KAREN’S KILLER BOOK BENCH: Welcome to Karen’s Killer Book Bench where readers can discover talented new authors and take a peek inside their wonderful books. This is not an age-filtered site so all book peeks are PG-13 or better. Come back and visit often. Happy reading!
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FIRST DOWN
The First Down Series Book 1
BY JENNA FIELDS
Blurb
Meghan Grace is hiding a secret that will destroy her.
For Grey, grief and pain go hand in hand. After her father’s death, she hides her true self from the world under thick make-up and dyed hair. No one can see the tragedy in her eyes.
When she’s forced to run away, she finds solace in her college scholarship. Except she’s constantly looking over her shoulder, waiting for her mother to strike. All hope seems lost…
Until Chase plops into the chair next to her. If only he knew who she really was… If he connects the dots too late, he’ll lose her, and his chance at the NFL, forever.
Fans of Lucy Score and Meghan Quinn will love the witty dialogue and angsty athletes in Jenna Fields’ First Down series.
Ready for kick-off? One click First Down today.
FIRST DOWN
The First Down Series Book 1
BY JENNA FIELDS
Excerpt
Chapter 1
Change is never fun.
It wasn’t fun when my lucky Herschel Walker jersey got a hole in it. The new one just didn’t fit the same way, and I swear it wasn’t as lucky.
Even worse, it sucked when my favorite red cleats didn’t fit anymore. Mom could only find my size in blue.
Yuck! No one wants blue cleats.
Call it a catastrophe.
But when you’re seven years old, moving to a new town is the worst kind of change.
“It won’t be so bad,” mom said from the front seat as she put the car in park.
Just give it time. She’ll see.
The car stopped, and mom opened her car door. “There you go. It’s already looking up.” She twisted around in her seat to give me one of those smiles she gets when I scrape my knee. “Our new neighbors are out playing football. I bet the little girl is about your age.” She pointed to the yard next door.
I followed her finger out the window. For such a little girl, she held onto that football like her life depended on it. The same way I did when I was on the field. When she passed it to her dad, my jaw dropped open. The pass sailed through the air with the perfect spin.
Woah.
It was the type of pass I loved to catch. Not many kids on my team knew how to throw that good, though. And since the coaches only ever passed to their own sons, I didn’t really have much of a chance to practice receiving such a great throw.
“Are you just going to sit there and stare? Go ask if you can play.”
Before I could peel my eyes away from the window long enough to shake my head no, Mom was already carrying the first box inside.
Dang it.
Slowly, as if they could actually hear me coming, I carefully pulled off my seatbelt and opened the door. One foot after the other, I climbed out of the car.
Be a man. A couple different coaches told me that a time or two.
I glanced from Mom’s car to the driveway next to ours. They had a shiny red truck that caught my attention. Their house was made of dark colored bricks. The lawn was thick and green–the perfect place to practice.
“Hey neighbor.” The man waved.
I must have stared a beat too long. Maybe he was talking to mom. I glanced behind me, only to find the space empty.
“I’m Charles Foster. Most people just call me Coach.” He took a step toward me.
Mom taught me to shake hands when I’m meeting new people. He was still too far away, though, so I just waved.
“This is my daughter, Meghan Grace.” He pointed to the girl.
Some boys talk about girls being pretty. Whatever that meant… I just liked the football in her hands. The way she stretched her fingers along the lace made my heart beat faster.
“Do you like football, son?” No one ever called me son before, except for Mama. Not coaches. Not teachers. It kind of felt special. I wasn’t afraid anymore. I never really was when it came to football.
“Yes, sir. I love it,” I said, taking a step away from the car.
“Well, Meghan throws the best pass out of anyone in the south,” he said. When he looked down at Meghan, he reminded me of my former coaches after a winning game.
Proud.
“Mind if I play?”
“Why would anyone want to play with you?” She shoved the football behind her back. Suddenly, her father vanished from my view.
It was only her and me.
“You don’t belong with me, or anywhere else. I’m better off without you.”
I woke up in a pool of sweat two hours before my alarm was supposed to go off. Dreams of Meghan were becoming more and more frequent.
That day felt like yesterday, not over ten years ago. And Meghan didn’t really tell me to go away. We spent hours passing the ball back and forth. We ignored calls for supper at least five times. It wasn’t until the streetlights came on that we finally went in for the night.
So why does my brain keep changing the story?
Mom says it’s ‘cause I miss her. She says a lot of shit. Most of it makes sense.
But dang, I’m tired of missing Meghan Grace.
Jenna Fields writes small town college, sports romance for Creative Words Press, LLC.
Her friends would describe her as a lover of chocolate, tequila connoisseur, and mompreneur. When she’s not writing, Jenna travels the globe with her family. At each destination, she draws inspiration for her next story.
Whether it’s a budding flame between the star wide receiver and his coach’s daughter, or a sexy track star and her dreadful ex, she always adds a healthy dose of humor and heart to her work.
You may be familiar with Jenna’s alter ego: USA Today and internationally bestselling author, Jennifer M. Miller.
Jenna’s bookish idols are Lucy Score, for her witty banter, and Meagan Brandy, for her angsty characters.
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Links to Jenna’s website, blog, books, etc.
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3RLidQh
Read all things Jenna Fields at books2read.com/jennafields
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**Special Giveaway** For the launch of football season, Jenna is giving all of her dedicated fans a free copy of Tackled by Summer. You can download a “no strings attached” free copy here: https://BookHip.com/CNQWTVX
Jenna also has a permafree at: books2read.com/readytorun
Happy Reading!
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Thanks, Jenna, for sharing your book with us!
Don’t miss the chance to read this book!
Nice to read about a new to me author. Off to look it all up. Thank you.
Thank you! I look forward to reading it!
Good morning, Jenna, and welcome to Karen’s Killer Book Bench. I loved your excerpt and can’t wait to read the book! It’s on my TBR pile now. Thanks for sharing your books with us today!
Oh my goodness…my heart was breaking for him…
Nice to meet you, Jenna and thanks, Karen and Jenna.
Loved the excerpt you shared. Appreciate the links and looking forward to reading them. Love finding new to me authors.
You are a new to me author, I look forward to reading your books.