“A.S. Teague brings the feels with this one, y’all. The Hardest Hit is the kind of book that sinks its claws into your heart and doesn’t let go. Five well-earned stars from me.” -LK Farlow, Amazon bestselling author

The Hardest Hit, an all-new emotional, single dad romance from A.S. Teague is available now!

Kindle Ebook  |  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 there was no way the chemistry I had with Mel could ever be left behind.

However, my children, her career, and nine hundred miles between us meant that for seven years, Melanie Holstein was the one who got away.

I was Aiden Shaw, first-round draft pick turned the best quarterback the league had ever seen. I worked hard to secure my position in football history while balancing life as a single dad. Through it all, my Vegas spitfire was never far from my mind.

And considering her best friend was now with my best friend, it was pure and utter torture.

When my career took a devastating turn, Mel was the first person at my side. I was broken and defeated, but that stubborn woman was determined to piece me back together.

I liked to pretend Mel and I were destined for greatness, but Lady Luck had never been on our side. And the tragedy that followed might have been the hardest hit of all.

 

 

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Review

“I’ve been on my knees for you since the first time I saw you”

4 stars!

This is a great read. A sweet, dramatic, heartfelt and slow-burning love story between an NFL superstar and single father, and the one who got away.

Although it’s not flagged as being part of a series, please note that this book is a follow on from The Hardest Route, featuring previously introduced characters and focussing on the same group of friends with quite a bit of crossover.

Eight years ago, Aiden and Mel met in Las Vegas. They shared an instant attraction, and a night together spent talking and getting to know each other formed a strong connection that left them both wanting more and feeling like they were on the precipice of something momentous. But life had other ideas, and circumstances (and distance) kept them apart. They kept in touch over the years, trying to reconnect, but it never happened.

“You were the fucking girl that got away, you know that? You were the one who just slipped right through my stupid fingers.”

Now their best friends (the couple from The Hardest Route) have hooked up and are living their blissful ever after. Aiden hasn’t given up on Mel, but after years of being jerked around, she’s tired of it and pulls the plug once and for all. But when the unthinkable happens, Mel drops everything to be by Aiden’s side when he needs her. He may not acknowledge that he needs her, and it may be the worst possible time for him, but Mel is determined to be there for him, and not to let another chance pass them by.

“What an evil stroke of irony that the one woman I’d always wanted finally came available when I was no longer capable of doing a fucking thing for her.”

This is a bit of an angsty journey. Aiden and Mel have a lot of history, and there have been a lot of stupid decisions and miscommunications over the years. They’re pretty much starting at rock bottom trying to find their way forward, and there is some push and pull between them, but thankfully there’s always at least one of them pushing for more, and they slowly start to find their way forward.

“It’s never been enough when it came to you. Not once. But I think I’ve proven my patience up until this point. I can wait a little while longer while you finally come to terms with the fact that you and I are meant to be together.

It’s a really gorgeous love story, sweet, sexy and heartfelt. I love that they don’t hold back on what they are feeling, and once they get past their crap, it’s blessedly functional, and just in time, too, because life is about to hit them with major twists and turns, and it’s going to take all of the strength they have to make it through.

“Whatever this is, destiny, fate, some cosmic pull, or just a fuck lot of intense chemistry, we’re connected. We just have to decide what to do with it. And I choose you. I choose us.”

I really enjoyed this book. I loved Aiden and Mel as characters, I loved how no-nonsense they were with each other, and I thought their love story was really beautifully written. I also really loved Aiden’s boys – they are fantastically fun, and the relationship they had with their Dad was so, so beautiful to see!

There is time spent with Griff and Brooke from the previous book, and we get to spend a bit of time with Aiden and Griff’s group of friends, especially Quinn, who I suspect will be the next to have his story told.

I loved this one, and I’m looking forward to more.

4 stars.

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

 

The Hardest

 

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Excerpt

“Fine. I won’t argue anymore.” Brooke finally relented to letting me loan her more money so that we didn’t have to leave so early.  But suddenly, leaving didn’t sound like such a bad idea.

My face split into a grin, and I swayed toward her, whispering, “That’s my girl. Now, don’t be obvious, but there is a fuckin hottie at the table across from us who has been eyeing you since we sat down.”

I didn’t mention that I only knew he’d been eyeing her because I’d been having some serious visual foreplay with his buddy.

Brooke looked to the craps table where five men were cheering every time their numbers hit, clapping each other on the back and whooping. Her jaw dropped and I giggled.

After a full thirty seconds of her staring open-mouthed across the smoky area, she blinked and I hissed, “Yessssss.”

“I… um… think he’s looking at you.”

“Pshhhh.” I elbowed her and glanced back over to where both men had stopped what they were doing and were watching us almost expectantly. “That’s all you, girl. The guy beside him is a different story. Mister Dreamy over there, though, only has eyes for Brooke.”

“Who’s Brooke?” she whispered.

I couldn’t stop the sharp burst of laughter that erupted from my lips, and she grabbed her wine glass and drained it in one swallow.

I grabbed my own and followed her lead. Game on!

“Shit, I think I just had an out-of-body experience,” she whispered.

I scooped up my pile of chips and dumped them into my clutch. “Hopefully, you’ll have another one later tonight. Let’s go talk to them.”

“No, no, no,” Brooke objected as I dragged her by the arm to the group of guys. “Mel, stop. We can’t just…”

I gave her a gentle shove and she teetered on her heels, careening right into the back of the guy who had been watching her. And when he turned, I knew that my work there was done.

It was time to go take care of my own business. 

“See something you like?” I asked, stopping in front of my date for the evening, whether he knew it or not.

He leaned in close and whispered in my ear, “I’ve never seen anything so breathtaking in my life.”

I tipped my head back to look at him, a response frozen in my throat.

The side of his mouth hitched as he stared down at me, his thick lashes giving a spectacular show.

I braced for what he was going to say next. Sexy as he was, I still needed him to have a personality, or it would never work… not even for a one-night stand.

He wedged a hand in the pocket of his jeans and murmured, “That took you long enough. I was worried I’d lost my charm and I was going to have to summon a smoke signal in order to ask you out.”

My brows shot up and a smile curled my lips. “Walking over to me probably would have been easier.”

“Maybe. But then I would have missed the view of those sexy legs as they carried you over here.” He leaned in close. Not touching me physically, but his proximity was a tangible caress of its own. “Trust me when I tell you, it was well worth the wait.”

My breath hitched as he leaned away, that seductive grin still firmly in place. 

“I’m Aiden. And you are?”

Whoever the hell you want me to be.

“Mel. Er… Melanie. Whatever. I answer to both.”

He nodded, his gaze dropping to my mouth. “Nice to meet you, Mel.”

That was the exact moment I realized that I’d been wrong. It wasn’t Lady Luck who had been on my side. For the way my entire body was heating, this man had to have been the work of the devil himself.

And I was completely okay with 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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