HIGH HEAT BY SIERRA DEAN-REVIEWS AND AUTHOR INTERVIEW!

Miles Cartwright had the rookie season of any player’s dreams. The San Francisco Felons made it all the way to the World Series – with some help from his electric talent – then lost it all in game seven with him on the mound. To make matters worse, a misunderstanding has him in hot water with the law, and on a short leash with his club. The next season might be his last shot at a major league career, and he can’t let anything get in his way.

Last chances are something Carmen Murphy is all too familiar with. Her goal of becoming a respected sports writer is circling the drain while she wastes her talents writing sports gossip for a trashy, but popular, blog. Getting some insight on the Miles Cartwright scandal would be great for page views, but she knows a candid editorial could be just the ticket to a real career. Too bad Miles doesn’t trust her.

With the heat of summer building, and two dreams on the line, can Miles and Carmen both get what they want, without getting in each other’s way? And can they stop driving each other crazy long enough to realize that what they’re looking for might be right in front of them?

  
If there's anything better than a book being as good as you want it to be, it's when the book is better than you thought possible.

I have made no secret of the fact that I love the Boys of Summer series, so for me to love this one was not a surprise. Not even a little.

I was expecting a great book. I was not expecting the book to be better than great and close to perfect.

This book has it all. Compelling characters. Miles and Carmen are perfect. They draw you in, and you care about them...more than you think you will. Wonderful writing. You got it. Balanced romance, character development and baseball? Check.

I am not a baseball fan. I live in Los Angeles, less than the infamous "LA 20 minutes" from Dodger Stadium, and I have never been to a game. I have never even been to the parking lot of the stadium. Baseball just isn't my thing.

So, why do I love to pieces the Boys of Summer books set in the world of baseball? Because Sierra Dean loves baseball. And, through her, you see the magic of a game that looks slow (I know, LOL) and like nothing happens...her words make baseball one of the main characters of the story. With heart, and with emotion. It almost makes me want to go to a game. I probably won't, but it's tempting, just to see if a little of the love of the game makes its way out of the books and into the experience of actually watching the sport.

Baseball is a character in the story, as well as a really perfect way to let you into the mind of Miles, a fairly new pitcher for the San Francisco Felons. You get to know him by the way he reacts to the other players, his thoughts while he is pitching, and overall the way baseball is more than a sport to him, it tells you who he is. There's a line in the book about having a little vulnerability in the masculine world of baseball, and that describes Miles. A really good guy, to the core a nice guy, and one who wants, more than anything, to give his best to the game each and every time. His focus, and his drive, make him interesting. He's there, he is at the top and yet he strives to be just that little bit better each and every time.

Carmen is a sportswriter, in a world that apparently is not all that fair to women, which I have never really given much thought too...but I bet this is the case. I love how strong she is, how principled, and how flawed. I was very drawn to the juxtaposition of her desire to be the best writer possible and her loyalty to the story with her desire to do right by Miles. She was human. We have all been there, so torn about what is right, the end we know needs to happen and figuring out how to get there, maybe making mistakes along the way.

The relationship is a slow burn, with an encounter at the very beginning when Miles isn't in the best place, and then a professional relationship that turns into a friendship and then gradually into a romance. The slow burn is one of the toughest romance stories to write, as you have to use more than sex to keep the story going. In this, I loved that the romance took off gradually as you were able to get to know Carmen, Miles, and baseball.

Somehow, I almost forgot to mention that characters from the first 2 books show up in this one. Which makes sense, as they are all on the same baseball team. If you haven't read the other books (what are you waiting for???) there is no issue with continuity. If you have, the appearances are wonderful, and add so much to the story. They sneak through, so you barely notice them, unless you are a fan of the other books...and then you totally catch them.

I could go on. I could say more, but really you just need to read this one.

I definitely recommend this title. Is the next one out yet?
 

I love sports romance-love them. I have enjoyed the previous books in this series and jumped at the chance to read this book. It absolutely hit the spot for me. I confess it took me a while to find this series-but I'm so glad I did!I really adored these characters. This author has written some pretty compelling characters before so I expected to like these characters-but I wasn't prepared to fall for them as quickly as I did. These aren't easy characters, they're faced with some pretty tough situations to work through, but it's how they work through them that gets me.

Carmen was such a guarded woman! It's hard to get inside someone like that for me because I'm just an open book. But just like Miles, I wanted to know more. I wanted to get to the root of what made Carmen tick. Once I got to see inside her I was completely won over. She's not perfect, and that's part of her appeal to me. She's passionate and strong, which are two great qualities in my opinion.

