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New York Empires #1
Going All In
Going All In-
Professional hockey players Marcus, Alex, and Chris attend their team's Vegas Night fundraiser unaware their lives will change forever. Can they face their difficulties and win the most important game of their lives – the game of love? These guys are going all in…
HEDGING HIS BET: Cassandra Carr
Marcus Mitchell never thought he’d find the love of his life with champagne dripping from her shirt rather than walking the runway at Fashion Week like the models he usually preferred, but you can’t always plan these things. Annalise Alonso isn’t going to make it easy for him, though—he’s going to have to work for her love. Now, Marcus is taking a shot and hedging his bet on love.
CASTING THE DIE: Isabo Kelly
After she sees his murder in a vision, Nathalie Mendez has to warn star hockey goalie Alexander Semenov of the danger. To keep him alive, she risks exposing her many secrets. But once the die is cast, her biggest gamble involves her heart.
PLAYING HER GAME: Stacey Agdern
Melanie Gould has been dubbed ‘The Girl in the Lace Corset’. But she doesn’t always like to be the loud mouth defender of the romances she writes, and is definitely not good at playing the games relationships require. Of course, she’s never gone head to head with a guy like Chris Emerson. Chris is trying to behave, and someone like Melanie would destroy his plans to stay under the radar. So what happens when the ‘Girl in the Lace Corset’ and the NHL’s most infamous bad boy go one on one? Will they play her game? Will they play his? Or will they both end up in the penalty box?
Professional hockey players Marcus, Alex, and Chris attend their team's Vegas Night fundraiser unaware their lives will change forever. Can they face their difficulties and win the most important game of their lives – the game of love? These guys are going all in…
HEDGING HIS BET: Cassandra Carr
Marcus Mitchell never thought he’d find the love of his life with champagne dripping from her shirt rather than walking the runway at Fashion Week like the models he usually preferred, but you can’t always plan these things. Annalise Alonso isn’t going to make it easy for him, though—he’s going to have to work for her love. Now, Marcus is taking a shot and hedging his bet on love.
CASTING THE DIE: Isabo Kelly
After she sees his murder in a vision, Nathalie Mendez has to warn star hockey goalie Alexander Semenov of the danger. To keep him alive, she risks exposing her many secrets. But once the die is cast, her biggest gamble involves her heart.
PLAYING HER GAME: Stacey Agdern
Melanie Gould has been dubbed ‘The Girl in the Lace Corset’. But she doesn’t always like to be the loud mouth defender of the romances she writes, and is definitely not good at playing the games relationships require. Of course, she’s never gone head to head with a guy like Chris Emerson. Chris is trying to behave, and someone like Melanie would destroy his plans to stay under the radar. So what happens when the ‘Girl in the Lace Corset’ and the NHL’s most infamous bad boy go one on one? Will they play her game? Will they play his? Or will they both end up in the penalty box?
ebook
First published August 24, 2013
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About the author
Cassandra Carr
72 books443 followersCassandra Carr is a multi-award winning romance writer. When not writing she enjoys watching hockey and hanging out online. Cassandra's books have won numerous "Best Book Of" awards and her novella Unexpected Top was nominated in the E-book Erotic Romance category of RT's Reviewers' Choice Awards.
She thinks the best part of being a writer is penning stories about love and sex while most others struggle with commutes, micro-managing bosses and cranky co-workers.
Website http://www.booksbycassandracarr.com
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/AuthorCassand...
Twitter http://www.twitter.com/Cassandra_Carr
Email AuthorCassandraCarr AT gmail.com
She thinks the best part of being a writer is penning stories about love and sex while most others struggle with commutes, micro-managing bosses and cranky co-workers.
Website http://www.booksbycassandracarr.com
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/AuthorCassand...
Twitter http://www.twitter.com/Cassandra_Carr
Email AuthorCassandraCarr AT gmail.com
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
August 10, 2013
This book is an anthology featuring three hockey players. Each story can be read as a stand alone and showcase three different couples
Hedging His Bet by Cassandra Carr
Stars 3.5
Flames 3
Annalise Alonso is having a horrible day when she spills a tray of champagne filled flutes on Marcus Mitchell. Marcus is a highly respected hockey player and has tired of the women that are just trying to get his money or status. When he bumps into Annalise he is instantly attracted to her but he is afraid he won’t have a chance with her since he may have gotten her in trouble. With a little creativity he is able to get her phone number and then he won’t take no for an answer,
Marcus is a really sweet guy. As he pursues Annalise felt that she should have bent a little more about some things but others I can understand her holding her ground. She wasn’t a pushover and Marcus appreciated that. I did think that there wasn’t a lot of chemistry between the two however. I liked both characters but I just didn’t feel the heat. There is a nice sex scene between them where the heat is evident but in the scenes leading up to it, they were just lukewarm for me.
