On Second Thought - - The Bakers of Baseball

The Bakers of Baseball

By Stephanie Doyle

Prequel Novellas: Playing the Game and Making the Play (February 1, 2016)

Book 1: The Comeback of Roy Walker (March 3, 2015)

Book 2: Scout’s Honor (October 1, 2015)

Book 3: Betting on the Rookie (June 1, 2016)

Publisher: Harlequin Superromance

I’ve been a Harlequin Superromance reader for more than thirty years. I don’t remember the first Superromance I read, but my first HSR keeper was The Hellion by Lavyrle Spencer with a pub date of August 1, 1984. It fell to pieces from rereads a few years ago, and I replaced it with a digital copy. I still have a spot in my heart for Tommy Lee Gentry, the “hell raiser of Russellville, Alabama” and a reunion romance that took place after twenty-four years. It doesn’t fit the category romance stereotype, does it? Few Superromances do. That’s why I’ve been reading them all these years and discovering some of my favorite contemporary authors such as Emilie Richards, Judith Arnold, Janice Kay Johnson, Brenda Novak, Jean Brashear, Molly O’Keefe, Sarah Mayberry, Karina Bliss, and many others. Most of you will recognize the names I have mentioned, but you may not recognize another favorite, Stephanie Doyle, unless you are a faithful HSR reader. She is one of those writers who deserve a larger audience. I’ve been enjoying her books for several years, but I particularly love the Bakers of Baseball series. It is a perfect reread for this time of year when baseball is in the news and on the minds of sports fans.

The series opens with a couple of prequel novellas. In “Playing the Game” sports journalist Pete Wright is irate when the Minotaur Falls Triple-A baseball team in rural New York is bought by Jocelyn Taft, a billionaire businesswoman who, in the words of the team’s manager, Duff Baker, “doesn’t know squat about the game.” But as he begins to teach her about the game he loves, he finds something more important than baseball. He just has to convince Jo that she can have a life in Minotaur Falls with him. This novella also introduces Duff Baker, a Hall of Fame shortstop and legendary manager of World Series-winning teams, who in his retirement is managing this minor league team, and his three daughters. The story thread involving Lane Baker and Roy Walker sets up the first novel in the series. The second novella, “Making the Play” uses the occasion of Pete efforts to move Jo toward a wedding to tell part one of the love story of Scout Baker and Jayson LeBec, a former baseball player currently training as a scout. Their story continues in the second novel.

The Comeback of Roy Walker begins five years later. Roy, who was then retiring from baseball a wealthy man with an enviable reputation as a talented pitcher, is broke after sinking his fortune in a video company that failed.  At thirty-seven, an old man in baseball, he is attempting a comeback for financial reasons. Knowing that the odds of succeeding are slim, he needs the help of a physical therapist to get into shape for his comeback. Lane, the middle Baker sister, was much in demand as a sports therapist when Roy met her, but when Roy engineered a public disclosure of her husband’s infidelity, Lane divorced her husband, cut her professional ties with sports, and declared her hatred of Roy Walker.

The call from her sister Scout saying Lane is needed at home because of concerns about their father’s health comes just after Lane, burdened with guilt after the suicide of one of her patients at the veterans’ rehab facility where she has worked for the last five years, has quit her job. The sisters agree that Lane will accept an invitation from her father to work with a pitcher who needs to gradually work up to full speed. No one tells Lane that the pitcher is her former friend Roy Walker. Lane is furious, but Roy hopes his second chance a baseball will also prove to be a second chance with Lane.

Scout’s Honor is the second novel. Elizabeth “Scout” Baker is the youngest of Duff Baker’s three daughters and the one closest to her father. When her parents divorced, she became her father’s champion and declared her mother a “traitor.” Four years ago, she fell in love with Jayson LeBec. For several months, their love was blissful, but when Jayson accepted a job as assistant manager to a Houston Double-A team, Scout refused to leave her father and Minotaur Falls. Now Duff is dead, and a grieving Scout, still reeling from the loss of the man who was the center of her world, is in danger of losing her job as a rare female scout and her place in the world of baseball, all she has ever known.

Jayson agrees to replace Duff as manager of the Minotaur Falls team only at Duff’s personal request. Jayson’s recovery from his breakup with Scout has been long and painful. He knows the risk being around her poses to his heart, but he can’t refuse his mentor. He finds being Scout’s friend, protecting her from others and from herself, while challenging her to move on with her life, even more difficult than he expected. Just when it looks as if the romance has been rekindled, Scout and Jayson are faced with the choices they confronted before. Will he go? Will she stay? Or can they find a compromise that allows them to turn a second chance into a happily ever after?

The series concludes with Betting on the Rookie. This is the story of Samantha, the oldest Baker sister, the one with a big surprise in her history. It picks up two years after Duff’s death. Sam, lawyer and hotshot sports agents to super stars, has retreated to Minotaur Falls after her career fell apart when she believed a client’s lies and publicly supported a man caught on video physically abusing his fiancée. No one believes that Sam wasn’t part of the coverup. She lost all her clients except the liar, and she ended that relationship. But Sam is determined to restart her career, and her sister Scout suggests a rising baseball star as just the guy to provide the reboot.

