UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT is Book 4 in Kate Willoughby's In the Zone series. UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT immediately appealed to me because I love sports-themed romances, and I'm a big hockey fan. This pairing of an actress and athlete is anything but boring. Christine Caspary and Joe Rutherford meet when they are at very different points in their careers. Kate Willoughby makes both main characters easy to empathize with and like.
There are two main sources of conflict in UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT that move the story along—friction between Christine and Joe over Christine's career, and the drama that comes with the rookie hockey player Joe is mentoring. The flirty beginning between Christine and Joe is fun, sexy, and sweet. The teasing banter between the two is very natural and entertaining. Although Christine's career becomes a source of contention and barrier between them, it is not for obvious reasons. Rather than jealousy eating away at him, Joe is understandably freaked out by his girlfriend's sexual and revealing scenes in her new acting gig. I found Joe's position very sympathetic because he understands that the problem is his, yet he can't get past it. However, Christine is equally sympathetic as she battles her own distaste for the sexual scenes, with her sense of accomplishment for landing such a sought after role. Christine is further conflicted when her work causes problems in her romantic relationship. Kate Willoughby creates some very steamy scenes between Christine and Joe, while also building a very compelling character- driven story.
When Joe is asked to live with and mentor hotshot rookie CJ Noonan, he does it, but it turns into a big headache at times. Even though he's not quite old enough to actually be a father to a guy CJ's age, seeing Joe in that role gives readers a glimpse of his good nature. The drama CJ brings into Joe's life because of CJ's youth and brush with fame creates a recipe for disaster, but it also shows how tight the members of Joe's team are. I love the family feeling that exists between Joe and his teammates. Even though the players are sports celebrities, I like the maturity they show when trying to pass on life lessons to the rookie.
UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT is perfect for readers who like intense drama, hot love scenes, and a dash of humor. In spite of their larger-than-life public personas, Joe and Christine seem very real and down-to-earth. I look forward to reading future books by Kate Willoughby.
Stage actress Christine Caspary couldn't care less about
hockey, but when she first sees Joe Rutherford playing in
a
Barracudas game her mind goes to all sorts of dirty
places.
By happy chance, her work with Grant A Wish gives her an
opportunity to meet him in the flesh.
Right winger
Joe Rutherford saw Christine perform when the team went
to
see Chicago and was so taken with her, he
secretly
saw the show a second time, alone. When the gorgeous
actress
with spectacular legs contacts him out of the blue asking
for a favor, it's a no-brainer.
Their chemistry is
off the charts. Things heat up quickly and they can't
keep
their hands off each other. Soon they're hooking up
whenever
their busy schedules allow and having hot phone sex every
night at midnight when they don't. But Joe's time in the
hockey spotlight is fading, just as Christine's star
begins
to rise. When she gets her big break into a TV career,
how
will Joe take to being the arm candy for a change?
Excerpt
They stared at each other for a long moment. She realized
that he’d shaved. She wanted to touch his face and feel
the warm skin under her fingertips. He had kind eyes, but
his nose had obviously been broken more than once.
Wearing next to nothing onstage couldn’t even compare to
getting beat up on the ice night after night. After all,
his fat lip still looked pretty painful. She kind of
wanted to kiss it better.
Maybe more than kind of.
She met his gaze. His deep-set eyes narrowed slightly as
he took a very slow step toward her. They were a warm
brown, made sexy with thick lashes and faint laugh lines.
She wondered how old he was.
“Christine.”
Suddenly, he seemed a lot larger and she became aware of
a raw masculinity and strength that only seemed to be
coming out now, as if he’d been shielding it until just
the right moment, like a secret weapon. Her limbs felt
heavy, as he reached out and cupped her elbows, tugging
gently.
This time she was the one who took a step forward.
“I shouldn’t be doing this,” she said in a low voice. She
clasped his forearms. They were corded with muscle.
“Doing what?” He sounded amused.
She looked up, took a chance. “Letting you kiss me.”
A chuckle rumbled out of his chest. “Is that what you’re
doing? We’re doing?” His hands traveled up her arms, her
neck, until his fingers snaked into her hair. She
shivered.
“Yes.”
“I don’t know,” he said. “Maybe I just wanted to massage
your head.”
She laughed softly. “I like your hands on me, Joe
Rutherford.” She wrapped her arms around his waist and
leaned against him. And I’d like your lips on me even
more.
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