Friday, February 12, 2010

The latest from Jill Shalvis - SLOW HEAT - she's giving away a copy!


You all know that I squee when my good pal Jill Shalvis has a new book out - SLOW HEAT is her current release and it is worth checking out, especially if you're a hopeless romantic! Obviously, it has a baseball theme but trust me, you don't have to be a baseball fan to enjoy it.

After a woman claims she's pregnant with Wade O'Riley's love child, Major League Baseball's most celebrated catcher and ladies' man is slapped on the wrist by management and ordered to improve his image. His enforcer is the team's publicist, the tough and sexy Samantha McNead.
When Wade needs a date for a celebrity wedding, Sam steps up to the plate as his "girlfriend." But given her secret crush on him and that one awkward night a year ago in a stalled elevator with too much Scotch, the whole thing is an exercise in sexual tension.
Wade is thrilled when the pretense turns into an unexpected night of hot passion. But the next day Sam is back to her cool self. As a catcher, Wade's used to giving the signals, not struggling to read them. Now, to win the love of his "pretend" girlfriend, he needs a home run -- even if it involves stealing a few bases...
Jill has an excerpt on her site - you can check it out here.
My review:
Wade O’Riley, catcher for the Santa Barbara Heat Baseball team, has landed himself in PR trouble and corporate sponsors are demanding that he clean up his act. Owners decide that no one can make Wade look better than Samantha McNead, the team's gorgeous, strictly business, publicist. Given their one-time alcohol-fueled tryst in an elevator a year before, Sam isn’t initially open to the idea. Turns out that Sam has no say in the matter and ever the professional, she's determined to make it work. Wade is still attracted to Sam and loves "messing her up" and making her squirm every chance he gets when they’re in public. Wade makes every attempt to appear laid-back and carefree, but there are complex layers to him and he’s surprised when Sam gets close enough to find and understand them.

Sam isn’t at all happy about acting as Wade’s girlfriend. She’s far too serious to act like just another one of his playthings. Not only does she have to “babysit” Wade, but serious family issues have Sam’s young nephew, Tag, being sent to stay with her. Tag is bent on driving her crazy, acting out as a cry for attention, and Sam is seriously stressed. She's in a constant state of sweet frustration between the two "men" in her life, but determined to take good care of Tag and show him the unconditional love that he so desperately needs. When it comes to Wade, her feelings aren’t quite so easy or understandable. It isn’t long before Wade and Sam’s attraction is undeniable and they both discover that there’s much more to the other than meets the eye.

Jill Shalvis writes the most delicious heroes and Wade O’Riley is no exception. Despite being a constant in baseball’s fast lane, Wade has painful secrets that are keeping him from finding true happiness. Sam appears a little starchy early on, but it isn’t long before readers see her vulnerability, just as Wade is finding them for himself. The two are like oil and water at first, but they quickly mix and it’s almost immediately obvious that there’s something powerful going on between them. I don’t typically care for children in my romance, but Tag is beautifully written as a somewhat neglected, emotionally needy little boy and Wade’s interaction with him is priceless, serving to make him even more endearing. Check out SLOW HEAT, I feel certain you'll be glad you did.


Jill is graciously offering a copy of SLOW HEAT to one lucky reader here (once she has copies) - thanks, Jill! If you'd like to be in on the draw, just leave a comment - preferably about Jill, her books, or her blog about family and fun in the Sierras. I'm going to let this contest run for a while and will announce an ending date in the next couple of days. There's plenty of time for you to get your name in and send your friends over - you know how that works, right? For every friend who comments and mentions your name, I'll throw your name in the hat an extra time!
Have a great weekend!
Laurie

26 comments:

Fedora said...

Ooh!! Hi, Laurie! I love Jill's books--this new series sounds really good (I haven't started it yet). I've been enjoying sports-related romances, and I know Jill's will be spectacular!

Hope you're having a terrific week!

acdaisy95 said...

