Four Months, Three Words
He's the guy every girl wants...Jace Dawson is less than a year away from accomplishing everything he's spent the past decade striving for. Not only has playing professional football been the dream since he was a kid, the financial incentive isn't one he could walk away from even if he wanted to. That is, until a chance collision has the unexpected outcome of making Jace realize he might want something more than the goal he's spent most of his life pursuing. Might want someone more....she's the girl he can never have.For Vivienne Rhodes, the opportunity to attend Lincoln University represents what she's always craved more than anything: normalcy. One semester is all she has before returning to a future that's set in stone. Her mere presence on campus is only made possible by an elaborate arrangement. The essential component of it is that no one can know her real identity. Falling for the star quarterback is most definitely not part of the plan. But it will all be fine, just as long as she keeps those feelings to herself. Because that unchangeable future? Can't include Jace Dawson.
Home Game
Atlanta Braves minor league pitcher, Brett Davies, has much to contemplate at the young age of 25. Coming back from a torn rotator cuff that slows his dream of major league stardom, he has completed his first post-injury season with their farm team in Greenville, South Carolina. But his success as their top relief pitcher does not lead to a call up to Atlanta at the end of the Greenville season. Did the Braves executives think his repaired shoulder wasn't good enough for major league competition? He needed answers and would go to Atlanta to meet with their general manager to find them. But Brett has more on his mind than baseball. Raised by a single mom, he had never been allowed to meet his father. Brett never knew why. His mother just told him, "It's not possible." And at age 25, Brett wonders if he will ever find the right girl to spend the rest of his life with. No current girlfriend, with none on the horizon, had both Brett (and his mother) concerned. But things were about to rapidly change. The following season Brett finds himself assigned to the Braves minor league team in Rome, Georgia as a player coach. A series of random events brings new people and new challenges into Brett's life. Would they also lead him to the answers he needed to find his way home?
The Things That Are God's
Imagine you're at the height of a fabulous career, but at the age of fifty, you realize that none of it is worth it, and you decide to disappear. You sail into the Caribbean, land on a small and little known island, and after walking south, and far from civilization, you find a job as the custodian of the South Island School, a rickety-old school building that accommodates all twelve grades. You are in heaven. You're beginning to relax. But shortly after your arrival, everything changes. You're ambushed in the school parking lot by a twelve-year-old kid named Robert and his band of misfit companions, and he informs you that even though this is soccer country, they're going to play basketball, and you'll be their coach. What follows is a profound and exciting adventure among great friends and zany characters where winning basketball games is just the beginning of a political and theological explosion.
Campus Flirt
From USA Today bestselling author Jennifer Sucevic comes a sexy novella in the Campus Series.Know what the problem is with crushing on your best friend?That there's not a damn thing you can do about it. Especially if you don't want to blow up your entire relationship. Easton is the guy I turn to when I need...well, just about everything. And what I've learned over the years is that friendship is more difficult to come by than hookups and boyfriends.Plus, it's not like he sees me as anything other than his soccer playing gal pal. The one he used to sneak out of the house with when we were teenagers. But we're not kids any more. At the end of this year, we'll graduate and go our separate ways. Why that thought fills me with sadness, I don't know.Actually, I do. And that's the problem.So, when my roommate suggests going out with her hot, hockey playing cousin, it seems like the perfect opportunity to move on from this crush. According to her-and I quote-the best way to get over one guy is to get under-I'm pretty sure you know how the saying goes.
Rookie's Regret
Lioness. That's the first word that comes to mind when I see the brilliant redhead selling cupcakes at the hockey arena. With the soul of an artist and the spirit of a nomad, Bea Turner is gorgeous, quirky, and refreshing. She's also my teammate's little sister. As the Tennessee Thunderbolts' Rookie, I should steer clear. I'm here to play hockey and provide much-needed financial security for my family. To do that, I need to avoid distractions. Bea doesn't just distract me; she flips my world upside down. One bad joke has me pursuing her. One date and I crave more. Calling her mine? Well, now I'm dreaming of a future. The life of a hockey player - trades, travel, uncertainty - isn't for the heart of a creative. Bea desires adventure and possibility, not early morning skates and strict exercise regimens. When I'm thrust into a situation at odds with Bea's dream career, I know I can't hold her back. If we're meant to be, we'll make it work. But what if we're not? What if my greatest regret is letting my lioness go?
Serenading Heartbreak
My first love was my brother's best friend.A lead singer in their band.A picture of rugged perfection.And a drunk soul mate who couldn't commit. My second love was an arrogant baseball player.A player in every sense of the word.A smooth-talking, reliable best friend.And a chance at something beautiful and true. The problem with having a first and second love?That would be loving them at the same time. My story isn't some sexy triangle. It's exquisite agony.Fate gave me two men to love, but none of us knew which one I could keep. A spicy and extremely angsty standalone romance.
The Fantasy Player
This is a story about the future of football. A new star emerges in a game that attracts, and demands, ever greater extremes of wealth, fame, and physical prowess. Ardro Holst, in his pursuit of glory, has to work out what is real and what is false, in sport, in life, and in love, in a new world in which the virtual has become almost indistinguishable from the real. He finds himself apparently abandoned by the people who have admired him, supported him, controlled him, and exploited him. Can Ardro rediscover who, and what, he is and work out on whom he can depend in his darkest hour? This is a story about the future of football - and the future of love...
