The Guy in the Middle by Kate Stewart is LIVE! Check out this jaw-dropping excerpt! Don’t forget to one-click yours today!

 

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Blurb

I was born to play and bred to win.

My priorities were instilled in me early on—family and football. Those ideals led me to TGU and a coach whose ironclad principles mirrored my own.

With one last college season to play, my goal was singular—get drafted. By realizing my NFL dream, I could save my family, our ranch, and the only home I’d ever
known.

Two birds, one ball.

Playing hard was my only option, but there’s always a wild card.

For all of my planning and hard work, I never anticipated falling for the coach’s daughter. Harper was a fair catch, but who knew loving her could be the one play to
throw my career before it started or that the weight of our secret would change the game.

*The Guy in the Middle is a stand alone novel in the Underdog Series. This is Lance’s story.

 

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Review

“What if this moment, right here, is the moment that changes your life?”

5 stars!

OHHHHH, MY HEART! It’s been broken and healed so many times while reading this book, and I freaking loved it! A beautiful romance with so many feels, and an amazing end to the series.

This is the third book and final book in the Underdogs series, and once again, comes with an entirely different feel to the earlier books. It can be read as a standalone, but there is some crossover with the timeline and characters, which is a huge bonus for fans of the first two books. We got a glimpse of this story in the Team Player 2 anthology, but it in no way prepares you for the impact of this full-length novel.

Lance is the quiet roommate from the Theo/Troy/Lance housemate set-up. He doesn’t have much to do with the other guys and though he’s on the football team with Troy, he pretty much keeps to himself. He is at college with a goal to be drafted by the NFL and therefore save his family and their struggling ranch. He’s a guy with a lot on his shoulders, and he uses boxing as his stress relief, and lives for the hours that he gets to spend in a closed gym working out his frustrations.

Harper is a dancer with dreams of taking the stage, but her father is making her graduate from college before she goes off to dance school. Her happy place is the gym where she dances out of hours, pouring out her heart and finding her peace. But that peace is interrupted by a rude and broody football player who is in her space.

“You really should do something about that.”
I glance back at him.
“About what?”
“About that thorough fucking you need.”

Lance and Harper’s first interactions are full of snark and animosity, but very quickly turn flirtatious as enemies become friends, who then become so much more.

“God, the ways I want you.”
“I’m right here.”
“You’re not ready for what I want to do to you.”
“Make me ready.”

It’s fun and romantic with great banter, and the sexy time is sizzling! But in a wicked twist, Harper is the daughter of Lance’s coach, bringing a forbidden element to their burgeoning romance as the coach is an overprotective man who literally holds Lance’s future in his hands. The situation is hard, and for so many reasons it becomes even more complicated, and just as they are falling in love, they find themselves falling apart.

“You gave me a love story, a real love story, even if it doesn’t have the ending I was hoping for.”

My heart broke, but the way is paved for a second-chance romance that is intense, dramatic and emotional, and completely unexpected. You think I’ve given away the plot? Pfft, that’s only the beginning of this story, and I was in no way prepared for all that unfolds for Lance and Harper. So much angst, so many feels, so much that we didn’t know, that is revealed in pieces throughout the story. I wanted to slap these characters so hard, only to want to hold them tight a few chapters later as their stories are uncovered.

“I just don’t want to cost you something I can’t replace, Lance.”
“What if it’s you?”

This book hurt, and as Lance and Harper confront their demons, there were times I couldn’t believe all that was going on. They have massive ups and downs, and though it’s hard, the strength they show in standing by the other one when it is most needed is absolutely amazing. They see so much in each other, and they love without reserveration, and I loved seeing them both fight so damn hard for each other.

Make me proud, Lance. Keep fighting.
Give me a reason to.

It’s angsty, dramatic and emotional, but Kate has injected moments of sweetness, and scenes that had me laughing out loud even in the middle of all of the turmoil. She has given us two very strong characters who have endured a lot, and we see them fall and we see them break. But we also see them fall in love, and their love story is passionate, intense, and so freaking beautiful. I laughed, cried, raged and swooned along with them, and though I ached for them, it was all totally worth it.

“You are my girl.
In every way. Always”

Theo and Laney, Troy and Clarissa all appear, and I loved that we got to meet and spend so much time with Lance’s family. What a fantastic bunch they are! And God, I’d love a story for his younger brother, Trevor, one day – such a scene stealer! There is an epilogue which ties everything up beautifully, for all of the couples of the series, and I finished this book with a massive grin on my face as we get a glimpse into each of their futures and see them living their HEAs.

An amazingly written story, I loved this one!

5 stars.

An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

 

The Underdogs

 

 

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Excerpt

Harper

“I’ve missed you, you know? More than you can imagine.”

“Can’t imagine it at all,” he says, picking through a book he’s not reading.

“Can I help you two?” One of the store sales associates asks, and I shake my head and smile.
When she takes her leave, I look over to Lance who stands fuming on the other side of a table
filled with loose items. We’re in a mismatch shop full of mostly cheap junk, and I can’t imagine
him finding anything for his mother here.

“Lance, I have missed you. Horribly.”

“Could have fooled me.”

I can only take so much. Irritated, I lift a designer coffee mug from the table.

“You like this for your mom?”

“No.”

“How about this?”

“Nope.” He’s not even looking at what’s in my hands.

