MAKING A PLAYSeries: Hometown Players #2
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Victoria Denault
Release Date: September 8, 2015
He’ll do whatever it takes to win—on and off the ice.
Luc Richard is the hottest player in the NHL and it has nothing to do with hockey. His racy relationship with his supermodel ex set the tabloids on fire but nearly put his career on ice. To avoid being traded, Luc agrees to take a break from the spotlight and from women and spend the off-season at home in Silver Bay, Maine. It’s the perfect plan… until he reconnects with Rose.
Rose Caplan is tired of being shy, sweet, and safe. She’s ready for passion, romance and Luc. Having loved him longer than she can remember, she’s finally ready to prove she’s not the same innocent little girl he once knew. Off the ice Luc doesn’t do games, but this new Rose makes him feel like playing a little dirty. If he’s really got a shot at her heart then he’s not just playing to win. He’s playing for keeps.
Luc is out back when we get there, positioning Adirondack chairs around the crackling firepit. The weather is slightly cool, with a strong breeze off the lake. He’s wearing a black v-neck t-shirt with a pair of beige shorts and a dark plaid shirt tied around his waist. He looks like a hipster model or lead singer for a grunge band from the 90s and as usual, it’s fucking hot.He smiles welcomingly as we all pile onto his deck, but as his eyes land on me they flare and I swear to God I see a little spark there. The smile vanishes than reappears a little softer, a little darker.
Jordan speaks, breaking the moment into dust. “So! Be a good host and get me a beer.”
“Get it yourself, bitch,” Luc snarks with a smile and Jordan gives him a playful punch on the shoulder as he walks back into the house to retrieve his beer.
He comes out with beers for everyone and we settle in around the fire and start planning. Luc takes notes on his iPad balanced on his knee. We decide which NHL players and alumni to invite, which weekend to have the event, when to put tickets on sale and what to sell them for. But with every detail that’s decided comes a bigger list of everything that needs to get done, and Luc’s sexy face starts to turn into a grimace of stress. And the one thing none of us can help him with is picking the cause.
“It has to come from you, bro,” Jordan says. “You have to pick something that really means something to you.”
He nods and I catch a glimpse of his tongue resting on his bottom lip as he thinks and I feel that hot tingle of lust between my thighs. I shift in my chair.
“I have to think about that one,” he admits and his voice is low, like it’s some kind of failure.
Jordan gets up to grab another beer and Jessie leaves to use the bathroom. I lean over from my chair and place a hand on his. “It’s okay. We can book the venue and the arena and figure out the cause after. You’ve got a little time.”
He smiles at me gratefully and then he glances down. He runs his fingers over my forearm. “You’ve got goose bumps.”
He stands up and unties the plaid shirt from his waist and then walks around my chair and drapes it across my shoulders. He rubs them gently as he places it there and leans down to whisper in my ear. “You look beautiful tonight, Fleur.”
I tip my head and gaze up at him. KISS ME! I silently beg him. Jessie comes bouncing down the deck stairs and Luc pulls away and the moment disappears into the dark night.
Still, I feel a little flutter of victory inside my heart. There was a glimmer of something in those light brown eyes that I’ve never seen directed at me before. He looked at me like I was something new he hadn’t seen before. Something special. Something desirable. I swear it’s not just wishful thinking.
After two and a half hours of planning and an hour of just goofing off we call it a night. As we drive home Jessie keeps giving me curious glances in the rear view mirror. There’s a smirk on her lips and I know she’s got something to say so when we get inside the house and Jordan heads into the living room I stop her in the kitchen. “Say it.”
“What?”
“Whatever it is you’re thinking.”
She smiles again. “I’m thinking that you’re making a play for Luc.”
I feel defiant and self-conscious at the same time and can’t seem to look her in the eye. “So? Is that bad? And… is it that obvious?”
She shakes her head, auburn hair swinging. “Not incredibly obvious but I know you and normally you’d leave the house in overalls and a sweatshirt for a night drinking beers in someone’s backyard.”
