REVIEW: LOVE AND OTHER GAMES by ANA BLAZE, MELINDA DOZIER, ARIA KANE, AND KARA LEIGH MILLER

Genre: Contemporary Romance (Anthology)
Publisher: Swoon Romance
Publication Date: 10/1/13
Format: ebook
Pages: 242
Source: Received from publisher for review
Rating: 3.5 stars

LOVE AND OTHER GAMES is a collection of four sexy new adult stories centered around athletes competing in the Winter Games by Ana Blaze, Melinda Dozier, Aria Kane, and Kara Leigh Miller.

Worth More Than Gold by Ana Blaze

Amy Pierce, the klutzy sister and manager of America’s Skating Sweetheart, is used to being invisible. But when a friend drags her to a party near the Olympic Village, Amy catches the eye of a sexy Norwegian ski jumper. It’s a magical night, but an awkward next morning has her running.

Everyone knows Erik Andresen’s best shot at an individual medal was back in 2010, before an injury pulled him from the competition. He’s there for his team, but a hot night and a remarkable final training session have him wondering if a gorgeous good-luck charm could give him another chance at the podium.

With a little bit of luck, these two might have a shot at something worth more than gold.

Trouble with Gold by Melinda Dozier

US snowboarder and notorious prankster, Ty (Trouble) Madsen is only getting a taste of his own medicine when his Olympic teammates shackle him to a fence wearing nothing but his boxers.

Reception and protocol volunteer, Nadia Hoffman, gets up close and personal with the sexy snowboarder to rescue him, but she's not the kind of girl who lets her hormones get in her way. A professional performance could help her land her dream job at Olympics Committee Headquarters, but her new assignment supervising the rambunctious US Snowboarding Team is making that difficult. Can she see behind the snowman in the community center bathroom and into the warm heart of the man everyone calls Trouble?

The Girl behind the Gold by Aria Kane

Greek aerial skier Lia Milonas’s parents are about to lose the family farm. Saving it means medaling and landing a huge sponsor. While her no-nonsense attitude has her well on her way to a medal, it hasn’t won her a place in fans' hearts.

“Come back with a story that will make readers cry, or don’t come back.” This is what Brandon James’ boss told him before he left New York to cover the Winter Games for Moment Magazine. With a wink and a smile, he can charm his way into any invite-only party, but that career-making story is nowhere to be found – until he meets Lia.

The two strike a deal that should get them both what they want - but neither would have guessed they’d also find what they need.

Ice Gold by Kara Leigh Miller

Colton Campbell thrives on the fast paced, adrenaline rushed lifestyle of being an Olympic hockey player.

Despite Brenna Jessup's abhorrence for the games and the athletes, she's hand-picked as the official photographer for the U.S. Olympic Hockey Team.

When a faux pas by Brenna almost costs Colton his career, she owes him. Too bad for her, Colton doesn't want apologies -- he wants retribution! And he knows just how to get it -- and her -- in the process.

I love the Winter Olympics so much; more than the Summer Games. I've always been fascinated by the skaters, dancers, skiiers, jumpers....And the fact that this anthology is set around the Winter Games made reading this a no brainer. The Olympics are coming next month (!), making this the perfect time to read Love and Other Games.

After the 2012 Olympics, I remember hearing about the insane amount of hook-ups and condom useage in the Olympic Village. Thousands of hard bodied athletes, not to mention all the extra people, in close proximity is sure to cause heightened and fast-paced feelings and actions. Taking that into account, the insta-lust, if not the love, is an easier pill to swallow. In Love and Other Games, we get four stories of these elite athletes having intense encounters with non-athletes, encounters full of raging lust that leave them wanting more, headed towards love.

All the stories in the anthology were fast-paced (duh) and sexy. They were also fun and charming. My very favorite story was Worth More than Gold, featuring a fun heroine and a dead sexy Norwegian. That one was sexy and made me laugh out loud several times. I would recommend the entire anthology based on that story alone. I also really enjoyed Trouble with Gold, which opened with a funny and humiliating prank. I did enjoy the two other stories as well, but the two mentioned really stood out in my mind. I really liked that all the stories were tied together by the superstition surrounding the lucky torch. That aspect gave a sense of cohesion that I appreciated.

If you're looking for a set of fun and sexy stories that will get you in the mood to watch hot athletes in spandex, give Love and Other Games a shot.



Favorite Quotes:

  The guy with the big hands and the sexy voice was named Erik and he was a skier. If the giant flag tacked to the ceiling was any indication he was a Norwegian skier. He was a Viking. She'd had Viking sex. That certainly explained the soreness in places she didn't know she had muscles.  ~ Worth More than Gold

  "Are you really going to 'Alexis' me when you spent the afternoon banging a giant on a train...in the bathroom? I love that part the best. How did that even work? He's huge. It was like seeing a clown car emptying when you came out.  ~ Worth More than Gold


  If this is what being bad felt like, she was ready to take a new notion in life. Words fell through her head as quickly as she skied down a bunny slope. Bad. Frivolous. Naughty. Fun. Trouble. If this was what it entailed, she wanted more. More of Ty. More Trouble.  ~ Trouble with Gold

 

 

  The instant their lips met, Lia's eyes slammed shut. His lips were full and warm against hers. A heady feeling flooded her brain, leaving her seemingly without conscious thought. His hand slipped over her shoulder to cradle the back of her head and the heady feeling exploded into a whirlwind of color and sensation.  ~The Girl Behind the Gold

 

 

  Cole trembled beneath her caress. "You really shouldn't have done that," he whispered against her lips before claiming them once more, deepening the kiss until he stole the breath from her body, making her weak and dizzy. It was a damn good things she was sitting because if she'd been standing, she would've collapsed.   ~Ice Cold

 

 

 

 

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About Ana Blaze
Ana lives just outside Washington DC with her very supportive husband and three rather demanding cats. She loves the ocean, Indian food, Ikea, and cooking. Ana admits to watching too much television and she swears that someday she’s going to learn how to play the guitar resting on the bookshelf in her office.

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About Melinda Dozier
Melinda lives in Guatemala, Central America with her husband and three boys. She teaches English to middle schoolers during the day and finds time to write at night. Melinda has always been an avid reader and writer, enjoys watching reality tv, blogs, and relaxes with Zynga games.

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About Aria Kane
Aria Kane is a recovering mechanical engineer and romance writer. As a military brat, she grew up all over the country, but now lives in sunny Florida with a 60 lb mutt who thinks he's a chihuahua. She's the author of ONCE UPON A DARKNESS and A TITAN FOR CHRISTMAS.

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About Kara Leigh Miller
Born and raised in the small town of Mexico, New York, Kara was an only child who was forced to find ways to entertain herself. Playing make believe with her Barbie dolls and stuffed animals was her first real taste of storytelling before she became old enough to develop a love affair with the written word.

In early 2010, Kara picked up her very first erotic romance novel, and she was instantly hooked. She loves to write contemporary romance, erotica, and young adult romance. Currently she has several full-length novels in the works, a series of novellas, and a handful of short stories. Kara is an active member of the CNY Creative Writers Café and the CNY Romance Writers.

Today, Kara resides in New Haven, New York with her husband, five kids, and three cats. When she’s not reading or writing, she’s thinking about reading and writing. And when she’s not doing that, she’s spending time with her family and friends.

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