Miles-ok, he broke my heart in the very first chapter. He has quite the journey to go on through this book and I loved seeing him grow through that. He's overall just a good guy at his core. He is definitely book boyfriend material!

This romance doesn't happen immediately. This book is the PERFECT, and I mean perfect, example of what a slow burn romance is. I never once wanted these two to pick up the pace, I loved every second of how their relationship progressed. They are just fantastic together.

Baseball is definitely a big sport where I'm from-and it's a game I played as a kid and enjoy watching as an adult. So this backdrop is something I understood, something I could relate to. If you aren't a baseball fan though? This book, and all of Ms. Dean's, will at least have you appreciating the game.

I loved getting to see peeks back into the lives of other players that we've met in previous books. If you haven't read them (go, go now and read them) it won't detract from this story at all. It's always tricky to bring past characters into books, you don't want them to overtake the story. In this book it's almost essential, as it's a team environment-and I love that.

I flew through this book. It was one I couldn't put down once I started. Trust me, you don't want to miss a chance to read this Boys of Summer book! You'll fall in love with these characters and this book. I highly recommend this title.

Sierra Dean is a reformed historian. She was born and raised in the Canadian prairies and is allowed annual exit visas in order to continue her quest of steadily conquering the world one city at a time. Making the best of the cold Canadian winters, Sierra indulges in her less global interests: drinking too much tea and writing urban fantasy.

Ever since she was a young girl she has loved the idea of the supernatural coexisting with the mundane. As an adult, however, the idea evolved from the notion of fairies in flower beds, to imagining that the rugged-looking guy at the garage might secretly be a werewolf. She has used her overactive imagination to create her own version of the world, where vampire, werewolves, fairies, gods and monsters all walk among us, and she’ll continue to travel as much as possible until she finds it for real.

She’s also a book lover (of course!), obsessive collector of OPI nail polish and the owner of way too many pairs of shoes. Portrait Credit: Megan Lara

AUTHOR INTERVIEW!

 This series, set in the world of baseball, is close to your heart as you are a huge baseball fan yourself. Does that make it harder or easier to write the characters and scenes?

It's easier to write about baseball when you know it well, because there's a lot of nuances and vocabulary specific to the game, it's like its own language. I found that loving the game made it a natural progression to write about it.


Does writing energize or exhaust you?

Both. It's definitely a job, so there are days I sort of drag myself through it. But it's also incredibly satisfying when the words flow and you have an amazing writing day.


What is your writing Kryptonite?

I always say the hardest part of writing is whatever I'm doing at the moment. If it's outlining, that's the hardest. Writing, the hardest. Editing, definitely the hardest. So there really aren't any easy parts, lol.


Do you have playlists for your books?

I've made a couple for the Thunder Road and Genie McQueen series, but they're mostly songs that make me think of the books, rather than songs I write to.


Do you need silence to write or is there certain music you have to play when you write?

Depends on my mood. Often I'll write in silence but sometimes I like music. I listen to a playlist called "Southern Gothic" on Spotify for the Genie books, since they're set in Louisiana. I also like writing to jazz because there aren't any lyrics to distract me.


How did publishing your first book change your process of writing?

I had to speed it up a lot. Writing my first book took me 5 years. I now write about 5 books a year, so it's certainly forced me to become a lot faster.


Do any of your characters have traits/habits that you have?

Absolutely. Emmy in Pitch Perfect is a big Hall and Oates fan, and I often use their music to psych myself up for things. I think I add my own touches to characters without thinking about it.


What’s the most difficult thing about writing characters from the opposite sex?

You want to be true to the characters as people. I don't pretend to know what it's like to be a man, but I want to make sure that all my characters are well rounded and believable. I like to craft real people. I know a lot of men, it's just a matter of being observant, being fair, and being respectful.


How do you select the names of your characters?

Sometimes I'll stumble on a name I like on a TV show or movie, or hear it in real life and make a note of it. I have a list on the whiteboard by my desk of names I want to use. But the name also needs to fit the character and the story. I couldn't put Secret McQueen in a baseball book, but in an urban fantasy series, her name works great.


Do you read your book reviews? How do you deal with bad or good ones?

I'll read reviews from bloggers I know, who I know will be fair even if they don't like the book. It's nice to see the opinions of people you know and respect. Those ones, even when they're not glowing, are the ones I handle the best. I don't read Amazon or Goodreads reviews. I fully support every reader's right to hate my books if they want to and say so openly, but I don't need to read it. It would keep me from being able to work.


