Release Blitz, Excerpt & Giveaway:
Playing Offside
By Jax Calder
A M/M enemies to lovers sports romance
Aiden Jones, aka the Ice King, is one of the best rugby players in the world. He got there by working hard and sacrificing a lot, including denying a large part of himself. But there’s plenty of time to be the poster boy for gay rugby players after he retires. At the moment, he’s focused on passing a long-standing points record to cement his legacy, and he’s not about to surrender his starting spot to the cocky loudmouth who just joined the training squad, no matter how talented the kid might be.
Tyler can’t believe he’s made it into the New Zealand rugby training squad after only his first professional rugby season. Now management has decided that it’s a good idea for him to room with Aiden Jones, who Tyler’s had a long-range crush on for years. And although Aiden is icy to him both on and off the field, Tyler figures with a little charm, he can melt the Ice King. But even he’s not prepared for how heated things become between them. Now Tyler’s falling for the same guy whose starting spot he’s gunning for. But all is fair in both love and sport, right?
Playing Offside is a fantastic sports romance by Jax Calder. The first in the Sporting Secrets series, I can only hope the rest of the series is this addictive.
I love sports romances and in a nice change of pace, this one has rugby players! And, omg, it's so damn good!
Aiden and Tyler's story is more than I could have asked for. They're two rival rugby players who are roommates on the road.
This is a story with internalized homophobia and a homophobic father. And it's main focus is the fear of coming out in the world of rugby.
I love everything about their story. Their attraction is wonderful and their chemistry is off the charts. Their love slowly develops into something that makes things more complicated. I love that they work hard through many issues to get their happy ever after. Their feelings are never in doubt, but rather they need to figure out a way to have the future they want.
Their story also involves a father who died young, giving us a reminder to live in the moment and enjoy life while you can.
Best of all is the way they come together, despite being rivals. I absolutely can't resist a man who is willing to help a younger teammate. Seriously, Aiden falls for the man who's trying to steal his spot on the team. It doesn't get any better than this.
And oh man, the connection and dynamic between the two is amazing. I absolutely love how they bring out the best in each other, especially with Tyler helping Aiden to enjoy life and drop his ice king persona.
Written in alternating first person pov, I fell into this one hook, line, and sinker. This is my preferred writing style, with the men fully coming to life, and their storyline flowing perfectly.
Playing Offside is one hell of a riveting romance. This Jax Calder tale is a must read for anyone who can't get enough of athletes falling in love. Good god, I love these men and their journey. You simply can't go wrong with this book.
I was a strong man. But right now, I definitely wasn’t made of ice.
And it would have taken someone with a stronger willpower than Gandhi not to check out a half-naked Tyler Bannings standing a few feet away. All that golden skin lying over perfectly sculpted muscle. I swallowed. Hard.
“Like what you see?” He smirked.
Fuck. It looked like the direction of my attention had not escaped his notice.
I managed to stop my cheeks from igniting. I raised my gaze to stare straight at him. He was still smirking, and I had an overwhelming urge to wipe that smug grin off his face.
“Yeah, I do, actually.” The words were out of my mouth without me stopping to think through the consequences.
His smile dropped. “Wait, what?”
Now was the time to backtrack and turn this into a joke. But part of me liked the fact I had the cocky bastard flummoxed. I could always claim the joke later.
“I said I do like what I see.” My voice came out husky.
His Adam’s apple bobbed. “You’re shitting me, right? You’re just messing with my head?”
He’d started breathing harder, his chest rising and falling as he watched me. My smart-ass teammate was the most freaked out I’d ever seen him. Even more freaked out than when he thought the New Zealand coach disapproved of him.
And that caused anger to flash through me.
I quirked an eyebrow. “What? I thought you’re this enlightened, woke generation. You’re not going to tell me you’re homophobic, are you?”
His eyes narrowed. “You are messing with me.”
I shrugged. “If that’s what you want to believe.”
He licked his lips. I couldn’t help my gaze dropping to his mouth. When I looked back up, his eyes had heated.
Holy shit, maybe I’d read this situation wrong. He couldn’t be, could he?
Bannings stepped toward me, his dark eyes not leaving my face.
Enter the Giveaway:
To celebrate the release of Playing Offside, Jax is giving away a $20 Amazon Voucher and an e-copy of Playing Offside!
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Jax's stories are all about light-hearted conversations and deeply-felt connections. She loves exploring exactly why two characters are the only ones who’ll make the other truly happy, and the journey they take to reach their happily-ever-after
Jax lives in New Zealand with her family and a wide assortment of animals. She's a rabid sports fan, a hiking enthusiast and has a slightly unhealthy addiction to nature documentaries. She has also been known to read the odd book on occasion.
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