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Tuesday, April 27, 2021

New Release: Today Tomorrow and Always by Tessa Bailey + Review!

 



Today Tomorrow and Always by Tessa Bailey is now available!

Check out book three in the Phenomenal Fate trilogy!


Blurb:

Tucker isn’t interested in quests, thank you very much. Though the cigar-smoking, Uber-driving vampire has long been an official member of the undead club, his very human heart still lurks inside of him—and no one has ever spoken to it more clearly than Mary…the fairy he’ll be driving to her wedding. Where she’ll be marrying someone else.

Quests, right?

Mary’s blindness and window-shattering scream have forced her into seclusion since childhood. A seeming burden to her splintered family, she jumps at the chance to reunite them. All she has to do is marry an evil vampire, facilitate an unholy alliance and potentially start an underworld war. Easy, right? No, but it was doable. At least until Tucker.

The pair of misfits embark on a road trip that will have them questioning the past, present and future. Their building passion and trust in one another is undisputable, however. And as the battle looms, they’ll have to decide just what they’re willing to sacrifice for a lifetime together.
 




Links:






Review:

3.5 stars

***

 This was a pretty good read. Today Tomorrow and Always is book three in the Phenomenal Fate series and focuses on Tucker and Mary. Tucker is the third vampire in a group of friends we met in the previous books to find love. A war is threatening to begin between good and evil supernatural creatures in this world. Mad Mary is a young fae woman who is blind. She is betrothed by her mother to marry the evil Hadrian, who she has never met, in exchange for helping her mother ascend to faerie where she can join her father. When Tucker meets Mary in the middle of a mission, he feels an immediate connection to her and volunteers to take her on a cross country road trip to deliver her to Hadrian. He really just wants to spend more time with her and they soon grow close. As they spend time together on their journey, they soon find they were meant to meet and have a true connection and love that time can not sever.

I enjoyed this story, but it did take me quite a while to get into. Mary is depicted as a young, neieve, almost childlike character; while Tucker comes off as an older man sometimes, with his mannerisms and speech. He even called her kid for quite a while. They were not that far apart in age though so I didn't feel like it fit and it made it harder to get into a romance between them. Still, I did think this aspect improved as the book went on. Mary grew as a person and Tucker treated her more as an adult. I also was a bit turned off by references to Tucker's weight and I didn't feel a lot of chemistry between the characters. But I did like the story. I felt the love and connection between the couple by the end. I did like them as characters and as a couple.

Overall, this was not my favorite book of the series, but I did enjoy it in general. It was an entertaining end to the series and I was happy that Tucker and Mary got their HEA. I have enjoyed Ms. Bailey's foray into PNR and I look forward to whatever she comes up with next.







New Release: Damaged by Layla Frost + Review!

 



Damaged by Layla Frost is now available! 

Check out book two in the Dillon sisters duet!


Blurb

I’m effed up. A hot mess. Haunted.

Damaged.

But he doesn’t think so.

He thinks my imperfectness is what makes me perfect. He loves my flaws. My quirks.

My scars.

He wants to protect me. See me happy. Make me alive. He wants to give me everything I need, no matter how twisted and wrong and depraved.

He needs me to need him.

Which makes me wonder…

Is he damaged, too?

Warning: Recommended for readers 18+. This beautifully damaged romance deals with serious topics, such as depression, anxiety, violence, and self-harm. Be advised. But most of all, be kind to your own mental health.





Links 

Amazon: mybook.to/DamagedDillon 

BookBub: http://hyperurl.co/s2iri5 

Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3pEKxpv





Review

4 stars

****

 This was a good book! Damaged is book two in the Dillon sisters duet and is the younger sister Briar's story. We met Briar in Deathly, but still didn't know much about her. In this book, we get to know who she really is and see her relationship develop with mysterious tech genius Alexander. I can't say much about the story other than that without spoiling it.

This book is pretty dark, even darker than Deathly. There are some pretty serious themes that definitely pushed my boundaries. One in particular squicked me out. But I did think that the book started off darker and mellowed out as it went along. At first, I wasn't sure if I could go on, but I'm glad I pushed through. Briar really grew as a person in the book. Alexander was a great character and her perfect match. He adored her and took care of her in the best way. I really liked them as a couple. They were very sweet and sexy together. The story was interesting, well-written and engrossing, too.

