Book Description:
Being the only woman working for a professional baseball team isn’t easy. As the San Diego Shock’s newest athletic trainer, Allie knows all about long hours, endless travel, and warding off players’ advances. Given she’s already the subject of a handful of rumors about how “lucky” she was to have earned such a coveted position, she can’t so much as flutter an eyelash a player’s way if she wants to be taken seriously.
But number eleven is doing more than fluttering eyelashes Allie’s way. Far more. Luke Archer is at the top of his game and doesn’t let the fear of striking out keep him from swinging. This is a motto he applies both on and off the field, but Allie appears immune, seeming to view Luke as nothing more than caution tape on legs.
He’s a player, and in Allie’s experience, they’re all the same. She won’t risk her job or her heart to another one, no matter how different this one claims to be. But as Allie gets to know him, she discovers the number eleven the public thinks they know is very different from the real Luke Archer. He seems too good to be true.
And maybe he is.
Allie will have to confront the stories attached to a player of Luke Archer’s stature and decide who she’ll put her faith in—The man she’s falling for? Or the rumors?
Buy Links:
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/29xJimy
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2a0l97R
Amazon CA: http://amzn.to/29sbwyd
iBooks: http://apple.co/29yj58z
Our Review:
Reviewed by Donna ~ 4 stars
***ARC received for an honest review***
“Never underestimate the
ingenuity of a desperate man.”
Nicole Williams delivers another heartfelt romance centring
around professional baseball. This book was everything I love in a sports
romance, sweet, hot, sexy, a touch of the forbidden and a little angst. All
these ingredients delivered a great story that had me page turning wanting to
see what happened to Allie Eden and Luke Archer.
“Was a few weeks or months of
wild abandon with Archer worth the risk of losing all my credibility.”
Allie was the Diego Shock’s physio and was a woman in a man’s
field. She has a lot to prove and her work ethic was spot on. She kept her head
down low and worked her socks off and had gained the respect of the men under
her care. Her credibility meant everything to her so she kept herself to
herself and pulled up all the slack the other Doctors left behind. Being on the
road gave no time for relationships and as this book starts with her being
dumped once again her view on men in general is particularly jaded.
“This is baseball. It’s a boys’
club. The only cunts allowed in are the ones who know how to spread ‘em and bed
‘em.”
Luke Archer was the San Diego Shock’s top player and man did
this man have the moves when he wanted. Luke had noticed Allie when she had
first joined but he was biding his time and working up the courage to make his
move. Despite his manwhore persona, Luke Archer was far from it and really was
particular when it came to women and relationships. He had been burned in the
past and treaded carefully, but there was something about Allie that he couldn’t
let slide and then he made his move.
“It’s a good thing he’s so good
at baseball, because that’s the only game Luke’s got.”
Luke Archer is full of bravado and does not like to let
anyone see a chink in his man of steel armour, but when an injury actually
forces him to seek treatment it puts him and Allie in close proximity to one
and other, with ice baths and heat packs, but that was not the only heat. After
the photoshoot, Luke really ramps up his game and while it may be a little
rusty, Allie didn’t stand a chance. I have to say, the cover photo shoot was
one of the hottest scenes EVER and will definitely be going on my favourites
list, there are certain scenes that stick with you and this will definitely be
one of them.
These two have a lot of issues to deal with, Allie with her
credibility and integrity and Luke with his reputation and his issue with
regards to trust. But the chemistry between these two was seriously off the
charts and definitely leaves you championing these two along. I loved Luke’s
relationship with his sisters and this really gave a greater insight into the
man he truly was. When Luke loves, he loves hard and is all in and it just
takes time for he and Allie to realise and appreciate what they have. They have
their difficulties, but will their hearts or heads rule?
“Never tell me the odds.”
In summary, this was a really cute read, low on the drama,
high on the laughs, the banter and dialogue was fantastic, the chemistry was
palpable and I really enjoyed it.
“…sometimes you had to fight for
the things you wanted. Sometimes you had to steal the life you wanted before
fate realized you were coming. I’d stolen home too, and it was one for the
record books.”
Excerpt:
“Shouldn’t you buy me dinner first or something?” Archer smirked at me when he lifted up onto his elbows as I tugged his sweats down his legs.
“Tell you what,” I replied after I gave one last pull, freeing the dark gray sweats from him. After handing him a towel, I waited for him to drape it over his lap. Instead he curled it up and tossed it across the hotel room. “How about I draw you a nice, soothing, relaxing bath? Full of ice.”