Scout discovered Evan Tanner, a twenty-seven-year-old former college football player who taught himself baseball in order to coach a high school team. Scout’s belief in Evan cost her a job with the New England Rebels, but Evan is proving Scout was right. He has just been traded to the Rebels and is going to play for their minor league team, the Minotaurs, but the buzz is that before the season is over he will be playing on the major league team.

Evan was attracted to Sam when they met two years ago, but he has bought into the common belief and has no interest in being represented by someone defended a guy who abused women. But Evan’s own instincts and a little pressure from Scout have him reconsidering. As their professional relationship begins, the sparks between them gain power. But when the cautious Samantha starts to trust that Evan is the good guy he appears to be, his college girlfriend shows up claiming that Evan is the father of her seven-year-old son and that she needs a cut of Evan’s major league salary to pay for young Connor’s medical bills. Sam has been burned twice—once personally and once professionally. Can she take the risk, trust Evan, and put her heart on the line, or will the Ice Princess win the day?

I admit that the last novel is my favorite because Evan is a wonderful beta hero, the kind that most easily steals my heart, but I love the full series. Doyle gives readers a sweeping look at the world of baseball, not through the view of a young star player or a former star dealing with a career-ending injury, the typical perspectives in sports romances but through nine perspectives from all areas of the sport. And none is typical. For example, the owner is a woman, the rising star is almost thirty, and the injured player finds a satisfying new career in management. She also showcases the connection between a minor league team and the town that loves and supports “their team.” More important to the romance reader, Doyle offers four variations of the second-chance-at-love trope and makes each of them a compelling and rewarding read. Finally, she makes the love between siblings and between parent and child a vivid, vital part of these stories.

If you are a baseball fan, a fan of sports romances generally, or a fan of contemporary romance series that combine sizzle and sentiment with a rare skill, I highly recommend you try Stephanie Doyle’s the Bakers of Baseball. I ended my third reading of the series more in love with this world and its characters than I was the first time I read the books.

Review - - Falling for the Brother

Falling for the Brother

By Tara Taylor Quinn

Publisher: Harlequin Superromance

Release Date: March 1, 2018

Reviewed by Janga

 

Harper Davidson, newly promoted to head of security at The Lemonade Stand, a California women’s shelter, is certain that the Miriam Thomas, the most recent high security risk admission to the shelter, just happens to share a name with the grandmother of her ex-husband. She is shocked when further details reveal that the woman admitted at 2:00 a. m. with a broken arm and multiple contusions on her chin is indeed her daughter’s cherished great-grandmother. Harper is even more shocked to learn that Miriam was brought to The Lemonade Stand by Mason, her oldest grandson and a special crime scene investigator based in Los Angeles, and that he believes his younger brother, Bruce, an undercover officer with the Albina, California Police Department, is the abuser.  Even though she divorced Bruce after a year of marriage because of his repeated infidelities, she can’t believe he would harm the grandmother he adores, but neither can she imagine Mason making such a charge lightly.

Mason has stayed away from Harper since the night she found comfort in his arms after breaking up with Bruce, her fiancé at the time, over his infidelity. However, he has never forgotten her, and he is haunted by the question of whether four-year-old Brianna is his niece or his daughter. He is determined to identify his grandmother’s abuser and to protect her, but he is also determined to protect Bruce and his career during the process. He needs Harper’s help, and he will have to control his attraction to her and put their personal issues on hold.

Miriam insists that her injuries were sustained in a fall. Her life-long best friend from whom she is recently estranged is certain that Bruce is the abuser. Mason begins to wonder if his brother is innocent and questions if a mysterious neighbor could be the abuser. Harper is torn between her disbelief that her ex, the father that her daughter adores, could abuse his grandmother and the mounting evidence that she never really knew the man she married. As Mason and Harper try to find the answers, the past casts a long shadow over their relationship. They can’t forget. Can they move beyond guilt and sorrow to claim a future together?

Falling for the Brother is the fourteenth installment in Tara Taylor Quinn’s Where Secrets Are Safe series. Like the other stories in the series, this one balances suspense, generally tied to the abuse theme, with romance. The mystery works well in this one since the reader shares Harper’s uncertainties. However, I would like to have seen an expanded conclusion. The end comes very abruptly, and it is more tell than show. I found the romance less successful, but I don’t like love triangles that involve siblings. A reader who finds such tangled relationships more appealing will likely enjoy the romance more than I did. The most interesting part of the story for me was the mix of good and bad in the villain and the theme of family love that forgives and endures.

Harlequin is phasing out the Superromance line within the next few months, but Quinn has one more book in this long-running series before the imprint becomes history. A Defender’s Heart will be released June 5. Later in the summer Quinn will introduce a new series under the Harlequin Special Edition imprint.

Review - - Breakup in a Small Town

Breakup in a Small Town

By Kristina Knight

Publisher: Harlequin/Superromance

Release Date: September 1, 2017

Reviewed by Janga

         

When an F4 tornado devastated Slippery Rock, Missouri, Adam Buchanan suffered injuries that changed every part of his life. His doctors are delaying surgery on the injuries that confine him to his wheel chair until they discover the right combination of medicines to control the epileptic seizures that are a result of the brain injury. Angry and depressed, he refuses physical therapy and the use of a service dog. He is mired in self-pity, convinced that he has become useless as a husband and father.

