A LEAGUE OF HER OWN by Karen Rock: Book Tour – Review, Excerpt plus GIVEAWAY

This is my stop during the blog tour for A League of Her Own by Karen Rock. This blog tour is organized by Lola's Blog Tours. The blog tour runs from 1 till 14 December, you can view the complete tour schedule on the website of Lola’s Blog Tours.

A League of Her Own

By Karen Rock

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Age category: Adult

Release Date: 1 December, 2014

Blurb:

He was attractive, talented…and way off limits.

Heather Gadway may have been a world-class college pitcher and a top university coach, but she's a rank amateur when it comes to managing the Falcons, her father's struggling minor league team. And when it comes to managing her aggravating attraction to Garrett Wolf, their talented new pitcher. It's going to be difficult enough to make it as the first female manager in the league and prove to her overly critical father she's worthy. No distractions. No missteps. And certainly no romances with players. Everything stands between them—including their troubled pasts—even as Heather's world falls apart and Garrett's the one who's there to catch her…

Excerpt

“Are you ready?” She dropped a bag by the backstop, pulled out a blue visor and adjusted it over her head. When she swept off her glasses and peered up at him, his stomach jittered and his breath hitched. He reined in his slipping control and forced an easy smile.

“Sure. Would you like to pitch first?” He wanted her to say yes. Going last meant he could guarantee his score only topped hers slightly, just enough to make Holly Springs dust in his tire treads and Heather a dream that’d never materialize.

She angled her head so that her long ponytail slid over her tanned shoulders. The smile she gave him was as sweet as freshly squeezed lemonade, minus the sugar. “I’d like to observe you first, if you’d don’t mind.”

“Observe me?” The question leaped out of him in surprise.

She finished a gulp of her sports drink and lowered it, looking him dead in the eye. “So I can finish taking notes on you.”

He nearly swallowed the sunflower shell he’d just popped in his mouth. Her ego must be out of control if she thought he’d lose. He flexed his fingers and nodded curtly. “It’s your prerogative.”

Dean’s red hair appeared in the dugout, and he jogged around the fence, pulling on his catcher’s mask. “Sorry I’m late!” He dropped two bags of balls beside home plate and squatted behind it. “Who’s pitching first?”

“Looks like me.” Garrett sauntered toward the red clay mound, ignoring his jeering teammates.

“Whatever you do, don’t pretend you’re in a game or you’ll definitely lose,” heckled Hopson, whose comment earned a round of chuckles from the team.

“Go get ’em, wild thing,” put in Waitman, who did an impromptu dance Garrett caught out of the corner of his eye. The rest of the crowd joined in, laughing.

“Ignore them, Wolf.” Dean punched his mitt, his nearly colorless eyes squinting against the sun.

Garrett shrugged. “Who? I don’t hear anything but some whining gnats.” This was actually going to be fun. Pitching contests meant no batters. Nothing but mitt. And his throws would strike it every single time.

“Ohhhhhhhhhhh! That hurt,” guffawed another player, and some made boo-hoo sounds.

“Knock it off, Falcons,” snapped Heather, and the rowdy bunch subsided. Even Garrett gaped at her, surprised. Her voice might be low, but it demanded attention.

“Sorry, Skipper,” murmured the new shortstop. A few kissy noises erupted, then stopped when she turned her head and stared hard into the dugout.

“Thank you, Valdez. As for the rest of you, stay and act like the professionals you are, or leave before I ask you to. All right?” She leaned her defined arms on the padded top of the dugout fence, her shapely ankles crossed. But her casual pose didn’t fool him. She was deliberately acting like this to make him believe her victory was a foregone conclusion. It was the oldest trick in the book. She’d need to do a lot better than that if she hoped to best him.

“Ready whenever you are,” she said, her voice flippant, her lips turned up in a ready-for-anything smile.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

My Review

My very first of Karen Rock and I enjoyed reading it. Always love reading about sport romance though I'm not a big fan of sports. For some people, maybe the details about baseball was a bit too much. Since I knew nothing about baseball, I learned a bit about one thing or two and I liked it.

And what I loved even more was Heather, the female character who bravely taking the chance and managed to show to those all those male in the baseball team that she has something, that she's worth it. Though there were parts when I thought she should be this and that towards her father and Garrett, parts where I want to shake her hard, it was pretty understandable. I could imagine that I might be doing the same thing if I were in her shoes. Nevertheless, I really think that she's tough, smart and cool.

Garrett was pretty okay. I liked the way he interacted with kids in the foster care program, and the way he determined to win Heather's trust. Somehow he made me want to hug him for all the tough times he had all those years.

I loved the way Karen Rock wrote the story and the characters. The romance was sweet, well built with all the ups and downs. I learned about forgiveness (something that was easier said than done), about dealing with your and others' past, about fighting for your dreams and to prove others that you can do it. Definitely a sweet, light and heartwarming story because I felt that way by the time I finished reading it. 

