A Favor for a Favor (All In Book #2) by Helena
Hunting is a contemporary romance that will have you laughing out loud and/or teary
eyed more times than you can count throughout this fun and entertaining read.
This is the second book in the “All In” series featuring alpha professional hockey
jocks from Seattle’s new expansion NHL team, but it is easily read as a standalone
romance.
Stevie Bowman is excited to surprise her boyfriend returning
from her trip early to her and her boyfriend’s new apartment in time for her
birthday. But the surprise is on her when she walks in and finds him in bed
having sex with someone else.
Her brother, Rook helps her out by letting her live in his
team apartment he is not using while she gets back on her feet. As she stumbles
in late at night, she wakes her neighbor, who is not happy to be woken up. Stevie
just wants to hide and get away from this jerk of a neighbor.
Bishop Winslow cannot believe his strait-laced team captain
is keeping a side piece in his apartment. He already hates that Rook was made
team captain instead of him and this makes it even worse. Imagine his surprise
when he finds out the mistress is actually the hot younger sister.
Bishop suffers a severe groin injury in the very first
pre-season game. Stevie offers Bishop a deal. She will assist with his rehab so
he can return to the ice sooner, if he will give her a letter of recommendation
which will help advance her career in sport physiotherapy. Can they keep it
strictly professional?
I absolutely love Bishop and Stevie. They are perfect
examples of “do not judge someone because you don’t know what they are going
through privately.” The underwear war had me laughing out loud.
I am fast becoming a huge fan of Helena Hunting’s romances. The
characters are realistic, full-fleshed and the dialogue is pitch perfect. She
captures the sex appeal and down-and-dirty language and foibles of young
professional male athletes. The women she creates are strong, but surprisingly
quirky and/or have an emotional impediment that I would never think would work as
a match for these men and yet each is the perfect match.
I highly recommend this contemporary romance and author!
***
Author Biography:
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Helena Hunting lives on
the outskirts of Toronto with her incredibly tolerant family and two moderately
intolerant cats. Helena writes everything from contemporary romance with all
the feels to romantic comedies that will have you laughing until you cry.
Today I am happy to share this Feature Post and Book Review for Helena Hunting’s new contemporary romance A LIE FOR A LIE (All In Book 1). While set in the world of professional hockey, this story focuses on the second chance romance and some not-so-little lies.
Below you will find a guest post from the author, an excerpt from the book, my book review, a book summary, the author’s bio and social media links and a Rafflecopter giveaway. Enjoy and as always good luck on the Rafflecopter giveaway!
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Guest Post: Lainey vs. Puck Bunnies
A Lie for a Lie is a heartwarming, sexy, emotional romantic comedy. It’s a second chance romance, filled with secrets and there are definitely some exciting, fun twists. It’s also a story of empowerment, self-discovery, and independence.
Rook Bowman, aka RJ or Rookie as he has been known as previously, has recently taken on the role as captain of Chicago’s NHL team, and with that role comes big responsibility and more fame than he sometimes knows how to handle. As with any professional sport, the NHL lifestyle can often be full of excess and decadence; money, fame and an endless stream of women who will do just about anything to get into bed with them, and it’s not always easy to avoid that kind of temptation.
When we meet Rook in A Lie for a Lie we learn that he has a less than shiny past when it comes to the excess and the puck bunnies (hockey groupies). NHL players are often drafted quite young—just watch a game and you’ll notice that the rookies can often barely grown peach fuzz, let alone a full beard. They’re still teenagers when they start their careers, and Rook was no different. Having grown up on an alpaca farm in rural New York, his focus was mainly hockey and the family farm, but once he hit the pros he found himself surrounded by women who literally threw themselves at him. And being young, attractive and full of testosterone, he fell headfirst down that rabbit hole. At least until the drama found him in the form of a fake pregnancy and a social media firestorm. Because of that, and the impact it had on his relationship with his family, Rook swears off the bunnies and refocuses on his career, rather than extracurricular activities.
He meets Lainey on the way to Alaska, where he’s gone every summer since he was a teenager with his dad and his brother. He lost his father a few years earlier, but kept the tradition with his brother because he craves the escape from the demands of his life as an NHL superstar. Lainey encapsulates everything he misses about being a “normal guy.” She doesn’t recognize him or seem to even know anything about hockey, and that makes her even more alluring. For once, he can just be himself. He doesn’t have to worry about ulterior motives or being used. Lainey is refreshingly innocent, incredibly smart, genuine and overwhelmingly sweet and Rook finds himself enamored with her sense of adventure. As they get to know each other, Rook learns about her traumatic past and realizes that despite the challenges she’s faced, Lainey possesses a quiet strength and resilience. Add some insane chemistry and you’ve got a recipe for love.
Unfortunately for Rook, he built their entire fragile relationship on lie he can’t take back.