Jenny Buchanan has also been changed by her husband’s injuries. Married at eighteen, she has been content to let Adam be the decision maker in their domestic life and in the business, Buchanan Cabinetry, which she and Adam bought from his parents. After Adam’s injury, she was forced to make decisions at home and to fight to keep her well-meaning but conservative in-laws from sabotaging the vision she and Adam had for the business. She is also concerned about her two young sons who are anxious and fearful after the tornado and the changes in their father. Stretched thin from all these demands and with Adam rejecting her every effort to help him return to the man he was, Jenny wonders if even love is enough to save her marriage. She asks Adam to leave.

Adam goes only as far as the borrowed RV he has parked on the couple’s property, but it is far enough to make him aware of all that he could lose. Is it too late for him and Jenny to rediscover the connection they believed was forever?

This is the third novel in Kristina Knight’s Slippery Rock series, following Famous in a Small Town and Rebel in a Small Town. Readers of the earlier books will be familiar with the Buchanans, although it is not necessary to have read the other two books to enjoy Adam and Jenny’s story. Knight does an excellent job with this marriage-in-trouble tale. Adam and Jenny are both flawed but sympathetic characters. Adam’s injuries are not the cause of their problems; they serve rather as the pressure point that exposes the cracks in what appeared to be a happy marriage. Despite his responsibilities as a business owner, husband to Jenny, and father to Frankie and Garrett, Adam has remained in many ways the boy he was. His car, an inappropriate choice as a family vehicle, and his reluctance to lose it are symbolic of his immaturity. Jenny is generally more likable than her husband, but she also bears some responsibility for the weaknesses in the marriage. Conditioned by her relationship with her parents to allow someone else to run the show, she has never asserted herself.

Knight has a gift for creating a believable community and characters who are interesting and relatable. Breakup in a Small Town is the most complex story in a solid series. I recommend it—particularly for readers who like books that explore what happens when the HEA proves to be more real life and less fairy tale. Adam’s brother Aiden is another interesting character, one who makes me hope to see at least one more book in this series.

Review - - Molly's Mr. Wrong

Molly’s Mr. Wrong

By Jeannie Watt

Publisher: Harlequin (Superromance)

Release Date: January 1, 2017

 

Molly Adamson remembers her time in Eagle Valley, Montana, as one of the few stable and happy periods of her growing-up years which were characterized by the frequents moves of her family. When a romantic relationship sours, she accepts a position as English professor at Eagle Valley Community College. Looking for a new start, she, along with her younger sister, Georgina, moves to the town she remembers fondly.

Finn Culver has also returned to Eagle Valley after a long stint of military service, but he finds that the changes that have taken place in him during his time away from his hometown make him ill fitted to spend the rest of his life managing the family feed store. When he considers what he wants to do instead, he remembers how much he enjoyed teaching recruits and decides that he would like to become an industrial arts teacher at the high school level. He knows that he will need a college degree, and taking core courses at the local community college seems a logical start. He enrolls for two courses, math and English.

Molly and Finn have a history. Their mothers conspired to have Finn, a popular athlete, escort nerdy Molly to the homecoming dance. It was a miserable experience, especially for Molly, who had a crush on Finn. She is humiliatingly aware of her “mercy date” status and of Finn’s rush to get her home as early as possible. A first meeting of the adult Molly and Finn awakens her memories of that painful experience and makes her determined to avoid Finn in the future.

To everyone’s surprise except the reader’s, Molly and Finn next meet in Molly’s composition class where Finn is a student. Finn finds his first writing assignment a real challenge, but even so, he is not prepared for the low grade he receives or for all the red ink with which Molly decorates his paper. Convinced that Molly’s harshness is in retaliation for an old offense, he is even less prepared for her suggestion that he may be dyslexic and spurns her offer to help him. When he reconsiders and accepts her help, the two develop feelings for one another that are more than the friendship Molly claims she wants. But As Molly’s student, Finn is off limits as a romantic interest, and a disgruntled student from an influential family will use all the ammunition he can find to create difficulties for Molly. Can they overcome these obstacles?

My reactions to this book were mixed. I liked the community college setting, and Molly and Finn are likable, sympathetic characters. Molly’s past and her recent bad breakup make her especially vulnerable, and Finn’s struggle with a learning disability that threatens his image of himself exposes his vulnerability as well. The secondary characters, particularly Finn’s grandfather and Molly’s sister, add interest to the story. Best of all, Watt is skillful at revealing the extraordinariness of ordinary people, something I really enjoy.

But I have problems with the relationship between Molly and Finn developing as it does while Finn is still her student. They are consenting adults, and I know the heart is no organ of reason. However, the taboo against student-teacher romances exists for a reason. In addition to the ethical objection, there is the practical concern that Molly is risking her career. I would have liked the book much better had Finn withdrawn from his English class before they became sexually intimate. This struck a nerve with me as a veteran of decades teaching classes similar to the one in which Molly teaches Finn, albeit not in a community college. As much as I liked parts of this story, in the final analysis, I could not move beyond these concerns and give the book a high recommendation. Jeannie Watt is a fine writer whose books I have enjoyed, and I am a big Superromance fan.  I look forward to other Superromances, including Watt’s novels.