“You sure? It’s a hide purse. Cute for a rancher’s wife, don’t you think?” This gets his attention,
and stormy eyes lift to mine.

“Would you buy that for you?”

I look it over and shake my head. “Not really my style.”

“Bet it’s not.”

I can feel my ears reddening. Fuming, I eye a box on the shelf, snatch it and shove it into his
chest. “How about this giant fucking purple dildo and matching anal plug!? Think mom will like
that?”

He looks up completely unaffected, “Nope.”

“I don’t think we’re in the right place,” Tossing the box down, I stalk out of the cluttered shop
and into the department store next to it. He’s hot on my heels.

“Got that fucking right.”

I turn back to see he’s spoiling for a fight and release a stressed breath. Fighting with him is the
last thing I want to do. “Look, lets, just…” I search around and pull a sweater from the closest
rack. “How about this? Simple, elegant.”

“You think Mom’s simple, huh? I’ll give her your regards.”

“That’s it.” I hook the sweater back on to the rack and close the space between us, forcing his
eyes to mine. “God, you’re still a brute, aren’t you? You haven’t changed a bit. Still pig-headed
as hell.”

“Pig-headed?” He opens his mouth in mock shock and covers his chest with his hand. “How
dare you.”

I’m in between fight or flight, but I’ve been dodging this long enough. My heart can’t take more
confrontation. I missed him too much. His eyes flare with satisfaction at my irritation. “Misery
loves company, right, Lance?”

“Never said I was miserable.”

“You don’t have to. Did you come to New York just to torture me?”

“Maybe.”

“Rub it in on what I’m missing out on?”

A voice sounds from next to us. “Is there something I can help you find today?”

We both turn to the woman with lasers in our eyes, and she swallows. I clear my throat. “We’re
fine. Thank you.”

Lance winks at the woman, his eyes scanning her form. “Maybe you can help me?”

“You son of a bitch,” I hiss, before walking away from the table. His voice rings out next to me
as I rip through a rack of scarves.

“Good to know you care, Priss, gotta admit, it’s surprising.”

I reel on him. “Don’t you dare! Leaving you was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life. I had
to make a clean break. I had just lost everyone that mattered to me. I was losing my mind.”

“I got pissed for one day, and you went off the grid.”

“And you let me go because you knew no matter how much we wanted it to work, it
couldn’t. You have no idea what I went through!”

“What you went through? Do you know I spent six months ranting to an Uber driver
named Dave because everyone on my team hated me when the truth came out?” He
stomps after me as I pull sweater after sweater off the rack. “Troy jumped ship after he got
drafted. I had no one but Tony and those fights.”

I turn to him with twenty sweaters in my arms. “Jenner? When did y’all get so tight?”

“When shit got tough, and my fucking girlfriend bailed!” He glares down at me, his breaths
coming out fast.

“Guys, we’re going to need you to take this outside.” A woman whom I assume is the store
manager approaches us cautiously.

I look around the store and see all eyes are on us, especially the women sizing him up. “He’s
available ladies,” I snap, laying the sweaters on a nearby table, “I’m willing to bet he comes
really cheap.” He’s on my heels as I push through the glass of the department store.

“Oh, was I supposed to wait for you? Must have missed that memo. That’s it, you must want a
saint. That’s why you didn’t stay.”

“I was twenty years old and alienated from a place I didn’t want to be anyway.”

“Good to know.”

“That’s not the way I meant it. And you know damn well until you, I was only there to appease
my Dad, who I barely speak to now.”

“I’m sorry about that, I am, but that’s on him. And what in the hell are you talking about
‘alienated’?”

“Forget it.” I pull on my gloves as heavy snow starts to come down. “I think we’ve concluded
our tour for today.”

He glances around the sidewalk. “Well, no need to show me more, I hate this fucking place!”

“And why is that? Not enough free-range chickens?!”

His eyes flare. “You digging on the ranch now, Priss? I saw a fucking rat the size of a cat on my
run this morning!”

“Probably has better manners than you, shit head.”

“Pulling out the big guns now, huh? There’s that backbone. I was wondering where it went.”

“Go home, Lance, you hate it here. And you obviously hate me.”

“Just the opposite. It’s impossible, and believe me, I’m trying!”

“Well, I hope you succeed! Thanks for stopping by, Mary Poppins. Best Christmas ever! Make
sure to bulldoze the nativity scene on your way out!”

“Fuck this.” He throws his hands up and eyes me warily before turning and walking away.

“Merry Christmas to you, too!”

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Giveaway

The author is giving away a $50 Gift Card!

ENTER GIVEAWAY HERE

The Escapist Book Blog is not responsible for this giveaway

 

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About the Author

 

USA Today bestselling author and Texas native, Kate Stewart, lives in North Carolina with her husband, Nick, and her naughty beagle, Sadie. She pens messy, sexy, angst-filled contemporary romance, as well as romantic comedy and erotic suspense. Kate’s title, Drive, was named one of the best romances of 2017 by The New York Daily News and Huffington Post. Drive was also a finalist in the Goodreads Choice awards for best contemporary romance of 2017. Her works have been featured in USA TODAY, BuzzFeed, and translated in five languages.

Kate is a lover of all things ’80s and ’90s, especially John Hughes films and rap. She dabbles a little in photography, can knit a simple stitch scarf for necessity, and on occasion, does very well at whiskey.

 

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