Game On
by Collette West
Publication Date: October 17, 2014
Pitching phenom Bruce "Jilly" Gillette has a hard time talking to women. His hulking presence of tattoos and muscles is what makes him an intimidating closer on the mound, yet off the field, he's painfully shy, uncomfortable in his own skin.
Desperate to revamp his loner image, the New York Kings hold a dream date contest, granting the lucky winner a night on the town with their surly reliever, doing whatever it takes to force Jilly out of his comfort zone.
Hailey Halpert enters the contest on a whim, looking for answers as to why her high school relationship with Jilly hit the skids. Now she’s a popular romance author writing under a pen name, and her reappearance in Jilly's life is no accident. It turns out that her novels are all about the sexy players on the Kings, and Jilly has no clue that he's about to become her new leading man.
I never thought that Hailey Halpert would be at one of my games, cheering for
me. Sure, she watched me play plenty of times in high school, but never as a King. It's
something I've often fantasized about, and now, it's actually happening.
I take a deep breath to steady my nerves. I don't get nervous no matter how
pressure-packed the situation. I'm known for having ice water running through my veins.
When I pitch, nothing can get to me, but tonight, I want to show Hailey what I can do. I
want to impress her. Let her see that she's dating the number-one closer in all of baseball.
I want to prove that I'm good enough for her, that I'm worth taking a chance on.
I shake off my catcher, Pedro Gonzalez. He wants me to throw a breaking ball.
Yeah, right. I don't think so. I intend to bring the heat.
Pedro finally gives in, realizing how determined I am to deliver a fastball. Burke
Balfour, the Detroit player at the plate, is currently leading the league in homers. This
should be fun—a muscle against muscle, chest-thumping battle for supremacy. But you
know what? Screw Balfour. I'm all about blowing Hailey Halpert away.
I rear back, slightly changing my delivery in order to give it everything I've got.
The ball flies out of my hand, Balfour swings and misses, and the crowd goes wild. I take
a look over my shoulder to check out the scoreboard for the radar gun reading. A hundred
miles per hour. I smile to myself. I want Hailey to see me at my absolute best, and that's
what she's going to get.
I sneak a quick glance at Hailey. She's watching me attentively, her eyes trained
on no one but me. Even in front of all of these people, my crotch tightens. Fuck.
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Game On was another fantastic story from Collette West. This is the third book in this series. This is Jilly and Hailey's story and is told in both of their POV's. I would give this book a solid 4 stars. I have loved every book in this series--Night Games and Game Changer are the first 2 books in the series. Even though this can be read as a stand alone I would highly recommend the other books because you will see the same characters in all the books. Jilly was introduced in Game Changer and I was super stoked that his book was the next in the series because he captured my heart then and Game On sealed the deal on my heart for him.
Jilly is a pitcher for the New York Kings and is very good and what he does, but he is also known as the man with the broken heart because of what happened last season with Sasha. He is over that drama now and wants to only focus on his career nothing more.
That's probably why I don't get out much. I leave everything I have on the field. I give it my all. I don't have time to waste on anything else. If I'm not with the team, I'm either sleeping, eating, or preparing myself for the next time I'll pitch. My social life is nonexistent only because I take my job very seriously. I have a good thing going here with the Kings and I don't want to mess it up.-- Jilly
The only problem with all of this is the Kings want him to shine more, so they put him in the limelight. He is set up to go on a date that was arranged through a contest from the Kings. Of course he wants nothing to do with this but he follows along with the plan to make his managers and owners happy... but this date will change his life.. his past will come back and open his eyes to what he lost years ago... Hailey.
Hailey is a writer and she knows Jilly from her past..but she broke his heart years ago. When she wins the contest for a date with him she is really nervous.. so nervous she steps out of the restaurant before he shows. But when he comes storming through the doors to where she is standing outside she has to finally face him and her demons from the past.
