Dolce
Love at Center Court #2
Rachel Blaufeld
Genre: New Adult Romance
Release Date: January 21, 2016

“Who just stole my thunder across the Hafton airwaves, you ask? Right now, right this very second, listeners, I have Hafton’s one-and-only, the main man with the ball in hand, Blane Steele is in the studio. Mark my words—he’ll not only steal the ball, but your lady’s heart too. Watch out, gentlemen, the Stealer is in the house!”

— Sonny Be Knocking Boots, Hafton Radio 96.9

Coed antics.

Chaos.

Angst-ridden twists in fate.

Caterina is an intern. Sonny is her shock-jock boss. And Blane is a good-hearted baller…except when he steps on the court. Between on-air dares, an evil feminist professor, a straight-shooter of a coach, and rumors from the league surrounding Steele, these three are destined to screw it all up.

Rather than a love triangle, this is a friends-to-lovers story where the disc jockey acts as the catalyst, and a basketball player finds his life transformed when center court intersects with love.

Dolce, the newest stand alone to the Love at Center Court Series from Rachel Blaufeld, is NOW LIVE! You can grab your copy for only 99 cents for a limited time only at the retailers listed below!

Amazon US | Amazon UK

Dolce took me by surprise. It was a story I was not expecting taking a unique twist that was refreshing and out of left field. There are a lot of things happening between the covers of this book and the shock factor adds a deeper thread of interest. Rachel Blaufeld takes the typical sports college romance and gives it a face lift. She gives the characters overall struggles and life choices meaning, which allows the reader to look at something unexpected in a connected way. I will be vague in my review about what exactly happens. Needles to say, I was not prepared for what I read and spoiling the plot would take away from the experience. It was different than I expected but Rachel made it work in unexpected ways. Maybe this is the author’s normal way of writing, but as someone who has never read her books before, I am very intrigued with her storytelling and plan to explore her other books!

In this story, Cate and Blane seem like total opposites. On many levels they are. But at the core of who they are, we learn that they long to find their place of belonging. Blane finds his home on the basketball court and he longs for his chance to go pro in the end. Cate is a young woman attempting to find out what she believes and who she is at the very core of her being. I felt like a good chunk of this book follows Cate’s journey as she muddles through her choices and the consequences. It was a new adult story at heart in which this young woman learns to accept every part of who she is and fight for what she believes is right. This heroine is quite a fiery package. She embodies her heritage so well and her personalty draws the reader into her plight. I loved this woman’s tenacity and bravery. It took a turn I never saw coming, but as the story progresses it becomes a vital role to the story and the woman’s journey to find herself.

These two main characters experience so much in their own lives and grow throughout the book. Part of that growth happens individually and some together. They weave in and out of each other’s lives, never knowing when it is the right time to officially take a step towards more. The chemistry is there but it is a deep attraction that encourages and distracts. There is an insta-lust that you cannot deny, which fits perfect with the story. It is when the real feelings develop and hard truths come to light that they begin to understand what they have and how to fight for it. The romance between these two main characters is a large chunk of the story but the major character development and unexpected journeys are what made this book an intriguing read for me.

I am still a bit muddled (in a good way) in my overall feelings with this book but it was given me quite the curiosity of Rachel Blaufeld’s writings. She approaches issues with refreshing candor and writes stories that are filled with flaws and believable people. I am excited to dive into more of her stories and see what else she has come up with.

“I’m not doing anything. I’m hanging with a friend.”

Almost instantly, the spark winked out in her eyes. “What?”

Most girls would have bitten their tongue off rather than respond to the friend comment, but not Cate.

She glared at me. “You’re making my head hurt. You’re nice, and we’re friends. Then you wrap your arm around me, hug me tight, chat about porn, and ask me out for a drink, which seems like more than friends. And now we’re back to being friends again.”

“It’s complicated, like you said, with Sonny and the radio station. I’ve never done this before, actually liked someone or been intrigued. Whatever this is.”

“Well, I guess there’s a first time for everything.”

“It’s fucking just my luck, you know,” I said, shaking my head sadly. “I meet someone like you when Sonny throws down the gauntlet, and I can’t mess up because I’ve got Coach breathing down my neck. Everyone’s watching me. It’s been all eyes on deck since last season, when I decided to finish school before I go pro, and do what’s right. I must be jinxed or some shit.”

“Exactly,” Cate said firmly. “I may be all ‘I am woman, hear me roar,’ but I’m not about to trash your career over a silly friendship. You do what you need to do.”

She stood on her tiptoes, grabbed my shoulders, and placed a quick kiss on my cheek. “Take care of yourself, Blane. See you around. Thanks for walking me.”

To celebrate the release and blog tour for Dolce, Rachel  is giving away this coffee mug (perfect for sports romance lovers) filled with swag, along with signed copies of Vérité and Dolce! How great is that? To enter this giveaway, go to the RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY and follow the instructions listed. You will be entered for your chance to win! Don’t miss out. Good luck!

Verite, is book one in the Love at Center Court series and ONLY $0.99 for a limited time. Grab your copy today! Amazon US | Amazon UK

That’s me—Tingly Simmons—athlete, foreign-language major, professor lover, obsessed idiot girl. Definitely not a frat rat or sorority slut. I’ve never even played beer pong.

I ditched the vapid, soulless high-society life of Los Angeles for the promise of something more meaningful in rural Ohio. Accepting a track scholarship for college, I tried running my way to happiness, but instead I ended up sleeping with my French professor and falling head over heels for him.

When that relationship fell apart, so did I.

Barely hanging on by a thread and using the most absurd coping skills, I was determined to hide behind my past indiscretions. That was, until I met Tiberius Jones. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d learn the truth about love from a six-foot-five basketball player.

Rachel Blaufeld is a social worker/entrepreneur/blogger turned author. Fearless about sharing her opinion, Rachel captured the ear of stay-at-home and working moms on her blog,BacknGrooveMom, chronicling her adventures in parenting tweens and inventing a product, often at the same time. She has also blogged for The Huffington Post, Modern Mom, and StartupNation.

Turning her focus on her sometimes wild-and-crazy creative side, it only took Rachel two decades to do exactly what she wanted to do—write a fiction novel. Now she spends way too many hours in local coffee shops plotting her ideas. Her tales may all come with a side of angst and naughtiness, but end lusciously.

Rachel lives around the corner from her childhood home in Pennsylvania with her family and two dogs. Her obsessions include running, coffee, icing-filled doughnuts, anti-heroes, and mighty fine epilogues.  Sign up for her  newsletter for the latest news on releases, sales, giveaways and other updates.

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