Bishop Cordello lived by one WIN. He never lost a critical game, never failed a class, never had a girl turn him down. He’s been able to shift everyone’s attention to his wins instead of them digging into the past.
Kara Chamberlane’s laser-like focus in everything that she did was what set her apart from everyone else. Growing up under the weight of her family name was not easy, but she never allowed anyone to dampen her optimism.
The funny thing about life? It’s unpredictable.
When Bishop and Kara are brought together by a college class, neither of them could control the chemistry that sparked between them.
But what if their attraction could destroy the stability of the lives they’d carefully built? What if being together pushed everyone they love apart?
How do you justify loving someone who rearranges your whole world?
Sometimes the greatest loves aren’t the ones that withstand the test of time.
Sometimes...they are the ones that break under the weight of unimaginable loss.
*This book is intended for readers 17 and older due to sexual situations and mature language.
"I write because I love it and for no other reason. The minute I stop enjoying it will be the exact moment I will stop writing."
Anne Leigh is a 30-something-year-old who refuses to let the calendar dictate her age. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Biology and a Master's degree in Nursing. She likes to write about strong women and equally strong guys who grapple with their emotions when faced with something as intangible as love.
She lives in Los Angeles with her husband. With her crazy schedule, she gets frustrated at L.A. traffic and needs an escape to keep her sanity, which her characters provide.
She did not think of publishing her stories and when she finally did, she's truly appreciative of every, single person who found the time to let her characters become parts of their world.
She appreciates all the readers who leave kind comments/reviews on where they purchased the book because without them, all her stories would remain locked up in her computer.
If you’re looking for a different twist on a sports romance, then you need to one-click Graphite by Anne Leigh today! This book was one that I was unable to put down and a book I wish I could wipe away and re-read again so I could fall in love with the characters all over again!
Bishop and Kara are unlike characters I have ever read before. Both are from unique backgrounds and have some troubles in their pasts that they are running from. Bishop is now the top college rugby player in the US and as much as he loves his sport, and what he does, there’s something missing, he doesn’t know what it is until Kara walks into his life in his Quantum Mechanics class and he’s immediately enraptured by her. Kara has transferred to SDU in her junior year, from a well off family in Texas, and is now happy to be near her brother Rikko and her on again off again boyfriend Scott. She’s smarter than she knows and is just content in life. When she meets Bishop in Quantum Mechanics there’s a spark there, but she will never act on it. When fate steps in and these two keep appearing on one-another’s lives, they become great friends, and then Kara decides that her on again/off again relationship with Scott has run her course.. she goes for Bishop and it’s everything and anything she could ever imagine.
I adored watching the back and forth between Bishop and Kara, and seeing them try as hard as they could to stay friends, even though the attraction between them was undeniable, but once Kara was free, the gloves came off and Bishop did everything he could to win her over. I adored watching these two together and how much Bishop opened up to Kara and how Kara opened up to him. Bishop’s backstory was heartbreaking and watching him open up to Kara that night broke my heart for him, and seeing how Kara opened up to him made me see that these two truly belonged to one another, as well as maybe true love really does exist and not just in the fictional sense.
Of course these two run into some problems in their relationship, and not everything is perfect for them, watching them and how they handled it was interesting. I adored how Bishop wanted to be so protective of Kara, but Kara wanted to handle things on her own terms when it came to Rikko and Scott, but of course that’s now how it was able to happen. When other forces stepped in the way though, I was NOT thrilled with how things went down, but I will say how things ended up for them made me happy and even how others handled the situation made me happy and to see how far all the characters in this story grew and have come was awesome to see.
This story was beautifully written and flowed so well. I adored Kara and Bishop and I really didn’t want their story to end, but the way it ended was perfection. Anne Leigh did an amazing job with this book and I can’t say enough about this love story! If you haven’t grabbed Graphite yet, go grab it today! I really hope one day we’ll get to read Scott’s story and maybe Rikko’s as well as I believe both of them deserve to have a HEA and find love as well!
This book is the story of Kara and Bishop. Bishop is a college rugby player that is highly intelligent. He understands physics very well and that is how he met Kara. They were in the same class and they made eye contact that resulted in instant attraction. The only issue is that Kara is currently Scott's boyfriend, Bishop's frat brother. When Scott and Kara finally break up, Bishop makes his move and gets Kara, the woman if his dreams. His forever. But there is a lot of obstacles that are coming their way and they will have to work together to stay together.
My main reason for the -1 star that I gave to this story is that we sometimes don't have enough context. In the beginning, you know that Bishop is playing a sport that includes grass because the author makes a lot of reference to the grass being where Bishop is feeling like he belong. The issue is that she also puts hints that he doesn't play football either. So I was a little confused there in the beginning since the sport he played wasn't enunciated from the get go. Also, you have the information that Bishop has suffered emotional abuse from his father. [You get this part of the story at the beginning, so it's not a spoiler ;)] But, later he makes choices that left me confused. I knew that his father had power over him, yet he quit hockey to plat rugby? And he still have his family's money? I knew that something had to have changed in his family's situation, but we didn't get an explanation as to what util the 1/2 of the story. I feel like these confusing moments in the story could have been avoided if there was a little bit more context in the story. I get that the author probably hid what happened to Bishop's family because she wanted it to be a surprise. But the only thing that got me feeling is confused. There were little bit more details that were this way. But these were the major ones.