There was a lot of description of events told without the characters dialogue or input. But as it was a short it helped move the story along, giving the reader more information about the characters. However, sometimes I would have liked to read the scenes with the characters and not as the character remembered it. We get a brief glimpse at some of the characters from the other shorts so I am looking forward to their stories.
Casting the Die by Isabo Kelly
Stars 4
Flames 3
Nathalie Mendez is a fire-starting witch with psychic visions who works as a PT. If that wasn’t enough, she has a vision of Alexander Semenov being shot and knows she has to tell him to keep him safe. When she confronts him with her vision he automatically assumes she is connected to a man from his past that is trying to get him to throw games since he is on a winning streak. But since he has always had a thing for the PT he decides to use this to his advantage to pretend date her so they can be together often.
I really enjoyed Nathalie and Alex. I did wish that Nathalie wasn’t so resistant to Alex. She spends most of the book worried that her secret as a fire-starter would come out that she doesn’t let her relationship with Alex flow naturally. But that also made for some fun scenes where she is keeps him on his toes and makes him work to win her over.
They characters had great chemistry and I was pleased with how Kelly built the relationship and didn’t move them straight into bed. They dated a bit and built a foundation for a future before they took it to the next level. Again we see a scene where all the characters from the other books are present but it is told from Nathalie’s perspective this time. I did wish there had been a scene between her and Annalise from the first book as Nathalie was supposed to call her but we didn’t get to see that.
This is the first book I have read by Kelly and I really enjoyed it so I will be looking for more by her in the future. I like how all the books stand alone individually but have snippets from other stories to connect them.
Playing Her Game by Stacey Agdern
Stars 2
Flames 3
Chris Emerson is always the center of attention. He makes an effort to pull attention toward himself so that others that may not want it are able to be out of the lime light. This has gotten him in trouble with his coach. He has been given an ultimatum; stay out of the papers or he will be benched. But then he meets romance writer Melanie Gould known as the ‘Girl in the Lace Corset.’ She is an outspoken advocate of the romance genre and the people who read and write it.
I must say that I felt confused for a lot of the book. I don’t know why the coach was being a jerk, why it was such a big deal that he was in the papers and had paparazzi following him. Wouldn’t that be a good thing? More media attention meant more attention to the team thus more ticket sales. At least that is what I would think. And why did Chris always feel the need to pull attention. He didn’t really want it but would take it and it’s never explained why. If it was explained a little more how all of his attention was hurting the team I would have understood the story more.
I did like Mel and Chris together. They are fun and their senses of humors seem to match very well. There were several new secondary characters introduced as well. Mel’s sister and her boyfriend, a hockey player for an opposing team (also another random point of the story. Why mention this character? How is he significant? He seemed to confuse the plot more.)
Looking back I am just plain confused. The story had good points, the development of Mel and Chris’ relationship and such but then as things would be great a random event would occur that would throw me off. The lunch with the Mom after they had been on like one date? Why? I didn’t see how that mattered to the story. The hockey player boyfriend, also unimportant. They what some of the dialogue and scenes are set up were just plain confusing and I wondered ‘why?’ quite often.
Hedging His Bet by Cassandra Carr
Stars 3.5
Flames 3
Annalise Alonso is having a horrible day when she spills a tray of champagne filled flutes on Marcus Mitchell. Marcus is a highly respected hockey player and has tired of the women that are just trying to get his money or status. When he bumps into Annalise he is instantly attracted to her but he is afraid he won’t have a chance with her since he may have gotten her in trouble. With a little creativity he is able to get her phone number and then he won’t take no for an answer,
Marcus is a really sweet guy. As he pursues Annalise felt that she should have bent a little more about some things but others I can understand her holding her ground. She wasn’t a pushover and Marcus appreciated that. I did think that there wasn’t a lot of chemistry between the two however. I liked both characters but I just didn’t feel the heat. There is a nice sex scene between them where the heat is evident but in the scenes leading up to it, they were just lukewarm for me.
There was a lot of description of events told without the characters dialogue or input. But as it was a short it helped move the story along, giving the reader more information about the characters. However, sometimes I would have liked to read the scenes with the characters and not as the character remembered it. We get a brief glimpse at some of the characters from the other shorts so I am looking forward to their stories.
Casting the Die by Isabo Kelly
Stars 4
Flames 3
Nathalie Mendez is a fire-starting witch with psychic visions who works as a PT. If that wasn’t enough, she has a vision of Alexander Semenov being shot and knows she has to tell him to keep him safe. When she confronts him with her vision he automatically assumes she is connected to a man from his past that is trying to get him to throw games since he is on a winning streak. But since he has always had a thing for the PT he decides to use this to his advantage to pretend date her so they can be together often.
