Tip Of The Iceberg

Rangers #1

by Ann Jacobs

Nothing but a deathbed promise to his late wife would have brought Casey Weldon back to this Godforsaken college town. He's signed on as athletic director, but he soon learns the recruiting violations that brought him here are symptoms for something much more sinister. Not everyone appreciates Casey's efforts to clean things up, so he needs added security. But TJ Thomas is more than just a campus cop-she's temptation he can't ignore. The sensual pull between them is too strong to deny. Trapped alone together by a raging blizzard, the only thing TJ can't protect Casey from is herself. One touch, one kiss, fans the blaze between them and the fiery storm they unleash is every bit as fierce as the one outside. TJ brings every sexual fantasy Casey ever had to life, and the simmering sexual discovery that unfolds takes them both by surprise. Before they can have a future together they must trap a murderer, and Casey must let go of the past, resolve his guilt. He has to persuade TJ with loving domination that she's the woman he wants, not for a night, but for all time.

Genres: Romance, BDSM, Contemporary Romance, Erotica, Contemporary, Erotic Romance

111 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

First published in 1996, Jacobs has sold close to fifty books and novellas. SANDSTORMS was a 2007 nominee for the prestigious ROMANTIC TIMES Reviewers' Choice award for best erotic romance. Her books have earned awards including the Passionate Plume (best novella, 2006, second place contemporary, 2008), the Desert Rose (best hot and spicy romance, 2004) and More Than Magic (best erotic romance, 2004). She has been a double finalist in separate categories of the EPPIES and From the Heart RWA Chapter’s contest. Three of her books have been translated and sold in several European countries.

A CPA and former hospital financial manager, Jacobs now writes full-time, with the help of Mr. Blue, the family cat who sometimes likes to perch on the back of her desk chair and lend his sage advice. He sometimes even contributes a few random letters when he decides he wants to try out the keyboard. (Most of the time Blue just curls up, hides his eyes with his paws...and sleeps!)

Reviews

[Auntee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bound By Love is a two story bdsm anthology centered around an NFL team and two of its players.

Tip of the Iceberg

35-year old NFL quarterback Casey Weldon honors his dying wife’s last wish and quits the NFL and L.A. and packs up his two young kids to take a job at his North Carolina alma mater as the new athletic director. The school’s football program is in trouble with the NCAA for recruiting violations, but Casey soon finds out that’s just the tip of the iceberg--it now also looks like there’s a point shaving scandal brewing with the school’s basketball team. Casey is bound and determined to clean things up with the athletic program, but it seems not everyone feels the same way. Casey’s life ends up being threatened, and campus cop and part-time instructor TJ Thomas ends up guarding Casey while working with local police to determine who is behind it all. When Casey and TJ are thrown together, neither can deny the sensual pull they feel for one another. But TJ’s confidence is at an all time low after being humiliated by a former boyfriend, and Casey is fighting guilty feelings for being attracted to a beautiful woman so soon after his wife’s passing. It looks like Casey and TJ don’t stand a chance together, until a perfectly timed snowstorm forces them to confront their feelings for each other…

Casey...




Wowsa, this story started out great! I loved the premise, loved how Ann Jacobs really delved into Casey’s feelings as a grieving spouse who loved his petite, sexually inhibited wife, but realized everything was not quite perfect in his marriage. Casey longed to break free sexually with a woman who could take all that he had to give (and 6’5” Casey had some serious bondage kink he wanted to explore) and tall, curvy TJ was the perfect woman (both physically and emotionally) to take all that Casey could dish out. Their scenes together were pretty darn hot, no question about that. But…I wish this story (beyond the sexual relationship) was developed just a bit more. At 117 pages, I felt it was a bit restricted. I thought the relationship was a little rushed, and I would’ve liked to have seen some interaction between TJ and Casey’s kids. What Ann Jacobs gave us was good, but I think a longer story would have made a good read even better. But being a sucker for a good, erotic sports read (or at least a hero who was a former athlete), this was a solid 4 stars for me.

