Sport

Football is the heartbeat of Brownwood, Texas. Every Friday night for as long as assistant principal Tylene Wilson can re-member, the entire town has gathered in the stands, cheering their boys on. Each September brings with it the hope of a good season and a sense of unity and optimism.Now, the war has changed everything. Most of the Brownwood men over eighteen and under forty-five are off fighting, and in a small town the possibilities are limited. Could this mean a season without football? But no one counted on Tylene, who learned the game at her daddy's knee. She knows more about it than most men, so she does the unthinkable, convincing the school to let her take on the job of coach.Faced with extreme opposition?by the press, the community, rival coaches, and referees and even the players themselves?Tylene remains resolute. And when her boys rally around her, she leads the team and the town to a Friday night and a subsequent season they will never forget.

Emma Jordan has returned home after her father's death to run the animal sanctuary that had been his legacy. But strange things start happening, and it seems that someone is out to shut her down, someone who doesn't mind putting lives in jeopardy to see it through. When Hidden Falls' sexiest fireman starts to ask questions, Emma needs to make sure his charm doesn't distract her from keeping her dreams alive. Ben McQuaid has an obligation as a local fireman to protect the community, even from a well-meaning wildlife veterinarian who's in way over her head. But, it's becoming hard to keep his loyalty to the town and his desire for the pretty vet separate. As Ben and Emma become caught in a dangerous game of cat and mouse, their feelings for each other are growing. Will they let duty drive them apart or will they dare to fall?

A Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize Winner of the Kirkus Prize for Fiction . A Recipient of the Windham-Campbell Prize for Fiction . A Finalist for the James Tait Black Prize for Fiction . A Finalist for the Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction . A Finalist for the Rathbones Folio Prize . Longlisted for an Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence . One of New York Times Book Review 100 Notable BookNamed a Best Book of the Year by Entertainment Weekly . GQ . The New York Times (Selected by Dwight Garner) . NPR . The Wall Street Journal . San Francisco Chronicle . Refinery29 . Booklist . Kirkus Reviews . Commonweal Magazine"In its poetic splendor and moral seriousness, The Sport of Kings bears the traces of Faulkner, Morrison, and McCarthy. . . . It is a contemporary masterpiece."-San Francisco Chronicle Hailed by The New Yorker for its "remarkable achievements," The Sport of Kings is an American tale centered on a horse and two families: one white, a Southern dynasty whose forefathers were among the founders of Kentucky; the other African-American, the descendants of their slaves.It is a dauntless narrative that stretches from the fields of the Virginia piedmont to the abundant pastures of the Bluegrass, and across the dark waters of the Ohio River; from the final shots of the Revolutionary War to the resounding clang of the starting bell at Churchill Downs. As C. E. Morgan unspools a fabric of shared histories, past and present converge in a Thoroughbred named Hellsmouth, heir to Secretariat and a contender for the Triple Crown. Newly confronted with one another in the quest for victory, the two families must face the consequences of their ambitions, as each is driven---and haunted---by the same, enduring question: How far away from your father can you run?A sweeping narrative of wealth and poverty, racism and rage, The Sport of Kings is an unflinching portrait of lives cast in the shadow of slavery and a moral epic for our time.

Heartthrob star quarterback Tyson Palmer has it all: a million-dollar arm, a winning season, and the promise of a Super Bowl ring. But more importantly, football’s biggest star is the ultimate comeback kid. After an addiction to painkillers nearly derailed his career, Tyson got sober and went from zero to hero in the eyes of the public. But one person remains unconvinced: Dani Carr, a sports commentator with high ratings and a following of her own. Dani can’t forgive Tyson’s transgressions or forget a single passionate night with him back in college. To make things worse, Tyson doesn’t realize that the bombshell with huge ratings is the cute co-ed whose heart he once broke.But can a sports journalist trying to claw her way to the top and a quarterback who knows all about rock bottom make it to the Super Bowl without destroying each other?And can Tyson use his million-dollar moves to get past Dani’s defenses—or will she sideline him for good . . . ?