Overall, this was a good read! I really liked Briar and Alexander's journey to love. This duet has been a good experience and I have enjoyed the teaming up of two of my favorite authors. I look forward to what they come up with next!





LayLa Frost Links

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LaylaFrostWrites/

Cupcakes Reader Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/LaylaFrostCupcakes/

Goodreads: http://hyperurl.co/2b9idl

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/layla-frost

My Amazon Store: http://hyperurl.co/8lqps5

My Site: http://www.laylafrostwrites.com

Twitter and Instagram: @LaylaFWrites

Email: Contact@LaylaFrostWrites.com




Blog Tour: Crown of Gilded Bones by Jennifer L. Armentrout + Excerpt!

 


"Armentrout surprises me at every page turn with higher stakes, hotter heat, shocking revelations, and a knows-no-bounds love that hits me deep, and I am here for it." --Laurelin Paige, New York Times bestselling author

The Crown of Gilded Bones, the all new gripping and intense third installment in the epic fantasy Blood and Ash series from New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout is out now, and we have an inside look!



She's been the victim and the survivor…

Poppy never dreamed she would find the love she’s found with Prince Casteel. She wants to revel in her happiness but first they must free his brother and find hers. It’s a dangerous mission and one with far-reaching consequences neither dreamed of. Because Poppy is the Chosen, the Blessed. The true ruler of Atlantia. She carries the blood of the King of Gods within her. By right the crown and the kingdom are hers.

The enemy and the warrior…

Poppy has only ever wanted to control her own life, not the lives of others, but now she must choose to either forsake her birthright or seize the gilded crown and become the Queen of Flesh and Fire. But as the kingdoms’ dark sins and blood- drenched secrets finally unravel, a long-forgotten power rises to pose a genuine threat. And they will stop at nothing to ensure that the crown never sits upon Poppy’s head.

A lover and heartmate…

But the greatest threat to them and to Atlantia is what awaits in the far west, where the Queen of Blood and Ash has her own plans, ones she has waited hundreds of years to carry out. Poppy and Casteel must consider the impossible—travel to the Lands of the Gods and wake the King himself. And as shocking secrets and the harshest betrayals come to light, and enemies emerge to threaten everything Poppy and Casteel have fought for, they will discover just how far they are willing to go for their people—and each other.

And now she will become Queen…



Bow before your Queen today!


Amazon: https://amzn.to/3pGJq9l
Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/CrownofGildedBone
Apple Books: https://apple.co/35KztA5
Kobo: https://bit.ly/3pFzRHW
Nook: https://bit.ly/35JKgu9
Google Play: https://bit.ly/2ISWebS
Hardback: https://bit.ly/3nG8L1z
Paperback: https://amzn.to/35J310H


Excerpt

A sudden growl of warning came from the largest wolven I’d ever seen. Kieran and Vonetta’s father stood to my right. Jasper had officiated the marriage between Casteel and me in Spessa’s End. He’d been there when Nyktos showed his approval by briefly turning day to night. But now, the steel-hued wolven’s lips peeled back, baring teeth that could tear through flesh and break bone. He was loyal to Casteel, and yet instinct told me that it wasn’t just the guards he warned.  

  Another snarl came from my left. In the shadows of the blood tree that had sprouted from where my blood had fallen and then grew to a massive height within seconds, a fawn-colored wolven crept into my line of sight, head dipped low, and wintery blue eyes iridescent. Kieran. He stared down Casteel. I didn’t understand why either of them would behave this way toward the Prince, but especially Kieran. He had been bonded to Casteel from birth, meant to obey and protect him at all costs. But he was more than a bonded wolven to Casteel. They were brothers, if not by blood then by friendship, and I knew they loved each other.  

  Right now, nothing about the way Kieran’s ears were pinned back was loving.  

  Unease skipped its way through me as Kieran sank down, the sleek muscles of his legs tensing as he prepared to attack…Casteel.  

  My stomach plummeted. This wasn’t right. None of this was right. “No,” I rasped, my voice hoarse and barely recognizable, even to my ears.  

