Her Best Shot
Hot & Nerdy, #1
Shannyn Schroeder
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Lyrical Press: Kensington
Date of Publication: September 29, 2014
Number of pages: 105
Word Count: 35,000
Excerpt:With college graduation looming, three childhood friends vow to make spring break their last blast of pure fun. But at least one of them didn’t count on such incredible heat…
Layla Sharpe is definitely more math ninja than bikini babe, and her future has been calculated with razor precision. Convinced to let loose over spring break, Layla is finally ready to party—until her car breaks down halfway to her destination, leaving her stranded in Georgia with a mouthwateringly hot pool shark. She knows more than enough about angles to learn the game, but this week she wants him to appreciate her curves…
Phin Marks has never met a girl like Layla. She’s more Star Wars geek than seductress, and when he offers her a place to stay while her car is in the shop, he’s counting on the attraction between them to set the nights ablaze, no strings attached. But every moment he spends with Layla makes it harder to let her go. Can he persuade her to gamble in the most dangerous way possible…on forever?
She held her cue in front of her chest, the line bisecting her, making it difficult to do anything other than focus on her breasts. He reread her shirt and began to think about pie. And Layla naked.
“So what’d I do wrong?”
“Huh?”
She moved the stick in order to walk, breaking his concentration on her chest. She neared him and asked, “Why did I miss?”
“You got cocky and it cost your concentration. The first two worked, and, although the third shot should’ve been an easy one, you lost your stance and your bridge was sloppy. You didn’t have enough control. You can’t ever spend time thinking about the last shot. Worst case, you focus on the shot at hand. Best case, you think two or three shots ahead.”
She tilted her head and narrowed her eyes. “How am I supposed to plan ahead if I don’t know where the balls will land?”
“You predict. Look, if I try to hit the three into the corner, it’s going to push others out of the way. Where are they going to roll? That’s how I’ll set up my next shot. I can force those balls to land where I want based on how I hit them.” He took a swig of his beer. Layla didn’t respond, but she absorbed what he said. He saw the understanding in her eyes and didn’t need the verbal confirmation.
“I want the five to move to the left, so I’m going to hit it on the right side with a little spin. I don’t want it to shoot far, just enough.” He leaned down and took the shot. The three swooshed into the corner pocket, and the five lined up exactly where he wanted.
Layla’s face suddenly brightened. “I got it!” She walked to the opposite corner and rattled off possibilities.
He nodded and then cleared the solids without looking up. Layla didn’t crowd him and she’d stopped flirting. When the eight fell into the pocket, he straightened and laid his cue on the table. Layla didn’t acknowledge him. Her gaze stayed locked on the remaining balls. Maybe she was so competitive that she was a sore loser.
“Can I clear the table?”
Her question surprised him and his face must’ve reflected that.
“I know you won, big surprise, but I think I see the shots I’d take and want to try.”
“Knock yourself out. I’m going to get another beer. You want one?”
“Sure. Thanks.”
Phin went to the bar and grabbed the beers. When he returned, she was racking the balls.
“Another game?” Layla asked.
“Sure. What are we playing for?”
“I’m a poor college student. I’m still not going to pay you twenty dollars.”
“Not confident in your ability, huh?”
“I’m confident in my ability, but you’re a shark. My money’s staying in my pocket.”
Phin moved closer and handed her a beer. “So what do you have in mind?”
She tilted her head, as appeared to be habit, and said, “A kiss. I’ve never kissed a guy with hair longer than mine.”
He reached out and ran his hand over the back of her head, where there wasn’t enough hair to grab. “Not hard to do. Besides, if you want a kiss, all you have to do is ask.”
Review:
Being a self-professed nerd myself, I am a sucker for fellow nerd stories. And this one is about a fellow nerd-girl, though typically I am not into NA reads. We don't have much of an introduction to the three friends this trilogy is about, but I can't wait to read each of their stories.
This story is about Layla. It has been her dream to work for the NSA as a cryptologist. When she goes in for an interview as a summer intern, Layla is a bit shocked to be offered a full time job, to start as soon as she graduates. This will be her last break before diving headlong into her life long dream. Her friends decide to help her celebrate and cut loose one time before the end of school. So spring break plans are made to meet on the Gulfcoast and enjoy sand and surf. Layla decides to drive down, never anticipating her car breaking down in a little Georgia town.
There Layla meets local mechanic and pool shark, Phin. Phin has been traveling around, working odd jobs and hustling pool, saving to compete in Las Vegas. He teaches Layla about billiards, works on fixing her car, and even lets her stay at his apartment when all her money is stolen her first day in town. Layla's mathematical brain allows her to learn quickly, and soon they are hustling together. Layla is introduced to a freedom and side of life she never knew. Decisions the two of them make will effect each of their lives.
Can I just say, OMG? I love that the nerd girl gets with the bad boy. Where was this book when I was in high school or even college? This is a novella, and everything has to happen quickly. But the NA genre works for this, because they have that instant rush of emotions, that jumping into things feet first, damn the consequences that only those who are young seem to be capable of. I'm still not a fan of NA, but for a book like this, I can make an exception. 3 stars.
Giveaway:
Five iBook Copies of HER BEST SHOT
Book Tour Info:
Don't forget to check out the other stops on the Book Tour:
Sept 29th:
A is for Alpha B is for Books
A Bluestockings Place
Undercover Book Reviews
Harlequin Junkie
Born to Read Books
Unknown Book Reviews
Ramblings from this Chick
Love Romance Books
A Cup of Tea & A Big Book
The Lusty Literate
Sept 30th:
Hot Guys in Books
Christine's Words
Romancing the Readers
GenGen's Book Blog
Bibliophile Mystery
Oct 1st:
A Tasty Read Book Reviews
I am, Indeed
Paola's Bookshelf.
Worth Reading It?
Fic Central
Ramblings of a Book Lunatic
Oct 2nd:
In Between the Lines
Books Like Breathing
Crystal Blogs Books
Underneath the Covers
Roberta's Dreamworld
Musings & Ramblings
Gemma Reads Too Much for it to be Normal
Oct 3rd:
Written Love
Book Reviews and More by Kathy
Booknerd
Crazy Four Books
Kris & Vik Book Therapy Cafe
Forever Book Lover
Reading Bliss
Author Bio:
Shannyn Schroeder is a former high school and middle school English teacher. She holds a BA in English and MAs in Special Education and Gifted Education. She currently works as an editor for an education company and juggles writing around her kids’ schedules. In her spare time, Shannyn loves to bake and watches far too much TV, especially cop shows. She started her first book on a dare from her husband and has never looked back. She came to reading romance later than many, but lives for the happy ending, and writes contemporary romance because she enjoys the adventure of new love.
To connect with the author online:
Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads
Thank you for hosting me today. I'm really glad you liked it -- even though it is NA :-)
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