead a team that has always been his father’s team. Mia, on the other hand, has opened up her own sports management business and she’s feeling her own pressure to make the business a success. She’s got employees who are relying on her to keep them employed and she’s doing everything she can to not let anyone down. They’re both busy, much too busy for a relationship but when Nathan brings up that they could be friends with benefits, Mia at first says no but Nathan keeps after it and before long, Mia has caved and the benefits begin.

I liked both Nathan and Mia as characters but my favorite part of this romance was how normal it was. Sure, both Nathan and Mia have high profile jobs but at their cores, they were normal everyday people who loved and wanted to be loved in return. I loved that Mia was a planner babe (I’m one too!) and I adored that Nathan was very upfront about what he wanted from Mia. He didn’t fight his feelings, he just waited for Mia to be ready for him. I totally respected that.

I didn’t understand a lot of Mia’s hangups about a relationship with Nathan. I wish she had more faith in him as a partner but those were just little gripes in an otherwise, perfectly put together contemporary romance. I enjoyed seeing all of Mia’s family and Nathan’s too. I’ve been itching for a baseball romance so I’m going to look into reading Mia’s brothers books since I haven’t gotten around to them yet.

Overall, this story was refreshingly simple. It wasn’t bogged down with angst and feelings and the characters didn’t have any of that annoying push and pull crap. It was a straight up romance about two friends who fall in to love with each other and find a way to make it work. It was perfect for what I was in the mood for so I enjoyed it.

Grade: 3.75 out of 5

four-stars

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Review: Rules of Contact by Jaci Burton

Posted December 20, 2016 by Rowena in Reviews | 4 Comments

Review: Rules of Contact by Jaci BurtonReviewer: Rowena
Rules of Contact by Jaci Burton
Series: Play by Play #12
Also in this series: Holiday on Ice, The Final Score (Play by Play, #13), Changing the Game (Play by Play, #2), Shot on Gold (Play by Play, #14)
Publisher: Berkley
Publication Date: December 6th 2016
Pages: 347
Add It: Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice | Google Play Books
four-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

In the new Play-By-Play novel by the New York Times bestselling author of Unexpected Rush, a football player with all the right moves on the field needs a better game plan for his love life.

A defensive end for the San Francisco Sabers, Flynn Cassidy is used to being in the spotlight—he just doesn’t enjoy it. But if getting in front of the cameras will help his new restaurant succeed, he’s willing. Now if he could just meet a woman who loved him and not his fame…   After her divorce, Amelia Lawrence is thrilled to start over as head chef at Ninety-Two. It’s just the opportunity she needs to heat up her career—if only she wasn’t wildly attracted to her sexy new boss. Their chemistry might be sizzling hot, but Amelia has no intention of being burned again.

Amelia is genuine and fun and Flynn can’t get enough of her—and Amelia loves every second she spends with the tough but tender Flynn. But trust is a hard fought battle for both of them. Breaking the rules of contact and surrendering to their passion was easy, but are they willing to risk their hearts to win at the game of love?

I started reading to escape my reality and I don’t really need dragons and magical realism to escape. Sometimes a look into the lives of a chef and a football player does the trick and that was the case with this book. I haven’t read many of the books in this series but I’m going to need to change that because Rules of Contact was a fun dip into contemporary romance.

Flynn Cassidy, a player in the NFL has opened up a restaurant and is doing well on the business side of his life but his personal life can use a little help. Every girlfriend he’s had in the last few months have all been a lot more interested in their fifteen minutes of fame from being Flynn’s girlfriend than they have in Flynn as a person. He’s low key tired of it. So after the last girlfriend gets a cab ride out of his life, Flynn has decided that he’s done looking for Mrs. Right and is going to enjoy the success he’s found in the restaurant.

Amelia is the head chef for Flynn’s restaurant and has had a front-row seat to the circus that has been Flynn’s love life for the last few months. She feels bad for him because he’s a good guy and he’s a great looking guy with a killer bod so she doesn’t understand why he keeps striking out with these girlfriends. On top of being a great boss, Amelia genuinely likes Flynn as a person so when she becomes friends with Tara Riley, QB Mick Riley’s wife, she finds herself an object of interest to Flynn himself.