***
Excerpt:
When Lainey excuses
herself to the bathroom, I rush upstairs and throw on a T-shirt. I know she
said whatever makes me comfortable, but sitting around shirtless is such a
douche move.
I make it back to the
kitchen and pour her a fresh drink before she returns from the bathroom.
“How can I help with
dinner?” Lainey drapes her sweater over the back of a chair.
And my mouth goes dry.
Like I ate an entire sleeve of saltines and chased it with a tablespoon of
salt. So far I’ve only seen Lainey in a giant parka or an oversize sweater.
Under all that bulky fabric is one hell of a body. She’s wearing a simple white
waffle shirt that conforms to her curves. A pair of dark-wash skinny jeans
encase her toned legs.
I’m used to bunnies
throwing themselves at me, often in questionable states of undress. I stopped
getting excited about miniskirts and revealing tops a long time ago. There’s
something infinitely sexier about a woman who can show off her body without
actually showing it off at all.
Lainey tips her head to
the side. Her teeth press into her full bottom lip. I want to do that. Suck
that pouty, full lip between my teeth and bite it. I want to do a lot of other,
far more explicit things than that, but a kiss seems like a good place to
start.
“RJ? Is everything okay?”
Her eyes dip down to my chest. I’m wearing a shirt from one of my endorsement
campaigns. It afforded me the extensive renovations on this cabin a few years
ago.
“Huh?” I give my head a
shake. “Oh. Yeah. Everything’s good. Sorry, zoned out there for a second.”
She smiles and pushes up
on her toes, her eyes twinkling—like, they legit light up, and her excitement
makes her entire body vibrate. It also makes her boobs jiggle. I try to keep my
eyes glued to her face. It’s not easy, though.
“I do that all the time!
Sometimes my brain is busy with so many thoughts I miss entire conversations.
Does that happen to you too?”
I grin. I love that she
seems to say whatever is on her mind. “All the time.”
“It’s actually a helpful
skill when you’re being lectured, because I can sort through stuff in my head,
but it’s not so great when your supervising professor is telling you what’s
wrong with your thesis.” She pulls her hair over her shoulder and finger combs
it.
“I take it that’s happened
to you.”
“It did. Thankfully he
also emailed all his criticisms, so missing out on it the first time wasn’t
that big of a deal.” She divides her hair into three sections and deftly braids
it without looking at what she’s doing even once. It’s pretty damn impressive.
I almost want to pull it apart so I can watch her do it all over again.
“Anyway, enough about that. Let’s get started on dinner!” She nudges me out of
the way so she can wash her hands. She dries them on her jeans and moves over
to the fridge, opening it to check out the contents.
I kind of like that she
makes herself at home. I’m used to women who expect to be catered to. It’s
refreshing to meet someone who doesn’t want me to pander to her.
I start pulling things out
of the fridge as she starts naming items she’ll need and set them on the
counter. I manage to locate most of what she asks for.
“What about garlic? Do you
have any of that?” She leans over, peering into the fridge beside me. Her braid
slips over her shoulder, skimming my arm.
“Uh, maybe we could forgo
the garlic?”
“Are you allergic? My
oldest brother gets bloated when he eats it. It took us forever to figure out
what was causing it. Sometimes I’ll still put some in when he’s coming for
dinner, because it’s funny to see him look like he’s expecting.” She tips her
head to the side. “Or you just don’t like garlic?”
“I like it sometimes, but
it depends.”
Her brows pinch together.
“On what?”
“Who I’m eating with. I
mean, if I’m going out with buddies, you bet I’m gonna order the honey garlic
wings, or the cheesy garlic bread, or the pasta Alfredo. But if I’m eating
dinner with a pretty girl, I’m gonna pass on the garlic.”
“Oh.” She twists the end
of her braid around her finger.
I hope I’m not reading
things wrong and making her uncomfortable.
“Does that mean you think
I’m pretty?”
That she sounds genuinely
curious as to my answer is unexpected. “You see yourself in the mirror every day—what
do you think?”
She averts her gaze, still
playing with the end of her braid. “My eyes are too big, so I always look like
I’m surprised. My nose is small, and my lips are too full, so my mouth doesn’t
really fit the rest of my face.”
“Wow. I think you need a
new mirror, because all I see is a whole lot of gorgeous.”
She snorts a laugh and
waves me off. “Once, I took a portrait class, and we learned all about
proportion and symmetry of the face. Those are just my flaws based on what I
was taught.”
“Well, I’m a big fan of
all your flaws, and I think they make you more beautiful, not less.”
“Thanks. I think you’re
beautiful too.” She cringes. “I mean handsome. You’re very nice to look at,
with or without a shirt on. When I fell in your lap on the airplane, I remember
thinking, At least I fell on someone nice looking.”
“Is that so?”
