Tag Archives: Boys of Fall

Homecoming by Shannon Stacey – Review & Giveaway

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Homecoming by Shannon Stacey – Review & Giveaway

 

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HomecomingAmazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / BAM / The Book Depository

Description:
They were the golden boys of fall: Stewart Mills High School’s legendary championship football team. Fourteen years later, they’re back to relive their glory, save the team—and find themselves again . . .
 
Sam Leavitt has two goals when he returns home to Stewart Mills to fill in for Coach McDonnell: to keep the school from finding a permanent replacement while Coach gets back on his feet, and to reconnect with his mother. As substitute coach for the high school football team, Sam must work hard to keep the boys on track, and that means spending time with the sexy guidance counselor he shared a hot night with months ago.

Jen Cooper knows what she’s looking for, and it’s not Sam—he wasn’t even supposed to come back. She wants a cultured, romantic soul, not some rough-around-the-edges guy with calloused hands—and a hard, muscular body. But seeing him every day forces Jen to question what she really wants out of life. And as Sam begins to deal with his past, Jen discovers there’s more to him than she imagined.

 

 

Review:

Homecoming by Shannon Stacey is the 3rd book in her Boys of Fall series.  In Homecoming, Stacey continues the trend of small town sweet romances that is built around the town’s high school football team, former players, and their coach.   They are all fun and sexy reads.  Jen Cooper, our heroine, is the high school guidance counselor and we remember in the previous book, her one night stand with Sam Leavitt.  Sam, our hero, is called back to Stewart Mills, to fill in for Coach McDonnell, who suffered a heart attack .  Jen is in a state of panic, as she knows she is attracted to him sexually, but is not a candidate for a serious relationship, which she so badly wants. 

Despite her trying to avoid him, Sam continues to try to get Jen to go out with him.  In a short time, they will both succumb to the lust between them, and enjoy whatever time they have; since they each know there is no future for them.  What follows is a sexy and charming story that finds Sam trying to reconnect with his estranged mother; enjoying seeing his friends again; discovering that he enjoys coaching; deciding if he wants to change careers; and finding himself falling in love with Jen.  Will Sam leave Stewart Mills and Jen?  Will Jen be willing to leave Stewart Mills, the town and job she loves, to follow Sam?

I loved Jen and Sam, as they were perfect together.  Watching their romance heat up was fun to watch, as we rooted that Jen would become the third friend to find her true love.  Homecoming was another sweet sexy story that makes Boys of Fall such a wonderful series.   Shannon Stacey once again gives us a great couple, as well as giving us the chance to see our favorites from the previous books.  I recommend that you start this series, if you have not done so yet. 

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

 

 

MintgreenGiveaway

Shannon’s publisher is offering a paper copy of HOMECOMING to ONE (1) lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe

1. If you have not previously registered at The Reading Cafe, please register by using the log-in at the top of the page (side bar) or by using one of the social log-ins.

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4. Please FOLLOW us on Twitter for an additional entry.

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7. Giveaway is open to USA only

8. Giveaway runs from August 31 – September 4, 2015

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Defending Hearts by Shannon Stacey – Review & Giveaway

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Defending Hearts by Shannon Stacey – Review & Giveaway

 

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Defending HeartsAmazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / BAM / The Book Depository

Description:
They were the golden boys of fall: Stewart Mills High School’s legendary championship football team. Fourteen years later, they’re back to relive their glory, save the team—and find themselves again…

Globetrotting photographer Alex Murphy returns to Stewart Mills for a football fundraiser, but stays to document the football team and the town’s changes. Since his project includes photos of the Walker farm, he rents a room there.

Needing money to save the family farm, Gretchen Walker doesn’t have time to deal with the sexy photographer in her house. After all, Alex is a man with no sense of home, and to her, home is everything. But when she finds herself falling for him, she’ll be forced to decide where her dreams really lie…

 

 

Review:

Defending Hearts by Shannon Stacey is the 2nd book in her Boys of Fall series. The first book in this series was about finding ways to make enough money to keep the town high school football team playing, Chase and Kelly falling in love.

Defending Hearts picks up a short time later, when Alex Murphy, one of the football players that had returned as a favor to help with the fundraiser, decides to return to Stewart Mills. Alex is a photographer, and after being in Stewart Mills, he feels something is missing and comes back to do a special on how the team, the town and it’s legendary coach are doing.

Gretchen Walker lives on the family farm with her grandmother, and because she needs money to keep the farm going, she agrees to let Alex rent a room in her house.   Gretchen is best friends with Kelly, and Jen, and now we know it’s her story to find her love.

