Jean C. Joachim's Blog: Stories of Love and Passion, page 11

5 FAST FACTS ABOUT FOOTBALL

This week, our 5 facts are about football. No surprise there as I'm a big fan. 

1.  Regardless of the fact it's called a "pigskin", professional footballs are made from cowhide. In fact it takes about 600 cows to make enough for one season of pro ball. 

2.  Where did American football come from? You probably already know this, but it was born out of rugby and soccer and came from England. Football took hold in the late 1800's on college campuses. 

3. Walter Camp, a college coach, is considered the "Father" of American football. He's credited with inventing the first rules in 1876 that included changes to line scrimmages, downs and distance. 

4. Here's an odd mix of literature and football. The Baltimore Ravens are named for Edgar Allan Poe's poem, "The Raven." Even the team mascots get into the act.  They are named "Edgar", "Allan", and "Poe". Baltimore lays claim to this poem because it was written in that city sometime in the 1830's. 

5. You can probably guess this one, too. The most watched event on American television is the Super Bowl. 




If you love football, as I do, you might like my foootball romance books.  Find them HERE
The First & Ten series had 8 books plus a brand new holiday novella, coming soon:



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What People Are Saying... #reviews #romance #books #favorite #football

Welcome! This week, I'm sharing the wonderful reviews for one of my favorite books (shhh, don't tell the others) - it's Al "Trunk" Mahoney, Defensive Line from the First & Ten series. Although the books are connected, each can stand alone, including this one. 


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"Trunk and Carla’s story has been my favorite so far. I know I say that with each book, but each one keeps getting better and better. Carla is a strong woman who can handle Trunk and keep him in line. And when the two of them get together it makes for a “can’t put down” book. Learning about Trunk’s past allowed you to connect with him, which I thought in previous books would be impossible. They just have so much insight into each other that you can feel their connection. Kudos on another great book! " SM
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"The First and Ten series is amazing as a whole, but Trunk's story is one that really stands out to me. Trunk has regularly appeared in the previous stories in the series and really he never shines in a positive light. His story really changed how I viewed him. In the other stories he really comes off as a womanizer and the story lines infer that he's a cheat, but it didn't take long to see that there was another side to him.
I loved the vulnerable side of Trunk that we see in this story. The pain, insecurity and the desire to be loved really bought Trunk to a different level. As we read more about his relationship with Mary it helps to ease the opinion the reader forms of him in previous books. I very easily fell in love with the big man that was hurting so much. I loved watching him find his way and find a woman who could be everything he needed.

Carla is probably one of my favorite women in the series. She's tough and sassy, determined to make it on her own, be her own woman, even it means that she has to walk away from her family and the one man who she loves. I just adored her spirit. She was everything Trunk needed, sympathetic, a friend, a lover, and a caretaker. I definitely felt the chemistry between the two of them.

I loved getting caught up with the team. At this point the series is getting too big to read about all the previous characters, so I like how Jean included them all at different parts, but only went in depth in a couple of chapters on focused couples, like Griff and Lauren. I hope there are more stories coming! I want to see more of where these stories go and I feel like there are several more players that need their stories told!"  SC

********************** "Absolutely the sweetest, most heartfelt book in the First & Ten series. I never thought that Trunk would be the one of my favorites." JMTM 
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Find  Al "Trunk" Mahoney, Defensive Line  here in ebook and paperback:
AMAZON
BARNES & NOBLE
ITUNES
KOBO
GOOGLE PLAY
AMAZON U.K.
PAPERBACK
SMASHWORDS

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SATURDAY SNIPPETS!! "R" RATED #sexy #romance #hollywood

Welcome! This week I'm posting a sexy snippet from the first book in my Hollywood Hearts series - IF I LOVED YOU. 


A walk in the park isn't simply a walk in the park for Chas and Meg. He takes her to that enigma, the stone arch, in Central Park. 
Things get a little out of hand in the quiet when their mutual desire takes over. 


