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<\/h4>\n<\/h4>\n<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
I was born to play and bred to win.<\/p>\n
My priorities were instilled in me early on\u2014family and football. Those ideals led me to TGU and a coach whose ironclad principles mirrored my own.<\/p>\n
With one last college season to play, my goal was singular\u2014get drafted. By realizing my NFL dream, I could save my family, our ranch, and the only home I\u2019d ever
\nknown.<\/p>\n
Two birds, one ball.<\/p>\n
Playing hard was my only option, but there\u2019s always a wild card.<\/p>\n
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
\nthrow my career before it started or that the weight of our secret would change the game.<\/p>\n
*The Guy in the Middle is a stand alone novel in the Underdog Series. This is Lance’s story.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
Add to Goodreads<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhat if this moment, right here, is the moment that changes your life?\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/p><\/blockquote>\n 5 stars!<\/strong><\/p>\n OHHHHH, MY HEART! It\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n This is the third book and final book in the Underdogs<\/i> 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<\/i><\/a> anthology, but it in no way prepares you for the impact of this full-length novel.<\/p>\n Lance is the quiet roommate from the Theo\/Troy\/Lance housemate set-up. He doesn\u2019t have much to do with the other guys and though he\u2019s 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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cYou really should do something about that.\u201d Lance and Harper\u2019s first interactions are full of snark and animosity, but very quickly turn flirtatious as enemies become friends, who then become so much more.<\/p>\n \u201cGod, the ways I want you.\u201d It\u2019s fun and romantic with great banter, and the sexy time is sizzling! But in a wicked twist, Harper is the daughter of Lance\u2019s coach, bringing a forbidden element to their burgeoning romance as the coach is an overprotective man who literally holds Lance\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n \u201cYou gave me a love story, a <\/i>real love story, even if it doesn\u2019t have the ending I was hoping for.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n 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\u2019ve given away the plot? Pfft, that\u2019s 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\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n \u201cI just don\u2019t want to cost you something I can\u2019t replace, Lance.\u201d This book hurt<\/i>, and as Lance and Harper confront their demons, there were times I couldn\u2019t believe all that was going on. They have massive ups and downs, and though it\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n Make me proud, Lance. Keep fighting. It\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n \u201cYou are <\/i>my girl. Theo and Laney, Troy and Clarissa all appear, and I loved that we got to meet and spend so much time with Lance\u2019s family. What a fantastic bunch they are! And God, I\u2019d 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.<\/p>\n An amazingly written story, I loved this one!<\/p>\n 5 stars.<\/p>\n An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.<\/i><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Guy on the Right (#1)<\/strong> (Theo) The Guy on the Left (#2)<\/strong> (Troy) The Guy in the Middle (#3)<\/strong> (Lance) <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Harper<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve missed you, you know? More than you can imagine.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCan\u2019t imagine it at all,\u201d he says, picking through a book he\u2019s not reading.<\/p>\n \u201cCan I help you two?\u201d One of the store sales associates asks, and I shake my head and smile. \u201cLance, I have missed you. Horribly.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCould have fooled me.\u201d<\/p>\n I can only take so much. Irritated, I lift a designer coffee mug from the table.<\/p>\n \u201cYou like this for your mom?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow about this?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNope.\u201d He\u2019s not even looking at what\u2019s in my hands.<\/p>\n \u201cYou sure? It\u2019s a hide purse. Cute for a rancher\u2019s wife, don\u2019t you think?\u201d This gets his attention, \u201cWould you buy that for you?\u201d<\/p>\n I look it over and shake my head. \u201cNot really my style.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBet it\u2019s not.\u201d<\/p>\n I can feel my ears reddening. Fuming, I eye a box on the shelf, snatch it and shove it into his He looks up completely unaffected, \u201cNope.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think we\u2019re in the right place,\u201d Tossing the box down, I stalk out of the cluttered shop \u201cGot that fucking right.\u201d<\/p>\n I turn back to see he\u2019s spoiling for a fight and release a stressed breath. Fighting with him is the \u201cYou think Mom\u2019s simple, huh? I\u2019ll give her your regards.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s it.\u201d I hook the sweater back on to the rack and close the space between us, forcing his \u201cPig-headed?\u201d He opens his mouth in mock shock and covers his chest with his hand. \u201cHow I\u2019m in between fight or flight, but I\u2019ve been dodging this long enough. My heart can\u2019t take more \u201cNever said I was miserable.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou don\u2019t have to. Did you come to New York just to torture me?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRub it in on what I\u2019m missing out on?\u201d<\/p>\n A voice sounds from next to us. \u201cIs there something I can help you find today?\u201d<\/p>\n We both turn to the woman with lasers in our eyes, and she swallows. I clear my throat. \u201cWe\u2019re Lance winks at the woman, his eyes scanning her form. \u201cMaybe you can help me<\/i>?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou son of a bitch,\u201d I hiss, before walking away from the table. His voice rings out next to me \u201cGood to know you care, Priss, gotta admit, it\u2019s surprising.\u201d<\/p>\n I reel on him. \u201cDon\u2019t you dare! Leaving you was the hardest thing I\u2019ve ever done in my life. I had \u201cI got pissed for one day<\/i>, and you went off the grid.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd you let me go<\/i> because you knew no matter how much we wanted it to work, it \u201cWhat you<\/i> went through? Do you know I spent six months ranting to an Uber driver I turn to him with twenty sweaters in my arms. \u201cJenner? When did y\u2019all get so tight?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhen shit got tough, and my fucking girlfriend bailed!\u201d He glares down at me, his breaths \u201cGuys, we\u2019re going to need you to take this outside.