  Kieran didn’t appear to hear me or care. If he had been acting normally, I would’ve just assumed he was attempting to ignore me, but this was different. He was different. His eyes were brighter than I ever remembered seeing, and they weren’t right because they…they weren’t just blue now. His pupils glowed silvery-white, an aura that seeped out in wispy tendrils across the blue. My head jerked to Jasper. His eyes had changed, too. I’d seen that strange light before. It had been what my skin had done when I healed Beckett’s broken legs—the same silvery glow that had radiated from me minutes earlier.  

  Icy bursts of surprise raced through Casteel as he eyed the wolven, and then I felt…relief radiate from him. 

  “You all knew.” Casteel’s voice filled with awe, something no one standing behind him felt. Even the easy grin was absent from the auburn-haired Atlantian. Emil looked at us with wide eyes, broadcasting a healthy dose of fear, as did Naill, who had always appeared utterly unfazed by everything—even when he’d been outnumbered in battle. 


Add The Crown of Gilded Bones to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/34D4N31



About Jennifer L. Armentrout


#1 New York Times and #1 International Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. She spends her time reading, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, hanging out with her husband and her Border Jack Apollo. In early 2015, Jennifer was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a group of rare genetic disorders that involve a breakdown and death of cells in the retina, eventually resulting in loss of vision, among other complications. Due to this diagnosis, educating people on the varying degrees of blindness has become of passion of hers, right alongside writing, which she plans to do as long as she can.
Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Tor, HarperCollins Avon and William Morrow, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her Wicked Series has been optioned by PassionFlix. Jennifer has won numerous awards, including the 2013 Reviewers Choice Award for Wait for You, the 2015 Editor’s Pick for Fall With Me, and the 2014/2015 Moerser-Jugendbuch- Jury award for Obsidian. Her young adult romantic suspense novel DON’T LOOK BACK was a 2014 nominated Best in Young Adult Fiction by YALSA. Her adult romantic suspense novel TILL DEATH was an Amazon Editor’s Pick and iBook Book of the Month. Her young adult contemporary THE PROBLEM WITH FOREVER is a 2017 RITA Award Winner in Young Adult Fiction. She also writes Adult and New Adult contemporary and paranormal romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.
She is the owner of ApollyCon and The Origin Event, the successful annual events that features over a hundred bestselling authors in Young Adult, New Adult, and Adult Fiction, panels, parties, and more.


Connect with Jennifer


Facebook: http://bit.ly/2xSL7u5
Instagram: @jennifer_l_armentrout http://bit.ly/33GWn8R
Twitter: @JLArmentroutnews http://bit.ly/2QvDYpT
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3dnOSIi
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2U5Jemy
BookBub: http://bit.ly/2U2Fe63
Stay up to date with Jennifer by joining her mailing list: https://bit.ly/2qBce5m
Website: https://jenniferlarmentrout.com

Connect with Blue Box Press


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Stay up to date on all 1001 Dark Nights and Blue Box Press releases, join their mailing list today! https://bit.ly/2zgxaHu

Monday, April 26, 2021

New Release: Darkroom by Kate Willoughby + Review & Excerpt!

 



           Darkroom by Kate Willoughby is now available! 

 Check out book four in the Moo U Hockey series!


Blurb:

As a top draft pick from a family of hockey royalty, I'm under so much pressure that I’m losing my edge on the ice. I need something to snap my brain out of this self-destructive stress-loop. That’s where Indi Briscoe from my photography class comes in. She’s flirtatious and funny one moment, sweetly shy the next. 

But she’s cagey. She has secrets. Also? She’s a virgin. Did I mention the pressure thing? Maybe I’m crazy for starting something with her. But we can’t seem to help ourselves...

Warning: this standalone novel contains heat, heart, familial expectations, extreme milkshakes, and a hamster with deep thoughts.





Links:


Add to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/2KHVqI4
Purchase: https://geni.us/AmazonDarkroom
Audiobook: https://geni.us/AudibleDarkroom
Moo U Hockey: https://hearteyespress.com/wotn#/moo-u-hockey/






Excerpt:


To our surprise, there was a darkroom assistant named Randi there to develop the film on a giant machine and guide us through the rest of the process—using the enlarger, the three-step process for developing, adjusting contrast and making the final print. While this made our work a hell of a lot easier, I wasn’t getting the alone time with Indi that I’d hoped for. So with the third wheel in the darkroom, I had to get creative.