*************
“Take many girls to the Arch?” Megan peered at him in the fading light.“You’re the first.”She slipped her arm around his waist and moved up against his side.He stopped suddenly to point. Megan raised her gaze. “How do the stones stay together like that?” She stepped nearer, staring at the structure.He shrugged. “No idea.”“It’s a work of art.”Chaz led her to a bench facing the arch where they could eat. He opened the basket and popped the cork on the wine before pouring two glasses. Megan took a sip. “Mmm…delicious.”He handed her a plastic container. She opened it to reveal a dozen giant strawberries half coated in dark chocolate. Taking one in between her fingers, she slowly raised it to his lips. Their gazes locked as his lips surrounded the succulent berry. A bite sent a copious amount of juice flowing down his chin. Megan leaned forward slightly, but caught herself before she licked his face clean. Instead, she plucked a napkin out of the basket.“Were you going to…?”She nodded before putting her finger over his lips as she wiped off the juice. Picking up a berry, he mirrored her movements, except this time, Chaz licked the strawberry juice off her chin. His lips slipped over hers effortlessly. She finished chewing and swallowed as his tongue swept across her lower lip, setting off a spark in her belly and igniting her passion.He pulled her closer until their chests barely touched and kissed her in earnest—his lips working hers until she opened for him. Megan placed her hands on his broad shoulders, feeling the taut muscles of his upper back through the thin fabric of his windbreaker. The taste of strawberry mixed with the feel of his tongue gliding over hers excited her. Her nipples hardened, aching for his touch.Moving his hands to her back, he closed the gap between them so that her breasts were touching his chest. He moved his hands up and his fingers played with the ends of her hair. She didn’t resist, yielding to her desire to be close to him.He angled his head and took the kiss deeper. Meg floated, her mind turned off. All she could do was feel his hands on her, feel his lips on hers, soft yet demanding. She breathed in his intoxicating scent mixed with his after-shave. The ache inside her stoked the fire so hot it seemed to scorch her insides. She clamped her thighs together but that only made her desire increase. Before she could stop herself, she purred into his mouth.Encouraged by her response, Chaz ripped his mouth from hers and moved it to her neck. His lips and tongue burned a trail down the column. He deftly unzipped her jacket and slipped it off one shoulder, allowing his lips to continue down to her shoulder. His hands were on her waist, holding her steady. Her nipples stung, needing to be touched. As if he could read her mind, Chaz slid his hand up her ribcage until it covered her breast. She gasped at the sharp tingle that shot straight to her core when his fingers closed on her nipple. Chaz raised his head.“Sorry. Got carried away.”Her eyes were wide, dark green with passion. Two words tumbled out of her mouth without her brain’s knowledge.“Don’t stop.” It was almost a moan.

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Want to read more? Find it in ebook (only $2.99) and paperback here:
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ITUNES
GOOGLE PLAY
AMAZON U.K.
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NEWS! DOUBLE COVER REVEAL! #coverreveal #romance #lovestory #chirstmas #holiday

Howdy! Friday is news day on my blog. What's new? Covers! Yes, that's plural! First, the cover for my new Christmas book from the First & Ten series.


A KINGS' CHRISTMAS

Enjoy Thanksgiving and Christmas with the Connecticut Kings' football team. Laugh, cry and sigh along with the sexy men and the women who love them. 


COMING SOON -- Book 2 from the BOTTOM OF THE NINTH series:



MATT JACKSON, CATCHER


A bit about the book


Clutch hitter, fielder extraordinaire, and the team captain, Matt Jackson is dynamite on the baseball field, but a bust with women. He makes a show of coming on to chicks in bars, but always strikes out.

A secret he hides keeps Matt dateless. Does a solo life make living with emotional pain easier? Everything he believes in is challenged the day he walks in on a beautiful woman in the locker room. The sharp-tongued spitfire gives as good as she gets.

Getting close to Dusty is dangerous. Can his risk his well-protected heart? Matt faces a difficult choice -- will he make the right decision? 

Share your feelings about these covers. Your comments are welcome.
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FROM MY LIBRARY #review #recommendation #lovestory #hotromance #romance

Today's new feature is my book recommendation. Each week I'll write about a book I read and liked, showcasing the book and offering one link for those who wish to buy it. 

