Taking A Shot
PRAISE FOR
CHANGING THE GAME
“This book is wonderful from beginning to end, even for those who are not baseball fans.”
—
RT Book Reviews
“
Changing the Game
is an extraordinary novel—a definite home run!”
—
Joyfully Reviewed
“A strong plot, complex characters, sexy athletes, and nonstop passion make this book a must read.”
—
Fresh Fiction
THE PERFECT PLAY
“Holy smokes! I am pretty sure I saw steam rising from every page. Jaci Burton brings plenty of charm and depth to the characters in this fresh new series but the chemistry is hot.”
—
Fresh Fiction
“An outstanding start to what is guaranteed to be a phenomenal series from Jaci Burton.”
—
Joyfully Reviewed
“I enjoyed the book immensely…For fans of sports books, I think that this book delivers.”
—
Dear Author
“Put together a super hunky football player, a sexy single mom, and the high-voltage worlds of sports and entertainment and you already have a good story—but in the hands of the talented Burton, the characters leap off the page and the romance sparkles as the sex sizzles.”
—
RT Book Reviews
BOUND, BRANDED, & BRAZEN
“Burton is a master at sexual tension!”
—
RT Book Reviews
“As always Jaci Burton delivers a hot read.”
—
Fresh Fiction
“Not just a sexy, get-the-body-humming read, but also one that melds the sensual with the all-important building of intimacy and relational dynamics between partners.”
—
Romance: B(u)y the Book
RIDING ON INSTINCT
“Kudos and beyond for Ms. Burton’s best book yet! I cannot wait to see what comes next!”
—
Fallen Angels Reviews
“Everything about
Riding on Instinct
is picture-perfect and I stayed up half the night, unable to put it down until finishing the very last word.”
—
Romance Junkies
“Another smokin’-hot Wild Riders story you will love reading.”
—
Fresh Fiction
RIDING TEMPTATION
“Full of intrigue, sexual tension, and exhilarating release. Definitely a must-read.”
—
Fresh Fiction
“
Riding Temptation
has it all—action, suspense, romance, and sensuality all wrapped up in a story that will keep you on the edge of your seat and have you clamoring for the next story in the Wild Riders series!”
—
Wild On Books
“Kudos to Ms. Burton for creating this exciting new series!”
—
Romance Junkies
RIDING WILD
“A wild ride is exactly what you will get with this steamy romantic caper. This sexy and sizzling-hot story will leave you breathless and wanting more.”
—
Fresh Fiction
“A nonstop thrill ride from the first page to the last! Grab a copy of
Riding Wild
and take your own ride on the wild side of life!”
—
Romance Junkies
“What an exciting and wonderful book!”
—
The Romance Studio
“
Riding Wild
is a must-read for anyone who loves sexy romances filled with plenty of action and suspense.”
—
Kwips and Kritiques
WILD, WICKED, & WANTON
“
Wild, Wicked, & Wanton
starts off with a bang and never lets up!”
—
Just Erotic Reviews
“This is the best erotic novel I have ever read! I absolutely loved it!”
—
Fresh Fiction
“Jaci Burton’s
Wild, Wicked, & Wanton
is an invitation to every woman’s wildest fantasies. And it’s an invitation that can’t be ignored.”
—
Romance Junkies
FURTHER PRAISE FOR THE WORK OF
JACI BURTON
“Forget about a cool glass of water; break out the ice! You’ll be drawn so fully into her characters’ world that you won’t want to return to your own.”
—
RT Book Reviews
“Realistic dialogue, spicy bedroom scenes, and a spitfire heroine make this one to pick up and savor.”
—
Publishers Weekly
“Jaci Burton delivers.”
—Cherry Adair,
New York Times
bestselling author
“Lively and funny…The sex is both intense and loving; you can feel the connection that both the hero and heroine want to deny in every word and touch between them. I cannot say enough good things about this book.”
—
The Road to Romance
Titles by Jaci Burton
RIDING WILD
RIDING TEMPTATION
RIDING ON INSTINCT
RIDING THE NIGHT
WILD, WICKED, & WANTON
BOUND, BRANDED, & BRAZEN
THE PERFECT PLAY
CHANGING THE GAME
TAKING A SHOT
Anthologies
UNLACED
(with Jasmine Haynes, Joey W. Hill, and Denise Rossetti)
EXCLUSIVE
(with Eden Bradley and Lisa Renee Jones)
LACED WITH DESIRE
(with Jasmine Haynes, Joey W. Hill, and Denise Rossetti)
NAUTI AND WILD
(with Lora Leigh)
a
SHOT
JACI BURTON
HEAT | NEW YORK
THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP
Published by the Penguin Group
Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA
Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.) • Penguin Books Ltd., 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England • Penguin Group Ireland, 25 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd.) • Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty. Ltd.) • Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd., 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi—110 017, India • Penguin Group (NZ), 67 Apollo Drive, Rosedale, Auckland 0632, New Zealand (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd.) • Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty.) Ltd., 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa
Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
This book is an original publication of The Berkley Publishing Group.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.
Copyright © 2012 by Jaci Burton.
Excerpt from
Playing to Win
copyright © 2012 by Jaci Burton.
Cover art direction and design by Rita Frangie.
Cover photograph by Claudio Marinesco.
Text design by Kristin del Rosario.
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.
HEAT and the HEAT design are trademarks of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
PUBLISHING HISTORY
Heat trade paperback edition / March 2012
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Burton, Jaci.
Taking a shot / Jaci Burton. — Heat trade pbk. ed.
p. cm.
ISBN: 978-1-101-56082-2
1. Young women—Family relationships—Fiction. 2. Bars (Drinking establishments)—Fiction. 3. Hockey players—Fiction. 4. Creative ability—Fiction. 5. Self-realization—Fiction. I. Title.
PS3602.U776T35 2012 2011040584
813’.6—dc22
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
ALWAYS LEARNING
PEARSON
This book is dedicated to all the amazing readers
who’ve so wholeheartedly embraced my Play-by-Play series.
Thank you for loving hot sports guys as much as I do.