Title: A Brit Player
Series: Castle Calder #4
Author: Brenda St John Brown
Genre: Second Chance Sports Romance
Release Date: June 23, 2021
BLURB
Whoever said taking a second chance on your first love was a good idea obviously had nothing to hideโฆ
They say the best way to get over someone is to get under someone else. But shagging a guy with a โBad Decisionโ tattoo is never a good idea. Itโs a warning label. Trust me.
So when a friend coerces me into taking part in a charity dating auction, I jump at the chance to leave London – and my bad decisions – behind for a weekend.
But Max Foster is there and heโs bidding on me like itโs his job. Max isnโt just a guy. Heโs THE GUY – my first love who I havenโt seen since the day he left high school to go play professional football in Spain.
I shouldnโt see him again, never mind want to. Because letting him find out about the secret Iโve kept from him these past twelve years? That has โbad decisionโ written all over it.
**This book contains content that readers who have experienced loss of pregnancy may find upsetting.**
EXCERPT
I could never resist that bloody smile and itโs what gets me to glance up now. I immediately wish I didnโt because Max Foster is more handsome now than he was when we were sixteen. His skin is tan and golden, and his light brown hair has blonde streaks through it that make him look like a surfer dude. On anyone else Iโd assume they were compliments of some serious salon time, but I know Max well enough to know that theyโre one hundred percent natural. I also know Max well enough to know that the way heโs shoving his fingers through said hair means heโs not as unaffected by our unexpected meeting as his body language would have me believe.
Thank God.
The realization buoys me enough to slow my heart rate down to this side of frantic and I manage a nod, saying, โIโm sure heโll appreciate that.โ
โAre you going to introduce us to your friend, Tara?โ Scarlett asks.
Itโs a testament to Max Fosterโs force field that Iโve completely forgotten Scarlett and whatโs-her-name.
Itโs also a testament to Max Fosterโs force field that he extends his hand before I get a chance to speak and introduces himself to both Scarlett and Tilly, whose name comes back to me the minute she says it.
โYou look familiar?โ Scarlett says. โDo we know each other somehow?โ
โI donโt think so,โ Max says, though he peers at Scarlett more closely, like heโs trying to make sure. โTara and I went to high school together back in the day.โ
โHmmm.โ Scarlettโs brow furrows. โWell, Tara and I were in sixth form together back in the day. Were youโฆ?โ
โMax got recruited to play professional football in Spain right out of high school.โ My words come out fast and flat.
โAnd Tara never forgave me for actually going.โ Maxโs smile is easy, but I know his deep brown eyes donโt miss my flinch at his words. Him going to Spain is the least of what Iโve held against him.
โWho do you play for now?โ asks Tilly.
โIโm at Norcastle,โ Max says.
โOooh. Impressive, but that Champions League title is useless here. Youโre in Manchester territory now,โ Tilly says.
Max laughs and they joke back and forth, giving me a chance to observe him on the down low. Or at least I think itโs on the down low until he turns to me and says, โI canโt believe youโre here. We need to catch up. Are you free for dinner tonight?โ
No. I definitely am not free. Even if I had an empty diary from now until 2050, Iโm not free for dinner with Max Foster. But before I can reply, Scarlett interjects, โTaraโs actually one of the dates in todayโs auction, so sheโs probably booked tonight unless you want to pay to play.โ
I turn to Scarlett, eyes wide. โI donโt think Max is here to bid.โ
โOn the contrary. I think I just became a lot more likely to bid,โ Max says with a grin. โItโs all for a good cause, right?โ
โWell, there you go. A little motivation is good for everyone.โ Scarlett gives a little grin. โIt is for a very good cause. Save the Family provides accommodations to families who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. They also provide counseling and mentoring services. A lot of the families involved would either have their children taken into care or be living on the street full stop.โ
I steal a glance at Max and heโs nodding in agreement as he asks, โIs it a local organization? Or do they work nationally, as well?โ
โItโs based in Windermere. My mum has been involved with them for ages, which is why weโre hosting the auction.โ Scarlett looks around, holding her hands out like Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music. โYouโve got to admit, itโs an ace venue.โ
โIt is, indeed.โ Max smiles back at Scarlett and then nods. โI should probably go check on Harris to make sure heโs not got cold feet. Iโll see you out there, T.โ
Then he walks away like the last time we saw each other wasnโt twelve years ago.
I turn to Scarlett and hiss, โWhat are you doing? I donโt want him to bid on me.โ
โUh, no kidding?โ says Scarlett, her voice low. โBut based on the way your tongue was hanging out of your mouth when you looked at him, thatโs exactly why he should.โ
โMy tongue was not hanging out of my mouth.โ Was it? Fucking hell, it could have been. It always did where Max was concerned.
โWhatโs the deal with you two, anyway?โ Scarlett says as she waves at Bradley and turns toward our front-row seats.
โRight?โ adds Tilly. โThe way you were looking at himโฆโ
โYou dated Tom for over a year and I never saw you look at him that way,โ Scarlett says, raising an eyebrow. โJust saying.โ
Thatโs because I never looked at Tom that way. Iโve never looked at anyone that way except Max Foster.
If I can help it, Iโll never look at anyone that way again.
Especially Max Foster.
ALSO AVAILABLE
FREE for a limited time!
AUTHOR BIO
Brenda is a displaced New Yorker living in the English countryside. Sheโs lived in the UK long enough to gain dual citizenship, but still doesnโt understand Celsius. However, she has learned the appropriate use of the word โpantsโ. And how to order a proper bacon bap/barm/buttie. Because, well, bacon.
Brenda writes contemporary romance to make you giggle and swoon. When sheโs not writing, she enjoys hiking, running and reading. In theory, she also enjoys cooking, but itโs more that she enjoys eating and, try as she might, she canโt live on Doritos alone.
AUTHOR LINKS
Review
As teenagers Max and Tara fell in love however when Max had the opportunity to fulfill his dream of playing soccer professionally Tara made a decision that she believed was the right one at the time and she hasnโt seen or spoken to him since.
More than a decade later fate brings them together when she is a participant at a charity auction and Max wins a date with her. The chemistry and connection between them is stronger than ever but will the secret she holds be the one challenge they canโt overcome?
Max and Tara have always belonged together, and I enjoyed seeing them fight to overcome their past so that they could have a future together.
Review
Review
Kari's Book Reviews and Revelations 