 ~Janga

Janga's Harlequin Reviews

Tempting Donovan Ford

By Jennifer McKenzie

Publisher: Harlequin (Superromance)

Release Date: January 6, 2015

Her mother’s illness was the reason Julia Laurent left Paris to return to Vancouver and fill in for her mother as chef at La Petite Bouchée. With her mother’s death, owning the restaurant where her mother worked for thirty years, the last ten as executive chef, and returning it to its glory days as one of the city’s finest dining facilities becomes a way for Julia to connect with her mother. When the owner sells the restaurant to the Donovan Group, Julia insists on shares as part of her price for remaining.  Donovan Ford is determined that no one outside the Ford family will ever own shares in the business, but he assures Julia that he has no intention of hanging on to La Petite Bouchée and promises her first chance at buying when the Fords sell. 

Donovan is the oldest of the three Ford siblings, and the mantle of authority and responsibility fell on his shoulders when his father had a heart attack that forced him to take a less active role in the family business. A youthful failure decimated Donovan’s trust fund and left him determined to keep control of the family business in Ford hands. He opposed the purchase of La Petite Bouchée because he thinks the family should stick to the wine bars that have made them successful. He is determined to sell the restaurant because he thinks doing so is in the company’s interest and because it will free funds to develop his own dream of expanding into the gastropub market and making a name for himself beyond being his father’s son.

As Julia and Donovan clash and collaborate over the renovations to the restaurant, she finds it more and more difficult to resist the attraction that exists between them from their first meeting. All her determination not to allow her personal and professional lives to become entangled is not enough to maintain her resistance to Donovan’s appeal. She and Donovan prove to be a perfect match as colleagues re-launching a restaurant and as lovers, but just as Julia opens her heart to Donovan and his welcoming family, she discovers that he has been less than fully honest with her. Can anything of her dreams be preserved in light of what she views as betrayal?

McKenzie gives readers two strong, vulnerable characters in this first book in a new series. Even though Julia and Donovan, each in turn, allow fear to keep them from acting, they are likeable characters whose choices readers will understand even if they deplore them. The chemistry between the two is smoking, and detailed world building and a strong cast of secondary characters in Julia’s best friend and Donovan’s family add to the story’s appeal. I would like to have understood more clearly why Donovan was so strongly affected by that early failure. The reader gets hints that never fully explain why the experience is defining for him. Except for this lack, I found the story interesting and the characters engaging. I’m definitely hooked on the Ford family saga and look forward to the books focusing on Owen, the reformed playboy, and Mallory, whose long-term relationship has mysteriously ended.

 ~Janga

Sweet Talking Man

By Liz Talley

Publisher: Harlequin Superromance

Release Date: February 3, 2015

Leif Lively, the new head of the art department at St. George’s Episcopal School and “artist of slight renown,” has most of the women in Magnolia Bend eyeing more than his art. If his Nordic good looks were not sufficient to set him apart from the other inhabitants of the small Louisiana town, his proclivity for discarding clothing, his ukulele strumming, his tai chi moves, and his vegan diet certainly serve to distinguish him from the natives. But Leif has secrets no one suspects. His artist mother once lived in Magnolia Bend briefly, leaving under a cloud of suspicion, and the father Leif has never known still lives there. It is his desire to discover his father’s identity that sends Leif to the small town.

Abigail Beauchamp Orgeron, single mother of twelve-year-old Birdie/Brigitte, is an uptight, straitlaced preacher’s kid who needs to be in control whether she’s maintaining her bed-and breakfast, managing her newly rebellious daughter, or reigning in her own libidinous fantasies concerning a certain Nordic hunk. Ever since her husband left her five years ago to reinvent himself as a California musician with a musician girlfriend who is barely of legal age, Abigail has been holding things together with an iron grip, trusting that observing all the rules will somehow keep her life from falling to pieces.

Reason tells Leif that he should avoid Abigail, but instinct tells him that she needs the touch of fun and naughtiness he can bring into her life. Abigail’s obsession with parameters tells her that Leif never met a boundary he couldn’t cross, but he makes her remember that she’s a woman as well as a mother, a daughter, and a PTA president. When the attraction proves irresistible, the two begin what is supposed to be a friendship with temperature-raising benefits. Neither of them is prepared for the illusions they maintain and the hearts they protect to be shattered in the process.

I love a good opposites-attract story, and this one is a winner. Leif is a free spirit, and Abigail is an organizer who has a label and file for everything. Leif is a rolling stone with no place he calls home, and Abigail has roots generations deep in the soil of Magnolia Bend. Leif is a commitment-phobe with three broken engagements behind him, and Abigail married her hometown beau expecting their marriage to last forever. Leif couldn’t care less what other people think of him, and Abigail is ever conscious of how others perceive her. Two people could hardly be more different, and yet Leif frees Abigail to be the joyful, unfettered woman she was meant to be, and Abigail gives Leif a sense of belonging for which he has searched. If they can survive the storm created by their own lack of trust and another generated by Abigail’s selfish twit of a daughter, they may find happiness beyond anything they expected.