As Randi demonstrated how to adjust the enlarger to ensure the proper print size, I stood very close to Indi and placed my hand on her ass. She turned toward me, one questioning eyebrow raised, but I maintained a look of innocence as I slowly squeezed. Her eyes widened as Randi droned on about refocusing or something. I wasn’t paying that much attention. I was too busy enjoying the luscious handful I had in my hand.


Indi tried to listen to Randi, but, bad boy that I am, I persisted. I slid my hand down and between. She was wearing jeans, but I could tell she liked what I was doing by the way she subtly arched her back to give me a little more access.


Then, I felt her hand on me, which wasn’t something I had anticipated when I’d started this. Shit. My jaw clenched as her fingernails scratched their way from the bottom of my fly up to the button at my waist and then back down again.


That was some sweet fucking torture right there. In a matter of moments, I was hard and ready with shit-all I could do about it and no one to blame but myself.


“Now, shift the card every five seconds to expose one more inch or so of the paper each time,” Randi said. “Like this…one, two, three, four, five, shift. See? One, two, three, four, five, shift. We do this to determine the correct exposure time…”


Indi, that evil woman, timed her ministrations to Randi’s count, stroke, stroke, stroke, stroke stroke, but on “shift” she squeezed the head of my cock.


Jesus H Christ. I was going to lose my mind.


Eventually, I couldn’t take it anymore. Beaten at my own game, I removed my hand from her behind and she let go of my package. I really hoped Randi hadn’t caught onto our darkroom hanky-panky. I’d tried like hell to keep my breathing even. But even if she had noticed, I’m sure it wasn’t the first time.


“Okay, any questions?” Randi asked.


“I think we can handle it,” I said. Frankly, I didn’t care that much if we messed up. We’d taken some photos with our cell phones as back-up, so if we screwed up the prints, no big deal.


“Okay. Good luck,” Randi said and left.


“Alone at last,” I said.


I grinned as I flipped the switch so the room was bathed in that lurid red light. Handily, this also turned on the “No-Entry - Darkroom In Use” sign outside in the hallway. That handy bit of information, I’d paid attention to.


“Hudson, what are you doing?”


“Making sure we aren’t disturbed,” I said before taking her in my arms and sealing my mouth over hers.






Review:

3 stars

***

 This book was only okay for me. Darkroom is book seven in the Moo U Hockey series and is Indi and Hudson's book. Indi is aopted from China and has a large port wine birthmark on her face. Hudson is on the Moo U hockey team and is dealing with a lot of family drama. They are interested in each other, but have some baggage to work through to make their relationship work.


This book felt very young, bordering on YA. Indi is dealing with a lot of personal issues, from insecurity about her birthmark to emotional drama about her adoption. I felt like the book was more focused on Indi and her problems, with a dash of romance with Hudson. It was more of a young girl's emotional journey to embrace her true identity. The book felt too young for me to connect with. The story was not bad, but felt slow moving. The characters felt very immature, especially Indi. They were also "hot heads" and their relationship felt very junior high.

Overall, this was not my favorite book in the series. But I do look forward to more from this fun series in the future.




New Release: Overtime by Kat Mizera + Review & Excerpt!

 


Overtime by Kit Mizera is now available! 

Check out book five in the Moo U Hockey series!


Blurb:

Hotshot hockey star Patrick Graham has been groomed for the pros since before he could walk. Fast forward to his junior year of college, and he’s having the time of his life. What could be better than pucks, partying, and having his pick of campus women? But if Patrick doesn’t buckle down and get his grades up, he could find himself benched for the championships. Could a beautiful brainiac be the solution to his problems?

Nineteen-year-old Master’s student Ellie McGinn could do so many things with her biology degree, but her mother is pushing her toward a future she doesn't want. Tutoring a hockey hottie seems like the perfect opportunity to start making her own choices and living life on her own terms.

When learning turns to yearning, will they be ready to face the heat and heartache that love can bring?






