“The Hardest Play is everything I love about sports romance. A.S. Teague once again masterfully delivers a book full of heart that will surely stay with you long after the last page.”- L.K. Farlow, bestselling author
The Hardest Play, an all-new emotional new-adult standalone from A.S. Teague is available now!
It’s easy to convince the world that you have it all.
I’m Quinn Miller––record breaking running back, professional football’s favorite rags-to-riches story, all-around good guy.
What’s not so easy? Repairing your reputation after mistakes both on and off the field leave you labeled as a disgrace to the league.
With only one team willing to give me a chance, I have no time for a relationship.
But after one night with Georgia Reed, the hopeless romantic with fiery red hair and an attitude to match, I’m hooked.
With Georgia cheering me on, it doesn’t feel like the world is against me anymore.
That is, until her father steps into the locker room as my new head coach.
Finding the woman of my dreams was the easy part; it’s keeping her that will be the hardest play of all.
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Excerpt
“Quinn Miller? Is that really you?”
I turned, and my eyes landed on a face that I hadn’t forgotten. “Georgia Reed.”
Her lips parted in a smile that lit up her entire face, and she jumped from the stool she’d been perched on next to where my sister had been sitting and threw her arms around my shoulders. “I thought I saw you walk in earlier!”
I wrapped my arms around her waist and gave a quick squeeze before pulling back and looking her up and down.
I’d met Georgia last year at my best friend, Aiden’s, Christmas party. Her brother was a famous orthopedic surgeon who’d saved Aiden’s knee after a devastating hit. The two of them had forged a friendship, and Dr. Hampton Reed had brought his sister along when he’d been invited to the famous Shaw Christmas Party.
I’d seen her from across the room that night, unable to miss the gorgeous auburn hair that she’d let flow down her back. I’d walked over to introduce myself, but her green eyes had sparkled when she informed me that she already knew exactly who I was.
I wasn’t sure what I’d said after that, probably something ridiculous and cheesy, but we’d spent the rest of the evening chatting.
“How ya been?” I asked.
She stuck the straw that was floating in a pink drink between her pink lips and lifted a shoulder. After a quick sip of a fruity cocktail she said, “Same old. What about you? I heard you’d been traded and was hoping I’d run in to you sometime.”
I’d completely forgotten that the Reeds lived in Atlanta, where my new team was, but suddenly, that shitty trade that I was forced to accept didn’t seem so bad after all.
“Hey.” I glanced over to where my sister was eyeing us, her lips pressed together to conceal what had to have been the biggest shit-eating grin ever and squinted at her before turning and looking back to where Georgia was still sipping her drink. “You know, I don’t know much about this town. You’re a local, right?”
“That I am. Born and bred in the great state of Georgia. You know, my parents, they probably could have been a little more original when they named me.”
“Any chance you’re free this weekend to play tour guide?” I asked, hoping that I sounded fun and flirty and not like the pathetic loser that I felt like.
Jamie choked on a laugh and tried to cover it with a cough. I swung my head in her direction just as she covered her mouth and quickly looked away from my death glare. God, my kid sister was an asshole.
I felt fingertips on my bicep, forgetting my stupid sister immediately when I glanced down to see the perfectly manicured yellow fingernails that were resting on my arm. “Let me make sure I am clear on what you’re askin’.” Georgia’s eyes were gleaming, and she stepped closer to me. “Now, am I going to show you the popular clubs and bars, the parks to take your dog, and the restaurants that cater to locals, and then you’ll thank me and we’ll go about our ways? Or is this tour going to consist of me taking you back to my place, and before I know it, your lips are on my neck and my dress is around my waist?”
My mouth fell open and I sputtered. “I, uh, I, what?”
“Well, you know at Aiden’s Christmas party, after you kissed me––”
“Woah!” I stepped back, her arm falling to her side. “What are you talking about?”
Her head shook back and forth. “I’m not sure if I should be insulted or not that you are this clueless. We had a drink outside around the fire pit, and then you leaned in and kissed me, remember?”
“That is not at all what happened!” I fired back incredulously. I’d had a couple of beers that night, but I never let myself get so drunk that I would completely forget kissing the gorgeous woman standing before me.