\u201d A woman whom I assume is the store I look around the store and see all eyes are on us, especially the women sizing him up. \u201cHe\u2019s \u201cOh, was I supposed to wait for you? Must have missed that memo. That\u2019s it, you must want a \u201cI was twenty years old and alienated from a place I didn\u2019t want to be anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGood to know.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s not the way I meant it. And you know damn well until you, I was only there to appease \u201cI\u2019m sorry about that, I am, but that\u2019s on him. And what in the hell are you talking about \u201cForget it.\u201d I pull on my gloves as heavy snow starts to come down. \u201cI think we\u2019ve concluded He glances around the sidewalk. \u201cWell, no need to show me more, I hate this fucking place!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd why is that? Not enough free-range chickens?!\u201d<\/p>\n His eyes flare. \u201cYou digging on the ranch now, Priss? I saw a fucking rat the size of a cat on my \u201cProbably has better manners than you, shit head.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPulling out the big guns now, huh? There\u2019s that backbone. I was wondering where it went.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGo home, Lance, you hate it here. And you obviously hate me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJust the opposite. It\u2019s impossible, and believe me, I\u2019m trying!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I hope you succeed! Thanks for stopping by, Mary Poppins. Best Christmas ever! Make \u201cFuck this.\u201d He throws his hands up and eyes me warily before turning and walking away.<\/p>\n \u201cMerry Christmas to you, too!\u201d<\/p>\n The Escapist Book Blog is not responsible for this giveaway<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Website<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0Facebook Group<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0Facebook Author Page<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 Twitter<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>Instagram<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Guy in the Middle by Kate Stewart is LIVE! Check out this jaw-dropping excerpt! Don’t forget to one-click yours today! Amazon\u00a0 |\u00a0 Universal Link\u00a0 |\u00a0 Paperback Blurb I was born to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":49764,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","yasr_overall_rating":5,"yasr_post_is_review":"","yasr_auto_insert_disabled":"","yasr_review_type":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[297,52,173,49,972,13,9,24,58,29],"tags":[59,333,48,1130],"class_list":["post-50526","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-angsty","category-drama","category-epic-romance","category-feeeeeeels","category-forbidden","category-new-adult","category-romance","category-second-chance-romance","category-sports-star","category-steamy","tag-arc","tag-kate-stewart","tag-review","tag-underdogs"],"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\/2020\/01\/The-Guy-in-the-Middle.jpg?fit=200%2C300&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7gaNL-d8W","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50526","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=50526"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50526\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/49764"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=50526"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=50526"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=50526"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nReview<\/b><\/h4>\n
\nI glance back at him.
\n\u201cAbout what?\u201d
\n\u201cAbout that thorough fucking you need.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\n\u201cI\u2019m right here.\u201d
\n\u201cYou\u2019re not ready for what I want to do to you.\u201d
\n\u201cMake me ready.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\n\u201cWhat if it\u2019s you?\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\nGive me a reason to.<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\nIn every way. <\/i>Always\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\nThe Underdogs<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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<\/p>\n
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy: Kindle Ebook\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy: \u00a0Kindle Ebook<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy: \u00a0Kindle Ebook\u00a0<\/a> |\u00a0 Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/The-Guy-in-the-Middle-Teaser-2.jpg?resize=581%2C387&ssl=1\")
<\/p>\n
\nExcerpt<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\nWhen she takes her leave, I look over to Lance who stands fuming on the other side of a table
\nfilled with loose items. We\u2019re in a mismatch shop full of mostly cheap junk, and I can\u2019t imagine
\nhim finding anything for his mother here.<\/p>\n
\nand stormy eyes lift to mine.<\/p>\n
\nchest. \u201cHow about this giant fucking purple dildo and matching anal plug!? Think mom will like
\nthat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\nand into the department store next to it. He\u2019s hot on my heels.<\/p>\n
\nlast thing I want to do. \u201cLook, lets, just…\u201d I search around and pull a sweater from the closest
\nrack. \u201cHow about this? Simple, elegant.\u201d<\/p>\n
\neyes to mine. \u201cGod, you\u2019re still a brute, aren\u2019t you? You haven\u2019t changed a bit. Still pig-headed
\nas hell.\u201d<\/p>\n
\ndare<\/i> you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nconfrontation. I missed him too much. His eyes flare with satisfaction at my irritation. \u201cMisery
\nloves company, right, Lance?\u201d<\/p>\n
\nfine. Thank you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nas I rip through a rack of scarves.<\/p>\n
\nto make a clean break. I had just lost everyone that mattered to me. I was losing my mind.\u201d<\/p>\n
\ncouldn\u2019t. You have no idea what I went through!\u201d<\/p>\n
\nnamed Dave<\/i> because everyone on my team hated me when the truth came out?\u201d He
\nstomps after me as I pull sweater after sweater off the rack. \u201cTroy jumped ship after he got
\ndrafted. I had no one but Tony and those fights.\u201d<\/p>\n
\ncoming out fast.<\/p>\n
\nmanager approaches us cautiously.<\/p>\n
\navailable ladies,\u201d I snap, laying the sweaters on a nearby table, \u201cI\u2019m willing to bet he comes
\nreally<\/i> cheap.\u201d He\u2019s on my heels as I push through the glass of the department store.<\/p>\n
\nsaint. That\u2019s why you didn\u2019t stay.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nmy Dad, who I barely speak to now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\u2018alienated\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n
\nour tour for today.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nrun this morning!\u201d<\/p>\n
\nsure to bulldoze the nativity scene on your way out!\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\nGiveaway<\/strong><\/h4>\n
The author is giving away a $50 Gift Card!<\/h4>\n
ENTER GIVEAWAY HERE<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n
\nAbout the Author<\/strong><\/h4>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Kate-Stewart.jpg?resize=200%2C301\")
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