I really enjoyed Nathalie and Alex. I did wish that Nathalie wasn’t so resistant to Alex. She spends most of the book worried that her secret as a fire-starter would come out that she doesn’t let her relationship with Alex flow naturally. But that also made for some fun scenes where she is keeps him on his toes and makes him work to win her over.
They characters had great chemistry and I was pleased with how Kelly built the relationship and didn’t move them straight into bed. They dated a bit and built a foundation for a future before they took it to the next level. Again we see a scene where all the characters from the other books are present but it is told from Nathalie’s perspective this time. I did wish there had been a scene between her and Annalise from the first book as Nathalie was supposed to call her but we didn’t get to see that.
This is the first book I have read by Kelly and I really enjoyed it so I will be looking for more by her in the future. I like how all the books stand alone individually but have snippets from other stories to connect them.
Playing Her Game by Stacey Agdern
Stars 2
Flames 3
Chris Emerson is always the center of attention. He makes an effort to pull attention toward himself so that others that may not want it are able to be out of the lime light. This has gotten him in trouble with his coach. He has been given an ultimatum; stay out of the papers or he will be benched. But then he meets romance writer Melanie Gould known as the ‘Girl in the Lace Corset.’ She is an outspoken advocate of the romance genre and the people who read and write it.
I must say that I felt confused for a lot of the book. I don’t know why the coach was being a jerk, why it was such a big deal that he was in the papers and had paparazzi following him. Wouldn’t that be a good thing? More media attention meant more attention to the team thus more ticket sales. At least that is what I would think. And why did Chris always feel the need to pull attention. He didn’t really want it but would take it and it’s never explained why. If it was explained a little more how all of his attention was hurting the team I would have understood the story more.
I did like Mel and Chris together. They are fun and their senses of humors seem to match very well. There were several new secondary characters introduced as well. Mel’s sister and her boyfriend, a hockey player for an opposing team (also another random point of the story. Why mention this character? How is he significant? He seemed to confuse the plot more.)
Looking back I am just plain confused. The story had good points, the development of Mel and Chris’ relationship and such but then as things would be great a random event would occur that would throw me off. The lunch with the Mom after they had been on like one date? Why? I didn’t see how that mattered to the story. The hockey player boyfriend, also unimportant. They what some of the dialogue and scenes are set up were just plain confusing and I wondered ‘why?’ quite often.
August 25, 2013
I have read other books by Cassandra Carr and enjoyed them. I was very intrigued when I saw this book - which contains 3 novellas by 3 different authors.
Going All In is a remarkable, page-turning read. I love hockey so the combination of romance and hockey was a win-win. I thoroughly enjoyed the way the authors intermingled their stories. Yes, you can read them as stand-alones and not miss anything but they are great read one after the other.
I usually do not pick up novellas because they are so short, but this concept is definitely a winner! Three short stories but yet you feel as if it's one story.
Going All In is a remarkable, page-turning read. I love hockey so the combination of romance and hockey was a win-win. I thoroughly enjoyed the way the authors intermingled their stories. Yes, you can read them as stand-alones and not miss anything but they are great read one after the other.
I usually do not pick up novellas because they are so short, but this concept is definitely a winner! Three short stories but yet you feel as if it's one story.
May 23, 2017
Going All In is the first book in the New York Empires anthology series. And while I did enjoy the second anthology Icing the Puck more (and i can sum up the reason with one word: BROOOOODY), I found this group of stories to be entertaining! Simply put, I had a good time reading it and that's all you can ask for from a book.
Overall rating: 3.5 with a bump to 4 here on Goodreads.
Overall rating: 3.5 with a bump to 4 here on Goodreads.
June 17, 2020
5 stars for Going All In by Cassandra Carr, Isabo Kelly, Stacey Agdern
Amazing reads. The only way to read a series is by box set. Love Marcus and Annalise by Cassandra Carr. Love Alex and Nathalie by Isabo Kelly. Love Chris and Melanie by Stacey Agdern. Love these characters. Stories too short. Wanted more. Can't wait for the next instalment of New York Empires.
Amazing reads. The only way to read a series is by box set. Love Marcus and Annalise by Cassandra Carr. Love Alex and Nathalie by Isabo Kelly. Love Chris and Melanie by Stacey Agdern. Love these characters. Stories too short. Wanted more. Can't wait for the next instalment of New York Empires.
February 16, 2025
literally couldn't put it down. I actually enjoyed her writing style of the “interview style”. It was different from what I am used to obviously. Love a great hockey player story. Hot.
August 28, 2013
A copy of this book was provided by the authors for an honest review at SeductiveMusings.blogspot.com.
