From #1 New York Times bestselling author Lauren Blakely, comes the next standalone hockey romance in her Love and Hockey series, THE ROMANCE LINE!
The Romance Line
(Love and Hockey, #2)
by Lauren Blakely
Released – 2 October 2024
This sexy, enemies-to-lovers, grumpy/sunshine, forbidden workplace romance brings all the feels, heat and spice and is now available in all formats including the special edition hardcover and free to read in Kindle Unlimited. Check out the excerpt below and one-click your copy of this steamy, hockey romance today!
Amazon | Paperback
Blurb
The first rule of handling PR for a hockey team? Never hook up with a player.
That shouldn’t be a problem since the last man on earth I want to give an image makeover to is our goalie. He’s infuriatingly hot, famously grumpy and lives to spar with me after every game.
But shining up his rough edges is my path to landing the promotion I desperately need, so I grit my teeth and do my job. No matter how hard he makes it (especially with that sexy smirk and cool blue eyes.) As we travel from pose-with-a-pet photo opps to cuddle-a-kitten fundraisers, we bicker like it’s foreplay.
Turns out it is.
Because as I get to know the man behind the broody iceman exterior, it’s me that melts – right into his arms as he devastates me with a kiss that turns into the hottest, most forbidden night of my life.
Only once turns into every night as Max shows me how much he wants to take care of me. His possessive touch makes me feel adored for the first time in my life.
But the man is entirely off limits and I can’t risk my job for more of those soul-deep kisses.
Because the only thing worse than hooking up with a player is falling head over heels for him.
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Review
4 “Say yes” stars!
The Romance Line is a fun, fresh grumpy/sunshine story. Everly and Max are such a great pair and bring laughs, love, and heat to their story.
Max is a hockey goalie who has trust issues because he was burned in the past by an ex girlfriend. He left social media and doesn’t like being in the spotlight or giving interviews. However, his “likability quotient” is way down and now the GM of the team wants him back in the spot light to increase it so he doesn’t lose any more sponsors.
Enter Everly, the team’s PR person. She is here to help and will do anything to get the job done.
Everly and Max have been getting on each others nerves since we met them. They seem to rub each other the wrong way but in a funny way. There’s definitely sexual tension sizzling between them even if they deny it and they do a good job at keeping their interactions to a minimum. Though, when Everly has to work directly with him, they know they are going to spending a ton of time together.
These two are definitely attracted to each other but neither let on how they feel and they are determined to keep things strictly professional. She’s going for a promotion after all, and he doesn’t really want to dive into another relationship. However, it’s only a matter of time before Everly and Max stop fighting the pull they have on each other.
The banter was fantastic and their interactions kept a smile on my face. They have such a good time together and the more they hang out the more they learn to trust the other. I loved seeing them open up and truly understand where the other was coming from when it came to the past and why they feel the way they do about relationships and getting involved with another person. It takes a lot of trust and watching them learn to trust the other was beautiful, especially with Everly. Her confidence and power grew as the story progressed and it was amazing.
This author does a good job at combining tropes and I loved the forbidden aspect of the story and was excited to see what challenges arose with their growing attraction while working together. I love sports romances and enemies to lovers, too, so this story has many of the tropes I love. It was a bit long but I did enjoy getting more of the secondary characters and am hooked on this group.
I went back and forth between the ebook and the audiobook and thought the audiobook was well done. It was narrated by Vanessa Edwin as Everly and Teddy Hamilton as Max and I thought that these narrators really brought the story to life. I felt the emotion from both of them and didn’t want to stop listening. Their voices complemented each other well and I loved the duet narration.
Overall, The Romance Line is great addition to the Love and Hockey series and I can’t wait for more. These characters are fun, fresh, and lovable. Bring on the next book, My Favorite Holidate.
*eARC/ALC generously provided by the author*
Excerpt
“Just let me walk you to the door.”
“Fine,” she says, her palms raised in surrender.
I set my hand on her back again. A slight shiver seems to run through her when I touch her. I try not to let that go to my head. Or my dick.
But as we go, I spread my fingers wider across the silk of her shirt. Press a little harder. Rub a little more. Curl my thumb around her waist. Register every hitch of her breath.
By the time we’re at the top of the steps, my hand feels too right on her back to let go. “I’m not sure I have made my point, Everly.”
She turns to me, facing me, so I have to drop my hand from her back. Her gaze is wary but intrigued, her eyes flickering with questions. “What’s your point exactly?”
“Like I said earlier, if this was a date I’d walk you to the door.”
“But it’s not. You keep telling me it’s not.” It’s like she’s trying to catch me on a technicality, or maybe to push me into admitting something. She doesn’t make a move to go inside. Her gaze is locked on mine, and the air is charged between us. It crackles with anticipation.
“You’re right. It’s not,” I say, weighing how far I’ll go. What it’ll cost me.
She rolls her lips together, then breathes out, like she’s centering herself. “And you did it anyway.”
“True,” I say. Like I could do anything else with her. I couldn’t have stopped myself from showing up at The Spotted Zebra tonight if I’d tried. I couldn’t have resisted driving her home. I couldn’t have refrained from walking her up her steps. Now we’re standing in the warm October air, the Golden Gate Bridge in the distance, the ocean hugging us. And I’m not walking away—not with her closer than she’s ever been. I look at her lush mouth one more time, then her gorgeous eyes. “And if this were a date I’d kiss you at the door.”
She’s quiet, but her lips curve up. “That’s not what you said at the restaurant.”
Wait. I’m confused now. “That is what I said,” I point out.
She crosses her arms, shaking her head, but she’s smiling and it’s flirty. Inviting. “No, Max. You said you’d devastate me with a kiss.”
And that’s it. That’s enough. Just f*&k it. F*&k everything. “I guess I’d better start.”
Love and Hockey
The Boyfriend Goal (#1) – (Josie & Wesley)
Review
Buy: Amazon | Paperback | Audiobook
The Romance Line (#2) – (Everly & Max)
Review
Buy: Amazon | Paperback | Audiobook
The Proposal Play (#3) – (Maeve & Asher)
Review
Buy: Amazon | Paperback | Audiobook
The Girlfriend Zone (#4) (Miles & Leighton)
Review
Buy: Amazon | Paperback | Audiobook
The Overtime Kiss (#5) (Tyler & Sabrina)
To be released 8 October
Pre-order: Amazon
About the Author
A #1 New York Times Bestselling, #1 Wall Street Journal Bestselling, and #1 Audible Bestselling author, Lauren Blakely is known for her contemporary romance style that’s cute but spicy. Lauren likes dogs, cake, and show tunes and is the vegetarian at your dinner party.
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