“Mm-hmm.” She opens a
drawer, maybe to avoid looking at me. “And as much as I was mortified when you
sat beside me on the Cessna, I couldn’t complain about the view, inside or
outside of the plane. That you turned out to be really nice, and just so
helpful, was a great bonus.” She hands me a roll of foil. “Why don’t you wrap
the potatoes? They take the longest, so we should get started on those first.”
I put the potatoes on the
barbecue and let Lainey order me around. She definitely knows her way around a
kitchen. When I was growing up, my mom did most of the cooking, but my dad
could make a mean Saturday-morning brunch. He also made great bread, which I
miss a lot.
An hour later we’re seated
at the table, plates full of steak, twice-baked potatoes, and crispy brussels
sprouts cooked in bacon fat. I open a bottle of red wine and offer Lainey a
glass.
“Just a little bit? I’m
not sure I like red wine.”
“Maybe you just haven’t
had the right red wine.” I pour a little into her glass.
She picks it up and gives
it a swirl, then sniffs it. “I’ve seen people do this in the movies, but I
don’t really know what the point is,” she admits, then tips the glass back and
takes a tentative sip. Her expression turns thoughtful; then she takes another,
slightly more robust sip. “This is actually really nice. I like it. Maybe the
red wine I had before was bad.”
“Maybe. Some of the cheap
stuff tastes pretty awful.” I pour more into her glass before filling mine. I
hold up my glass and wait for her to raise hers.
“To chance meetings.”
“To new adventures and
great company to share them with.” We toast and take a sip, each smiling behind
the rim.
***
My Book Review:
RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars
A LIE FOR A LIE (All In Book 1) by Helena Hunting is
a new contemporary romance that combines the romance tropes of second chance
romance and secret baby into an endearing story with realistic main characters.
This is a spin-off of Ms. Hunting’s “Pucked series” which revolves around the
world of professional hockey players and the women they find their HEAs with.
Lainey is completing her third Master degree and needs time
away to finish her thesis and get away from her over protective parents. She is
looking forward to being on her own on the remote island after surviving a traumatic
incident. Then she lands in the lap of a handsome stranger.
Rook (RJ) Bowman is looking forward to his yearly getaway to
Kodiak Island with his brother for weeks of fishing and relaxing before the
pressure of the new hockey season. When his brother cancels, Rook decides to go
on his own. On the flight to Alaska, a beautiful woman falls right into his
lap. Besides being beautiful, she is intelligent, anxious, quirky and has no
idea who he is.
Rook is so tired of the puck bunnies and the press so just
the fact Lainey does not know who he is intrigues him and turns him on. The two
spend several weeks together in seclusion and feelings begin to grow and it
turns into more than just a summer fling. Everything is perfect until his brother calls
him away on a family emergency. As he hastily leaves, he has no idea his lie of
using his family nickname instead of his real name will have unforeseen consequences.
A year later, a chance encounter brings Rook and Lainey back
together, but has Rook’s lie destroyed his chance at HEA? And Lainey now has a
secret of her own.
This is such a wonderful romance. Lainey’s transformation
and growth felt realistic and heartfelt. She found out how strong she could be.
Rook learned some hard lessons before he met Lainey and the man he is when he
meets her is swoon worthy. Ms. Hunting writes the progression of the romance
after their reunion perfectly for me. The dialogue is at times funny but also
poignant. The sex scenes are explicit and well placed as the two work to
reunite and trust each other again. This romance has a lot of love not only
between the H/h, but also the families and Rook’s teammates. All the secondary
characters are fully flesh-out out and not just placeholders or caricatures.
I highly recommend this contemporary romance and I am
looking forward to reading more in this series.
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About the Book:
Title: A Lie for a Lie
Author: Helena Hunting
Release Date: October 15, 2019
Publisher: Montlake
Summary:
Sometimes I need an escape from the demands, the puck bunnies, and the notoriety that come with being an NHL team captain. I just want to be a normal guy for a few weeks. So when I leave Chicago for some peace and quiet, the last thing I expect is for a gorgeous woman to literally fall into my lap on a flight to Alaska. Even better, she has absolutely no idea who I am.
Lainey is the perfect escape from my life. My plan for seclusion becomes a month long sex fest punctuated with domestic bliss. But it ends just as abruptly as it began. When I’m called away on a family emergency, I realize too late that I have no way to contact Lainey.
A year later, a chance encounter throws Lainey and me together again. But I still have a lie hanging over my head, and Lainey’s keeping secrets of her own. With more than lust at stake, the truth may be our game changer.
***
Author Biography:
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Helena Hunting lives on
the outskirts of Toronto with her incredibly tolerant family and two moderately
intolerant cats. Helena writes everything from contemporary romance with all
the feels to romantic comedies that will have you laughing until you cry.
