Blog Tour + Review + Excerpt + Giveaway | Hook Shot (Hoops #3) by Kennedy Ryan --> 5 Stars
Hook Shot, a deeply emotional standalone set in the worlds of professional basketball and high fashion from Kennedy Ryan, is available now and FREE in Kindle Unlimited!
TITLE: Hook Shot
SERIES: Hoops #3 AUTHOR: Kennedy Ryan
GENRE: Contemporary Romance
RELEASE DATE: March 28th, 2019
Divorced. Single dad. Traded to a losing squad.
Cheated on, betrayed, exposed.
My perfect life blew up in my face and I'm still picking up the pieces.
The last thing I need is her.
A wildflower. A storm. A woman I can't resist.
Lotus DuPree is a kick to my gut and a wrench in my plans
from the moment our eyes meet.
I promised myself I wouldn't trust a woman again,
but I've never wanted anyone the way I want Lo.
She's not the plan I made, but she's the risk I have to take.
A warrior. A baller. The one they call Gladiator.
Kenan Ross charged into my life smelling all good, looking even better and snatching my breath from the moment we met.
The last thing I need is him.
I’m working on me. Facing my pain and conquering my demons.
I've seen what trusting a man gets you.
I. Don't. Have. Time. For. This.
But he just keeps coming for me.
Keeps knocking down my defenses and stealing my excuses
one by one.
He never gives up, and now...I'm not sure I want him to.
FREE in Kindle Unlimited
Audiobook Release: April 30th
⭐️ 5 "My Beloved Is Mine and I Am His" Stars ⭐️
Hook Shot unquestionably was one my most anticipated read of the year. Since I first started the Hoops Series, I’ve been charmed by all its characters. When Kenan and Lotus were first introduced in Long Shot, their magnetic connection was already so easy to feel and I just was awaiting their own book with enthusiasm! Let me tell you that these two have one the most beautiful, swoon worthy love story ever! Kennedy Ryan gifts her readers with a heartfelt story overflowing with feels! A romance that made my heart hurt, melt, but also quiver from the beauty of this couple!
"I'm a girl he could crush, but everything in the way he looks at me says cherish. Says treasure. Says protect. Says I'm his, too."
From the little glimpses at Kenan I had in the previous novels, I already liked the guy. Having a whole book to discover this giant with a heart of gold and an old soul was spellbinding! He’s so romantic, caring and patient! He’s an introvert and like his solitude, but Lotus brings an surprizing talkative side of his personality. He opens up to her like never before! They’re just so perfect together, I found myself enamored with them.
Lotus is a great example of strength, dedication and loyalty. She’s trying to heal from a traumatizing event of her past where she lost her innocence and a part of her. I admire the way she was committed to heal herself and be better, even when Kenan appears into her life and make her question her motives. She’s driven by her need to not be afraid of feelings. And what better partner to help her discover the intimacy she’s seeking than Kenan.
Their slow burn romance was flawlessly paced. They have this powerful attraction, but with Lotus’s “no dick” stipulation they start as friends and learn about each other. The simmering feelings between them is breathtaking and hypnotic. They’re patient and treasure what they have, not jumping into a physical relationship but only solidifying their emotional bond.
"There is no place, no spot on the continuum of time that could have hidden this man from me."
Kennedy Ryan presents a sincerely touching story of self-discovery, healing and true love in the most romantic way! With her compelling prose and remarkable protagonists, she downright amazed me! Hook Shot is another gem from this talented author!
** ARC received in exchange for an honest review **
After talking to Kenan for the last few minutes, and looking under his hood, so to speak, I’ve found that he’s a classic. They don’t make them like him anymore, and if I don’t change the subject, change the course of this conversation, I’ll fool myself that we don’t have to keep things simple and that we could be more than just friends, not just for the summer, but for a long time to come. As long as I’d like.
“Okay,” I say, switching gears without a clutch and pulling a tie off another of Amanda’s racks. “I think that shirt could work really well with this tie.”
He doesn’t look at the tie I’m holding up, but keeps his eyes fastened on me. He’s not playing along. I’ve boxed myself into a corner with him. And the quarters are too tight. His scent. His warmth. His intelligence. His thoughtfulness. He is pressing in on me, overtaking my good intentions in all the ways I never thought a man could.
