The Player by K Bromberg : a steamy sports romance novel

Easton Wylder is baseball royalty. The game is his life. His passion. His everything.

So, when an injury threatens to end Easton’s season early, the team calls in the renowned physical therapist, Doc Dalton, to oversee his recovery. Except it’s not Doc who greets Easton for his first session, but rather his daughter, Scout. She may be feisty, athletic, defiant, and gorgeous, but Easton is left questioning whether she has what it takes to help him.

Scout Dalton’s out to prove a female can handle the pressure of running the physical therapy regimen of an MLB club. And that proof comes in the form of getting phenom Easton Wylder back on the field. But getting him healthy means being hands-on.

And with a man as irresistible as Easton, being hands-on can only lead to one thing, trouble,/i>. Because the more she touches him, the more she wants him, and she can’t want him. Not when it’s her job to side in the club’s best interest if he’s ready to play.

But when sparks fly and fine lines are crossed, can they withstand the heat or is one of them bound to get burned?
Release Date : April 17 th 2017
Publisher : JKB Publishing
Price : 13.90 euros or 3.76 euros
Pages: 300 pages

Ranking:

Before I write my review , I'd like to thank K Bromberg and Danielle for their trust and for allowing me to read this novel as an ARC.

My review: I have read almost all the novels wiritten by K Bromberg and I am still fan of the style of the author who has no equal to present us manly heroes with a macho side but who offer us a new image of them As soon as we learn to know them. I love sports romances because I know that I will spend a very good time reading with heroes who will make us live beautiful adventures, with a glimpse of romance, sensuality and intriguing twists.

Easton Wylder has everything from the sporty star self confident with his charm and his sex appeal. From the first meeting with Scout, the tone is given as he thikks she is a person who has come to spend a good time with him and not for the one who will put him back on track With Easton, we are sure to have a good time because he has this side very arrogant and charming at the same time and he knows how to put the humor in his words. So yes, at first glance you get the impression that it is a macho man who does not accept that a woman intervenes in a world full of testosterone but we will have to go beyond the appearances to see him as he really is. Indeed, Easton has two facets and the first is the one he has learned to master for years. On the baseball field his reputation is no longer to be made and as he likes to say so naughtyly he knows how to use his stick. Yet a game and a confrontation with Santiago, another baseball player, left great traces and important after-effects. The human being behind the player has given way to a war machine that must be quickly repaired and returned to the field as soon as possible. As a result, he can be proud and haughty, but Easton was bathed in baseball from a very young age as he was the son of a baseball star. Thus walking in the shadow of his father is not easy and it is sometimes difficult to determine whether Mr Wylder acts as a father or as a coach. The feelings are not expressed and the priority is quite different.

Also, I loved the fact that he could indulge himself and be really himself alongside Scout. He will certainly have trouble convincing the young woman that he is not really the one she believes but with her, he will have an ear to listen to her. The challenge will therefore be important and the return on the physical plan delicate. We also feel that he can count on his teammates who are also a surrogate family. When you spend so much time on the pitch, in competitions, you can only create an unbroken link. Even if Tino, Drew or JP seems to be clowns, I think that like Easton we have to look beyond appearances. They are not just immature boys who make jokes in turn, they are above all friends to rely on. What I also enjoyed with Easton is the fact that he is investing elsewhere than in the field or under the spotlight. He has his public image certainly but the man behind the star is also very interesting and can experience empathy for others. Will he be able to resume his career where he left it after such an injury? Will Scout only be a mere appearance in his life?

Scout Dalton is a young woman who is not afraid to voice her opinoon and does not have her tongue in her pocket. I adore in romances when the heroine has temper and knows how to put in place the  arrogant and self confident heroes . Scout is the daughter of Doc Dalton, the team's trained PT and being a woman in an all-male world is not easy. She is used to having to prove twice as much as a man, to suffer the pranks of macho men who think that a woman has no place in the sporting environment. She has always been professional and sees her clients as clients and nothing else. Yet the chemistry with Easton is instantaneous and she will have to face new feelings. She will therefore have to keep the border between her and her client but when we face a player, it will not be easy. If this were the only concern of Scout, everything would go for the best. Unfortunately, the pressures she has comes from all sides. First, she must absolutely help a high-level athlete after a serious injury. Then she must carry out this almost impossible mission  in a very short time and the countdown will therefore be an additional pressure. Finally, she will undergo some additional pressure from her father, who is looking after Easton hoping to sign a definitive contract with Austin's Aces.

Not easy then for the young woman to keep her head cold and not succumb to the temptation to discover the true Easton. She made a promise and she must stick to it because the consequences could be significant. We discover, as for Easton, her family past and the least one can say is that it is not perfect. I can not tell you more, but just know that the tension will be present until the very last moment. What is unfortunate is the fact that in the life of Scout there is no better friend who could help her during painful or doubtful periods. To live happily, the saying is that one must live hidden but if the secrets were unveiled, this bomb would not do serious damage? Thus, a girl friend could have allowed Scout to lower the pressure a little and relieve some of it. Scout and Easton are two characters that I loved to discover and that I can not wait to find back in the saga The Player because in July we will have the second volume of this saga and we will probably have the answers to the questions  that we ask ourselves and I do not doubt for a moment that K Bromberg will know how to maintain the narrative tension up to the end.

In short, if you like sexy and sensual steamy romances, do not miss out on The Player. The chemistry between the heroes, the humor, the twists and turns, everything is set up to make us spend a good time reading. No doubt K Bromberg knows how to play with our nerves and waiting may be a bit long until July especially when we are not patient.

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