In Pitch Perfect, Tucker has a moment and Googles himself. Have you ever done this?

I did it all the time when my first book came out! I had an alert and everything. I stopped that pretty quickly. No one needs to pay that much attention to what other people think of them. Tucker was feeling a bit self-destructive that day.


How long on average does it take you to write a book?

2-3 months, depending on the length of the book, re-writes, etc. I have it down to a pretty fine science now.

Buy Sierra's Books!

Amazon Author Page 

Sierra Dean on Goodreads

CALLED OUT BY JEN DOYLE-VIRTUAL TOUR & AUTHOR INTERVIEW

Fans of Jill Shalvis should prepare to swoon over Jack and Lola's HEA.

CALLED OUT

A Calling It Novel

Jen Doyle

May 29, 2016

Carina Press

Jack "Ox" Oxford is used to being alone. Granted, when you screw over your friends, being alone isn't always a choice. Playing for the Chicago Watchmen is a last-ditch effort to save his career…and right some of his past wrongs. He's not expecting a warm reception, but he's also not expecting a flat tire to change everything.

Recovering control freak, single mom and semiprofessional chaos wrangler Lola Deacon McIntire doesn't need an arrogant ballplayer to swoop in and save her from anything, much less her flat tire. And she definitely doesn't need her body to betray her and decide this is the guy to wake up her rusty libido. She isn't about to upset her sons' lives for any man—much less one who so clearly doesn't think he's dad material.

Jack never thought he'd find someone who wanted to build a life with him, but the more time he spends with Lola and her boys, the more it starts to feel permanent. Even tough-as-nails Lola concedes there just might be a future here—the big, beautiful, messy future neither of them was looking for—but only if Jack will accept he deserves it.

Jack and Lola had chemistry and the best part was that you genuinely believe they like one another, well, eventually.  Not so much at first.  Their meet cute, over a flat tire on the side of the road, was funny, and charming, and gave an interesting first glimpse into who they each are, and how they will relate to one another.

Lack has a past that he needs to overcome, and he needs to do it soon, as his options for playing baseball are dwindling and he needs the ok of the person on the team that he wronged.  Lola is friends with the person, and doesn't think there is any need for Jack to be in town.  While it is not a big spoiler, getting into the details on this is a spoiler, so I am going to leave this vague.

They are attracted to one another immediately, but, Lola wants nothing to do with a playboy ballplayer with no interest in settling down, especially as she has children to think about.

The writing in this was strong, and I really enjoyed that it was focused on baseball but not during the season.  It was a different angle of it and I liked the idea that they were players in the off season, still focused on it in the periphery and it was still important, but not the focus.

The issue I had was with his past and the child.  Maybe this was addressed in a previous book...but he is there to atone for his past actions, but you don't really know what happened.  And, it seems that it is an issue, and it is something to deal with, but it is never really addressed.  This felt like a hole in the story, at least to me.  I kept waiting for someone to give a few more details of the situation, as while not important for the story, it definitely was a catalyst for events in this book.

That said, I was able to enjoy the book, and I definitely recommend this title.

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

JEN DOYLE

Hi Booked All Night! Thank you so much for having me!!!!

What is your writing kryptonite?

First drafts. I find them physically painful. I do everything I can to avoid them, which, obviously, isn’t a good idea at all given that without a first draft there’s no final draft. It’s been better since I’ve learned that it’s easier for me to dictate stream of consciousness thoughts than it is to write them down on an empty screen, but still… It’s one of the things I absolutely dread doing. I can’t wait to get that first draft finished and move on to editing. 

If you could tell your younger writing self anything what would it be?

Write! My younger writing self actually didn’t write anything because she was a perfectionist. I didn’t really start writing until I was in my 30s, and when I did, I had enough confidence to, well, do it very badly and not worry about what people thought. (That was back in my fanfic days.) But just getting out there and doing it—and not thinking too much about the technicalities and the plotting and the everything-else-that-you-think-you-should-be-thinking-about—is so very important. And then, once you start doing, LISTEN—to the fans, to the haters, to the editors, to anyone who cares to comment. Not necessarily to follow every piece of advice, because that would be exhausting and disheartening. But to truly understand what works—for you and your readers—and what doesn’t, and then learn enough about the techniques and about your own style to write and edit accordingly (and well). 

What type of research do you do for your books and how long do you typically research?