“Try this on,” I say, blindly shoving the mint green shirt at him.
When I look at him, he’s already peeled one shirt off and is reaching for the one I chose. I didn’t think this through. Didn’t forecast that Kenan changing from one shirt into another would mean his naked chest. I lose my train of thought and all my chill. Besides my mouth dropping open at the sight of the sculpted terrain of his chest and abs, I give no other indication that he affects me. Taut, bronze skin stretches across his broad shoulders like supple canvas pulled over a frame, the foundation of a masterpiece. He’s a big man. Not bulky, but instead chiseled to the specifications of a master sculptor: arms roped with muscles, biceps like rocks under skin glowing with health. The forearms Chase raved about are lined with veins and sinew. And I die for a great chest. I’ve never seen one more spectacular than Kenan’s.
Two words.
Male. Nipples.
Jesus, my mouth is literally watering at the thought of tasting them, sucking them, licking them. And if that pectoral perfection weren’t enough, the two columns of muscles, four each, are stacked over his lean stomach arrowing down to a narrow waist and hips. I can’t look away. I lick my lips, imagining how he would feel under my mouth. How I’d lick around his nipples and drag my tongue down that shallow path bisecting his abdominal muscles. I’d slip that belt off and sink to my knees. Unzip those pants and take him out. God, hold him in my hands and then take him all the way to the back of my throat. I’d choke on him. A man this big . . . I’d be so tight around him.
“Lotus,” Kenan says, jarring me from my torso trance. “Should I go ahead and put this shirt on? Or did you need a little more time?”
I snap a glance up to his face, embarrassed to find him laughing at me. Oh, God. I’m as bad as Amanda. I turn to leave, but he catches my elbow with a gentle hand and turns me back around, walking us behind two of the racks. He bends until he’s almost eye level with me.
“Don’t be embarrassed,” he says, searching my face intently. “I’m glad you like my body.”
“I didn’t say I . . .” My words trail off at his knowing grin. “Okay. So you have a nice body. I work in fashion. Do you have any idea how many great bodies I see on a daily basis?”
“I’m sure many,” he says, his smile still firmly in place. “I can’t speak for any of them, only for the way you looked at me.”
“And how do you think I looked at you?” I ask defensively, forcing myself not to look away.
In the quiet that follows, his smile fades, and heat replaces the humor in his eyes. “You looked at me the way I bet I’ve looked at you every time you walk into a room,” he says, the timbre of his voice rolling over my sensitive skin like a caress. “Like I would eat you if I could. Head to toe, everything in between.”
“Kenan,” I protest, closing my eyes on a groan. “We said friends. We said simple. This is not how you start a simple friendship.”
His large hand cups my jaw and lifts my chin. I open my eyes, blinking dazedly at him. I wasn’t prepared for how his touch makes me feel. How I instantly crave more of it; want to lean into the warmth; to turn and trace his lifeline with my tongue. Tell him all the things I could discover just from reading his palm and looking into his eyes.
How can such a large hand feel so gentle, like it’s capable of treasuring, cherishing?
“Okay, Lotus,” he says, regret and reluctance woven around my name. “Simple. Friendship.”
THE HOOPS SERIES
Book #1
Long Shot
Only $0.99 for a limited time
Book #2
Block Shot
Hoops Holiday
KENNEDY RYAN
Kennedy Ryan is a Southern girl gone Southern California. A Top 100 Amazon Bestseller, Kennedy writes romance about remarkable women who thrive even in tough times, the love they find, and the men who cherish them.
She is a wife to her lifetime lover and mother to an extraordinary son. She has always leveraged her journalism background to write for charity and non-profit organizations, but enjoys writing to raise Autism awareness most. A contributor for Modern Mom Magazine, Kennedy’s writings have appeared in Chicken Soup for the Soul, USA Today and many others. The founder and executive director of a foundation serving Atlanta families living with Autism, she has appeared on Headline News, Montel Williams, NPR and other media outlets as an advocate for families living with autism.
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