The Hot Shot: Game On, Book 4

***4.5 stars***I’m fascinated by beautiful people. It’s not unusual for me to point out to hubby, men and women who I find striking. Obviously, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and what I find striking could be very different from the next person. While I may be fascinated with beautiful people, I’m also intimidated by them. I know most gorgeous people are born that way and can probably thank genes for their fine looks. Do they get embarrassed like normal people? Do they get used to people staring at them? Do they get sick of people staring at them? Is life easier because of their looks? Do good looking people get a better chance at becoming a hot shot because of the way they look?The fact that I'm even contemplating these things...maybe it's not all fun and games being a pretty face.ANYWAYS… Geez, completely off tangent. I started thinking about Finn and I wondered whether I would be able to talk to him. I mean, if I went by the cover of The Hot Shot alone, I know I’d make a fool of myself. Seriously, HOT is an understatement. So, I think I would struggle to have a normal conversation with Finn…let alone take a photo of him...in the BUFF.Chester has just won a contract to photograph the New Orlean’s NFL team…NAKED!! Bloody hell!! Most women (and some men) would die for the gig, but Chess can’t seem to get excited over it. She’s physically exhausted and not in the mood to rein in a bunch of overgrown, muscle-bound boys. The fact that she’ll be taking photos while they have their bits and pieces swinging, doesn’t get her heart pumping like it should. It’s just a job. The fact that she's even thinking that is just plain sad. Imagine her surprise when one of the men actually catches her eye...and she's distracted by his swinging bits and pieces.Finn is not looking forward to having his picture taken. It’s part of his job and he’s used to it but doing it in the buff is definitely out of his comfort zone. Finn’s quite used to being in the buff around strangers in the locker room but this is different. He’s going to be exposed. It’s for charity and that is the only reason why he’s doing it…and maybe because the marketing director told him he had to. Well, he’ll do it. Not because he wants to because he has to.Ummm…PROBLEM!!Finn’s a wee bit uncomfortable having his photo taken in the buff when he finds the photographer striking, enthralling and riveting. His bits and pieces swinging aren't swinging down anymore. Poor Finn's brain is scrambled and he is sure that Chester Copper is going to take him down…and he's pretty sure he’ll like it.I really enjoyed The Hot Shot. This is not a cheesy love story where the pretty girl falls for the pretty boy. Oh, there’s plenty of pretty faces in there but looks become somewhat insignificant as Finn and Chess get to know each other better. There’s plenty of attraction, but it has a lot more to do with personality than looks. These two are friends before lovers and they get to know each other better before they even contemplate a relationship. I liked getting to know them too.The Hot Shot touches on some very interesting subjects that made me think outside of the square I live in. Chess’s best friend James is bisexual. James and Chess have an interesting conversation about fitting into moulds and how sometimes it’s easier to stay unattached than take a risk. There is also a look into the process of recovering after a loss. When I say loss, I actually mean in more ways than one. There’s the loss of a loved one, the loss of property and the loss of something you never knew you wanted but was taken before you knew you wanted it. Kristen Callihan handles all of these subjects well. It was real, hurt a little but did try to show that there can be rainbows after the rain.The Game On series has been one of my favourites and The Hot Shot was a fabulous addition to the series. We are told at the beginning that The Hot Shot and The Game Plan played out simultaneously. If you haven’t read The Game Plan yet, it won’t affect your enjoyment of The Hot Shot. One is not needed to be read before the other.Definitely a winner for me and I can’t wait for more in this series…pretty please with sugar on the top.

“It’s not going to go away for me.” “What isn’t?”  “Wanting you.”It's been so long since I've read a Kristen Callihan novel, I almost forgot how completely addictive they can be. I LOVE LOVE LOVE a good sports romance and The Hot Shot is the PERFECT addition to one of my all-time favorite series. No, wait. It's more than that. It's my FAVORITE of the series. Chess and Finn's story is a wholly unforgettable, deliciously sexy love story and I loved EVERY SINGLE PAGE.Everything from the build to the banter was spot on, pulling me in, making me feel ALL THE THINGS at just the right moments. What begins as an awkward but strictly professional interaction quickly turns into an unlikely friendship between a superstar NFL quarterback and a New Orleans photographer. Each casting aside their silent attraction in exchange for a platonic friendship, this story is rife with sexual tension and intense chemistry. The push and pull in this smart romance makes The Hot Shot an addictive roller coaster of sensuality and emotion the whole way through. I couldn't get enough.The Hot Shot is the perfect mix of light flirtation and angsty conflict. I assumed this would be a straightforward story of two people falling but failing to admit it, reluctant to ruin an easy friendship with the honesty of their feelings. But halfway in, I realized there was a lot more to their story. These characters have secrets and they have very different reasons for being so unwilling to take a risk. An easy breezy friends to lovers sports romance became a complex, layered love story I couldn't wait to see unfold. I fell HARD right along with these characters. I hung on their every word. I was lost in their blissful romance. The adorable banter, the flirtation, the pillow talk between Chess and Finn was so sweet and full of light humor. I giggled and smiled my way through this story. The harder moments, the early scenes where these characters fight their growing attraction, and the later scenes of despair and longing, well, those broke my heart and hit me square in the chest with how raw and real it all felt. And if I'm being honest, the steamy scenes, the intimate moments... they were ON ANOTHER LEVEL. Truly, I'm not a reader that gives much weight to sex scenes, but the way they're woven into this story, the way they illustrate the rocketing connection between these characters, they're both beautifully done and they're some of the most passionately explosive moments I've read.Kristin Callihan pulled me into every aspect of this story with her polished writing style and intense storytelling. Everything about this book was fantastic in my opinion. I was riveted by their attraction. I was slayed by their turmoil. I was gripped by their pasts, hopeful for their future. And I was LOST in how unbelievably sexy it was. I loved this book. I loved it. Everything about it, from beginning to end, I loved. I love that it's not easy. It's honest. It's messy. People are messy and life is messy and love. is. messy. The Hot Shot felt more real than anything I've read in recent memory. Chess and Finn are characters impossible not to love, impossible to forget and their MUST READ romance is my absolute FAVORITE in the Game On series.

