Getting them together Before the Whistle! #MFRWHooks

Welcome to the #MFRWHooks blog hop! Before the Whistle, a medical hockey romance, is in the spotlight today. One of the challenges of writing a romance novel is dreaming up ways of getting the two main characters together. There’s usually inherently a reason why at least one of them doesn’t want to spend time with the other. When I wrote my In the Game Hockey Romance Series I worked around that by giving the hero and heroine a mystery to solve. They need each other to solve the case – so they have to work together despite their differences, or indifference, as the case may be. In Before the Whistle, the coach’s new plays for the Clarington Quakes hockey team are being leaked. It’s causing a string of losses and devastating injuries. Ben Matthews, the head athletic therapist, has a theory about what’s going on and enlists the help of Jordyn Kendra to confirm it. He met Jordyn through a mutual friend but he’s seen a lot more of her since he moved into the same condominium complex. 😀

Jordyn Kendra is a talented designer and savvy businesswoman. Spending eighteen hours a day establishing and running a successful business doesn’t leave much time for pursuing a relationship, and frankly she hasn’t really missed it. But when an invitation arrives that could help her fulfill her career dreams, she has to make a decision. What’s harder: going to a gala without a date or finding someone to ask?

Ben Matthews, head athletic therapist for the wildly popular Clarington Quakes hockey team, tends to stand out in a crowd. When Jordyn doesn’t recognize him, it puts a dent in his ego, but he catches her attention when he jumps in to save a life.

She’s a queasy bystander, cowering at the sight of blood, and he’s cool, calm, and confident, which she finds irresistible. With a little prodding from her spirited aunt, Jordyn realizes that she and Ben might be the perfect mismatch.

Before the Whistle – when cool and calm in an emergency is totally hot.

Enjoy an excerpt from Before the Whistle ~

The man who’d walked in as she’d come out of the pool – and wasn’t he gorgeous? – glanced over at the teenagers and then stepped in front of her, blocking their view. “Hi. You’re Jordyn, right? Danni’s friend?”

Jordyn stumbled to a stop. The top of her head came level with the middle of his bare chest. There were only a few advantages to being short. Being eye level with that view – sculpted muscle, smooth skin, broad shoulders – was definitely one of them. She swept her gaze up to his face. He looked familiar, but she couldn’t place him.

“Ben Matthews. I work with the Quakes.” He took the towel from around his neck and handed it to her.

She took it without thinking. “Of course.” He was the head athletic therapist for the Clarington Quakes, the professional hockey team in town. She’d met him a couple of times at team events when she’d accompanied her friend, Dr. Danni Angelo, who was one of the team physicians. She hadn’t realized that impressive physique was under the loose team jacket he usually wore. “Hi, Ben. Yes, I’m Jordyn Kendra. Nice to see you.” She held up the towel. “Ah, thanks, but I don’t really need to take yours. I left one on the chair over there.” She pointed to the lounger at the end of the pool.

He nodded. “That’s okay. I can get another. You go ahead – it’s a bit chilly in here.”

Jordyn tilted her head. Really? The water was cool, but the air felt like a balmy summer day. She shrugged and wrapped the towel around herself. “I didn’t know you lived in this condo.”

He smiled. “Just moved in last month. I had an apartment close to the rink, but when something opened up with a view of the river, I jumped at it.”

“You can’t beat it. You’ll love it here. I’m sure you’re busy with the team, but it really is convenient having the pool, squash courts, and weight room in the building.”

“I’m certainly enjoying the view.” His eyes lit with amusement.

Jordyn nodded. “Well, I should get going. It was good to see you. Maybe we’ll see more of each other.”

He chuckled. “Maybe.”

That was funny? She didn’t get it. “Thanks for the towel.”

“Anytime.”

She walked toward the change room and glanced back as Ben dove into the water. Hmm. Perfect form and hardly a splash. For a huge guy, he was pretty graceful. It looked like he’d done that before. She fleetingly wondered if he ever had trouble with shrinking bathing trunks.

She headed inside and fiddled with the combination of the lock to her locker. She’d rather shower upstairs in her condo, but she’d brought a cover to wear in the elevator. She unwrapped the towel, threw it on the bench, and glanced at her reflection in the mirror across the room. Her heart pounded in shock.

Her bathing suit was completely see-through. Her eyes widened. It left absolutely nothing to the imagination. She groaned and covered her cheeks with her hands. No wonder the teenagers had been so interested.

Buy Link (99c or free with KU):     https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HFQGXSM/

Enjoy the next fabulous author on the #MFRWHooks blog hop!