Playing the Game by Stephanie Queen: Guest Post, Review & Giveaway {Sizzling PR}

Stephanie Queen is interviewing Roxanne Monet, the enticing and unsinkable heroine from her latest contemporary romance novel Playing the Game. Roxanne has been accused of marrying then murdering her late husband for his money.

Rox: Great intro. Are you inviting the readers to my execution later?

SQ: I’ll ask the questions. So, what makes you tick?

Rox: Not money. I gave it all back—and there were millions in the estate. So now I’m broke, lost my job and my mother-in-law is out to get me…

SQ: What do you mean she’s out to get you?

Roxanne: She’s hired a private detective to dig up dirt on me so she can convince the police to charge me with murder.

SQ: Did you do it?

Rox: Readers, the author is only “playing” dumb.

SQ: Answer the question.

Rox: No one murdered poor Donald. The police are calling his death an accident, but I really believe it was suicide.

SQ: So what is this GAME you’re playing with the hunky basketball superstar Barry Dennis?

Rox: The Game of Seduction. Impossible to lose….unless…

SQ: Unless what?

Rox: Unless one of us loses our heart—but that’ll never happen. I’m too jaded about men and he’s too single-minded about being the best to let anyone distract him, including his daughter.

SQ: What about his little girl?

Rox: Lindy makes my heart melt. I can’t help being there for her and getting too involved even while Barry struggles with it.

SQ: What can you tell me about your connection with Barry?

Roxanne: XXX. That’s the rating, not three kisses.

SQ: Is it true you spent time in jail?

Rox: I’m not answering that on the grounds that it may incriminate me. But forget about jail--the real crisis moment is …

SQ: BZZZT! You ever hear the word SPOILER? Interview Over.

Playing the Game is the first in the “Playing” series all about sports and romance, and the sport of romance.

Thanks for stopping by Stephanie!

Barry Dennis, the “Priest of Basketball”, is so elevated on his superstar pedestal that any misstep seems fatal. He’s not allowed to be human. Roxanne, an irresistible down-on-her-luck socialite is accused of murdering her wealthy husband, but she compels Barry to give his attention to more than a ball. That is, until her tarnished reputation drags him from the top with a crash that could destroy them all.

Review by Kate
PLAYING THE GAME, by Stephanie Queen, is a refreshing and fun romance story that swept my off my feet. Roxanne and Barry are brought together by an intense attraction to each other but soon enough those feeling are felt a bit deeper and they both have to figure out what they want from each other.

I loved the characters and situations that Queen put these two in. I seriously wondered if they would make it out of the intense situation of dealing with Roxanne's 'issues' alive and unscathed. The intimate scenes between Roxanne and Barry were intense and really well written. Queen gave these two a backstory that created the characters they were and they worked hard on each other to ultimately get what they really wanted (and possibly didn't realize) out of life…love.

I had a lot of fun reading this book and I think it's a testament to this author that I am excited to read more of her work!

Excerpt:

Chapter 1

“Damn it,” Roxanne muttered. Her drink had splashed on her dress. The crowd was dense. Looking right, and then left, at the partygoers around her, she took a surreptitious glance down to inspect the damage.

A very large, dark, wet spot spread over her left breast. Luckily it was only ice water. Or maybe not so lucky, on second thought. She watched in horror as the red silk material clung to her skin.

“Double damn. My nipple is showing!” This time she forgot to keep her comment under her breath.

“Now that I’d like to see.” The man appeared from nowhere, towering beside her. He watched her reflection in the floor to ceiling window.

The heat of embarrassment ignited her face. The man was no gentleman. Her embarrassment turned to anger in a flash. She jutted her breast out for him to see.

“You can look all you want,” she dared, wanting to shift the discomfort to him.

She thought she’d succeeded, until the signature dimpled half-grin split his face.

“I’m Barry Dennis.” He held out his free hand for her to shake. He held a bottle of beer in the other. The famous lopsided smirk remained in place.

“Must be my lucky night.” She ignored his hand.

He laughed.

Biting her lip, she reminded herself to behave professionally. He was the star attraction at this gala and they were both there to raise money for a good cause.

“I’m Roxanne Monet.” She shook his hand. She eyed him, wondering if he’d dare to say something about her nipple.

“I know who you are. I watched you get fired from your job at the TV studio a few days ago. You were supposed to interview me.” Unrestrained amusement shone in his eyes now and his grin widened. She was really starting to dislike this guy.




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Author Bio: Stephanie Queen is a romantic at heart, a writer by nature, and has the soul of a cheerleader. She enjoys creating stories where her rose-colored world-view comes to life and the good guys always win. Spending most of her life in New England, she's attended many of the area colleges, including Harvard, and even earned a couple of degrees along the way. Although she lost count of all the jobs she's had before she settled on being a Novelist, her favorite was selling cookies as a Keebler Elf.

Other novels by Stephanie Queen include the romantic comedy, The Throwbacks, first in the Scotland Yard Exchange Program series, and the contemporary romance, Between a Rock and a Mad Woman. Both are available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Smashwords. Visit the author at www.StephanieQueen.com , or Stephanie Queen on Facebook and follow her @StephanieQueen on Twitter.



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