I will not be posting any negative reviews. I believe in positive energy and prefer to rave about something I enjoyed rather than rant about something I didn't. I hope you will join me each week. 
If you sign up to follow the blog, then you won't miss any of my special features. Have a great day and thanks for stopping by. 




Contemporary Romance

I don't know where to begin with this book. The writing, the characters, the story --all were excellent. Let's start with the story. 

Ms. Taylor pulled me in right from the get-go with a sketch of a sexy man with an unusual past. Jack Howell isn't simply a hot guy with the Justice Department, he's a man who had been denied his heritage, for most of his adult life. While this tragedy has made him a loner, it's also made him hunger for the family he never had.

Enter gorgeous Chloe McNeil, decorator extraordinaire. She's a proud, self-sufficient woman with an unfortunate past of her own. 

As the two dance around each other, attracted to each other, but wary, their backgrounds are revealed to us, little by little. And then a surprise happens, which draws them together. That's all I'm going to say so I don't ruin the story. 

Now the writing -- WOW! This lady knows how to use words to build scenes and evoke emotions. There are no cliches here. Each sentence is constructed with the utmost care to make the story come alive. The grammar is perfect and the dialogue true to life. 

But I can't ignore the longest, hottest love scene I've ever read. Holy crow -- turn on the air conditioning! Because she's built up the sexual tension to a fever pitch, this scene is twice as powerful. 

I loved this story. The characters seemed like people I would know  in real life. And I couldn't put it down. I must fault her for interfering with my writing time as I had to  yank myself away from the book to get my work done. 

If you love holiday love stories, this heart-warming, sexy tale should be at the top of your list. 

Find it for only $2.99 on AMAZON


















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COVER ART GALLERY! #art #bookcovers #romance #books #writing

Can you judge a book by its cover? I love book cover art, mine and those of many other authors. Here are a dozen of my favorites. Take a stroll through the gallery. Thanks for stopping by!















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TUESDAY TALES - WORD PROMPT "TOWN". #romance #football #christmas

Welcome to Tuesday Tales! This week's story is a continuation of A King's Christmas. This week, we're poking our nose into Trunk Mahoney's life. Scroll down for the link back to Tuesday Tales. Thanks for stopping by. 
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Across town at The Savage BeastWhen he walked in the door, the delicious aroma of roasting turkey greeted Trunk Mahoney. He salivated. His wife, Carla, was busy behind the bar, setting up glasses.  Her black hair was pulled back into a pony tail, with a few stands escaping to tickle her neck. She wiped her hands on a towel and looked up. She broke into a wide grin. His heart swelled at the warm greeting she gave him. He hadn’t been lucky in his life to grow up with people who loved him. When he was a kid, after his parents died, he bounced around in cold, neglectful homes until he went out on his own. Even his first wife didn’t truly love him and left him for another woman. According to Al “Trunk” Mahoney, his life began when he met Carla. He’d fallen for her while he was married, but never did anything about it. They became fast friends, but that was it. Trunk vowed he’d never be a cheater and he’d lived up to that. Now beautiful Carla was his, and his heart skipped a beat every time he looked at her, and thought about what happiness lay ahead.

The contractors had finished the rebuild on the cottage in the back of their property that had burned down. Carla’s parents were coming to stay for Christmas. Trunk could hardly wait. He’d not had warm, loving family and had missed it, especially around the holidays. He thought Carla had been close to her mom, so Trunk hoped he could fit right in and be part of their cozy circle. The cottage was beautiful, rebuilt to be roomy and comfortable with a fireplace, efficient small kitchen, and a big bed with a down comforter.
He could hardly wait until he moved his inlaws there for a two-week stay. The idea of preparing for Christmas with these surrogate parents gave him butterflies in the stomach. He looked forward to the best holiday he’d had since he was thirteen and lost his folks.
He’d been making plans in his head for weeks of the places he wanted to take them, the gifts he wanted to give them. And the nights doing jigsaw puzzles in front of the fire while watching a football game. Of course, he might be playing. But if he wasn’t, he’d be content to be with them. He’d conjured up a Currier and Ives Christmas in his mind –the fulfillment of an old dream. Could a guy like him get much luckier?   
BACK TO TUESDAY TALES HERE
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MONDAY - 5 FAST FACTS DAY! #fastfacts #baseball #worldseries

Monday is 5 fast facts day. Today I'm sharing facts about baseball, and the World Series in particular --since we just finished a most exciting one. 


