Out Of The Game (In The Zone # 3)

Author:  Kate Willoughby
Release Date:  March 16, 2015

Synopsis

Alex Sullivan may be the San Diego Barracudas’ resident playboy, but he hasn’t been able to forget the woman who kissed him like her life depended on it ten months ago. When he sees her again at a teammate’s wedding, he can’t think of anything but spending more time with her. Preferably naked.   
 
Claire Marzano lost years catering to an overbearing husband, and she’s not going to answer to anyone ever again. A hot fling is just what she needs to get back in the game, and that’s exactly what sexy Alex offers—one wild long weekend away, with no promises or obligations.
 
But that one weekend changes everything. Despite knowing full well Alex isn’t the kind to ever commit, Claire is falling for him. And Alex secretly imagines a future with his strong, smart “accidental girlfriend.” Until a surprise announcement and an on-ice accident threaten to derail everything…or cause Alex to finally ditch his old ways and become the man Claire needs him to be.

If Alex sounds like he’s up your alley, here are the places you can find him.
Amazon | Carina Press | Kobo | B&N  | iTunes

 

Other books in the series

On The Surface (In The Zone # 1)
$0.99 on Amazon & Kobo
Amazon | Carina Press | Kobo | B&N | iTunes

Across The Line (In The Zone # 2)
Amazon | Carina Press | Kobo | B&N | iTunes

 

A message from Kate

Thanks so much for inviting me to your blog! I’m really excited to be sharing my book OUT OF THE GAME with your readers. The hero of this book, Alex Sullivan, has always had a special place in my heart. He’s cocky and snide and has a verbal filter but chooses not to use it a lot of the time. He’s a bad boy who loves the bachelor life and to tell the truth, I was a little worried people might find him to be a bit too much. Now that some reviews have been posted, I was right to worry. Some think he’s too immature and I’m fine with that because you know what? It sounds crazy, but readers sometimes think we the authors have total power over our characters, but really, sometimes we don’t.

Often, I will have a preconceived idea of what I want a character to be and what I want him to do and then find when I try to write scenes, nothing comes out. Really. I will try to write and nothing comes to mind. It’s extremely frustrating, but this is why I think if I tried to rein Alex in, he would have refused to do anything and I wouldn’t have a book.

Here’s a sample of the type of thing Alex does. In this scene, Claire doesn’t want anyone to know she and Alex made out a few months ago. Claire is in her car, and Alex is squatting next to the driver’s side talking to her through the open window.

Claire winced. “How did he know we…? Did you tell him?”
“No. He heard from one of the rookies.”
Oh God. This was her worst nightmare coming true. Had she been the topic of locker room discussion? An object of male ridicule?
Her heart pounding, she asked, “And how did that rookie know?”
“Hell, I don’t know. People in the bar saw us go in back, Claire.”
“So you didn’t say anything to anyone…”
“No. I did not.” He scowled at her. “I don’t go around bragging to people, if that’s what you’re implying.” He spoke slowly and deliberately. “And besides, nothing happened. You think I’m going to go around telling people we didn’t do anything? What’s the point of that?”
“I don’t know. Doesn’t that kind of thing go on in the locker room all the time? Maybe you lied to add to your street cred with the guys.”
He stood up, blew out a breath, then leaned down and looked her in the eye. The arctic expression on his face made Claire realize she’d crossed the line and his voice was low and intense. “For the record, I didn’t talk to anyone about what went on in that back room. If anyone says otherwise, they’re the ones who are lying. I don’t go around shitting on people’s reputations just to make myself look good and pardon me, but fuck you for suggesting it.”

See what I mean? He says “fuck you” to the heroine! That is not hero behavior. That is not the kind of guy romance readers want as their book boyfriend. But as I wrote him, he would not be tamed. Claire was the only woman who could do that (sort of.) She helps him grow quite a bit, but if you read the book, you’ll see at the end, he retains his rakish “charm.”

 

About Kate

Hi! I’m Kate. I’m a writer. I’m a mom and wife. I’m also a coffee lover, conveniently employed by Starbucks. Make yourself at home. I can’t make you a delicious latte here, but I can tell you a story or two, if you let me.

Stalk Kate here

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