She frowned, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth, and I couldn’t stop my eyes from watching the way she worked it. No, I would most definitely remember if my lips had tasted hers. “It’s not? Are you sure?”
My eyes bugged out of my head. “I’m pretty sure we didn’t kiss. Think I would have remembered that.”
“Oh.” She frowned. “Maybe that’s just what I hoped would happen.”
*****5 Completely Unforgettable Stars*****
A.S Teague continues to be one of my favorite authors for a reason. Her writing, her incredible storytelling, and what she allows me to feel and live with her characters has solidified her as an author who I know will deliver an incredible story. The Hardest Play was no different. this story encapsulated her wonderful style of writing, her memorable characters, and it pulled my heart into every breath of the story. From the very first moment of this book I was completely consumed with an everything she was creating. I fell in love with these characters, I once again fell in love with this world, and I loved every emotionally unforgettable moment I got along the way in this story.
I have been a fan of this series from the start. From the moment I jumped into that unforgettable and life changing night in Vegas with these characters, I knew that I wanted each and every one of their stories. A.S. Teague has thoughtfully crafted and created each of their stories in a unique and special way that has pulled me to them even more than I thought possible. I have loved all of these characters from the moment I met them in The Hardest Route. With each addition to this series, I have fallen more in love with them all. Their sense of family. Their unyielding friendships. Their loyalty. Their love. And their dynamic sense of fight and determination that defines them all in the best way.
A.S. Teague has created a magnificent series of interconnected standalones that I never wanted to see end. As sad as I was to say goodbye to these characters that have completely stolen my heart, A.S. Teague brought it all, and them, to a fitting close. I truly could not have asked for more from this book. From the feels, to the instant connection, to the deeply meaningful and emotional story, this book had it all. Combine that with the literal fire that is Georgia and the perfect level of honesty and sweetness that is Quinn, and you have yourself one hell of a story.
I absolutely loved getting these character Story. The connection between Georgia and Quinn is fierce. it is undeniable and it is their right from the start. I love getting to be there as that connection was given its wings, and as the two of them tried to see what could be. What started off as something neither of these two could fight, a pull so strong I never saw it stopping for anything, soon turned into a heavy dose of reality and some serious emotional anguish. when they’re real world comes crashing down around these two it will literally steal your breath away. It will also break your heart in so many ways for all of these characters because of the struggles and the consequences that they face because of those struggles. But you will also love that it is those moments that are the catalyst for the magnificent story this author creates.
A.S. Teague once again uses her incredible writing to let you fully understand her characters. She lets you get who they are at their core. She lets you get them, she invests you in them on the deepest of levels, and then she has you rooting for them with all that you have. The more you get into her words and this story, the more you get with these characters, and the more you love and understand them. The way she uses her words and thoughtfully crafted storytelling to peel back those layers of these characters, to show you them and their true selves, to let you understand their motivations on the deepest of levels, is nothing short of everything.
Every word of this book will sear you to Quinn and Georgia.
The more you get with them, the more you will absolutely love them. You will love the honesty and the rawness of their connection. You will love how right it feels to see them together. You will love that right from the start it feels so different between the two of them and so special. You will love that every word with them just solidifies the feelings and the emotions and the thoughts you have towards them. you will love that even though these characters don’t have an easy story, that you get to be there right in the thick of it with them as they fight for it, as they give it their all, and as they see if they can make it work.
This author makes it so beyond easy to love them, to believe in their connection, and to root for them with everything that you have. That speaks to everything that she creates with them that even on the darkest and hardest of moments, you have hope, you have fight, and you have so much belief in the two of them. Quinn and Georgia are life and so so special. They are perfect for one another, they have a connection and a fire that is practically tangible, and they have a love story that will truly take ahold of you with all that it has.
I have to tell you that Georgia and Quinn are kind of the best. Getting the two of them combines with the other amazing characters that make up this world will have you equally laughing and smiling as much as you get those feels. Griff, Aiden, Mel, Brooke, and the rest of the gang are back and better than ever. the family that all of these characters free together will just melt your heart through every word.
