"Action on the sports field and in the bedroom"
Reviewed by Clare O'Beara
Posted June 20, 2014
Romance Contemporary
Writing the biographies of sports stars sounds like a great
way to get to know people. Dani Pierce does this for a
living, but now her agent has signed her up with a baseball
star, Brad Reynolds. She doesn't want this assignment. They
clashed in college and once was enough.
THE HOT CORNER puts Dani on the spot. Her previous subjects
had overcome dyslexia or troubled backgrounds to succeed.
Brad had everything too easy - including girls - and at one
time, Dani. Now he's specifically asked for her talents. To
gloat? To feel like some kind of stud? It's unthinkable for
this lady, whose career is just taking off while he's at the
pinnacle of achievement. She can't back out of the deal so
she has to meet the over-confident, handsome third baseman
at a stadium. Her attitude comes across and it makes for an
uneasy start to the task. Next she has to accompany Brad to
a charity ball. His female companions come out of the
woodwork - could it get more embarrassing for Dani?
While I'm the first to admit that I know little about
baseball, being superbly fit and balanced does give an
athlete advantages. I found the tale amusing though I
sympathised with Dani's obvious discomfort. They were both
young at college, and they've matured. Could I be right in
guessing that Brad is now looking for something more than
superfluous charm in a lady?
This is a hot adult romance once the two get beyond their
initial wariness, but Dani still finds it hard to trust
Brad, while only now does she see the more easily bruised
aspect of his psyche. On a picnic afternoon on a California
beach, fans keep spotting Brad and asking for autographs.
He plays along; it's all part of the job. Dani starts to
realise that if she does end up with Brad, she is still
going to have to share him.
Author Amy Noelle has clearly spoken to the real people in
her quest to present a picture of these stars' lives.
There is sporting action in THE HOT CORNER, and even I know
that hitting a home run is a success. This romance scores
in more ways than one.
SUMMARY
Professionally, Danielle Pierce is making a name for herself
writing biographies of famous athletes. Her star is on the
rise, and her publisher is pleased. Her personal life isn’t
going as swimmingly, and she’s recently back on the market
after calling off her engagement to Mr. Perfect-On-Paper,
not that she’s looking for anyone special. Her career is her
focus and it keeps her content. Her agent and publisher throw her a curveball she never saw
coming when she’s assigned to cover the hottest baseball
player—on and off the field—Bradley Reynolds. Brad, the
Dodgers’ third baseman, spends as much time on the covers of
tabloids as on the sports pages, dating models and
actresses, each one more beautiful than the last. But he
doesn’t let them distract him from his need to excel on the
field. Baseball comes first, and it always has, ever since
the love of his life walked away from him years ago.
Danielle Pierce had been the only woman who ever mattered to
him, the only one who ever would. Dani never thought she’d have to see Brad in person again,
let alone spend weeks with him writing his biography. He
broke her heart in college, and she’d never risked it since.
Seven years later he selects her to write the story of his
life, and she’s stuck between a rock and a hard place. If
she refuses, she looks like a coward. If she gives in, he
wins. Can she be around him without falling for his Southern
charm and deadly looks again? Can she show him that he
didn’t break her? She doesn’t know what his game is, but she
hopes she’s strong enough this time to play without getting
burned.
Excerpt“Just tell me.”My agent sighed. “Okay. They want you, Dani Young . . . also known as
Danielle Pierce . . . also known as a wonderful, beautiful, forgiving
woman with a heart of gold, talented author, fantastic friend . . .” Shit. I was really, really not going to like this. “Would you spit it
out? You can flatter and cajole me later.” She took a sip of her tea and closed her eyes for a moment before
focusing on me. “In a nutshell, they want you to write about Brad
Reynolds.” It was a good thing I hadn’t eaten yet because the ball in my stomach
grew about five times bigger. Was she kidding me? “No.” There wasn’t anything more to say. I was not doing it. “Dani, just listen to me for a minute.” She leaned toward me, her hands
folded in front of her like she was saying a prayer. She’d need more
than an act of God to get me to agree to this asinine idea. “He’s the
biggest baseball star in the world right now. Heading into spring
training, he’s the player all eyes are on, on the field and off.” There was a reason for that. Bradley Reynolds dated big-time movie stars
and models and spent just as much time partying as playing ball, as far
as I could tell. He was on par with a certain Yankee when it came to
women, only he played in Los Angeles instead of New York. “I write about athletes who have to overcome trials on their way to
stardom.” “But you could switch it up. Brad Reynolds is a name, Dani.” Yes, and just hearing that name made me feel ill. “I’m sure there are tons of authors who would be more than happy to
write about the super-talented third baseman with the penchant for
scoring on and off the diamond. He doesn’t need me.” He never had. “Maybe not, but he wants you.” Soda sloshed over my cup when my hand tightened around the glass.
“What?” “He asked for you, specifically.” Her smile was almost sympathetic. I wanted to push away from the table, go bury myself in my bed, and
pretend today had never happened. But I had to ask. “Why, Bec? Tell me
why my ex-boyfriend wants me to write his story?” “I work hard at my job,” Brad said. “You’re about to find out just how
hard.” “If I decide to stay.” “You’ll stay. You’re too curious not to.” It infuriated me that he knew that much about me. “Maybe I’ve changed.” “In some ways, sure, but not in that way.” His gaze traveled down my
body. “In some ways you’ve changed for the better.” Take it all in, Brad. You can look but you can’t touch. “More ways than
you’ll ever know.” A slow smile spread across his face and I knew I needed to get away
before I either killed him or kissed him. One or the other was bound to
happen soon. “I’m going to check into my hotel and we can get started tomorrow,” I
said. “I look forward to it.” I started to walk away, but he called my name, and I turned. “Your hair still looks like fire in the sun, Red.” “Stay back or you’ll get burned,” I warned with a smile. “We’ll see. I plan on getting answers to my questions, starting
tomorrow.” He looked so damn confident. “It’s my questions you’ll need to worry about. Are you sure you’re going
to come out of this book looking like anything other than the asshole
you are?” “I think we’re both in for some surprises.” There was no doubt about that.
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