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Hook Shot by Kennedy Ryan Series: Standalone Novel
Published by Self Published on 1/26/19
Genres: Sports Romance
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Divorced. Single dad. Traded to a losing squad.Cheated on, betrayed, exposed.
My perfect life blew up in my face and I'm still picking up the pieces.
The last thing I need is her.
A wildflower. A storm. A woman I can't resist.
Lotus DuPree is a kick to my gut and a wrench in my plans
from the moment our eyes meet.
I promised myself I wouldn't trust a woman again,
but I've never wanted anyone the way I want Lo.
She's not the plan I made, but she's the risk I have to take.A warrior. A baller. The one they call Gladiator.Kenan Ross charged into my life smelling all good, looking even better and snatching my breath from the moment we met.
The last thing I need is him.
I'm working on me. Facing my pain and conquering my demons.
I've seen what trusting a man gets you.
I. Don't. Have. Time. For. This.
But he just keeps coming for me.
Keeps knocking down my defenses and stealing my excuses
one by one.
He never gives up, and now...I'm not sure I want him to.
This book is nothing short of PHENOMENAL and I’m honest to God astonished over what I read. This is easily one of the most unforgettable, stunning stories I’ve ever read. An absolute must read!!!
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Jessica’s Review
5 “This was Everything” Stars!
Oh. My. Word.
I am REELING.
I am sitting here with my thoughts spinning, with my heart pounding, with my breath slowly returning to a normal rhythm. I am sitting here with absolutely no idea how to even BEGIN to put thoughts down about what I just experienced on these pages. I am sitting here in awe, in stunned silence, in utter disbelief as I reflect back on the MASTERPIECE that is Hook Shot. This book was nothing short of PHENOMENAL and I’m honest to God astonished over what I’ve just read.
When I tell you that I DEVOURED this book, it’s an understatement. I stayed up far later than I should have last night tearing through these pages. When I realized I needed to call it a night, this book haunted my dreams. It consumed my every waking thought in the moments I had to step away. I have never been so anxious to both finish a book and not finish a book all at once. The layering of this story, the masterful weaving of detail through these pages, the cultivation of the most MAGNIFICENT love story… this was honestly not only a TOP FAVORITE read of this year, but easily one of the most unforgettable, stunning stories I’ve ever read.
I can’t get over Lotus’ brokenness. I can’t get over Kenan’s infuriating divorce, how insane his ex wife was to lose a man like this. I can’t get over how much he loves his daughter. I can’t get over how devastating this story is at times. I can’t get over the chemistry, the burn, the unrelenting attraction. I can’t get over the PERFECTION of the dialogue. I can not get over the way Lotus’ family history, the magic of her bloodline, is woven through this entire story. I can’t get over how damn sexy this book was. I can not stop the highlight reel of unforgettable, soul searing scenes from replaying on a loop in my mind. I can’t stop the ache in my heart from surging everytime I think back on these moments… SO MANY BEAUTIFUL MOMENTS. I can barely breathe when I think back on Kenan’s notes, his words, his heart. I can not get over this journey, this road to forgiveness, to acceptance, to happiness. I can not get over the MAGIC, the ROMANCE, the heartache. I can not get over what a master storyteller and weaver of words Kennedy Ryan is. Truly, that is what has blown me away the most. Her words. Her prose. Her vibrant writing style and brilliant crafting of these characters that left me GOBSMACKED because I can’t get over how unbelievably amazing it all felt. This book is on another level and I will not ever, ever get over it
Excerpt
After talking to Kenan for the last few minutes, and looking under his hood, so to speak, I’ve found that he’s a classic. They don’t make them like him anymore, and if I don’t change the subject, change the course of this conversation, I’ll fool myself that we don’t have to keep things simple and that we could be more than just friends, not just for the summer, but for a long time to come. As long as I’d like.
“Okay,” I say, switching gears without a clutch and pulling a tie off another of Amanda’s racks. “I think that shirt could work really well with this tie.”
