Monday, January 12, 2015

Release Day Event, Review & Giveaway: Blindsided by Emma Hart




From Emma Hart, the New York Times bestselling author of the Game series, comes a brand new series where the game is realer, the tension is tighter, the sex is hotter, and the stakes are the highest of all…
Two people. Two agendas. Two games.

What happens when the out-there It-Boy of football meets the secret It-Girl of fashion?

As the daughter of Hollywood’s sweetheart, Leah Veronica can’t even buy a coffee without finding her face on a magazine stand, so it’s no wonder she’s launching her first fashion line in secret. With it debuting at New York Fashion Week in just under a month, extra time in the spotlight is the last thing she needs.

The son of the best quarterback the league has ever seen, filling legendary shoes as the L.A. Vipers’ quarterback was inevitable for Corey Jackson. So was meeting Leah Veronica—the first girl to hand him his ass without putting a hair out of place.

Getting the handsome, prickly blonde into his bed becomes his number one goal. But getting the sexy, over-confident footballer the hell away from her becomes Leah’s—at least until she realizes the best way to do that is to give him what he wants.


If only it was that simple.


When Corey discovers who she is, and private photos of Hollywood’s finest find their way online, everything they thought they knew is thrown into disarray.

And when secrets are exposed and hearts are shattered, they have to figure out if they’ve been blindsided by love or reality, and if it’s worth running the extra yard to win the game they never meant to play.


 “My feet are killing me,” I groan, leaning against the bar. “This is why I don’t wear heels!”
“Nah, you’re fine. You just need another drink.” Ryann raps her knuckles against the top of the bar and flicks her hair. The bartender shoots down to us like a baby after candy. “Three tequila shots please.”
“Aw, shit,” Macey mutters. “Not tequila. Anything but the devil drink! That should only be drunk in the safety of my apartment.”
I hold the tiny glass in front of my face. “It’ll stop my feet hurting. I don’t give a shit.”
“I’ll remind you that you said that when you call me tomorrow with a hangover.”
“I promise I’ll drink some water before I go to bed. My mom will kill me if I’m hungover tomorrow.” I bring the glass to my lips and tip it back. “Holy shit.” The tequila lights a fiery trail from my throat to my stomach. “Another.”
Ryann smirks and throws my words back at me. “Your mom will kill you if you have a hangover tomorrow.” Ryann smirks and throws my words back at me.
“Fuck off.” I click my tongue. “It’s my birthday, which, by the way, I’ve spent working and watching my half-assed football team almost throw a game. If I say another tequila, I want another tequila.”
“Okay.” Ryann shrugs, waving the bartender over again. “Three more, and three margaritas.”
He nods and fixes the drinks. A few minutes later, they appear in front of us, and I grab my purse.
“This is my round.”
“Hell no!” Macey cries. “It’s illegal to buy your own drinks on your birthday.”
“But—”
“She’s right,” a smooth voice with a hint of a Texas accent says from behind me. “At least it is in Texas.”
I spin on my seat and look into the devastatingly blue-green eyes of Corey Jackson. The very same man my seventy-five-year-old great-aunt was ogling on the TV earlier. And, okay. I get it. I totally get it. His dark hair curls over his ears, and his bright eyes are sparkling with the same smile that’s twitching at his lips. And he has that jaw—you know, the kind of jaw that makes you want to rub your fingers over it repeatedly? Yeah, that jaw.
He’s hot. The, er, tequila said so.
Smart, that tequila.
“Is that right?” I reply.
“Sure is.” The twitch of his lips morphs into a slow, sexy smile.
“I hate to remind you, but this is California.”
“Oh, I know exactly where we are. Where else am I going to be lucky enough to buy a drink for a girl like you?”
“Are you hitting on me?”
He rests his elbow on the bar in front of me and hands the bartender forty dollars between his fingers. “Does it sound like I am?”
“Is it supposed to? Because I’m sure Corey Jackson, L.A. Vipers golden boy, can find a thousand girls like me just by turning around.” I nod my head over his shoulder. “Oh, look. I just found you a bunch of them.”
Seriously, half the girls in this bar are in fan-girl mode. Or panty-dropping mode. I think they’re synonymous where he’s concerned.
He takes his change from the bartender, his smirk turning cocky. “Finally, a girl who recognizes me for more than what is under my shirt. Is this my lucky night?”

“If this is a lucky night, clearly California isn’t doing much for you.” I throw the tequila shot back.

 







Blindsided in the first book in Emma Hart's new series His Game and it has me salivating for more!  I started this book in the morning before work and found myself unable to put it down, needing to know what would happen next with Leah and Corey, I was reading on my phone whenever I could and finished it in one day.  This book has everything that I have come to know as Emma Hart's style, it will make you laugh out loud at times at the banter between the main characters and also swoon as the gestures that come from the hottie NFL quarterback Corey pulls in order to get Leah's attention.  This book was 4.5 Hollywood stars for me and I cannot wait for the next book in the series.  I suggest that you rush to one-click this awesome book because you will be FAR from disappointed and you, along with me will be waiting not so patiently for the next one!

