Parker: I'm tired of this revolving door of agents. Four of them have bailed on me in the past year, and honestly, I expect the rookie, Jase, to be number five. It's not like I'm asking for much. Just a contract long enough to pay off college tuition for my triplet younger brothers, the trio of chaos, and maybe an endorsement that doesn't make me totally cringe. I don't care about fame and media attention; I'm happy just playing the game and keeping a low profile. Or at least, that's what I thought. But when Jase suggests a night out dancing in disguise, I don't say no. Even though I have no idea why. There's something about Jase that makes me want to do all the things I've been avoiding for years. But I have responsibilities, and despite what my brothers tell me, I'm just not sure if I can let go and truly open up to anyone, especially my sexy rookie agent. (Totally Blitzed was previously included in the CLASS OF 22/23 MM ROMANCE GIVEAWAY under the title: BLITZED. It has been recovered to tie in with the series, but the actual story remains the same.)

DUCKIE Not being able to keep my D in my pants has landed me in hot water with my boss—having your bare butt plastered across multiple sports publications will do that. To teach me a lesson, he’s transferring me from writing about hockey gods to Banana Ball, and not only do I have to pretend to like the not-so-professional sport, I have to go on tour with them. If I can just keep it in my pants and focus on the writing, I’ll earn a return to the sport I love. Problem is, the gossip writer who got me into this mess is on tour too. Ian’s determined to prove he’s meant for sports and not gossip columns, so when he suggests we create a public rivalry that’ll boost our reader engagement and get us both what we want, I reluctantly agree. But the more time I spend with him, the more confusing my feelings for him become, and suddenly I’m looking at labels I never thought would apply to me. After an explosive kiss it becomes so much harder to focus on the writing and faking our rivalry, but taking a chance on him means risking more than just my game plan to get back to the ice, for the first time in my life, I’ll also be risking my heart.

Harrison’s love life is a parade of fun, flirty encounters thanks to every dating app you can imagine, but nothing sticks. Finally, sick of the endless cycle of Friday night hookups, he hits uninstall on the apps and challenges the universe to show him that he deserves someone better. What he didn’t expect was the universe throwing him a curveball in the form of his best friend’s younger brother. Despite being best friends with Gordon for years, he’s never actually met his siblings and even half-joked they didn’t exist. But there they are, at a party at Gordon’s place, and one brother, Arlo, is seriously hard to ignore. He’s nothing like Gordon. Quiet, adorable, and totally off-limits… which sucks. But when Harrison spots an opportunity to help him steady his nerves on his children’s book tour, he jumps at the chance to get to know him better, because spending time with him feels like the most right thing he’s done in forever. The more time they spend together, the less Harrison can imagine being with anyone else. But going after what he wants means betraying his best friend. Can he find the courage to catch life’s most unexpected of pitches?

Alan When you’re crushing on a guy, the last thing you want is to get caught singing their name while naked in the locker-room showers. Thankfully, Ryan pretended not to notice. I can play the denial game with the best of them, but I can’t ignore the growing feelings I have for him. We’ve been rivals on the field for two years, but lately, my eyes keep finding him off the field as well, drawn to his piercing blue stare and brilliant smile. As fate would have it, we’re paired together for a sequence of Star-Crossed Lovers skits, and while I’m excited at the prospect of spending more time with him, with rumors of team cuts at the end of the season, it makes me wonder if there is any point in starting anything at all. Maybe we’re just destined to stay on opposing sides. Ryan Being on the other side of the world from your entire family is hard, especially when you see everyone else going home to theirs every night. So, when I moved in with Duckie and Ian, I was excited to at least have people to come home to. But they aren’t the only ones I see every day. Across the alley lives an old man and his cat who greet me with a demonic howl and a gruff reminder that my favorite game isn’t “real” baseball. Good thing I’m not easily offended, and while I might be still on the fence about the cat, imagine my surprise when I discover the old man is Alan Beaker’s grandfather. Suddenly, my days aren’t just filled with on field practice and rehearsals with the guy I’ve been crushing on hard, they’re also filled with time spent with him off the field too. It isn’t long until I notice just how devoted to family Alan is, and the more time I spend with his, the more they make me feel like I belong. Now if only I can get Alan to take a chance on us, then I can make this feeling last forever.

Continue the Love in Play series with Totally Played. Heep an eye out for the cover and blurb coming soon.