Hedging His Bet - Cassandra Carr
This first story is the key to setting up our understanding and expectations for the world of the New York Empires, a professional hockey team full of popular athletes and the oversized personalities each of them brings to the rink. The hero in this story is Marcus Mitchell, a player for the Empires who is known for his success on the ice and the series of gorgeous models on his arm in public. The Vegas Night fundraiser isn't really his thing, but his appearance is required as an obligation to the team. His night takes a more dramatic turn when Annalise Alonso accidentally douses him with champagne glasses from her overturned tray. He might have asked for her number just to make sure she didn't get stuck with his cleaning bill, but he also wants to get to know her better, and that includes doing everything he can to make her difficult life easier.
Annalise already has more than she can handle when Marcus becomes such a big part of her life so quickly, but she soon sees that he truly cares about her and her ongoing trust in his motives and concern grows into a love they both share. It was great to see their relationship progress and how Marcus was able to show his love for her in ways that nobody had ever done for her before. I only wish that their story had been longer.
Overall: 4
Sensuality: 3.5
Casting the Die by Isabo Kelly
The second story is about how Nathalie Mendez, a physical therapist who works with the Empires, tries to save their star goalie from being killed by an unknown assailant and in the process, finds her own true love. Alexander Seminov didn't get the nickname “The Wall” just because of his tremendous skills as a goalie. When Nathalie finally works up the nerve to let him know his life is in danger, he is determined to use this new connection as a way to get Nathalie to let him into her life in spite of her concerns about how such a relationship could affect both her job and her privacy. What he doesn't know is Nathalie is more than just a physical therapist with hands just warm enough to relax the tensest muscles. What she doesn't know is that Alexander’s resolve will not be denied and that their love is more than a match for any threat.
I loved how Isabo Kelly made me believe in everything that Nathalie was keeping a secret, and how it would all come together in an ending that was not only completely plausible but perfectly symmetrical in the context of the earlier story. Normally I’m a skeptic of paranormal elements in a contemporary story, but this one worked for me very well.
Overall: 4.5
Sensuality: 3.5
Playing Her Game by Stacey Agdern
The final story fills in the missing pieces from the other two with regard to the event at the Vegas Night fundraiser which indirectly caused Annalise’s tray to be upturned, and while it ultimately fit in well with the overall story arc, I did not like it as much as I had hoped I would
Chris Emerson is the star forward of the Empires but he’s got real issues with anger management and behaving appropriately in public. This makes him the guy all the tabloids want to follow around but it doesn't make him all that popular with anyone else. When Chris finds himself called upon to defend Melanie Gould, another notorious loudmouth and controversial romance author, from the rude threats of his teammate, he steps up to the challenge, including convincing her to spend some quiet time alone where nobody can interfere with the buzz of attraction they both feel. Playing Her Game is the story of how two strong personalities find that love doesn't have to be noisy and public to be real.
There are many reasons why Playing Her Game didn't work for me as well as the other two stories, not the least of which was the abrupt and frequent switches between the characters’ points of view, often referred to as “head-hopping”. I got mixed up more than a few times wondering who was doing what and when and had to go back and read some pages a few times to get back my bearings. There’s a lot going on in this story, and it might have benefited from some scaling back, but the overall arc gave it sufficient grounding to ensure that it was better for it to be included than not.
Overall: 3
Sensuality: 3.5
The pivotal event of “Going All In” is the New York Empires’ big Vegas Night fundraiser where three of their biggest stars each find their special woman to love, even if it’s not obvious to them at that moment. Each of the three stories take place in roughly the same period of time, and overlap during this and other events taking place during that timeframe. If it had been handled poorly, it could have ruined anticipation for each story in turn, but instead it provided context where it was needed, especially in the third one. I’m looking forward to seeing new titles from all three authors in the future.
Ratings for Going All In:
Overall: 4
Sensuality level: 3.5
Hedging His Bet - Cassandra Carr
This first story is the key to setting up our understanding and expectations for the world of the New York Empires, a professional hockey team full of popular athletes and the oversized personalities each of them brings to the rink. The hero in this story is Marcus Mitchell, a player for the Empires who is known for his success on the ice and the series of gorgeous models on his arm in public. The Vegas Night fundraiser isn't really his thing, but his appearance is required as an obligation to the team. His night takes a more dramatic turn when Annalise Alonso accidentally douses him with champagne glasses from her overturned tray. He might have asked for her number just to make sure she didn't get stuck with his cleaning bill, but he also wants to get to know her better, and that includes doing everything he can to make her difficult life easier.
Annalise already has more than she can handle when Marcus becomes such a big part of her life so quickly, but she soon sees that he truly cares about her and her ongoing trust in his motives and concern grows into a love they both share. It was great to see their relationship progress and how Marcus was able to show his love for her in ways that nobody had ever done for her before. I only wish that their story had been longer.
