Blog Tour Review: Public Lives Series – Clare James

PUBLIC LIVES SERIES

Clare James

A Steamy NA Romance

Talk to Me (Public Lives, #1)

Release Date: June 9, 2014

*Caution: This story contains explicit sex scenes with an alpha hockey player … who gives an entirely new meaning to the term Body Checking. *

Finn Daley took the world by storm two years ago when he was drafted by the NHL. The young, handsome, high-scoring player quickly became a fan favorite. He had everything going for him: fame, fortune, a promising career, and his pick of women. But when he made an abrupt exit from the NHL last spring, everything changed and he’s been in hiding ever since.

Casey Scott plans to find out why.

After interning for free all summer at the top television station in the Twin Cities, Casey lands an on-air gig. Trouble is, the new role is Sports Girl—which means reporting from local bars and tailgating parties to create excitement for the hometown heroes. All while wearing tiny team jerseys that are so tight they leave little to the imagination.

But she has a plan. Uncover the biggest sports mystery of the decade, and she’ll be on her way. Question is, how far will she go to get the story? 

Reviewer:  Shannon
Rating:

Reviewer’s Thoughts

3.5 Cocktails

I will say, the author had me from the very beginning of this story.  I was intrigued to find out why a hockey player at his prime would retire and really wanted Casey to discover why.  It was the mystery of Finn Daley that had me devouring this in hopes of getting a hint of why.

I liked Casey.  She had found herself in a situation that was not what she had planned on when she graduated college, but she wasn’t going to give us.  She was determined to prove she was more than just a pretty face doing outlandish stunts for a sports channel.  When she found a subject that just might prove she was a good journalist, I wanted her to get the dirt on Finn.  But what made me like Casey more was how once she got to know Finn she wasn’t all that eager to continue on with her story.  Some of her peers might have and it showed what kind of integrity Casey had.

It took me a bit to warm up to Finn, especially after the way he initially greeted Casey at his house, but he grew on me.  You knew Finn had a story and it wasn’t going to be what we expected when it finally broke.  But he clicked with Casey.  After he gave up his d-bag behavior and got to know her, it was hard not to want the two of them to be together.

This was a quick read, but it was one that kept me engaged.  I liked how the author built up the relationship between Casey and Finn, truly giving us the sense of their relationship growing, not just jumping into bed with each other.  And as I got to the end, I was left with a need to find out what happens next with these two.

***

Just Listen (Public Lives, #2)

Release Date: June 23, 2014

*Caution: Just Listen contains explicit sex scenes between an alpha hockey player trying to begin a new life and an ambitious reporter who will do just about anything to get her story … Conflict of Interest doesn’t even begin to describe the trouble these two get into.*


Aspiring reporter Casey Scott knows it was unethical to get involved with retired hockey star, Finn Daley, but she did it anyway. Happily. She also knows that she should tell him about her assignment, but she can’t seem to do it. No matter how many times she tries. With Finn, Casey experiences intimacy, pleasure, pain, comfort, and a strange sort of stability. Things she’s not yet willing to give up. 

But when she finally uncovers his secret, the decision she has to make is harder than she ever imagined.

For Finn, his past, present, and future are colliding. And when he discovers the truth about the woman he’s grown to love, and the one he let get away, his world comes shattering down around him. With everything on the line, there’s only one person who can help. But is it too late? 

Just Listen is the gripping conclusion of Finn and Casey’s story that began in Talk to Me.

Reviewer:  Shannon
Rating:

Reviewer’s Thoughts

3.5 Cocktails

In the conclusion to Casey and Finn’s story, we discover Finn’s secret and what happens when it gets out.  If you haven’t read TALK TO ME, you must in order to read this book.

Finn’s secret is finally revealed to Casey, but it’s not so much the story that front seat in their romance, but the conniving producer and Finn’s ex-girlfriend that cause issues.  Secrets are leaked, accusations fly, denials said but in the end it was the relationship between Casey and Finn that took the beating.  Not because of Finn’s secret, but because of the lack of trust between the two of them.

I could see why Finn would be upset with Casey, but I would think he would have understood what proving herself meant to Casey.  He may not have liked being the subject of her investigation, but I’d think he’d talk it out with her rather than cutting off communication or being hostile.

Poor Casey didn’t know what to do.  She was confused about Finn’s ex, confused about her relationship with Finn and hurt that her boss would turn things around on her the way he did.  And while I applaud her for trying to make things right for Finn, at least professionally, she didn’t do a whole lot to plead her case on a personal level.

In the end, I did like this story, but I wished their would have been more between Finn and Casey.  More of them fighting their way back to each other, talking, yelling, just something to work this out.

This was an entertaining series with a very interesting premise as to why a professional athlete might retire so young.  If you like your sports romance with a bit of a twist, definitely pick this one up.

Talk to Me (Public Lives, #1)