I still cannot believe that I get to review one of my all-time favorite series that have been newly edited and got some gorgeous looking covers as well. This is the first romance series that I fell in love with and that cemented my love for Carly Phillips. I hope you enjoy this smoking hot sports romance series as much as I do!

Note: I will be giving brief reviews for each book since there are four in the series as to not make this post a million miles long lol. Keep in mind there will be some spoilers

Hot Zone
Books 1-4
Carly Phillips
March 7, 2017

Hot Stuff (Book 1)

He’s about to find out …  She’s not just one of the guys.

Annabelle Jordan and her two sisters were orphans in frilly dresses when they went to live with their sports-lawyer uncle in his world of locker rooms, bookies and gambling. Now the girls are publicists in their uncle’s firm, The Hot Zone.

Despite her upbringing, Annabelle is all woman. She’s naturally drawn to real men—like her latest client, businessman and former football legend Brandon Vaughn.

The chemistry is potent, undeniable, irresistible. Annabelle soon realizes that Brandon is much more than just another jock. And that she’d better hold on tight if she doesn’t want to lose her heart.

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I hate to play favorites especially with a series that is near and dear to my heart BUT Hot Stuff is my favorite book in the Hot Zone series. This was either my fourth or fifth time reading it and it brought back all the feelings I had when I read it back when I was 16. Annabelle and Brandon are just adorable together but they also bring the heat as their resistance to working alongside one another, because of their obvious attraction, does not last long once they are alone up in Brandon’s hometown. And even before that happens we get great bickering back and forth moments where their butting heads with one another just causes the sexual tension to build and build and build.

Though the bickering and butting heads moments are thoroughly entertaining and definitely lead to some hot moments in the bedroom, one element of the story  really pulled on the heartstrings for me and brought forth a topic not usually talked about in romance novels. Brandon has dealt with a learning disability all his life that made things difficult in high school leading him to focus on something he was good at which was football. He overcame his obstacles thanks to some help from his agent but it caused him to have a very strained relationship with his parents who did not view him as being good enough in their eyes. Brandon dealing with his parents throughout the story was hard to read because they still view him as the kid who didn’t do well enough in school and not as the uber successful football player that he has become. When Brandon admits what he views as his flaw to Annabelle, it was the most heartwarming moment of the book because it sets up the beginning of their relationship as one that is more than just having fun.

If you like characters that bicker and challenge one another causing heaps and heaps of sexual tension, a cast of entertaining and lovable side characters, and a bit of a mystery, then you will love Hot Stuff.

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Hot Number
Book 2

Micki Jordan is a tomboy as much at home on the playing field as in a locker room full of naked guys.

But the star publicist is looking to prove she’s also an irresistible woman in order to get a second shot at professional baseball player and major league playboy, Damian Fuller.

Micki transforms herself into one hot number Damian can’t help but notice and together they burn up the sheets and find themselves falling hard. Until Damian’s past returns, threatening their future.

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Good Ole Micki, just one of the guys. That is how Micki Jordan has felt for most of her life. And for good reason considering she spent most of her childhood in a locker room following her Uncle Yank around. She never felt like she could relate to her sisters and be girlie. That was all fine and good until it began to get a bit old and that was before she kissed Damian Fuller at a New Year’s Eve party. Now this tomboy wants to be seen as more than just one of the guys especially to Damian. And boy does she get her wish when things get a little crazy on a trip to Florida acting as Damian’s publicist. Let’s just say it involves a mix up in the drink order, a strip club, and Micki showing Damian just how much she is not one of the guys. Intrigued? Well this little incident, which is extremely entertaining to read, leads to Micki and Damian escaping to his vacation home on an island off of the Florida Keys ALONE. I don’t think I need to explain what happened while they were there, only that it was hilarious to read Damian’s reactions when Micki decides this is the perfect opportunity to make her move.

Micki and Damian’s moments together on the island were adorable, steamy, and very real but when they come back from the island the storyline shifts more to the side characters and what is happening between them, mainly the debacle that is Uncle Yank and Lola’s relationship. While I enjoyed reading about these characters because you just can’t help but fall in love with them as you see their storylines progress from the first book, I did feel like the focus on Micki and Damian’s relationship was pushed aside a bit too much for my liking. I realized how much I enjoyed the beginning part of this book much more than I did the middle moving into the end. Overall though the ending was worth the wait, even if there were quite a few obstacles before we could get there, and I adored Micki and Damian’s story just as much as did the first time I read it.

