Book Tour & Giveaway for Love and Other Games by Ana Blaze, Melinda Dozier, Aria Kane, and Kara Leigh Miller

Join authors Ana Blaze, Melinda Dozier, Aria Kane and Kara Leigh Miller on their Virtual Book Tour for Love and Other Games, presented by Tasty Book Tours, from January 13 – January 24, 2014.  Please leave a comment or question below to let the authors know you stopped by.  You can enter their tour wide giveaway by filling out the Rafflecopter form below.  You can also follow the rest of their tour here. 

My Favorite Olympian Superstitions by Melinda Dozier

Superstitions play a big part of our stories and it so happens to play an important part in many athletes’ careers. You’ll find a superstitious torch throughout Love and Other Games that leads to good luck. Some of our athletes go to extremes to find the torch, while others happen upon it in hopes that it will really work. You’ll have to read to find out if it does!

During research, I found many winter athletes who have superstitions – some made me laugh and others made me gag. Here are my faves:

• Cross Country Skiier Andy Newell wears one pair of socks for the entire Olympics.
• Figure skater Christina Gao puts her right skate on first.
• Women’s Ice Hockey player, Monique Lamoureaux, puts her equipment on from right to left and does not twist her skate laces.
• Speed Skater, Chad Hedrick, actually received a fortune cookie before the 2006 winter games that said, “your golden opportunity is coming soon.”  He went on to win gold, silver and bronze medals. He now keeps fortune cookie messages on hand.
• Freestyle skier, Michelle Roark, wears the same perfume to her events and even made the scent herself. 

Do you have any superstitions? I’d love to hear about them!

Love and Other Games, A Short Story Collection
by Ana Blaze, Melinda Dozier, Aria Kane and Kara Leigh Miller

Publisher: Swoon Romance

Release Date: November 29, 2013

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Length: 242 Pages

ASIN:  B00FJLKZFU

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About the book: 

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 Gold by Ana Blaze
Amy 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.

Trouble with Gold by Melinda Dozier
US 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?

The Girl behind the Gold by Aria Kane
Greek 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 need.

Ice Gold by Kara Leigh Miller
Colton 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 hand-picked 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.

***The publisher recommends this book to readers over age 17 due to mature content and language.***

Buy Links:  Amazon     Barnes & Noble

Author Info and Links

Aria Kane is a recovering mechanical engineer and romance writer. As a military brat, she grew up all over the country, but now lives in sunny Florida with a 60 lb mutt who thinks he's a chihuahua.

http://www.ariakane.com/

https://www.facebook.com/ariakaneauthor

https://twitter.com/aria_kane

Kara Leigh Miller                                                                         

Born and raised in the small town of Mexico, New York, Kara was an only child who was forced to find ways to entertain herself. Playing make believe with her Barbie dolls and stuffed animals was her first real taste of storytelling before she became old enough to develop a love affair with the written word.

In early 2010, Kara picked up her very first romance novel, and she was instantly hooked. She loves to write contemporary romance, new adult, and young adult romance. Currently she has several full-length novels in the works, a series of novellas, and a handful of short stories. Kara is an active member of the CNY Creative Writers Café and the CNY Romance Writers.

Today, Kara resides in New Haven, New York with her husband, five kids, and three cats. When she's not reading or writing, she's thinking about reading and writing. And when she's not doing that, she's spending time with her family and friends.

Recently, Kara has taken on the position of Managing Editor for the Surge Imprint at Anaiah Press, LLC -- a Christian fiction press. She's working exclusively in the young adult and new adult line. 

http://www.karaleighmiller.com/p/welcome.html

https://www.facebook.com/KaraLeighMiller

Melinda Dozier lives in Guatemala, Central America, with her husband, three boys and German Shepherd.  She enjoys being the queen of her household and dreams of being pampered fully by her boys once they’re grown. Learn more about her at www.melindadozier.com

http://melindadozier.blogspot.com

https://www.facebook.com/melindadoz

Ana Blaze                                                                                                  

Ana lives just outside Washington DC with her very supportive husband and three rather demanding cats. She loves the ocean, Indian food, Ikea, and cooking. Ana admits to watching too much television and she swears that someday she’s going to learn how to play the guitar resting on the bookshelf in her office.

https://twitter.com/ana_blaze

https://www.facebook.com/AnaBlazeLove

http://pinterest.com/anablaze/

 

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 Dozier

A 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 Miller

A 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 Kane

A 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 Blaze

A 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.

My Rating:  4.5 out of 5 Crowns

FTC Disclosure:  I received a complimentary copy of this book as a part of a book tour in exchange for a fair and honest review. 

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