I blush, embarrassed at having my plan exposed, and she walks over and gives me a hug. “All I have to say is good for you.”
“Really?”
“Rosie, it’s now or never,” she tells me giving me a tight squeeze before pulling back and holding my by the shoulders. “You’ve finished college and you’re trying to figure out your future and I’ve known forever that you see Luc in your future. So take the shot. See if it works. If it doesn’t, then at least you can move forward without wondering.”
She walks to the fridge and grabs a bottle of water and then heads towards the living room. She stops in the archway and smiles at me encouragingly. “For the record, Rose. I think it’s going to work.”
I drop down in one of the chairs at the kitchen table. Oh God, I hope she’s right.
Your life will be beautiful because you, Flower, are beautiful. And you will find someone who will love you for it.”
When I first read One More Shot earlier this year, I was hooked on this series. Hot hockey players, angst, and steam, what else could I possibly ask for? Now if you haven’t read One More Shot yet, I highly recommend you do, because it’ll give you a much better background on the Caplan sisters and the dynamic they have between them. While you can easily read Making A Play as a standalone, I think you’d enjoy it more reading in order. Rose is first introduced in One More Shot as the youngest Caplan sister. Admittedly she’s not exactly the type of heroine I enjoy reading about; she’s shy, introverted, a little mousy and has been pining away for her Luc Richard as long as she’s known him.
Luc Richard is a successful hockey player. He’s basically grown up around Rose since her and her sisters were like family to the Garrison family who were like his family as well. While an attraction was always there, Luc always knew that Rose was just too good for the likes of him and so he friend zoned her. Now he’s in town to lick his wounds after his ex almost cost him his career and attempt to stay away from the spotlight and the gossip column. Rosie is determined to get him out of the friend zone while Luc is just as determined to keep them solidly there.
The relationship between these two was both sexy and frustrating. There were many a time when I wanted to reach through my kindle and knock some sense into The French Disaster. I also wanted Rose to grow a bigger backbone and really stand up for herself and show some growth. She may not have been the sassy and smart mouthed woman like her sisters, but she does grow into her own and she did grow on me.
If angst isn’t your thing, this book will probably frustrate the living hell out of you because it takes a good chunk of it (if not 3/4) for Luc to finally get his head out of his ass. I personally gobbled it up like the angst whore that I am.
I loved getting more of Jessie and Jordan in this one. It was great to get that continuation of their HEA and see where they are now. Then there was Callie; the oldest and the wild one of the three sisters.
“Does he have a big dick?”
I laugh. “Thank you.”
I’m not sure what it is about her, but I’m just so intrigued by her story. She almost comes off borderline brash at times, but I can’t help but like her. There’s just something about her that screams that she’s hiding something. And that peek into what happened between her and Devin those years ago certainly whetted my appetite for the next book.
If you’re a reader that enjoys some angst with your sports romance then you definitely need to get acquainted with this author. Was this book perfect? Not quite. I could probably nitpick a few things but at the end of it I truly enjoyed the book so why bother? I think I enjoyed book 1 a little bit more but this was still a fantastic addition. But the book I’m REALLY looking forward to is still to come. I simply can’t wait to see how THAT turns out.
THE SERIES
ONE MORE SHOT (Hometown Players #1) by Victoria Denault (June 2, 2015)
They say you only get one shot at making your dreams come true. Jordan is determined to take two.
Drafted by the NHL at eighteen, Jordan Garrison was headed for fame, and there was only one person he wanted to share it with Jessie Caplan. He was crazy in love with her, and had finally told her so. They shared an amazing night . . . and then everything fell apart.
Jessie tries not to think about the night she gave herself to Jordan-or how he broke her heart. She tries not to think about it, but she does. Especially now, when she’s staring into his sky-blue eyes for the first time in six years. After so much time and torment, she can’t tell if she loves him or hates him. But Jordan has learned enough to know a connection like theirs is rare. He was lucky to find Jessie once. No way will he lose her again.