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Hot Item
Book 3

Cool, collected Sophie Jordan loves her daily routine running her family’s top sports management agency, as long as she gets to stay behind the scenes. But with big sister on maternity leave and little sis on her honeymoon, she’s forced to step up to the plate. And a recent media crisis surrounding the disappearance of super-agent Spenser Atkins is not going to make the job any easier.

Enter star quarterback and notorious bad boy Riley Nash who, for reasons of his own, needs to track down Atkins. Up until now, Sophie has kept a strict no-dating-clients policy, but each day with Riley makes her rule near impossible to follow. With her job and her heart on the line, Sophie will need to make the toughest choice of her life!

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Out of all the sisters, I knew I was going to relate to Sophie the most just because she is described as always having her nose in a book when she was younger. Now all grown up she is “the smart sister” who uses her need for knowledge as a way to control everything in her life. Everything in her life is planned out and that includes her relationships, which under no circumstances will ever be with a client as Sophie doesn’t do athletes. The only person who seems to be an exception to this rule is Riley Nash. He purposefully goes out of his way when he comes to the office to flirt with her, making it harder and harder for her to resist the building attraction she has for the man. Now that is all going to change when they are both after the same thing: finding Spencer Atkins. Sophie needs to find Spencer because of business reasons since the merger between his sports agency and Uncle Yank’s and Riley needs to find Spencer for a more personal reason. Their pursuit leads them to Florida to question his sisters if they know of his whereabouts.

Florida provides both Sophie and Riley with some answers but it also reveals one very important thing and that is their feelings for one another. But Riley has a lot going on in his personal life between his business with Spencer and dealing with his teenage daughter who knows daddy will give her whatever she wants if she asks. This novel like the previous one featuring Micki’s story also has a bunch of side characters and there are times when they take over the story leaving Sophie and Riley’s time together off to the side. While I absolutely loved Sophie and Riley especially Riley with his bad boy ways and Southern accent, it did seem like they weren’t getting enough of the spotlight in my opinion. But I guess that is what you have to realize as you continue on in this series because the storylines of the side characters continue to progress even if the love stories change with each book. While it did get annoying for me sometimes I love the side characters just as much so it wasn’t all bad in the end.

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Hot Property
Book 4

Just one short season ago, major league center fielder John Roper had it all: the looks—and personal life—of a sports hero and the public’s adoration. But this hot property’s lucky streak has run out. After a World Series disaster, fans diss him, shock jocks mock him and his dysfunctional family hassles him for money he really can’t spare.

Now it’s up to him, and Hot Zone publicist Amy Stone, to get his life back on track.

Amy finds it’s easier said than done. What with the constant intrusions of his nutty family, a crazed fan playing stalker, and Roper’s refusal to put his own needs first, she’s starting to think that life in the fast lane isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. But when the two retreat to a secluded lodge, the sexy center fielder throws Amy a curveball—one she never saw coming…

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The lovable John Roper finally gets his own story as well as his own HEA and I am so happy! John Roper is a client at Athletes Only and Hot Zone as well as Micki’s best friend. He is first introduced in Micki’s book, Hot Number, and then pops up in Hot Item as well but now it is his turn to find the love of his life. Only he doesn’t make a very good first impression when he comes onto Amy Stone at her cousin Riley’s wedding when he already brought another women as his date. Not a very good move John! It is not until a month later after Amy moves to New York for her new job as a publicist at Hot Zone that they meet again. Not only is the attraction still there but it is hotter than ever which makes things a little complicated when Roper is assigned as Amy’s first client.

Amy is so so sweet and new to the world of being a publicist to a professional athlete completely taken aback by the attention that they get especially Roper who has been under some heat for his poor performance last season. Not only is she juggling getting acclimated to this new life style, she is also trying to juggle her feelings for Roper while trying to be professional as his publicist. Add Roper’s demanding family constantly needing him to solve their problems and she has more than enough to deal with. With Roper’s family added into the mix, this book like the others in the series has a whole cast of side characters which definitely add to the drama. Especially the point of view that pops up of the person who is trying to ruin Roper’s career. While these side characters and storylines definitely take time away from the main couple, Amy and Roper, they add a lot to the story further expanding on the world that Carly Phillips has created over the course of these four books.