Winner and Still Champion
"WINNER AND STILL CHAMPION" is Rusty Kearney's third novel and is set in a section of Rockaway Beach, NY known as "Irishtown". Mr. Kearney was a promising boxer in his early teens but a serious accident ended his dreams of hopefully competing in the Golden Gloves. He still works out on a heavy bag and a speed bag and also lifts weights. He's also a black belt in Aikido - Japanese Martial arts and loves to read books about boxing. He also enjoys watching classic fights; Jack Dempsey, Joe Louis, Rocky Marciano, etc. Rusty is divorced and living in Breezy Point, NY.
The Cup
A blizzard, a game, and a magical night! DP Hardwick takes us on a journey through the ups and downs of a game and childhood experiences. Follow the bizarre antics of a road hockey game in frigid Canada in the early 70's when sports were still in the hands of the kids. Meet each lovable character as they navigate their lives and play in game 7 of the Stanley Cup final...under a street light in front of their homes. The Cup is a touching, nostalgic story of friendship, teamwork and unlikely heroes. As Hardwick learned from his father and first coach, it's not really about a game, it's about life.
Turkeys Not Bees
Will the nanny state and the media industry in future restrict all types of individual performance? Chance struggles on a capitalist employment treadmill that denies him freedom to take risks. He starts a PhD in science and psychology. His girlfriend Megan is a pole vault champion in training for the 2032 Olympic Games in Brisbane. With his help, she uses philosophies of De Beauvoir, Nietzsche, Heidegger's phenomenology and Mihaly's flow, to take personal responsibility for her training. Overreach by the nanny state threatens her use of flow. 'Levellers' want all ability levels to succeed in competitions. Philosopher Debord's 'spectacle' has performers' appearances profiting media and investors. Which will succeed: human turkey-like individualism or bee-like collectivism? When Chance and Megan catch Covid, they oppose the collectivists' mandatory vaccinations with non-violent civil disobedience. Will they succeed? This is speculative fiction satirizing athletics, rugby and ballet, exposing dark forces shaping western democratic societies, revealing how individual freedom can be saved. REVIEWS OF MARTIN KNOX'S PREVIOUS BOOKS ANIMAL FARM 2 (2021) Reviewed by Divine Zape for Readers' Favorite. Review Rating: 5 Stars Fans of Animal Farm by George Orwell will adore Martin Knox's Animal Farm 2, a fable with strong hints of political satire set on a farm on tropical Caruba, an island in the grip of the Social Republic.This is a cleverly plotted story with interesting characters, and readers will relate to the animals that behave like humans; the anthropomorphism is brilliantly executed. Readers will encounter animals such as pigs (Lords Napoleon, Natalia), cattle (Tosser, Earl, Henry, Arnold), sheep (Sharon, Trudy, Sophie, and others), goats, llamas, horses, donkeys, mules, and more. Animal Farm 2 is open to several interpretations with political manipulation, abuse of power, superpower interests, and those who bear the brunt of political manoeuvring. It is a fable, but it is the same story that we see being played out too often in the political world. The novel features relevant and deftly written political themes, a debate on climate change, and the effects of totalitarianism. The characters are elaborately written and readers can see in them a portrait of what politicians do. The satire is biting, ingenious, and written in a context that readers can relate to. Martin Knox's satirical novel is a work of great imagination.
The White Chariot
Ron Rogers is the best jockey in the Dallas County, thanks to his riding partner, Anvil, and together they broke the record for the fastest horse in any dressage contest. Anvil is a five-time consecutive horse racing champion, a pedigree achieved effortlessly. Awarded the highest honours by the Dallas and the Samaritan of England racing associations for spectacular performances on the track, Anvil quickly became the favourite of betting companies across the United States.After winning one of the most spectacular races for the season Anvil suffered unexpected cardiac failure and died immediately despite relentless efforts by paramedics to revive her. The emotional loss affected Ron's ability to continue riding as he struggled with bouts of situational depression and had to quit horse racing for good.Watching from the heavens, Anvil couldn't hold back as her racing partner suffers. When friends and relatives thought Ron's debacle couldn't get any weirder his late horse, Anvil, enrolled him in the national horse racing championship in the dream world. Anvil told Ron that she decided to come back because Ron couldn't move on after her demise. She promised to help Ron win the national horse racing championship which was not possible in the physical world due to premature death.The White Chariot by Boniface Ossai is a thought provoking, inspiring and suspenseful book which captures the raving beauty of the horse racing sport in the county of Dallas and the mysterious bond between a jockey and her racing partner. This horse-man covenant goes well beyond the traditional century-old bond between the horse and its rider in a manner that leaves fans quite fascinated.
The Art of Baseball
Malachi, Elizajane, Noah, and Elias had had the best Saturday ever playing baseball on a magic diamond with the game's greatest. Of course they wanted to go back, but on a weekday? Noah had a better idea-they would practice. If they wanted to hold their own with the other players, they would have to get better quickly. "Coach" Malachi takes them through all kinds of drills to improve strength, accuracy, and mental awareness. On Saturday, the kids would be as ready as they would ever be to face their stiff competition. How would the game turn out? During practice, the kids learn the value of hard work and dedication, as well as an appreciation for our National Pastime. And they are certainly rewarded for it on the magic diamond.
