I don’t do sports. Okay, occasionally I’ll watch a tennis game, and of course I watch the Olympics every two years, but outside of that, I don’t do sports. Now that doesn’t mean I’m not appreciative of athletes. I was a dancer for almost twenty years so I do have a great appreciation for what it takes to stay at the top of your game when your body is your career. But as I said, I don’t do sports. I wish I could say I was the perfect girlfriend and spent Sunday afternoons cuddled on the couch with my guy cheering on our favorite teams. But no, that’s not me. I know I should try, and believe me I have. I’ve even gone so far as to differentiate between a tight end and a switch-hitter. In fact, when my sister Maria, who happens to love sports, tried to explain to me the significance of pitcher Andrew Pettitte retiring from the NY Yankees I got a glazed look in my eyes and quietly wondered what I should make for dinner that night.
I get confused when I think about how much money professional athletes make. I get confused when sports fans become histrionic because their teams loose. I get really confused when A Rod leaves his wife for Madonna, then leaves Madonna for Kate Hudson and then leaves Kate Hudson for Cameron Diaz. I just don’t get it. The professional athletes who are also celebrities and command exorbitant salaries, have the ears of politicians and date beautiful women are a mystery to me. I think the mystery lies in the fact that I don’t understand the games they play and so I don’t really understand the stakes and how high they are. However in the last few months I’ve found out how much I’d been missing by not indulging in a few sports or should I say sports fantasies. The kind of fantasies you find in romance novels.
There are so many romance books that have sports and sports heroes as their major story arc. I was intrigued and decided to do a little firsthand research. To that end I read Erin McCarthy’s Fast Track series. In reading the first book, Flat-Out Sexy, I fell in love with her NASCAR drivers, and since then I’ve been reading all the sports related romances I can find. I moved onto baseball with Jill Shalvis’ Slow Heat and Double Play. I walked on the wild side with Lori Foster’s Ultimate SBC Fighter series reading Causing Havoc, Simon Says and Hard to Handle. I wasn’t confused by these pro athletes. In fact, reading these books motivated me to watch a game or two.
Now I’m enamored with Jaci Burton’s new series Play by Play. The Perfect Play, featuring Mick Riley an NFL quarterback, is the first book in the series. Looking at the cover of this book I thought, this guy has got it all. The good news is? He does. He’s not only handsome but he’s also intelligent, kind, caring and supportive. For most of his professional life he’s led the life you’d expect of a pro athlete. However his life takes a 180 turn when he meets single mother Tara Lincoln. I love single mother story arcs and this mom is creative, talented, and has her priorities straight. Her first priority is her son. The Perfect Play is a contemporary romance about two people who are seemingly polar opposites. A famous NFL quarterback who has it all is not necessarily the kind of man Tara is looking for; particularly when she has both a growing business and a growing son to take care of. For Mick, falling in love and gaining an instant family was certainly not in his immediate future. Yet they both have a strong inner core, overcoming obstacles and living a life with integrity and dignity, and that is where they are very much the same. The romance between Tara and Nick is both erotic and sweet with real issues to deal with. So when lust turns into like, and like turns into respect and affection, and when they find themselves falling in love, there’s only one thing they can do. Make the play.
After reading Jaci Burton’s The Perfect Play I have a new found, shall we say, appreciation for NFL Quarterbacks. So much so that I’m going to watch the Super Bowl tonight and as I do, I’ll be imagining Mick Riley as the quarterback. A girl can dream can’t she?
What about you; are you a sports fan? What sports do you love? Are there any particular sports figures that you‘re a fan of? What romance series featuring sports do you recommend?
Hi Maria!
I'm a bona fide sports nut! Football, basketball, baseball, hockey, tennis and golf just to name a few. Anything with competition and I'm on it. I've even watched pool and bowling. I'm a fan of Tom Brady, Kobe Bryant, Drew Brees, The New York Yankees, Serena Williams, The Dallas Cowboys, Albert Pujols, Andre Agassi (he's retired), The Buffalo Sabres and The Boston Celtics. That's just a few.
Just like your sister, I'm heartbroken about Andy Pettitte retiring, but it's better that he does than go on past his time. I'm certainly going to miss him. A lot of Yankee fans will. One of the best pitcher's ever!
I haven't r ead many sports romances, but I just got The Perfect Play in the mail today. Can't wait to read it after reading the review on it. 