Overall: 4
Sensuality: 3.5
Casting the Die by Isabo Kelly
The second story is about how Nathalie Mendez, a physical therapist who works with the Empires, tries to save their star goalie from being killed by an unknown assailant and in the process, finds her own true love. Alexander Seminov didn't get the nickname “The Wall” just because of his tremendous skills as a goalie. When Nathalie finally works up the nerve to let him know his life is in danger, he is determined to use this new connection as a way to get Nathalie to let him into her life in spite of her concerns about how such a relationship could affect both her job and her privacy. What he doesn't know is Nathalie is more than just a physical therapist with hands just warm enough to relax the tensest muscles. What she doesn't know is that Alexander’s resolve will not be denied and that their love is more than a match for any threat.
I loved how Isabo Kelly made me believe in everything that Nathalie was keeping a secret, and how it would all come together in an ending that was not only completely plausible but perfectly symmetrical in the context of the earlier story. Normally I’m a skeptic of paranormal elements in a contemporary story, but this one worked for me very well.
Overall: 4.5
Sensuality: 3.5
Playing Her Game by Stacey Agdern
The final story fills in the missing pieces from the other two with regard to the event at the Vegas Night fundraiser which indirectly caused Annalise’s tray to be upturned, and while it ultimately fit in well with the overall story arc, I did not like it as much as I had hoped I would
Chris Emerson is the star forward of the Empires but he’s got real issues with anger management and behaving appropriately in public. This makes him the guy all the tabloids want to follow around but it doesn't make him all that popular with anyone else. When Chris finds himself called upon to defend Melanie Gould, another notorious loudmouth and controversial romance author, from the rude threats of his teammate, he steps up to the challenge, including convincing her to spend some quiet time alone where nobody can interfere with the buzz of attraction they both feel. Playing Her Game is the story of how two strong personalities find that love doesn't have to be noisy and public to be real.
There are many reasons why Playing Her Game didn't work for me as well as the other two stories, not the least of which was the abrupt and frequent switches between the characters’ points of view, often referred to as “head-hopping”. I got mixed up more than a few times wondering who was doing what and when and had to go back and read some pages a few times to get back my bearings. There’s a lot going on in this story, and it might have benefited from some scaling back, but the overall arc gave it sufficient grounding to ensure that it was better for it to be included than not.
Overall: 3
Sensuality: 3.5
The pivotal event of “Going All In” is the New York Empires’ big Vegas Night fundraiser where three of their biggest stars each find their special woman to love, even if it’s not obvious to them at that moment. Each of the three stories take place in roughly the same period of time, and overlap during this and other events taking place during that timeframe. If it had been handled poorly, it could have ruined anticipation for each story in turn, but instead it provided context where it was needed, especially in the third one. I’m looking forward to seeing new titles from all three authors in the future.
Ratings for Going All In:
Overall: 4
Sensuality level: 3.5
March 26, 2014
Hockey season may have already ended, but GOING ALL IN will make you beg for some ice to cool yourself down! New York Empires players Marcus, Alex and Chris are each taken by surprise when they meet the women of their dreams at a Vegas Night fundraiser. Follow their adventures of love in this steamy anthology.
Hedging His Bet by Cassandra Carr
Annalise Alonso is on the job as a waitress when a huge bald man sends her champagne tray crashing to the floor. Marcus Mitchell is struck by the sight of the tiny curvaceous woman in the white shirt dripping with bubbly and close to tears. Marcus feels something special for this woman, but Annalise can't understand why a rich, gorgeous man would pay any attention to a poor and damaged woman like her. But the harder Annalise pushes Marcus away, the more his protective instincts kick in, and he's determined to show her that she's the woman for him.
A true Cinderella story set in modern NYC, Hedging His Bet is both sweet and sexy. I absolutely loved Marcus' character, he was sweet and sexy yet tender and playful. I truly didn't get what he saw in Annalise, as pretty much every word out of her mouth was either short or said in exasperation. I couldn't connect with her at all, therefore I had a hard time getting behind their relationship as a whole.
The sex in the story was pretty good, quite vanilla but well written. The entire story was written well, but the strange and stilted dialogue along with a very abrupt ending left me desiring more out of the usually excellent Ms Carr.
Casting the Die by Isabo Kelly
Nathalie Mendez has a problem. She's had a vision of Empires goalie Alexander Semenov being shot and killed. When she tells him what she's seen, Alex wants to know why the team's sexy physical therapist is giving him a strange warning about a blackmailer he's told nobody about. Nathalie agrees to shadow Alex on his daily routine to see if they can figure out the location that she spotted in her vision, and as the two spend more time together, their feelings grow deeper. Can two extremely private people stop the threat against Alex without the press getting wind of their budding relationship?
I really enjoyed Casting the Die by Ms. Kelly. Nathalie was a terrific character, very down-to-earth yet passionate in all she does. Alex is the strong, silent type, and their chemistry is immediate and strong. The dialogue between the two is fantastic, very realistic and almost like foreplay sometimes.