Late Life
Cleveland, Ohio. 2007. Cooper Madison, now fully recovered from Tommy John surgery, has rediscovered his passion for baseball and is once again regarded as the best pitcher in the game. His fastball has developed what experts refer to as having "late life", making him more dominant against opposing hitters than at any point in his career. Coop's love for girlfriend Cara Knox has never been stronger, but an unexpected tragedy threatens to rip them apart just as his baseball career is getting back on track. Torn between accomplishing his goals on the mound and being there for Cara, Coop soon realizes that every decision in life has consequences, especially when choosing between the two things he loves most. Perhaps nobody can relate more to Coop's dilemma than Cara's oldest brother, Detective Jason Knox. In the wake of making national headlines as the cop who helped solve the Edgewater Park Killer case, the veteran detective is forced to make a choice of his own when a grizzly discovery halfway across the country jeopardizes to reveal that the EPK saga is anything but solved.
The Last Hurrah
The Last Hurrah is a fictional novel detailing the demise and eventual collapse of Major League Baseball, the National Football League, the National Basketball Association and all college sports circa 2029. Everyone has their own opinions as to the causes but follow as sports writer Ron Mills details each collapse in his Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Demise. This is followed by a series of newspaper articles by ninety year old former sportscaster the cantankerous Floyd Beal who has his own opinions of what not only happened to sports in America but the demise of the country itself. While the collapse of the sports was discouraging follow along as attorney Shaun O'Leary fights to bring sports back to America with his own innovative ideas. Can one man make a difference? Its up to O'Leary, but is it too late? The book is filled with actual sports stories and history to compliment the fictional characters. Jeffery Coffey is a husband, father, and grandfather. He is the author of Coming Back: Matthew 6:34 a motivational inspirational book. Coming Back has been read all over the world and received notations from a U.S. Air Force Major in Afghanistan. It reached Barnes and Noble Top 100 in 2010 and was reviewed by ESPN for a possible movie. Jeffery has a background in sports and has coached and played at every level from youth to professional. This background led him to realize that every decade there seemed to be less interest in sports at every level from youth sports to professional leagues and even his own interest waned. This is his first fictional work. This three year project involved hours of research into the history of each sport leading to the fiction aspects of the book that detail the collapse of sports in America.
The Last Hurrah
The Last Hurrah is a fictional novel detailing the demise and eventual collapse of Major League Baseball, the National Football League, the National Basketball Association and all college sports circa 2029. Everyone has their own opinions as to the causes but follow as sports writer Ron Mills details each collapse in his Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Demise. This is followed by a series of newspaper articles by ninety year old former sportscaster the cantankerous Floyd Beal who has his own opinions of what not only happened to sports in America but the demise of the country itself. While the collapse of the sports was discouraging follow along as attorney Shaun O'Leary fights to bring sports back to America with his own innovative ideas. Can one man make a difference? Its up to O'Leary, but is it too late? The book is filled with actual sports stories and history to compliment the fictional characters. Jeffery Coffey is a husband, father, and grandfather. He is the author of Coming Back: Matthew 6:34 a motivational inspirational book. Coming Back has been read all over the world and received notations from a U.S. Air Force Major in Afghanistan. It reached Barnes and Noble Top 100 in 2010 and was reviewed by ESPN for a possible movie. Jeffery has a background in sports and has coached and played at every level from youth to professional. This background led him to realize that every decade there seemed to be less interest in sports at every level from youth sports to professional leagues and even his own interest waned. This is his first fictional work. This three year project involved hours of research into the history of each sport leading to the fiction aspects of the book that detail the collapse of sports in America.
Do a Powerbomb
The emotional gut punch of The Wrestler meets the high-octane action of Dragonball Z! 2023 Eisner Award winner in the "Best Publication for Teens" category From the creative mind behind Wonder Woman: Dead Earth and Transformers, Daniel Warren Johnson weaves the heartbreaking, emotionally-charged, coming-of-age tale of one girl grappling with grief, imposter syndrome, and the grit it takes to survive amongst a thunderdome of high-stakes wrestlemania competition. Lona Steelrose wants to be a pro-wrestler, but she's living under the shadow of her mother, the best to ever do it. Everything changes when a wrestling obsessed necromancer asks her to join the grandest pro-wrestling tournament of all time, which is also the most dangerous! This action-packed, critically-acclaimed story is perhaps best described as THE WRESTLER meets DRAGONBALL Z and collects the complete DO A POWERBOMB! miniseries, issues #1-7. Select praise for Do a Powerbomb!: "Demonstrating an uncommon ability in his art to project outsized swagger and spectacle, wild aerial exploits, and spatters of gore delivered by rock-hard fists or folding chairs wrapped in barbed wire so that it all seems to explode off the page, Johnson pits his dynamic duo, styling themselves Sun and Steel, against massive opponents on the way to a climactic smackdown. With a fine disregard for physics, the artist mixes teams freely and has his wiry protagonist delivering as well as taking bone-crunching blows and kicks as she faces much bigger opponents. Shock and awe?even for jaded WWF fans." --Kirkus Reviews "Grounds its vibrant world with beats of legacy, grief, and more, and then throws in a touch of the supernatural to deliver a one-of-a-kind story that deserves all the praise it will undoubtedly receive, and I couldn't recommend it more." --ComicBook.com "An action-packed, hard-hitting comic with a surprising emotional range and an awesome cast of characters." --CBR "A story told sincerely and a soap-operatic sport showcased with respect and admiration." --ScreenRant "A delight thanks to the riveting art and exceptional sports narrative. DO A POWERBOMB! has a ton of heart and the firepower action audiences crave." --AIPT "A hell of a lot of fun." --Graphic Policy "A pro-wrestling comic full of heart, emotion, and absolute ass-kickery of the highest quality." --Monkeys Fighting Robot