Leah Veronica is the daughter of Hollywood's IT actress.  Doing everything that she can to maintain a private lift void of tabloid gossip, she lives her life doing what she loves.  But her passion is also her biggest secret, a secret that no one other than her mother, aunt and boss know about.  Determined to make a name for herself without using the fame that comes along with her mother's name, Leah keeps her secret close to her vest and watches from the sidelines as everything she has dreamed about since she was sixteen is finally becoming a reality.  Nothing can deter her from her focus, that is until Corey Jackson tried to buy her a drink in a bar.  Knowing all about this hot NFL hit 'em and leave 'em player ways, she has no desire to become the next notch on his bedpost but Corey has other plans.  Determined to wear Leah down with his charms so that he can get her into bed and out off of his mind, Corey begins to work her until it becomes a little more than the initial game he was playing.

As Corey and Leah become closer, they both begin to develop feelings for each other, feelings that they haven't felt before and are constantly trying to avoid.  Each trying to play and beat the other at their own game, they begin to date but in private.  Leah knows what being seen outside of the confines of her or Corey's home will mean to the paparazzi and Corey cannot understand her reluctance to be seen in public with him.  All Leah cared about was keeping her secret, until all she started to think about was when she would see Corey next.  Just when they decide together, to take the plunge and make their relationship public, Leah's secret is outed to the world.  A secret that she had just days earlier trusted Corey with knowing.  Believing that he was the only one who could have possibly leaked the information to the press and ruined all of her carefully laid plans and ruining her dream she walks away from him.

Will Corey and Leah be able to work through the paparazzi mess that has become their relationship?  Will she truly trust him when he tells her repeatedly that it wasn't him who revealed her secret?  You will have to read to find out!  This book will make you laugh, it will make you gasp and it will have you on the edge of your seat as you weave through the incredible story that Emma Hart has created.

 

Blindsided was the first book in the By His Game series.  Like every other book by Emma Hart I freaking loved it!  I would give it a 4.5 stars and would most definitely recommend it to others.  If you love a good football star hot alpha male you will love Corey as much as I did, and it you love a strong independent spit fire heroine then you will love Leah as well.  The story will have you laughing in places and most definitely swooning in others.  Emma Hart is a freaking amazing author and there is no doubt the woman could probably write the phone book and I would read it.  Pick up this book ASAP you will not be disappointed and believe me when I say Corey is sexy as hell he will creep up to the top your book boyfriend list!

Leah was born into a family of fame and fortune because her mother is a movie star, but Leah has always wanted to make a name for herself outside of her mother.  When she is finally given the chance to design clothes under a sudo name she feels like all her dreams have come true, the only downfall is she can't tell anyone.  She doesn't trust many people except for a few close friends so when the sexier the sin playboy Corey tries to worm his way into her life she will not go down without a fight.  Corey gets what he wants and being a star NFL football player he is never told no, but he really has never wanted anything more than just hit and quit it until he meets Leah.  

Yeah, right.
There isn't fucking chance I'm leaving Leah Veronica alone.
I want her.
I want her a whole fucking lot.
And I get what I want.
Always.-- COREY

When Leah finally lets her walls down and Corey finds out her secret she isn't sure what to think about it and at one point the stardom that he brings with him shouldn't scare her but its does because if her secret gets out she will never get the respect she deserves.. but when it does come out she is quick to blame the wrong people.. will she ruin everything she worked for or will it just make everything she worked for that much better?

Go get this book now! You will love the side characters as well and I am hoping they get there own stories to as this is the first book in a series, although this doesn't end in a cliffhanger it is a standalone.  Thanks Emma for another great start to what I am sure will be a great series!
 



Blindsided by Emma Hart was one of those books that I really wanted to love, but for me it just fell a little short of the mark.  I liked, it was one of those ok books for me.  The characters were a little frustrating at times and I found myself skimming through the pages.   I felt at times Leah would be too bitchy and Corey too possessive.  I love a good alpha male but I just didn’t connect with him.  Lord knows I wanted too!  I love football and this is the first book I read in a while with a football player. But I just felt something was missing….

Leah Veronica is the daughter of a famous Hollywood actress and does everything to avoid the spotlight. Corey Jackson is the hottie quarterback for the Los Angeles Vipers and has no problems handling the LA lifestyle.  When they meet at an event, Corey makes it his mission to be with Leah while Leah does everything to push him away.  He wants to claim her and make her his…  I think this is where I started to have issue.  They just met and he’s already saying she’s his… Ummm… they just met???!!! How could he claim her?  Leah is working hard on making a name for herself outside of the Veronica name and now that Corey is in the picture, everything she has worked for may be jeopardized.

They each had a good supporting cast around them and the banter between the friends was great!  Leah’s slightly deaf great Aunt Ada was hilarious!  I did get some great laughs of it and did enjoy the supporting cast more than I did the main characters. 

I do not want to discourage you from reading, like I said. I did like the book and giving a 3.5 star rating is not a bad thing.  If you are looking for a sports themed book that has the alpha male and the sassy girl that loves to push them away then you would enjoy it. 
 




 




By day, New York Times and USA Today bestselling New Adult author Emma Hart dons a cape and calls herself Super Mum to two beautiful little monsters. By night, she drops the cape, pours a glass of whatever she fancies - usually wine - and writes books.
Emma is working on Top Secret projects she will share with her followers and fans at every available opportunity. Naturally, all Top Secret projects involve a dashingly hot guy who likes to forget to wear a shirt, a sprinkling (or several) of hold-onto-your-panties hot scenes, and a whole lotta love.
She likes to be busy - unless busy involves doing the dishes, but that seems to be when all the ideas come to life.