Today I am so pleased to welcome Michele Lenard to Joyfully Jay. Michele has come to talk to us about her latest release, Bad Pucking Timing. She has also brought along a great giveaway. Please join me in giving her a big welcome!
Exclusive Excerpt
He’s persistent, I’ll give him that, and if he wasn’t a jock, or my father’s new star player, I might find that flattering. But I’ve been down this road before, and I know where it leads.
Keeping my expression blank, I try another angle. “Didn’t we talk about how you need to focus on hockey? I would think making it to the NHL trumps getting laid.”
He flashes the dimples he knows I have a soft spot for. “I am here with my teammates. And now I’m talking to another friend.”
“Is that what you want us to be? Friends?”
“No.” A single word has never made my chest feel so hollow, and despite my best effort not to, I swallow thickly. Then, under the guise of trying to be heard over the music, he leans close enough to growl in my ear. “I want more.”
His fresh mountain scent floods my nostrils as he pulls away and sips his beer with a satisfied grin.
“Think what you’d be risking.” I grab a couple cocktail napkins just to give my hands something to do.
“Right now, the only thing I’m risking is getting shot down.”
“The guy I went home with a few months ago knows better than to believe that. It’s why he’s still in the closet.”
“That guy also kept his sexuality a secret from his roommates for several years, so he knows how to navigate…friendships.”
“I’m exposure you don’t need. And you’re a headache I don’t want.” Both are true, though the longer I’m in his presence the harder that is to remember.
“Yesterday, I might’ve believed that.”
“And today?” I sip my drink, feigning boredom.
His cobalt blue eyes hold mine. “Today I ran into you. Again.”
Blurb
Colorado Bulldogs, Book 1
The ice is my happy place. My sanctuary. The source of my happiest memories, and the promise of my future. It’s also the reason I’m living a lie.
As a kid you don’t think about the sacrifices you’ll have to make for your dreams. After all, dreams are supposed to be happy, so all you see is the finish line, not what you’ll have to give up to get there.
I surrendered a carefree childhood to hours upon hours of grueling practices. Abandoned life with my family in favor of a boarding school that would hone my skills to perfection. But my biggest sacrifice, the one I couldn’t predict I’d have to make as a little boy, is denying who I am.
To the world I’m the top rookie in this year’s NHL draft. The most promising defender the league has seen in years. For years that’s all I wanted to be, and now that I’m here…
I knew my career would intersect with my personal life at some point, I just didn’t expect it to happen before I played my first pro game.
That’s why he is so dangerous. My lifelong dream is within reach, and now there’s another I want to pursue. If only it weren’t such bad pucking timing.
Bio
Michele is a tomboy who writes contemporary romance (usually sports themed) that is both sweet and steamy. Her goal is to make you fan your face as you wipe a tear from your eye. Her books are part of a series but there are no cliffhangers so each can be read as a standalone. When she isn’t reading or writing she enjoys the outdoors, something that pops up in her books from time to time.
Connect with Michele:
- https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21706386.Michele_Lenard
- https://www.bookbub.com/profile/michele-lenard
- https://www.instagram.com/mlenardbooks/
- https://www.facebook.com/michelelenardbooks
- https://mlenardromance.com/newsletter-signup/
Giveaway
To celebrate the release of Bad Pucking Timing, Michele is giving away a paperback copy of the release! Enter the Rafflecopter giveaway for your chance to win.
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- By entering you are agreeing to hold Joyfully Jay harmless if the prize or giveaway in some way negatively impacts the winner.
- Void where prohibited by law.
Welcome, Michele, and best wishes for the success of Bad Pucking Timing!