Captain
D.M. Davis' CAPTAIN is a heart-wrenching, sexy contemporary romance full of forgiveness, second chances, and healing, and Book Three in the Black Ops MMA series. Sometimes you have to break to become the person you're meant to be. CAP: I'm a bastard by birth.Heartless by choice.Love abandoned me a long time ago. Good riddance.I have my family-by-choice. I don't need more.Until she crept in, sank in deep, latched on, and stayed.She's as broken as the day is long.Yet I can't resist the pull to get her in my bed, in my heart, piecing me back together-for she's not the only one broken. CHER: I'm over men.Destruction and pain are all they bring.Been there. Done that. Check please.Yet there is one-so many years later-who looks at me like I'm a goddess.Who makes me feel like I have something to offer, that I'm exactly who he wants. Can two lonely souls come together to discover the broken have more pieces to love, or will they pass on finding their forever love? The Black Ops MMA books are integrated standalones with subplots that carry through from book 1 to book 4. For maximum enjoyment, I suggest the Black Ops MMA Series be read in order to fully experience the world and the characters who inhabit it, beginning with NO MERCY. *There are NO Cliffhangers.* Intended for mature audiences. Some scenes may contain triggers. Black Ops MMA Series: NO MERCY ROWDY CAPTAIN COWBOY (coming mid-2021)
A Ticket for a Seamstitch
This is the third novel narrated by Henry Wiggen, a six-foot three-inch, 195-pound, left-handed pitcher for the New York Mammoths. Henry, who began as a rookie in The Southpaw and developed into a pro in Bang the Drum Slowly, is a mature veteran in A Ticket for a Seamstitch. A seamstress from "somewhere out West" writes to Henry, her hero, that she will be in New York to watch the Mammoths play on the Fourth of July. When she arrives in New York, both the married Henry and his pal, the very unmarried Thurston "Piney" Woods, are at a loss as to what to do with their visitor. The two men finally do the decent thing: they take the seamstress to the automat for dinner. In so doing, they both learn some things worth knowing, although the distraction undoubtedly affects their performance in the big game. In the essay "Easy Does It Not" Mark Harris describes the origins of this wonderfully comic novel.
What a Footballer!
"Daniel Malka began with nothing. He earned everything by blood, sweat and tears. He won many championships for his club and for the national team. However, unexpected misfortune ruined his life." What a Footballer tells the story of a poor boy named Daniel Malka who got the opportunity to represent a football club and moved from extreme poverty to great riches. With an enriched lifestyle of money, fame, luxurious rides, and everything he desired, Daniel lived his life to the fullest, albeit carelessly.Before long, he lost everything his career gave him, his fame, money, connections, and even his health, through lavish spending and careless associations. He ruined his life with luxury expenses, false companions, and mixing with the wrong girls. He quickly returned to his old life of pain and hunger, unfulfilled hopes and aspirations, mockery and disappointment.Money and fame are two of the most powerful assets that a human can possess. They either bring out our best or our worst, depending on how we handle them. Daniel handled money and fame the wrong way. He grew up in hardships, and his relationship with survival was harsh. So he saw careless spending and associating with the wrong crowd as his way to run from poverty. Oh, how wrong he was!He has now learned his lessons. All he wants is his wealth back as he promises to start a new life and live wisely if given a second chance. The question is will he get a second chance? Will he get back all he lost? Will Daniel start a new life if he regains his wealth and never lose his money all over again? Has he truly learned his lessons?Packed with life lessons, this book tells a story that many of us can relate to. It tells a 'behind the scenes' story of how people (like us) handle fame, wealth, pains, challenges, and struggles of everyday life. Is there a chance for redemption?Will Daniel and several others rise again?Get this Book Today to Find Out!From the same author of The Rise and Fall of a Poor man, ranked #1 in its genre on Amazon in 2017.
A Thing or Two About the Game
Brad is smart, idealistic, and unemployed, with a lifelong history of coming up short. When he stumbles into an arrangement to coach the Marlins, a softball team of eleven- and twelve-year-old girls, he sets out to accomplish something. But accomplish what? Girls' little league softball, he's told, is not about winning. Brad would just as soon win, but just teaching, he quickly realizes, will be hard enough. So Brad sets out to teach. To coax, cajole, and bribe his girls to run the bases aggressively, throw to the cutoffs, cover bases. The season progresses. Through ups and downs, through tears and small triumphs, the Marlins improve. Brad comes to understand and care about his players. But as the playoffs approach, Brad becomes increasingly aware . . . of rival coaches bending rules; of parents jockeying to advance their ambitions for their daughters; of convoluted off-field politics. Brad struggles to keep his focus on what matters. For it's all so familiar. The twisted, conflicting agendas that have troubled his paths through life and career: Here they are, once again, penetrating even this small world of girls' softball. This story about softball is also a story about people searching for meaning; it's about sorting through the tangles, and learning a thing or two about a game.
