The only thing that annoys me more than the grumpy goalie is how much I think of kissing him. But rule number one of working in sports PR is no dating the players.
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Lauren Blakely, comes the next standalone hockey romance in her Love and Hockey series, THE ROMANCE LINE! This sexy, enemies-to-lovers, grumpy/sunshine, forbidden workplace romance brings all the feels, heat and spice and is now available.
The first rule of handling PR for a hockey team? Never hook up with a player.
That shouldn’t be a problem since the last man on earth I want to give an image makeover to is our goalie. He’s infuriatingly hot, famously grumpy and lives to spar with me after every game.
But shining up his rough edges is my path to landing the promotion I desperately need, so I grit my teeth and do my job. No matter how hard he makes it (especially with that sexy smirk and cool blue eyes.) As we travel from pose-with-a-pet photo opps to cuddle-a-kitten fundraisers, we bicker like it’s foreplay.
Turns out it is.
Because as I get to know the man behind the broody iceman exterior, it’s me that melts – right into his arms as he devastates me with a kiss that turns into the hottest, most forbidden night of my life.
Only once turns into every night as Max shows me how much he wants to take care of me. His possessive touch makes me feel adored for the first time in my life.
But the man is entirely off limits and I can’t risk my job for more of those soul-deep kisses.
Because the only thing worse than hooking up with a player is falling head over heels for him.
✦ Amazon ➜ https://blkly.pub/romancelineAMZ
✦ Audible ➜ Vanessa Edwin and Teddy Hamilton narrate in duet! https://blkly.pub/TRLAudible
READ THE EXCERPT:
“Just let me walk you to the door.”
“Fine,” she says, her palms raised in surrender.
I set my hand on her back again. A slight shiver seems to run through her when I touch her. I try not to let that go to my head. Or my dick.
But as we go, I spread my fingers wider across the silk of her shirt. Press a little harder. Rub a little more. Curl my thumb around her waist. Register every hitch of her breath.
By the time we’re at the top of the steps, my hand feels too right on her back to let go. “I’m not sure I have made my point, Everly.”
She turns to me, facing me, so I have to drop my hand from her back. Her gaze is wary but intrigued, her eyes flickering with questions. “What’s your point exactly?”
“Like I said earlier, if this was a date I’d walk you to the door.”
“But it’s not. You keep telling me it’s not.” It’s like she’s trying to catch me on a technicality, or maybe to push me into admitting something. She doesn’t make a move to go inside. Her gaze is locked on mine, and the air is charged between us. It crackles with anticipation.
“You’re right. It’s not,” I say, weighing how far I’ll go. What it’ll cost me.
She rolls her lips together, then breathes out, like she’s centering herself. “And you did it anyway.”
“True,” I say. Like I could do anything else with her. I couldn’t have stopped myself from showing up at The Spotted Zebra tonight if I’d tried. I couldn’t have resisted driving her home. I couldn’t have refrained from walking her up her steps. Now we’re standing in the warm October air, the Golden Gate Bridge in the distance, the ocean hugging us. And I’m not walking away—not with her closer than she’s ever been. I look at her lush mouth one more time, then her gorgeous eyes. “And if this were a date I’d kiss you at the door.”
She’s quiet, but her lips curve up. “That’s not what you said at the restaurant.”
Wait. I’m confused now. “That is what I said,” I point out.
She crosses her arms, shaking her head, but she’s smiling and it’s flirty. Inviting. “No, Max. You said you’d devastate me with a kiss.”
And that’s it. That’s enough. Just f*&k it. F*&k everything. “I guess I’d better start.”
The Romance Line by Lauren Blakely
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I’m listening today and tonight so I can review by tomorrow (because I already read an ARC lol) and the only thing I’d like to share right now is that this is a much better experience for me than the first book :)
OKAY! I just finished 🎧listening🎧 to this story maybe an hour ago and I’m patting myself on the back because that means I’m only “late” reviewing my ARC by one day! LOL But you see, I learned a long time ago that Lauren is the Queen of audio and all since I’m in my #AudiobookEra, here we are. I LOVE THIS WOMAN SO MUCH! #TruthBomb: not every story that Lauren has written has hit me right. That’s a fact. But I never stop reading/listening because even when she’d not glorious, she ain’t half bad. Feel me? I LOVE HER!
THIS STORY. My expectations were met at every turn. Like that isn’t a thing kids. Meeting all of a reader’s expectations is a unicorn! Well, Lauren is a unicorn today. I expected shenanigans to run amok without them being eyeroll inducing and that’s exactly what I got, all over the place. I felt so happy while I read this story that I’m jittery right now thinking about it! I expected the story to be romantic and I swooned like a loon so many times! I expected to be entertained and for laughter to fill my head and yup, I laughed out loud plenty! I was captivated by this journey. It’s not like it’s anything band-new trope wise, but it was still fresh, and it came across for me as original. And you know what? Even though this isn’t a “world” I live in or ever have lived in, but the journey felt so relatable and organic, like it could be me in the pages. Magic.
I don’t know how Lauren does it, but she truly has a magic pen. I’ve read all kinds of stories written by her and I am almost always very impressed with their depth and development. Her characters grown in the story as individuals and of course in the romance journey. She’s entertaining as fudgsicles all the time with her stories and I never really tire of them!
Now, about this performance … OMG, it was next level greatness! Vanessa Edwin & Teddy Hamilton were so powerful with their duet narration! They never once missed a beat! GAH, everything about my experience with this story was ridiculously good! THANK YOU Lauren for writing such wonderful stories and for always casting the best of the best for your narrators!
👏🏻👏🏻HUDE ROUND OF APPLAUSE TO EVERYONE INVOLVED IN THE PRODUCTION OF THIS STORY!👏🏻👏🏻
ABOUT LAUREN BLAKELY:
A #1 New York Times Bestselling, #1 Wall Street Journal Bestselling, and #1 Audible Bestselling author, Lauren Blakely is known for her contemporary romance style that’s cute but spicy. Lauren likes dogs, cake, and show tunes and is the vegetarian at your dinner party.
Website: laurenblakely.com
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