I haven't read a sports romance in a fair while, and I have been suffering from withdrawal symptoms. So I decided to pick up The Hot Shot - it has been sitting on my kindle since release day, and I wish I'd started it sooner!! I LOVE THIS SERIES, and The Hot Shot is yet another superb addition. Having said that, this could potentially be read as a standalone.This story had everything I love about a book. It was a sports romance, with a friends to lovers aspect, full of humour the right amounts of everything, it gave me all the feels and made me cry! Pure perfection!Everything about the storyline worked for me. With loads going on to keep your interest, without being over the top. I loved how Chess and Finn initially meet, I loved their connection and their chemistry, and of course they way that friendship developed just worked so well. The two characters are pure perfection in every way, I fell in love with them both. Their characters are complex and extremely likeable.This story is sweet, funny, sexy and oh so HOT! I laughed with the characters and cried right alongside them. And the whole ending... then the epilogue... everything... just spot on!Kirsten Callihan's writing is flawless, with the story flowing throughout, and not a dull moment in sight. Just brilliant!! Highly recommend to all readers of this series, new or old! Pick up this book!!***** 5 Stars *****

Absolutely cracking read. Each of these books in the series focuses on a different couple and every one has been so enjoyable. This one didn't disappoint and I was quickly swept up in the intense and passionate love affair that is Finn and Chess. Finn is a successful, gorgeous, handsome Quarterback. Chess is the photographer assigned the task of taking the pictures for the calendar starring the hot guys on the team.Initially they clash but all that heady attraction simmers to the surface and the two of them find themselves drawn to each other.The chemistry between them is off the charts. OMG....I don't think I can ever watch Die Hard again without thinking about Finn and Chess.There were a couple of twists I didn't see coming but the story plays out well. I love it when a hero ticks all the boxes-Finn balanced adorable with a couple of doses of WTH is he thinking?! He adores his girl and watching him fall in love was the sweetest thing. As much as I love a good hero , it's a delight when you also adore the heroine. My heart ached for Chess at times. She is strong, sweet, passionate and yet has a vulnerability about her that is incredibly endearing.Great secondary characters. A reasonable amount of angst but not too much for a nervous Nelly like me!! Well paced plot , lots of scorching chemistry, this book had me crying, laughing and swooning.HEA? Yes. Oh my.....that was a beautiful epilogue.Cheating? No.

As far as first impressions go, Chess Copper and Finn Mannus are off to a bad one. To be fair, it’s not often you meet someone for the first time, get naked and then proceed to have them take photographs of you. She thinks of him as an overgrown oaf, (albeit a sexy one) and he can’t wait to get out of the prickly photographer’s studio.Much to her chagrin she can’t keep the sexy NFL player off her mind (and with a body like she described I can hardly blame her). If that were not bad enough she keeps bumping into him everywhere too. Finn’s delight at her annoyance sparks the feisty back and forth I quickly became addicted too.The Hot Shot was such a deliciously-sweet read; I may need to have my blood sugars checked. Speaking of over indulgence, let’s look at some of the tropes we have here: Opposites attract. Enemies to friends. Friends to lovers. Cue the Melanie Griffin in When Harry Met Sally: “Yes, yes yes!” It’s a case of “I’ll have what she’s having” and then some.On the face of it it’s a feel good romance, but the icing on the cake is the layers and depth the story has. Beyond the hilarious banter were some emotionally touching scenes that really pulled on my heart strings.

Oh my oh my!"Keep me. I'm pretty sure I'm good for no one else"I thought 4th book of the series won't be as good as previous one but I was WRONG love Finn so much it was funny and so hot and sexy! His and Chess's sex was hot hot hot! Been a bit lost in the end when they were apart like hello what's going on through all the book Finn was chasing after Chess then suddenly he was the one who suddenly didn't give enough hope in their future but lost there who was the silly one but still love them! Can't wait for Jack's story and North if he will have one coming?"I never will when it comes to you, Chess. You're my girl, and I'm your guy. Fate knows it. I know it. Now get with the program "

So the New Orleans NHL team have agreed to do a nude calendar for charity. The photographer Chester 'Chess' Copper is initially irritated when the quarterback Finnegan 'Finn' Mannus makes an off-colour remark, but soon realises that Finn is uncomfortable. During their photoshoot Finn and Chess develop a friendship which both are keen to progress but neither want to risk a romance. But can friends ever become lovers? And if you have strong feelings for someone can you just be friends?I really enjoyed this but I didn't have that visceral emotional connection with Finn that I did with Dex in [book:The Game Plan|23204215]. Dex is still my book boyfriend.