Not Just a Nightwatchman
Vandana Kumari Jena is a retired officer of the Indian Administrative Service. She writes novels, short stories and poems. Her short stories have been published in over twenty anthologies. Her works include two novels-The Dance of Death (2008) andClueless (2019); three collections of short stories-The Incubation Chamber (2014), The Future is Mine (2015) and One Rotten Apple and Other Stories (2018); and a collection of middles-In the Middle (2015). She lives in Mumbai.
Only One Forever (Only One Series 8)
From The Something So Series and the This Is series comes Only One Forever.DylanMy dreams came true when I was adopted at ten.I was the best on the ice. Living the life of what every kid dreams of.We've been best friends since then. Even when she was the annoying little sister following us around.I would do anything for her.It is another family vacation; except this time it feels different. Everything feels different.AlexAll my memories have Dylan in them. From the first time I fell off my bike, to the time I got my heartbroken for the first time.He's always been my protector, but it's time to let the dream of being his go.One last family trip, one last goodbye.Except fate steps in and has other plans.At the end of the day, you only get one forever.
Return Passage
A musician seeks inspiration on the open sea and finds it in the most unexpected way. Myles and Rose are twins. Despite the success of their musical duet, they can't manage to break out. Myles knows they're missing something if only he could pin it down. Vonda's attempts to restart her life keep sinking beneath the waves. She needs to chart a new course. A chance meeting on Maui and a leisurely five-week sailboat ride to Victoria, Canada changes the future for all three of them.
We Should Have Kept the Dog
In the backwater flatlands of a small southern Indiana town on a storied, old nine-hole golf course hard on the banks of the Ohio River a 15-year-old boy enjoys the summer of 1961 playing golf and learning about life. For this young man, the summer starts in June as a contestant in an adult 36-hole tournament in southern Illinois, a tournament that he leads after the first hole. The summer ends in August in Louisville, Kentucky, on the 18th hole of his first match in his first men's match play tournament. It tells of the events that made up his summer and the last summer of the grand old golf course and its culture.
Solo Crossing
When a man loses everything, that is when the possibilities begin.Ron had it all: the career, the big house, the sailing hobby, the great girlfriend. He always looked ahead, never behind. Never had to. Until the day it all went away.Left with nothing but his boat and a childhood dream of circumnavigating the globe, he set sail, looking for the future.When a storm lashes him during his first crossing, he finally looks at what he left behind.Come sail the seas in this opener to M. L. Buchman's latest short story series.
The Wildcards
In the era of major sponsors and all time Grand-Slam Champions, can a couple of Aussie wildcard teenagers really make a breakthrough in the world of tennis?Melbourne brothers, Tim and Jack Anderson, find themselves living on their grandparent's farm in rural Victoria. The city boys, resentful at being sent away while their father undergoes extensive medical treatment, are also angry at having to start at a new high school in the small community of Winjarra. Yet, despite their reservations, they find new friends and possible romance. A chance introduction to tennis surprises them when they discover an aptitude and untapped skills.Their obsession with the game leads to dreams of a tennis future, but they are late starters in a game where some prodigies have been playing since kindergarten. How much are the brothers prepared to sacrifice? Will they ever manage to close the gap on those who have been playing for years? For despite all their natural talent and flair, the big question that haunts them is a simple one. Are they good enough?The Wildcards - In a world of close calls and tight margins, can the brothers' talent, desire and passion make them winners on and off the court?
Diamonds Are Trumps
Lovers of America's greatest game once again have the chance to spend time in the compassionate, funny, and oh-so-humane presence of author Marty Slattery with this new publication of his novel Diamonds Are Trumps. Through his character Bill Mahoney, Slattery shares his personal knowledge of the game (he pitched in the minor leagues) and his consuming passion for its players. With bone chips in his elbow that make his arm hurt all the way up to his ear, and scars on his middle-aged soul, Mahoney is something of a wounded knight errant. But when the umpire yells "Play ball!" Bill rises to dance to baseball's perpetual melody. Emotionally hollow and growing more passive with each birthday, Bill is skidding through his life, aching from lost loves and unfulfilled hopes. But the Dream is not done with him yet, and gradually, Bill understands the gifts the game can give him. In this 2008 publication of Diamonds Are Trumps-with a new introduction by Dr. James P. Elliott-author Marty Slattery gives his readers the gift of a funny, poignant, and lyrical novel about baseball as it's played in the minor leagues and life as it's played beyond the dugout.
