I'm so excited to get to share my review and a super fun excerpt of THE HOT SHOT with ya'll today.
I absolutely adore Kristen's GAME ON series, and Chess and Finn's story was a super fun romantic read.
I want to give a huge thanks to InkSlinger for sending out this pretty for review too. Ya'll are the stinking best 😉
First we
were friends. Then we were roommates. Now I want more…
What can I say about Chess Copper? The woman
is capable of bringing me to my knees. I know this about five minutes after
getting naked for her.
No one is more surprised than me. The prickly
photographer my team hired to shoot our annual charity calendar isn’t my usual
type. She’s defense to my offense, a challenge at every turn. But when I’m with
her, all the regrets and darkness goes away. She makes life fun.
I want to
know Chess, be close to her. Which is a bad idea.
Chess is looking for a relationship. I’ve
never given a woman more than one night. But when fate leaves Chess without a
home, I step up and offer her mine. We’re roommates now. Friends without
benefits. But it’s getting harder to keep our hands off each other. And the
longer we live together the more I realize she’s becoming my everything.
Trick is…
Now that I’ve made her believe I’m a bad bet, how do I convince her to give
this player a true shot at forever?
Kristen Callihan is an author because there is
nothing else she’d rather be. She is a three-time RITA nominee and winner of
two RT Reviewer’s Choice awards. Her novels have garnered starred reviews from
Publisher’s Weekly and the Library Journal, as well as being awarded top picks
by many reviewers. Her debut book FIRELIGHT received RT Magazine’s Seal of
Excellence, was named a best book of the year by Library Journal , best book of
Spring 2012 by Publisher’s Weekly, and was named the best romance book of 2012
by ALA RUSA. When she is not writing, she is reading.
WEBSITE / FACEBOOK / TWITTER / AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE
I was so excited to get my hands on this book. while it wasn't the next one is was expecting in the series, it sounded just as good and I really was happy to get an early copy to review.
The characters sounded cute, and hey I get to see more Dex in this one.... happy reader right there hehe.
And while I have to admit. This one wasn't my favorite of the series (sorry no one will beat out my man Dex and even Gray holds a tight push for my top one haha)
I did like Finn and Chess's story too.
The two characters for the most part were pretty fun and easy going. and I loved the easy witty banter between them.
I found myself snorting a few times at some of the dialog. And even enjoyed the the little retro feel this book had at times.
Plus it actually had some football being played in it. Which was a plus for me. I see so many sports romances lately where there actually isn't even hardly any sports being played. And as a sports lover, I want to see at least glimpses of it.
Chess was a fun character. she's a little outside the norm and I liked that about her. She's smart and funny and a whole lot sarcastic, and that played right into my love for characters that can do that.
I will admit she probably isn't one of my all time favorite female characters. But ya'll know how I feel about them, and if I'm saying good things that means she's pretty good. Plus there is just something about her and the way she interacts with everyone that made me smile. I could easily see myself being friends with a real person like her.
And then there's Finn and her. They really do make an adorable little friendship. I'm a sucker for a good old guy girl friendship. And thought it was totally adorable him and Chess together. They dish it out just as well as the other takes it. And the 2 honestly are hilarious to read the dialog between. It's flirty and a tad ribbing. But fun and so so cute.
And Finn is just to adorable and sexy. And a total goofball. That man had me laughing so hard. But we also get this vulnerable unsure side too. And I loved seeing the contrast of two when reading about this big old muscular football player on the field. And silly joker off it. He made the story easy and fun. And while I wanted to smack him in the head with his own football a couple times, I loved the big guy.
Plus I loved James. He's one of those background characters I kept wanting to see little glimpses of. Because he's so funny. And a little out there at times. He would be the ultimate friend to have. And I loved how easy going and silly he was, down to his crazy clothing choices.
There were a few things that didn't jive with me on this book. But nothing too big to write home too. I still enjoyed the book a lot. And thought it had a great story line. Plus it was fast paced and read like the super cute romance I hoped it would (how many times have I used the word cute now? hehe)
And don't think I won't be ready for the next book in the series. I'm just as excited to get my hands on whatever Kristen has planned for us as I was for this one.