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WORLD SERIES FACTS

1.  Boston and Pittsburgh played the first World Series in 1903. The series was nine games long. Boston won: 5 to 3. No, that doesn't add up to nine, but once Boston won five games, there was no way Pittsburgh could win even enough to tie. 
2. You probably already know this one. The New York Yankees have won 26 World Series, more than any other team. 
3. Mickey Mantle still holds the record for the most home runs and RBI's in the World Series. 18 home runs and 40 RBI's. I suppose another player won't have a good shot at that until they're on a team that plays in the series many times, like the Yankees. 
4. Including this year, the American League has won 64 World Series titles while the National League, only 48. 
5. The only perfect game, a no-hitter, in World Series history happened in  game 5 in 1956. It was the New York Yankees vs. the Brooklyn Dodgers. The pitcher was Don Larsen. The Yankees won: 2 to 0. 

Love baseball? Try my new baseball romance series, Bottom of the Ninth. Here's a bit about the first book:
DAN ALEXANDER, PITCHER
Fed up with cheating women, Dan Alexander, star pitcher for the New York Nighthawks, grew restless. Searching for something more than a bar babe, he zeroed in on a girl in the stands. He never expected to see a beautiful chick pushing frankfurters. But the hot dog girl looked as smokin’ as the food she was selling. Holly Merrill found a place to hide in plain sight, as a vendor at Nighthawks’ stadium. Keeping her secret safe and simply happy to stay alive, she never considered finding love an option. After all, a bad girl doesn’t deserve a decent guy, does she?
Coming off his best season ever, Dan went into the playoffs, hell bent on winning the pennant and playing in the World Series. But could he maintain his focus on the field, where everything was going right, when off the field everything was falling apart?   
COMING SOON - BOOK 2, MATT JACKSON, CATCHER
Clutch hitter, fielder extraordinaire, and the team captain, Matt Jackson is dynamite on the baseball field, but a bust with women. He makes a show of coming on to chicks in bars, but always strikes out.

A secret he hides keeps Matt dateless. Does a solo life make living with emotional pain easier? Everything he believes in is challenged the day he walks in on a beautiful woman in the locker room. The sharp-tongued spitfire gives as good as she gets.

Getting close to Dusty is dangerous. What if something happens to her? Can his risk his well-protected heart? Matt faces a difficult choice -- will he make the right decision? 

Buy Dan Alexander, Pitcher in ebook and paperback here:
AMAZON
BARNES & NOBLE
ITUNES
KOBO
GOOGLEPLAY
SMASHWORDS
AMAZON U.K.
PAPERBACK
AMAZON AUSTRALIA
AMAZON CANADA
AMAZON SPAIN
AMAZON GERMANY
You can check out my 30+ other books on my website HERE





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#noraroberts
#romance

One of my goals in writing books is to please readers. I'...

One of my goals in writing books is to please readers. I'm happy to say I do more than I don't and here are a few samples of what people are saying about my books. 

How about the military romantic suspense I wrote with Ben Tanner? 



    LOVE LOST & FOUND

"This book was a fantastic, can't put down book that will knock your socks off and then keep you coming back for more!"  TeCe

"Wow! Tara and Mike what a love story, with some Sadness with trust issues(with Cheating ex's)even on the plane together joking on who's cheat story was better. What a great job on the Hospital chapters. You had me on the edge of my seat when..."  TVM

"The romance between Tara a reporter, and Mick a Marine is thoroughly engrossing. I love how they click. Coming from recent break ups they both were a bit gun shy. The vivid imagery and deep descriptions made an already wonderful romance even better. Everything about the hunky marine was sexy and I fell in love with him. Jean Joachim and Ben Tanner are definitely a great writing team. It is a well written, fast paced, fun romance with just the right amount of passion and suspense."  KB

DANGEROUS LOVE LOST & FOUND

(Dangerous Love Lost and Found won the Suspense category of the International Digital Awards.)