Scoring the Keeper's Sister
Fernando Fuerte is a total player. In every sense of the word. He's star forward for the Sharks, the pro soccer team where I handle PR. And I don't care if Mr. Match says he's my soulmate. I don't date players.But when my brother tells me there's no way Fuerte would ever go out with me anyway? All bets are off. I'll score him just to prove a point. Because if there's one thing I hate more than players? It's losing.The problem is, the closer I get to Fuerte, the closer I get to losing my heart.The Setup: When my boyfriend, Andrew-the-hand-model, dumped me, my twin brother suggested I try San Diego's hottest dating app, Mr. Match.I figured I couldn't do worse than a guy who wore gloves all the time. (And I do mean ALL the time.)But when the site matched me with my biggest PR nightmare and nemesis, Fernando "the Fire" Fuerte, a guy who has more dates than a calendar, I knew Mr. Match was probably high. Fuerte's tabloid shenanigans turned my stomach and regularly challenged my ability to keep the Sharks organization looking respectable.My brother Trace--Fuerte's best friend and keeper for the Sharks--laughed at me when I told him who I'd been matched with. He laughed. I might take myself a little bit seriously, but I won't be laughed at.Fernando Fuerte will go out with me if I decide that's what I want. And when Trace makes me a bet that I can't get him to ask me out? A bet that involves very fancy cheese?It's on.The problem is that the closer I get to Fuerte, the more I start to see that he's actually a good guy. And the closer I get to becoming just another girl in his long line of dates.If I fall for him, can I win more than just the ridiculous cheese bet I made with my brother? Can I actually win Fuerte's love?Scoring with the Keeper's Sister is a hilariously fun romantic comedy featuring an annoyingly hot pro soccer player, a gloriously silly goalie as his best friend, a bet about Wensleydale cheese, and the matchmaking site everyone is talking about. It's part of a lighthearted and fun series, but it stands alone with no cheating or cliffhangers.
Heronk
Meet the unlikeliest of heroes: Gustav, a wooden goose decoy.His story begins after his creation at the hands of an old German craftsman in 1930's Illinois. Over the course of the next half century, he is pulled along by the current of rivers, pushed by the energy of providence and influenced by the power of the human spirit.Through many travels and unexpected travails, his story offers a unique and insightful glimpse into the world of the waterfowler. Who would think that glass eyes, glued into a wooden head, could see the world so clearly?
Heronk
Meet the unlikeliest of heroes: Gustav, a wooden goose decoy.His story begins after his creation at the hands of an old German craftsman in 1930's Illinois. Over the course of the next half century, he is pulled along by the current of rivers, pushed by the energy of providence and influenced by the power of the human spirit.Through many travels and unexpected travails, his story offers a unique and insightful glimpse into the world of the waterfowler. Who would think that glass eyes, glued into a wooden head, could see the world so clearly?This is the large print edition of Heronk, with a larger font / typeface for easier reading.
Heronk
Meet the unlikeliest of heroes: Gustav, a wooden goose decoy.His story begins after his creation at the hands of an old German craftsman in 1930's Illinois. Over the course of the next half century, he is pulled along by the current of rivers, pushed by the energy of providence and influenced by the power of the human spirit.Through many travels and unexpected travails, his story offers a unique and insightful glimpse into the world of the waterfowler. Who would think that glass eyes, glued into a wooden head, could see the world so clearly?
Heronk
Meet the unlikeliest of heroes: Gustav, a wooden goose decoy.His story begins after his creation at the hands of an old German craftsman in 1930's Illinois. Over the course of the next half century, he is pulled along by the current of rivers, pushed by the energy of providence and influenced by the power of the human spirit.Through many travels and unexpected travails, his story offers a unique and insightful glimpse into the world of the waterfowler. Who would think that glass eyes, glued into a wooden head, could see the world so clearly?
Heronk
Meet the unlikeliest of heroes: Gustav, a wooden goose decoy.His story begins after his creation at the hands of an old German craftsman in 1930's Illinois. Over the course of the next half century, he is pulled along by the current of rivers, pushed by the energy of providence and influenced by the power of the human spirit.Through many travels and unexpected travails, his story offers a unique and insightful glimpse into the world of the waterfowler. Who would think that glass eyes, glued into a wooden head, could see the world so clearly?This is the large print edition of Heronk, with a larger font / typeface for easier reading.
Play Fresh
Excitement was in the air and the sun was shining down on Greentopia University. The warm weather welcomed the two rival football teams for the highly anticipated game of the year- the Garden Football League Championship! The BIG question was: "Who will win the championship game? Will it be the Garbage Mites or the Green Machines?" Let's follow these two teams during their journey at Greentopia University! Ready, set... here we go!
Sooley
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER - John Grisham takes you to a different kind of court in his first basketball novel. Samuel "Sooley" Sooleymon is a raw, young talent with big hoop dreams--and even bigger challenges off the court. "Hard to put down ... the pages turn quickly ... building to a climax that won't leave readers doubting whether this is a John Grisham novel." --Associated PressIn the summer of his seventeenth year, Sam­uel Sooleymon gets the chance of a lifetime: a trip to the United States with his South Sudanese teammates to play in a showcase basket­ball tournament. He has never been away from home, nor has he ever been on an airplane. The opportunity to be scouted by dozens of college coaches is a dream come true. Samuel is an amazing athlete, with speed, quick­ness, and an astonishing vertical leap. The rest of his game, though, needs work, and the American coaches are less than impressed. During the tournament, Samuel receives dev­astating news from home: A civil war is raging across South Sudan, and rebel troops have ran­sacked his village. His father is dead, his sister is missing, and his mother and two younger brothers are in a refugee camp. Samuel desperately wants to go home, but it's just not possible. Partly out of sympathy, the coach of North Carolina Central offers him a scholar­ship. Samuel moves to Durham, enrolls in classes, joins the team, and prepares to sit out his freshman season. There is plenty of more mature talent and he isn't immediately needed. But Samuel has something no other player has: a fierce determination to succeed so he can bring his family to America. He works tirelessly on his game, shooting baskets every morning at dawn by himself in the gym, and soon he's dominating everyone in practice. With the Central team los­ing and suffering injury after injury, Sooley, as he is nicknamed, is called off the bench. And the legend begins. But how far can Sooley take his team? And will success allow him to save his family? Gripping and moving, Sooley showcases John Grisham's unparalleled storytelling powers in a whole new light. This is Grisham at the top of his game. Don't miss John Grisham's new book, THE EXCHANGE: AFTER THE FIRM!
