The Hardest Route, an all-new emotional and romantic standalone from A.S. Teague is available now!

Amazon US   |  Amazon Worldwide  |  Paperback

 

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Blurb

My friends used to tell me ‘What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.’ Clearly, they lied because a few months later, I found out my one-night stand was pregnant.

I couldn’t handle a baby. I was Griffin Rockwell, the best wide receiver the league had ever seen. But what choice did I have? My baby girl was coming whether I was ready for her or not.

Brooke turned out to be an amazing woman and mother. For seven years, we were the MVP’s of co-parenting—and even better friends.

That all changed when tragedy struck our makeshift family and I was faced with the terrifying possibility of losing the one woman I was quickly realizing I couldn’t live without.

I was at the height of my career and on the path to becoming the greatest of all time.

But keeping my family together, with Brooke by my side, might prove to be the hardest route of all.

 

 

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Review

4.5 stars!

From the moment I read the blurb for this book I was so excited to read it, and it was just what I was hoping for – sweet, fun, emotional and gorgeously romantic. The storyline is super cute, and I couldn’t put this book down, finishing it in the early hours of the morning. It’s my first read by this author, and I loved it!

Brooke and Griffin meet in Vegas where they are holidaying separately with friends. Straightlaced and ‘vanilla’ Brooke has been dragged away to have some fun by her best friend, and Griff and his four buddies are there celebrating the fact that they’ve been drafted into the NFL. Sparks fly, and Brooke and Griff share a hot night together before she sneaks away in the morning, wanting to avoid an awkward goodbye. Neither of them ever expected to see each other again, but months later Brooke learns that her very first one-night-stand has resulted in an unexpected pregnancy, and when she tracks Griff down to let him know, he is right there by her side, all-in and determined to be there for everything and raise their baby together as friends.

I pulled away and looked into the face of the woman who had just given me the greatest gift I never knew I wanted. “I don’t care what it takes. We are going to be the two best parents this baby will ever know.”
She dipped her chin as a tear rolled down her cheek. I caught it with my thumb and stroked her chin.
“We can do this, Griff.”
I kissed her forehead. “We can totally do this.”

I loved the way both Brooke and Griff handled their difficult situation. There’s no hiding anything, no messing around or game playing. They are both loving, dedicated and committed parents, and though they clash (as all parents do), they have the best interests of their daughter at the forefront of everything, and they work hard to make it work – despite living in separate states and the harsh demands of Griff’s NFL career. For years they rock the long-distance co-parenting thing, raising a healthy and happy little girl, talking every day and becoming a pivotal part of each other’s lives, and developing their own unique little family. Best friends… until one day they’re not.

My heart told me what my head refused to admit.
There was something between Brooke and me. And fuck if I didn’t want to see it grow now that the seed had been planted.

It’s a sudden shift, but it’s one that’s been a long time coming, and when Griff realises what has been in front of him all of this time, he pulls out all of the stops to win the girl who owns his heart.

“Brooke, we’ve never only been Allie’s parents. Whether we realized it or not, we were always together.”

“You better believe that everything is about to change.”

It’s fun, sweet and beautifully romantic, and with Griff’s charisma and the simmering chemistry between them, and the fact that he’s fighting hard and refusing to take no for an answer, it doesn’t take long for Brooke to examine her own feelings.

The corner of Griff’s eyes crinkled as he smiled over the top of our daughter’s head. “There is nowhere else I would rather be than here with my two girls.”
A mere three hours ago, I would have bristled at him calling me one of his girls.
We were just friends who happened to share a child.
But as I stared into eyes that burned with a longing I felt deep inside. I knew the truth.
I was his girl.
And I had been for a long time.

I loved this romance! It’s sweet, natural and passionate as Brooke and Griff act on all of their pent-up feelings, and I loved watching everything change for them.

“You were more than I could have asked for, and you’ve been right in front of me the whole time, and I didn’t even see it.”

But life takes a vicious twist, putting the new couple to the test before they can even enjoy their new happy. They have a battle on their hands and they’re going to have to dig deep to get through it and find the HEA that they both so desperately want. It’s an emotional ride that had me tearing up more than once, but I love the way it was handled, and I was glued to my kindle as it all played out – the feels enhanced by the fierceness of these characters and their beautiful, intense feelings for each other.

“You are the absolute love of my life. Somewhere, deep down, I think I’ve always known that I loved you.”

I love these characters so much, and little Allie is just adorable. Any scene with her and Griff together just melted me! And Brooke and Griff’s friends are just fantastic! Supportive, but no-nonsense, teasing and so, so funny, Brooke’s best friend and Griff’s football buddies are a great bunch and I’m hoping that this book becomes a series so that we get stories for each of them. The seeds have already been planted, and I’m excited by the possibilities! And, even though there’s an epilogue which finishes off Brooke and Griff’s story beautifully, I’m desperate to see more of them!

This is such a great read. A beautifully heartfelt sports romance that completely captured my heart.

I loved it! 4.5 stars.

An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

 

The Hardest

 

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Excerpt

“I like it when you call me Griffin.” His gaze settled on my mouth, and my heart sped up. I recognized that look in his eyes. It was the exact same look he’d had before he’d kissed me in Vegas. It might have been seven years ago, but when a man looks at your lips like he wants to explore every inch of them without stopping for air, you don’t forget it.

Before I had the chance to say something smart in response, he leaned in, his large frame crowding mine.

My traitorous eyelids fluttered shut. I willed them to open, but they refused to obey.

There was less than a moment’s hesitation, and then his lips were brushing mine.

If he’d had any reservations for that split second before our mouths met, they were nowhere to be found now. His hand fisted my hair, his fingertips on my scalp eliciting a moan that came from somewhere deep within me.

When his tongue licked at the seam of my lips asking for entrance, there was no question of whether I should let him in or not. They parted, and our mouths moved in rhythm with each other’s, his lips urging and persuading my own to follow suit.

And they did.

I was lost in the smell of him wrapped around me; the earthy scent that was all Griff combined with the heady feel of his hands in my hair caused every nerve ending in my body to come alive.

I moaned again as his hands traveled down my neck, his body pressing close into mine.

There were kisses, and then there was this.

This wasn’t a kiss, but a total melting of one body into another, and for a fleeting moment, I wanted to drown in the way it felt to have this man worshipping my mouth, his hands desperate to touch more of me but content to take what he could get in a hotel lounge.

Our night together in Vegas had been electric, full of lust and desire, but this was something different entirely. This was magnetic, like we were being pulled together by some unseen force that we were both powerless to stop.

And it was that realization that caused me to pull away and gasp for a breath that I didn’t really want.

What I wanted was Griff’s mouth.

His lips on mine.

On my neck.

On my breasts.

Every fucking where.

I couldn’t pull my eyes open to face the man who was supposed to be just a friend, so I gripped the edge of the bar, my chest heaving as I asked, “What was that?”

 

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About the Author

A.S. Teague enjoys the warmth of South Carolina with her husband and two daughters. The stereotypes about peach cobbler and sweet tea are not overstated. After years in the medical field, she is now enjoying every minute of being a stay-at-home mom. She loves wine, the beach, wine on the beach, and crying at Disney movies. When she doesn’t have a book in her hand, she can be found pestering her husband with pictures of animals she wants to rescue, as well as debating whether to exercise or take a nap.

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