Monday, August 14, 2017

Irresistible You by Kate Meader Release Blitz


Hot in Chicago series author Kate Meader returns with her all new, scorching Chicago Rebels hockey series, featuring her signature “steamy sex scenes, colorful characters, and riveting dialogue” (Romantic Times). Three estranged sisters inherit their late father’s failing hockey franchise and are forced to confront a man’s world, their family’s demons, and the battle-hardened ice warriors skating into their hearts.

Harper Chase has just become the most powerful woman in the NHL after the death of her father Clifford Chase, maverick owner of the Chicago Rebels. But the team is a hot mess—underfunded, overweight, and close to tapping out of the league. Hell-bent on turning the luckless franchise around, Harper won’t let anything stand in her way. Not her gender, not her sisters, and especially not a veteran player with an attitude problem, a chip on his shoulder, and a smoldering gaze designed to melt her ice-compacted defenses.

Veteran center Remy “Jinx” DuPre is on the downside of a career that’s seen him win big sponsorships, fans’ hearts, and more than a few notches on his stick. Only one goal has eluded him: the Stanley Cup. Sure, he’s been labeled as the unluckiest guy in the league, but with his recent streak of good play, he knows this is his year. So why the hell is he being shunted off to a failing hockey franchise run by a ball-buster in heels? And is she seriously expecting him to lead her band of misfit losers to a coveted spot in the playoffs?

He’d have a better chance of leading Harper on a merry skate to his bed…

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Book 1
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He looked uncomfortable standing there, balancing on his skates, ready to spring for the door. But she knew he wouldn’t sit while she stood because his mother had raised him to respect women. Something fluttered in her chest at that notion. DuPre might be a lot of things—ladies’ man, good ol’ boy, thorn in her side—but she suspected he would never hurt someone weaker than himself.

“You’ve got three minutes, Harper.”

“Do you remember what I told you in Boston, DuPre?”

“Somethin’ about needin’ me to instill leadership and help these boys get to the playoffs.” Warm honey flowed through her veins at the timbre of his voice. She could have sworn her panties slipped an inch.

“I did say that. I meant it. And I thought you understood.”

He rubbed his chin, the scrape against stubble delicious to her ears. All he was missing was a Stetson, a blade of grass, and some flighty piece in a cropped tank and Daisy Dukes. “I understood the words because you’d put them together in a highly entertainin’ way, and to certain ears, they might make sense. Then I told you what needed to happen to ensure my cooperation.”

This nonsense stopped here. “Is that why you’re playing like you can barely walk, much less skate? What’s wrong, old man? Feeling a touch of arthritis in your joints?”

For a brief moment, she thought she might have found his weakness: vanity. But no. He merely threaded his arms over his chest—over the Rebels logo of a big C with a hockey stick and a cutlass crossed behind it—and cocked his head.

“You’re gonna have to use a little more finesse, Harper.”

More surprising than the fact Remy had used the word finesse correctly in a sentence was that he didn’t seem annoyed with her. He seemed... amused. As if she were a toy he could happily bat around like a kitten would a semiconscious mouse.

Applause sounded, signifying the beginning of the final period. Neither of them moved, hands metaphorically hovering at their hips like Old West gunfighters.

“The trade deadline,” she said, feeling livid and helpless. “Give me that.”

“The all-star game.”

Three months. The all-star game, held in late January, was traditionally viewed as the halfway point of the season. On the cusp of the busy trade period, it led into a month of bartering and haggling as everyone lined up their teams for the big push to the playoffs.

At her hesitation, he leaned in, those cobalt blues flashing. It wasn’t enough to unholster her gun; she should have already taken her shot, and that delay was her undoing.

“Would you rather three months of my full effort or a whole season of my skatin’ like I’m playin’ squirt hockey?”

“You can’t seriously be reducing this to a game of ‘would you rather’?”

His voice dropped to an intimate tone, her panties another inch with it. “If you shake on it now, I’ll begin that full effort tonight.”

The siren blared in the distance, followed by the home crowd’s roar. Five zip. Harper didn’t enjoy being blackmailed, but she enjoyed losing even less.

She thrust her hand forward impatiently. He took it in his firm grasp. That electricity setting her skin aflame was her body telling her she’d made the right decision. Nothing else.

“You have a game to finish.”

He held on, and now he inclined his head so close she could count each and every one of those pretty-boy eyelashes. Her pulse rate spiked, and she was certain he could sense it. Sense her heart thumping rabbit kicks, her vein pulsing in her throat.

“We’ve shaken on it now, minou, so don’t you dare think about welshing. I might sound like I spend my spare time spitballin’ from the rockin’ chair on my porch, but don’t let my accent fool you none. I’m not the kind of man you want for an enemy. We clear?”

She might have rolled her eyes if she wasn’t just a wee bit impressed by his chutzpah. Still, he needed to be informed that while he might have won this battle, the war was far from over.

“Try not to trip on your way to the rink, DuPre.”

He laughed, deep and robust, clearly delighted with himself. Idiot. His thumb pressed against her inner wrist, and a crackle of energy leeched from him into her body.

“You feel that, Harper?”

She snatched back her hand. “If you mean my goodwill evaporating with every second you’re standing here, then, yeah, I feel it.”

“I think we’re havin’ a thing.”

They were. Oh, God, they were. “Why are you still here again?”

His mouth curved. “Lady, I got the distinct feelin’ these next few months are gonna be fun.”