Fourth Down in Texas
Football has always been a big part of coach Gordon "Tuffy" Nehls' life, but now a wave of anti-football sentiment is threatening the staple of American culture. In Fourth Down in Texas, Coach Nehls leads his players through a magical season as his school district considers eliminating the football program. Envisioning a dark future when entrepreneurs and street agents control high school football, Nehls defends the sport he loves while coming to grips with a changing world and living with the regret of a decision that altered a player's life forever.
Beyond the Play
Parker Of all the hot guys in the club, of course I find myself tangled up with a baseball player. Our chemistry is out of the park, igniting as his athletic body moves next to mine. I know exactly who he is, but the infamous Holden Bailey has no idea who I am, or my connection to the team. I prefer it that way. I give in to one dance with Holden and send him home alone. He can have any woman he wants, but for some reason, he wants me. His pursuit is relentless. He wrote the playbook on being a player, though. Giving in could cost me my heart. Holden I thought getting traded to the Blaze was life changing, but it's nothing compared to meeting Parker Monroe. From the moment she bumps into me on the crowded dance floor, I can't tear my eyes away. She's gorgeous, intelligent, and definitely not interested. At least not in the player the media portrays me to be. I need to convince her that with her, I'm authentic, and what we have is the real thing. Game on. When the truth gets twisted, it looks like I'm playing her. But she has it all wrong. The way I feel about Parker is beyond the play. She's my end game.
Looking for Lucie
In the setting of a stormy Scottish loch the lives of two vastly different characters are set to collide, with possibly disastrous outcomes for either one of them...perhaps both. One is a fisherman set on a mission and carrying with him all his worries and human frailties. The other is pitiless, far from human and like no other being you have ever met - Lucie, an enormous pike. It's a tale that all anglers will love and one which all non-anglers will find enjoyable and immensely informative.
Massy’s Game
Massy was big, over 8'2", and still growing, the biggest man in pro basketball. No one thought it possible a man that big could move - could run and jump and shoot and rebound. But, before his first year was out, he became a legend, as well as a threat to the game. No one likes a giant; no one roots for Goliath. Cursed by irate fans, elbowed and punched by competing players, he is universally despised. What drives him on? What is in his past that drives him to continue dragging himself up and down the court when he would rather be playing the piano? What about the father that won't stay off the bottle? And the little girl with the flute? As the season nears its ultimate close, the fury and tension mount. No one can stop the big man even though he doesn't have all the moves and shots. No one and nothing. Beating the backboards, pounding slam-dunks so hard the rim shakes, pulling down rebounds a yard above the rim, blocking shots from ten feet away. He is a one-man wrecking crew, seemingly oblivious to the fact that the fans hate him, the opposing team hates him, and the officials hate him. Massy obliterates the opposition almost single-handedly. But the more shots he blocks, the greater the national hysteria. The book surges on to a screaming apocalyptic ending as unexpected as it is inevitable. If opposing players can't stop him there are other means available. An original and fast-breaking sports novel that makes a strong and provocative comment on our entire society.
The Black Pearl
Book Four of the popular Good Things Come Canadian horse racing series!Everything changes.If the sum total of Liv Lachance's self-worth is the collection of all the things she's done, she's coming up short. Three-quarters of a veterinary degree. Two-thirds of a Canadian Triple Crown. With her star racehorse Chique retired, she's feeling adrift, and her father's racing stable, Triple Stripe, is without a Big Horse.She decides it's time to throw herself back into her career as a jockey, even if her impending marriage to fellow rider Nate Miller incites conflict of interest rumblings. But life has other ideas for Liv when a death in the family and illness in the Triple Stripe ranks turn everything upside-down.The saving grace is that Big Horse? He's waiting in plain sight. But as she realizes how far this Big Horse might take her, she's finally learning that her greatest accomplishments are about so much more than winning races.From Toronto's Woodbine racetrack, to Florida's Gulfstream Park... and all the way to Dubai for the world's riches horse race, the Dubai World Cup.
The Turnstile
The ticket was washed out, as if it had been left out in the sun for months. Below the $12.50 admission price were the words in bold capitals over a faded red, white, and blue design: WORLD SERIES 1975, GAME 6, FENWAY PARK, BOSTON. With my ticket clenched in one hand, I gripped one of the turnstile's arms and pushed ...Lifelong Red Sox fan Landon Burgess thought he'd seen it all - from Jon Lester's no-hitter against the Royals to Big Papi's treasure chest of late-game heroics. Baseball was his passion, and he'd witnessed over six hundred games at the fabled Fenway Park. Enough to know the ins and outs of the "Shrine at the heart of Boston" like he knew his own apartment. Until one late-September evening, when he chances upon a mysterious ticket scalper before the game. He has no way of knowing he's about to see a side of Fenway that can only be experienced through The Turnstile.