"If you like your suspense hot then you'll love the sizzle between Tom and Eden..." MD
"When Spec Ops meet the CIA you are guaranteed an action packed, combustible, passionate good time and that is exactly what Jean Joachim has delivered. .." F 
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These are just a sampling of the rave reviews for these two books. 
Find them here:
Love Lost & Found
AMAZON
ITUNES
KOBO

Dangerous Love Lost & Found
AMAZON
ITUNES
KOBO
Thank you for stopping by. I hope you return tomorrow, because it's 5 Fast Facts day! 






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SATURDAY SNIPPETS #baseball #romance #sexysnippet

As we head into winter, I'm organizing my life better. That includes my blog. I have a new heading and content for each day of the week. Here's the lineup:

Saturday - Snippets
Sunday - Reviews
Monday - 5 Fast Facts (about all sorts of things)
Tuesday - Tuesday Tales
Wednesday - Art Gallery - Covers & Other Pictures
Thursday - From My Library - Book recommendations
Friday - News (Including coming attractions)

I hope you'll stop by every day. Please leave me feedback. This isn't set in stone and I can change topics and rearrange days. So let's begin with today's topic. 




Today, let's eavesdrop on a late night conversation between star pitcher, Dan Alexander and his best friend, catcher, Matt Jackson as they down a beer at Freddie's bar...straight from DAN ALEXANDER, PITCHER, the first in the Bottom of the Ninth baseball romance series. 





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Dan tipped back in his chair.“What happened? Valerie give you the boot?”Dan shook his head.“On the rag?”Dan laughed. “Just not up for her usual stuff. I’m tired of the same women all the time. Just interested in clothes, money, and what a guy can give ’em. Valerie’s never even been to a game. She doesn’t know shit about baseball.”“She has other skills.” Matt snickered, his eyes glowing.Dan chuckled. “Yeah, but even that gets boring, when it’s all there is.”“You’re bragging! Bore me, baby. Bore my balls off!”“Your problem is that you have no finesse. You’re too blunt. Right out there. Trying to get the chick in bed in the first thirty seconds.”“Okay, I’ll try to wait two or three minutes. Think that’d help?”“Asshole.” Dan smirked. “Woman are people too, you know. They have other parts, like brains.”“Yeah? Really? I never noticed. Can’t get past the tits.”“You’re hopeless.”“So you say.”“Don’t you ever want to talk to a woman?”“There are much better things she can do with her mouth.”“You’re a sexist pig, know that?”Matt grinned. “Yeah. And the babes love it.”“Really? Is that why you’re at Freddie’s by yourself on a Saturday night?”Matt frowned. “I’m between chicks, that’s all.”“You’ll be between chicks for the next twenty years if you don’t change your routine.”Tommy plopped two draft beers in front of the men. “How many did you have before you got here?” the bartender asked Dan.“One.”“This is your limit, then. Cal Crowley told me two’s it for you guys.”“Since when does the manager of the Nighthawks get off telling a barkeep how many beers to serve?” a man with a pot belly and thinning hair asked, closing his fingers around a glass of whiskey.“Since he invested in this place, buddy,” Tommy responded.“Okay, okay. We got it,” Dan said, sliding twenty bucks across the bar. “This one’s on me, Matt.”“Yeah? How come?”“I may be a pitcher, but you’re the strike out king,” he said, before raising the stein to his lips.
His buddy punched him in the arm. “Very funny.”
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If you want more, find it in ebook and paperback, and soon to be on audio:
AMAZON
BARNES & NOBLE
ITUNES
KOBO
GOOGLEPLAY
AMAZON U.K.
SMASHWORDS
PAPERBACK
Thank you for stopping by!