He doesn’t look at the tie I’m holding up, but keeps his eyes fastened on me. He’s not playing along. I’ve boxed myself into a corner with him. And the quarters are too tight. His scent. His warmth. His intelligence. His thoughtfulness. He is pressing in on me, overtaking my good intentions in all the ways I never thought a man could.
“Try this on,” I say, blindly shoving the mint green shirt at him.
When I look at him, he’s already peeled one shirt off and is reaching for the one I chose. I didn’t think this through. Didn’t forecast that Kenan changing from one shirt into another would mean his naked chest. I lose my train of thought and all my chill. Besides my mouth dropping open at the sight of the sculpted terrain of his chest and abs, I give no other indication that he affects me. Taut, bronze skin stretches across his broad shoulders like supple canvas pulled over a frame, the foundation of a masterpiece. He’s a big man. Not bulky, but instead chiseled to the specifications of a master sculptor: arms roped with muscles, biceps like rocks under skin glowing with health. The forearms Chase raved about are lined with veins and sinew. And I die for a great chest. I’ve never seen one more spectacular than Kenan’s.
Two words.
Male. Nipples.
Jesus, my mouth is literally watering at the thought of tasting them, sucking them, licking them. And if that pectoral perfection weren’t enough, the two columns of muscles, four each, are stacked over his lean stomach arrowing down to a narrow waist and hips. I can’t look away. I lick my lips, imagining how he would feel under my mouth. How I’d lick around his nipples and drag my tongue down that shallow path bisecting his abdominal muscles. I’d slip that belt off and sink to my knees. Unzip those pants and take him out. God, hold him in my hands and then take him all the way to the back of my throat. I’d choke on him. A man this big . . . I’d be so tight around him.
“Lotus,” Kenan says, jarring me from my torso trance. “Should I go ahead and put this shirt on? Or did you need a little more time?”
I snap a glance up to his face, embarrassed to find him laughing at me. Oh, God. I’m as bad as Amanda. I turn to leave, but he catches my elbow with a gentle hand and turns me back around, walking us behind two of the racks. He bends until he’s almost eye level with me.
“Don’t be embarrassed,” he says, searching my face intently. “I’m glad you like my body.”
“I didn’t say I . . .” My words trail off at his knowing grin. “Okay. So you have a nice body. I work in fashion. Do you have any idea how many great bodies I see on a daily basis?”
“I’m sure many,” he says, his smile still firmly in place. “I can’t speak for any of them, only for the way you looked at me.”
“And how do you think I looked at you?” I ask defensively, forcing myself not to look away.
In the quiet that follows, his smile fades, and heat replaces the humor in his eyes. “You looked at me the way I bet I’ve looked at you every time you walk into a room,” he says, the timbre of his voice rolling over my sensitive skin like a caress. “Like I would eat you if I could. Head to toe, everything in between.”
“Kenan,” I protest, closing my eyes on a groan. “We said friends. We said simple. This is not how you start a simple friendship.”
His large hand cups my jaw and lifts my chin. I open my eyes, blinking dazedly at him. I wasn’t prepared for how his touch makes me feel. How I instantly crave more of it; want to lean into the warmth; to turn and trace his lifeline with my tongue. Tell him all the things I could discover just from reading his palm and looking into his eyes.
How can such a large hand feel so gentle, like it’s capable of treasuring, cherishing?
“Okay, Lotus,” he says, regret and reluctance woven around my name. “Simple. Friendship.”
About the Author
A Top 30 Amazon Bestseller, Kennedy Ryan writes about women from all walks of life, empowering them and placing them firmly at the center of each story and in charge of their own destinies. Her heroes respect, cherish and lose their minds for the women who capture their hearts.
She is a wife to her lifetime lover and mother to an extraordinary son. She has always leveraged her journalism background to write for charity and non-profit organizations, but enjoys writing to raise Autism awareness most. A contributor for Modern Mom Magazine and Frolic, Kennedy’s writings have appeared in Chicken Soup for the Soul, USA Today and many others. The founder and executive director of a foundation serving Atlanta Autism families, she has appeared on Headline News, Montel Williams, NPR and other media outlets as an advocate for families living with autism.
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