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As a series overall…..

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About the author:

After a successful fifteen-year career with various New York publishing houses, and over 40 sexy contemporary romance novels published, N.Y. Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Carly Phillips is now an Indie author who writes to her own expectations and that of her readers. She continues the tradition of hot men and strong women and plans to publish many more sizzling stories. Carly lives in Purchase, NY with her family, two nearly adult daughters and two crazy dogs who star on her Facebook Fan Page and website. She’s a writer, a knitter of sorts, a wife, and a mom. In addition, she’s a Twitter and Internet junkie and is always around to interact with her readers. You can find out more about Carly at http://www.carlyphillips.com.

Website: http://www.carlyphillips.com/
Newsletter Signup: http://www.carlyphillips.com/
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Going Down Hard
Carly Phillips
Billionaire Bad Boys Book 3
February 21, 2017

A stand-alone Billionaire Bad Boys novel.

Billionaire Bad Boys: Rich, Powerful and sexy as hell.

Derek West rose from poverty to take the tech world by storm. He’s sexy, confident and gets any woman he wants. And who he wants is Cassie Storm, the rich girl he’s never been good enough for.

She’s desperate to save her family company and there’s only one man who can help. But Derek isn’t interested in helping. He wants to possess both the company and the woman he’s never been able to forget.

His plan? To screw her out of his head. Except once he’s had a taste of Cassie, he doesn’t want to let her go. Her family remembers where he came from, and they won’t allow it. When the truth about their pasts comes to light, though, it may be Cassie who’s going down hard.

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Previous/Other books in the Billionaire Bad Boys series

Going Down Easy
Billionaire Bad Boys #1

Billionaire Bad Boys: Rich, Powerful and sexy as hell.

Billionaire Kaden Barnes has a reputation for being difficult and always getting his way.

Enigmatic and exacting, he’s unable to keep an assistant for long. Enter his newest hire, Lexie Parker. She’s no-nonsense, efficient and all business… She’s also hot as sin and soon starring in Kaden’s dirtiest fantasies.

As their passion for each other reaches a boiling point, neither can control the explosive outcome when they finally give in to their desires. He may think he’s calling the shots, but for this bad boy, going down easy has never felt so good.

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 Going Down Fast
Billionaire Bad Boys #2

A stand-alone Billionaire Bad Boys novel.

Billionaire Bad Boys: Rich, Powerful and sexy as hell.

Lucas Monroe dropped out of college only to become a multi-billionaire and tech world God. He can have any woman he desires in his bed, but the only woman he’s ever wanted is off limits and always has been. When Maxie Sullivan finds herself in dire straits, the only man she can turn to is the one she’s always secretly loved: her childhood best friend.  Can they trust their hearts and make a future, or will their complicated pasts stand in the way?

This bad boy is going down fast …

And going down fast has never felt so right.

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About the Author:

After a successful fifteen-year career with various New York publishing houses, and over 40 sexy contemporary romance novels published, N.Y. Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Carly Phillips is now an Indie author who writes to her own expectations and that of her readers. She continues the tradition of hot men and strong women and plans to publish many more sizzling stories. Carly lives in Purchase, NY with her family, two nearly adult daughters and two crazy dogs who star on her Facebook Fan Page and website. She’s a writer, a knitter of sorts, a wife, and a mom. In addition, she’s a Twitter and Internet junkie and is always around to interact with her readers. You can find out more about Carly at http://www.carlyphillips.com.

Author Links:
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Newsletter: http://www.carlyphillips.com/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/10000.Carly_Phillips
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Carly-Phillips/e/B001I9W0MS
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CarlyPhillipsFanPage
Twitter: https://twitter.com/carlyphillips

Derek West and Cassie Storm have a past. Once upon a time she was the rich, popular girl and he was the gardener’s son whose parents worked for her and her family. Despite the differences between them, they shared a small, intimate moment the summer before they went off to college that spoke of promise. That is, until it all came crashing down the next day when Derek overheard Cassie and her friends admitting that he may be totally fuckable but he was not the boy you bring home to your parents. Assuming he had seen Cassie’s true colors as the quintessential rich girl and wanting nothing of it, Derek went off to college focusing on his passion for computers instead. Fast forward ten years and Derek West is one third of the billion dollar tech company that created the popular app, Blink. He may have been the gardener’s son in the past but now he is one of the most sought after person in the tech world. And one of those people hoping to get a moment of Derek’s time is none other than Cassie Storm. Oh how the tables have turned.