I give THE HOT SHOT ⭐⭐⭐⭐4 STARS⭐⭐⭐⭐
CHESS
Grumbling, I toss on some black lounge pants and my oversized Tulane t-shirt and head to the drugstore.
My head throbs by the time I get there, and my insides are writhing. I rest my hand against my lower stomach and grab a basket before calling James to complain.
“I swear,” I tell him as I grab a bottle of painkillers. “It’s like this entire day has been cursed.”
He snickers. “Curse. Get it? Curse?”
I roll my eyes, even though he can’t see me. “Laugh it up. Meanwhile, it feels as if someone is playing Battleship in my uterus.”
“Poor Chessie bear. At least we know why you were in such a foul mood.”
A flush washes over my cheeks. “Yeah.” Lie. Lie. Lie. A tub of salted caramel gelato makes its way into the basket.
“Tell me you’re getting some gelato,” James says.
I smile. “Just grabbed it.”
“Salted caramel?”
“You know it.”
I find the feminine products aisle and search for my brand. “I’m going to go home, take a long bath with my gelato, and forget this fucking day.” Forget Finn. “And then I’m going to go on Amazon and buying a freaking year’s supply of tampons so I don’t have to make these kinds of emergency runs anymore.”
A low, deep chuckle rumbles from behind me, and all the tiny hairs lift on my arms.
“But you’ll still need your gelato,” a familiar—fuck me, seriously?—voice points out.
My insides swoop even as my cheeks burn.
“Who is that?” James asks in my ear.
I slowly turn on one heel. “The plague,” I say, glaring up at Finn Mannus’s smiling face.
“From asshat to plague.” Finn scrunches up his brow. “I’m not sure if that’s a step down or a tie.”
“Who is that?” James nearly yells now.
I don’t take my eyes off Finn. “I’ll call you back.”
James’s squawks of protest cut off as I hit the end button.
“Are you stalking me, Mannus?”
Finn a rests his hands low on his lean hips. “Having a healthy amount of conceit myself, I have to admire yours, but no, buttercup. My buddy Woodson lives a few blocks away. It’s poker night. I’m stocking up on beer.”
It’s only then I notice a twelve pack tucked under his other arm.
“And tampons?” I ask, with a pointed look around the aisle we’re standing in.
“Not tonight,” he says easily. “Though we used to keep a pack of them back in college. Light flows were perfect for stopping up bloody noses.”
A snort escapes me. “Now there’s a visual.” Somehow, I’ve taken a step closer to him. He’s freshly showered, the golden brown strands of his hair still damp at his temples. And I wonder if he’s just come from the gym or practice. “So back in college you went and bought these tampons?”
“Nah,” he says with a cheeky smile. “I’d ask one of the girls hanging around to get me some.”
“Of course you did.” My nose wrinkles with annoyance.
“Give me a little credit, Chess. I’d buy them now if I had to.”
“Hmm…” I eye him, trying not to return his smile. If only because it’s more fun when he teases. “So why are you in this aisle now, if not for potential nosebleed needs?”
“That’s easy.” He steps closer, a warm wall of muscle and clean scent. “I heard your voice.”
For a second I just blink. “You recognized my voice?”
His gaze darts over my face as if he’s trying to get a read on why I’m gaping at him. “Not to be…ah…rude, but you’re loud when you talk on the phone.”
“Yeah, but… You recognized it.” We’d only just met. It occurs to me that I’d recognized his both times he’d snuck up on me. Then again, his voice is distinctive, flowing like hot honey when he’s relaxed or hammering down like iron to rock when he’s taking command of a situation.
A soft flush of pink tints the tips of his ears. If I wasn’t staring at him, I might have missed it. He shifts his weight. “Was I not supposed to?”
“No. Yes.” I shake my head and laugh. “I don’t know.”
He grins then. “You’re cute when you’re flustered.”
“I’m not flustered.” I am.
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