Watching these two grow from friends to something more was a lot of fun. Burton really shined in this book. Her writing style was flirty, fun and was easy to follow. It’s a straight up romance about two people falling in love without a lot of angst or drama and I really enjoyed it all. I enjoyed the romance, the foodie aspects of the book and I really loved Flynn’s family. So much worked for me and while I wanted to knock some sense into Flynn and Amelia from time to time, that didn’t take away from my enjoyment.

Grade: 4 out of 5

four-stars

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Sunday Spotlight: Rules of Contact by Jaci Burton

Posted December 4, 2016 by Holly in Features, Giveaways | 5 Comments

Sunday Spotlight is a feature we’re running in 2016. Each week, we will spotlight a release we’re excited about. We’ll be posting excerpts and being total fangirls. You’ve been warned. 🙂

Sunday Spotlight

Today we’re spotlighting Rules of Contact by Jaci Burton, book 12 in the Play by Play series. Don’t let this discourage you from reading it, however, as it stands alone nicely. I read it, and I’m about 7 books behind in the series.

Rules of Contact by Jaci Burton
Series: Play by Play #12
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: December 6, 2016
Publisher: Berkley

In the new Play-By-Play novel by the New York Times bestselling author of Unexpected Rush, a football player who knows how to win on the field needs a better game plan for his love life.

A defensive end for the San Francisco Sabers, Flynn Cassidy is used to being in the spotlight—he just doesn’t enjoy it. But if getting in front of the cameras will help his new restaurant succeed, he’s willing. Now if he could just meet a woman who loved him and not his fame…

After her divorce, Amelia Lawrence is thrilled to start over as head chef at Ninety-Two. It’s just the opportunity she needs to heat up her career—if only she wasn’t wildly attracted to her sexy new boss. Their chemistry might be sizzling hot, but Amelia has no intention of being burned again.

Flynn can’t get enough of Amelia, and Amelia loves every second she spends with the tough yet tender Flynn. But trust is a hard-fought battle for both. Breaking the rules of contact and surrendering to their passion was the easy part. Are they willing to risk their hearts to win at the game of love?

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Excerpt

RULES OF CONTACT by Jaci Burton
Book Binge – Sunday Spotlight

She let her fingers map a trail over his shoulders and down his arms, as if she were reading a treasure map. There were scrolling patterns and sharp points, but no words.

“What do they mean?”

“Nothing, really. I just like the ink. At some point I might think about putting some literature on here. Maybe something that inspires me.”

“They’re beautiful.”

“Thanks.”

She sat back and looked at him. “So nothing like ‘Mom’ or some ex-girlfriend’s name on here?”

He laughed. “No. I’m not a momma’s boy, and so far no woman has inspired me enough to ink her name on my body.”
“So far.”

“Yeah. Maybe when I get married I’ll do something permanent like that.”

“You do realize that fifty percent of marriages end up in divorce.”

He frowned. “Mine won’t.”

“So sure of that, are you?”

“Yes.”

She leaned back and he shifted, moving down the bed so he could pick up her foot to massage it. He really did have great hands. She thought about what he’d said about marriage.

“While I admire your confidence, I can assure you that everyone goes into marriage thinking it’s forever. It doesn’t always work out that way.”

He lifted his focus from her foot onto her face. “While I can appreciate you’re coming from a point of cynicism since you’ve gone through a divorce, I only intend to get married one time. And I intend for it to be forever.”

“I’m sure the guy who had ‘I love Patty for All Time’ tattooed on his body and then had to have a giant Chevy truck tattooed over it thought his tattoo would last forever, too.”

He arched a brow. “You know this guy?”

She laughed. “No. I made it up. I’m just using it as a random example.”

He picked up her other foot, and she couldn’t resist a moan when he dug his thumb into her sore arch.

