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~ This novella includes a full length, bonus book - Rookie Mistake! ~ Hollis Kane is very good at his job. Handsome, charming, and driven, he's made a name for himself as one of the hottest sports agents in Los Angeles. He vacations with tennis pros. He parties with basketball stars. He's young and wealthy, building a life for himself that most people would kill for. But Hollis is keeping a secret, one he's harbored his entire life; he's gay. And while he's not ashamed, he is afraid. Football players are his bread and butter, and if word got out about him, he could lose half of his clientele overnight. It could tank the firm he helped to build. It's not a price he's willing to pay. Not until he meets Demarcus Sawyer. Gorgeous and easy going, Demarcus draws Hollis in like no one has before. He gives him a glimpse of the life he could live - open and honest, fuller than anything he ever dreamed of. All he has to do is risk everything he's worked his entire life for. The crazy thing is, he's actually considering it. Wealth is one thing, but finding real love? That sh#t is pure pay dirt. *Due to language and sexual content this book is not recommended for readers under 18. Each book in the Offensive Line series is a STANDALONE following a different player every time.

145 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 7, 2017

58 people are currently reading
155 people want to read

About the author

Tracey Ward

41 books962 followers
I was born in Oregon and studied English Literature at the University of Oregon (Go Ducks!) My husband and my son are my world.

The best way to keep up on my newest releases, giveaways, and sales is to follow me on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tracey...

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5 stars
34 (25%)
4 stars
54 (41%)
3 stars
35 (26%)
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5 (3%)
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3 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
Profile Image for Carol [Goodreads Addict].
3,060 reviews25.3k followers
September 12, 2025
Pay Dirt is the fourth book in the Offensive Line series by Tracey Ward. I love this series so much and have become so invested in these characters. The series is male/female and even though I love MM romance, I didn’t realize there was a MM novella included in the series. I was so happy and excited when I realized it. Not to mention, one of the two men, Hollis, has been a favorite of mine from the first book!

Hollis Kane is a sports agent. He is also Sloane’s (from the first book) best friend. They initially worked together at her father’s firm but a year ago, left and started a firm of their own with another agent. He loves his job, and it pays very well. Hollis has a secret though. Sloane is the only person that knows that he is gay. He feels like in a career like his, where NFL players and NBA players are his clients, that if they knew, they would cut ties with him. So he has lived his life deeply in the closet. Which was fine, until the day that Sloane’s client, Demarcus walked in.



Demarcus Sawyer is a talented football player who just hasn’t been able to catch a break. He played for awhile in the Canadian League, but he wants to be in the states. Sloane is his agent so he came to Los Angeles while she works to try to find him a team. When he walked into their office that day, he never anticipated that it would be the day that changed his life, the day he would meet Hollis.

These two were magic together. They fit in every way. Hollis is falling in love for the very first time. But, he still fears what could happen if his secret got out. And Demarcus wants to live his life, be with his love, out in the open.



I loved spending time with Hollis and Sloane together again in this. Their friendship is so fun. They are both so full of snark. Demarcus was so sweet. I felt so bad for him. He just couldn’t seem to catch a break. The time line for this runs parallel with the previous book, Wide Open. And the ending sort of leads into the next book which will be Tyus Anthony’s book, Broken Play. I can’t wait to read it.

Profile Image for Bookgasms Book Blog.
2,863 reviews1,569 followers
September 22, 2020
My history with both M/M love stories and novellas is complicated. I've really really enjoyed this series so far, and I've loved Hollis so much, I wanted to get his story for sure, but I also knew that it was going to be incredibly hit-or miss.

It did fall into some of the pitfalls at the root of my issues with these two things. The M/M books tend to be more focused on the physical relationship between the characters and that's always a tough sell for me (I crave that emotional connection. I want my heart attached.). And novellas tend to move too quickly - cramming an entire love story into the amount of time it usually takes me to fully settle in. So, it wasn't a perfect reading experience for me.

But it also wasn't bad. I enjoyed it quite a bit. Part of it is that I was already in love with Hollis and very fond of Demarcus. These men are solid - super easy to love, and the way their relationship ignited was fun and exciting. I loved seeing Hollis pushed out of his comfort zone, but also safe and satisfied in Demarcus's affections. I loved how solid Demarcus was - his approach to life was so perfect for Hollis. I loved the time I got with them as their feelings developed - I just wished for more. I would have liked more conversations, more insight into the banter, the details of their lives that they shared, the slow bloom of desire turned to love. I wanted to feel it more. But even without that, I enjoyed it very much.

