Review: Love at the Olympic Games
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 01 21, 2014
I received a complimentary copy of this book as a part of a book tour in exchange for a fair and honest review. I rated it 4.5 out of 5 Stars.A collection of four short stories taking place during a fictional Winter Olympics, Love and Other Games by Ana Blaze, Aria Kane, Kara Leigh Miller and Melinda Dozier is light hearted, full of spicy romance and a fun read. The authors remind us that even though the athletes are serious about participating in their sport, and their pursuit of a gold medal, they are also there to have a good time. And what could be more fun than falling in love during what is guaranteed to be a once in a lifetime experience. I’ll be doing mini reviews of each novella below.Trouble with Gold by Melinda DozierA cute story featuring Ty “Trouble” Madsen, a member of the US Snowboarding team, and how he meets Nadia Hoffman, a reception and protocol volunteer, while he’s handcuffed, and only wearing boxers, to a fence in the Olympic village. Bringing together a guy who’s as serious about having fun as he is competing and a woman who’s forgotten how to have fun in her pursuit of landing her dream job with the Olympic committee, Ms. Dozier reminds us why opposites attract. Ms. Dozier does a good job developing the romance between both characters and while the ending is not a HEA – it is a Happy for Now with the possibility of more.Ice Gold by Kara Leigh MillerA spicy romance between two Americans at the games, Ice Gold features Colton Campbell, the star of the US Men’s Hockey Team, and Brenna Jessup, the official photographer for the team. Bringing together an athlete who’s not used to hearing the word no with a woman who avoids athletes on principles, Ms. Miller reminds us that athletes are real people too and that the “image” the press gives us is just a part of the picture. The romance that develops between Colt and Brenna is smoking hot and the end of their story was just right.The Girl Behind the Gold by Aria KaneA heartwarming love story between a Greek aerial skier and an American reporter, The Girl Behind the Gold is perhaps my favorite story in this anthology. Ms. Kane does a wonderful job using “mistaken identity” to bring her characters together. Once again the “lucky torch” makes an appearance, and gives aerial skier “Lia” Minolas the push she needs to be open, friendly and honest with Brandon James, a reporter she has mistaken for a sponsor. While Brandon falls in love with the woman behind the skies, he scrambles to help the athlete get the attention she needs in order to help her get sponsors and save her family’s farm. I was really sorry to see the story end and hope we get to see these characters again so that I can get the rest of their story. While we don’t get an HEA, we do get a Happy for Now with the promise of more.Worth More Than Gold by Ana BlazeA more comedic story than the rest, Worth More than Gold gives us the instant romance between Amy Pierce, the sister of one of the US Olympic ice skaters, and Erik Andresen, a Norwegian Ski Jumper. Used to being the responsible sister, Amy attends a party away from the athlete’s village and meets Erik. Instantly attracted to each other, they hook up and then continue to hookup even as they try to figure out if a relationship between them could work. With language issues, and “good luck charm” issues come and go between them, it was clear to me that they were fated to meet and fall in love. I was sad to see their story end and hope we get to see them again, especially since it seemed they were definitely headed to the HEA that Amy deserved.Overall I really enjoyed reading this anthology and look forward to reading more of these four author’s work.