Warning: this book contains explicit sex (oral and anal), graphic language, the use of sex toys, and some bdsm elements (St. Andrews’ cross, a hood, a ball gag--no spanking or whips)


Wrong Place, Wrong Time

This was a dnf book for me, one that I might revisit when I’m in the mood. This is an interracial romance between a Russian born FBI agent named Vlad (who somewhat unbelievably is working undercover as an NFL place kicker for the L.A. Rangers) and black model named Darlene. Darlene’s estranged NFL husband Travis (best friend of Casey Weldon) was murdered along with his groupie girlfriend and Vlad is sent to investigate what the FBI thinks is a string of serial murders of Rangers groupies (I know, crazy, huh?)

I was interested in who was doing the killing of these groupies (and why) but the book veered off into the attraction between Vlad and Darlene and then got all sorts of kinky when they decided to go to this exclusive dungeon. I got kind of disinterested when the kink kicked up into high gear (exhibitionism, voyeurism, spanking, flogging, sex toys, bdsm apparatus) …sigh…it was all just a bit too much for me. If I had to rate what I read so far I’d give it no more than a 3. But who knows, if I manage to finish it that rating may improve. Or maybe not…

[Heather 123 · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was disappointing for me. I thought the premise of the book was good and there was definitely potential for a good story, however the book fell extremely short.

I didn't feel any connection between Casey and TJ; everything between them seemed forced. The lack of emotional connection between the characters ruined the book for me.

** ARC received from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review **

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

*3.5 stars*

Sultry, romantic suspense…

Casey was struggling with grief as he embarked on a new career in his hometown. Determined to fulfill his wife’s dying wish, he wanted to make it work, raising his kids as she wanted. Unfortunately, reality didn’t quite meet anyone’s expectations… TJ wasn’t sure what to make of Casey. She didn’t see herself the way he did and wasn’t sure she could trust it…

I’m having a hard time reviewing this story actually. I wrestle with the parts I really enjoyed while comparing them to others I struggled with. The story was well-written and I did enjoy the characters, foibles and all. The relationship progressed at break-neck speed regardless of the issues they had to work through initially. This was a novella which requires the story to be compressed into a set number of pages but I really wanted more time for their romance to grow…

Saying that, however, I would recommend this read if you are a sports fan and a lover of second chances...

*I happily reviewed this story
**Thank you to NetGalley

[Jessica Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've always enjoy reading a good mystery and romance mixed together, plus a second chance at love.
Casey made a promise to his dying wife to quit his football playing job and become a regular parent to his two kids. Only his new job may be just as trying if not deadlier than just getting a injury from being sacked. And the woman he works with is making his guilty conscience of being alive while his wife is dead. Even harder, because come on his is a red blooded man and a man does have needs right....

[Book Binge · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Ann Jacobs novella has been around for awhile and is a stand alone story about a NFL pro quarterback. He has several years left of good health and playing, but he promises his dying wife Susan, that he will leave his playing days behind, return to his alma mater to be their athletic director in order to relieve her concerns about their children being raised in Los Angeles. Casey has dearly loved Susan and her illness and death has left a huge hole in his life. He's not sure he knows how to be a single parent, but he follows through on his promise to her and brings their children back to the small college town where they met. What he encounters makes him wonder if he wouldn't be safer in Los Angeles. With a campus murder and the discovery of point shaving on the varsity basketball team, the danger to himself and his kids spurs him to send them away to his sister's for a visit. It is in this atmosphere of danger that Casey and TJ meet and begin to realize that they are strongly attracted to one another. Casey's guilt over this attraction is profound, yet he knows that it has been months since he and Susan were intimate, and the "dry spell" has been difficult.

As Casey and TJ explore this new connection, they each discovery that there is a desire for a darker, rougher kind of sex between them. Casey's relationship with Susan had been very bland by comparison, so much so that he realizes that he had been denying something essential in himself in order to fit in with her boundaries--with what she was willing to accept between them. Not only must they deal with the tension of ferreting out the staff and students who are involved in the crime spree on campus, but they must also make some choices and explore some possibilities that will have long-range consequences for their future together.

