Love of the Game

April 4, 2016
Wilde’s heartfelt third Stardust, Texas contemporary sports romance (after Rules of the Game) pairs an injured ballplayer with an emotionally damaged physical therapist for an explosive romance. Dallas Gunslingers pitcher Axel Richmond’s shoulder injury could mean the end of his career—and of pursuing his dreams in memory of his baseball-loving son. Enter Kasha Carlyle, a no-nonsense physical therapist. She was adopted by a loving family after her birth mother murdered her birth father, and she has just found out she has a biological half-sister, Emma, who has Down syndrome. Determined to get custody of Emma, Kasha takes on the challenging job of getting Axel back on the mound—a job that will give her the stability and generous paycheck she needs, if she can just ignore her explosive chemistry with her patient. Wilde packs a powerful emotional punch with the deeply nuanced characters of Axel and Kasha, a strong supporting cast, and a story readers will root for.

April 15, 2016
In this sweet installment of the Stardust, Texas series, a small-town belle forces a big-league player to take a seventh-inning stretch. In the quaint town of Stardust, the Carlyle sisters--Breeane, Jodi, Suki, and Kasha--share the contents of a hope chest they found in the local antiques shop. Kasha's item turns out to be a bottle of wine that tastes like vinegar to everyone but her, and if the family lore about the chest holds true, there will be someone else whose palate matches her flavor profile. That someone might be her new physical therapy client, Axel Richmond. After his son's tragic death, all Axel dreams about is playing for the Yankees, and he's considering a risky surgery when Kasha encourages him to slow down and rethink his priorities. But for Kasha to pursue the sexy professional baseball player while he's still in her care would be about as unprofessional as it gets. She can't afford to lose her job. After recently learning she has a disabled half sister, Emma, Kasha is rearranging her life to gain custody. But Kasha hides a troubled past, and the last thing she wants is to lose control of her senses, no matter what the wine bottle says. No amount of heart-to-heart talks, family barbecues, or hot therapy sessions in bathing suits and yoga pants can break her resolve. Delayed gratification is the name of the game here, and Axel's patience is an even greater virtue than his rock-hard abs, especially after Kasha discovers that "it's a romantic myth that sex is fantabulous the first time out of the gate." The romance unfolds at a leisurely pace, balancing intense emotions with heartwarming family moments.

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