Links:


Add to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/2Mot7if
Purchase here: https://geni.us/AmazonOvertime
Audiobook: https://geni.us/AudibleOvertime
Moo U Hockey: https://hearteyespress.com/wotn#/moo-u-hockey/






Excerpt:


I hoped he wouldn’t run screaming from the restaurant at the serious turn our conversation had taken, but he was so easy to talk to. We had a lot in common, which I never would have imagined. His overbearing father, my overbearing mother, and a lot of concern about this whole idea of adulting. He was twenty-one, and hadn’t been nearly as sheltered as I had, but I heard a lot of the same insecurities in his voice that I often felt in myself.

         We talked and drank soda until we were the last people in the restaurant and we finally paid the bill and walked out to my car. I didn’t want this night to end but he had another game tomorrow and I needed to spend the whole day working on my research paper if I was going to go out again tomorrow night.

         “Where do you live?” I asked him when we got into the car. It was a frigid January night and I shivered as I waited for the heat to kick in.

         “In the apartments on Bellamy,” he said.

         I knew just where those apartments were located since a lot of Moo U students lived there and it wasn’t far. I’d considered living there too but I got my room and board for free between being a resident assistant in the dorm and my teaching, and I liked the fact that I didn’t have to count on my parents for housing. They already paid for my car, insurance, and phone, so I’d been willing to suck it up for the tiniest bit of freedom.

         He told me where to drop him off and I pulled up to the curb.

         “Tonight was great,” he said, turning to me. “I’m really looking forward to doing it again tomorrow night.”

         “You are?” The words slipped out before I could stop them, and I mentally grimaced, wishing I knew how to be a little coy, a little flirty, instead of insecure and out of my league.

         “Well, yeah.” He frowned. “Aren’t you?”

         “I haven’t dated anyone since I came to college,” I blurted out. “I was only fifteen then, so I was too young for college guys, and now that I’m legal, most guys think I’m dorky. So I don’t know how this works. If you’re just trying to be nice so I’ll tutor you, you don’t have to because I’d do it anyway. As a favor to Paxton.”

         “You think this is about tutoring?” He looked both a little mad and a little sad, which confused me even more.

         “I don’t know why the captain of the hockey team—who can and does sleep with everything that moves—is interested in me when not a single guy on campus ever has been before.”

         There. I’d said it. It was out in the open now and if nothing else, he’d know I wasn’t naïve enough to think he really wanted to date me.

         “You haven’t gone out on a single date the whole time you’ve been here?” he asked, ignoring everything else I’d said.

         I shook my head. “Not a real date, like we had tonight. I’ve met guys at the library or for coffee, but never like this.”

         “Their loss is my gain.” He reached out and pushed one side of my hair behind my ear. “I thought we had a connection,” he said softly. “That night at the party. I think you’re pretty and smart and sweet. It has nothing to do with tutoring or anything like that. I don’t know what other guys see when they look at you, but I’ll be honest and say that someone as smart as you is probably a little intimidating.”

         “And you’re not, um, intimidated?” Why did I say “um” all the time? I sounded like a nervous twelve-year-old.

         “No.” He leaned forward, his eyes locked with mine. “Not even a little. And I think maybe the best way to prove that to you is like this.”

         Oh-shit-oh-shit-oh-shit—he was kissing me. His lips were lightly pressed to mine, caressing them as if they were made of glass. Gentle whispers of skin against my mouth, nothing like I’d imagined kissing a hottie like Patrick would be. I’d only been kissed a handful of times before and it had always been sloppy and wet; this was ridiculously sweet. And definitely not sloppy.

         Not even when he slid his tongue along the seam of my lips, gently prying them apart. My mouth opened of its own volition, anxious for more, because nothing had prepared me for this. When our tongues finally met one another, it was like a magnetic force had drawn them together and I couldn’t do anything but go along for the ride. It felt like my whole body was involved, instead of just my mouth, and I let myself get swept away.

         I might have whimpered in protest when he finally pulled away, and the look in his eyes was one I’d only ever read about in books. I didn’t know men actually looked at women that way. It didn’t have to be love or anything that deep, but sheer, unadulterated desire? I’d never seen it outside of movies and this was way, way better because it was directed at me. The fact that I turned him on enough to put that look there, well, that was something new to me and it did all kinds of things to my nether regions.