Ann Jacobs writes intensely erotic romance and this story is no exception. She also tends to bring some mild BDSM into her stories and again, that is an ingredient here. But that aspect of Casey and TJ's romance doesn't take over nor does it totally define their love affair. She has also written a number of stories about professional athletes, their relationships, the pressures of their careers and what happens after the glory fades. She is one good story teller and I found this to be one of her really good ones. I think, once again, that she tends to keep her stories too short for my taste--I would have loved to have had an expanded exposure to Casey and TJ and to the resolution to the campus crime spree. I felt those aspects of the story were passed over for my taste. That is my own preference, and says more about me than the story possibly. Also, once again, I think the cover art of this novella is deplorable. Its graphic says very little about the story content--not a football in sight--and like so many Ellora's Cave publications, the covers are just not the quality I find from other publishers. That is a highly personal preferences, but in this day and age, even some faint background images would be appropriate here.

In any event, I really enjoyed this novella and felt that in spite of the brevity of the tale, Jacobs did a very good job of involving the reader in the story and bringing Casey, TJ, and the other characters alive significantly. All that being said, I found this to be a satisfying reading experience.

I give this novella a rating of 3.75 out of 5, not as a reflection of its quality, but because of its length.

This review was originally posted on Book Binge by Judith.

[Bourbon, Books and Brenda · Rating 1 out of 5]

So I am having a hard time with this book. So let me see if I can explain why. We meet Chase as his wife is dying. He is obviously upset, and as the blurb states he makes deathbed promises to take care of the kids, quit football, and go back to the small college town where Chase and Sarah met. Okay, good so far. That was like the first chapter. Here is where it starts going downhill for me and I start losing a little more respect for Chase. We fast forward to the small college town, and he is going to be the Head of the Athletics. But, every time we are in his head, and he wants to grabs ahold of his "head" he seemed bitter that his wife was too sweet in the sack, didn't like the same sexual things he did, and that he hadn't had sex in over a year....So, this is the inner monologue I remember from Chase and it repeated throughout the book....My wife didn't please me sexually...ever. However, he did love his wife Sarah.

Then we meet TJ, the six foot tall, heroine, who was "healthy" (that was repeated ALOT), curvy, and athletic. Did I mention "healthy"? Yep, REPEATEDLY, Chase's thoughts of her are that she is hot and healthy. Maybe that was done to highlight the fact that his wife was sick, but to me it was just weird. Once, okay....multiple times...weird. Now back to TJ, our six foot tall heroine. She has no, I mean NO self-esteem at all. I get that she had issues with her dad and her ex-fiancé but man oh man, did she just think she was unworthy of attention. So many "I know he can't like a person like me" or "I could never be good enough for him" over and over and over and over and over....oh yeah that repeated too! I just couldn't get behind her character.

Throughout the book, Chase continued to feel guilty about his wife passing his feelings to TJ. Though I have to tell you, all I felt from the two characters was there was sex...no chemistry, no connection, I didn't get it. I just saw a man that hadn't had sex in over year, found a woman that would finally give him what he wanted. Freaky deaky sex...which by the end of the book, was freaky deaky. Now, I will be the first to say, I like the freaky deaky, but in this book, again it just felt off and forced. It was if it was added just for a shock value or to throw this book in the erotica category.

So the long and short of this. There is so much repetition that it was annoying to me. I didn't care for the characters at all, I just couldn't like them. I didn't feel romance or chemistry, I just felt there were two desperate people having sex. I didn't connect to the story and as far as the suspense...that was just weird too. This was just a weird book for me. The one good thing about this book....it was short. This book was NOT for me and I can't recommend it.

[Isis Ray-sisco · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Game Changer by Ann Jacobs. It was a sweet story but there was so much more to it than just romance. I liked Casey and TJ story and will probably revisit sometime in the future. There were parts that were heartwarming parts, heart breaking parts, and then there were the sizzling hot parts as well. There is a little bit of everything for everyone.