Only Gretchen knows Alex is only here temporary, gathering his material before he leaves again. She does not want to trust her heart to someone who will never stay. With her grandmother’s constant scheming to push Alex and Gretchen together, their best laid plans to keep their distance falls apart. Both Alex and Gretchen decide that in the time he stays, they will enjoy the benefits.

What follows is a sweet romance that takes place mostly on the farm, where Gretchen is a hard worker, keeping the farm afloat. Alex finds himself content on the farm, helping Gretchen when she lets him, and the wonderful food that the grandmother makes. It was fun watching them fall in love, as well as seeing them sneak up on the hayloft to get some private time.   Another cute thing about this story is Coca, the lab, who loves to high five everyone. I really enjoyed how he expressed his love for Gretchen, Grandma and Alex. Cute.

This was a wonderful light romantic read that was also fun. Shannon Stacey does a great job continuing this story of three friends in a small town, who start a fundraiser to save the school football team, and end up falling in love. I can’t wait for the next book, when it will be Jen’s turn. I suggest you read this series, and start with Under the Lights.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher


BLUEANDYELLOWGIVEAWAY

Shannon’s publisher is offering a paper copy of DEFENDING HEARTS to ONE (1) lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe

1. If you have not previously registered at The Reading Cafe, please register by using the log-in at the top of the page (side bar) or by using one of the social log-ins.

2. If you are using a social log-in, please post your email address with your comment.

3. Please LIKE us on FACEBOOK and click GET NOTIFICATIONS

4. Please FOLLOW us on Twitter for an additional entry.

5. Please FOLLOW us on GOODREADS for an additional entry.

6. Please LIKE us on TSU for an additional entry.

7. Follow SHANNON STACEY  on Facebook.

8. Giveaway is open to USA only

9. Giveaway runs from October 27 – 31, 2015

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Under the Lights by Shannon Stacey – Review & Giveaway

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Under the Lights by Shannon Stacey – Review & Giveaway

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Under The Lights
Boys of Fall #1
by Shannon Stacey
Genre: adult, contemporary, romantic, sports
Release Date: May 26, 2015

 

Under the LightsAmazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / The Book Depository / BAM

Description:
They were the golden boys of fall: Stewart Mills High School’s legendary championship winning football team. Fourteen years later, they’re back to relive their glory, save the team—and find themselves again…

Chase Sanders’s life has taken a lot of crazy turns lately. But returning to his hometown to help his old coach keep his high school football team afloat might be the craziest thing to happen to him yet. That is, until he starts falling for the last person he should—Coach’s gorgeous daughter…

Kelly McDonnell learned the hard way that cocky, charming men are nothing but trouble, so she knows Chase is bad news. Still, she can’t resist his smile—or the rest of him. But when his loyalty to her father conflicts with their growing attraction, any hope for a relationship might be blocked before it can even begin

 

 

Review:
Under the Lights by Shannon Stacey is a wonderful start to her new Boys of Fall series. This is my first book by Shannon Stacey, and since this is the start of a new series, it most certainly will not be my last.  

Kelly McDonnell is our heroine and right from the start I loved Kelly, she was strong, savvy and vulnerable. Things at town are financially strapped, and the budget has cut the high school football team. Kelly’s father is the long time legendary coach, and she is determined to pull all stops to find money to keep the football team playing.

Chase Sanders is our hero, and 14 years ago he left Stewart Mills for college and to build his contracting career. Chase was the star running back when the football team won the championship, but he has not been back since he left. Kelly calls Chase to ask for his help in the fund raising events she is planning with her two friends, Jen and Gretchen. But Chase has no interest in returning to Stewart Mills, as he is in the midst of a bad time, with his girlfriend leaving him, and his partner stealing funds from the business. Kelly persuades Chase to come, using his love for her father as the turning point. Many of the other members of that champion team will be coming too.

Chase barely remembers Kelly, but gets the shock of his life when he is stopped by a gorgeous female cop for passing a stop sign. Looking at her name tag, he sees Officer Kelly McDonnell. What follows is a fun story with the town residents all helping to raise funds at different events to ensure the team will have money to play. The romance between Chase and Kelly slowly heats up, as each have their own reasons not to become involved. Chase knows he is only there for a short time, and does not want to disrespect his “coach” by having an affair with his daughter. Kelly always had a secret crush on Chase when she was a teenager, but having had a failed marriage, she does not want to be hurt again with a short term relationship. But best laid plans do not always work out, and their attraction to each other begins to sizzle. They both decide they are adults, and want to enjoy the benefits of their short term relationship, with no commitment worries.

This was also a lot of fun watching the different events for the fund raiser….dunk Officer Kelly….All you can eat Spaghetti night…old timer championship team vs the current team, just to name a few. The secondary characters, which includes Kelly’s family and friends, and Chase’s former teammates was great. Is there a future for Kelly and Chase? Will the football team survive? You will need to read this book to find out.

