second chance love – Tawdra Kandle

Seven reasons why you must read this book!

FOOTBALL. This book is set against the backdrop of professional football, and Tate is a running back who played in high school, at Carolina and now for Philadelphia. He loves the game . . . he’s committed to being strong and playing hard. After spending his first year in the pros mostly on the sidelines, Tate is eager to do everything he can to make sure he gets playing time now that he’s back with his hometown team. If you want to get a look at just how H O T football players can be, check out my Pinterest board here.

2. GIA. She’s one of the most complicated and tortured characters I’ve ever written, and that is saying something. Gia’s upbringing and family are at direct contrast to Tate’s: she’s the fifth and youngest daughter in

her well-to-do family, but her parents split up when she was young. Sassy and tough, Gia has a take-no-prisoners attitude . . . until she fell for Matt Lampert. He turned her inside out for four years, his self-destructive bent nearly killing her before he took his own life. When Tate finds her again, she’s not sure she wants to be rescued, and she fights him at first. But in this guy–who is a sort of anti-Matt–Gia’s met her match.

3. PUMPKIN PIE: There is a scene in this book that will make you look at the traditional Thanksgiving/holiday dessert in an entirely new way. Let’s just say that Tate has a unique way of enjoying his leftovers. So when you’re enjoying your pie and whipped cream today, let this drift through your mind . . . and use your imagination. Tate does.

4. MUSIC: All of my books are influenced by music, but none quite so much as this one. The play list is varied and rich–and it actually could have been longer. The songs on this list got me through some tough parts of the story, and when I wasn’t sure how to go on with it, I’d just play it again . . .

A few highlights: Goodbye to You was for Matt and Gia. It was what Gia was trying to say to Matt when she left him that last time. Missing You was how Gia’s friends thought about her after Matt’s death. Use Me was Tate’s anthem to Gia after he found her in the grocery store. Sometimes Love Just Ain’t Enough is Gia talking to Tate at the end of Part One. Head Over Feet is Gia talking to Tate . . . later. And Hearts Don’t Break Around Here and Not Broken Anymore are both the happy ending.

5. ROMANCE: Yes, this book gutted me. But it’s also one of the hands-down most romantic stories I’ve ever written, because . . . Tate. This man–he loves Gia with a single-minded devotion, a patience that is beyond anything else and a steadfast hope and trust in the future. He treats her with deference and humor. Nothing else comes ahead of Gia. Not one thing. If Tate’s guilty of anything, it’s of not wanting to see the pain that was still tormenting Gia, even when she wanted to love him.

One of my favorites snippets:

I laughed a little. “You know, dude, if you were any other man, when I asked why you were here, you would’ve just fed me the friends-only line. I might not have bought it, but it would have given us both plausible deniability.”
Tate rested his chin on his hand and smiled serenely at me. “I’m not any other man.”
For a solid moment, I felt electricity crackle between us, and I couldn’t breathe. This was new, this hyper-awareness of another person, and I didn’t know quite what to do with it. I stared at Tate as my brain scrambled to figure out what to say or do next.

6. SEXY TIME: Any time you have a love story that involves a super-hot football player and a woman whose sexuality is vital and strong, expect fireworks of the very steamiest type. What Tate might lack in experience, he makes up for in single-minded devotion and attention to detail. And although Gia isn’t sure at first that she’s ready for another relationship, when she makes her move, it’ll take your breath away.

7. TATE: So . . . yeah. Oh. My. Tate. I’ve written strong and sexy male leads before. Sam Reynolds, Cooper Davis, Rafe Brooks–all of them are insanely hot. So what it is about Tate that made fall totally and completely gaga in love? So. Many. Things. First of all, he’s a talented football player. Then he’s also a devoted grandson who isn’t ashamed of being proud of his Pops. He’s a good and loyal friend to Leo. He is steady and strong. He can cook. (And EAT!!) But mostly, Tate is incredible because once he found Gia, she was it for him. He waited for her, and he did whatever he had to do to win her trust and her heart.

Tate is the kind of guy you might think is too good to be true. But I know for a fact that he’s not. So much of Tate came from my own amazing husband, who has been, for thirty-three years, my biggest fan, my greatest supporter, the one who’s only seen me, no matter what.

When we began dating, I hadn’t gone through anything near what Gia has, but I was slightly jaded, a bit cynical (at the ripe age of 17!) and tired of being treated badly by previous boyfriends. The man who would become my husband wooed me by taking things slow, winning my heart with humor and food and careful attention. Yes, there’s a reason Tate is so special to me.

So now it’s up to you–are you ready for some incredible reading? Are you ready to laugh and cry and swoon? Go grab your own copy of NOT BROKEN ANYMORE . . . and be ready to fall in love.

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WHEN WE WERE US

Football is everything, but love is the only game that matters.

Leo, Quinn and Nate . . . They’ve been best friends forever, but life is about to take them in different directions. Decisions about love and friendship could change their paths forever.

Nate: He’s been in love with Quinn since junior high. She’s always been his fierce protector, the one person who looks beyond his physical challenges to see who he really is. But Nate knows the hard truth. Leo holds Quinn’s heart. He’s the one she loves.