Sweet Talking Man is the second book in Liz Talley’s Home to Magnolia Bend series, following The Sweetest September, John Beauchamp and Shelby Mackey’s story. Talley’s gift for taking standard romance tropes and pushing against restrictions while remaining within the conventions of the romance genre is what first brought her to my attention, and she does it again with enviable skill in this novel. Abigail is like a lot of divorcees who never expected to find themselves forty, parenting alone, and still reeling from the reverse transformation that turned a prince into a frog who hopped to someone else’s lily pad—except  Abigail is not a type. She is an individual with her own history, her own flaws, and her own pain, and she easily wins the reader’s sympathy and affection.

Leif is anything but a typical hero. His blondness makes him rare enough, but an artist hero with hippie roots that survive in his clothing, his diet, and his habits is unique. And he has a sense of humor and comprehends the intimacy of laughter. I adored him and totally understood Abigail’s response to him.

“But even though Leif looked mighty fine in his worn blue jeans and waffle T-shirt that left little to the imagination, Abigail had to remind herself that he was the David Lee Roth of Magnolia Bend. ‘Just a Gigolo.’ ‘The Ice Cream Man.’ A ‘love ‘em’ and ‘leave ‘em’ sort, with his laid-back charm and sexy blue eyes. She had no business wanting to take a lick from Leif’s ice-cream cone.


She needed to remember who she was--a mother, a business owner, a crappy art student. A woman who should leave ice cream well enough alone.”


I also really like Abigail’s family. I cannot tell you how happy it makes me that her parents do not conform to the stereotype of minister and wife, and I loved catching glimpses of John and Shelby. I am looking forward to brother Jake’s friends-to-lovers tale which is next in the series. In fact, the only thing that kept this from being a five-star read for me was Birdie, a twelve-year-old brat with no redeeming features that I could see.  I should add that I have close, personal experience with the brattiness of young adolescents, but I have always found them endurable because their obnoxiousness is offset by flashes of sweetness that remind me a loveable kid still lives inside the body of the bewildering stranger. I never saw those flashes in Birdie.

Regardless of that reaction, I recommend Sweet Talking Man. I’m a big Superromance fan, and Talley is one of my favorites. If you have yet to try her, this book is a good place to begin. It can easily be read as a standalone, and it showcases the many strengths of Liz Talley.

~Janga

Today's Special - - Anna Sugden

I'm delighted to welcome one of our favorite Brits back to the blog today. They say that the third time is the charm and Anna Sugden's third career - that of published romance author - has certainly charmed this reader. Following careers in global marketing and teaching, Anna finally turned her focus to writing when her husband was transferred to New Jersey in 2002 and post 9/11 restrictions prevented her from obtaining a work permit. After three finals in the RWA Golden Heart® awards, Sugden sold her first book to Harlequin in 2012 and the New Jersey Ice Cats hockey heroes were born. The third book in the Ice Cats series, A Perfect Catch releases this week and continues to heat things up both on the ice and off! 

Thanks for joining us today, Anna! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

February is one of my least favourite months of the year. The days are still short, the nights are still long. It’s dark when you get up and dark before you even have dinner. And it’s usually the coldest, wettest, greyest month of the year.

One thing I do like about February is that it gives me the chance to enjoy some warming foods. Stews and soups and bakes, chili and Spaghetti Bolognese and risotto -- yum! There’s nothing quite like a steaming hot bowl of your favourite winter’s dish to cheer you up, even on the coldest, wettest, darkest night! And there are plenty of reasons not to include a single lettuce leaf <g>.

Also, by the time you get to February, you feel like you’ve earned the right to pamper yourself with some tasty treats. The healthy eating is well under way and the latest campaign to get moving more is paying dividends (stop laughing!), so it’s okay to have the occasional indulgence. Besides your body has now recovered from the excesses of the holidays and is looking forward to nice food (and no more lettuce leaves!)

Those of you who know me, know I’m not a huge fan of sweet treats. I’m much more likely to sneak crisps (potato chips) than I am cookies and popcorn (hot, buttered) than chocolate. One of my favourite indulgences is home-made cheese scones. More on them shortly!

This year, February is a fun month for me as I have another book launch! The third book in my New Jersey Ice Cats series -- A Perfect Catch -- is released this month. For those of you who have been following the series (a heartfelt thank you!), this is Ike and Tracy’s story. A chance to find out what went wrong between these former lovers and whether they have a chance for a future together.

Here is the blurb:

He's the perfect catch…for now! 

When it comes to romance, Tracy Hayden is not looking for a rematch. She's had epic passion—and problems!—with professional hockey player Ike Jelinek. Brilliant on skates and magic in bed, his too-traditional-for-her views were like a bucket of ice water on their affair. 

Then an injury takes Ike out of the game, and everything changes. Suddenly he needs her services-providing business—even though he once claimed it was their biggest problem. Tracy's determined to be professional, despite the sizzling attraction between them that won't go away. Maybe they need a second fling to fix that!

And a sneak peek:

Tracy had just reached Ike’s room when she heard him roar.

“I don’t need a freaking straw in my drink and I don’t want you to cut up my food.”