It all depends on what specifically is being researched. So, for example, for CALLING IT, I did a lot of fact checking (especially for the Trivia Night scene). The individual things didn’t take very long, but there were a lot of them, especially as I worked my way through esoteric (but not entirely impossible-to-answer) sports trivia. But for the current novella I’m working on, HOLIDAY HOUSE CALL, my heroine is a doctor so I’m doing a lot of homework on that, including reading a nonfiction book about being a neurosurgeon. 

However, I have to say that my weakness is physical environments. I spend a lot of time looking through real estate sites to pick houses and apartments for my characters, and going to various mapping sites for everything from addresses to terrain. I get lost on those sites for hours. (That was actually going to be my original answer for the Kryptonite answer—because I truly do get lost in it, which is not always productive—but I’ve found that immersing myself in these beautiful houses or hotel rooms [I had a lot of fun looking at pictures of the Presidential Suite at one of the fancy San Francisco hotels for CALLED UP] really puts me in the mood and helps push me over that first draft hump.) And then I put them on my Pinterest boards so I can go back and see them again whenever I want to. 

What's the most difficult part of writing characters of the opposite sex?

I really enjoy writing characters of the opposite sex. I think maybe it’s because I can make what they’re thinking and saying logical, whereas in real life I have absolutely no clue as to what is going on in their heads, LOL. But I’d say the most difficult part for me is to, well, convey certain physical reactions in very specific circumstances. (Ok, yes, I’m totally talking about what it feels like for a guy in all sorts of sexy times.) For the most part, what they’re thinking is as important as what they’re feeling, so I have that part down. The actual physical sensations, however, are much more challenging. 

How do you select the names of your characters?

Very poorly! I am really bad with names. I veer back and forth between nicknames (Max “Deke” Deacon, Angelica “Fitz” Hawkins, etc.) and much more traditional names like Jack and Karen. (And then in the novella I’m working on, I inadvertently set up my Karen character to have a cousin named Aaron, which was a bit of a disaster as they hang out together quite a lot. Luckily, I just realized I can fix that so I dodged a bullet on that one, LOL!) But I do go through lists of baby names from particular years, or, for example, since my Hansons of St. Helena series is located in a real town, if I’m trying to get inspiration for names, I’ll go into their city government or other local websites and pick first names or last names of different people and put them together. 

With that all said, there are just some names that come to me. Nate Hawkins (hero of book #1) and Lola McIntire (heroine of book #3) are, I think, my favorites. And then, of course, there’s Lucinda Dorinda Yaz Yaz Tommy Sue Donelli (aka Dorie), my heroine in book #1, but you’ll need to read the book to get the story behind that. ;) 

And sometimes I repeat myself. I just this moment (while I was writing out the answers to your questions, LOL!) realized that for the second time I have given the same last name to two entirely unrelated characters. Ugh! But thank you! 

Do you ever allude to bits of yourself in traits your characters possess?

Absolutely. There are some factual things—for example, Dorie Donelli got her degree in library and information science from a grad school in Boston…and so did I. The house she grew up in is frighteningly similar to my own house. And there are also much more emotional ones. Beth Walker, my heroine in BREATHE, is pretty wound up and one of the scenes is her having a panic attach on the side of the road. One of my reviewers wrote how realistic that was, and although I’ve never had a panic attack before, I was going through an incredibly stressful time when I wrote that novella, and pouring all of those anxieties into her character was hugely beneficial both for my own peace of mind and for the book itself. 

Does writing energize you or exhaust you?

I’m sure it will come as no surprise at this point when I say that first drafts exhaust me. Deplete me. But once I have that first draft down and can get into the editing phase, it’s hard for me to put it down. At this very moment I’m aching to open up the draft of the novella I’m editing at the moment. But we’ve got a bunch of family visiting and they’re all having pancakes and bagels downstairs right now, so I think it’s time to go. 

Again, thank you so much for having me! I’d love to chat again sometime! And, of course, I hope you all enjoy CALLED OUT.

Catch up on all the Calling It titles

A big believer in happily ever afters, Jen Doyle decided it was high time she started creating some. She has an M.S. in Library and Information Science and, in addition to her work as a librarian, has worked as a conference and events planner as well as a Communications and Enrollment administrator in both preschool and higher education environments (although some might say that there is very little difference between the two; Jen has no comment regarding whether she is one of the “some”).