Casey is dealing with the death of his beloved wife and with the grief of his two children as well. He moves away from the city and takes a job that he would rather not have to keep the promise he made to his dying wife. He begins to settle in and deal with the athletic department he is in charge of when he realizes that things aren't right. While trying to navigate his new job he must also navigate his budding feelings for TJ. He knows he wants her but he also feels guilty because his wife died not too long ago. Will he go ahead and pursue her or will his grief and guilt get in the way.

TJ isn't your typical woman. To start things off she is tall and that intimidates a lot of men. She used to be a cop and now works in campus security at the local college. She isn't looking for love but finds herself drawn to the new athletic director Casey. He isn't like the last one and there is more to him than meets the eye. The more time they spend working together the more she realizes that there is no turning back even though her heart may end up broken in the end. Is she just a warm body for him? Or is there something more. Can she live with being one? Or will she have to walk away in the end.

I really liked the plot of Game Changer it was easy to follow and believable. I liked Casey because he was an honorable man and wanted to do what was right by his dead wife and his children. He was also one that didn't back down when push came to shove. I liked TJ too because she was a strong woman and was a great match for Casey. The chemistry between the two of them was hot and sizzled right off the pages. There was a good amount of drama, sex, romance, and love. I would highly recommend Game Changer to anyone who enjoys sports romances.

[Erin OBrien · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, I had a bit of trouble with Chase. He obviously loved his wife and mourned her after she died of cancer.
She made him a promise to quit football and move the kids back to the town where they met.
Unfortunately, the job he takes as athletic director of his alma mater becomes a little deadlier then he thought.
If my family were in danger, to hell with a deathbed promise, I'd move back to LA where it's safe. I can't imagine that Chase's wife would condone a choice that put the kids at risk.
The other problem I have with him is his wishy washy thoughts on his dead wife's inability to satisfy his darker urges in bed. He's always feeling guilty for being happy with TJ.
I gave it 3 stars because I wasn't that impressed with Chase's character, obviously, and I felt the story just kind of sped to the finish line in the last chapter...bad guys caught, happy times, the end.
I didn't find as much pleasure in this book as I have with other Ann Jacobs books.

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having promised his dying wife that he would hang up his cleats and raise their two kids in a stable environment, star quarterback Casey Weldon takes on the job of cleaning up the battered athletic program at his small-town alma mater. It isn’t long before he uncovers something far more sinister than just the recruiting violations that brought him here—and learns that not everyone appreciates his efforts. Facing threats from an unknown assailant while struggling to adjust to his new life, Casey turns to the temptingly sensual campus security officer TJ Thomas for help.

TJ knows that men as ruggedly handsome as Casey rarely give her a second look, and she’s steeled herself against believing that he needs anything more than protection and occasional comfort to help him through his grieving. But when their simmering sexual tension ignites, she ignores her fear and surrenders to the powerful desire pulsing between them.

As Casey struggles with guilt that he’s betraying the memory of his wife and TJ fights to convince herself she means more than just one night to the rugged gridiron star, they give themselves over to a frenzy of sexual discovery that brings their every fantasy to life. But before they can have a future together, they must stop a murderer, and Casey must persuade TJ, and himself, that she’s the woman he wants not for a night, but for all time.

Is there love after death of a loved one? Very emotional read. Action, mystery and passionate read. Casey and TJ have great chemistry but the guilt tears Casey up. Very quick read and I liked it.

[P Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book from net gallery for an honest review.

Casey promised his dying wife, to give their two children a better life by walking away from his high profile career and taking on a normal job. He moves from L.A and finds a job at State University, running their athletic programme.

RJ recognises Casey and is attracted to him, but why would he even look at her, she's not a pretty barbie.

When RJ and Casey meet, there's an instant attraction. RJ is insecure about her looks whereas, Casey feels guilty for wanting another woman? Can they overcome their inner battles? Will they give into their desires?

