Hi there! Today I’m so excited to share a release day review for a contemporary romance from Violet Duke. I really enjoyed LOVE EXES AND OHS so I was eager to read more of her work. JACKSON’S TRUST is a fun and flirty romance that blooms between a football analyst and a sideline reporter–but neither is who they claim to be…entirely. And earning each other’s trust, is well..fraught with difficulty.

Catch the excerpt, my review and enter to win a $50 Amazon gift card.

About the book:
New York Times bestselling author Violet Duke kicks off her sizzling-hot new Fourth Down series with a friends-to-lovers romance between a no-strings-attached sports analyst and the hottest damn tomboy he’s ever met.

It’s no secret that sports analyst Jackson Gray doesn’t do relationships. What is a secret, however, is the reason why. Jackson’s life is…complicated. And it doesn’t help that his current hands-off “friendship” is with the cute-as-hell new sideline reporter he’s assigned to train. Turns out, not only is the woman damn sweet, she also knows as much about football as he does. Like it or not though, Jackson has to remind himself that sex is the only thing he has to offer…until now.

Leila Hart’s fast-growing friendship with Jackson is something she’d never risk, no matter how unbelievably seductive the reward. Becoming an NFL sportscaster has always been the goal, and thanks to Jackson’s fierce support and mentoring, it all finally seems within reach. Problem is, a girl can only take so much of that sexy-as-sin voice whispering dirty, filthy football stats in her ear before she loses all self-control. A workplace romance with Jackson is a disaster waiting to happen, especially for someone with big dreams . . . and secrets of her own.

Advance praise for Jackson’s Trust…
“I totally love this hotter side of Violet Duke. You still get the same sweet, emotional story but with a little bit of extra sizzle. Jackson’s Trust is a must-read novel.”—New York Times bestselling author Sawyer Bennett

“A delightfully fresh read . . . Violet Duke delivers it all in Jackson’s Trust!”—New York Times bestselling author Jen McLaughlin

“Violet Duke’s writing jumps off the page and grabs you from the first sentence. You will love Jackson’s Trust.”—New York Times bestselling author Bella Andre

“Jackson’s Trust is hot, sweet, and filled with tender moments. Violet Duke writes heroes who make me swoon!”—New York Times bestselling author Kendall Ryan

How about a little taste?

“So what’s your stance on morning-after breakfasts?”

Her gaze never wavered. “I actually like cooking breakfast for one,” she replied with an honesty he could hear clear as day. “But,” she concluded softly, “I think that’s an irrelevant point for us.”

Coming from any other woman, the finality in that statement would be merely disappointing. Coming from Leila, his brain was finding it almost unacceptable. “Let me guess. You don’t sleep with guys you work with.”

She answered via a slight head tilt, before driving the point home. “This job is really important to me.”

Enough said. That was that.

Jackson did his best to curb the disappointment while he dropped his hands from the wall and backed away. “I don’t blame you. It’s a great opportunity for your career.” He grit his teeth against the urge to crowd her back up against the wall when he saw her chest rise and fall, at a pace that matched his own.

Hell, even the way the woman breathed was a turn-on.

Being the consummate professional around her was going to be a damn nightmare. But not impossible. He just had to focus. “So that brings us right back to why we’re here today; throwing you into the deep end so you can hit the ground running in this amazing career opportunity.”

Her eyes widened the slightest bit in surprise. “Just like that? No muss, no fuss? I’m now in the same category as Rachel, never to be flirted with again?”

He almost laughed at that as he swept another quick glance over her. Commercial-shiny, sleek layers of caramel and toffee framing her face, ultra-feminine curves he couldn’t spend too much time on without disrupting the fit of his slacks, and approximately a mile or two of toned legs. Seriously, she was superheroine pretty. Tough and sexy, with a sweet country rock goddess smile, and a hella cute tomboy way about her that she couldn’t hide. Not even under that chic thigh-high skirt and five-button blouse—yes, he’d counted—she had the rightfully held confidence to wear unplastered to her body . . .

