Review - Rookie Mistake by L.A. Witt and Anna Zabo

Rookie Mistake is the latest book written by authors L.A. Witt and Anna Zabo. It's a terrific, action-packed, and definitely steamy romance between two professional hockey players.  

Anna Zabo is a new-to-me author. They're a rather prolific author much like L.A. Witt is whose books I've been reading since I discovered her last summer. I've read at least 25-30 of her books. So far!

Rookie Mistake is currently available at retailers as of this week and is well worth the read. 

From the back cover: 

Rookie forward Isaac Rivera is still finding his footing in the big leagues where he’s no longer the best player on the roster. It’s a whole new world, especially now that several of his hockey idols have become teammates. Friends, even.

There’s one who’s more than a hockey idol, though… and he might end up being more than a friend. 

Julien Landry is a powerhouse on the ice. In eight years, he’s become one of the league’s top defensemen and the heartthrob everyone wants to bed. But fallout from a painful mistake as a rookie, followed by years of rough-and-tumble hookups, have him itching for something more.

When a connection sparks between him and Isaac, he discovers what he’s been missing: someone he can trust with his body and his heart. As long as Isaac and Julien keep the heat between them off the ice, what could go wrong?

But Julien’s past is never far behind him, and when it comes crashing in, he might lose everything—his career, his friends, and the first person he’s ever really loved.

CW: discussions of past abuse and sexual assault 

From my review:

Rookie Mistake by L.A. Witt and Anna Zabo. I went into this book as a big fan of L.A. Witt's books, so I know from the start I'd like it. Steamy romance, hockey - what's not to like?

If I didn't already love it, I'd be an absolute hockey fan by the end of this book. It's #1 in the new On the Board series, so I can only assume there will be more. (Thank goodness!) In the meantime, I'm off to watch my CBJ!

If this is not your first ever L.A. Witt/Anna Zabo novel, you're probably already rubbing your hands together in eager anticipation. If this is your first book by these talented authors, you're in for a real treat!

Click here for my full Goodreads review.

Rookie Mistake by L.A. Witt and Anna Zabo - Goodreads - Amazon

Take care and happy reading!

 - Heather 

Instagram - @GrantsCrossing

Goodreads - H.M.S. Brown

Twitter - @GrantsCrossing

My NetGalley ARCs

I read a lot of ARCs which are Advanced Reader Copies of books in order to help generate buzz for soon-to-be-released books. I get them from a couple of websites, but mostly via authors directly.

Sometimes, like an extra appetizer on the menu, my eyes get a little hungrier for titles to read than my time allows. Sometimes I also put my name in for books and then start writing my own. 

NetGalley is a great resource for generating buzz on new books. Used primarily by small and large publishers alike, it's a treasure trove of new books of all genres for readers to dive into. The only requirement is that you write a review of the books you take. I currently have 10 books out. According to the NetGalley group I'm in, that's not at all unusual. What's unusual is that I recently went into NetGalley to discover I hadn't read them all. (Don't look at the dates. Really. Don't look. Sigh. Fine. Look.)

I have 10 books out - 8 are cozy mysteries, 1 is a romance, and 1 is a biography on a Pakistani cleric credited with the internationalization of the global jihadist movement. It'll take me a while to get through, but it's quite good so far. It's actually not the first book on that topic that I've read. 

I had 12 books before and have just posted a couple of reviews in my efforts to whittle down my book list. 

Cozy mystery - To the Tome of Murder by Lauren Elliott - Goodreads Review

Romance - Off the Grid by Kay Richard - Goodreads Review

I have high hopes for the balance of the books on my list. Yes - I'm way past due for a bunch since they're almost all already published, but I'm working on it. I take books that intrigue me or that are written by authors I already know I like. 

I hope you'll friend me or follow my reviews on Goodreads. 

I'm in there as H.M.S. Brown which will be my pen name when I start publishing. And yes - those are my real initials, with the addition of my mom's maiden name to add the S. I couldn't resist! And no - I don't use her maiden name of Scribner for passwords. But Yes - Scribner, like the publisher. We're distantly related. Think that'll give me an "in?" 

(Scratches chin) 

Hmm.

Hope you're all having a great weekend! Take care and happy reading!

 - Heather 

Twitter - @GrantsCrossing

Instagram - @GrantsCrossing

Goodreads - H.M.S. Brown

A Much-Needed Break

Ever need a break? Ever actually take one? What do you do? 

After about 5-6 hours of editing my book this past Saturday, my "Grant's Crossing brain"shut down. I probably started at my screen for about a half-hour before it really hit me, but it eventually did. I ended up shutting down all my software and taking a much-needed break - which lasted the rest of the weekend! 

I'm a knitter and a crocheter and have posted a lot of things about both on my Itinerant Knitter blog. I haven't touched it in ages, but if you're a fellow fiber enthusiast, you might find some fun things there. 

Aimee, the owner of No Strings Attached yarn shop in my fictional small town of Grant’s Crossing, Ohio, would love this. Maybe she’ll make one for Emerson someday! Foreshadowing? Why yes! I do believe so! (You'll meet Aimee and Emerson in Tara & Steve's book which will be published later this year.)

Over the weekend, I worked on a crochet project, something I call a Blanket of Insanity. Yes - I'm crocheting a blanket using fingering weight yarn. Don't know what that is? It's super thin yarn. I'm using a super small crochet hook to make super small stitches. For an entire super awesome blanket. It'll be gorgeous and the drape will be incredible. I'd even go so far as to say super gorgeous and super incredible, but I don't want to super overdo it!

I have more pictures and a video on instagram.

For my fellow fiber enthusiasts, this uses mostly hand-dyed fingering weight yarns and a US Size G - 4mm crochet hook. I’m making up the pattern as I go along and have even made changes already since one row of single crochets took forever. Now I’m solely using rows of crisscrossed doubles. Maybe when I’m done, I’ll write up the pattern and put it in the back of one of my books.

I love that my first skein used / gorgeous color was dyed in honor of Ruth Bader Ginsburg by Urban Girl Yarns.

The last skein is One First Street NE in honor of our newest Justice, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson - beautifully dyed by Neighborhood Fiber Co.

1. Urban Girl Yarns
2. Faerie Girl Yarns
3. Cornbread and Honey
4. Groovy Hues Fibers
5. Manos Alegria
6. Blue mystery yarn - received in a swap!
7. Lolodidit
8. Neighborhood Fiber Co

I have an extra skein of the Cornbread and Honey so I’ll probably use it as a border. I love these yarns!!

In between stitches, I've started a new mystery by one of my favorite authors, Julie Anne Lindsey. It's the latest Bonnie and Clyde cozy mystery. These are wonderfully addictive, so please take a look if you haven't already. Book one is called Burden of Poof and is a terrific whodunnit!

Naturally taking a break from writing and editing my books must involve more books, but at least they're already written. I can just sit back and enjoy them and that is so nice to do.

What did you do over the weekend? How did you relax? Leave a comment below telling me how you spend your downtime!

Take care and happy reading!

 - Heather 

Twitter - @GrantsCrossing

Instagram - @GrantsCrossing

Goodreads - H.M.S. Brown