Casey suspects the players on the basketball team are shaving points. TJ, has previous law enforcement experience, therefore she's called in to look into the matter. The situation turns more serious when a player is murdered. Who killed him and why? Why is Casey being targeted?

Casey and TJ have amazing chemistry right from the start. TJ is incredibly insecure and it takes her a while to realise that Casey is a guy that looks beyond the looks. Casey makes RJ feel beautiful and that eases away her insecurities.

Casey's emotions are all over the place: he wants RJ but he feels guilty for wanting her. Casey's emotional struggle was heartbreaking. I liked the fact that even though he struggled, he pushed himself to find the inner peace he needed to move on.

I enjoyed the book and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.

Review posted on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/review/R1G4EJM...

[Karen Roma · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 1/2 Stars for Game Changer......

As much as I want to praise this story, it just didn’t resonate with me the way other Ann Jacobs books have in the past.

Casey and his incessant inter dialogue, had me wanting to throttle him and tell him to man up and make the right decision for him and his children, rather than honour a death bed promise that was causing his family more unnecessary heartache. And don’t get me started on his replaying of the vanilla sex life he suffered with his wife.

While the passing of anyone is tragic, I know first hand the loss of a loved one to the silent evil; cancer. However that said, I found myself disliking Susan for her obvious selfishness and ungratefulness for the gilded life she led prior to her illness. A woman, who manipulated Casey into marrying her in his senior year, by denying him sex, then had the audacity to ridicule his choice of an NFL career. Susan knew NFL was Casey's goal in college yet she still wanted marriage, unbelievable. And then to demand his promise to rip their children from the only life they had ever known after her death, simply because she hated L.A was just wrong.

TJ, well her daddy issues soon became tiresome and her constant woe is me, handsome men will never want me and they can’t be trusted anyway, was just plain annoying.

The only saving grace for me, was the author’s usual easy flow of writing and her mostly flawless editing. I will read book two, but it needs to be a lot better for me to continue the series.

[Patti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two stories in this anthology. Liked the first one marginally better than the second one.

"Tip of the Iceberg" - Man loses wife, man changes jobs, man meets prickly woman he doesn't like, then finds she is the one woman he can dominate the way he couldn't dominate his fragile wife. OK, pretty basic stuff. The characters didn't fall into bed with each other the second they met, which was a welcome relief. The whole "I love you" when there's been nothing meaningful between them but sex still bugs me, but when you're reading stuff like this, you kinda expect it. The mystery wasn't really much of one, but it served to get the two of them together, and I guess that's about all most people need in a book like this. Three stars for this story.

"Wrong Place, Wrong Time?" - This one I had a little more trouble with. I did like the interracial aspect of it, especially the reverse racism of the heroine's parents, which was handled VERY well. I did not like her falling into bed with a relatively unknown Dom the second time she met him. The mystery on this one was a little sillier, with a character suddenly introduced the same page he was fingered as the killer. Give us a little time to think about it, will ya? Two and ah half stars for this story.

Rounded up to three.

[Judith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another really fine piece of writing from Ann Jacobs involving a NFL professional who has left the world of active sports to become an athletic director at his alma mater, all because he promised his now deceased spouse that he would take their children away from the "dangers" of Los Angeles. What he encounters in his old college town sets his teeth on edge--murder, gambling violations with the college teams, etc. His involvement with college security brings him together with a police woman who fires his libido--it has been a very long dry spell since his wife's illness and death--and when Susan was alive, their intimate relationship was very bland. Casey loved her dearly and was prepared to make every concession to Susan's sensitivities. But now he realizes that he has denied some very elementary aspects of his inner person, and he and T. J. begin exploring what that can mean for them. Add in all the tension and crime in the college, and you have a rich and intriguing novella.

[Paige Turner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Game Changer wasn't what I expected. To me it leaned towards mystery first with the relationship between TJ and Casey being second.
The timeframe of the book was a bit too fast . The wife dies, he takes a new job, moves the kids, and is thrust into a crime scene within a month. I would have liked to see a little more time between events. It all seemed so rushed. Even the relationship between TJ seemed rushed.
Casey is trying to come to terms with his loss when TJ appears. While I wanted him to move on my heart broke for him when he described his past feeling towards his wife and his new feelings towards TJ.
The suspense drama aspect of the book a was predictable. The author could have added a little to this storyline.
Overal it felt a but rushed and predictable but I still wanted to see this couple get thier HE A.