THE FINAL MOVE (Hometown Players #3) by Victoria Denault (December 8, 2015)
Hockey legend Devin Garrison thought he blew his shot. But his relationship with Callie Caplan just went into overtime.
Sexy, rich, and one of the biggest stars in the NHL, Devin Garrison has always been the one who had it all. That is until his marriage falls apart and he realizes he has to start over. If he’s honest, there has only been one woman who ever really excited him—Callie Caplan. They shared a night that was hotter than the late-summer sun, but in an instant Callie was gone, pretending it never happened.Callie Caplan isn’t the wild child people think she is. It’s true she’s avoided relationships, but only because she’s seen how crazy love can be. And her messy, imperfect life is crazy enough without opening her heart to a man—even one as picture perfect as Devin. But when fate brings them back together—just as they need each other most—Devin is determined to convince Callie that what she’s feeling is real. And this final play may be their chance at forever…
Have you ever read a romance novel and it was like a movie reel in your head? Like you could actually imagine the actors playing out every line? Picture the town and it’s residents exactly as they’re being described? Actually notice absolutely every single minute detail inside your mind? That’s what Hollywood Dirt was for me. At times I felt like I was reading a movie script more so than a book. At first I thought that maybe that’s not really a good thing since it was a slower pace than what I’m used to. But after taking some time to think about it, I can say that it was refreshingly different. If you’ve read any of the other books by this author, Hollywood Dirt is nothing like them. There’s no crazy twists, it’s certainly not as erotic as her other books have been, and it’s not evocative. It’s a light, feel good, pure contemporary romance about a country girl and a hollywood star. An unlikely one, but still a romance that will capture your heart.
Cole is coming off of a bitter divorce and putting everything he has into the movie that he’s now bankrolling. When he comes to the small southern town and meets Summer, he knows there’s no one better suited to play the main role of Ida than her. Summer is hoping to take the money she earns from the movie and finally put the town she grew up in and the memory of her mistakes made in it 3 years ago behind her. But when she begins to see the man beneath the hollywood layers, she sees there’s much more to Cole than first meets the eye and she begins to fall for him.
Fans of Alessandra’s Innocence series will get a VERY big surprise in this book in the form of Brad DeLuca. He plays a fairly big secondary role and man oh man but I loved his unexpected cameo. He’s still as intense and overpowering as ever and it only added to the enjoyment of it. But for me, it was always all about Cole. There was just something so endearing and…real…about him.
Honestly, I struggled a little going into it simply because it wasn’t quite what I had expected. It’s slow paced, but the pace was perfect for the book and the story. Upon thinking about it, it really was perfectly suited for this story. It was different but lovely. If you’re looking for a light and feel good contemporary romance, this is a book you should definitely try. Alessandra Torre is an incredibly talented writer, and this book shows how multi-faceted she is. She can pull off different genres and it truly translates. Each of her books has been different in their own right, and this one is no different. While different from the rest, I think that’s what I enjoyed the most about it. There was nothing crazy, no silly drama or overdrawn angst. Just two imperfect characters finding a perfect love together.
What an incredibly bittersweet book this was for me to read. I first discovered this amazing series back in 2012 when I read 
You know how I was sure I had a 5 star read on my hands? I didn’t skim even one page. Not. A. One. Not any of the descriptions of the clothes, the furniture, the rooms, the clouds in the sky, nothing. I was enthralled in the characters and their romance from beginning to end and absolutely devoured every page.
Here’s the thing, you’re pretty much know exactly what you’re going to get with a Lora Leigh novel. No deviation. Lather, rinse and repeat, all her books follow practically the same formula. But there’s just something about her alphas; those crazy possessive and jealous, dirty talking and revenues heroes that just do it for me and keeps me coming back for more. Even if the story falls flat, I still enjoy the read for that reason alone. She’s my go-to when I need a good dose of uber alphas. Plus considering she was the very first erotic romance I had ever read, I suppose I have a a little nostalgia with her romances. Yes the formula is always the same; uber alpha and a sassy heroine that fights her obvious attraction to him at every corner, but in the case here…it worked for me.