Shannon Stacey has created a sweet fun romance, in a small town setting, with a wonderful couple and others waiting in the wings. This was a perfect lighthearted read that you can sit back, and enjoy thoroughly. I suggest you read Under the Lights and start this series from the start.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

 

giveaway

Shannon’s publisher is offering a paper copy of UNDER THE LIGHTS to ONE (1) lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe

1. If you have not previously registered at The Reading Cafe, please register by using the log-in at the top of the page (side bar) or by using one of the social log-ins.

2. If you are using a social log-in, please post your email address with your comment.

3. Please LIKE us on FACEBOOK and click GET NOTIFICATIONS

4. Please FOLLOW us on Twitter for an additional entry.

5. Please FOLLOW us on GOODREADS for an additional entry.

6. Please LIKE us on TSU for an additional entry.

7. Follow SHANNON STACEY  on Facebook.

8. Giveaway is open to USA only

9. Giveaway runs from May 25 to 30, 2015

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Going Long (Boys of Fall) by Cari Quinn-a review

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GOING LONG (Boys of Fall ) by Cari Quinn-a review

Going Long

Amazon.com / Barnes and Noble / KOBO /

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date January 19, 2015

This time, he’ll need to hit all the right notes to win the woman he’s always loved…

Wade Bennett is used to coming in second to his seemingly perfect older brother. In high school, Colt was a star linebacker while Wade was the punter, an important job without all of the glory. When Charlene Martinez—the only girl Wade ever truly wanted—fell for Colt, Wade decided to take his chances with music and went on the road. Leaving behind his family, his best friend, Rafe, and Charlene, who had feelings for Wade she never allowed herself to feel.

Years in Nashville quickly hardened the dreamy guy who just wanted to sing and hang out with his dog. His success has given him more than enough money, even if he knows he’ll never be able to compete with his hometown hero big brother. But after Coach Carr’s heart attack, Wade comes home to help the man who helped him make the decision to chase his dreams all those years ago.

Now Wade wants to chase a new dream in his old hometown, especially since Charlene is single again after divorcing Colt. And Wade is no longer a boy unwilling to fight for what—and who—he needs.

•••••••••••••

REVIEW: GOING LONG is an adult, contemporary romance storyline by Cari Quinn. The Boys of Fall is a three book series (released concurrently) written by Cari Quinn, Erin Nicholas and Mari Carr focusing on three former high school football stars from Quinn, Texas who are called home when their former coach suffers a stroke. This is country music star Wade Bennett and Charlene Martinez’s storyline-a friends to lover/ second chance storyline for two people who have never stopped loving one another.

The focus of the story is the rekindling of a relationship between Charlene and Wade. Years earlier Wade had fallen in love with his best friend Charlene but stepped aside when his older brother Colt-the hometown star linebacker-made a play for the girl that he loved. Wade, with his heart set on a music career, headed to Nashville where his star was on the rise. But things were about to change and Wade needed to take a breather. A call from a former friend found Wade back home and making a play for the woman he has always loved. The problem-Charlene is now his brother’s ex-wife.

The prior relationship between Wade and Charlene has already been established but quickly jumps into lovers when Wade and Charlene admit their attraction and long fought love for one another. The $ex scenes are intimate, passionate, and a little bit dirty. Nowhere is off limits for our couple that find themselves in a few compromising situations around town.

The secondary characters include several of the former high school football players including Jackson Brady (Out of Bounds by Erin Nicholas) and Tucker Riley (Free Agent by Mari Carr). All three storylines run parallel and simultaneously with one another but each one can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. We are introduced to Wade’s brother Colt and their sister Hollie as well as Charlene’s brother Rafe and mama Rose-each has a different opinion about our couple’s future happiness.

There is also a slight cross over with Cari’s LOST IN OBLIVION series with the inclusion of Gray Duffy and Jazz Edwards (Twisted LIO #2). Gray and Jazz are members of the rock group Oblivion and have been partnered with Wade in an attempt to change Wade’s style of music. I am not sure if Cari will include any of Wade and Charlene’s future storyline with her Lost in Oblivion series, but it was great to see Jazz and Gray looking towards their future.

GOING LONG is a fast paced, fun, and romantic storyline with a little bit of heartbreak, romance and letting go. Cari Quinn’s hometown spin on former football stars is a reminder that one’s future does not always go as planned; there is always history; an unknown secret; and a love that has never burned out. And of course, living on past glory, gives small town storylines a case of hero worship for something that once was.

Copy Supplied by Author’s Pal

Reviewed by Sandy

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