Quinn: She’s tired of waiting for Leo to realize that he loves her. But when he finally admits his feelings for her, can they be together without destroying their friendship–and each other?

Leo: He’s the football star, the guy all the girls in school want. But the one girl he secretly needs–Quinn–is the one he’s afraid to want. He knows she’s too good for him, but he can’t seem to resist loving her anyway.

Amid the joys and heartache of first love, crushing loss and unthinkable decisions, Leo, Quinn and Nate struggle to find their way forward without losing each other.

HANGING BY A MOMENT

Football is everything, but love is the only game that matters.

Leo Taylor, the most promising–and maybe the hottest–tight-end in college football today, is my boyfriend.

Sounds perfect, doesn’t? Dating a football star at one of the nation’s top colleges is living the dream. But our long-distance relationship isn’t easy, and I find myself wondering if the timing is ever going to be right for Leo and me. It’s not always easy to play second-fiddle to football.

One thing I do know is that my friend Nate puts me first all the time. There’s no doubt in my mind that he loves me. I just can’t feel the same way.

These four years were supposed to be the most exciting time of my life. Instead, they turn into a rollercoaster of uncertainty, complete with breathtaking highs and lows that threaten to break my heart.

Faced with a decision that means either denying one friend his last wish or losing the only man I’ll ever love, I realize that in this game, for me, winning isn’t an option.

DAYS OF YOU AND ME

Football is everything, but love is the only game that matters.

Once upon a time, not that long ago, I had just about everything I ever wanted. I was a star football player at one of the best colleges in the country, and I had the girl I’d always loved by my side. The promise of a future most guys can only dream about was close enough to touch.

But if there’s anything I’ve learned, it’s that life is unpredictable. One twist can change it all, and suddenly, I’m alone. Even football, the one constant in all the insanity, somehow isn’t enough anymore, because without her, everything else is empty. Meaningless.

I’ve got one shot left. One more chance to win her heart. We’re not kids now, and I know that being good enough for Quinn isn’t some game I can fake my way through. She’s more than the prize; she’s my reason for living. The world only makes sense when we’re together.

And this time, I’m going to do whatever it takes to give us our happy ending.

And this, my friends, is not a cliffhanger. This is the happily after forever you’ve wanted.

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Tawdra Kandle writes romance, in just about all its forms. She loves unlikely pairings, strong women, sexy guys, hot love scenes and just enough conflict to make it interesting. Her books include young adult and new adult paranormal romance, new adult and adult contemporary romance and adult paramystery romance. She lives in central Florida with a husband, kids, sweet pup and too many cats. And yeah, she rocks purple hair.

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Since we’re kicking off the Summer of Beach Lovin’, I thought we’d have a little Posse tease today. If you haven’t read this sizzling beach romance, grab it now, before the next book in the Crystal Cove series comes out in late June!

The Posse

The apartment over the restaurant was tiny. When she and Daniel had moved in after their wedding, it had been romantic and fun, finding used furniture, using mismatched dishes and pots and pans handed down from their families. Close quarters hadn’t been a problem. And even after Meggie was born, she had taken up so little space, and it had been handy to leave her sleeping upstairs while Jude worked in the restaurant, baby monitor hooked to her belt.

Since they’d moved, the apartment was more of a flophouse, Jude thought as she stripped off her shorts and T-shirt in the miniscule bathroom. It was a handy place to crash when the posse hung at the Tide and maybe had had a little too much to drink. The kids used it sporadically during their summers at home.

She’d considered selling the house and moving back here, right after Daniel died. The kids and her brother had talked her out of it, arguing that if she did that, she’d never get a break from work. They probably had a point.

Jude gave into the temptation of a quick shower, knowing her sister-in-law and friends were more than capable of running the show on their own for a few extra minutes. And it felt heavenly to let the water sluice over her, feel the grease and stress of the day slide down the drain.

Dressed again in a fresh shorts and a thin cotton tank top, she sprinted down the steps and ran smack into Logan.

She’d seen him that morning, of course, as she had opened up, but tonight he too was freshly showered, dressed in jeans and a white polo shirt that brought out a deep tan. His light brown hair was damp as it fell across his forehead.

He grabbed her arm to steady her. “Whoa, there. Where’s the fire?”

Jude felt that same disturbing skitter in her heartbeat that had been showing up whenever she saw him lately.

Logan, she reminded herself. This is just Logan, one of my best friends.

“The fire better be in my kitchen, under some burgers.” To prove to herself that she could, Jude tiptoed and kissed Logan’s cheek. “Glad you’re here. Ready to see my plan spring into action?”

Logan released her arm, frowning. Jude wondered if she’d upset him with the kiss.

“Seeing as neither of the necessary parties are here yet, I think I have a little while before show time.”

Now it was Jude’s brow that furrowed. “Matt’s not here yet? Or Sandra? Are you sure? I told them both five.” She scanned the room. “It’s twenty after.”

Logan shrugged. “I heard there was traffic on the bridge. Maybe that hung up your friend.” His eyes lingered on Jude’s damp hair, wandered down her neck, making her acutely aware of the small rise of her breasts visible at the top of the tank.

She shook her head to clear it. “Did you get a drink yet? Sam’s supposed to be making one for me.” She didn’t wait for an answer but turned to head for the bar.