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Finding the End Zone
Author: Tam DeRudder Jackson
Publication date: November 8th 2023
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, New Adult, Romance
Never date a player.
Football god Callahan O’Reilly can keep his blazing blue eyes to himself. I have a scholarship to maintain, and I do not have time to babysit a jock through a make-or-break class project. Even if one smoldering glance from him sets my panties on fire.
Time to change her mind.
Jamaica Winslow opens her mouth and spews sass like a volcano. One look at her uptight package and I want to coax the genie from the bottle, unleash all the passion she hides beneath a mop of unruly curls and a smart-ass attitude. She’s not my type, she doesn’t know one damn thing about the game that rules my life, and I can’t stop thinking about her.
Who said anything about love?
Jamaica does her best to keep me at arm’s length, but I’m not a pro prospect because I let the plays come to me. With the game on the line, I always want the ball. When an alum with deep pockets and delusions of grandeur makes demands that threaten my NFL chances and Jamaica’s scholarship, I have no choice but to man up and do the right thing no matter the cost.
It started as fun and games. Now I’m playing for her heart—and my own.
Game Time.
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an excerpt
“Sorry I’m late. A group of girls from the freshmen dorm rolled in at ten minutes to close and spent twenty minutes deciding to buy one bag of sour gummy worms and a couple boxes of Red Hots.”
Without acknowledging my outlay on the table, she began extracting notebooks, folders, and books from her bag as though it were Hermione’s magic purse from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. At last, she set her pack on the floor beside her chair, pulled a pen from somewhere in her curls, and opened one of her notebooks. “I’ve outlined a list of themes we could explore. I’m sort of partial to exploitation in Hardy’s novels.”
“Hello, Jamaica. How was your day?”
When she glanced up at me, I sat back in my chair and crossed my arms over my chest. She might have ideas about how this partnership was going to go, but I had ideas too.
“What?”
I jacked a brow. “How was your day?” Letting a little grin slip out, I shrugged. “Aside from annoying freshmen at closing time.”
Her head tilted to the side as she finally looked at me, a puzzled expression on her stunning face. “Um, it was fine. Good, actually. Yours?”
“Better now.” I leaned my forearms on the table and dropped my voice half an octave. “I’m looking forward to pairing up with you.”
She scolded me with her face. “Partners. We are project partners.”
I coughed into my hand to hide my laughter at her expression and her schoolteacher tone. “The difference is—what?”
“We aren’t ‘paired up’ as in getting together. We are partners preparing a class project for our mutual advancement.”
“Is that what we are?” I drawled.
Tam DeRudder Jackson’s love of all things Celtic led her to write the Talisman Series. Steeped in Celtic mythology, these steamy, fated mates, paranormal romance adventures are set in the mountains of Tam’s native Montana and the Highlands of Scotland. Rogue, the most recent book in the series, was named a best romance of 2022 by the Independent Book Review.
An avid fan of rock music, Tam never misses a chance to see a live show, especially if it’s Shinedown, one of her favorite bands. Her love of rock music inspired her contemporary rock star Balefire Series, a sexy fun ride following the lives and loves of the members of a fictional mega-band. Readers of this series consistently give the books five-star reviews.
Tam earned her BA in English from Montana State University and her M.Ed. in literacy from Lesley University. After a short teaching stint in Bath, England, she settled in the wilds of Wyoming where she taught adolescents all about the Celts and a bit about writing before she stepped out of the classroom to pursue her writing career full time.
When she’s not writing, you can find her working her way through her mountainous TBR piles, alpine skiing, or traveling to some new place on her ever-expanding bucket list. To stay up to date on her adventures, connect with Tam on her website www.tamderudderjackson where you can subscribe to her newsletter.
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