As a reader who loves sports-themed romances I'm thrilled to bring you Game On by Collette West, the third installment in the New York Kings series! Keep reading to get a taste of this book, along with my impressions of it, and learn even more about this book by visiting the other blogs hosting this tour. Along with my review you'll learn about the softer side of these burly athletes courtesy of Ms. West. Make sure to fill out the form below for the chance to win a $10 Amazon GC and a print copy of this book too!
A lot of jocks in sports romance novels are extremely cocky. They're beyond sure of themselves. For the most part, they're egotistical womanizers who somewhere along the line discover they have a heart of gold underneath all that swagger. When the right woman comes along, they're putty in her hands, ready and willing to change in order to be worthy of her love and devotion.
Jilly's not like that. He's as insecure as every other guy on the team—but he shows it. He doesn't hide behind any false bravado. He wears his vulnerability for all to see because at 6'8" and 225 pounds, he can't exactly hide it. He hates how his size always makes him stand out when all he wants to do is fit in. He doesn't come off all self-assured and confident with the ladies. He carries one girl off the field like King Kong and props another on the side of the couch the morning after, leaving her without saying a word, because he's afraid that he already messed everything up by not kissing her.
His seduction techniques need some work, but women can't help being attracted to him, regardless if he's a smooth operator or not—because he's real. Jilly lets them see him for the kind of guy he really is, and that's what makes women inherently trust him. Their instincts tell them that he's a good guy, and they're right. Women have a soft spot for Jilly because they want him to see himself, the way they see him—as the uber sexy, hot-blooded man with the soulful bedroom eyes—who with simply a raised eyebrow could get a woman out of her clothes in a heartbeat.
Girls, let's just say, Jilly's a keeper.
Desperate to revamp his loner image, the New York Kings hold a dream date contest, granting the lucky winner a night on the town with their surly reliever, doing whatever it takes to force Jilly out of his comfort zone.
Hailey Halpert enters the contest on a whim, looking for answers as to why her high school relationship with Jilly hit the skids. Now she’s a popular romance author writing under a pen name, and her reappearance in Jilly's life is no accident. It turns out that her novels are all about the sexy players on the Kings, and Jilly has no clue that he's about to become her new leading man.
Hailey Halpert enters the contest on a whim, looking for answers as to why her high school relationship with Jilly hit the skids. Now she’s a popular romance author writing under a pen name, and her reappearance in Jilly's life is no accident. It turns out that her novels are all about the sexy players on the Kings, and Jilly has no clue that he's about to become her new leading man.
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MY IMPRESSIONS OF THIS BOOK:
Th New York Kings are back in this third installment of the series and this time around the focus is on gentle giant Jilly Gillette. In an emotional journey of secrets, misunderstandings, and sacrifice readers will be drawn to his tale and the high pressure world of baseball he lives in. With the return of his unrequited high school love Hailey, and her bomb dropping secret, this journey becomes even more complicated yet richly rewarding as tears and smiles abound.
Jilly is the strong but silent type who's suffering from the fallout of being publicly tossed over by the first woman in a long time to capture his attention. When he started helping fellow baseball player Sasha improve her play he thought he'd finally found the woman for him but never made a move to claim her before someone else did. The public always saw him as aloof but now see him as a sympathetic and heartbroken man they desperately want to know more about. Seeing this tide of sympathy as a way to get more fans in the seats and make money, management and a supportive blogger run a contest to find him a date. While he despises all the attention he understands his role and what at first seems like torture soon turns his world upside down as a blast from his past comes sauntering back into his life. Jilly is a sweet man who's full of self-doubt and insecurities that he keeps hidden behind a quietly compelling facade. Because of his height and brawn he often feels awkward which makes it difficult for him to interact with women. I couldn't help being drawn to him as he's strong but silent and says more through his actions than words. He values honesty, is lovably charming, and wears his heart on his sleeve which has led to his heart often being bruised. All he wants is someone to share his life with which endeared him to me and left me rooting for him. Though he thought he was in love with Sasha he soon realized that it was her resemblance to his high school love that drew him to her. Hailey was the one who got away. Through misunderstandings and assumptions she left him to make his way to the big leagues. Though he loves playing baseball it's a lonely existence that has him jealous of all those pairing off around him. He's achieved everything he always dreamed of but has no one to share it with. Now that he's been given a second chance he'll do whatever it takes to keep Hailey by his side. With management again interfering in the life of one of their players though his happiness may be over before it's even started when the truth about Hailey comes out.