I received a copy for a honest review.

[Shaddow Wolf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Casey Weldon made a promise to his dying wife Susan that he would give up his cleats to raise his son and daughter Brett and Lee Ann. He returns to his small-town Alma mater. He did not want to give up on his career but he made a promise to Susan, the reason susan wanted him to give up his carer is because she hated LA. But he did however decide to finish out the season cause he did not want to let his team mates down or his coaches down. At his new job he meets TJ when she fails one of the basket ball players. Casey also notice some funny goings ons on some of games videos he watches. It does get off to a slow start but is still a good read, there is a murder, romance and sports. This author is new to me I have never read any of her work before, she is a good writer and hope she continues to write in the future.

[T Van · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jacobs bills this as a sports romance, but there isn't much focus on the court or field. What there is, is an odd and tender attraction between a grieving widower and a campus cop/grad student/criminology professor (who used to work homicide). TJ has learned to be insecure about her height and strength; but I didn't expect her to be as docile with the men surrounding her as she was. Casey is portrayed as an all-around good guy, but one who is totally not ready to be a single parent. The fact that they find each other so soon after his wife's death is a bit difficult for both characters, and the reader, to assimilate...but the tension around the mystery, and the amount of difference between the two women, somehow make it work. The steamy scenes are quite steamy, and retain a playful, joyous feel. I voluntarily reviewed an advance copy of this title.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book one in a new series called Gridiron Fantasies and I have now bought the next one in the series this is one that keeps you turning pages you just have to know what is going to happen! Star quarterback Casey Weldon after making a promise to his dying wife retires from playing football to take care of his two children and takes on the job of cleaning up the battered athletic program at his small-town alma mater but there is something very wrong ! When things start going wrong he turns to campus security officer TJ Thomas for help, there is chemistry between these two but then One of the players is killed. Who did it and why? Will these two get a happy ending? I received a free copy of this book and voluntarily chose to review it.

[Grandma · Rating 4 out of 5]

The two stories in this book were both very good.
I enjoyed reading about Casey and TJ in Tip of the Iceberg. A widower who is trying to fulfill a promise made to his dying wife and a security officer trying to protect him and solve a mystery.
The story of Darlene and Vlad in Wrong Place, Wrong Time? was also very interesting. I have not read many BDSM stories, but this one was very well written. I will definately be reading more.

[Pamela Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great beginning to the new gridiron fantasies series with strong characters, mystery, danger, small town community, college athletic program violations, and so much more. I loved the instant chemistry, dynamic, and panty-melting intimacy between Casey and T.J. Ann Jacobs is a talented author and football romance fans will enjoy this can't-put-down book. I received a complimentary copy of Game Changer in exchange for my honest review.

[KimberlyDawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Casey makes some changes as he tries to deal with the loss of his wife. In his new job, he discovers things aren't quite as they seem. TJ attempts to help Casey, and they end up growing closer. Casey doesn't think he is ready as he feels guilty. TJ wasn't looking for anything more, but it seems she found it anyway. But can they get past their issues and find true love? Can they stay safe as they investigate what is going on? A great read to keep you hooked throughout.

[Tracie R · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars I really wanted to like this book because I have read other books by Ann Jacobs and loved them but I struggled to finish. The inner dialogue became a distraction and the character didn't click for me. Will I read the next book, probably because I do love this author and I can only hope it will be better

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It had a good mystery of sorts and a great new relationship that opened up to a new kinky lifestyle for both Casey and Tj. Great HEA

[Kris · Rating 3 out of 5]

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

[Kaila · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was interesting. It had mystery and love. It had heartache and happiness. I really enjoyed the characters and the writing. I am so glad I got to review it