{"id":45854,"date":"2019-09-09T08:39:47","date_gmt":"2019-09-09T12:39:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=45854"},"modified":"2025-08-29T03:12:08","modified_gmt":"2025-08-29T07:12:08","slug":"blog-tour-arc-review-the-hardest-hit-by-a-s-teague","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=45854","title":{"rendered":"Blog Tour, Excerpt & ARC Review: The Hardest Hit (The Hardest Series, #2) by A.S. Teague"},"content":{"rendered":"
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“A.S. Teague brings the feels with this one, y’all. The Hardest Hit is the kind of book that sinks its claws into your heart and doesn’t let go. Five well-earned stars from me.<\/em>” -LK Farlow, Amazon bestselling author<\/strong><\/h4>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The Hardest Hit, an all-new emotional, single dad romance from A.S.\u00a0Teague is available now!<\/strong><\/h4>\n

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Kindle Ebook<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 Amazon Worldwide<\/a> \u00a0|\u00a0 Paperback<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n

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\r\n <\/div><\/div><\/strong><\/h4>\n
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Blurb<\/strong><\/h4>\n

My friends used to tell me \u2018What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.\u2019 Clearly they lied, because there was no way the chemistry I had with Mel could ever be left behind.<\/p>\n

However, my children, her career, and nine hundred miles between us meant that for\u00a0seven years, Melanie Holstein was the one who got away.<\/p>\n

I was Aiden Shaw, first-round draft pick turned the best quarterback the league had ever seen. I worked hard to secure my position in football history while balancing life as a single dad. Through it all, my Vegas spitfire was never far from my mind.<\/p>\n

And considering her best friend was now with my best friend, it was pure and utter\u00a0torture.<\/p>\n

When my career took a devastating turn, Mel was the first person at my side. I was broken and defeated, but that stubborn woman was determined to piece me back\u00a0together.<\/p>\n

I liked to pretend Mel and I were destined for greatness, but Lady Luck had never been on our side. And the tragedy that followed might have been the hardest hit of all.<\/p>\n

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Add to Goodreads<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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Review<\/b><\/h4>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been on my knees for you since the first time I saw you\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

4 stars!<\/b><\/p>\n

This is a great read. A sweet, dramatic, heartfelt and slow-burning love story between an NFL superstar and single father, and the one who got away.<\/p>\n

Although it\u2019s not flagged as being part of a series, please note that this book is a follow on from The Hardest Route<\/a>, featuring previously introduced characters and focussing on the same group of friends with quite a bit of crossover.<\/p>\n

Eight years ago, Aiden and Mel met in Las Vegas. They shared an instant attraction, and a night together spent talking and getting to know each other formed a strong connection that left them both wanting more and feeling like they were on the precipice of something momentous. But life had other ideas, and circumstances (and distance) kept them apart. They kept in touch over the years, trying to reconnect, but it never happened.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou were the fucking girl that got away, you know that? You were the one who just slipped right through my stupid fingers.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Now their best friends (the couple from The Hardest Route<\/i>) have hooked up and are living their blissful ever after. Aiden hasn\u2019t given up on Mel, but after years of being jerked around, she\u2019s tired of it and pulls the plug once and for all. But when the unthinkable happens, Mel drops everything to be by Aiden\u2019s side when he needs her. He may not acknowledge that he needs her, and it may be the worst possible time for him, but Mel is determined to be there for him, and not to let another chance pass them by.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat an evil stroke of irony that the one woman I\u2019d always wanted finally came available when I was no longer capable of doing a fucking thing for her.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This is a bit of an angsty journey. Aiden and Mel have a lot of history, and there have been a lot of stupid decisions and miscommunications over the years. They\u2019re pretty much starting at rock bottom trying to find their way forward, and there is some push and pull between them, but thankfully there\u2019s always at least one of them pushing for more, and they slowly start to find their way forward.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s never been enough when it came to you. Not once. But I think I\u2019ve proven my patience up until this point. I can wait a little while longer while you finally come to terms with the fact that you and I are meant to be together.<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It\u2019s a really gorgeous love story, sweet, sexy and heartfelt. I love that they don\u2019t hold back on what they are feeling, and once they get past their crap, it\u2019s blessedly functional, and just in time, too, because life is about to hit them with major twists and turns, and it\u2019s going to take all of the strength they have to make it through.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhatever this is, destiny, fate, some cosmic pull, or just a fuck lot of intense chemistry, we\u2019re connected. We just have to decide what to do with it. And I choose you. I choose us.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I really enjoyed this book. I loved Aiden and Mel as characters, I loved how no-nonsense they were with each other, and I thought their love story was really beautifully written. I also really loved Aiden\u2019s boys \u2013 they are fantastically fun, and the relationship they had with their Dad was so, so beautiful to see!<\/p>\n

There is time spent with Griff and Brooke from the previous book, and we get to spend a bit of time with Aiden and Griff\u2019s group of friends, especially Quinn, who I suspect will be the next to have his story told.<\/p>\n

I loved this one, and I\u2019m looking forward to more.<\/p>\n

4 stars.<\/p>\n

An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.<\/i><\/p>\n

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The Hardest<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\"\" \u00a0\"\" \u00a0\"\"<\/p>\n

The Hardest Route (#1)<\/strong> (Griff & Brooke)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Kindle Ebook <\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n

The Hardest Hit (#2) <\/strong>(Aiden & Mel)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy: \u00a0Kindle Ebook<\/a> \u00a0 |\u00a0 Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n