         “I should go,” he said softly, still watching my face with that look that made me shiver all over.

         “It’s late,” I said out loud, though I really wanted to sit here long enough for him to kiss me again.

         “I had fun tonight. And I’d like to go out with you again after the game tomorrow…if you want to.”

         “I…yes.” I almost said “um” again but caught myself. “Yes, I’d like to.”

         “Good night, Ellie.” He pressed his lips to mine, chastely this time, and then got out of the car and bounded up the steps of his building.

         I was in so much trouble.



Review:

3.75 stars

***

 This was a good book! Overtime is book five in the Moo U Hockey series and is Ellie and Patrick's book. We met Patrick in previous books in the series, especially in Gametime, which was his brother's book. Patrick is a senior and is a hockey star on his way to the NHL. He is looking to buckle down, stop partying as much and focus on his grades. Ellie is a 19 year old Masters degree student and a former child genius who is looking to stop focusing on her grades quite so much and have a little fun. Ellie and Patrick meet at a party and have instant chemistry, but are accidentally seperated. When Patrick needs a tutor for one of his classes, Ellie is recommended to him. When they meet again their attraction blooms and they both take a chance on romance together.

I enjoyed Patrick so much better in this book than in book four, his twin brother's book, where he came off like a huge jerk. In this book he was practically a different person. He didn't come off like a huge manwhore and was so much sweeter and nicer. There was no OW drama, just a low angst, sweet read with no big betrayal. I really liked both Patrick and Ellie. They were great together. Ellie was a virgin and there were lots of sweet firsts. The characters were very mature for their ages. The book had a good story and good writing.

Overall, this was just an easy, sweet, fun read. This is definitely my favorite that I have read in the series so far. Kit Mizera is a new-to-me author and I look forward to checking out her backlist. Overtime was a good read and I look forward to more from this series!










New Release: Gametime by Jami Davenport + Excerpt & Review!

 


Gametime by Jami Davenport is now available! 

Check out book four in the Moo U Hockey series!


Blurb:

One drunken night and one case of mistaken identity turn a friendship inside out...

You’ve seen the hockey twins around campus--they look identical, but you can tell them apart by their actions. Patrick is the one who’s busy charming women. Paxton is the one in the library.

Until one night when Paxton parties a little harder than usual. Next thing he knows, he’s waking up naked next to Naomi, the girl of his dreams. He bares his heart before an awful realization sets in. He’s not the twin she thought he was...

Naomi is the only child of a hockey legend. Partying hard is the best way she knows how to rebel against her controlling father. After a particularly crazy night, she realizes her big mistake. Her hookup isn’t the guy she’s been crushing on. It’s Paxton, her friend, the guy who gets her, who she can always count on. The guy she’d never want to hurt. And yet, the sex was good. Better than good.

Now she’s wondering if the wrong twin might be the right one after all . . .




Links:


Add to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/2KPbDLO

Purchase here: https://geni.us/AmazonGametime
AudioBook: https://geni.us/AudibleGametime
Moo U Hockey: https://hearteyespress.com/wotn#/moo-u-hockey/




Excerpt:

The hockey house was lit tonight. And I don’t mean by lights.

By drunken hockey players—myself included.

My twin brother, Patrick, had exited long ago with two hotties on his arm. We might be identical twins in appearance, but my brother always got the girls, and I got his leftovers. He was way more gregarious and outgoing. I was the quiet, serious one.

I sat down on one of the worn, beer-stained couches and tried not to think about what else it might be stained with. It’d probably be a petri dish of… Okay, I wasn’t going there.

Being alone on a Saturday night after the first hockey game of the year was bad enough. I was a junior at Burlington University in Vermont, fondly known as Moo U by the locals and pretty much everyone else in the state.

Watching my brother revel in his hockey-team star status after a typically fantastic game brought out the ugly in me. I was jealous of him, and I hated being jealous of my brother. He was the best guy I knew and deserved all the good things in his life. Yet being the one always in his immense shadow proved more and more difficult. I played my supporting role as I always had, bolstering him in any way possible, sending the puck his way, and deflecting defensemen intent on mowing him down. That used to be enough, but this year was different. This was my year to break out. My year to establish myself.

