Taylor LeBlanc has hockey in her blood and the trophies and medals to prove it. Her dreams of playing pro come to an end when the only place for her to go is the newly-formed not-really-pro women’s team, the Chesapeake Blades. It’s not quite what she had in mind, but it’s a start—except half the team is convinced she's receiving special treatment because her step-dad used to be the head coach for the Baltimore Banners and the team's PR Director wants to use her in his marketing campaign. To make matters worse, the PR Director is none other than her childhood nemesis, Chuckie-the-fart--who happens to be all grown-up and too gorgeous for his own good.
Charles Dawson never had the drive or the heart to follow hockey out of childhood. What he does have is ambition and passion—two things he needs in abundance to successfully market the brand-new women's hockey team to a less-than-enthusiastic demographic. He also needs patience—something that’s in short supply when he’s forced to deal with the one woman who has the uncanny ability to make him feel like the bumbling, uncoordinated, and socially awkward thirteen-year-old boy he used to be. Taylor isn’t the mouthy little tomboy he remembers and sparks fly between the two, igniting an attraction that makes both of their lives unbearable when it becomes harder to ignore.
Taylor and Charles both want to win, but at what cost? Are they willing to trample every obstacle in their way--especially when the biggest obstacle could be the one thing they both need more than any trophy or medal?
Genre: FICTION / Romance / ContemporaryWINNIING HARD is the release title of a brand new hockey series, The Chesapeake Blades In addition to fast-paced scenes on the ice--and slow-burn off the ice--this title addresses the obstacles and frustrations faced by women in sports on a daily basis.
* released in Top 100 of Sports Fiction on Amazon
* 4-1.2 star read
* consistent sales with increases at each release
* spin-off from best-selling series, The Baltimore Banners
Reader review: "...For any one who follows Women’s Professional Hockey you know how real this story is to truth. Yes the characters are fiction, but the trials the women who play professionally face are real. The fight to be taken seriously in this game still has a long road ahead, but maybe with writers like Lisa spreading the word we might be one small step closer..."
Reader Review: "...Outside of amazing characters, an awesome women’s hockey team, Lisa has also includes some really hard moments. Classic Lisa, because her books are not a fantasy but an imitation of life. It’s not always sunshine and roses, and a women’s hockey team is not excluded. From hard hitting topics like drug abuse to sexism in professional sports Lisa will not just bring love and sexy times, she will bring a healthy dose of reality..."
Reader Review: "...So Ms Kamps has decided to expand her hockey to the women's hockey league. She brings back a few familiar faces and an all grown up Taylor whom we met when she was just a little girl trying to prove herself in a boy's sport. She's still trying to prove herself. And it's a challenge with the views on women in the sport of hockey, But Ms Kamps meets it heads on and shoves it into the boards. She proves that a woman can play the sport and still be a woman away from the sport. Charles is a perfect compliment to Taylor and their history just adds to it. I cannot wait to meet the rest of the team..."
Reader Review: "...Hockey romance is my favorite go to. In my family we have chosen to watch women's hockey over men's for several years. I like both but much prefer women's hockey. This book gives such a realistic point of view in what seems to happen in the world of women's hockey at many levels. I am so glad Lisa Kamps started writing this series and loved this book! I cannot wait to read the next one. The characters were entertaining and the story line humorous, serious, romantic but also believable. Great job. If you are just thinking about getting this book . . . don't hesitate . . . you won't be sorry..."
Dreams didn't come with expiration dates. At least, they shouldn't. That was something Taylor LeBlanc had always believed because it was something she had always been told.
What a load of crap.
Reality didn't care about dreams. And—at the ripe, old age of twenty-two—Taylor's dreams were dead.
Done.
Over.
Toes up.
Tagged and bagged.
No matter what kind of spin her dad put on it, she was a wash-up. A has-been. Finished before she started.
Reality sucked.
Big time.
She glanced around the room, at the stripped bed and bare walls and stack of boxes that held the last four years of her life. Fun years. Educational years.
Her glory years.
She blew out a sigh and walked over to the single box that sat on the bare nightstand, alone, holding the last remnants of those glory years. Sealing it seemed so…final. Maybe that's why she had saved this one for last—because she knew closing it up and running that strip of heavy clear packing tape over it would be the end.
Not the literal end, of course. Her life would go on. She'd leave here, move into her tiny little apartment, get a job. Start something new. Her whole life was ahead of her, right? That's what everyone told her. How this was all about new beginnings. The start of a new adventure.
Except her dream was dead.
"Wow. Drama much, LeBlanc?" She muttered the words under her breath and grabbed the tape gun. This wasn't like her. She knew that. Just like she knew she'd get over it—
Eventually.
She just hadn't expected it to be quite so disappointing.
