Chelsea & Jessica Get Brazen! Game for Marriage by Karen Erickson

Hey fellow Brazen lovers! It’s that time again and this week we’re getting Brazen with Karen Erickson’s Game For Marriage! This time we’re showing the love for Jared Quinn, a sexy QB whose image is in need of repair. What better way to show you’ve settled down than by getting hitched?!

He’s going in deep to make her his…

Struggling artist Sheridan Harper never imagined she’d spend a sizzling night with Jared Quinn, the smoking-hot star quarterback of her local professional football team, the San Jose Hawks. And she’s even more shocked when Jared’s publicist offers her a proposition: a fake marriage to keep Jared out of the gossip mags. Being that close to Jared would be too tempting, so to protect her heart, she insists on secretly including a clause forbidding sex between them.

Jared just wants to keep his starting QB job and keep it in San Jose. His reputation as a ladies’ man has landed him in the headlines one too many times, but there’s something about his kind, passionate new wife that tempts him beyond reason. Any sort of intimacy between them is completely forbidden, but as their bodies fall in deep, will their hearts follow suit?

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If a sexy football player comes up to you and asks you to be his pretend wife and offers you money to do it what would your response be?\

Jessica: HELL FREAKING YES! I mean, ah, I’d think about it very carefully.

Chelsea: I’d like to say “No, that would be morally wrong.” However, who are we kidding? You know I would be on that and not for the money… for the sexy football player!\

If you had already had mind-blowing sex with above sexy football player would your decision change?

Jessica: ……………………………………… Really? Is this even a question? Chelsea. Tell our question maker to stop being ridiculous.

Chelsea: Question maker, stop being ridiculous ;-) I’m pretty sure the mind blowing sex would firm up my decision.

What was your favorite moment in this book?

Jessica: Definitely the jumbotron one. It was sweet and I just loved what was said!

Chelsea: Oh, that was such a great scene. My favorite was probably the hotel room after the football game in Miami. I loved the sensual they were with each other.

Nick, Jared’s best friend and teammate, is chasing Willow, Sheridan’s best friend, pretty hardcore. Do you like making a guy chase you a bit or would you rather shoot it straight?

Jessica: Ooh boy. I love being chased. I know it’s sort of childish, but I just do. I’ve always been a runner when it comes to starting new relationships. I think I just freak out and don’t know how to handle it. So I usually make the guy chase after me.

Chelsea: I’m with you Jess. I am more of a be chased than do the chasing kind of girl. I like when a guy goes for what he wants and it’s even better when it’s me. Well most of the time, lol.

Becoming a famous QB’s wife will definitely put you in the spotlight and earn a lot of unwanted attention from paparazzi. Is that something you could deal with?

Jessica: I think I could. But, I would probably hate it, always being photographed, having the whole world judging and watching me. I am who I am and I don’t know that I would do a good job of reigning it in just to make a good impression though.

Chelsea: I agree. I think I could do it but I would hate always having to be self-conscious and careful about what I do or say.

Men are either ass or boob guys. Women tend to notice other features. What is your favorite feature on a man?

Jessica: Sexy Biceps. I love a guy with a good strong set of arms!

Chelsea: Arms are always nice! I’m gonna have to be honest and say hair. I love a guy with a good head of hair.

I absolutely adored Game for Marriage. If you know me, then you know I’m a fan of plots with fake relationships and I loved this one. What woman wouldn’t want to marry a sexy hot pro football player? The hardest part for these two is the fact that they have such passion and chemistry but the whole relationship starts out being fake.

Sheridan and Jared are immediately attracted to one another and it is obvious from the start that something is there. Jared finds her beautiful and an incredible artist. She’s also really down to earth, giving and real. She’s definitely not like any other girl he’s been with. Likewise, Sheridan KNOWS a night with Jared would be incredible and earth shattering and she’s willing to give it a shot. What starts as one night, turns into a fake marriage that turns into true love.

I really liked Sheridan and Jared together. He is a confident man and I liked that Sheridan could be sassy and sarcastic with him. She wasn’t afraid to tell Jared how she felt or what she was thinking. I also liked how normal she stayed while being a pro quarterback’s wife. Even though it was fake, she had access to his money and his fame but she never exploited it. This is exactly why Jared fell for her and she was exactly what he needed in his life.

Jared is definitely sex incarnate and he and Sheridan have some incredible passion in the bedroom. He is not someone you can only have one night with. I like the way he tries to work Sheridan up but he also respects her and would never do anything to hurt her. He loves football and it has been his whole life. He is plagued with a shoulder injury and worried about being replaced by a younger guy. When Sheridan’s watching him, he’s motivated like he never realized he could be with a woman. Spending time with her has shown him what he’s been missing.

Overall, I absolutely loved this Brazen. It was light, sweet and quick to read. It had a fun plot that was easy to follow and flowed really well. I loved Sheridan and Jared and the development of their characters. I also really liked Willow and Nick and I can’t wait to read their story in Game for Trouble.

Game for Marriage is a light, fun, sexy read and I didn't want to put it down! I am also a huge fan of the fake relationship trope in romances and I love watching the couple fight their attraction and feelings for one another.

 

I liked both Jared and Sheridan instantly. They have an instant attraction to one another and decide to act on it. While Sheridan writes it off as a one night stand, Jared has other ideas in mind. Because of an incident with an ex-teammate's wife, Jared is required to clean up his playboy image. Naturally, the best way to do that is to have him settle down and become a married man- or so his agent thinks. Jared loves playing football and he doesn't want to be anywhere but San Jose. He agrees to finding a fake wife and after his one night with Sheridan, knows she's the one he wants.

 

The fact that Sheridan hesitates is CRAZY to me! Ok, maybe not crazy, but still. If I had hot sex with an even hotter guy who just so happens to be an incredibly well known talented football player, I would totally jump on that train. I think it really bothers Sheridan that Jared and his agent are offering her money to do this. Yet, they have done their research on her and know she needs the funds to keep her grandmother's art studio open. Sheridan has already had a taste of Jared Quinn and knows he has the power to destroy her. To protect herself and her heart, she has her lawyer put a no sex clause in the contract. While Jared is surprised at this, that certainly doesn't deter him from getting under Sheridan's skin.

 

I loved watching the tension between these two build up. Sheridan is fighting an inner battle of wills, as Jared is undeniably sexy and quite seductive. His promises of what he can do to her and for her make her come dangerously close to losing control. However, if that clause is violated, the contract would be null and void. These two definitely test their own limits and pull back right as things are getting good, letting doubts and fears plague their minds. I definitely get it with Jared's profession. There are so many people who want to exploit him and would use him to achieve their own endgame. Once these two are able to push aside their doubts and truly embrace their fake marriage, sparks literally fly. Jared is a much happier person and the people around him really take note of this. Sheridan also shines and is basking in that post-Jared glow. Once they both realize they are falling for one another, will they be able to turn their marriage into a real one or will they let outside influences and factors make them doubt what they thought was real?

 

I really liked Willow and Nick, Sheridan and Jared's best friends and I can't wait to read their story Game For Trouble! These two definitely have serious chemistry as well, but something is holding Willow back from letting her and Nick explore that chemistry together.

 

If you are in the mood for a quick, steamy read I would definitely recommend this one. I love Karen's writing style and she certainly knows how to write some delicious scenes! 

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That’s all folks! Join us next week as we read Down For the Count by Christine Bell!