Cassie has been working her butt off at her family’s company determined to make her late grandfather proud by to become CEO of the company when her father decides to step down. Unfortunately that opportunity is ripped away from her when her father annouces that her brother, who has been jet setting around Europe for the past year and therefore has had no experience working for the family business, is given the presitigious title instead. Heartbroken by the decision, Cassie lets her disappointment and hurt fuel her determination to show her father that she is still worthy by landing THE interview that will make their company’s tech magazine one everyone will be talking about. That coveted interview Cassie desperately needs? You guessed it, Derek West.

Things get a little more difficult when Derek doesn’t initially agree to the interview as he has a firm policy not to let anybody know about his past and how he got to where he is today. Especially when the person asking reminds him vividly of how her family ruined his family’s life. Did I forget to mention that Cassie’s father accused Derek’s mother who was the Storm family’s maid at the time of stealing a diamond necklace and then had her arrested. This lead to the family being fired, thus losing their home and their health insurance, which made things especially hard when Derek’s father got cancer, leaving them unable to get him the care he needed in time resulting in his father’s death. At least that is how Derek has seen it for the past 10 years. But what Derek didn’t bet on is that A) his feelings for Cassie still existed and were still as strong as they were 10 years ago, and B) for him to be wrong about Cassie being the stuck-up rich girl he thought she was all those years ago.

The one thing I loved about this book was how Cassie did not take any of the crap Derek threw at her. Derek still has a lot of resentment and anger towards the Storm family after what happened and there are time when it affects his behavior when he is around Cassie as if he holds her responsible for what her father did. But Cassie doesn’t allow this behavior to stand and on more than one occasion calls Derek out on it and makes it perfectly clear she is not going to stand for it. I absolutely LOVED those moments because it shows you how strong she is as a women especially when she has been proving herself almost her entire life when it comes to her family and their company.

“I’m not giving up on the interview. But you should think about whether or not you want to see me outside of a working relationship. Because I don’t want to deal with the snide remarks and sudden change of temperature when something you don’t like comes up.”

Derek had a lot to work through over the course of this book as he tries to move past his feelings about the Storm family so that it does not interfere with his relationship with Cassie. Then when the truth of the incident that caused his family so much pain, at least in his eyes, comes to light Derek must learn to accept what has happened in the past in order for him to have a future with Cassie. I really enjoyed the journey Derek went on because he had so much loyalty to his family that it blinded him a bit because it allowed for his anger towards the Storm family to remain and grow as he got older. It was this second chance with Cassie that allowed him to not only find love but also learn to accept what has happened in the past and, in a way, forgive those involved.

While there is a lot of emotion in this book, there is also a lot of heat as well so if you are looking for a second chance romance that encompasses both, I definitely suggest you check out Going Down Hard and the other books in this series.

Big Shot
Carly Phillips & Erika Wilde
A Book Boyfriend Novel, Book 1
January 17, 2017

New York Times Bestselling Authors Carly Phillips and Erika Wilde bring you a sexy new standalone romance.

Fall in love with your next Book Boyfriend . . .

Wes Sinclair is a notorious heart-breaker, a hot as sin bad boy with a panty-dropping smile no woman can resist. Except for his best friend’s little sister and business adversary, Natalie Prescott, who seems immune to his flirtatious charms. While she’s become a permanent fixture in his dirtiest, most scandalous fantasies, she wants nothing to do with him, or his seductive promises. Challenge accepted. His goal? To bring her to her knees, make her beg, and show her just how good being bad can be.