I'm not typically one for paranormal elements in stories, but Ms. Kelly did an excellent job at weaving Nathalie's abilities into this story seamlessly. I did feel like there could've been more sexcapades between the pair, especially since their connection was so explosive, but overall I thought this was a great story.
Playing Her Game by Stacey Agdern
Trouble seems to follow NY Empires player Chris "Emo" Emerson, despite his best efforts to stay out of the spotlight. And keeping clear of the press is definitely what Chris needs to do while the Empires are on their winning streak. When Chris meets the "Girl in the Lace Corset", romance writer extraordinaire Melanie Gould, he can tell that this woman is different. Known for her wild, kick-ass image, Mel is absolutely not the woman Chris should be spending time with if he wants to stay out of the press, but neither can deny the immediate sparks that fly between them. When Mel's scandalous image threatens to derail Chris' attempts to lay low, the two of them have to come to terms with what exactly is important in life.
Playing Her Game was completely confusing and I ended up having to re-read portions of this story over and over just to try and understand what Ms. Agdern was trying to get across. It was difficult to really "get" why Chris needed to protect his siblings or what Mel did to make her so brazen. The sex in the book was okay, rather skipped over and dry. While Chris and Mel did share strong chemistry and I liked them together, I felt like I was missing a big piece of back story that would've given me more understanding of what was going on. Overall, I was disappointed in this lackluster addition to an otherwise decent book.
Hedging His Bet by Cassandra Carr
Annalise Alonso is on the job as a waitress when a huge bald man sends her champagne tray crashing to the floor. Marcus Mitchell is struck by the sight of the tiny curvaceous woman in the white shirt dripping with bubbly and close to tears. Marcus feels something special for this woman, but Annalise can't understand why a rich, gorgeous man would pay any attention to a poor and damaged woman like her. But the harder Annalise pushes Marcus away, the more his protective instincts kick in, and he's determined to show her that she's the woman for him.
A true Cinderella story set in modern NYC, Hedging His Bet is both sweet and sexy. I absolutely loved Marcus' character, he was sweet and sexy yet tender and playful. I truly didn't get what he saw in Annalise, as pretty much every word out of her mouth was either short or said in exasperation. I couldn't connect with her at all, therefore I had a hard time getting behind their relationship as a whole.
The sex in the story was pretty good, quite vanilla but well written. The entire story was written well, but the strange and stilted dialogue along with a very abrupt ending left me desiring more out of the usually excellent Ms Carr.
Casting the Die by Isabo Kelly
Nathalie Mendez has a problem. She's had a vision of Empires goalie Alexander Semenov being shot and killed. When she tells him what she's seen, Alex wants to know why the team's sexy physical therapist is giving him a strange warning about a blackmailer he's told nobody about. Nathalie agrees to shadow Alex on his daily routine to see if they can figure out the location that she spotted in her vision, and as the two spend more time together, their feelings grow deeper. Can two extremely private people stop the threat against Alex without the press getting wind of their budding relationship?
I really enjoyed Casting the Die by Ms. Kelly. Nathalie was a terrific character, very down-to-earth yet passionate in all she does. Alex is the strong, silent type, and their chemistry is immediate and strong. The dialogue between the two is fantastic, very realistic and almost like foreplay sometimes.
I'm not typically one for paranormal elements in stories, but Ms. Kelly did an excellent job at weaving Nathalie's abilities into this story seamlessly. I did feel like there could've been more sexcapades between the pair, especially since their connection was so explosive, but overall I thought this was a great story.
Playing Her Game by Stacey Agdern
Trouble seems to follow NY Empires player Chris "Emo" Emerson, despite his best efforts to stay out of the spotlight. And keeping clear of the press is definitely what Chris needs to do while the Empires are on their winning streak. When Chris meets the "Girl in the Lace Corset", romance writer extraordinaire Melanie Gould, he can tell that this woman is different. Known for her wild, kick-ass image, Mel is absolutely not the woman Chris should be spending time with if he wants to stay out of the press, but neither can deny the immediate sparks that fly between them. When Mel's scandalous image threatens to derail Chris' attempts to lay low, the two of them have to come to terms with what exactly is important in life.
Playing Her Game was completely confusing and I ended up having to re-read portions of this story over and over just to try and understand what Ms. Agdern was trying to get across. It was difficult to really "get" why Chris needed to protect his siblings or what Mel did to make her so brazen. The sex in the book was okay, rather skipped over and dry. While Chris and Mel did share strong chemistry and I liked them together, I felt like I was missing a big piece of back story that would've given me more understanding of what was going on. Overall, I was disappointed in this lackluster addition to an otherwise decent book.