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HER SECRET RANGER BY DONNA MICHAELS-VIRTUAL TOUR

Kissing the sexy soldier was a dare she couldn’t resist…

HER SECRET RANGER

The Men of At Ease Ranch #2

Donna Michaels

Releasing March 6th, 2017

Entangled Lovestruck

Kissing the sexy soldier was a dare she couldn’t resist…

By-the-book event planner Beth Brannigan’s best friend dared her to kiss a cowboy. She should have said no. Instead, she said please…again and again. If her brother finds out she’s dating—okay, kissing—okay, sleeping with—one of his military buddies, he’ll kill her. Assuming he doesn’t kill his friend first.

Former Army Ranger Brick Mitchum isn’t a relationship kind of guy. But then he meets Beth and starts to wonder if maybe it’s time he settled down. She’s mysterious. Unpredictable. Curvy in every way he needs… And hiding something. He’s just got to figure out what. 

I enjoy a good falling-for-my-friend's-sibling type book so when I read that in the blurb for this book my interest was piqued.  Add in a former military man turned cowboy? Yes please!  Her Secret Ranger had humor and heat, and was a quick read.

For the most part I really liked the main characters in this book.  I felt the connection between them, the chemistry was spot on.  The sexy scenes were, well, sexy and steamy.  It was enjoyable to watch a man who specialized in one night stands find out he wanted more from a woman.  Beth and Brick shared passion and humor, which made the book enjoyable for me.

What I didn't love was how long the secret aspect of their relationship dragged on.  I understood why Beth kept things from the men, I do, but it just went on longer than I think it needed to.  I didn't love Brick's reaction to the news either, it felt slightly out of character to me. 

I liked the secondary characters in this book.  I didn't feel they overshadowed our main couple or got in the way too much-except for Beth's brother-but as someone who has siblings, I get that fierce protectiveness.   The pacing of this book-other than the secret part-was good as well.

Overall I enjoyed the book.  It is technically the second in a series but can absolutely be read as a standalone.  After reading this I plan on going back to read the first book while I wait for the next installment.

Q&A with Donna Michaels

How did you come up with the concept and the characters for the story?

Right from the birth of The Men of At-Ease Ranch series concept, I knew from discussing with my editor that the heroine in the second book, Her Secret Ranger, was going to be the sister to one of the other heroes. The mistaken identity trope went into play, because the hero would never “knowingly” mess with another Ranger’s sister. It made for a little bit of fun trying to keep the two men from meeting.

What did you enjoy most about writing this book?

I enjoyed writing all of it. I really did. The characters practically wrote the book themselves. It was every author’s dream type book. They were funny and sweet, hot and hardheaded, and then I got to revisit the characters from the first book, including Lula Belle. Yep, this was one of my all-time favorite books to write. I wish they were all this fun and easy.

Name three things on your desk right now.

Three things on my desk, besides my laptop and mouse, are:

1. Halo, my cat. She’s half on my lap, half on my laptop desk. Bless her. She’s been diagnosed with inoperable cancer, so if she wants to lay on my work, I let her, I just have to try to type around her, like I am doing now. J

2. Coffee mug with the phrase: Writer’s Block: When your imaginary friends stop talking to you.

3. My phone so I can keep up with the messages from authors about parties I’ve agreed to do, and of course, texts from my kids.

What are some books that you enjoyed recently?

Trouble with Mistletoe by Jill Shalvis. I’m so freaking excited it’s going to be made into a movie!! I love all her books. Can’t get enough of Jill!

What do you like to do when you aren't writing?

When I’m not writing, if I have some me-time, I’ll either read or watch TV. I have a lot of shows I usually have to catch up on once I meet my deadline. Halo likes this too, because she gets to have my lap unobstructed by the computer.

Can you tell us about your upcoming book?

I just finished writing book 3, tentatively titled: The Right Ranger. In it, I got to have fun causing a little chaos to Cord Brannigan who is Beth’s brother and Brick’s best friend. He’s been kind of quiet, unsmiling, and a little controlling in the first two books, so it was fun to dig into why and give him a heroine who is a bit independent. 

Don't Miss the first title in the series

IN A RANGER'S ARMS

Now a USA Today Bestseller

Donna Michaels is an award winning, New York Times & USA Today bestselling author of Romaginative fiction. Her hot, humorous, and heartwarming stories include cowboys, men in uniform, and some sexy, primal alphas. With a husband in the military fulltime, and a household of nine, she never runs out of material to write, and has rightfully earned the nickname Lucy…and sometimes Ethel. From short to epic, her books entertain readers across a variety of sub-genres, and one has even being hand drawn into a Japanese translation. Now, if only she could read it.

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