Anyway, I wonder if there would be a story about Dean, Garrett's friend. :D

You can find A League of Her Own on

Goodreads.

You can buy A League of Her Own here:

Amazon (Kindle) * Barnes & Noble * Kobo * eHarlequin

About the Author:

Karen Rock is an award-winning YA and adult contemporary romance author. She holds a master’s degree in English and worked as an ELA instructor before becoming a full-time writer. Currently she writes for Harlequin Heartwarming and her first novel for the line, WISH ME TOMORROW, has won the 2014 Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence, the 2014 Golden Quill Contest and a finalist in the Published Maggie Awards. The first novel in her co-authored YA series, CAMP BOYFRIEND, has been a finalist in the Booksellers Best and Golden Leaf awards.

You can find and connect with Karen here:

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Goodreads * Tumblr * Quarterly Newsletter

There is a tour wide giveaway for the blog tour of A League of Her Own. These are the prizes you can win:

- a 100$ Amazon gift card (INT)

- a set of signed paperback of Wish Me Tomorrow, His Hometown Girl, Someone Like You and A League of Her Own (US only)

For a chance to win, enter the rafflecopter below:
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Rewind To You - Book Blast + Giveaway

Rewind to You 

One last summer before college on beautiful Tybee Island is supposed to help Sienna forget. But how can she? This is where her family spent every summer before everything changed, before the world as she knew it was ripped away. But the past isn’t easily left behind. Especially when Sienna keeps having episodes that take her back to the night she wants to forget. Even when she meets the mysterious Austin Dobbs, the guy with the intense blue eyes, athlete’s body, and weakness for pralines who scooped her out of trouble when she blacked out on River Street. When she’s with Austin, Sienna feels a whole new world opening up to her. Austin has secrets, and she has history. But caught between the past and the future, Sienna can still choose what happens now…

Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Kobo

Author Laura Johnston 

Laura Johnston lives in Utah with her husband and two children. Growing up with five siblings, a few horses, peach trees, beehives and gardens, she developed an active imagination and always loved a good story. She fell in love with the young adult genre both through her experience in high school as well as her job later as a high school teacher. Laura enjoys running, playing tennis, sewing, traveling, writing, and above all, spending time with her husband and kids. REWIND TO YOU is her debut novel.

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Excerpt 

I’m increasingly aware of Austin—his shower-fresh scent, every curve of muscle and the rise and fall of his chest with every breath—as he stands behind me and wraps his arms around mine. “I’ll teach you,” he says, his hot breath against my ear seeping in. Whispering a thrill. His hand cups the back of mine. I watch as he positions my pinkie and ring fingers over the threads and slides my thumb down. “Hold the football with your fingertips.” I glance at his face above my shoulder, his blue eyes, strong jaw and his lips. And suddenly, football is the last thing on my mind.

Blog Tour Schedule

Praise for the Book 

“Johnston’s debut spotlights romance and familial relationships, including themes like grief and self-sacrifice. It’s an ideal story for readers looking for a deep-rooted YA love story with the emotional ups and downs and poignancy of a Nicholas Sparks contemporary. There’s also a touch of wit and a sigh-worthy hero – a definite on your TBR list.” – RT Book Reviews   

“This is contemporary YA fiction at its best! –Kay Lynn Mangum, author of The Secret Journal of Brett Colton   

“Rewind to You will steal your hear away.” –Kelly Nelson, author of The Keeper’s Saga

BookBlast Giveaway 

$75 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Ends 10/5/14 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an iTunes Gift Code or River Street Sweets Gift Card. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. 

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THROWN FOR A CURVE by Sugar Jamison - Book Tour Excerpt

WHEN YOU’RE A big girl

Cherri has often wished she were thin and graceful like a ballerina instead of being a six-foot-tall blonde with curves that require serious caution. Surely a charming Irishman like her new boss Colin, with his throaty brogue and to-die-for bod, would never go for someone like Cherri. Unless maybe he’s looking for the exact opposite of a delicate lass?  

There’s more of you to love

When Colin hired Cherri to work in his furniture-restoration shop, he had his eyes, first and foremost, on her artistic talents. But now he can’t help but see Cherri for the lush, spirited beauty that she is…and, soon enough, he finds himself mixing business with pleasure. But Cherri turns out to be more vulnerable than she appears. Is she in need of more than Colin can give? Or could it be that a feeling stronger than lust has him thrown for a curve?

 EXCERPT

“Colin?” 

He looked up at the sound of a female voice calling his name. Cherri stood in the doorway of his shop, bundled up in a hat, her homemade scarf, and a puffy coat. His heart malfunctioned at the sight of her, performing some kind of stupid squeezing thumping thing. 

Something was wrong. She had never stepped foot in his territory before. 

