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?
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?
I’m not usually a fan of anthologies, but this one piqued by interest
for more than one reason. First, all of
the proceeds from this book go to fighting cancer, and two, it’s all about hot
hockey players. Yes, HOT HOCKEY
PLAYERS!!!!
I had not read a few of these 8 contributing authors before, but I
have to say that I am now intrigued to read more from Cassandra Carr and Nikki
Worrell especially. And I was already a
fan of Toni Aleo’s Assassin series, so that one was a winner!
Honestly, all of the stories in this anthology are different, yet
equally touching and poignant. A few
break your heart (and made me sincerely hope they spin off into a full book!)
and a few were angsty…they were all touching, I think it’s great to read a group of stories
that are fantastical yet grounded in reality.
They all make an impression, are well thought out and well-written.
Don’t worry about needing to have read any of the author’s previous
works in order to pick this book up. I
had only read 2 other author’s series before this book and I was not lost at
all. My only complaint is that a few of
the stories left you hanging at the end a bit…I expect that, but now I have to
wait for more books to come out in order to get my fix!
Overall, this is a great anthology.
If you like sports romances and contributing to a fantastic cause then
pick this book up. There’s even an M/M story for all you M/M fans! 4.5 stars!
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
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/BSommerland
What a great way to raise awareness for a disease that affects us all! You ladies rock!!!
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