Review: Love and Other Games
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 10 3, 2013
LOVE AND OTHER GAMES is a collection of four sexy new adult stories centered around athletes competing in the Winter Games by Ana Blaze, Melinda Dozier, Aria Kane, and Kara Leigh Miller.Worth More Than Goldby Ana BlazeAmy Pierce, the klutzy sister and manager of America's Skating Sweetheart, is used to being invisible. But when a friend drags her to a party near the Olympic Village, Amy catches the eye of a sexy Norwegian ski jumper. It's a magical night, but an awkward next morning has her running. Everyone knows Erik Andresen's best shot at an individual medal was back in 2010, before an injury pulled him from the competition. He's there for his team, but a hot night and a remarkable final training session have him wondering if a gorgeous good-luck charm could give him another chance at the podium. With a little bit of luck, these two might have a shot at something worth more than gold.One hot night and getting carried away with a hot athlete, who can resist that! The fact that they went back and slowed it down is where the romance came in.Amy's relationship growing and maturing with her sister was a nice addition to the story giving it an emotional depth.I love Ana's writing style and will always look for more of her work.Trouble With Goldby Melinda DozierUS snowboarder and notorious prankster, Ty (Trouble) Madsen is only getting a taste of his own medicine when his Olympic teammates shackle him to a fence wearing nothing but his boxers. Reception and protocol volunteer, Nadia Hoffman, gets up close and personal with the sexy snowboarder to rescue him, but she's not the kind of girl who lets her hormones get in her way. A professional performance could help her land her dream job at Olympics Committee Headquarters, but her new assignment supervising the rambunctious US Snowboarding Team is making that difficult. Can she see behind the snowman in the community center bathroom and into the warm heart of the man everyone calls Trouble?I loved this. The goofy teammates and the prank that set him up to meet Nadia was the best. Melinda did a fantastic job setting the scene.The screaming fans, fists pumps, all had to a realistic Olympic hero for the story. Nadia was the perfect heroin, a good girl, being tempted by being bad.Hot and steamy scenes kept the pages turning very quickly. This was my favorite out of the stories in the book.The Girl Behind the Goldby Aria KaneGreek aerial skier Lia Milonas's parents are about to lose the family farm. Saving it means medaling and landing a huge sponsor. While her no-nonsense attitude has her well on her way to a medal, it hasn't won her a place in fans' hearts. "Come back with a story that will make readers cry, or don't come back." This is what Brandon James' boss told him before he left New York to cover the Winter Games for Moment Magazine. With a wink and a smile, he can charm his way into any invite-only party, but that career-making story is nowhere to be found - until he meets Lia. The two strike a deal that should get them both what they want - but neither would have guessed they'd also find what they both needed.The story was about the girl athlete and was standout. It was a bit of an ugly ducking story, even though Lia was far from ugly. Trying to save her family, she was strong and fearless. She made excellent heroine.Brandan was a no nonsense journalist, driven kind of guy until her met Lia. I loved how he was got by surprise by his need to want to know her and just not for the story.It was heartwarming triumphant story of family and love.The romance was steamy and a true love story.Ice Goldby Kara Leigh MillerColton Campbell thrives on the fast paced, adrenaline rushed lifestyle of being an Olympic hockey player. Despite Brenna Jessup's abhorrence for the games and the athletes, she's handpicked as the official photographer for the U.S. Olympic Hockey Team. When a faux pas by Brenna almost costs Colton his career, she owes him. Too bad for her, Colton doesn't want apologies -- he wants retribution! And he knows just how to get it -- and her -- in the process.This one was the wittiest of the book. The banter between the hero and the heroin were priceless. The story is short, but we still got to know the Brenna and Cole enough to really root for them.Brenna is a no-nonsense career woman. Just trying to do her job. She is a silly hopeless romantic, wanting that perfect man to come and sweep her off her feet. She is intelligent enough that she knows he might not exist. Until she meets a man that make her not thinkCole is an arrogant, self-important, celebrity type. His entitlement attitude is incredible. I had my doubts about him at the beginning but he turned it around pretty quickly.The heat they share is apparent right from the first scene and only turns up the flame as the pages fly by. I easily read this one in one sitting.The book as a whole is a great collection of short stories that have a running theme through them. Some of them really intertwine very well together as if they were running at the same time. I really liked that.The fact that they all had the same backdrop helped a lot with the scenery. I would have liked all the stories to be longer and tell more about the characters. However that did not sway my opinion on the book as a whole. I loved the whole concept.