Simply Complicated by S. Nelson

Title: Simply Complicated

Author: S. Nelson

Genre: Contemporary Sports Romance

Release Date: September 29, 2021

BLURB

My plan is simple. Proposition a man and extend a challenge: help me accomplish something I’ve never been able to do before with past boyfriends.

But there are rules.

He needs to be a stranger and someone who won't judge me if I can't cross the finish line.

Luke Sorenson, one of the most famous soccer players in the world, isn't meant to be that man. He's the guy I grew up next door to. The man who broke my heart ten years ago, then moved across the country and never looked back.

He also happens to be the one person in the world I can't stand.

But as my best friend points out, he's the best option.

Besides, it's only for one night. What can possibly go wrong?

***

The last person I expect to see when I walk into a random corner bar is Olivia Brighton, the one woman I let slip through my fingers when I chased my dream a decade ago.

Not only do I run into her again, but I offer to help her out with her dilemma, and she accepts.

It's supposed to be a one-time occurrence. One shot to prove my skills in bed.

But that one shot turns into a deal, which morphs into something neither of us predicts.

One thing's for certain—everything is about to get simply complicated.

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EXCERPT

Gripping the underneath of my backside, he raised me up his body. I locked my legs around his waist without instruction and returned his hungry kiss, our tongues dancing wildly together.

Typically, by this point, Luke would have said ten different dirty things to me, all of which would’ve turned me on even more, but so far, he hadn’t uttered a single word. He growled, made several noises, which I assumed were some variations of enjoyment, but not a single syllable was spoken.

Granted, I hadn’t said anything other than voicing my apology at being late and the half-truth as to why.

When he unhooked my ankles and tossed me onto the bed, looming near the edge, he gripped himself and stroked from base to tip. His stare was filled with desire, but his expression confused me. I’d come to enjoy the quick arch of his brow and the sexy smirk that usually appeared right before he licked his lips. But standing before me, he appeared to be indifferent. Was he angry with me?

AUTHOR BIO

S. Nelson grew up with a love of reading and a very active imagination, never putting pen to paper, or fingers to keyboard until 2013.

Her passion to create was overwhelming, and within a few months she'd written her first novel, Stolen Fate. When she isn't engrossed in creating one of the many stories rattling around inside her head, she loves to read and travel as much as she can. 

She lives in the Northeast with her husband and two dogs, enjoying the ever changing seasons.

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Simply Complicated by S. Nelson

Title: Simply Complicated

Author: S. Nelson

Genre: Contemporary Sports Romance

Cover Design: CT Cover Creations

Release Date: September 29, 2021

BLURB

My plan is simple. Proposition a man and extend a challenge: help me accomplish something I’ve never been able to do before with past boyfriends.

But there are rules.

He needs to be a stranger and someone who won't judge me if I can't cross the finish line.

Luke Sorenson, one of the most famous soccer players in the world, isn't meant to be that man. He's the guy I grew up next door to. The man who broke my heart ten years ago, then moved across the country and never looked back.

He also happens to be the one person in the world I can't stand.

But as my best friend points out, he's the best option.

Besides, it's only for one night. What can possibly go wrong?

***

The last person I expect to see when I walk into a random corner bar is Olivia Brighton, the one woman I let slip through my fingers when I chased my dream a decade ago.

Not only do I run into her again, but I offer to help her out with her dilemma, and she accepts.

It's supposed to be a one-time occurrence. One shot to prove my skills in bed.

But that one shot turns into a deal, which morphs into something neither of us predicts.

One thing's for certain—everything is about to get simply complicated.

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EXCERPT

“What are you doing here?” Olivia’s eyes were so big she reminded me of a cartoon character. A sexy, begging-to-be-kissed cartoon character.

“Surprise.” I moved to take a step inside, but she blocked me from entering. “You’re not going to let me in?”

“Not until you tell me what you’re doing here. How do you even know where my parents live?”

Her stunned expression had waned since she answered the door, but she was still a bit dumbstruck. I didn’t blame her, though. I did just show up out of the blue.

“Luke. Glad you could make it.” Mark walked up behind Olivia, but she was still blocking the doorway. When she continued to just stand there, he tapped her arm. “Don’t be rude. Let him in.”

“Yeah, Ollie. Let me in.”

“Ollie,” he repeated. “I haven’t heard anyone call her that in years.”

“That’s because it was my special nickname for her,” I said, my eyes veering to my friend before landing back on the gorgeous woman in front of me. With some light prodding from her older brother, she finally took a step back so I could enter. After shaking hands with Mark, who I’d run into earlier today at a liquor store of all places, I leaned in and kissed Olivia’s cheek right before I wrapped her in a huge hug. Pressing my lips to her ear, I whispered, “I miss being inside you.” She gasped the same time I released her. “How long has it been?” The only words Mark heard me speak were the last five.