I've said before - I love this team so much. The perspective in this one was a little different since Hollis isn't a player, but there was still some adorable bromance, and the friendship between Hollis and Sloane was super sweet. This won't go down as my favorite of the series, but I'm still glad I read it. The writing was as engaging as ever, and I might be addicted to the storytelling Ms. Ward delivers. This series has definitely been a diamond in the rough for me, and I am so glad there are more for me to dive into! ~ Shelly, 3 stars
Profile Image for AussieMum.
1,392 reviews55 followers
March 29, 2018
Amazon freebie. March2018

I haven't read any other books in this series but I had no trouble following along here with book 4. And the start was really good. It hooked me. But why is it that so many MM books that are part of a larger MF series end up being relegated to a rushed novella? So disappointing. :(

I liked Hollis. His friendship with Sloane was full of warmth and banter. And when he met Demarcus I was totally on board as the sparks flew. (Cue one MC losing his butt virginity in the back of an SUV.) But the ending was on fast forward. There's an which came out of the blue and seemed completely out of character. It was the turning point for the end of the story but it didn't feel natural or organic. So by the time the ending came, which I admit was pretty sweet, I felt like I'd missed a whole quarter of the story.

So yeah. I enjoyed this but wasn't a fan of the end which was just a HFN as their story will likely continue behind the scenes of further books.

It also ended at 31%, but the author included the first novel length book in the series as a bonus.
Profile Image for Tpagirl Loves Romance.
1,672 reviews185 followers
November 3, 2022
Pay Dirt was the fourth book in the Offensive Line series by Tracy Ward. Although enjoyable it doesn’t have to be read in order. In fact, the timeline was written before the previous book, Wide Open.

I have taken a break for reviews for a while, but a couple quick thoughts: I’ve loved Hollis from day one when we met him in Rookie Mistake. He’s fun, gorgeous, snarky, humorous and an all around lovable guy! And Demarcus was the perfect match. I enjoyed the storyline and the realistic life decisions that award took us through. It was short and to the point, a quick read and a great addition to the series!
Profile Image for Coco.V.
50k reviews129 followers
Want to read
June 8, 2018
💝FREE on Amazon today (6/8/2018)!💝
The first 5 books in the Offensive Lines series are FREE but ONLY THROUGH SUNDAY. :D
Profile Image for Sharon.
1,172 reviews3 followers
June 15, 2018
Hollis has always been part of the Offensive Line series. His relationship with Sloane is one of a kind. The two give each other hell, but have each other's back. Sloane has fallen in love with the sexy Kodiak quarterback Trey and Hollis would like to have the same in his life. The problem is he is gay and remains in the closet. He is worried what his sexuality will do to his career. When he meets Demarcus Sawyer his world is turned upside down. Demarcus is a sexy sweet man who is immediately drawn to Hollis. Hollis feels the same and as hot as the sex is, he is scared of the feelings that develop.
Demarcus is proud of who he is. He is pushing to make his way in the NFL and doesn't care what others think. His views and the views of Hollis aren't the same - making things difficult.

This story is a tastefully written m/m story. The scenes are hot but the love that develops is the key to the story. Their story isn't traditional. It isn't viewed as right by many. But it's theirs and it's beautiful.
Profile Image for Renee Glick.
35 reviews
December 13, 2017
Love the offensive line series. This book did not have actual game play in it bc the main character Sawyer was still being recruited. The book is about the relationship between sports agent Hollis Kane who is gay and not open about it and Sawyer who is bisexual and open about his sexuality.

The book was very well written. If you've started the series from the beginning you will know all the characters and their personalities.

Such a great addition to the series. Looking forward to the next one. Hope they are not spread to far apart in the future.
1,044 reviews1 follower
November 23, 2018
Great M/M sports romance

In this book, about 30% is Hitting Pay Dirt (book 4) while the rest is book 1 in the series. Not a bad thing but this definitely a novella. Good romance between 2 secondary characters in the series. This only covers Hollis’ POV. Lots of heat for a short book. I was torn between 4 and 5 stars but it wasn’t perfect so I couldn’t give 5 stars.
Profile Image for Sarah Austin.
1,259 reviews3 followers
November 16, 2017
I thought this was a great novella! I wish it could have been full length. i enjoyed the dialogue and banter between Hollis and Sloane. The sex scenes (especially the phone sex) were really well written and I think she did great on her first M/m.
Profile Image for Kitlina.
2,009 reviews23 followers
November 8, 2019
Holy shit I didn't think I would like reading MM but this was just so well done.
And I loved Hollis from the other books so I was rooting for him. And it was so beautiful. I am so glad I gave this a chance.
This series is so nice to read.
Profile Image for Lisa Brumley.
313 reviews1 follower
April 1, 2022
This is the one I was waiting for and it was so adorable.
3,810 reviews7 followers
January 8, 2019
Hollis has been one of my favorite characters throughout this series so far and I am glad to see he finally found the right person for him.

Demarcus is mentioned quite a bit in the first book as someone that Sloane has been trying to get a great deal, but we don't really know anything about him as he doesn't actually appear in the books.

From the moment he and Hollis meet, there is major chemistry. Hollis wants Demarcus, but he has always been in the closet and feels he needs to stay there for the sake of his career.

I had my doubts that he would come out even a little bit and I was hoping that he would so these two could be together.

This is a novella, not a full length book, but there is still a lot of story within the pages. Another hit!
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews

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