A young blonde volunteer in a striped uniform rushed past Tracy, her face flushed. “Perhaps you’ll have better luck with him.”

Tracy smiled sympathetically, then strode into the room. “Someone’s in a foul mood.”

“You’d be miserable, too, if you weren’t even al­lowed to use a freaking knife and fork,” he growled, crossing his arms awkwardly over his broad chest. The bandages that covered his arm from fingers to shoulder hampered his movement.

The flowery pastel-blue gown should have looked silly on such an obviously masculine body. Instead, it emphasized his honed chest and arms, making him look more manly, rather than less. But Ike didn’t need to know that.

Nor that he’d made her pulse skip. “Good job I’m here to give the staff a break from your charming personality.”

He narrowed his gaze. “Do not push me.”

“Seriously?” Tracy rolled her eyes. “That might work on a sweet young thing like that candy striper, but I’m immune.”

Ike’s green eyes turned fiery, challenging her to take him on.

She tamped down her body’s instant heated re­sponse. Besides, she shouldn’t tease a wounded man. Especially one whose pride probably hurt as much as his arm.

So what does this have to do with one of my favourite comfort foods -- cheese scones? Well, in the book, Tracy makes cheese scones. As a special treat to say thank you to all of you at The Romance Dish, and to make sure February gets off to a great start, I thought I’d share the recipe with you.

Tracy’s Cheese Scones (makes 1 doz)

Ingredients:

225g or 8oz of self-raising flour

55g/2oz butter

85g/3oz sharp cheddar cheese, grated

125ml/4 fl oz milk

1 egg

        Preheat oven to 220 C/425 F

         Mix together the flour and butter

         Mix in the grated cheese

         Add egg

         Add milk to get a soft dough

         Turn onto floured surface and knead lightly

         Roll out so that it’s approx 1/2in thick.

         Use a 5cm/2in cutter to cut out rounds. Try not to twist as you’re cutting.

         Knead remaining dough together, roll out and repeat for more rounds.

        Place rounds of a greased tray and brush the tops with milk.

        Bake for 12-15 mins until golden.

Delicious with bacon!

Over to you. What is your favourite comfort food to eat during February? One lucky commenter will win a copy of A Perfect Catch.

Review - - Winning Ruby Heart

Winning Ruby Heart

By Jennifer Lohmann

Publisher: Harlequin (Superromance)

Release Date: September 1, 2014

Ruby Heart was once one of America’s elite athletes, an Olympic gold medalist who put the United States on top in middle-distance race competition after years of being shut out of the medals. The darling of press and public alike, Ruby liked winning. Her parents, her coach, and her agent liked her winning too; they were all heavily invested in seeing that she continued to do so. Conditioned to doing what her coach told her to do, Ruby obeyed when her coach told her to inject someone else’s blood into her body as insurance for continued wins. When the blood doping scandal broke, Ruby’s coach went to jail, and Ruby’s career crashed in flames that burned hotter and brighter than the Olympic torch. She was forced to return her Olympic medal, she lost her lucrative endorsements, and she was banned for life from competing in any form of running represented at the Olympic Games. Hounded by the press and despised by the public, Ruby retreated to her parents’ home, a prisoner of her disgrace. But five years have passed since her public humiliation, and Ruby Heart is ready to run again.

At first, sportscaster Micah Blackwell can’t believe that the runner he spots at an ultramarathon he is covering for his network is really Ruby Heart. He hasn’t seen her since he humiliated her in an interview after the scandal and left her in no doubt about where an athlete who betrayed her gift, her sport, and the public trust fell in his estimation. A former star quarterback, Micah understands the competitive spirit and the desire to win. The late hit that ended his professional career and left him a paraplegic just redirected his ambition. Micah has his eye on an anchor chair, and a series focusing on the return of Ruby Heart could be just the plum that would win him that coveted place. Now all he has to do is persuade her to cooperate.

Ruby knows Micah Blackwell is out of his mind if he thinks she is going to give him a second chance to humiliate her. She may not be as immune to his charm as she would like, but she is not foolish enough to say yes to his request. However, when her mother unleashes Micah’s rival on her, Ruby decides Micah is the lesser of the evils. As Micah and Ruby spend time together, they become friends. When the possibility of a more intimate relationship develops, Ruby has to decide how much she trusts Micah, and Micah has to decide if what he feels for Ruby is worth the conflict of interest that could destroy the career that has been the focus of his life.

I gave Jennifer Lohmann’s The First Move high marks and enjoyed the other books in her Milek trilogy, so I was pleased when I received an advance copy of Winning Ruby Heart, particularly when I realized her heroine was an athlete. With the recent trend in romances featuring athletes, female athletes have been given surprisingly little attention. For these reasons, I was predisposed to like this book, and I was not disappointed in the major characters. Because much of Micah’s struggle occurs before the story opens, Ruby experiences the greater growth. It is refreshing to see her acknowledge her responsibility in what happened to her and refuse to play the blame game. The scene where she stands up to her controlling parents is a real cheer-out-loud moment.

