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Lynda Aicher's Game Play kicks off a new sports-romance themed series - Power Play. I'm excited to host a stop in the blog tour for this book!
For other stops on the tour, check out Tasty Book Tours.
The Book
One
night, one time, nothing more.
That’s all it was supposed to be. They’d agreed their first night
together would be their only night together—and Minnesota Glaciers
defenseman Dylan Rylie was fine with that. Giant hickeys and claw
marks on his ass had never been his style, even if the very memory of
Samantha Yates’s merciless sexual energy gets him hard within
seconds. He needs to focus on getting a better contract, not
mind-blowing orgasms.
One
night, one time, nothing more.
Fresh off representing the US at the Games and with nowhere else to
play, Samantha gave in to one night of frantic passion with the
Glaciers’ brawny hotshot. She couldn’t get hurt—not if she
controlled the outcome. And she planned to leave Minnesota soon,
anyway. She didn’t expect to be recruited to coach Dylan after
they’d gotten down and dirty.
When
brutal on-ice workouts lead to kinky locker room sessions and “one
night” falls by the wayside, Samantha insists on keeping things
casual, despite Dylan’s quiet hope for more. But when Dylan goes
down—hard—and his career is in jeopardy, Samantha is the first
one by his side. What will it take to keep her there after he’s
healed?
Game Play is available from Carina Press now!
Excerpt
Timing
was everything, and she waited for her moment to kick up some fun on
an otherwise blasé event. The charity that donated hockey equipment
to kids from military families was a great cause that would benefit
from a little show. At least, that was what she told herself.
“Don’t
be stupid,” Meg warned in her ear.
“Why
not?” Sam asked. “What do I have to lose?” Absolutely nothing.
She’d never do anything to smear her name, but it wasn’t like she
had a hockey career to worry about. Or a coach she was accountable
to.
Or a
reason to behave.
Rylie
was spending as much time tipping his trademark worn brown cowboy hat
at the passing women as he was paying attention to the kids looking
for pointers. The ends of his brown hair curled over the back of the
gray hoodie he’d worn under his jersey and seemed to match his hat
color almost perfectly. Too perfectly.
Nicknamed
Cowboy within the hockey world, he was dubbed Pretty Boy as well. The
second label was coined his rookie season by a sports announcer and
as far as Sam had heard and seen, the man cultivated both brands
equally.
“Hi,
Rylie,” a group of teenage girls dressed in skinny jeans and
overdone makeup chorused as they skated past. Rylie shot them a nod
and grin that somehow managed to be appropriate for the age of the
girls.
Sam
shook her head and chuckled at his easy charm. The guy had it all.
Talent, looks, personality—he was a star in the making. One full of
potential if he didn’t get distracted by the fame and parties he
seemed to enjoy.
Walters
smacked the puck toward Rylie, and Sam broke through the kids to
swoop across the ice and steal the puck from the preoccupied man. A
cheer went up from the kids when she circled the pro player, puck
firmly in her control. The air chilled her cheeks and laughter rang
in her ears as she sped away.
A
quick glance over her shoulder showed Rylie chasing her, the
determined pull of his brows blending with a full smile that somehow
managed to put a matching one on her face. She caught sight of Meg
and passed the puck off before she stopped then took off in the
direction she’d just come from.
The
circle of kids widened as Walters got into the play, tailing Meg. She
swooped around a group of unsuspecting adults, using them as a pick
to cut off Walters, and she smacked the puck back to Sam.
“Think
you’re hot stuff, do you, Yates?” Rylie was at her side, jabbing
his stick at the puck with no effect. She was under no illusion the
man knew who she was. Her name was printed in big letters across the
back of her jersey.
“Just
having some fun.” She cut a sharp circle and faced off Rylie, who
skidded to a quick stop.
He
tapped his stick on the ice, an indulgent half smile on his lips.
“Come on then.” He glanced over his shoulder. “You and me to
the net.”
Her
stomach did an unwanted flip when his eyes landed back on her. An
interesting mix of brown and green, they seemed to dance with the
same excitement that flooded her. The challenge was exactly what
she’d wanted and his proposition was the best offer she’d had in
months. On or off the ice.
“You
are so on,” she said, grinning.
My Review
Game Play features a young woman at the end of her hockey playing career and a young man at the start of his. The contrast in situations provided some room for conflict - especially emotionally - but also gave Samantha and Dylan lots of common ground to bond over, which I really appreciated.
It drives me crazy when 'a big deal' is made of a character's career but then that career has little impact on a story. This is *not* the case for Game Play. This book revolves heavily around hockey - not just game night, but particularly practice and the details of having a hockey career. Game Play makes excellent use of all the nitty gritty details from the games to fan service, practice, puck bunnies and injuries, contract negotiations and public image. It has it all, and really considers what impact each of these things has on the relationship and on Dylan and Samantha as individuals.
If you absolutely detest hockey, then this probably isn't a great book for you, but at the very least, I think it can help you appreciate all the work that goes into a sports career.
I put the book down with a new appreciation for amateur sport, and for sports that do not have the same kind of visibility and financial backing as, say, the NHL or NBA or NFL and so on!
On the romance front, I felt it was throughly believable. It has the 'leaping forward, reining back' pattern to it that I think many real love stories do. Samantha and Dylan are a great match. She's at the end of her hockey playing career (due to the lack of options for her to continue it) and he's at the start of his. I thought Game Play does a really great job of handling the cocktail of emotions that they both are experiencing - plus it helps that there's some really great chemistry between these two.
Honestly, the only quibble I have is that I didn't need so many sex scenes. I know, I know, what a weird complaint coming from me. Honestly though, there's such a great story here that I found myself distracted by the sex scenes. I think that a few of them were really vital components of the development of Samantha and Dylan's relationship - and they were all smoking hot and well-written. My problem was really that I was so interested in what would happen next, I caught myself skimming these pages.
Game Play is one of those excellent contemporary romances that had me not only enjoying the romance but also thinking about the broader context. In this case, that context is hockey and the availability of post-University options for women. I strongly recommend this one!
5 stars
For fans of hockey, sports romance
About the Author
Lynda
Aicher has always loved to read. After years of weekly travel
implementing computer software into global companies, she ended her
nomadic lifestyle to raise her two children. Now her imagination is
her only limitation on where she can go and her writing lets her
escape from the daily duties as a mom, wife, chauffeur, scheduler,
cook, teacher, volunteer, cleaner and mediator. Find her at:
http://lyndaaicher.com
Find her on the web:
Giveaway
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