Wednesday, October 2, 2024

The Romance Line by Lauren Blakely ~ New Release & Review

The only thing that annoys me more than the grumpy goalie is how much I think of kissing him. But rule number one of working in sports PR is no dating the players.


 

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Lauren Blakely, comes the next standalone hockey romance in her Love and Hockey series, THE ROMANCE LINE! 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  https://blkly.pub/romancelineAMZ
 Audible  Vanessa Edwin and Teddy Hamilton narrate in duet! https://blkly.pub/TRLAudible

About THE ROMANCE LINE:

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.


 READ THE 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.”




Elizabeth's Review

The Romance Line by Lauren Blakely

My rating: 4 of 5 stars - Would Recommend to a friend


Review Copy Provided by Author

The Romance Line is a connected stand-alone featuring the San Francisco Sea Dogs hockey team.
We have met Everly, the team PR person, and Max, the Goalie, in the first Love & Hockey book and it was so much fun to get to know them better here.

These characters bring so many layers to their professional relationship that it was genuinely sweet to see those get peeled back for the slow burn that had them evolve from co-workers to more.
Max's evolution was the more dramatic, but Everly's was just as impactful as they needed to let their scars see the light to heal fully. The Beauty and The Beast references were very much on point here and I loved how they were woven into the story.

As Everly and Max are mostly new characters, this can be read as a stand-alone. Reading the Love and Hockey books in order would be better as there is some setup in Wes & Josie's book that makes this reading experience richer. The secondary cast of hockey players and friends plays a huge role in helping our lead characters figure things out. Loyal readers will see some familiar faces and places which is always fun. There are also hints about who may have stories coming soon.

Ms Blakely delivers another winner with the Romance Line!

View all my reviews

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