February 7, 2017
3 good stories of finding love. 3 hockey players find their loves at a team event for charity. 1st is Marcus & Annalise, he falls for the catering waitress when he accidentally knocks a tray of champagne on her. Her life is anything but fun as an overworked amputee with a useless brother, nice & gorgeous guy Marcus decides that she is who he wants & will do anything for her much to her dislike. 2nd is Alex & Nathalie, he's had a thing for the physical therapist for a while & her for him. Their relationship is slow moving because she's afraid of publicity & losing the job she loves because of it & having her secret known. This one was just a little different with the introduction of Nathalie's secret. It also had the drama of stalking & kidnapping . 3rd is Chris & Melanie, she's a loud, very outspoken well known romance writer. Trouble follows both of them around constantly keeping them in the public eye. Chris needs to become less noticeable to keep his job & it works for a while until they're noticed together one night & all hell breaks loose. I enjoyed how all 3 stories ran at the same time frame & we see the other couples in each book. I only wish there had been an epilogue for us to see how things worked out for them.
August 13, 2013
Going All In is three novellas featuring three hockey players from the New York Empires Hockey Team. Each novella is by a different author with a subtle intermingling of characters between the stories, making it a truly intriguing read.
The first story is Hedging His Bet by Cassandra Carr. The story features a hunky hero who falls for the down in her luck heroine. I loved their character interaction and especially loved how Annalise wanted to solve her own problems even though Marcus was quite willing to solve them for her. Their romance was definitely my favorite out of all three stories.
The second story is Casting the Die by Isabo Kelly. I was a little surprised at first when the heroine Nathalie is introduced as a witch and we the readers quickly learn that she is a pyrokinetic. I wasn't expecting the paranormal element but it is so low key in the story that it actually seemed very believable and made the story all the more interesting for me. I really loved the hero Alex who quickly became smitten with Nathalie and loved how he turned their "fake" relationship into a "real" relationship without Nathalie realizing it.
The third story is Playing Her Game by Stacey Agdern. I liked the hero Chris and the heroine Mel but I will say the writing style was not my favorite. I liked the plot and the characters but I was confused several times. I am not good at reading between the lines and needed the plot written out a little more plainly for me. Nothing against the author, I'm just a speed reader and sometimes emotional writing styles get lost on me.
*I received an eBook copy from the author for purpose of an honest review and was not compensated.*
The first story is Hedging His Bet by Cassandra Carr. The story features a hunky hero who falls for the down in her luck heroine. I loved their character interaction and especially loved how Annalise wanted to solve her own problems even though Marcus was quite willing to solve them for her. Their romance was definitely my favorite out of all three stories.
The second story is Casting the Die by Isabo Kelly. I was a little surprised at first when the heroine Nathalie is introduced as a witch and we the readers quickly learn that she is a pyrokinetic. I wasn't expecting the paranormal element but it is so low key in the story that it actually seemed very believable and made the story all the more interesting for me. I really loved the hero Alex who quickly became smitten with Nathalie and loved how he turned their "fake" relationship into a "real" relationship without Nathalie realizing it.
The third story is Playing Her Game by Stacey Agdern. I liked the hero Chris and the heroine Mel but I will say the writing style was not my favorite. I liked the plot and the characters but I was confused several times. I am not good at reading between the lines and needed the plot written out a little more plainly for me. Nothing against the author, I'm just a speed reader and sometimes emotional writing styles get lost on me.
*I received an eBook copy from the author for purpose of an honest review and was not compensated.*
November 8, 2013
Although this is one book, it is broken up into 3 different stories (the stories do intertwine & overlap) written by 3 very distinct authors. This leaves me with the question...how to review it???
I will do my best.
First & foremost....I loved the entire storyline. All three hockey players meet the loves of their lives in very different ways but at nearly the same time. The trust that Marcus has to build with Annalise to get her to enjoy life is very well written. Marcus could have easily pushed too far & too fast and lost the girl but he didn't. Alex & Nathalie opening up to each other about their secrets was perfect for their storyline-I loved these two. Chris & Melanie were so much alike in the way they lived their lives they almost lost each other. I am a huge hockey fan, who has only read one book previously with a hockey storyline, so that alone made me want to read this.
I applaud all three authors in making this book very cohesive. The transition from one story to the next in this book is smooth & very well done, and the places where the storylines overlap, perfectly done! I highly recommend you pick up this book.
I will do my best.
First & foremost....I loved the entire storyline. All three hockey players meet the loves of their lives in very different ways but at nearly the same time. The trust that Marcus has to build with Annalise to get her to enjoy life is very well written. Marcus could have easily pushed too far & too fast and lost the girl but he didn't. Alex & Nathalie opening up to each other about their secrets was perfect for their storyline-I loved these two. Chris & Melanie were so much alike in the way they lived their lives they almost lost each other. I am a huge hockey fan, who has only read one book previously with a hockey storyline, so that alone made me want to read this.
I applaud all three authors in making this book very cohesive. The transition from one story to the next in this book is smooth & very well done, and the places where the storylines overlap, perfectly done! I highly recommend you pick up this book.