“What?”

“I asked how long it’s been since we’ve seen each other.”

“Oh.” Her attention bounced between me and her brother. “Um… I… I don’t know.” She barely managed to get her words out, her flustered state not going unnoticed by Mark.

“What’s wrong with you? Why are you acting so weird?” he asked. “Is it because that guy will be here soon? Don’t be nervous. Luke and I got you. We’ll take some of the pressure off.” He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and kissed her temple. They’d always had such a close relationship and it was nice to see that aspect of their lives hadn’t changed.

“Who’s coming over?” I asked, pretending not to know that she was being set up on a blind date.

“My mom invited some guy over to dinner tonight to meet Olivia.”

“Doug,” she uttered. Her attention was on her sibling when she spoke. “Mom said his name is Doug.”

“Doug,” I repeated. I didn’t like the sound of his name.

“Yes, Doug. And don’t either of you say anything embarrassing.” With her shock at my intrusion finally gone, she followed Mark further into the house. And I had the pleasure of walking behind her. When I deemed my buddy was out of earshot, I grabbed her waist and stopped her in her tracks, resting my lips near her ear like I’d done a few minutes ago. “Do you like that I shaved?”

“It doesn’t make a difference to me.” She kept her back to me, but I could tell her breathing had quickened.

“It will, when my I bury my head between your legs again.”

She threw me a glare over her shoulder, but I saw the intrigue laced behind her eyes, even though she tried to hide it.

“You’re impossible.” She swatted at my hand.

“Impossibly horny.”

AUTHOR BIO

S. Nelson grew up with a love of reading and a very active imagination, never putting pen to paper, or fingers to keyboard until 2013.

Her passion to create was overwhelming, and within a few months she'd written her first novel, Stolen Fate. When she isn't engrossed in creating one of the many stories rattling around inside her head, she loves to read and travel as much as she can. 

She lives in the Northeast with her husband and two dogs, enjoying the ever changing seasons.

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Fastball (Stadium, #3) by S.A. Clayton

Title: Fastball

Series: Stadium #3

Author: S.A. Clayton

Genre: Contemporary Sports Romance

Release Date: August 20, 2021

BLURB

Fastball- Noun: A pitch thrown at or near a player's maximum velocity

Neither Josh nor Harper knows what their relationship would become, but over time they’ve relied on each other to pick the other when the world seems to want to keep them apart.

Nothing is ever easy when it comes to love and when secrets are revealed, relationships will be tested and the pressure might just become too much.

Their love is strong, but sometimes these things need to turndown so something better can rise from the ashes.

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EXCERPT

Chapter One: Harper

A Rolodex of pictures continues to filter through my brain. Over and over again I see image after image of Josh and me, all in different stages of undress, all extremely revealing and embarrassing.

This happens every night.

Falling asleep has become harder and harder because my brain doesn’t shut off the possibilities of who is doing this to us and why it keeps getting worse and worse. Every night Josh holds me, whispering encouraging words in my ear as I pretend to fall asleep. Does he know I fake it until he drifts off behind me? Probably not, but right now I try every trick in the book because those pictures are haunting me and nothing I do seems to quiet the storm inside my head.

After a few hours, I drift off, waiting for the haunting dreams to start. The ones where the pictures leak, where Josh loses everything and in turn, I lose the best thing that’s ever happened to me. But tonight is different. Tonight’s dream morphs from a nightmare to a flip-book of the worst horrors of my childhood, and before long I’m knee-deep in one of the worst nightmares I’ve had in decades.

I shoot up out of bed, soaking in sweat and shaking. My eyes struggle to adjust to the darkness as I try and find something to ground myself to this reality. The pads of Josh’s fingers graze my back and I jump at the contact.

“Shh, sweetheart, it’s just me.”

I look over, the exhausted look in his eyes evident, yet the worry creeps through enough for the guilt to set in. I take a deep breath, trying to calm down as I struggle to get the remnants of the dream off my skin.

“It’s okay,” I lie. “I’m fine.”

I don’t say anything else as I get out of bed and make my way out of Josh’s bedroom and into the kitchen. I don’t turn on any lights, letting the glow of the moon through the windows cast an eerie film over the space. The darkness of the dream starts to surround me as I shudder, trying to shake the image of my father’s lifeless body from my brain. I stayed here tonight because I wanted to see Josh before he went to practice tomorrow, and now I'm regretting it. I haven’t had a nightmare like that for months. I honestly thought they were gone for good, but now the realization that I have to explain to Josh what happened settles in and my stomach plummets. I try and shake the feeling as I get myself a glass of water, leaning back against the counter as Josh walks into the room.

My eyes catch the clock above the stove. Three a.m., great.

“You should go back to bed, it’s too early for you to be up,” I mutter.