Beer made me sleepy, and apparently, shots of whiskey made me grouchy.

I’d sworn things would be different this season. I’d have more fun, get more involved, shed my role as the smart, nerdy brother, while Patrick was the fun, partying brother.

Did I mention Patrick even had a cool nickname? The team called him Trick because he’d had a hat trick his freshman year, when a hockey player scored three goals in one game. I, on the other hand, was merely known as Pax, short for Paxton. No good story there.

A blonde staggered by and spilled some of her beer on my jeans. I did a double take.

Oh, my God.

Naomi?

I blinked a few times, forcing my eyes to focus and focus they did.

That blonde was Naomi Smith, the unrequited love of my life. Naomi was petite with gray eyes that had a warmth and humor that drew me in. She’d dyed her hair blonde in the past week, rather than the caramel color I’d so loved. I wondered if the change of color had anything to do with my brother, who was currently working his way through the blondes on campus.

She wore a skintight dress showing ample cleavage. The skirt’s hem teased the bottom of her rounded ass. She teetered on these really high heels. The overall look was smoking, but so not her usual style, more the style of the females my brother preferred.

“Oops, sorry,” she said with words as slurred as mine were.

“That’s okay.” I met her gaze, and her eyes widened when she realized it was me. My heart rate sped up as a result. It was no secret that Naomi had a crush on Patrick, but he was oblivious. She and I’d been good friends since our freshman year, and I’d heard all about her pining for my twin.

She dropped down on the couch next to me, sitting way too close for comfort. “What’re you doing sitting here alone?”

“Waiting for you. I’ve been waiting for you for a lifetime.” The mass doses of alcohol I’d consumed made me bold and stupid, but I didn’t have the wherewithal to shut up before I blew my cover, and I’d blown it good this time.

She laughed, and it sounded like a siren’s song reeling me into my fate. I smiled back.

“Your dad’s a piece of work,” she noted. Not that she hadn’t experienced my dad before, but he’d taken it to a whole new level tonight.

“I know.”

“Don’t feel bad. So is my dad. He wishes I’d been born a boy, or at least a female with skating talent. He hates that I have zero athletic ability.”

We exchanged glances. We’d had this talk before, and our mutual problems with our fathers were one of the things that’d bound us together.

She snuggled close to me and leaned her head on my shoulder. While she watched the crowd buzz around us, I contemplated my next move or if there should be one. Taking a chance, I dropped my hand to her bare thigh. She sighed and snuggled closer. I slid my hand higher, and her legs parted while she made a happy little purring sound from deep in her throat.

I turned my head and Naomi lifted hers, regarding me with interest, sexual interest, and my hopes bumped up slightly. I cocked a brow at her. She put her hand over mine and guided it farther upward.




Review:

3-3.25 stars

***

 This book was only okay for me. Gametime is book four in the Moo U hockey series and is Naomi and Paxton. Naomi has been with friends with Paxton for awhile, but has also been crushing on his twin brother, Patrick. Both of them are on the Moo U hockey team, but Patrick is the star player and Paxton is his backup player. One night at a party, she hooks up with Paxton, thinking he is Patrick, only to find out the truth after the hookup is over. Paxton has been crushing on Naomi and is upset that she didn't know it was him. But the two can see that they have chemistry and decide to give a relationship a shot, despite their rocky romantic start. They have some things to work through, with Paxton's issues with hockey, competition with his twin, and trying to impress his father, but they manage to make it work.

I have read some other books by this author and enjoyed them, but this book felt very NA and immature compared to the others I have read. It felt kind of dumbed down to have less mature characters to fit the NA genre. I didn't really love either Naomi or Paxton or their actions. They were wishy washy, drama llama, not great friends, and didn't have much chemistry. I didn't like the love triangle feeling or that Naomi liked Patrick so late into the book, while he acted like a jerk so much that I wondered why she liked him. The story was okay, but the ending was abrupt, as well.

Overall, this wasn't my favorite book in this series so far. But if you are a big NA fan and thrive on some drama, this book is for you! I look forward to more from this series in the future.