The same category as Rachel? Was she kidding? Christ, she belonged in a category all her own. When you threw in her wit, fire, and football chops, Jesus, she was basically his dream girl.

“Don’t think it’s going to be easy for me not to flirt with you, sunshine. But I respect your commitment to your career.” So saying, he walked over to the refreshment bar at the corner of the conference room and poured them both some coffee, giving his brain the time it needed to shift gears and make good on his declaration.

This wasn’t going to be easy.

Because while he had absolutely no problem stepping back when a woman wasn’t interested, Leila wasn’t disinterested. In fact, all evidence would point to her being about as interested as he was.

She was just . . . off-limits.

A volatile combination.

My Review:
Leila and Jackson both have secrets. They are both haunted by families that have serious dysfunction–in Leila’s case she’s the “other” child. The one her congressman father only sees as a commodity to barter for political power. For Jackson, he’s well, on the outs with his half-brother who runs their late father’s company. At any moment, however, he might be needed to correct his brother’s missteps.

Jackson’s a well-respected football analyst with a fledgling sports network and he’s earned the respect of many teams’ management. He’s wondering why the newly-hired sidelines reporter, Leila, is allowing their producer to speak down to her, as if she doesn’t know anything about football. Jackson sees immediately that Leila’s putting on an act–but why?

Thing is, Leila’s a football guru. And a well-educated woman. Sports reporting is her dream job, the one she pursued when her beloved Gram died. Jackson’s drawn to her–because he sees her intellect, and that’s even sexier than her pleasingly-plump frame. Over the course of their time in the office each sees the little kindnesses the other extends to the rest of the staff. Leila’s a big hit with the management, well, until her SOB of an ex reveals some of Leila’s secrets involving sports gaming and gambling websites. It’s all a wash, however, and she win’s Jackson’s trust completely.

Just when we think it’s going to go completely right we get a squib kick to the guts. I don’t want to give things away, but I’ll say that Jackson’s big bro is at the root of the problem, and he steadily endeavors to make things worse. There are some harrowing bits here, I won’t lie about it. While Leila and Jackson pull through, they aren’t quite together…for a bit. I so loved how each of them made sacrifices for the other, both assuming they’d never be a couple again. It was charming in an O. Henry Gift of the Magi sort of way. Expect an HEA, and a football fantasy come true.

There isn’t a lot of conflict here–between Leila and Jackson. They have a mutual respect and grow to care for each other long before this gets physical. The conflict all comes from outside–mostly resulting from one or the other’s family. this is the first book in a series, and it’s likely the next one will feature one of Jackson’s best friends.

Interested? You can find JACKSON’S TRUST on Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, iBooks, Kobo, and Google Play.

****GIVEAWAY****

Click on this Rafflecopter giveaway link for your chance to win a $50 Amazon gift card.
Good luck and keep reading my friends!

About the Author:
NEW YORK TIMES & USA TODAY bestselling author Violet Duke is a former professor of English Education ecstatic to now be on the other side of the page writing wickedly fun contemporary romances filled with strong, unique heroines and memorably romantic heroes. With just under a million books sold to date, since becoming an author in 2013, Violet has appeared on the USA Today bestseller list thirteen times and the NYT bestseller list three times, with the additional honor of charting in the Top 10 across the major eretailers both in the U.S. and internationally. Her fans, who she just adores to pieces, affectionately call her books sweet & sexy ‘laugh & cry’ love stories.

When she’s not feeding her book-a-day reading addiction, Violet enjoys tackling reno projects with her power tools, trying pretty much anything without reading the directions first, and cooking impossible-to-be-duplicated ‘special edition’ dishes that laugh in the face of recipes. A born and raised island girl, she spends her days in Hawai’i chasing after her two cute kids (daughter Violet & son Duke) and similarly adorable husband (their ringleader).

Connect with Violet on her website, twitter, Facebook, Facebook Fan Page, or sign up for her newsletter.