Game On by Collette West
Publication Date: October 17, 2014
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Sports
Synopsis
Pitching
phenom Bruce "Jilly" Gillette has a hard time talking to women. His
hulking presence of tattoos and muscles is what makes him an
intimidating closer on the mound, yet off the field, he's painfully shy,
uncomfortable in his own skin.
Desperate to revamp his loner
image, the New York Kings hold a dream date contest, granting the lucky
winner a night on the town with their surly reliever, doing whatever it
takes to force Jilly out of his comfort zone.
Hailey Halpert
enters the contest on a whim, looking for answers as to why her high
school relationship with Jilly hit the skids. Now she’s a popular
romance author writing under a pen name, and her reappearance in Jilly's
life is no accident. It turns out that her novels are all about the
sexy players on the Kings, and Jilly has no clue that he's about to
become her new leading man.
About Collette West
Collette West grew up as somewhat of a jock-nerd hybrid. Entering the world three weeks premature, her dad nearly missed her birth because he had seats behind the dugout for a sold-out, highly-anticipated match-up between two of baseball's biggest rivals. Not to be outdone, her book-loving mom taught her how to read by the time she was three. A love of the game coupled with an appreciation for the written word were instilled in Collette's impressionable brain from a young age. No wonder her characters believe in the philosophy: sports + romance = a little slice of heaven.
Splitting her time between the Pocono Mountains and Manhattan, Collette indulges her inner fangirl by going to as many games as she can from hockey to baseball and downloading every sports romance novel in existence onto her iPad. When she's not clicking away on her laptop, she enjoys walking her dog in Central Park, satisfying her caffeine craving at the Starbucks on Broadway and keeping an eye out for Mr. Right. But above all, she loves dishing with her readers. Email her at collette_west@yahoo.com.
She is the author of NIGHT GAMES and GAME CHANGER.
MY REVIEW
I've already read GAME ON twice! The first time I was lucky enough to be contacted by the author of the book, Collette West, to see if I wanted to be a beta reader...and I totally jumped at the chance! I absolutely LOVED the first version, but I was super eager to read the finished one, too...and now that I've read the finished version, and have a lovely Kindle copy of my own, I have to say that I love it even more! The essential story remained the same through the edits, but it became richer, sexier, and both Hailey and Jilly progressed even further...plus, there are some AMAZING bonus chapters in Game On, too...I felt seriously spoiled while reading it! ;)
Jilly and Hailey were fantastic narrators! I loved getting to read the story from both of their perspectives. It was interesting, and created an intriguing dynamic when it came to unveiling their past history and any hidden secrets between the two of them. ;) I loved getting to see more of Jilly after meeting him in Game Changer, and in Game On, you really get to know him. I especially loved getting to see his gentler side with Hailey! And Hailey...I LOVED HER! I could completely relate to her, and I think most readers can too because she's just like us! She could be anyone, and she also loves to write, so she's probably a reader like us, too. I think that's what I love most about Collette West's heroines, I always feel like I connect to them on some intrinsic level!
The story was wonderful! I'm a sports romance fan in general, but I have truly grown to love Collette West's sports romances! She writes appealing characters, and makes them so natural and likable. I always relate to them and even if I hate their choices, I'm always able to understand why they do things...and when they finally make their move, I'm always there cheering for them and rooting for them to succeed!
The romance was AMAZING!!!!! Jilly and Hailey are adorable together! They're that quintessential tiny girl and big guy couple, and they also have the whole unrequited love for each other from their past going on. I absolutely loved that they had a history, and the way that Collette West unveiled it throughout the story was perfect! I really loved seeing them grow together and mature enough that they were able to make their relationship work! Even though they struggled to communicate in their past, by the end of Game On, they were like a super couple, and the adorable and sexy levels were off the charts! I must also state that this is definitely Collette West's sexiest book yet...and I LOVED IT!
Overall, I loved GAME ON! The romance, characters, and story were amazing and extremely well written! I laughed, cried, smiled, and just had a fantastic time reading Game On. I would recommend it to sports romance fans, but I also think that Collette West writes her sports romances so well that they really make you enjoy the game, and you don't need any kind of past experience (or even past enjoyment) with sports to love them, too. Game On is a wonderful story with some amazing main characters who have a fantastic story to tell (and Collette West's previous books Night Games and Game Changer are, too). I also love that Collette West included some bonus material in this one...it was the perfect tease to make me desperate for her next book! And I totally love that she compares Jilly to a highlander at one point...it was awesome! ;D
EXCERPT
A clap of thunder echoes above us and the heavens open up, pummeling us with rain, but he doesn't stop. He keeps kissing me hard and fast. We quickly become drenched as he brushes my sopping-wet hair away from my neck. I feel droplets of rain fall off his face onto mine, but it only seems to intensify the way he’s kissing me. His tongue opens my mouth, and he eagerly explores every inch of it. I never imagined that he'd be so good at this. I whimper again, and he wraps his good hand around my waist, lifting me up against the building, pressing himself against me.
I don't even know what I'm doing as I open my legs to him. He lowers his hand, finding the back of my knee and hooking one leg around him, and I follow suit with the other, our wet clothes weighing heavily on our overheated skin. This time, his hands aren't staying in those designated 'safe' areas like they did that night on the couch, and it's almost too much to handle.
The only thought in my head is that I need to get him alone and continue this somewhere where I can have him all to myself.
I throw my head back, freeing my lips from his, needing to breathe.
He chuckles softly. "Was that what you wanted?"
"Uh huh," I somehow manage to respond. "Even better than chocolate."
He smiles, shifting my body in his arms until he's cradling me against his chest. “What do you say we get outta here?” he asks, reading my mind.
I nod, and he smiles again, teasing my lips with his while walking slowly toward the street. He raises his hand to hail a cab, and I slide my arms around his neck, pulling him closer. He starts kissing me deeply as the rain hits us full on. I can feel his heartbeat pounding through his wet T-shirt that’s now clinging to his hard, muscular body, and I sigh, knowing this has to be, hands down, the sexiest moment of my life.
GIVEAWAY
TO ENTER FILL OUT THE RAFFLECOPTER BELOW:
Readers LOVE Jilly!
YES, WE SURE DO! ;)
(Pssst...that's me in the bottom right corner of Collette's reader collage! ;D)
What do you think?
Does
GAME ON sound like something you want to read?
And who else absolutely LOVES sports romances? :D