I was wrong to make him believe that I didn't care about him, that I could be happy in the arms of another guy. Even after all that, he's still here, ready and willing to give what we had another chance. I don't think I'm strong enough to deny him. I won't crush him a second time. It's why I entered this contest. It's why I'm here now. Because I've missed him. Oh, how I've missed him. --Hailey
The passion will ignite once again between them but this time a big secret will hold Hailey back from being truly happy with Jilly.. in the end will she hurt him again? Or can they finally make it work to reach there HEA?
Who knows? Maybe I will fight for the girl with the forever type of hold on my heart.-- Jilly
GO pick up this series ASAP! You will not be disappointed and I have to say this was my favorite one in the series so far.... But I am super excited to get Scott's story next--eeeek! Can't Wait! Thanks again Collette West for making another fantastic baseball dream story.
Game On by Collette West is the next book featuring one of the famous New York Kings' players and my favorite so far, Bruce "Jilly" Gillette! A story of a childhood love unrequited and a chance meeting as adults years later, this book will have you laughing at some scenes and swooning in others. This was a 4 star read for me and I can't wait to read more about the baseball players that have captured my attention in her next book! Collette West had hit a grand slam with this book and I highly recommend it to everyone!
Jilly is known to his fans and the other players as the loner and guy who made a play for Sasha Roberts but didn't get the girl. In an effort to increase his fan base and make him appear to be more accessible, he agrees to a publicity stunt where one lucky girl wins a date with him. Uncomfortable and no longer wanting to be a part of the contest; he is surprised to find out that the girl who won a date with him was none other than Hailey; the girl that he loved in high-school from afar, appearing to only be her best friend on the surface.
Hailey has followed Bruce's career from the time he was drafted, loving him from afar since they were in high-school. In an effort to becomes closer to him, she begins writing a series of romance type novels based on the lives of each of the players on the New York Kings under a pen-name. The books are a huge success, a success that no one knows belongs to her as she keeps that information close to her heart, worrying that if he finds out, the friendship that they are rekindling and the possible romance that she hopes happening between them will be ruined.
As Hailey and Bruce become closer, a series of events take place that threaten to jeapordize the foundation that they are building together. Making both Hailey and Jilly question the other's true feelings and if their relationship will in fact work in the end. When the unthinkable happens and Jilly is injured on the field, all he wants is to have Hailey by his side while his entire future as a major league pitcher hangs in the balance. It is then that the truth of her identity as the author of the romance books is revealed causing him to walk away from the only woman who he has ever or will ever love because he is more than confused to her true intentions. Hailey is crushed that Bruce walked away from her but she understands nonetheless and tries to move on with her life without him.
With the interference of some characters that we have seen in the previous two books, Bruce and Hailey are thrown back together to see if they can repair the damage that has been done to their shaky relationship. Will love conquer all and bring Bruce and Hailey back together or will the secrets that Hailey kept tear them apart for good? You will have to read this amazing story to find out! Colette West is an amazing author who has the ability to pull the reader into the story making them feel as though they are right there with the characters. I cannot wait for the next book from her and I guarantee that you will feel the same once you read.
Collette West grew up as somewhat of a jock-nerd hybrid. Entering the world three weeks premature, her dad nearly missed her birth because he had seats behind the dugout for a sold-out, highly-anticipated match-up between two of baseball's biggest rivals. Not to be outdone, her book-loving mom taught her how to read by the time she was three. A love of the game coupled with an appreciation for the written word were instilled in Collette's impressionable brain from a young age. No wonder her characters believe in the philosophy: sports + romance = a little slice of heaven.
Splitting her time between the Pocono Mountains and Manhattan, Collette indulges her inner fangirl by going to as many games as she can from hockey to baseball and downloading every sports romance novel in existence onto her iPad. When she's not clicking away on her laptop, she enjoys walking her dog in Central Park, satisfying her caffeine craving at the Starbucks on Broadway and keeping an eye out for Mr. Right. But above all, she loves dishing with her readers.