“Cherri?” 

He took two steps toward her before stopping. She held some sort of wooden box in her hands. It was in pieces, and judging by the look on her face she wasn’t too far from fall- ing to pieces herself. 

Don’t cry. Don’t cry. Don’t cry, his mind chanted. He wasn’t sure he could take it today. 

She looked unsure for a moment, taking a step backward. “Are you busy? I—I don’t want to bother you if you are.” 

“Come here, love.” He stayed frozen as he watched her come toward him. Even in a too-puffy coat that hid far too much of her body, she was lovely to look at as she crossed his shop. 

“I can’t pay you much,” she said, handing the pieces of the broken box to him. “But do you think you might be able to make it play again?” 

She looked so innocent, so heartbroken, as if somebody had stomped on her favorite toy. “You don’t have to pay me anything, you daft girl.” With his head he motioned toward the stool he kept at his workbench. “Sit. I’ll take a look at it.” 

“Thank you.” She smiled, flashing him those pretty dimples of hers. “Baba was so upset that she dropped it. I want to make it whole for her.” 

He had yet to examine the box or to focus on her words. He was too busy watching her strip out of her winter gear. Under it she wore a pink cardigan with a white tank top that was just low-cut enough that he could make out the tops of her buttermilk-colored breasts. A voice, probably his conscience, ordered his eyes upward. 

She’s not what you need right now. 

His gaze traveled to her head and the ugly wool hat she wore on it. It was the last to go, and he stared as her rowdy mane of golden hair tumbled to her shoulders. She really had no idea how beautiful she was. No clue. He had heard her say that she was built like a lumberjack but all he saw was a tall curvy goddess. Even with her cheeks red from the cold and her eyes glossy from the wind she was lovely. It 

made him forget that she was the last person he should be attracted to. 

“What?” Her emerald-colored eyes widened and her cheeks darkened with embarrassment. “If you tell me I have snot on my face I’ll die.” 

“No.” He chuckled. “I was wondering if you walked here. You look a bit like a Cherri Popsicle.” 

That I would like to lick. 

He mentally castigated himself for that one. He lost all common sense around her. 

“I did walk here. But I walk everywhere and it’s not be- cause I own the world’s shittiest car. Walking helps me keep my big bottom from spreading into a huge one.” 

But I like fat-bottomed girls. 

Colin kept his mouth shut to make sure his inappropriate response didn’t come out. An image of her very curvy be- hind shot into his mind and . . . Knock it off! 

He shook his head and finally looked at the box. “So you’ve brought me a music box.” He studied it for a few moments. It was factory- made, mostly cheap wood. There was nothing spectacular about it except for the intricate pink roses painted on the lid. That alone made the box worth saving. 

“Beautiful.” He glanced up at Cherri. “You wouldn’t happen to know who painted this? This is some of the best detail work I’ve ever seen.” 

She beamed at him, dimples flashing, skin glowing. He gulped. “I painted it.” 

“I don’t believe you.” 

Her eyes lit. “Dorky art major. Remember? My painting skills make up for my lack of beauty and grace.” 

“You’re very beautiful, Cherri,” he said without thinking. “I don’t think you realize how exquisite you are.” 

“Exquisite?” She laughed that deep throaty laugh of hers, and heat unfurled in his gut. “You must get a lot of ass.” 

“What?” Her statement knocked him off guard. 

“Ass? Tail? Panties dropping? Any of those ring a bell? I’m saying that you must have a lot of women trying to have sex with you. Probably some men, too.” 

The blood rushed out of his brain as soon as the word sex formed on her lips. 

Shit. 

She was just twenty-two years old. And in the two years he had known her, he had never seen her date. He had never seen her with a guy. She was mature for her age but she had this innocence around her. And yet something about hearing those words come from her mouth made his remaining brain cells malfunction. She was the only woman he had a hard time keeping his cool around. He was more than just attracted to her and he wasn’t sure why. 

“For fuck’s sake, Cherri, where the hell did that question come from?” 

She waved a dismissing hand at him. “Oh, don’t tell me you don’t know. The brogue, the pretty words, not to mention the way you look, all make you deity-like with your sex appeal. You probably don’t have to work hard to get women to drop their drawers.” 

No, he never did. Using his hands and getting women to fall into bed were the only things he excelled at. He was like his pop that way. It took running into an ex whose name he couldn’t remember to show him that. So many women. So many empty I love yous. It never took away that empty feeling in his chest. He promised himself he wouldn’t say those words again unless he meant it. 

“But you don’t have to use any of that charm on me. I won’t fall for it. Well . . . Not too hard,” he heard her say when he tuned back into the conversation.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sugar Jamison is a southern belle trapped in a New Yorker's body. With a love of big hair and high heeled shoes, she spends her day at her very normal day job and night dreaming up sweet but sassy romances.

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