He picked up his stick and, with more grace than a six-foot-two brute wearing skates on dry land should possess, he left the locker room.

Excerpt from Irresistible You
© Kate Meader




Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Avid Reader☆☆☆☆
M/F Romance
Triggers: Click HERE to see Avid Reader’s review on Goodreads for trigger warnings.

Remy is on his way to winning the Stanley Cup – or so he thinks. For years he's been trying to achieve that last prize. Known in the league as Jinx, he hasn't been able to shake that. Despite coming towards the end of his career, he isn't keen on being traded to the last place team – or a team that is trying to rebuild with an unorthodox manager – the first woman, Harper, and her sisters.

Harper has been trying to prove herself to her father all her life. He was a hockey player, a hockey manager, and a horrible father. He cheated multiple times and had several daughters. Each daughter was given a place – but they must fulfill his will in order to obtain the money he left them. It's his finally dig at Harper. She's a strong, confident woman, but she kind of turns to mush when Remy looks her way.

Harper and Remy are an explosive duo. They both have tempers and both know they should stay away from each other. However, their chemistry and pull are difficult to ignore. With Remy's New Orleans charm and his awesome family, Harper sees what she has been missing.

When a blast from Harper's past comes back to nag at her, her sisters and Remy will stand up for her. This is truly a story about overcoming the past, putting to bed old demons, and knowing your own worth.

I cannot wait for the next story.


Mary Jo☆☆☆☆
Harper Chase needs something, anything, to go right. Having to run the Chicago Rebels with her half-sisters is only one of the major challenges she faces. Failing to make the playoffs this season means that everything they work hard for will be for naught. Their dear old dad put a stipulation in his will that if the Rebels fail to make the playoffs then the team has to be sold. For all that he loved hockey, Clifford Chase didn't believe that women had a place in the front office.

Remy DuPre is ready to make his final run at the Cup after having missed it last season. That was until he was traded to the worst team in the league. With a huge chip on his shoulder, he's determined to do the bare minimum until he can get Harper to trade him.

What Harper and Remy failed to take into account was the attraction between them, and not just physical attraction. Remy listens to Harper and Harper inspires him to be better, to do better.

With the odds stacked against them, should they keep their romance hidden or bring it out into the light? The choices they make not only affect them, the team, but their families as well.


Sarah☆☆☆☆☆
Wow! This action packed, knicker-melting hockey romance had my feminist heart doing a happy dance by the end of the second chapter. The first in a series about three half-sisters who inherit a failing NHL franchise, this is the story of Harper, the oldest sister and the team’s general manager. Harper is fierce and she is determined to see her team through to the playoffs.

This series is a breath of fresh air in an oversaturated sports romance market. While I love hockey and enjoy sports romances, too many of the books – even those by really popular authors – have become predictable and formulaic. While the romance here is slightly predictable, this story is much more than a romance and I really enjoyed reading about hockey from a female owner’s perspective. Only Bianca Sommerland has attempted this angle before and this series will work for a wider, more PG audience than Sommerland’s fabulous books attract.

In this series, the focus is as much on the on the three Chase sisters and the complicated relationships between them as it is on the romance between Harper and Remy. All three are fascinating women. Harper is a businesswoman. Isobel has a coaching career after retiring from hockey and Violet works part time in a tattoo shop. Their father’s will forces them to work together, but his death and their proximity also dredges up family secrets and skeletons.

The oldest sibling, Harper seems cold, hard, and a little ruthless at first. I respected and admired her from the start but it wasn’t until we learned some of her history that I was able to warm to her. As she lets her sisters and her team into her life, Harper becomes a much more likeable character and I really loved watching her fight her attraction to Remy.

I’m not sure if there are any real life Cajun NHL players but I’d like to think so. Remy is a charming bastard and he also gets better as we learn more about him, his family, and his past. The chemistry between these two is hot. There are a few steamy scenes in this story, but there is much more story than sex and I really liked the balance. I loved this book and I’m already looking forward to the next story in the series.


Ruthie☆☆☆☆☆
5 stars for the sports-based story,
at least 10 stars for the writing

This book has one feature above all others which I need to tell you about – the wonderfully funny conversations between Harper and Remy – these two people are so perfect for each other; trading humorous sentences better than possibly any couple I have read about... ever. Ms. Meader has surpassed herself in creating two wonderful characters who just come alive off the page and had me chuckling every time they spoke to each other. It is such intelligent banter, sometimes witty, sometimes flirty, sometimes sexy; I was utterly enchanted.

The story is a winner too. It has plenty of layers, and lots of opportunity to become (I hope) a long running series – there were plenty of people I cared enough about to want to know more. I am very hopeful of more of this wonderful duo too – as they really brightened up my day!

My advice? Get yourself a copy as soon as you can and give yourself a treat. Thank you, Ms, Meader – and do we really have to wait till December for the next installment?




Originally from Ireland, USA Today bestselling author Kate Meader cut her romance reader teeth on Maeve Binchy and Jilly Cooper novels, with some Harlequins thrown in for variety. Give her tales about brooding mill owners, oversexed equestrians, and men who can rock an apron or a fire hose, and she’s there. Now based in Chicago, she writes sexy contemporary romance with alpha heroes and strong heroines who can match their men quip for quip.

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Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Irresistible You (Chicago Rebels #1) by Kate Meader to read and review for this tour.

1 comment:

  1. What FABULOUS review!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you all so much for taking the time to read and review IRRESISTIBLE YOU!

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