Wicked Lies is book two in her Men of Summer series but it can easily be read as a standalone. I read book one years ago and remember a sum all of nothing and had no problem following the story here. Though I had a little trouble getting into the book in the first 25%, it did flow very well after that.
Truth be told, I’ve been waffling over my rating for this book for over a week now. While I enjoyed the concept of the book, the secondary characters and I’m certainly hooked on the series itself, I honestly can’t say that I loved this book. I was bored and found myself skimming the majority of the story.
Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t anything that grabbed me either…ever. It started out slow and for me the first half felt very dragging. I kept reading in hopes that it’ll pick up soon and perhaps the first 60% is just the build up, but that never happened. I find that NA usually has different types of angst, and being the angst whore that I am, I enjoy it each and every single time. However, as I’ve come to find here, there can also be a boring type of angst.
The rest of the book goes something the lines of this:
I felt no connection to the characters or the plot. I felt like all of it was muted in the constant sex fog. I got to the point where I was skimming most of the sex scenes because honest to god, my vagina hurt for Mariam.
Yeah. No.
Can you get a highly satisfying and enjoyable steamy romance in just a short 120 pages? In the case of this book; also-fucking-lutely. There’s a reason I’ve read practically every book in Lorelei’s backlist and this book is the perfect example why. It’s wonderfully smutty but with a great story and fantastic characters. I love this author’s dirty talking cowboys, and Wynton Grant was utter perfection.
Before I get to my review, let me get a few things out of the way with first.
The first half of the book is very much a slow burn, but it never drags. The angst and emotions truly have you riveted to the pages, it certainly did for me. My heart broke for Ransom and yet in the same breath I wanted to curse him to hell and back for his behavior. It was frustrating, it was maddening, it was disturbingly enrapturing.
I don’t want to give much away about the book because it’s just one of those things you need to experience for yourself. What I can say is I loved the route that Eden took with book and I was shocked as shit about it that I was. See, here’s the thing, I HATE a drawn out story that I think could have ended in one book. Cliffhangers drive me to drink and induce near homicidal thoughts when I finish reading it. Thick Love is part 1 of 2 books, and you know what? It’s best that way. This book was not about the epic love between Aly and Ransom. It was more about Ransom coming to terms with his guilt, healing his heart, and learning to move on. Both these characters have a lot of growing to do still and there’s no way this book would have been the same had it been all crammed into one book.
As much as the bumps on the road to Aly and Ransom’s relationship drove me out of my ever loving mind, it also made me feel. This entire book, everything about it will do one thing, guaranteed; evoke emotion. Whether that be rage, tears, it will make you feel.
I adore all things Lauren Layne, so it was an absolute no brainer decision when I saw she was coming out with a book for one of my favorite tropes; friends to lovers, to dive right in. Lauren is my go-to author whenever I need a light and easy read filled with swoony romance and endearing characters. Blurred Lines certainly fit that and then some. It was the perfect afternoon read. I simply adored Parker and Ben together. I always seem to have a weakness for the manwhores, and Ben definitely hit the spot for that. Their friendship had a solid foundation, which I really appreciated. I loved their banter the most
While the chemistry was definitely present between these two, they spent so much of the book denying and not seeing what was happening between them, that it became difficult even for me to see it. I struggled to see beyond their friendship to the romantic entanglements. Sure they burn up the sheets together, but I just didn’t get that butterflies in the stomach kind of connection. Usually in a friends-to-lovers book, I always sense the undercurrent of romance and sexual chemistry between the couple even when they don’t, but that wasn’t the case here. I can understand given the many years of solid friendship they had how they may fail to see it, but it just lasted too long for my tastes. Perhaps if both of them began to noticed it at least in the middle of the book than towards the end of it? For whatever reason, I just didn’t get that sense of crackling chemistry I usually get with a Lauren Layne novel.