The Turnstile
The ticket was washed out, as if it had been left out in the sun for months. Below the $12.50 admission price were the words in bold capitals over a faded red, white, and blue design: WORLD SERIES 1975, GAME 6, FENWAY PARK, BOSTON. With my ticket clenched in one hand, I gripped one of the turnstile's arms and pushed ...Lifelong Red Sox fan Landon Burgess thought he'd seen it all - from Jon Lester's no-hitter against the Royals to Big Papi's treasure chest of late-game heroics. Baseball was his passion, and he'd witnessed over six hundred games at the fabled Fenway Park. Enough to know the ins and outs of the "Shrine at the heart of Boston" like he knew his own apartment. Until one late-September evening, when he chances upon a mysterious ticket scalper before the game. He has no way of knowing he's about to see a side of Fenway that can only be experienced through The Turnstile.
A Tale Of Two Bunnies
The Tales Of Two Bunnies is about two bunnies, Benjamin and Bradley. Benjamin is the active one and Bradley is not interested in being active and just want to stay at home and play video games all day. So Benjamin had to come up with a plan to get Bradley out of the house to interact with his friends and do more in the community . Benjamin ended up taking the batteries out of the game controller to get Bradley out of the house to ask his other friends for batteries so he can continue playing his video game....
Offsides
When tragedy strikes, injured young rugby star Jimmy swaps cosmopolitan Cape Town for small-town life. Starting over can be tough, and the locals are notoriously reticent to accept outsiders. And then he meets Lauren. Strong-willed and independent, she knows what she wants from life - and it doesn't include a handsome newcomer. From the dusty streets of Oudshoorn to the exotic beaches of Thailand, the privileged stomping grounds of the Stellenbosch elite to the hallowed halls of Oxford University, and the sun-kissed hedonism of The French Riviera to the heady snow-covered slopes of Austria, Lauren and Jimmy's lives are destined to be inexorably thrown apart and then tauntingly reconnected. Their romance is fraught with betrayal, and the choices they make will test their relationship to the limit. Separated by both circumstance and opportunity, they must make the unenviable choice between striving for professional and financial success or following their heart. This intriguing and delicious story full of family drama, glamorous locations and highly relatable characters touches to the heart of what it is to be a native of the country at the southernmost tip of Africa - and embraces the game that is at the core of South African DNA - rugby!
Golf
"Golf is a game whose aim is to hit a very small ball into an even smaller hole, with weapons singularly ill-designed for the purpose" (Winston Churchill). I mean, what imbecile came up with this as a pastime? And why? These are among the many questions Golf: The True Story attempts to answer about one of the world's most beloved sports. Frequently funny, and not altogether factual, this quasi guidebook/ history makes for an informative and entertaining read. It is peppered with illustrations and humorous observations. Trace the evolution of golf down through the ages, from primitive man, to ancient Egypt, the Romans and modern times. Get the inside track on the different types of players, and their far-fetched invented equipment. A rollicking and edifying good read. You'll love Golf: The True Story.Part history, part guidebook, and part love letter to the game.Frequently funny, and not altogether factual.Golf: The True Story is a humorous and not altogether factual (illustrated) guidebook examining the sport and its many facets. Learn about the sport's fictitious history, the types of players, as well as some far-fetched invented equipment. A rollicking and edifying good read.
A Whole New Ball Game
At the end of Thacker's previous novel - The Games People Play - life had given aspiring manager Jon Moreton a good kicking and he was heading for the plane home. He had failed to get his Spanish club, CD Retama, promoted and they looked set to fold. Sophia, his girlfriend/assistant coach, had left him, thinking he had conspired in the club's demise. As for his one-time friend Billy Swan, he was even more rock bottom, having succumbed to blackmail and sold out his mates. In this much-anticipated sequel, will things take a turn for the better for Moreton? Will he cope back in England without Sophia? Will Swan turn up again like a bad penny? Has the Spain chapter of his life closed, or can anything be salvaged? Expect a few twists in the tale, a few more jinking runs into the box and last-ditch, winning goals. It's A Whole New Ball Game.
The Blocks
Pro skateboarder, Ethan Wares, has been dropped by every sponsor and has one last deal on the table: a failing TV station, but that's not all he's got to worry about: his girlfriend is on the verge of dumping himhis friends are blanking himhis brother's medical bills are draining his bank balance, andhis boss is squeezing his balls to deliver video edits of unique and inaccessible skate spots to keep their ratings alive.All that, he can handle.The problem is he's got to film an edit on a granite ledge of a prestigious Art Exhibition, which has been flown 4000 miles around the world and placed in a Council estate nicknamed: The Bronx... and he knows everything is going to go very wrong.Note: these titles contain no sex or violence, but they do contain a few punch-ups and swears.--The Ethan Wares Skateboard series is a fast-paced skateboard adventure written for skateboarders by a skateboarder and is guaranteed to keep you reading from beginning to end.
They Lurk in the Murk
Catching Largemouth Bass was what Clay Booker and his father Red were all about. It was their passion, their identity, their way of life. Red owned a quaint marina and tackle shop on the great Lake Okeechobee, world renowned for its bass fishing. Life was simple for Clay, go to college, fish whenever he could, and love his girlfriend Abi. But after an epic day of fishing on Red's brand new bass fishing boat, tragedy strikes. Clay is thrown obstacles that send him down a dark path in life. After years of mistakes and regret his family wants nothing to do with him. He finds himself alone with a drinking problem, a failing business, and fishless. To regain his family's trust and save his business Clay must do the one thing he knows best, catch monster bass.