Josh’s eyes never leave mine as he sits down at the island, his fingers intertwining as they rest on the cool granite. We sit in silence for a few seconds before I take another drink and place the empty glass in the sink.

“You're not leaving that spot, are you?”

He just shakes his head, his eyes pleading for me to say something, anything that will allow him into this moment. Yet the effects of the dream still linger and the idea of talking about this shakes me to my core.

“Sweetheart, I need you to talk to me. I know this is hard, but I want to help you and I can’t do that if I don’t know what I’m up against.” My eyes cast down, feeling the weight of his gaze as I play with the edge of the counter. “Harper.” He doesn’t sound mad, he sounds concerned and it's that distinction that propels me to the empty seat beside him.

Without saying a word, I sit down, leaning my head against his shoulder as his arms encase my body, sending a sense of warmth through my veins.

“This memory isn’t something I talk about… to anyone,” I admit.

He says nothing, his arms tightening as his lips brush my temple. “You can tell me as much or as little as you want. I just want you to let me in. I hate that I can’t fix this…”

I take a shuddering breath, realizing how long I’ve waited for someone to say those words to me.

“You won’t be able to fix this, Josh. Trust me. Years of therapy haven’t gotten rid of the nightmares.”

He leans back, our eyes meeting and the sense of helplessness that surrounds me is almost overwhelming, so I do the one thing that seems to always calm me down. I lean in and lightly kiss his lips, basking in their softness and I steel myself for what’s about to come out of my mouth.

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AUTHOR BIO

S.A. Clayton lives in a small town outside of Toronto, Canada with her husband and her scary large collection of books that seem to take over every room.

She has worked on both sides of the publishing industry, both in a bookstore and for actual publishing companies. Although she loved both for different reasons, she found that writing was her true passion and has spent the last few years breaking into the industry as best she can.

She is a lover of all things romance and began her writing journey in her late twenties. Since then, she has immersed herself in the romance genre and couldn't be happier.

When she's not writing or reading, she enjoys binging a great Netflix show (Stranger Things anyone?), baking (because who doesn't love cookies!) and spending time with her family.

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Fourth Down (Portland Pioneers, #1) by Heidi McLaughlin

Title: Fourth Down

Series: Portland Pioneers #1

A Beaumont Series Next Generation Spin-off

Author: Heidi McLaughlin

Genre: Contemporary Sports Romance

Release Date: August 10, 2021

BLURB

From the New York Times bestselling author of Forever My Girl: The Motion Picture, Heidi McLaughlin delivers a contemporary romance that will leave you dancing in the end zone!

Autumn LaRosa has been playing defense since the moment she met Julius Cunningham. After accepting a position as a meteorologist in Portland, she strives to make a good first impression. Then she meets the arrogant wide receiver who belittles her in front of her new friends. She could have walked off the sting of his bitter words, but he keeps showing up in her social circle.

Now, she is determined to meet him at the line of scrimmage and prove she’s not one to back down.

Julius Cunningham is well aware there’s a flag on the play after his harsh words to Autumn. The more he sees of Portland’s new weather girl, the clearer it becomes his judgments of her were unfounded.

But how can he call a timeout on the animosity he created?

When Autumn attends a charity event with the Pioneer players, she sees an opportunity too tempting to resist. Julius looks miserable being a part of the date auction, making it even more fun for Autumn to bid. Will she use the opportunity for some good old-fashioned payback? Or will this be their fresh start at the twenty-yard line?

Get ready for the snap and sprint for the end zone because Autumn and Julius are headed for either a tackle or a touchdown!

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EXCERPT

Everything in the room is white. The couch. The rug. The walls. Even the television has a white border around it. The mantel over the fireplace—white. Same with the picture frames. Everywhere I look, it’s all I see. The living room is supposed to be inviting, welcoming, and yet it feels stressful. I’ve never been the type of person who asks their friends to take off their shoes when they come into their home. I find it rude, but I also respect it if my friends ask me. When you come into my house—well, my soon to be former home—your shoes must be off. Not only off but left outside.

I sit on the couch, with its white pillows, and rest my ankle on my knee. My shoes are on because I’m bitter and angry at the world, the situation I’m in, and my wife. Mostly her, which probably isn’t fair, but her actions have put us in this position.

Elena comes into the room and sighs heavily. I know why and I don’t care. I continue to stare out the window at the blue sky. Elena and I met in college. I was on a full scholarship at the University of Alabama, playing wide receiver, and she worked for my favorite clothing store. I wish I could say it was love at first sight, but it was fear that brought us together. I had been in her store when a tornado warning sounded. Everyone in the store took shelter, except Elena. She stood in the middle of the room with nothing but sheer panic on her face. Her co-workers tried to coax her into the back room, but she was frozen. I went to her, scooped her up, and carried her to the back. She clung to me until the warning was over. The entire time I just talked to her about my life, football, my hopes, and dreams. She told me she moved to Alabama to go to school, but her financial aid fell through, and she was too embarrassed to go home and ask her parents for money. They didn’t want her moving south to begin with, and told her she was making a mistake. She needed to prove them wrong.