Hailey and Jilly were like peanut butter and jelly in high school. They were a perfect match who could've been more than just really close friends if only they would've expressed their feelings out load. The time wasn't right though as Hailey was needed by her working class family to keep their business running. Her dreams had to be put on hold and as she didn't want to hold Jilly back she let him find fame on his own. She can't help wanting to see him again and once they see each other it's as if time never passed as their connection is just as strong. Where Jilly found fame though Hailey's still struggling. She's come to the big city to further her writing career but has had one thing after another befall her. Luckily Jilly's now there to save her. As their relationship picks up steam Hailey's desperately trying to keep a secret about her writing as she knows it could harm Jilly's career. With management manipulating her behind the scenes their relationship is soon put in jeopardy. This time Jilly won't let her run away without an explanation as he finally fights for the girl of his dreams in a conclusion that's immensely satisfying. Hailey is a likable woman who does frustrating things at times. She wants to be a professional writer and make it on her own but puts herself in danger time and again. So many times she could've just told Jilly the truth but opted not to which made it feel as though she was purposefully sabotaging their happiness. I do admire her loyalty to her family, although I also saw her using their situation as an excuse not to be with Jilly. Ultimately though, her making him happy had me rooting for them and I soon warmed up to her.
This was a well-crafted story that beautifully balanced sports and the rekindled and burgeoning romance between two relatable people. The connection between them crackled with sexual tension which was aided by their close-knit past. Seeing them together often brought a smile to my face as it brought Jilly out of his shell more. Their sexual interludes were both steamy and powerfully emotional as Jilly's very open about his feelings too. I enjoyed seeing characters from the previous books interacting so closely with the characters here as it was done seamlessly and reiterated the family feel of the ballplayers. I especially enjoyed seeing Scott and his humorous dating tips to Jilly and playful prodding of him to claim Hailey. His story is next and I can barely contain my excitement! The despicable Drake also makes a reappearance and continues to alienate himself from the team. When his story occurs it will be a true test of Ms. West's talent as he seems irredeemable at this point. With each successive story this series just keeps getting better and better with its strong cast of characters, compelling flow, and addictive mix of baseball and romance. While this story can definitely be read on its you'll easily find yourself addicted to these sexy boys of summer and will be clamoring for more.
My rating for this is an A-
*I got this book from the author for review in exchange for my honest opinion.
Collette West grew up as somewhat of a jock-nerd hybrid. Entering the world three weeks premature, her dad nearly missed her birth because he had seats behind the dugout for a sold-out, highly-anticipated match-up between two of baseball's biggest rivals. Not to be outdone, her book-loving mom taught her how to read by the time she was three. A love of the game coupled with an appreciation for the written word were instilled in Collette's impressionable brain from a young age. No wonder her characters believe in the philosophy: sports + romance = a little slice of heaven.
Splitting her time between the Pocono Mountains and Manhattan, Collette indulges her inner fangirl by going to as many games as she can from hockey to baseball and downloading every sports romance novel in existence onto her iPad. When she's not clicking away on her laptop, she enjoys walking her dog in Central Park, satisfying her caffeine craving at the Starbucks on Broadway and keeping an eye out for Mr. Right. But above all, she loves dishing with her readers. Email her at collette_west@yahoo.com
She is the author of NIGHT GAMES, GAME CHANGER and GAME ON.
Splitting her time between the Pocono Mountains and Manhattan, Collette indulges her inner fangirl by going to as many games as she can from hockey to baseball and downloading every sports romance novel in existence onto her iPad. When she's not clicking away on her laptop, she enjoys walking her dog in Central Park, satisfying her caffeine craving at the Starbucks on Broadway and keeping an eye out for Mr. Right. But above all, she loves dishing with her readers. Email her at collette_west@yahoo.com
She is the author of NIGHT GAMES, GAME CHANGER and GAME ON.
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