“I think your ex made you lose faith in love.”

“Maybe. I’d think all those women who prefer camera time over their interest in you would make you lose faith.”

He shrugged. “They just weren’t the right one.”

“And you still think the right one is out there for you.”

He wasn’t focusing on her foot. He was looking at her. “Yes, I do.”

His gaze was warm. Intense. And she had to admit, she felt relaxed with him, all that tension and after-sex weirdness completely gone.

“Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why do you believe in love, Flynn?”

“Because I’ve seen it in action with my parents. They’ve had difficult times and through it all, their love for each other has never once wavered. I’ve seen it with my brothers, who’ve all found amazing, smart, beautiful women who love them unconditionally. And believe me, my brothers aren’t easy guys to love. If they can find it, so can I.”

This was a new side to him. She’d seen the business side of him and the sports side of him. In both, he was driven. She’d seen him be funny and fun. But she’d never seen this serious side. This was a man ready to fall in love.

Too bad she wasn’t the woman for him. Because she was never going to give her heart over to a man again. She’d had it crushed once by someone she trusted, and it had hurt horribly.

Flynn was a nice guy, and she liked him. She was sure there was a woman out there who deserved him. It was really too bad it couldn’t be her.

Unfortunately, tonight was just that. Just this one night. Because a man like Flynn could be habit forming. She’d fallen down that rabbit hole once before, and she’d never allow that to happen again.

She gently extricated her foot from his grip. “It’s probably a good idea for you to take me home.”

He gave her a quizzical look. “You don’t want to stay tonight?”

She wanted to. And that was the problem. She shook her head and slid off the bed to stand.

“I have a lot of things to do tomorrow. Early.”

He got up and came over to where she stood, sliding his arms around her. “I get up pretty early.”

His body was warm and she was tempted to turn around and curl into him, let him coax her back into his big bed.
But he was dangerous to her mind and her body, and most especially her heart. So she stepped away, turned around, and smiled at him. “I had fun tonight. But no. I need to get home.”

Fortunately, he read her signals and nodded. “Sure. I’ll throw on some clothes and drive you home.”

She got dressed and grabbed her things. They got into his SUV and he drove her the short distance to her house. When he got out and walked her to her door, for a split second she thought about inviting him in. But that would defeat the purpose of putting an end to their night together.

She pulled her keys out of her purse, unlocked the door, then turned to him. “Tonight was amazing.”

He tugged her against him. “I thought so, too. I’ll see you soon.”

Before she could walk inside, he tugged her close and kissed her. She fell into the kiss, making her wish they were still naked and in his bed.

One time with Flynn was definitely not enough. Her body curved into his and wanted more. So much more. She finally had to break the kiss with her heart and pulse pounding and everything within her trembling with desire.

“Good night, Flynn.”

You guys. He’s so adorable.

he's adorable gif

Play by Play

 

Giveaway: We’re giving one lucky winner their choice of one of our Sunday Spotlight books. Use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter for one of this month’s features.

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About the Author

jaciburton1_800px_300dpi
WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | PINTEREST | TUMBLR | GOODREADS

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Jaci Burton is happy to be living her dream of writing passionate contemporary romance. She has written over seventy-five novels to date. Jaci has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business that she is delighted not to be using in her previous life of corporate management. She grew up in Missouri, migrated to California, but has been happily making her home in Oklahoma for the past fifteen years with her husband and dogs. She enjoys being outdoors in the summer and she and her husband are avid Harley riders.

Jaci was honored with the RT Book Reviews Career Achievement Award as well as their Reviewers Choice Award. She has been a finalist in the Bookseller’s Best and National Reader’s Choice Awards, and has won The Romance Studio’s CAPA Award four times.

Jaci is a member of Romance Writers of America.

You can find Jaci on the web at the following locations:

Website: jaciburton.com

Facebook: facebook.com/AuthorJaciBurton
Twitter: twitter.com/jaciburton
Instagram: instagram.com/jaciburton

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