Release Blitz: Boyfriend Without Benefits: Riley Hart
Anthony
I’m the last single member of the Jilted Exes’ Club, and I have no plans to change that.
I’m fulfilled with my work at the club, dance classes, yoga, and the Exes. Plus, I’ve been extremely preoccupied with one Kason Maddox, the LA Rebels’ goalie. Let’s just say that since we’ve become friends, my eyes might drift in his general direction a little too much. But it’s only looking. And looking never harmed anyone…
Eventually, our texting sessions lead to dinners out and ending our nights watching our favorite shows. But when the paparazzi catch sight of us and the photos go viral, I suddenly find out I’ve had a boyfriend and didn’t know—a boyfriend without the benefits. And I’m thinking we should reconsider the benefits in this relationship if we are going to be in one.
Kason
So…I thought we were dating. Turns out, the guy I was dating had no idea that’s what we were doing. Friend-zoned without even knowing it. Cool. The equivalent of taking a puck to the face.
But due to an innocent little photo or two, now everyone thinks we’re together, so we have three choices:
1- Stop hanging out to silence the rumors.
2- Hang out as friends and ignore the gossip blogs.
3- Start dating—and both of us are aware of said dating this time.
I know which one I’m rooting for. And if I have to use a little dirty talk and some praise to shift things in my favor, I’m game.
And it’s time for the final Jilted Exes' Club member, Anthony, to find his person. Anthony is still reeling from his horrible ex, but is enjoying his friendships that came from it with the other two Jilted Exes and their partners and friends. Anthony is still skittish about relationships and has lingering self-worth, trust, and abandonment issues.
He and Kason Maddox, the goalie for the LA Rebels, are introduced by their friends, but they did not have any expectations that it would be more. Their growing friendship is a surprise. And bless Anthony’s heart, but he’s just a little bit clueless about what’s really going on.
Kason is a golden retriever, cinnamon roll hero with a flirty and dirty side. He’d love to find his person and have a relationship. So when he asks Anthony out to dinner, and they are spending more and more time together, he just assumes they’re dating. But Anthony has such self-worth issues when it comes to men and relationships that he didn’t realize what they were really doing and did not think he was worthy of Kason's romantic attention. He has been guarding his torn and tattered heart and has a fear of rejection and being left.
When they start getting some social media attention, they will have to figure out what their options are: Actually take a step toward something real, be friends with benefits, or just decide to be friends only.
I absolutely adored these guys together. Oh my gosh, Kason is just the most patient, kind, empathetic, but still fun, flirty, and dirty, talking hero. I loved how he handled the skittish Anthony and worked so hard to build him back up after he’s been so broken down. He was willing to be over the top, express his thoughts and feelings, and take all the time that Anthony needed to feel wanted, secure, and safe. He didn’t try to change Anthony. And Anthony is supportive in his own way too and they share common interests, and they enjoy spending time together. Anthony was a little oblivious at first because his self-worth just made him think that he wasn’t worth a guy like Kason‘s attention, so he didn’t always catch on to how interested Kason was. But the biggest problem in the whole situation is Anthony’s torn and tattered heart and fear of rejection and being left.
But when they began to figure it out, my gosh, they had such amazing chemistry and are just fire in the bedroom. But the companionship, emotional healing, and the fact that they both found their person and were willing to fight through any issues to keep it is what is at the core of this story and this whole series for that matter. The friendships between Hayes, Donovan, and Anthony, and overcoming their shared trauma are the heart of this series. I loved their friendships and how they kept bringing partners and friends into it and built their own family. I’m going to miss these guys because I really did enjoy their stories, and I love it when the people who were put down eventually become the big winners. This is a sweet, hot, heartfelt, hopeful, opposites-attract, dancer/hockey player, friends-to-lovers, boyfriends with and without benefits, hurt-comfort romance.
Good Pucking Luck
The Jilted Exes’ Club #1
The Jilted Exes’ Club #1
Hayes
Proposing to my first boyfriend at a hockey game wasn’t my smartest move. Not only does said boyfriend walk out on me, but the whole stupid thing goes viral, and it turns out the man I was dating has too many boyfriends to count. Internet fame has crowned me a member of the Jilted Exes’ Club, a name I’d do anything to escape.
One thing’s for sure: I’m not making the same mistake again. No more boyfriends, just easy hookups. And I’ll start with this gorgeous catch in Seattle. The only problem…he’s a god in bed, and I’m an inexperienced mess.
Rylan
After a night with Hayes, I play some of the best games of my career. It’s meant to be a one-and-done deal, but when I find out he also lives in LA and doesn’t want anything serious, I see an opportunity.
Hayes wants experience. I want my good-luck charm to help me win the cup.
The media would go wild over a pro hockey player dating a member of the Jilted Exes’ Club—a distraction neither of us needs. We want this to stay simple. Easy. No strings, no falling in love.
Except I’m pretty sure I’ve already fallen. After all Hayes has been through, how do I get him to entrust his heart to someone who’s only ever been labeled a player on and off the ice?
Donovan
What’s a little marriage of convenience between best friends?
I’ve always worked hard to keep the friendship line firmly in place when it comes to Eric. I’m gay, and he’s straight. We’re best friends and nothing more. But he’s my person, and there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for him. Which is why when I find out he’s struggling financially and doesn’t have medical insurance, I blurt out six friendship-altering words: I want you to marry me.
Eric
Donovan’s my best friend, the most important person in my life… And he wants to marry me.
Okay, so maybe I haven’t made the best decisions lately. I took a job with no health insurance and no guaranteed money, which was working out fine, if not for the whole getting-injured-and-fired thing. But Donovan has come up with a solution. Marriage. Living together. There’s a small chance we’re a tad codependent, but I always want to be with him, so signing a marriage license shouldn’t really change much. Until the kissing starts…and the touching…and the exploring… And all I know is, I want more. So much more from my husband.
Playing pretend with Donovan is the realest thing I’ve ever felt, and though divorce was the ultimate plan, I’m not sure I want this to end.
Content Warning: MC without medical insurance, discussion on the risks of not having medical insurance, discussion about losing a parent to cancer (in the past).
Riley Hart's love of all things romance shines brightly in everything she writes. Her primary focus is Male/Male romance but under various pen names, her prose has touched practically every part of the spectrum of love and relationships. The common theme that ties them all together is stories told from the heart.
A hopeless romantic herself, Riley is a lover of character-driven plots, many with flawed and relatable characters. She strives to create stories that readers can not only fall in love with, but also see themselves in. Real characters and real love blended together equal the ultimate Riley Hart experience.
When Riley isn't creating her next story, you can find her reading, traveling, or dreaming about reading or traveling, spending time with her two snarky kids, and swoony husband.
Riley Hart is represented by Jane Dystel at Dystel, Goderich & Bourret Literary Management. She's a 2019 Lambda Literary Award Finalist for Of Sunlight and Stardust.
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