Monday, June 30, 2014

Blog Tour: Review, Excerpt, and Giveaway for Time of Possession by Jami Davenport


 I love football.  I really do.  I'm a die hard fan for my hometown.  It's funny because I didn't understand football until a few seasons ago, and now there's no going back! It's one reason why I love books featuring football and the players.



BLURB:

The clock’s ticking down, and Estelle Harris and Lumberjacks quarterback Brett Gunnels are about to enter crunch time.


SYNOPSIS:

CRUNCH TIME

Supposedly undersized for the NFL, Brett Gunnels went off to do a stint in the US Army right out of high school. Returning damaged yet stronger and more determined than ever to prove himself, he was picked last in the draft. Mr. Irrelevant, they called him. The last few years as a backup quarterback have given him no opportunity to compete for the starting job. That’s why he has a chip on his shoulder the size of Puget Sound.

Estelle Harris is engaged to a man she doesn't love, working a job she hates, and fooling everyone including herself in the process. Her love of animals is the only thing that gives her purpose—a love she shares the Lumberjacks’ reclusive quarterback. And then their mutual friendship turns a hot, dark, forbidden corner and there's no going back.

True love is like football. It’s not always how long you have the ball. It’s what you do when you get it.



EXCERPT:

Chapter 1—Mr. Irrelevant
Brett Gunnels had fostered an intimate relationship with his clipboard over the past several football seasons.

After all, as the backup quarterback, he played his game on that clipboard, not out on the football field. Every Sunday during the season he stood on the sidelines making endless notes. One day he’d get his chance, a chance to prove that Mr. Irrelevant—the title bestowed on the last player picked each year in the NFL draft—was anything but.

Today, like any game day, Brett roamed the sidelines, clipboard in hand. Every once in a while, he stopped, cupped his hands to his mouth, and called out warnings or advice to the Seattle Lumberjacks’ starting quarterback. Not that Tyler Harris heard him or would listen even if he did. Harris did his own thing, and to hell with anyone else, even his teammates and coaches.

A couple penalties set the Jacks back to San Francisco’s forty yard line, and the offense was looking at third and twenty-five with fifteen seconds on the clock.

Harris took the ball from center and stepped back, staying in the pocket with the coolness and finesse of the elite quarterback he was. A second later, the pocket collapsed around him and he scrambled, running for his life while looking for an open receiver. Every one of them was covered.

Harris never saw the streak of pure muscle and brawn coming from his blindside. Brett cringed as the linebacker slammed into Harris with a vicious hit, falling on him in the process. Harris was known for his toughness, but from Brett’s point of view, knees didn’t bend like that.

As the offense returned to the huddle, a couple of them looked toward Harris, as if expecting him to bounce to his feet. He always did. But not this time.
Sprawled on his back, the two-time championship quarterback didn’t move. Not even an eyelash.

A hush came over the crowd, eerie in its silence, while a cold wind of fear blew through the stadium. Harris’s cousin and the Jacks’ top wide receiver, Derek Ramsey, knelt beside the immobile quarterback, as the coaches and trainers hurried onto the field. The offensive line huddled nearby, pretending not to stare but doing so anyway, worry etched on the big guys’ beefy faces.

Brett might not like Harris much—not many guys did—but his grudging respect for the guy’s talent and work ethic overrode any personal issues he might have. Besides, no one wanted to see a teammate laid out on the field like that, or anyone else for that matter.

An icy shiver radiated up Brett’s spine as his brain transported him to another time where sand stretched as far as the eye could see, another body down and not moving. Nothing. Just like Harris was now.

A cold sweat trickled down Brett’s forehead, and he dropped his clipboard and scrubbed his face with his hands, forcing those memories back into the compartment where he kept them tightly locked up.

This wasn’t a war zone—well, not exactly—and his teammate was known for his dramatics. He was probably taking a two-minute siesta at the expense of everyone’s nerves. Any second, he’d hop to his feet and chastise them for being such pansy-asses.

Only Harris didn’t move. Brett couldn’t stay on the sidelines and do nothing. He ran onto the field to join his teammates standing in concerned clusters. Harris’s chalky face looked like death. Brett swallowed back the fear and bolstered his courage. He’d be okay. He had to be. He was too mean and too tough to be seriously injured.

After several tense minutes, Harris sat up and shook his head. The team breathed a collective sigh of relief. Groggily, he accepted assistance to his feet, only to have his knee buckle. He went down again, clutching his leg, pain carved into his usually stoic face as he rolled back and forth on the turf. A few seconds later, two linemen helped him onto a cart, and they zipped him off the field and down the tunnel.

Only then did Brett realize the coach was yelling at him.

“Gun, get your helmet on and get your ass out there on that field.”

Standing on the fifty yard line, the guys in the huddle gawked at him, waiting for him to assume control. Frantic, he looked for his helmet but couldn’t find it. Zach Murphy, their All-Pro linebacker, shoved it in his hands. Strapping it on as he ran, Brett got to the huddle, only to find the mic in his helmet wasn’t working. After tapping on the helmet a few times, he took several deep breaths and squelched the growing panic inside him. He could do this. He would do this. He had to do this. The team was counting on him.

Brett turned to the guys gathered around him, his gaze determined. He knew exactly what play to call in this situation, having rehearsed it over and over in his mind and on the practice field. He called for a quick out-pass to Derek, hoping to catch the defense expecting a run because of the quarterback change. He took the snap from center, pedaled backwards, and tossed an easy lob to Derek, who collided with a defensive end as they both went for the ball. The end batted the ball into the air, and a San Francisco linebacker in the right place at the right time scooped it up before it hit the ground and ran it back for a touchdown.
Game over.


