Release Blitz: The Proposal Play: Lauren Blakely
The Proposal Play
(Love and Hockey book 3)
(Love and Hockey book 3)
Lauren Blakely
My plan when I win a date in Vegas with my brother’s hockey star best friend? Poker and go to sleep early. Instead, I wake up with a ring on my finger and the sexy athlete naked in my bed.
But Asher’s my best friend too so we’ll get this annulled and laugh about this secret for years to come.
Trouble is our wedding pics went viral overnight.
Now everyone thinks we’re a real couple. We race back home, where I’ve just landed the big art commission of my dreams and he’s launching a sports charity so we need to look like we meant to tie the knot.
Easy enough. We’ll claim we’ve been secretly in love, while staying in separate rooms for the rest of the hockey season.
The last thing either one of us wants is to ruin a decade-long friendship by falling into bed again.
Trouble is, I experience a new side of my husband at home. He cooks for me, encourages me…and buys me so many toys.
And, it’s more fun to share your toys with a friend.
We’re just enjoying temporary marital benefits.
Except, the more times he calls me his wife, the more I start to wonder if Asher was ever pretending?
And if my heart is ready to take the biggest risk of all.
Asher Callahan and Maeve Hartley have been friends for over a decade. They met in hard times and have navigated life together. He is a fixer and problem solver and she is more impulsive and finds herself in need of help. They are both good, caring, and protective friends.
But Asher keeps having these imaginative and impure thoughts that he knows should not become a reality. She is also his best friend's little sister and his good luck charm. Their lives are very intertwined with their friend group as well.
But in trying to protect him they win a date for a weekend in Vegas. They are supposed to be in the friend-zone. They are used to big adventures together so it should be a fun time.
Viva Las Vegas! A one-night adventure ends up fulfilling a pact and shocking each other. What happens in Vegas is supposed to stay there but things have a way of getting out and complicating matters.
These two are adorable together. They understand and appreciate each other. They complement each other. He is a fixer and she is more impulsive. He tries to keep his feelings hidden while she is a bit more oblivious. They have fun banter, shared history, intertwined lines, and newly found hot chemistry. And they have now set themselves up for a mess of a situation with new feelings, new jewelry, while people are paying attention.
They are trying to fit their fake-marriage-kept-real-at least-temporarily-for-appearances-sake into their real lives, They both have reasons they can't let this situation reflect poorly on them. But a little possessiveness, care, sexual tension, touching, and kissing might just be making things a bit harder to resist. But they also both have issues that make them worry about a real relationship messing up their friendship. So bending the rules just enough while playing house to get as satisfied as they can without totally breaking them.
I absolutely adored these two together. They had such a strong foundation as friends who bonded during difficult times in their lives and maintained this over a decade. They have a shared friend group and so much history together. They’ve always supported and lifted each other up and took adventures together. But now the veil is lifting over their platonic love and they’re either letting in repressed feelings or starting to feel newer or stronger feelings in more romantic and physical ways together now that they’re in this new situation.
And by tying themselves together, they didn’t realize how much it was going to spiral and create so much change in their lives. And each day makes it a little harder to resist and deny the fact that they are actually enjoying life as a (fake)couple, but they both have fears of relationships, loss, not being good enough, being too clingy, or that something would ruin their friendship that is so important for them.
So it’s a delicate dance between playing house and trying to keep things in control and following what their minds, hearts, and bodies want to do. I loved how everything was built bit by bit and dynamics were changing along the way. They were always supportive of each other, but it was fun to see them try to surprise, each other in more sweet and romantic ways. And oh my did they match up well in the bedroom.
But they also struggled and my heart hurt for them. It deals with some difficult subjects such as loss, grief, fears, insecurities, and the importance of mental health. But they are also surrounded by a great crew of friends and family who try to help them see what has been right in front of them all along. They both really grew as individuals and together. The gradual changing of their dynamic and being honest with themselves and each other built up beautifully. And now they are not just wonderful best friends but just the cutest, sweetest, romantic couple with filthy mouths and smoking hot chemistry.
And by tying themselves together, they didn’t realize how much it was going to spiral and create so much change in their lives. And each day makes it a little harder to resist and deny the fact that they are actually enjoying life as a (fake)couple, but they both have fears of relationships, loss, not being good enough, being too clingy, or that something would ruin their friendship that is so important for them.
So it’s a delicate dance between playing house and trying to keep things in control and following what their minds, hearts, and bodies want to do. I loved how everything was built bit by bit and dynamics were changing along the way. They were always supportive of each other, but it was fun to see them try to surprise, each other in more sweet and romantic ways. And oh my did they match up well in the bedroom.
But they also struggled and my heart hurt for them. It deals with some difficult subjects such as loss, grief, fears, insecurities, and the importance of mental health. But they are also surrounded by a great crew of friends and family who try to help them see what has been right in front of them all along. They both really grew as individuals and together. The gradual changing of their dynamic and being honest with themselves and each other built up beautifully. And now they are not just wonderful best friends but just the cutest, sweetest, romantic couple with filthy mouths and smoking hot chemistry.
I am looking forward to the next couple of books in the series and I am excited for what was teased.
The Boyfriend Goal
(Love and Hockey book 1)
What started as a way to save her best friend from a dating auction fiasco turned into a fake marriage when the photos from the very real Vegas wedding went viral overnight. Now Maeve and Asher have to pretend they really are madly in love so they don’t have negative fallout on her career or his new charity.
Asher has had a thing for his best friend’s sister for years now. Keeping his feelings a secret always seemed like the best way to keep the peace, but when he finds himself in Vegas with Maeve, he can’t help but lean into the city’s motto. He is an all around good guy -- a hockey player using his status and wealth to start a new charity. When their Vegas antics carry weight in their real lives, he jumps in with both feet to take advantage of the chance to be closer to Maeve. I loved watching him navigate their newlywed status and the genuine care he took with her.