I have to say that one of my favorite parts of this book was getting to see the relationship between Quinn and his sister Jamie. They definitely have a very complicated story and relationship for a lot of reasons, but through it all you see the love that connects them and that brings them together. You see how much they do care for one another even in the hardest of situations, and you see that wall things might not be easy, that those two truly do what they can to make the best out of anything.
Quinn is a man with a heart of gold who is beyond thoughtful and so caring. That combined with the fact that he can make you swoon in about a second flat makes him the full package. He is a man who would do anything for his family, but he is also a man who has the weight of the world on his shoulders. This story is very much about what happens when his obligations, his loyalties, his family, and his love all coincide together. It is definitely not easy for him to find his way through all of those dynamics and moving parts, but this story allows you to fully connect with him as he tries to make sense of it all. As he’s tries to find that happiness he has been searching for forever. As he’s trying to do right by his sister. As he tries to see if he can make it work with Georgia.
Georgia is pure fire, personality, and sass. She is a girl who knows what she wants and goes after it with all that she has. She is honest, tells it like it is, and keeps everyone on their toes…especially Quinn. This story makes her face some very big things right along with Quinn. It forces her to take stock of what is truly important to her, what is the truth and what is real, as well as what she knows deep within her heart. Georgia was a character that I just loved from the moment I met her. (Which wasn’t actually in this book…so go find the book she’s introduced in because you NEED that book in your life stat.) She is life and color and voice. She is fierce and loyal to a T. She is the best, and is also so real. I loved that about her, and I loved every single second of her story with Quinn.
The Hardest Play it’s a story about so many things. It is a story of love, family, and friendship. It is an emotionally moving story about just how far you are willing to go for the ones you love and the ones who make all the difference. It is a story that pushes these characters to their emotional limits, but that simultaneously reveals the best of them and their hearts. It is a story of second chances and of new beginnings. It is a story about some of the most heartbreaking experiences that will bring many tears to your eyes, but in the same breath it is a story of love. Real, feel it in your bones with all you have, shout it from the rooftops, fight for it, love.
Quinn and Georgia’s love story was everything. It was consuming, exceptionally written and crafted, and it was emotional and meaningful from start to finish. Every word of Quinn and Georgia’s story in The Hardest Play will give you life. It will pull you to them, it will have you fighting right along with them for what could be, and it will show you the truly healing power of love.
I know that that sounds a little bit cliche but honestly it’s the truth. This story had me believing and knowing in the power of love. Love can heal you. It can restore you. It can give you everything. It can hurt you and it can threaten to break you, but it can also give you the world if you let it, if you trust it, and if you believe in it. This story allows you to experience every facet and part of love, and in the end it will have you knowing that Quinn and Georgia share the best kind of love story. A love story that is real, full of authentic emotion, and unforgettable.
The Hardest Play is one of the best books I have read this year and is hands down one of my favorite books by A.S. Teague. This author continues to wow me with her words, her characters, and her stories, and this book was no different. It gave me it all. Georgia and Quinn still own a piece of my heart as we speak, and I honestly can’t say enough good things about them. They are genuine, they are real, they are easy to love and root for, and that is just a fraction of what makes their story so special.
As sad as I am to say goodbye to this world and these characters, I could not have asked for more from this story. It was everything I needed and more. When I turned that last page and reached the end, I did so with a heart that was bursting for these characters and so in love with everything I had read, and that is the true tell of a good love story.
A.S. Teague created a phenomenal story and series from start to finish, and I am telling you, you need these characters and words in your life. You need them and you will love them with all that you have because they will put it all on the line when it really matters. They will show you the true meaning of love, family, and friendship, and in the end, they will have you knowing with your whole heart that that is truly all you need.
About A.S. Teague
A.S. Teague enjoys the warmth of South Carolina with her husband and two daughters. The stereotypes about peach cobbler and sweet tea are not overstated. After years in the medical field, she is now enjoying every minute of being a stay-at-home mom. She loves wine, the beach, wine on the beach, and crying at Disney movies. When she doesn’t have a book in her hand, she can be found pestering her husband with pictures of animals she wants to rescue, as well as debating whether to exercise or take a nap.
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