Guarding Sophie
Love and Football #5.5
By: Julie Brannagh
Releasing November 10, 2015
Avon Impulse
Blurb
Hearts beat and sparks fly when two people
find shelter in each other
Seattle Sharks wide receiver Kyle Carlson
needs to escape and Noel, Washington, is the perfect place for him to do it and
figure out his next step. He likes the seclusion and predictability of the
small town…until the biggest surprise of his life turns up in the local grocery
store.
Sophie Hayes has her own reasons for disappearing
without a trace and moving to Noel. This mountain town makes her feel safe for
the first time in a long time. But her quiet routine is threatened when Kyle
walks back into her life. Growing up in the same Florida town, she always had a
little thing for the sexy football player. This tie to her old life, though,
could mean she has to run again, even if her heart wants to stay.
When the reason she fled shows up in Noel,
Kyle and Sophie, with a little extra help from his teammates, must decide to
stay and fight for the life, and love, they’ve found together.
My Thoughts:
All right, Guarding Sophie is a sweet story. We have two people that are hiding out. Kyle who is hiding out from his money grubbing family. He's just tired of them begging money, because he's a famous football player. Yep, that can get old after awhile. So, in a way he went underground. Not really, but you get the gist. We also have Sophie who had to runaway of her old life cause of psycho ex-boyfriend. Aren't they the fun ones, not.Kyle and Sophie knew each other back in high school, and they get a chance to reconnect during Guarding Sophie. Anyway, this story was a quick little read that could have been a lot longer, but it's a novella. It's fine as a novella, because both of these characters were able to find resolutions for their problems while finding love. YAY! It shows that the Sharks will stick together no matter what on or off the field. So, if you are looking for a quick read with a football player who gets a second chance to go out with a high school crush while being a hero, you have met your match in Guarding Sophie. Novella, don't want to give too much away. Happy reading.
Excerpt from Guarding Sophie:
Kyle Carlson
wore sunglasses, but they were no match for the brilliance of Noel,
Washington’s late-spring sunshine. Noel was a mountain pass and a ninety-minute
drive away from his life in Seattle. The small town was the perfect place to
get lost for a while.
He shielded
his eyes with one hand as the real estate agent and interior decorator he’d
hired drifted into view. The real estate agent held out a shiny new set of
house keys to him.
“It’s all
yours, Kyle. Congratulations.”
“Thanks,” he
said. “Everything’s ready to go?”
“Of course,”
the decorator said. “You wanted simple but comfortable and earth tones. I hope
you’ll love it. If you have questions or need anything else, please give me a
call right away.” She dug into what Kyle knew was an expensive designer handbag
and extended her brightly-patterned business card to him. “Thank you for the
business and enjoy.”
“Take a look
inside,” the real estate agent said. “I think you’ll love it.”
“I’ll do
that,” Kyle said. “Thanks again.”
The real
estate agent and interior designer shook hands with him and got into their car.
He raised a hand in farewell as they followed the winding, narrow road back to
downtown Noel, I-90 and civilization as quickly as possible.
Kyle longed
for privacy like other people wanted drugs or alcohol. He hadn’t always been so
anti-social. The past seven years of dealing with scores of family members,
“friends” and others who thought he was their personal ATM machine since he was
drafted into the NFL had finally taken its toll. He realized that his
profession didn’t really lend itself to anonymity. Maybe he should have become
a plumber or an auto mechanic instead of the starting wide receiver for the
world champion Seattle Sharks. If he’d had a more unobtrusive life, he’d go to
work from seven to four or so, go home, put his feet up, have a beer and quit
worrying about the problems that came when one was lucky enough to earn a
staggering income for catching a football six months a year.
Kyle walked
up the front path and climbed two stairs to the A-line’s wraparound front
porch. The front door of his new cabin was hardwood inlaid with baguettes of
beveled, leaded glass. Two stories featured floor-to-ceiling windows that
looked out over a view of blue skies, puffy white clouds, and endless
evergreens. Instead of the rustic, unfinished structure most people would
imagine when hearing the word “cabin”, his new place was as luxurious as the
stylish Seattle hotel he’d just checked out of. It was also the perfect place
to hide out for a couple of months.
He stepped
over the threshold of the cabin he’d spent a shocking amount of money on and
took a deep breath. Sun-warmed, lemon-scented air surrounded him. The front
door shut behind him as he glanced around.
The floors
were hardwood. The furnishings were earth tones, man-sized, with a few brightly
colored accents to draw the eye. A gas
fireplace with a stone surround dominated most of one wall in the living room.
A long staircase led to a loft that overlooked the first story and three
bedrooms. He’d thought long and hard about the extra two bedrooms before buying
the place. If he had nowhere for anyone else to sleep, they’d be a lot less
likely to visit, which worked for him.
He let out a
contented sigh as he realized the only sound was his breathing. He’d bought the
house in the name of a trust his family and friends knew nothing about. He’d
moved out of his huge house in Newcastle two days ago and used the proceeds
from its sale to fund the house he was currently standing in and a one-bedroom
condo in a Bellevue high rise, also in the name of the trust. It was his choice who found out where he was
and what he was doing from now on.
He’d have
almost two months of solitude before training camp started. He couldn’t wait.
Reprinted
Courtesy of HarperCollinsPublishers
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Author
Info
USA Today Bestselling Author, Julie Brannagh
has been writing since she was old enough to hold a pencil. She lives in a
small town near Seattle, where she once served as a city council member and
owned a yarn shop. She shares her home with a wonderful husband, two
uncivilized Maine Coons and a rambunctious chocolate Lab.
When she’s not writing, she’s reading, or
armchair-quarterbacking her favorite NFL team from the comfort of the family
room couch. Julie is a Golden Heart finalist and the author of contemporary
sports romances.
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