Hi - I can't wait to read Jill's books. They sound great! Hope everyone have a happy Valentine's day!!!

Karin said...

I love Jill's books. I haven't yet read one I haven't wanted to keep reading. Her blog keeps me laughing. I always look forward to her new releases.

Anonymous said...

love Jill's book
hope for more blazes tooo
have a great weeknd all

very hot i love sports an d the themes of hot atheles

go Kings
Nba all star this weekend
kim h

Armenia said...

I need to start this series. And oh yes, love her blog, but I usually just lurk and laugh. Her blog is so funny sometimes.

armiefox at yahoo dot com

Jane said...

Congrats to Jill on the new release. I love Jill's books. My favorite is "Shadow Hawk."

Pat L. said...

I love Jill's books also. And I love sports books, particularly baseball.

And Jill runs a very funny blog on her website.

tetewa said...

Sounds like a good read, enjoy her blog she always makes me laugh!

Anonymous said...

I love Jills books also. This one looks wonderful.

Natalies Mama

Cheryl said...

Count me in, please. I love Jill's books. Her sense of humor always cracks me up, whether it's in her books or on her blog.

Cheryl S.

Anonymous said...

I love Jill's books and can't wait to read this new one. Her blog is one that I read on a regular basis. Love her entries and sense of humor.

Diana

オテモヤン said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
cheryl c said...

Oh, I just love Jill's books! And her blog is the best. :-)

Unknown said...

Wow, another great contest for Slow Heat!! Jill was a new author for me in 2009. I had read a few novellas from her but never a novel. So far I've read about 6 of her novels and they were all great!! I check her blog every day too, always funny!! Thanks, Sue

Karen B said...

I'm a big fan of Jill's and a faithful reader of her hilarious blog.

Anonymous said...

I enjoy all of Jill's books, and am a daily reader of her highly entertaining blog. :) It's great that one person's daily adventures can give so much enjoyment to so many others by reading about them!

Amy L

catslady said...

I've read many of Jill's books and have enjoyed them all!! I may not always comment but I read her blog daily - love her sense of humor!!

Chelsea B. said...

Great contest! I LOVE the cover to the book!

Emma said...

Have a great weekend!
I enjoy reading all of jill's books and her blog.Please enter me in the giveaway. augustlily06(at)aim(dot)com.Thank you.

CrystalGB said...

Hi Laurie. I love Jill's books and her blog. :) Slow Heat sounds so good. Love the cover.

Stephanee Ryle said...

I love Jill's books but haven't read this one yet. I would love to win it!

Laurie G said...

I love Jill's sense of humor along with the sexual chemistry that lights up the pages of her books! She's such a prolific writer that I'm sad to say, due to work, I've gotten behind. As I'm a sport's addict, I'd love to read her book Slow Heat!

As for her blog... her antics with bears! spiders! her dogs! her cookies! and her adorable family! her accident proneness! her ability to laugh at herself! BUNNY SLIPPERS!
Always a good time and chuckle!

I can so relate to her life with teenagers.

Love her book excerpts too!

Love her gorgeous pictures of Lake Donner and the pristine beauty of the Sierras!

Anonymous said...

I love Jill's books and her blog is hysterical.

Helen L.

Anonymous said...

I love sports related books and Jill is one of my favorite authors. Would be so happy to win this book.

Rosie G.

Laurie D. said...

What a great turnout for Jill! Thank you all for taking the time to stop and comment! I'll let this giveaway run at least through the weekend, so be sure to send your friends over for an extra chance to win!

Barbara said...

Nice review laurie. Don't enter me in this contest as I have already purchased this book and am anxious to read it.

Yours is the first review I have read that has not mentioned anything about the "abrupt ending" to this book. Everyone liked the book but apparantly they felt the ending was just"there" and there was no build up to the end so to speak.

I love Jill and her writing and will still read her anyway but I thought that was interesting.