What I really appreciated about this story is that both character are really intelligent. A lot of times, the sports romance novel will picture the stereotype of a dumb jock that get helped by the pretty girls and they fall in love. In this one, you can see that they both have their shares of brain and it's a pleasurable surprise. I also like how the story was made. They both are so cute together and I could totally relate to some of the scenes. For example, in one scene, Kara was wondering if they were going too fast since they were so attracted to each other and wanted to get their relationship to the next level. The only thing that I would have liked more is a depth in the early stage in their relationship. I got the impression at the beginning of their first date (which was one month after they kind of were together) that they didn't kiss once. Later on, you can kind of guess that it was not the case and that they were. But I found it odd that they would have gone to absolutely no touching and kissing to an instant night of hot sex. I also loved how both characters stood up for each other when it was time to do so and that they were not afraid of what other people thought. I think that this is the element that I love the most in a novel because I used to be so self conscious about.
This book was a real treat to read! There were a few things here and there that made me give it a 4 stars rating instead of five. But overall, the story was great and if you are looking for a new sports romance book to read, I would totally recommend it.
I read somewhere that this was supposed to be a standalone but I hope that Anne Leigh continues this series because I want to read more about these characters but also have a new story with some of the characters in this book. The ones I would love to read about next are Scott and Bridgette (Bishop's sister), Rikko's story or Hanna's. I would be buying it for sure.
Are you ready for something a little different?! Do you love sports romance books? Do you love when the hero and heroine don’t fit the typical mold? If you answered, “Yes!” to even one of those questions, Graphite is for you!
Bishop and Kara meet in their college Quantum Mechanics class. He’s a well-known rugby player and the son of a hockey legend. She’s from a rich Texas family with parents that want her to be a trophy wife. They both have big plans and big dreams that they are focused on. And yet, they are drawn to each other in an inexplicable way from day one in class together. When Kara’s secret comes back to haunt her, will Bishop let her go, or will he do what he always does...play to win?
I’ve always been a fan of this author’s writing. In each successive book she’s stretched herself, and her talent, a bit more. And the growing pains have been worth it. Each book is better and better. This book is most definitely in the top 2 for me that she’s written. In Graphite, she pushes the boundaries with the characters and with the story. And while some might argue that it’s not realistic, I say it’s what sets it apart. I’m a true believer that authors should write where their minds, creativity, and characters take them. Not everyone believes that and will give bad reviews because a story didn’t end the way they wanted it to. Or it didn’t follow a certain path. What makes a book good, or great, is whether or not the author is able to use their words to pull you in, keep you turning the pages, and evoke your emotions. Ms. Leigh does all of these things well in Graphite. Bishop may be a star athlete with a famous father, but he’s super smart, he’s a good friend, he’s caring, and he’s more mature than most young men his age in his position. Kara is stunningly beautiful but doesn’t chase after fashion, men, or the spotlight. She’s super smart, a great friend, caring, and she’s more mature than most young women her age in her position. So while they come from opposite sides of the track, they really do have a lot in common. I love that Ms. Leigh showcases their intelligence and their drives to succeed, even as she showcases their love story. Bishop is a true gentleman who goes after what he wants. And while he strives to win, he doesn’t step on anyone’s head along the way to get there. Kara is so stinkin’ loyal to those that she loves, but she’s not a push-over. She stands firm in her belief in what is the right thing to do.
NICUnurse’s Rating: I give this book 5 stars. Days later, I’m still thinking about the characters, the story, and all the feels! If you’re looking for a sports romance that doesn’t test and push the boundaries of norm, this book probably isn’t the best one for you to read. But if you’re looking for something new and different in your sports romance, Graphite is your book!
Favorite Quotes:
“…I wanted her to be mine. And when she became mine, there’d be no questions about whether or not she was important to me.” – Bishop
“Man, this is like watching Romeo and Juliet, college edition.” – Ian
“But if there’s one thing I’m sure of, it’s that I’m not compromising on you anymore.” - Kara
Bishop and Kara, their love story is a whirlwind of emotions, from the sparks they had for the first time they saw each other, to dealing with she belonged to another to fighting the chemistry between them This story takes you on a journey of what a True Love is all about. What I also like about this story is younger a look into a sport that isnt very popular Rugby. I always enjoy this Authors books.
Blurb: Bishop Cordello lived by one rule: WIN. He never lost a critical game, never failed a class, never had a girl turn him down. He’s been able to shift everyone’s attention to his wins instead of them digging into the past.
Kara Chamberlane’s laser-like focus in everything that she did was what set her apart from everyone else. Growing up under the weight of her family name was not easy, but she never allowed anyone to dampen her optimism.
The funny thing about life? It’s unpredictable.
When Bishop and Kara are brought together by a college class, neither of them could control the chemistry that sparked between them.
But what if their attraction could destroy the stability of the lives they’d carefully built? What if being together pushed everyone they love apart?
How do you justify loving someone who rearranges your whole world?
Sometimes the greatest loves aren’t the ones that withstand the test of time.
Sometimes...they are the ones that break under the weight of unimaginable loss.
Bishop and Kara, their love story is a whirlwind of emotions, from the sparks they had for the first time they saw each other, to dealing with she belonged to another to fighting the chemistry between them This story takes you on a journey of what a True Love is all about. What I also like about this story is younger a look into a sport that isn't very popular Rugby. I always enjoy this Authors books.
Loved the characters. The story flowed with just the right amount of drama. So many stories with playboys it was nice to read about a genuinely nice guy that knew what he did and didnt want.