A Conversation with Jami Davenport, Author of BOTTOM OF THE NINTH (Game on in Seattle #6–with a new release review and giveaway!)

USA Today Bestselling Author Jami Davenport writes sexy contemporary and sports romances, including her two new indie endeavors: the Game On in Seattle Series and the Madrona Island Series. Jami’s new releases consistently rank in the top fifty on the sports
romance and sports genre lists on Amazon, and she has hit the Amazon top
hundred authors list in both contemporary romance and genre fiction multiple
times. Jami ranked Number Seven on Kobo’s Top Ten Most Completed Authors, an
honor bestowed on the year’s “most engaging” authors based on an average
page completion rate by their readers.

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Paisley startled awake early. She bolted upright and winced when her back protested. Ignoring her whiny body parts, she blinked several times and squinted, attempting to get her bearings. The morning sun cast beams of light across the room and over the sleeping children. Last night flooded back to her in a rush of confusion and hope.

Being drenched. The hot baseball player. The old, creepy house. The pizza.

Checking each child to make sure they were all still asleep, Paisley rose, stretched, and padded out of the bedroom in her bare feet. The place didn’t look so creepy in the daylight. In fact, despite the obvious neglect, it was beautiful. She took her time exploring each room, except the closed door to Zeke’s room.

Zeke. Holy mother of all creation, he was hot. And he was wealthy. She wasn’t a gold digger by any means, but he had the money to pay her for a job well done, which had her wheels turning. She believed in making wine out of any beer that life threw her way. She’d keep her hands off and prove her value to Zeke. He needed someone to manage his life and battle the dust and spiders staking their claim on this grand old house.

He needed her.

Zeke’s house wasn’t just a house; it was a mansion by her standards. Much to her delight, it was perched on a hill among older homes overlooking Seattle and the water. She couldn’t wait to explore the stately old neighborhood. What she could see from the windows indicated the other homes were well kept, unlike Zeke’s. His yard needed as much work as the inside. She’d tackle that project, too.

Yeah, the poor man really needed her, and she’d make sure he knew it.

The house had seen better days and was in need of updating and TLC, but the potential shone through like an unpolished diamond among common rocks, and the view was priceless.

Last night’s deluge gave way to a partially cloudy morning with patches of blue sky. Rays of sun bounced off drops of rain on the leaves of nearby trees. The sun lit up the large expanse of water below. She hadn’t a clue whether it was part of the ocean or something else.

A few rooms in the house were stacked with boxes. Stray pieces of furniture were placed here and there. Zeke didn’t appear to have much in the way of personal belongings. She added shopping for furniture to her assistant to-do list. She’d create a design for each room with an overarching theme among them. Judging from the age of the house and the style, she’d opt for mission style, one of her favorites.

Paisley rubbed her hands together in glee, excited and ready to get started with her day. The kids could help. On Monday, she’d need to enroll them in a local school despite their lack of an actual home. During her nosy explorations she’d found a temporary option. The daylight basement level of this house had been converted into an apartment. It had big windows looking into the backyard and down the hill.

Perfect for her and the kids, and perfect for keeping them out of Zeke’s hair.

Now to work on selling her worth to Zeke. Her strict adherence to maintaining a positive outlook in all situations—last night being an exception—would serve her well. Zeke was a busy athlete just starting the season. Baseball players played over one hundred and fifty games a year, not counting playoffs. He’d be gone a lot to away games.

He absolutely needed her. Oh, yes, he did. She skipped up the stairs, singing a nonsensical happy song the kids loved. Cracking the door, she checked on them again. They were dead to the world. She couldn’t resist a glance into the room Zeke slept in. His suitcase was open on top of a rumpled comforter, but true to his word, he’d left early this morning. She’d heard his SUV as it backed out of the garage.

With a big grin on her face and a bounce in her step, she started her chores in the kitchen, giving it a thorough scrubbing after finding cleaning supplies under the sink. Later, she’d unpack dishes and put them in the cupboards.

The kitchen was beautiful under all the grime and dust. It’d been remodeled recently and had gorgeous wood cabinets, granite countertops, and stainless steel appliances with a professional stove and oven. The previous owners must have run out of money during the kitchen remodel. The backsplashes were missing and the walls were unpainted, as if someone had stripped off layers of wallpaper, then left.

She stood back, hands on hips, and surveyed her work. The kitchen was gleaming. Everything was in its place.

Zeke would be pleasantly surprised.

Zeke’s story, finally!

Though this one stands pretty well on its own, it will have more impact if you’ve read the other brothers’ stories first (Issac Melting Ice: Seattle Sockeyes Hockey and TannerBlindsided: Seattle Steelheads Football ) because there are a few elements of the plot that we see carried over here. You do find out enough about them to “get” what’s going on, but you’ll be more invested if you’ve seen it all from all three brother’s POVs.

Truth be told, I liked Zeke and Paisley’s story the best of the three 🙂

Although I spent a lot of time shaking my head a Zeke’s bad attitude toward his brothers, he does give a fairly reasonable explanation for it…finally. (It takes most of the book, but he gets there.) His determination to push Paisley and her nieces and nephews away is equally frustrating, but also credible–so even though it was a challenge to stay patient with him, I got it.

Which also helped me to sympathize with Paisley all the more…

Paisley was a great character, always so sunny and positive, trying to do what was best for her sister’s kids. When she was less than positive about anything, you knew there was a darn good reason; and the way she always lead with her heart was totally endearing. At the same time, though, she had a steely determination and wow, did she have balls of steel or what? I’m still amazed at how she managed to talk herself into a job and a place to live in the early scenes of the book. You go, girl!

If you have read the other series books, I think almost every other main character makes an appearance here at some point. Again, it’s not crucial to have read the others, but I do think it will have more of an impact if you have at least read the other two members of the Wolfe Pack’s stories .

Looking forward to Hunter’s story; I hear he’s next!

Rating: 4 stars / B+

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

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