At first his stunned teammates stared at the end zone as if they couldn’t believe their bad luck. Then one by one, guys patted him on the back amid murmurs of “good try,” “tough break,” and “we did the best we could.” Regardless, Brett blamed himself because that’s what a good quarterback did. A great one carried the whole team on his shoulders and found a way to win. Just not today.




REVIEW: ★★★★ stars

I haven't been following this series as I should have.  I've somehow managed to skip over four books.  The great thing is I never got lost.  The book focused on Brett and Estelle and only showed glimpses of previous characters.  

I liked Brett and Estelle.  Both are really nice people.  I admired their zeal for the passions in their lives.  I was a little baffled yet still admired Estelle for her dedication to someone who'd supported her in the past.  I didn't understand why everyone was so harsh on Brett.  It turns out he was pretty harsh on himself as well which really got my sympathies.

One of my favorite things about this book besides all the animals, especially that parrot, was the conflict between Brett and Estelle.  I won't mention more, but it was a real problem and I enjoyed seeing them try to figure it out.  I think it would've been much easier for them without interference from everyone else.  I didn't quite understand why their romance was forbidden as implied in the blurb.

This book is really well written.  I read it in a couple of hours and enjoyed it.  There were some really hilarious moments and some heavy ones.  I was surprised by the depth of the plot and enjoyed being kept on my toes.  I do hope Jami will write Brett and Estelle into further books.  I'd love to know how they're doing later along the line. :)

AUTHOR BIO:

An advocate of happy endings, Jami Davenport writes sexy romantic comedy, sports hero romances, and equestrian fiction. Jami lives on a small farm near Puget Sound with her Green Beret-turned-plumber husband, a Newfoundland cross with a tennis ball fetish, a prince disguised as an orange tabby cat, and an opinionated Hanoverian mare.

Jami works in IT for her day job and is a former high school business teacher and dressage rider. In her spare time, she maintains her small farm and socializes whenever the opportunity presents itself. An avid boater, Jami has spent countless hours in the San Juan Islands, a common setting in her books. In her opinion, it is the most beautiful place on earth.



AUTHOR LINKS:





Goodreads: /1637218.Jami_Davenport



BLOG TOUR HOSTED BY:


FOLLOW THE TOUR!!!

Date to PostBlog NameBlog URL (please include http://)Post
Monday, June 30thConfessions of a Y.A. and N.A. Book Addicthttp://confessionsofayaandnabookaddict.blogspot.comReview & Excerpt
Monday, June 30thEmily-Jane's Book Cornerhttp://emilyjanesbookcorner.wordpress.comReview
Monday, June 30thV.L. Locey - Erotic Romance Authorhttp://thoughtsfromayodelinggoatherder.blogspot.com/Promo 
Monday, June 30thHalos and Horns Book Bloghttp://www.halosandhornsbookblog.blogspot.comReview & Excerpt
Monday, June 30thSiK Reviewshttp://sikreviews.blogspot.com/Review & Excerpt
Tuesday, July 1stLiterature Litehouse - Fun with Bookshttp://literaturelitehouse.blogspot.com/Review & Excerpt
Wednesday, July 2ndSmut and Bonbonshttp://smutandbonbons.comPromo 
Wednesday, July 2ndNight Owl Reviewshttp://www.nightowlreviews.com/v5/Blog/Articles/Time-Of-Possession-by-Jami-DavenportCharacter Interview
Wednesday, July 2ndFor love and booksHttp://forloveandbooks.comReview & Excerpt
Wednesday, July 2ndEbony and Ivory’s Book Harmonyhttp://ebonyandivorysbookharmony.blogspot.com/Promo 
Thursday, July 3rdMommy's Late Night Book-Uphttp://www.mommyslatenightbookup.blogspot.comReview
Thursday, July 3rdRomance for Every Worldwww.romanceforeveryworld.blognet.caReview & Excerpt
Friday, July 4thAnny books http://sexylm.blogspot.com/Review & Excerpt
Saturday, July 5thNaughty and Nice Book Blogwww.naughtyandnicebookblog.comPromo
Monday, July 7thWe Stole Your Book Boyfriendhttp://westoleyourbookboyfriend.weebly.com/Promo 
Tuesday, July 8thdeal sharing aunthttp://www.dealsharingaunt.blogspot.comAuthor Interview
Wednesday, July 9thBookworm Bettieshttp://www.bookwormbetties.com/Review & Excerpt
Wednesday, July 9thRamblings of a Book Lunatichttp://booklunaticramblings.blogspot.comReview & Excerpt
Wednesday, July 9thSleep Deprived Book Lovershttp://sleepdeprivedbooklovers.blogspot.comReview & Excerpt
Wednesday, July 9thPanty dropping Book Bloghttps://www.facebook.com/pages/Panty-dropping-Book-Blog/295274823946802Promo 
Thursday, July 10thThe Bookmark Bloghttp://www.mybookmarkblog.comReview
Friday, July 11thBeautifully REDhttp://50shadesofsas.blopspot.comReview & Excerpt
Friday, July 11thThe Misadventures of Super Librarianhttp://wendythesuperlibrarian.blogspot.comReview
Friday, July 11thShort and Sassy Book Blurbshttp://shortandsassybookblurbs.blogspot.com/Review & Excerpt
Saturday, July 12thEmthebookbabe's Book bloghttp://www.emthebookabe.comReview & Excerpt
Saturday, July 12thHooked on books http://hookedonbooksforever.blogspot.com/?zx=da94dc2ae65f516fReview
Saturday, July 12thSurrender to Bookshttp://www.surrendertobooks.comReview & Excerpt
Saturday, July 12thNew Adult Addictionhttp://www.newadultaddiction.com/Review & Excerpt


ENTER THE GIVEAWAY!!!!

2 comments:

 

Blogger news

About