Author Amy Aislin & A Novel Take Promotions are here today to promote the release of the third in the popular sports romance series, Stick Side. Find out more about Shots on Goal below, read an exclusive excerpt & enter in the giveaway for a signed paperback from the author's backlist! Good luck!
Thank you for joining me to celebrate the release of my newest m/m sports romance, Shots on Goal (Stick Side #3), and thank you to Boy Meets Boy Reviews for having me!
Today, I’m sharing an exclusive excerpt from Shots on Goal. Check it out below!
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Author: Amy Aislin
Series: Stick Side #3
Publisher: self-published
Release Date (Print & Ebook): January 7, 2020
Length (Print & Ebook): 84,600 words | 330 pages
Genre: contemporary/new adult romance
Tropes: opposites attract, made family
Cover artist: Natasha Snow
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Book blurb:
Recently traded to the newly formed Vermont Trailblazers, professional hockey player Roman Kinsey needs to focus on helping the team win games and filling the stands, not on the blond, bespectacled part-timer who works at the library he volunteers at. He knows all too well that outing himself equals heartache and ridicule…or worse.
Cody Evans, psych major and grad school hopeful, notices everything and thinks too much. But he doesn’t know what to think when he sees Roman reading to kids. The rugged hockey player just doesn’t look like the type. But it stirs something in him, something he’s never felt before.
When the library is threatened with closure, Cody enlists Roman’s help. As they get to know each other better...much, much better...they realize that they have more in common than books. But Roman’s keeping a big part of himself from his team, and giving in to his feelings for Cody might be more than he’s willing to risk.
Exclusive Excerpt
It was after Cody had picked out a blue-and-black checkered flannel shirt as a belated birthday present for Mitch and they were walking out of The Vermont Flannel Company that his dad said, “So? Got a girlfriend?”
Cody coughed once, the cloth bag housing his purchase hitting him in the knees as they walked. “Uh, no.”
His dad side-eyed him. “Boyfriend?”
“No?”
“You don’t sound so sure about that one.”
“No, no. I’m sure. No boyfriend.”
“Okay.” His dad paused for a second, then, “Because you know it’d be okay, right? If you were gay.”
Oh Jesus. Fuck his life. Of course they were having this conversation on a busy Saturday in the marketplace. What had even made him ask? Maybe his mom had said something?
“I’m not,” Cody said, resigned to his fate. “I’m demisexual.”
“Huh. That’s a new one. What’s it mean?”
A familiar face in the crowd drew his attention. “Roman!” He sounded slightly unhinged.
Roman turned his way and yelled, “Cody!” in the same deranged voice, and Cody laughed more than was strictly necessary.
God help him.
“What are you up to?” Cody asked when he and his dad drew near.
Roman held up both hands, covered in a pair of thick, black gloves. “Finished my winter-gear shopping.” He looked good in his winter gear, in that puffy, black coat he’d bought last weekend and with Cody’s scarf around his neck. A dark-gray beanie covered his head and the tops of his ears. “What brings you out?”
“My dad and I had lunch,” Cody replied and made introductions between his dad and Roman.
“It’s good to meet you, sir.”
“Likewise,” his dad said. “I was starting to think that Mitch was Cody’s only friend.”
Cody gritted his teeth, feeling judged to the tips of his soles. He had other friends. Just that Mitch was his favorite.
“Do you go to school with Cody?”
They ambled down the street, Cody behind his dad and Roman like the third wheel on a first date. He didn’t notice his shoulders were up to his ears until Roman reached back, grabbed his wrist, and drew him up next to him with a squinty-eyed look that said You belong up here, dummy.
“No,” Roman said, answering his dad’s question while Cody went all gooey inside. “I volunteer at his library.”
They chatted for a few minutes, and when his dad said, “What do you do, Roman?” and Roman said, “I play hockey for the Vermont Trailblazers,” and his dad said, “What’s that?” Cody couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Dad’s not a hockey fan,” Cody informed Roman.
“I prefer football,” his dad said.
Roman said, “Oh,” and silence descended for a few breaths. Then Roman said, “What about golf?” And his dad started talking about his favorite course in his corner of Texas.
Cody’s own gloved hand bumped Roman’s, and it took all of his willpower not to take it in his, to walk hand-in-hand as if they were a couple. That’d be so nice: the two of them, taking a casual afternoon stroll through the marketplace, doing some window shopping, stopping to grab a coffee and a pastry and a quiet chat at one of the coffee shops. Going home afterward to cook dinner together. Watching a movie on the couch, maybe making out like hormonal teenagers during part of it. Not for it to lead to sex, but because they wanted to be close to each other.
He was ripped out of his fantasy when Roman said, “Anyway, it was nice to meet you, Mr. Evans. I’ll let you two get on with your day.”
Cody made his eyes big and stared at Roman, hoping his expression conveyed S.O.S.!
“Or,” Roman said, drawing the word out. “Can I treat you both to a coffee?”
“I could get out of the cold for a few minutes,” Cody said, turning his big eyes on his dad.
Reviews:
"With lots of hockey, delicious food, and the sweetest couple ever, Amy Aislin scores a hat trick with Shots on Goal." — Kelly Jensen, award-winning author of Block and Strike
"Shots on Goal is a great wintertime read. Like a warm blanket and a mug of hot chocolate! Huddle up by the fire and enjoy this cozy story!" — Allison Temple, author of The Seacroft Stories series
“I love hockey romance, and this book delivered all the romance I needed alongside awesome hockey.” — RJ Scott, USA Today bestselling author
“I'm already a big fan of Amy Aslin's Stick Side series, so I was thrilled to get an early read of Shots on Goal. Cody and Roman's story didn't disappoint. Shots on Goal is the perfect blend of the beloved sports and small-town romance tropes. Roman's gruff, strained interactions with his ice hockey team play well against Cody's heartwarming relationship with his fellow library lovers. As these two men inadvertently team up to help save the historic library, Roman realizes there just may be someone worth opening up to, and at the same time, Cody learns that sometimes falling in love brings with it tough choices. Shots on Goal is a strong addition to Aislin's delicious world-building surrounding the sexy, competitive world of hockey. We get to visit old friends from previous books, but it is not necessary to have read them to enjoy Shots on Goal.” — Lucy Lennox, Bestselling author
From Amy Aislin:
Shots on Goal is a novel about taking risks, about putting yourself out there, even though history says it could end in disaster.
Author Information:
Amy's lived with her head in the clouds since she first picked up a book as a child, and being fluent in two languages means she's read a lot of books! She first picked up a pen on a rainy day in fourth grade when her class had to stay inside for recess. Tales of treasure hunts with her classmates eventually morphed into love stories between men, and she's been writing ever since. She writes evenings and weekends—or whenever she isn't at her full-time day job saving the planet at Canada's largest environmental non-profit.
An unapologetic introvert, Amy reads too much and socializes too little, with no regrets. She loves connecting with readers. Join her Facebook Group to stay up-to-date on upcoming releases and for access to early teasers, find her on Instagram and Twitter, or sign up for her infrequent newsletter here.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/amy_aislin
Release blitz giveaway: Winner’s choice of ONE signed paperback from Amy’s backlist!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
**The Nature of the Game (Stick Side #2) is on $0.99 sale from January 7-13, 2020!**