As I came around the side of his bed, it took all of my concentration to focus on the compress I needed to unwrap instead of what was resting just a little higher. At least he had underwear on, but it wasn’t like they provided much coverage. Especially when what was tucked inside them looked about ready to burst free.
And dammit. I’d looked. From the way I could feel him watching me, he knew I’d looked too.
“Another ice bath. Sounds perfect. Since my balls aren’t already blue enough.” Archer spread his legs open farther as I reached down to unwind the compress circling his upper right thigh.
“Yeah, well, that’s what you get for not listening to the recommendation of your athletic trainer to take it easy.” I unwound the bandage slowly, not wanting to further inflame the area. “Every three hours, we’ll alternate fifteen minutes of ice and heat.”
“Yay.” He cleared his throat when my fingers brushed his inner thigh as I unwound the last of the compress Shepherd had wrapped back in the locker room after his first ice bath. “Since you got to decide on the ice option, how about I decide on the heat option?”
From the low notes in his voice, I knew exactly what he meant. “The plan is to calm the tear. Not further aggravate it.”
“Okay. I can work with that.” When I exhaled, he added, “I’ve got ideas.”
“Ideas that involve what you have in mind and not using your groin muscles?” My gaze wandered back to that part of his anatomy. Right before moving onto a different part of it. Holy shit. Something about knowing he wanted me and wasn’t concerned with hiding that desire made me dizzy. “Good luck with that.”
Archer watched me as I disappeared into the bathroom to turn off the water filling the tub. “Never underestimate the ingenuity of a desperate man.”
After testing the temperature of the bath, I grabbed one more bag of ice and dumped it in. I’d arranged to have four new bags arrive every few hours through the night so I could mitigate the damage Archer’s pulled groin muscle would have on his season.
The team doctor had done an exam in the locker room and assured Coach Beckett that with aggressive care these first twenty-four hours, Archer should be able to play the game in New Orleans three days from now.
From my own exam, I knew the doctor was giving Coach a serious case of lip service. The only way Archer would be able to play the Shock’s next game was if we injected him with every illegal substance in this sport and on the market in general. It was a class two pull—no amount of walking off would fix this in a couple days’ time.
“Are you hungry, Doc?” Archer called from the other room.
“That depends on the context of that question.”
His laugh carried into the bathroom. “You know me too well. However, in this instance, I’m referring to hunger as in for food. The room service type specifically. I can order something for us so we can eat once you’re done cryogenically freezing my gonads.”
Wandering back into his room, I dried off my hands with a towel. “Hey, this isn’t my fault—I warned you to take it easy.”
I ceremoniously waved my arms toward the bathroom, feeling nervous. I’d given so many ice baths I could have filled an entire ocean with them, but this one was different. It was for Luke Archer. In his hotel room instead of the locker room. Plus, back there, the entire coaching and medical staff had been present, pow-wowing a plan of treatment. No one else was here now though.
Just me. Just him. And a locked door.
“Dinner?” Archer waved the room service menu at me.
“I’ll order it for us. We need to get you in the tub before you get any more swollen.”
Archer’s gaze swept down his body, landing on the very part of him I was trying not to inspect. “I can think of something to help with the ‘swelling.’”
Crossing my arms, I gave him an unfazed look. “I’m here to see to your leg. Not your dick.”
“I think that by taking care of one, you’ll be taking care of the other.”
“True. Ice baths are up to the task of tending to torn muscles and swollen dicks. So let’s get started.”
Archer lay stretched out in bed for another minute, calling my bluff, but when I made no move to throw myself at him, he sighed. “The ice bath it is.”
“Good choice.”
About the Author:
Nicole Williams is the New York Times and USATODAY bestselling author of contemporary and young adult romance, including the Crash and Lost & Found series. Her books have been published by HarperTeen and Simon & Schuster in both domestic and foreign markets, while she continues to self-publish additional titles. She is working on a new YA series with Crown Books (a division of Random House) as well. She loves romance, from the sweet to the steamy, and writes stories about characters in search of their happily even after. She grew up surrounded by books and plans on writing until the day she dies, even if it’s just for her own personal enjoyment. She still buys paperbacks because she’s all nostalgic like that, but her kindle never goes neglected for too long. When not writing, she spends her time with her husband and daughter, and whatever time’s left over she’s forced to fit too many hobbies into too little time.
Nicole is represented by Jane Dystel, of Dystel and Goderich Literary Agency.
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