Maeve is trying to make a go of it as a full time artist, but feels like she hasn’t found her big break yet. She has many small projects running but dreams of finding the big thing that will set her on a bigger path. She adores her best friend, Asher (also her brother’s best friend) and has always leaned on him for advice and support. I loved how she swept in to protect him at the auction and loved watching as she sorted through her own feelings of doubt and fear during the early days of their marriage.
I love a good marriage of convenience trope and this fit the bill in so many ways! Asher and Maeve have a fantastic friendship to fall back on as they navigate deeper emotions, physical chemistry, and the pressure from their very public status. I look forward to more from this series and the characters I have fallen in love with!
It’s a soulful, lingering kiss that thrums deep in my bones. She’s soft in my arms, her breath gusting across her lips. A whimper crosses them too, and it sounds like a plea for more.
I want to swallow all her sounds, let them lead me on into the night.
Because they are not platonic.
They are not friendly.
They are unbearably sexy and needy.
Maeve Hartley tastes incredible, and this kiss rattles through my entire body, touching every damn corner of me. I don’t let go. As I kiss her more deeply, I’m struck with a cold, new clarity. It wasn’t merely affection I felt all along. It wasn’t simply lust either. It’s a whole lot more than basic attraction.
I’m wildly, annoyingly obsessed with my best friend.
Otherwise known as…my wife.
Artwork for graphics was created by Qamber Designs and Media for the author and posted on the author’s social media or in tour kits for this release .
(Love and Hockey book 1)
Our 5 star reviews
A forbidden romance with my brother’s hockey teammate wasn’t on my to-do list when I moved across the country…
Neither is spending my first evening in a new city with the sexy stranger who rescues me when I’m locked out of a friend’s place wearing next to nothing.
But I’m trying to get out of my comfort zone so getting out of the rest of my clothes with him seems like a good way to start.
In the morning, I learn the filthy-mouthed man with the talented hands is not only the hotshot new hockey player on my brother’s team.
He’s also – wait for it – my brand new roommate.
Thanks, fate.
But the last thing I need is a complicated fling so we agree to a friends-only rule.
It’s not easy though. Wes is bossy, flirty and generous.
He gives me rides to work.
Pitches in at my library’s fundraiser.
Takes care of me when I get hurt.
I don’t know how long I can stick to our rules, especially the night Wes comes to my door and tells me exactly how he’d like to break them.
Every single one.
The Romance Line
My Favorite Holidate
Holiday spin-off in same universe
Wanted: one hot billionaire to pose as my Christmas boyfriend. Must be willing to make my cheating ex jealous when you kiss me under the mistletoe at all the holiday parties. Bonus points if you make him cry.
To my surprise my billionaire boss is more than up for the challenge of coming down the chimney as my holiday boyfriend. The sexy single dad desperately needs a plus one at a Christmas Eve wedding, where he’s the best man and I’m the maid of honor.
And since my ex is in the wedding party too, my boss and I team up as a pair of insta-lovebirds for the holiday season, including during the annual week-long Christmas competition leading up to the snowy destination wedding.
But soon staying up late to string the best popcorn balls ever turns into a scorching night in his arms where the chestnuts aren’t the only thing roasting on the open fire.
(Love and Hockey #2)
Our 5 to 5.5 star reviews
The first rule of handling PR for a hockey team? Never hook up with a player.
That shouldn’t be a problem since the last man on earth I want to give an image makeover to is our goalie. He’s infuriatingly hot, famously grumpy and lives to spar with me after every game.
But shining up his rough edges is my path to landing the promotion I desperately need, so I grit my teeth and do my job. No matter how hard he makes it (especially with that sexy smirk and cool blue eyes.) As we travel from pose-with-a-pet photo opps to cuddle-a-kitten fundraisers, we bicker like it’s foreplay.
Turns out it is.
Because as I get to know the man behind the broody iceman exterior, it’s me that melts – right into his arms as he devastates me with a kiss that turns into the hottest, most forbidden night of my life.
Only once turns into every night as Max shows me how much he wants to take care of me. His possessive touch makes me feel adored for the first time in my life.
But the man is entirely off limits and I can’t risk my job for more of those soul-deep kisses.
Because the only thing worse than hooking up with a player is falling head over heels for him.
My Favorite Holidate
Holiday spin-off in same universe
Our 4.5 to 5 star reviews
To my surprise my billionaire boss is more than up for the challenge of coming down the chimney as my holiday boyfriend. The sexy single dad desperately needs a plus one at a Christmas Eve wedding, where he’s the best man and I’m the maid of honor.
And since my ex is in the wedding party too, my boss and I team up as a pair of insta-lovebirds for the holiday season, including during the annual week-long Christmas competition leading up to the snowy destination wedding.
But soon staying up late to string the best popcorn balls ever turns into a scorching night in his arms where the chestnuts aren’t the only thing roasting on the open fire.
Can all these winter wonderland nights seeking revenge turn into the real thing when we return to the office? Or are we destined to go the way of a Christmas tree on New Year’s?
Lauren Blakely
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A #1 New York Times Bestselling, #1 Wall Street Journal Bestselling, and #1 Audible Bestselling author, Lauren Blakely is known for her contemporary romance style that’s cute but spicy. Lauren likes dogs, cake, and show tunes and is the vegetarian at your dinner party.
A #1 New York Times Bestselling, #1 Wall Street Journal Bestselling, and #1 Audible Bestselling author, Lauren Blakely is known for her contemporary romance style that’s cute but spicy. Lauren likes dogs, cake, and show tunes and is the vegetarian at your dinner party.
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