A Men of Sports Story
Love can hit you hard before you even see it coming….
When rugby player Liam transfers to Melbourne, he’s blindsided by his attraction to the hottest lifeguard on the beach. Luckily Matty knows mouth-to-mouth….
Liam’s left his friends and family—everything comforting and familiar—back in Canberra. He knows it all comes with the job, adjusting to a new city and a new team, but he’s lonely. Maybe it’s time to find something outside his career to fulfill him.
Working as a lifeguard and being by the ocean is Matty’s dream come true. The big, blond, blue-eyed hottie new to his beach catches his attention right away. When he runs into Liam again at the pub, he takes the shy league player under his wing and into his group of mates, and they become fast friends.
But when they go from friends to lovers, the emotions that come with their deepening romance catch them both off guard. Can two men without any experience at relationships navigate their way to steady ground?
Second Edition
First Edition published by Totally Bound Publishing, December 2013.
Cover Artist: Kanaxa
Series Men of Sports
Cat gives this one 4 Meows with a 3 Purr heat index...
Blindsided though a book four stands alone just fine. I haven't read any of the others and followed this just fine.
Liam is a rugby player and has been transferred to a new team. They already have a good player in his positions and he really doesn't know why he has been transferred. He spends time at the beach though at first, he doesn't go in. There is a reason that we find out later. Liam is gay... he isn't closet but not really out to his team.
Matty is a lifeguard and has been watching the handsome man every day. He wonders why he is always alone. he finally speaks to him and they slowly become friends.
I liked both Liam and Matty. I also liked the slow burn. It was such a natural thing and made the story so realistic. This is a sports romance and has quite a bit of rugby terms and plays. I don't know anything about the sport and will admit I skipped through there some.
If you like sports romance, Australian settings, friends to lovers, slow burn and some hot man-love.
Excerpt...
HE WAS back again.
From his vantage point on his guard tower, Matty spared a glance from his constant scanning of the bathers in the ocean to confirm that the man he’d dubbed “the lone hottie” was alone again today.
Hottie had been down to Matty’s beach nearly every day this week. He was pure eye candy, but more than his stacked physique, what kept Matty watching him was the fact a man that good-looking never had anyone with him, even on the weekend. He didn’t seem inclined to meet anyone, either.
Matty loved working here, at what he considered the best of Melbourne’s beaches. It was a very social beach, busy with locals and tourists alike. Families with blankets, coolers, and in some cases pop-up tents, played with children in the sand and dipped into the water. Couples walked hand in hand at the water’s edge. And groups of friends played games and horsed around in the waves. Anyone would have been welcomed into the ever-changing flow of impromptu gatherings and volleyball games, or just to plain hang out.
But Hottie kept himself unapproachable, and so far no one had penetrated the wall of reserve he’d built around himself. It made Matty wonder what kept him coming back down.
At that thought, he smiled wryly to himself. He’d never met or spoken to the man, but he instinctively knew from his orientation toward the water and regular presence that the ocean drew him in, that he took some sort of solace from the constancy of the sea meeting sand, water meeting sky.
Matty knew, because he felt the same damn way.
As soon as Hottie had settled himself on a towel, Matty resumed his watch of the public. His gaze drifted back across Hottie once or twice, but he was well-trained and vigilant enough that even such a tempting view wasn’t enough to truly distract him from his job.
From the time he’d been a small child, all he’d wanted to do was become a professional lifeguard. They had been larger-than-life heroes when he’d come down to this very beach, among others, when he was a kid. He’d joined a swim club and ended up competing in high school and college. As a teen he’d given swimming lessons and done stints as a lifeguard at a pool. He’d even been serious enough about it to get his degree in Sports Science while also becoming an EMT. Everything he’d done had been toward that end, and he’d never regretted it. He loved the water and the atmosphere at the beach, and working outdoors for a living was as close to perfect as you could get. But most of all, he loved helping people.
Which was why he couldn’t stop wondering what Hottie’s story was. He’d never been rude enough to use his binocs to see his expression, but his solitary form seemed to have a sad posture to it. And honestly, a guy that fit and attractive never having anyone with him was just strange. Unless… maybe he’d had to leave someone he loved behind, or they’d moved to a different country? Maybe he’d been on the receiving end of a breakup or, God forbid, experienced the death of someone close to him?
Quit being so dramatic. You’re such a queen.
T.A. Chase... lives in the Midwest with her neurotic but still wonderful senior cat. She believes there is beauty in every kind of love, so why not live a life without boundaries? Experiencing everything the world offers fascinates T.A., and writing about the things that make each of us unique is how she shares those insights. When not writing, she’s watching movies and reading. She’s also a part of a line-dancing group that takes over a bar on Tuesday nights and entertains at assisted living homes. It’s all about living life to the fullest.
She loves hearing from fans. But don’t be too upset if she doesn’t get back to you right away. Life has a way of making her lose track of days and hours. Don’t worry, though. You will hear back at some point.
Devon Rhodes... I have always had my nose in a book and my head in the clouds! Now I'm finally doing what I love as a career. When I'm not lost in my imagination, you can find me in beautiful Oregon. After a draining career in hotel and healthcare management, I've been at home raising my girls for over twelve years. And during that time, I've rediscovered--quite accidentally--the art of romance, specifically erotic romance. One day my muse whispered an idea in my ear, and I sat down at the laptop to try to do it justice. As they say, the rest is history!
love the excerpt
ReplyDeleteThanks for the good review, Cat. I like football stories, and I'll just have to overlook the fact that this ball and field is a little different. - Purple Reader,
ReplyDeleteTheWrote [at] aol [dot] com
The cover looks great. Thank you for the review. it sounds like a fun read and listen.
ReplyDelete