After that day, we started hanging out. She’d come to the dorm, help me with my homework, and I’d invite her to games. Our friendship turned romantic a few months later, and after a couple of years of dating, I asked her to marry me. I thought I had found my soulmate. It turns out I was just her meal ticket to stardom.

It’s funny when you’re in a life and death situation. You say a lot of things to the people around you. For me, I’ve always dreamed of playing professional football. I worked my ass off in college to achieve my dream. Elena’s dream was to work in marketing or advertising. That was until we started dating seriously, and her social media skyrocketed. Then, her dream was to become an influencer and eventually a model. I supported each change in her career wholeheartedly because I wanted her to be happy, and I was in love with her. I thought she was in love with me. She told me we had to have a house in Orange County even though we lived in Portland, Oregon. At first, I didn’t understand why but still gave her what she wanted. Everything became clear when some reality TV show about wives announced she was joining the cast. The show was a hit. Her fame grew. And suddenly, she wanted to be an actress. By now, through all of this, we have two children and are splitting our time between Portland, Huntington Beach, her parents in Delaware, and mine in Michigan. An endless cycle of traveling. I tried to talk to her about it. I tried telling her something had to give. At first, she was defensive, telling me I was trying to stifle her creativity. Then she said if I really loved her and the kids, I’d ask for a trade to one of the teams in California. When I told her no, she uttered the word I never thought I’d hear—divorce.

My world was rocked.

AUTHOR BIO

Heidi McLaughlin is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling author of The Beaumont Series, The Boys of Summer, and The Archers.

Originally, from the Pacific Northwest, she now lives in picturesque Vermont, with her husband, two daughters, and their three dogs.

In 2012, Heidi turned her passion for reading into a full-fledged literary career, writing over twenty novels, including the acclaimed Forever My Girl.

When writing isn’t occupying her time, you can find her sitting courtside at either of her daughters’ basketball games.

Heidi’s first novel, Forever My Girl, has been adapted into a motion picture with LD Entertainment and Roadside Attractions, starring Alex Roe and Jessica Rothe, and opened in theaters on January 19, 2018.

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Fourth Down (The Portland Pioneers) by Heidi McLaughlin

Title: Fourth Down 

Series: The Portland Pioneers

Author: Heidi McLaughlin

Genre: Contemporary/Sports Romance

Release Date: August 10, 2021

Cover Design: Okay Creations.

‘I absolutely loved being back in the Beaumont world! Julius and Autumn make an amazing addition to the series.’ ~ Book Nerd13

From the New York Times bestselling author of Forever My Girl: The Motion Picture, Heidi McLaughlin delivers a contemporary romance that will leave you dancing in the end zone!

Autumn LaRosa has been playing defense since the moment she met Julius Cunningham. After accepting a position as a meteorologist in Portland, she strives to make a good first impression. Then she meets the arrogant wide receiver who belittles her in front of her new friends. She could have walked off the sting of his bitter words, but he keeps showing up in her social circle.

Now, she is determined to meet him at the line of scrimmage and prove she’s not one to back down.

Julius Cunningham is well aware there’s a flag on the play after his harsh words to Autumn. The more he sees of Portland’s new weather girl, the clearer it becomes his judgments of her were unfounded.

But how can he call a timeout on the animosity he created?

When Autumn attends a charity event with the Pioneer players, she sees an opportunity too tempting to resist. Julius looks miserable being a part of the date auction, making it even more fun for Autumn to bid. Will she use the opportunity for some good old-fashioned payback? Or will this be their fresh start at the twenty-yard line?

Get ready for the snap and sprint for the end zone because Autumn and Julius are headed for either a tackle or a touchdown!

Heidi McLaughlin is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling author of The Beaumont Series, The Boys of Summer, and The Archers.

Originally, from the Pacific Northwest, she now lives in picturesque Vermont, with her husband, two daughters, and their three dogs.

In 2012, Heidi turned her passion for reading into a full-fledged literary career, writing over twenty novels, including the acclaimed Forever My Girl.

When writing isn’t occupying her time, you can find her sitting courtside at either of her daughters’ basketball games.

Heidi’s first novel, Forever My Girl, has been adapted into a motion picture with LD Entertainment and Roadside Attractions, starring Alex Roe and Jessica Rothe, and opened in theaters on January 19, 2018.

To stay connected with Heidi visit www.facebook.com/authorheidimclaughlin or heidimclaughlin.com

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