October 8, 2013
Hedging His Bet- I appreciate a good disability romance, as a disabled person myself. Marcus was forceful and take-charge, which was sexy. I liked that Annalise's disability was not a big deal to him. I felt bad for her, that she got teased as a child. Fortunately, I never had that problem. I liked that the novella read like a full-length novel. I was never left with a feeling of "That's it?" or "That felt like a really long first chapter.
Casting the Die-This is Nathalie and Alexander's story. They were both briefly introduced in the first story. Nathalie is a self-described "green witch". Say whaat! Oh and she can light things on FIRE! Very useful against bad guys...This story was quite funny.
Playing Her Game- I couldn't really get into this one. Melanie has an unfortunate incident at a team event and Chris rescues her.
All the novellas are intertwined. The characters all go to the same events. The perspective simply changes from one to the other.
Very sexy.
I received this ARC from My Daily Romance in exchange for an honest review.
Casting the Die-This is Nathalie and Alexander's story. They were both briefly introduced in the first story. Nathalie is a self-described "green witch". Say whaat! Oh and she can light things on FIRE! Very useful against bad guys...This story was quite funny.
Playing Her Game- I couldn't really get into this one. Melanie has an unfortunate incident at a team event and Chris rescues her.
All the novellas are intertwined. The characters all go to the same events. The perspective simply changes from one to the other.
Very sexy.
I received this ARC from My Daily Romance in exchange for an honest review.
August 3, 2013
Very cool theme, all stories revolve around each other with different characters. It revolves around three hockey players for the New York Empires.
We begin with Cassandra Carr’s Hedging His Bet - Marcus, a very prominent player for the Empires, he stumbles (literally!) across Annalise and their love story begins. He wants to provide and protect her, but she is a very independent woman, basically out of necessity. Little by little, they get to know each other and she starts to see that he really wants to provide without expecting something in return, other than her love. Very honest characters with flaws, loved their interactions
Isabo Kelly, Casting the Die
Stacey Adgern, Playing Her Game
Review forthcoming on the last two.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
We begin with Cassandra Carr’s Hedging His Bet - Marcus, a very prominent player for the Empires, he stumbles (literally!) across Annalise and their love story begins. He wants to provide and protect her, but she is a very independent woman, basically out of necessity. Little by little, they get to know each other and she starts to see that he really wants to provide without expecting something in return, other than her love. Very honest characters with flaws, loved their interactions
Isabo Kelly, Casting the Die
Stacey Adgern, Playing Her Game
Review forthcoming on the last two.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
September 25, 2013
This story revolves around 3 hockey players. 3 different stories that intertwine nicely. The storyline is fantastic. The little twists had me gasping! If I had to complain it would be to say I'd have loved to read more of each story.
Yes there was lots of sex in it... Which I loved:)
Here's the surprise of this book.... The 3 different stories was written by 3 different authors. Huh??? Are you sure?? That's what I kept thinking while reading this book. These authors did such a fantastic job with the storyline I wouldn't have known 3 authors wrote this. Well done... I do hope you are gonna write some more together for me to enjoy.
Received from author in return for an honest review.
Yes there was lots of sex in it... Which I loved:)
Here's the surprise of this book.... The 3 different stories was written by 3 different authors. Huh??? Are you sure?? That's what I kept thinking while reading this book. These authors did such a fantastic job with the storyline I wouldn't have known 3 authors wrote this. Well done... I do hope you are gonna write some more together for me to enjoy.
Received from author in return for an honest review.
July 6, 2016
Ice Melting x 3
I loved the intertwined storylines. I loved how the three authors gave such unique voices to each of their characters. I wish there had been a bit more editing. There were numerous places where words were omitted or out of order or two similar words were used side by side. For example, "She closed she her eyes." These definitely encouraged me to read the rest of the series even with a few bobbles along the way.
I loved the intertwined storylines. I loved how the three authors gave such unique voices to each of their characters. I wish there had been a bit more editing. There were numerous places where words were omitted or out of order or two similar words were used side by side. For example, "She closed she her eyes." These definitely encouraged me to read the rest of the series even with a few bobbles along the way.
October 9, 2013
I'm not typically a romance reader or a fan of hockey, but I really enjoyed these books.
Each story story follows one player and the woman he meets that change their perceptions, as you read each story, the characters from the previous stories lives start to overlap
Would highly recommend these well written books
Each story story follows one player and the woman he meets that change their perceptions, as you read each story, the characters from the previous stories lives start to overlap
Would highly recommend these well written books
October 1, 2013
I only read the first novella & didn't continue with the others.
December 21, 2013
A tempting threesome of hockey romances. Fans of the sport, as well as those who have never seen a game, will really enjoy this collection!
January 28, 2016
if you like erotica type romance with unrealistic men and women, here is your book..for me this was pathetic
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