Love Bytes is happy to celebrate in the cover reveal of Amy Aislin her upcoming release “Risking the Shot” part of the succesfull Stick Side Series.

Check out the cover read an exclusive excerpt and have a chance to participate in the giveaway!

Title: Risking the Shot

Author: Amy Aislin

Series: Stick Side #4

Publisher: self-published

Release Date: September 8, 2020

Cover artist: Natasha Snow Designs

Length: 84,000 words

Genre: m/m contemporary romance

Tropes: hockey, single dad, age gap

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Book blurb:

Time for distractions? Hardly. 

A chance at making the playoffs? It’s a dream for NHL forward Taylor Cunningham that just might come true. If he can keep his eyes on the ball—ahem, puck. And study for midterms. Dakota Cotton, eleven years his senior, isn’t just a distraction, though—he’s everything Tay’s ever wanted.

Dakota has no interest in introducing someone who might not stick around to his four-year-old son. Been there, done that, with the divorce to prove it. But there’s something about Tay that hits all of the right buttons and has him wanting to take a chance. 

As things heat up between them, and the pressure to succeed hits an all-time high, will they risk a shot at happiness or choke? 

Upon seeing Dakota, Tay stood straighter, taller, shoulders pulled back. “Oh, hey.” In person, Tay’s smile flashed brighter. He raked Dakota up and down, lingering on his lips, the exposed column of his throat, the way his pants stretched taut over his crotch, something flaring behind his eyes.

Well, hey there. Into men and apparently not afraid to show it. Dakota returned the look, taking in Tay’s smooth jaw, the cut of his unbuttoned suit jacket fitted to his wide shoulders, the stretch of his shirt over a chest that appeared firm, and the suit pants that hugged long legs.

Tay leaned against the nearest support column, a smirk playing about his lips that made his eyes gleam, and shoved his hands in his pockets, pulling the material across his groin. “Sorry. Didn’t see you there.”

“No problem.” Dakota blanked his cell phone screen. Tay didn’t need to see him ogling his photo.

Seeming to shake himself out of it, Tay went back to going through the coats. “You know what’s annoying?” he asked. “Everyone’s coat is the same color. How am I ever supposed to find mine?”

It was very much a sea of black, blue, and gray.

“Next year, I’m buying a red one.”

You’d look good in red. Dakota sipped his scotch, swallowing the words. “Do you have a distinctly patterned scarf maybe?”

“It’s fucking blue like everything else. That’s a good idea, though.” Giving up, he sank onto the bench across from Dakota, popping up again a second later. “We need cake. I’ll be right back. Wish me luck that I don’t bump into Xappa.”

He was gone before Dakota could wish him luck or tell him he didn’t want cake. Dakota snorted a small laugh and shook his head. Had he ever been that . . . youthfully exuberant? He didn’t think so. As the oldest of five boys, he’d always been level-headed and sensible. Still was. Tay’s energy was electric in comparison. Let him have it, though. Dakota would much rather spend an evening decorating his cakes or spending time with Andy or catching the game on TV.

Less than a minute later, Tay was back, bearing a plated slice of cake in each hand and a bottle of water tucked into his armpit.

“Thanks.” Dakota forked a bite into his mouth; it’d be rude not to after Tay had gone to the trouble. The marble cake was moist and rich, just like all of Calder’s cakes. “Xappa?”

Tay grinned. “Successfully avoided.”

“What do you owe him money for?”

“I don’t. I owe him drinks as payment for taking over the streamers when we decorated earlier.”

Dakota moved fondant off his cake before taking another small bite, unsure what taking over the streamers meant. “I didn’t realize you decorated.”

Mouth full, Tay nodded. Swallowing, he said, “The whole team pitched in. We all get to stay late and take it down too. At least, those of us not roaring drunk. I’m half afraid a couple of the guys will sleep through family skate tomorrow even though it’s in the afternoon.” He shoved another forkful of cake into his mouth without seeming to pause for breath. “Will I see you there?”

“Mm-hmm. With Andy and Calder. My son and my cousin,” Dakota explained, although it turned out he didn’t need to; Tay was already nodding.

“I met them earlier. Took a photo with your kid. He’s adorable.”

“He is. But then, I’m biased.”

Tay chuckled and uncapped his water bottle. Took a sip.

Forcing his gaze off his bobbing Adam’s apple, Dakota said, “Thanks for that, by the way. The photo. Andy’s a huge fan.”

“And you’re not?” Tay’s smirk was teasing.

“No, I am.” Setting his plate aside, cake barely touched, Dakota picked up his beverage. A small swallow had Tay’s gaze focusing on his lips again. “Which is why I don’t feel bad telling you that you guys have been playing like crap the last few games.”

“Ugh.” Tay slumped. “I know. I think the upcoming trade deadline has all of us on edge and playing for shit.”

“Can’t be easy knowing your whole life and career can change at the whim of what someone else wants or needs.”

“Yes.” Tay blinked at him, the hand holding his plate at torso-level dropping to his lap. “Yes, exactly. You get it.”

“My brother plays for the NHL, in Vermont.”

Another blink, slower, Tay’s brow furrowing in a way that was not cute; damn Dakota’s under-utilized libido.

“The Vermont Trailblazers?” Tay said. “Owen Cotton’s your brother?”

Dakota nodded.

“Huh. Cool. We were drafted the same year.” Tay poked at something on his plate.

“It’s fondant,” Dakota informed him.

“It’s not very good.”

That startled a laugh out of him. “No, it’s generally used for decorating, but it doesn’t taste great.”

“Why use it at all then?”

“It’s like play dough, easily pliable so you can make things with it. Like those nets on the cake.”

“I saw those.” Tay was still poking the fondant. “They’re edible?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“How d’you know?”

“’Cause I made it. Or decorated it, I should say. Calder made the cake.”

Tay’s head jerked up. “Shut the fuck up. You decorated that?” A pause, then, “Do you take custom orders?”

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, Amy Aislin’s Readers, to stay up-to-date on upcoming releases and for access to early teasers, find her on Instagram, or sign up for her newsletter.

 

Website: http://amyaislin.com 

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Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/amyaislin/ 

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Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/amy-aislin 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16693566.Amy_Aislin 

Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/ddvWFv 

 

Enter the giveaway on Goodreads for a chance to win one of five signed copies of Risking the Shot. Unites States and Canada only. (Sorry, international readers! Goodreads doesn’t allow for international giveaways).