A sexy sports superstar discovers his body isn't the only thing that needs healing in this newest Stardust, Texas novel from New York Times bestselling author Lori Wilde.With major league good looks and talent, Dallas Gunslingers relief pitcher Axel Richmond was living the good life. Even if the roar of the crowd could never distract him from the loss of his young son. But now with an injured shoulder and his career on the line, Axel is stuck recuperating at a ranch in Stardust, Texas . . . striking out only with his gorgeous physical therapist.Kasha Carlyle has one week to get Axel back in action or she can kiss her much-needed job with the Gunslingers goodbye. And any chance to seek custody of the orphaned half-sister she never knew existed. She quickly learns that Axel's guarded heart also needs healing . . . requiring all kinds of sneaky plays and sexy moves in extra innings.Praise for Lori Wilde's Stardust, Texas Series and Love Of The Game?Amusing, passionate, and rampant with sexual tension, this magic dusted escapade is just plain fun and a wonderful harbinger of things to come. Wilde is an expert at developing endearing Texas communities and here gives fans another one to savor.??Library Journal?[A] sweet and sexy story of first love, small towns, and family.??Booklist?Wilde brings readers to Stardust, Texas, where baseball and romance are the name of the game . . . Wilde has another winner.??RT Book Reviews

Every dream comes with a price . . .Dallas.Sacrifice. I'm familiar with it.I've had to leave behind everyone I cared about?my sister, my best friend, my band, and my high school sweetheart?in order to chase my dream of making it in Nashville.But when Robyn Breeland walks back into my life, it's as if the universe has decided to give me a second chance. I'm just not sure it's one I'm willing to take.Robyn.Heartbreak. I practically majored in it.Dallas Lark was the first boy I ever loved and the one who'd shattered my heart into pieces. But I've moved on. Working in promotions at Midnight Bay Bourbon, I'm too busy to sit around moping over my ex. But when my company decides to sponsor his tour, I'll have to face him whether I'm ready to or not. Dallas is determined to drive me to distraction, and my body begs me to let him.Trouble is, my heart can't tell the difference between a second chance and making the same mistake twice.

Ride Around Shining is the story of an aimless white guy who lies his way into the world of black basketball players, bathing in their reflected glory until his adoration turns to envy and destruction. Despite a history of accidents, Jess lands a job as a chauffeur for an up-and-coming Trail Blazer named Calyph West and his young wife, Antonia. Calyph is black and Antonia is white and Jess becomes fascinated, innocuously at first, by all they are that he is not. But in striving to make himself indispensable to them, he causes Calyph to have a season-ending knee injury, then brings about the couple's estrangement, before positioning himself at last as their perverse savior.In the tradition of The Talented Mr. Ripley, The Great Gatsby, and Harold Pinter's The Servant?not to mention a certain Shakespeare play about a creepy white dude obsessed with a black dude?Ride Around Shining tries to say the unsayable about white fixation on black culture, particularly black athletic culture, something so common in everyday life it has gone all but unaddressed.

All's fair in Love and Football . . .Emily Hamilton doesn't trust men. She's much more comfortable playing the romantic lead in front of a packed house onstage than in her own life. So when NFL star and alluring ladies' man Brandon McKenna acts as her personal white knight, she has no illusions that he'll stick around. However, a misunderstanding with the press throws them together in a fake engagement that yields unexpected (and breathtaking) benefits.Every time Brandon calls her "Sugar," Emily almost believes he's playing for keeps?not just to score. Can she let down her defenses and get her own happily ever after?