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About the Authors

***About Carly Phillips***

Carly Phillips is the N.Y. Times and USA Today Bestselling Author of over 50 sexy contemporary romance novels featuring hot men, strong women and the emotionally compelling stories her readers have come to expect and love. Carly is happily married to her college sweetheart, the mother of two nearly adult daughters and three crazy dogs (two wheaten terriers and one mutant Havanese) who star on her Facebook Fan Page and website. Carly loves social media and is always around to interact with her readers. You can find out more about Carly at http://www.carlyphillips.com.

Website: http://www.carlyphillips.com/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/10000.Carly_Phillips
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Carly-Phillips/e/B001I9W0MS
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CarlyPhillipsFanPage
Twitter: https://twitter.com/carlyphillips

***About Erika Wilde*** 

Erika Wilde is the author of the sexy Marriage Diaries series and The Players Club series. She lives in Oregon with her husband and two daughters, and when she’s not writing you can find her exploring the beautiful Pacific Northwest. For more information on her upcoming releases, please visit website at http://www.erikawilde.com.

Website: http://www.erikawilde.com/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5357264.Erika_Wilde
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Erika-Wilde/e/B00CVE4WSO
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ErikaWildeAuthorFanPage
Twitter: https://twitter.com/erikawilde1

 

I feel like I should preface this review by saying that Carly Phillips is my most read romance author since I began reading them almost nine years ago (Big Shot is my 18th book of hers). Anytime I see her coming out with a new book, I jump at the chance to read it as soon as I can. But Carly Phillips is only half of this wonderful duo who wrote not only Big Shot but the Dirty Sexy series which I HIGHLY recommend to anyone. I devoured that series last year and learned just how freaking amazing Carly Phillips and Erika Wilde are together. Big Shot left me hot and bothered while also giving me the warm fuzzies, earning its place as yet another Carly Phillips book that I absolutely loved.

You get a glimpse of Wes and Natalie in the fourth book of the Dirty Sexy series, Dirty Sexy Sinner, and even from that brief moment you know these two have something between them, even if Natalie is purposefully giving Wes the cold shoulder. This is a nemeses to lovers story as Wes and Natalie have been challenging and fighting against one another ever since they were kids when Natalie tried to hang out with the boys which comprised of her brother, Connor, and Wes, his best friend. Feelings emerged on both sides over the years but that pesky fact that Wes was Natalie’s brother’s best friend, and therefore Wes didn’t want to break the bro code and jeopardize his friendship with Connor, deterred anything from happening. Until now, of course 🙂

Ugh there were just so many things that I loved about this book! Let’s start out with the fact that Natalie makes the connection that Wes has a smolder BETTER than Flynn Rider’s from Tangled, which is my all time favorite Disney movie. Then you have Natalie who is never afraid to leave Wes on his toes, as she makes sure he realizes that he may have won the bet but she was not going to be at his beck and call without throwing a few wrenches into his plans. This leads to the infamous poker game scene which results in the two finally giving into the sexual tension that has been building for years. But I think my favorite thing that occurred from that, besides the toe-curling sex, is Wes’s nickname for Natalie. It is both sexy AND adorable. Every time Wes called Natalie it I got flutters in my stomach and squealed like a little girl. Obviously if you want to know what it is you are going to have to read the book.

While there was definitely a good share of hot and steamy moments in this book, there were also super sweet, heart-squeezing moments where you could see just how much Natalie and Wes care about each other. There is one moment in particular where they were just enjoying each other’s company, with their clothes on, and it felt like such a real moment between them that they became more than just a couple in a book for me. It’s a moment that I hope will happen to me when I meet my person which is pretty powerful given how normal the scene was in the grand scheme of things.

As much as I loved this book, there is just one thing that I think would have made it just a little bit better. I was left wanting more from this book which has been a usual result after reading the other series these two wrote. I would have loved for Natalie’s term of being at Wes’s beck and call as a result of losing their bet to last for a month instead of just two weeks. If it was twice as long we could have gotten more hilarious, adorable, and not to mention steamy moments between these two. 

Despite me being a little greedy and wanting more, Big Shot was a superb start to Carly Phillips and Erika Wilde’s new series. Wes will truly become your new book boyfriend as you see his sexy, dominant side but also his caring side as he and Natalie finally realize they were meant for one another. If you like romances where the couple challenges each other at first leading to some serious fireworks later on but who also have history together, then check out Big Shot by Carly Phillips and Erika Wilde.