The Hardest Play (#3) <\/strong>(Quinn & Georgia)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Kindle Ebook<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Excerpt<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\u201cFine. I won\u2019t argue anymore.\u201d Brooke finally relented to letting me loan her more money so that we didn\u2019t have to leave so early.\u00a0 <\/span>But suddenly, leaving didn\u2019t sound like such a bad idea.<\/span><\/p>\n

My face split into a grin, and I swayed toward her, whispering, \u201cThat\u2019s my girl. Now, don\u2019t be obvious, but there is a fuckin hottie at the table across from us who has been eyeing you since we sat down.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t mention that I only knew he\u2019d been eyeing her because I\u2019d been having some serious visual foreplay with his buddy. <\/span><\/p>\n

Brooke looked to the craps table where five men were cheering every time their numbers hit, clapping each other on the back and whooping. Her jaw dropped and I giggled. <\/span><\/p>\n

After a full thirty seconds of her staring open-mouthed across the smoky area, she blinked and I hissed, \u201cYessssss.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2026 um\u2026 think he\u2019s looking at you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPshhhh.\u201d I elbowed her and glanced back over to where both men had stopped what they were doing and were watching us almost expectantly. \u201cThat\u2019s all you, girl. The guy beside him is a different story. Mister Dreamy over there, though, only has eyes for Brooke.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWho\u2019s Brooke?\u201d she whispered.<\/span><\/p>\n

I couldn\u2019t stop the sharp burst of laughter that erupted from my lips, and she grabbed her wine glass and drained it in one swallow. <\/span><\/p>\n

I grabbed my own and followed her lead. <\/span>Game on!<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cShit, I think I just had an out-of-body experience,\u201d she whispered.<\/span><\/p>\n

I scooped up my pile of chips and dumped them into my clutch. \u201cHopefully, you\u2019ll have another one later tonight. Let\u2019s go talk to them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo, no, no,\u201d Brooke objected as I dragged her by the arm to the group of guys. \u201cMel, stop. We can\u2019t just\u2026\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

I gave her a gentle shove and she teetered on her heels, careening right into the back of the guy who had been watching her. And when he turned, I knew that my work there was done.<\/span><\/p>\n

It was time to go take care of my own business.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSee something you like?\u201d I asked, stopping in front of my date for the evening, whether he knew it or not. <\/span><\/p>\n

He leaned in close and whispered in my ear, \u201cI\u2019ve never seen anything so breathtaking in my life.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

I tipped my head back to look at him, a response frozen in my throat.<\/span><\/p>\n

The side of his mouth hitched as he stared down at me, his thick lashes giving a spectacular show.<\/span><\/p>\n

I braced for what he was going to say next. Sexy as he was, I still needed him to have a personality, or it would never work\u2026 not even for a one-night stand. <\/span><\/p>\n

He wedged a hand in the pocket of his jeans and murmured, \u201cThat took you long enough. I was worried I\u2019d lost my charm and I was going to have to summon a smoke signal in order to ask you out.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

My brows shot up and a smile curled my lips. \u201cWalking over to <\/span>me <\/span><\/i>probably would have been easier.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe. But then I would have missed the view of those sexy legs as they carried you over here.\u201d He leaned in close. Not touching me physically, but his proximity was a tangible caress of its own. \u201cTrust me when I tell you, it was well worth the wait.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

My breath hitched as he leaned away, that seductive grin still firmly in place.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m Aiden. And you are?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Whoever the hell you want me to be.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cMel. Er\u2026 Melanie. Whatever. I answer to both.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

He nodded, his gaze dropping to my mouth. \u201cNice to meet you, <\/span>Mel<\/span><\/i>.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

That was the exact moment I realized that I\u2019d been wrong. It wasn\u2019t Lady Luck who had been on my side. For the way my entire body was heating, this man had to have been the work of the devil himself. <\/span><\/p>\n

And I was completely okay with that.<\/span><\/p>\n

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About the Author<\/b><\/h4>\n

\"\"A.S. Teague enjoys the warmth of South Carolina with her husband and two daughters. The stereotypes about peach cobbler and sweet tea are not overstated. After years in the medical field, she is now enjoying every minute of being a stay-at-home mom. She loves wine, the beach, wine on the beach, and crying at Disney movies. When she doesn\u2019t have a book in her hand, she can be found pestering her husband with pictures of animals she wants to rescue, as well as debating whether to exercise or take a nap.<\/p>\n

Stay up to date by joining A.S. Teague\u2019s\u00a0MAILING LIST<\/a>!<\/strong><\/p>\n

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AMAZON<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0| \u00a0GOODREADS<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0| \u00a0FACEBOOK<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0| \u00a0TWITTER<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0| \u00a0INSTAGRAM<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n

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 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“A.S. Teague brings the feels with this one, y’all. The Hardest Hit is the kind of book that sinks its claws into your heart and doesn’t let go. Five well-earned stars from me.” -LK Farlow, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":45387,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","yasr_overall_rating":4,"yasr_post_is_review":"","yasr_auto_insert_disabled":"","yasr_review_type":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[52,9,58,29],"tags":[966,59,48,1149],"class_list":["post-45854","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-drama","category-romance","category-sports-star","category-steamy","tag-a-s-teague","tag-arc","tag-review","tag-the-hardest-series"],"yasr_visitor_votes":{"stars_attributes":{"read_only":false,"span_bottom":false},"number_of_votes":0,"sum_votes":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/The-Hardest-Hit.jpg?fit=200%2C300&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7gaNL-bVA","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45854","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=45854"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45854\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/45387"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=45854"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=45854"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=45854"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}