The Name of the Game

August 10, 2015
In the third Something New contemporary (after The Winner Takes It All), Dawson pits luscious smalltown girl Gracie Roberts against Chicagoan James Donovan. When they met, instant dislike festered between them. They shared nothing in common except the marriages of their friends and family. Gracie’s a baker; James is a health food nut. Gracie is self-taught; James has a Ph.D. in forensic anthropology. Gracie is chaos and fire; James is calm and orderly. But family is important to them both, and 18 months after their disastrous first encounter, they decide they need to get along, though the tension between them crescendos. Dawson deftly threads in backstory, explaining the vast differences between the protagonists and smoothing the way for love. Tantalizing sex scenes and innuendos add sizzle, but the real strength of the characterization is revealed in their human need for understanding and empathy. The denouement falls a bit flat with overplayed drama, but the characters carry the story. Agent: Courtney Miller-Callihan, Sanford J. Greenburger Associates.

September 15, 2015
Dawson (The Winner Takes It All, 2014) serves up a spicy new addition to the Something New series. James Donovan and Gracie Roberts are like oil and water. James is a disciplined college professor in Chicago who is obsessed with fitness, while Gracie is an independent small-town gal who owns her own baking business. Forced to interact due to mutual friends, the duo can't help but annoy and bait each other. When Gracie and James realize that their childish behavior is really just a mask hiding their intense attraction, all bets are off, and a scalding hot romance ensues. Gracie discovers how sexy James' disciplined demeanor can be, especially when it comes to pleasure. But do they work well together outside the bedroom? With James in Chicago and Gracie in downstate Illinois, distance and lifestyle differences threaten to extinguish their fiery chemistry. Dawson is a romance author on the rise with this blazingly fast, irresistibly sexy read that will leave readers craving the next in the series.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)