Despite their initial conflict, Ruby and Micah have a great deal in common. They both know what it is like to have no choice but to give up the sport to which they have devoted themselves, and they both know what it is like to be defined wholly by a piece of who they are. Micah knows this experience from two perspectives—first as a star athlete and later as a disabled man. Neither had an idyllic childhood, and they both have definite flaws. They are real and they are sympathetic, despite their weaknesses. And Lohmann brings her readers into the lives of these two people with a rare richness of detail and emotional complexity.

Two things kept the book from being a five-star read for me. First, except for Micah’s father, Ruby’s Dalmatian Dotty (a heart-stealer for animal lovers), and, to a lesser degree, Ruby’s brother, all of the secondary characters lacked dimension. This was a particular problem with the villain because the impression of him as little more than a cardboard evil man increased through the high point of the action that felt more contrived than organic. Second, and this is a quality I often bemoan in categories, the ending felt too rushed to be fully credible or wholly satisfying. I badly wanted several more chapters that allowed the working out of problems and provided a more detailed HEA.

Despite these complaints, I recommend Winning Ruby Heart. Ruby and Micah make the book worth reading, and I’m in favor of supporting authors who depart from the predictable. I finished the book glad that I read it and eager to see what Lohmann has in store for her readers next.

~Janga

Today's Special - - Anna Sugden

One of my favorite Brits is back today with more hockey hunks, a new book and a terrific giveaway.  I was beyond excited when I discovered that Anna Sugden's debut book would be first in a series revolving around a professional ice hockey team. As soon as I read that book - A Perfect Distraction - I began counting the days until book two was launched into the world.  Sugden's sophomore effort, A Perfect Trade does not disappoint.  Captivating me from beginning to end, this deeply emotional journey snaps, sizzles and refuses to let me go.  I'm still thinking about these characters more than two weeks after finishing their story. Anna recently answered some questions for me about her books and herself.  I hope you enjoy our Q&A!  

Hi PJ, and all you Dishy dames! Thank you so much for letting me hang out with you today - it’s great to be back!

Hi Anna!  It's always a pleasure to host you here at TRD.  Congratulations on the release of A Perfect Trade!  This book grabbed me from the first page and still hasn't let go.  Please tell our readers what they can expect from this second book in your New Jersey Ice Cats series.

Aww thank you so much. I can’t tell you what it means to me that you enjoyed Tru and Jenny’s story.  The Ice Cats are back in A Perfect Trade. This time, the focus swings over to Jelinek family and middle brother, Tru - who is also Jake’s best friend.

There is a slight change of pace in A Perfect Trade, in that the season is more or less over and it’s not been a good one. Tru’s career with the Ice Cats is in jeopardy and he’s not happy about it. Meanwhile, the past has reared its ugly head with Jenny. So, you’ll all get to find out what caused the problems between them!

As with A Perfect Distraction, in A Perfect Trade, there are some complex emotional issues to be resolved before Tru and Jenny can have their happy ever after.

Here’s the blurb:

A win-win negotiation? 

Truman "Tru" Jelinek's life is pretty much off the rails. With his professional hockey career on thin ice, and his personal life falling apart, he's ready to implement some serious changes. Helping Jenny Martin—the only girl he's ever loved—make her dreams a reality is a good place to start. 

There's just one problem: Jenny doesn't want his help. She barely wants to speak to him. But Tru is prepared to negotiate a deal that even Jenny can't refuse. As trading favors turns into sharing passion, he has to face the truth that when it comes to Jenny, the game is far from over.

There are some major obstacles standing between Jenny and Tru and their potential happy ending.  What was it about these two that convinced you they had a shot at making it the second time around?

You know that feeling you have when you just know two people should be together? That’s what I had with Tru and Jenny. I think the key really was that these are two good people who have similar values. What split them apart was terrible, but it was done with the best of intentions. And, beneath it all, I could feel the need they each felt for the other. Not just attraction, but that calling from the heart of one mate to another.

As I was writing them, what became clear was that the past -- which had been terrible for both of them, for different reasons -- had forged two survivors. That they’d been able to overcome those issues meant there was hope that they could surmount these obstacles too.

My late husband was a brawny jock who knew his way around the kitchen so, of course, my heart melted when Tru’s method of comforting Jenny was to cook for her.  What comfort food would you most want your hero to cook for you?

I’m very lucky in that Doc Cambridge is a fabulous cook J In fact, right now, he’s making ice cream for me! Honestly, my favourite comfort food is a good, old-fashioned English breakfast (what we call a ‘fry up’!) - eggs, bacon or sausage, toast, baked beans, fried potatoes, mushrooms and some cherry tomatoes on the side. Yum!

Oh, that sounds yummy!  Breakfast is my favorite meal.  

Jenny is a complex woman with more layers than her reputation would suggest.  What surprised you most about this character?

I fell in love with Jenny the minute she walked onto the page in A Perfect Distraction. Aside from her great boots <g>, she had such a confident personality, she was intensely loyal and she was a genuine and knowledgeable lover of hockey. Yet she chose to be a puck bunny (hockey groupie). What’s more, she’d made being a puck bunny into something elite. You can’t help but admire her!

What surprised me most about her was her vulnerability. I think we forget that people who appear tough on the outside, often have that protective shell for a reason. More, Jenny didn’t let her horrible past make her into a victim, but used her vulnerability to fuel her strength.

