The Hot Shot
(Game On, #4)

by Kristen Callihan

Released April 17, 2017

Amazon | iBooks | B&N | Kobo | Paperback

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Blurb

First we were friends. Then we were roommates. Now I want more…

What can I say about Chess Copper? The woman is capable of bringing me to my knees. I know this about five minutes after getting naked for her.

No one is more surprised than me. The prickly photographer my team hired to shoot our annual charity calendar isn’t my usual type. She’s defense to my offense, a challenge at every turn. But when I’m with her, all the regrets and darkness goes away. She makes life fun.

I want to know Chess, be close to her. Which is a bad idea.

Chess is looking for a relationship. I’ve never given a woman more than one night. But when fate leaves Chess without a home, I step up and offer her mine. We’re roommates now. Friends without benefits. But it’s getting harder to keep our hands off each other. And the longer we live together the more I realize she’s becoming my everything.

Trick is… Now that I’ve made her believe I’m a bad bet, how do I convince her to give this player a true shot at forever?

Find The Hot Shot on GOODREADS

 

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Review

5 “perfectly imperfect” stars

“I think no matter how my life played out, I would have found you. I would have loved you.”

I love the Game on series by Kristen Callihan and The Hot Shot is another fantastic addition to it.  This friends-to-lovers story, full of heart, humor and heat, is sure to make you smile, swoon, and fall in love.

Finn and Chess were both introduced in the previous book, The Game Plan.  Finn is “the quarterback, the designated king” of the New Orleans NFL team. Chess is the photographer booked for the annual charity photo shoot featuring the New Orleans football players, including Finn. Did I mention that the football players are naked for this shoot?!

The minute Finn sees Chess he’s thrown off-kilter. He feels a pull to her that he can’t explain and she is getting under his skin quickly. Chess is attracted to Finn who is totally unlike the guys who usually pique her interest but there is something about him that makes her take notice.

Though the attraction is there they refrain from acting on it and a solid friendship forms. Then, Chess is left homeless after a house fire takes everything from her and when Finn learns of her situation, he offers her a place to stay. Everything is good between them as roommates until they have to pretend to be dating for a weekend, and when the feelings they’ve bottled up inside are let loose, things drastically change between them.

OMG! This series just keeps getting better and better. With unique and fun characters like Chess and Finn, there is no way I wouldn’t love this book. It’s a great rendition of a “friends-to-lovers” story that touched my heart and made me completely smitten with the characters.

I absolutely adore Finn. He has such a huge heart and is so different with Chess that I knew his feelings before even he realized them. His tenderness, gentleness, and intensity all made my heart sing, and the things that come out of that man’s mouth are totally swoon worthy.

“I said I wouldn’t push you, and I meant it. But one day, Chess, you’re going to feel safe enough to let go. And I’m going to be there to catch you when you fall.”

Chess has such a fun personality. She is sassy, fiery, and can hold her own. I enjoy her independence, strength, and bravery. I love her unconditional support and understanding for all things Finn and I understand how she fell for him because I did too!

Chess and Finn are strong characters on their own but they are utterly fantastic together. Chess is a goth chick and Finn is a pretty boy and on the outside you would think it impossible for these two to click. However, the depth of the characters and what is inside proves that first impressions are sometimes so wrong.

“Everyone in my life is connected to football. I don’t get true interactions very much. And, if I do, they’re fleeting. But I have them with you.”

Finn wants to be wanted for who he is on the inside not what people see on the outside which is why Chess is perfect for him. I love that they can be themselves with each other and the trust and understanding that grows between them is breathtaking. There is a comfortableness surrounding them and I love that they can laugh and just be together. Their open communication makes their relationship stronger and because both Finn and Chess have pasts that have affected them completely, the things they need to work through are painful but crucial if they want to make it as a couple.

Though complete opposites, their relationship works and works well. It is realistic and feels natural. From the start they enter the “friend-zone” and thus begins a chemistry-filled friendship. The banter is hilarious and kept a smile on my face. They give as good as they get and constantly bicker, but it’s fun and lighthearted and not at all forced.

The chemistry is sizzling and the sexual tension is off the charts as these friends try to stay within the parameters they set. But as their feelings grow, they move into unfamiliar territory that shows confusion and fear of the unknown. I love how honest and vulnerable they were as they navigated their new relationship. The slow burn romance was done especially well and made for a believable progression to more.

I did not know what true joy was until Finn. Every emotion I’m capable of having amps up with him. I feel. I live. I breathe. The world is more real when he is there.
He wants to just be. Not think. I don’t know if I can. But, for Finn, I’ll try.

The epilogue was perfect. Seriously, hours later I am still smiling. Overall, it’s another fantastic romantic comedy and I can’t wait for more!

*ARC generously provided by the author and InkSlinger PR in exchange for an honest review*

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The Game On series

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About the Author

Kristen Callihan is an author because there is nothing else she’d rather be. She is a three-time RITA nominee and winner of two RT Reviewer’s Choice awards. Her novels have garnered starred reviews from Publisher’s Weekly and the Library Journal, as well as being awarded top picks by many reviewers. Her debut book FIRELIGHT received RT Magazine’s Seal of Excellence, was named a best book of the year by Library Journal , best book of Spring 2012 by Publisher’s Weekly, and was named the best romance book of 2012 by ALA RUSA. When she is not writing, she is reading.

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE

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