Love, Exes, and Ohs & Love, Sidelines, and Endzones by Violet Duke

 

He could very well be the perfect ex... Isaac McKnight has had enough loss in his life to know never to take anything for granted. So when the all but perfectly-imperfect-woman-for-him ends things with him out of the blue, it’s Isaac that doesn’t let their friendship get ruined in the process. Now a year later, whether it’s at his gym or her brewpub, or the dog park they visit every weekend—though neither of them own a dog—he and Xoey find themselves together more often than not, with a relationship that’s stronger than ever. The fact that he’s somehow taken a wrong turn and crossed over into ‘buddy zone’ galaxy with its dangerous proximity to watch-me-marry-another-guy abyss, however, doesn’t occur to him until Xoey tells him she’s on the hunt for the perfect man…who’s not him. Oh hell no. Isaac is done waiting for the crazy woman to come to her senses. This time, he’s not letting her just up and run from what’s always been between them. But she’s looking for the perfect oh. History has taught Xoey Kerrigan that sometimes, it’s Prince Charming who vanishes without a trace. And fairy tale love? Highly overrated. But the connection that results in a real and perfect ‘oh?’ That a couple just can’t fake. She’s tried. So when Xoey realizes she’s had waaay more exes than ohs in her love life, she creates a match-finding formula for the perfect man by analyzing the men responsible for her three most epic ohs. They were, after all, her best relationships. Heck, one has become a friendship she’d never jeopardize for anything. Which is precisely why she can’t tell Isaac that one-third of her genius little man-quation is all about him—well, more than a third if Xoey were being honest with herself…which she’s not. Because full honesty would require thinking not just about how perfect Isaac really is, but also about how perfect the fourth epic oh she’s kept buried deep in her past once was. An easy enough thing to keep ignoring…until her past isn’t past tense anymore.    



 
Grady Donovan is used to folks questioning why he never went pro. Sharing genes with a family of NFL greats, it should’ve been the natural decision. But instead, he chose coaching. Back when he was getting hit with hard life lessons for all his wrong choices, it was the first one he’d made that had felt so right. Moving to the oddball town of Cactus Creek is now officially the second. Here, folks care less about his name and more what the auto shop teacher—daughter of the coach he’s replacing—thinks of him. It’s refreshingly different. She’s refreshingly different. Sienna is nothing like the can-I-meet-your-brothers model wannabes or the delicate wounded birds Grady’s friends say flock to him by his own doing. She’s an opinionated powder keg with mind-melting curves and a garage full of tools he’s sure she’d like to hurl at him half the time. And lately, it seems all their heated debates over her old school defense being no match for his high-scoring offense is starting to mean something a whole lot different in his head… Sienna Whitman is used toher dad keeping her on the sidelines. Being a veritable coaching legend, he could’ve recommended her as an assistant coach to his successor. But no, Sienna’s got that pesky lack of a Y chromosome on her resume. So here she is, back for another year as overqualified team statistician. Secretly feeding field plays to her coaching buddies through her phone. It wouldn’t be half bad if not for the new head coach continuously pushing her buttons at every turn. Mr. All American good looks with that ‘new school offense’ of his—a.k.a. the take-the-sport-out-of-the-game mentality—is driving her crazy. And not just because he’s under the very mistaken notion that she’s a sex addict in rehab, thanks to the opposite-of-quick thinking by her partners in crime on the field—seriously, if only her Bluetooth had a kill function. His genuine concern over her ‘addiction’ is…unexpected, as is the unprecedented realization that just being around Grady makes Sienna want that rehab center’s number for real. On speed dial. Hell, it’s going to be a long season.     Violet is also running a sale on Book Two in the Cactus Creek series. The highly anticipated LOVE, TUSSLES, AND TAKEDOWNS (release date: June 13th), is also now available for pre-order at a very special fan appreciation price of just 99 CENTS on iTunes and Amazon.
   
 
NEW YORK TIMES & USA TODAY bestselling author Violet Duke is a former professor of English Education who is ecstatic to now be on the other side of the page writing wickedly fun contemporary romance novels. Her books have been Top 10 bestsellers on Amazon, iTunes, and Barnes & Noble, and have been featured on IndieReader and GalleyCat as breakout hits. When she's not writing or feeding her book-a-day reading addiction, Violet enjoys tackling reno projects with her power tools, trying pretty much anything without reading the directions first, and cooking 'special edition' dishes that laugh in the face of recipes. She lives in Hawai'i with her two cute kids (daughter Violet & son Duke) and similarly adorable husband.