I think that's what I liked best about her too; the fact that she refused to be a victim.  

There are some mouth-watering examples of hero inspiration among professional hockey players these days.  Did you use a real-life person as inspiration for Tru or is he strictly a product of your imagination?

Excuse me while I pause to think about some of those mouthwatering hockey players <happy sigh>.

Oh, please take your time.  We'll wait here and drool over that photo on the left. Now that's inspiration! 

While the Ice Cats series was inspired by real life hockey players -- especially the contradiction between the men they are on the ice and what they’re like off the ice -- as indeed was Jake, Tru was a figment of my imagination. Although, I must admit that Colorado Avalanche great, Joe Sakic, was in my head as the model of a player with an honest, honourable reputation. Then I added in the trait that I think many superstars must have, which is the belief that they know best about everything!

Would you like to share an excerpt from the book?

Absolutely. This is from a scene where Jenny and Tru end up at a place they used to go to when they were high school sweethearts. They’re both escaping their own problems and neither expects the other to be there.

Tru had barely taken a bite of his burger when he caught a movement at the edge of his vision. Jenny’s fork clattered to the table. She pushed her plate away and cradled her head in her hands.

Before Tru could question his actions, he was stand­ing by her side—with no idea what to say.

“You’re a long way from home.” Were those gruffly spoken words the best he could do?

Jenny’s back stiffened, but she didn’t look up.

Where was her usual snappy comeback? Her lack of reaction worried him. Whatever was wrong, was bad. He had to do something to spark a response. “Didn’t think this was your neighborhood anymore.”

She lifted her head, glaring at him. “Excuse me?”

“Look around. No hockey players.”

She raised an eyebrow. “You’re right. At least, no good hockey players.”

Ouch. Still, fire had finally flashed in her blue eyes.

He slid into the booth, opposite her.

“Go away, Truman. I’m eating.”

“Uh-huh. And what was that you were doing when I came over? Praying?” He winced inwardly. He’d wanted a reaction, not to hurt her.

“You, of all people, should know I don’t believe in God.”

“My point exactly.” He helped himself to a French fry.

“Hey, get your own fries.”

“You used to be better at sharing.” He plucked an onion ring from her plate and offered it to her. When she continued to glare, he shrugged and ate it himself.

Jenny stood, marched over to the waitress station and grabbed a bottle of ketchup. When she returned, she deliberately poured sauce over the fries and rings.

His heart kicked. She’d remembered he didn’t like ketchup. “Now, that’s just mean.”

He went to collect his own dinner and returned.

Jenny rolled her eyes. “Do you always force your company upon women?”

“I never have to force anything. They flock to me.”

“Like lemmings to a cliff?”

He grinned. “Not bad.”

“I’m just warming up.”

What can we expect next from the Ice Cats?

I’m just finishing up the third book in the series, tentatively titled A Perfect Catch, which is Ike and Tracy’s story. Boy are these two hard-headed people giving me a tough ride!  I don’t want to give too much away, other than to say that this deals with another aspect of a professional athlete’s life - injury.

All being well, A Perfect Catch will be out in Feb 2015.

Marking my calendar!

Let’s talk about you for a bit. 

I have favorite summer reading places that differ from my favorite winter reading places.  Where’s your favorite place to curl up with a good book during the warm summer months?  Is this also your favorite place to write?

We have a lovely conservatory on the back of our house. We had it built when we came back from New Jersey because we missed the bright light you got there. Plus we missed the ability to sit outside for so much of the year. Our conservatory allows us the bright light and the ability to sit ‘outside’ even when the weather is bad!

I have a really comfortable chair in the conservatory, which is perfect for curling up and reading. The only problem is that I have to fight my cats for my chair! Jersey Girl, in particular loves to sneak on there.

What books are on your reading list for this summer?  (I expect a re-read of A PERFECT TRADE to end up on mine.  Probably A PERFECT DISTRACTION too!)

Aww thank you!

One of the great things about the summer is that we tend to travel (eg to the RWA conference), which means two long flights with uninterrupted reading time! I usually save my romantic suspenses and thrillers for those journeys - so the latest Karen Rose, Lisa Gardner, Tess Gerritsen and JD Robb. I’m also saving the latest CS Harris.

It’s a good time to try new authors for me - this trip, I plan to read Starvation Lake by Bryan Gruley. It’s a mystery that features a hockey-playing newspaper editor as the crime-solver. Not my usual fare, but you can imagine what drew me to the story! ;)

Will you be attending any conferences or book signings where readers will have the opportunity to meet you this summer?

I will be at the RWA Conference in San Antonio later this month. This will be my first book signing, so I’m very excited! I’d love to meet any readers who plan to go to the Literacy Signing.

Can't wait to see you in San Antonio!  

Thank you so much for visiting with us today, Anna.  Would you like to ask our readers a question?

It’s my pleasure. I love hanging out with everyone here! I’m going to steal one of your questions and ask everyone- does your other half cook (if so, what is his specialty) and what is your favourite comfort food?

One lucky person leaving a comment on today's post will receive a gift pack from Anna that includes a copy of A Perfect Trade as well as an exclusive A Perfect Trade notebook and key ring. And, Anna has generously opened this giveaway to all of our readers!