Jackson’s Trust
Fourth Down #1
By: Violet Duke
Releasing March 8th, 2016
Loveswept
Blurb
New York Times bestselling author Violet Duke kicks off her fun and sexy new Fourth Down series with a heartwarming friends-to-lovers romance between a no-strings-attached sports analyst and the hottest damn tomboy he’s ever met.
It’s no secret that sports analyst Jackson Gray doesn’t do relationships. What is a secret, however, is the reason why. Jackson’s life is . . . complicated. And it doesn’t help that his current hands-off “friendship” is with the cute-as-hell new sideline reporter he’s assigned to train. Turns out, not only is the woman damn sweet, she also knows as much about football as he does. Like it or not though, Jackson has to remind himself that sex is the only thing he has to offer . . . until now.
Leila Hart’s fast-growing friendship with Jackson is something she’d never risk, no matter how unbelievably seductive the reward. Becoming an NFL sportscaster has always been the goal, and thanks to Jackson’s fierce support and mentoring, it all finally seems within reach. Problem is, a girl can only take so much of that sexy-as-sin voice whispering dirty, filthy football stats in her ear before she loses all self-control. A workplace romance with Jackson is a disaster waiting to happen, especially for someone with big dreams . . . and secrets of her own.
Review:
I’m still swooning over Jackson. I was crushing from the beginning to the end. Duke did an excellent job creating this character. He’s charming, smart, and a special-kind-of-delicious. He didn’t play games and he, therefore, had no problem letting his desires be known. He was also honest and loyal. What more could a girl want? Oh, did I mention handsome? Complete package – flaws and all.
Leila was a woman after my own heart. She is strong and smart, and she, too, went after what she wanted. She didn’t play coy, but she did respect herself, as well as Jackson. I loved their exchanges, and the heat between the two could make a smoke detector drain its batteries.
What can I say about Bennett and Donovan, other than I loved them and so want to read their stories? They were so funny, and their witty banter and playful antics were more than entertaining. Once they were introduced, I was hooked on them as well. Kudos to Duke!
I was caught off guard with the climax. That’s the way it should be. For a minute I was questioning the happily-ever-after, but then I thought about what I’d learned about the characters, and refusing to believe I had no intelligence at all when it came to this story, I finally relaxed while it continued to unfold. I have to say, I didn’t expect what happened. It was some kind of crafty, and afterwards, it all made sense. Nicely done!
Recommend? Absolutely!
Rating system: The less the better.
0: You won’t need any coffee to stay up for this one. It’s intriguing enough all on its own.
1: You’ll stay up late, but not all night. Brew one cup.
2: You’ll read as long as you’re not tired. If you are, two cups should do the trick.
3: I hope you got plenty of rest; you’ll need it, or at least 3 cups.
4: If the cable goes out, read the book. It’s better than nothing, I guess. Oh, don’t forget your brew!
5: Find anything else to do- it doesn’t matter what it is. Don’t waste your coffee. Too much caffeine is bad for you.
My rating: 0 cups of coffee
Link to Follow Tour: http://www.tastybooktours.com/2016/02/jacksons-trust-fourth-down-1-by-violet.html
Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25738929-jackson-s-trust
Goodreads Series Link: https://www.goodreads.com/series/156616-fourth-down
Buy Links: Amazon | B & N | GooglePlay | iTunes | Kobo
Author Info
NEW YORK TIMES & USA TODAY bestselling author Violet Duke is a former professor of English Education ecstatic to now be on the other side of the page writing wickedly fun contemporary romances filled with strong, unique heroines and memorably romantic heroes. With just under a million books sold to date, since becoming an author in 2013, Violet has appeared on the USA Today bestseller list thirteen times and the NYT bestseller list three times, with the additional honor of charting in the Top 10 across the major eretailers both in the U.S. and internationally.
When she’s not feeding her book-a-day reading addiction, Violet enjoys tackling reno projects with her power tools, trying pretty much anything without reading the directions first, and cooking impossible-to-be-duplicated ‘special edition’ dishes that laugh in the face of recipes. A born and raised island girl, she spends her days in Hawai’i chasing after her two cute kids (daughter Violet & son Duke) and similarly adorable husband (their ringleader).
Author Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads
Excerpt
“My life is . . . complicated.” Jackson broke his gaze away from her. “A relationship would be doomed to fail from the start.”
He sounded genuinely disappointed. Almost wistful. The way her grandmother had sounded years ago when her doctors told her she had to change her diet to cut out sweets, her favorite thing ever.
His eyes found hers again. “Funny thing is that I used to be one of those guys who figured he’d have a kid or two by now. Cute hell raisers who’d help me spoil their mom on Sunday mornings, that sort of thing.” Doting affection filtered into his tone. “And vice versa. A partner in crime who’d help me plan surprises for the kids that would be so stinkin’ adorable that I’d max out the memory on my phone taking photo after photo.”
Good grief, she was pretty sure one of her ovaries just fainted.
Leila had the sneaking suspicion that she was going to fall for this man. Hard. “So because of your secretly complicated life, you only date women who want . . .”
“Sex.” His eyes stayed glued to hers as he dropped the one word like a bomb. “Just sex. At their place, not mine. Occasionally, with lunch or dinner as well, but never breakfast.”
Wow. That was the very definition of just sex, alright.
“That honest enough for you?”
Yep. That worked. Did it settle her curiosity at the moment? Unquestionably. Did it get her to want to widen the number of spaces between them on the game board?
Not so much.
She watched him watch her reaction to his answer, and gave him the smile she knew he wasn’t expecting. Along with the follow-up she knew he really wasn’t expecting. “So you flirting with me earlier was you picking up on some sex-only, no-breakfast-in-bed vibe I have going on?” she teased. “That’s a pretty powerfully accurate gift you got there, Skippy.”
Aaand they were back to standing on the same square on the game board.
“Sunshine, why do I get the feeling you don’t really have a boyfriend?”
Thank you for hosting JACKSON’S TRUST today!
Crystal, Tasty Book Tours
I’m certainly glad I did. It was a great story. I’m looking forward to more.