Fodbolden har det med at sætte ild til debatter, som forhåbentlig kan gøre os klogere. Én uge taler vi om racisme på tribunerne, en anden uge diskuterer vi Dansk Boldspil-Union og VM i Qatar – og en tredje uge er søgelyset skiftet til en boykot af de russiske landshold.I samtalebogen Mener du det? Samtaler om fodbold sætter fodboldtræner Peter Sørensen og journalist Asker Hedegaard Boye ti af tidens varmeste emner til debat. De to er ikke enige om alt, hvilket er en af bogens pointer: Vi må gerne være uenige; vi må gerne give hinanden modstand. Ja, faktisk er den ærlige strid på ord og argumenter noget af det dyrebareste, vi har i et demokratisk samfund!»Vi er alle hyklere, men det skal ikke holde os tilbage fra at prøve at sige og gøre det, visynes, er det rigtige. Jeg har ikke noget problem med ståsteder, som måtte være politiskukorrekte,« siger Peter et sted i bogen.Om forfatternePeter Sørensen var professionel fodboldspiller i halvandet årti. Han vandt mesterskabet med Silkeborg IF, spillede i hollandsk fodbold og fik flere end 200 Superliga-kampe. Siden 2009 har han været cheftræner i Fredericia, AGF, Silkeborg, Hobro og Vejle. Han er insider.Asker Hedegaard Boye har aldrig spillet på topplan. Til gengæld har han skrevet om fodbold i snart 20 år og rapporteret fra VM i Rusland i 2018 samt tre EM-slutrunder. Han er idéhistoriker og journalist på Weekendavisen med stort kendskab til dansk og international fodbold, ikke mindst brudfladerne mellem sport, kultur og politik. Fælles for de to er en livslang kærlighed til den problematiske, smukke og nu og da flygtige sport.

Love may be just a game, but the baseball players in Jennifer Seasons' sexy diamonds and dugouts series? they're playing for keeps!Mark Cutter has it all: a lucrative baseball career, fast cars, and faster women?and all thanks to his priceless good luck charm. At least, that's what he thinks before Lorelei Littleton shows up. Next thing he knows, he's waking up alone, the sexy brunette has vanished, and his good luck charm is gone. More than a little curious about the wicked-hot cat burglar and determined to get his property back, Mark's going to track down the thief and make her pay?big time.Maybe Lorelei feels a tiny bit guilty for stealing Mark's good luck charm, but when it's worth $100,000 and the money could save her niece's life? She's not losing sleep over it . . . but him? Lorelei can't get the ballplayer with the bad attitude out of her head. And now he's come after her with more than just revenge in his eyes. Lorelei has a choice: turn over the charm and lose the money, or keep it and risk losing everything . . . including her heart.

The scorching finale to the internationally bestselling series bound to thrill fans of Fifty Shades of GreyEmerging from sexual captivity, psychologist Alexandra Blake is feeling a sense of empowerment?along with a strange mix of fear and exhilaration. She holds the key to the cutting-edge aphrodisiac drugs so desperately sought by both her abductors and her lover, Dr. Jeremy Quinn. But in order to unlock the secrets within her, she must now embark upon a quest to explore ancient erotic rituals. After all she's been through, Alexandra thought she'd experienced pleasure at its most extreme. She was wrong.In the stunning conclusion of the Avalon trilogy, Alexandra will reconcile her past and her future, discovering the true purpose behind the role she was always destined to play.

Julie Brannagh's sparkling and romantic Love and Football series continues!For Amy Hamilton, only three Fs matter: Family, Football, and Flowers. It might be nice to find someone to share Forever with, too, but right now she's working double overtime while she gets her flower shop off the ground. The last thing she needs or wants is a distraction ... or help, for that matter. Especially in the form of gorgeous and aggravatingly arrogant ex-NFL star Matt Stephens.Matt lives by a playbook?his playbook. He never thought his toughest opponent would come in the form of a stunning florist with a stubborn streak to match his own. Since meeting her in the bar after her sister's wedding, he's known there's something between them. After she refuses?again and again?to go out with him, Matt will do anything to win her heart ... But will Amy, who has everything to lose, let the clock run out on the one-yard line?