Good morning my fellow book bloggers/readers/unicorns. It can't be a surprise this topic is on my book blog. I talk about it a lot on Twitter @thebookvoyagers. And the reason why I talk about sports romances a lot is because I really really love sports. I can tell you a lot of facts about football, some tennis facts, I can definitely follow baseball and basketball, soccer I'm not a huuuuge fan but I can definitely watch and enjoy, but to be honest I can stan every sport because I love competitions and I love teamwork and the story behind those players you see on the screens. Which it is a shame that in the book world somehow authors forget that people of color also play sports... , 

Today on the blog we have lovely Stacey Agdern, author of Crossing the Lines, this fun sports romance that is inside an anthology called Icing the Puck *wink wink* If you love some fake dates, hockey and to be in love with your captain's sister kinda hero, you can def check this one out!



Kayleigh Emerson knows that she shouldn’t get involved with a teammate of her brother’s. But the chemistry between her and rookie sensation Max St. Laurent is unmistakable.

Max St. Laurent is captivated by the talented violinist who happens to be his captain’s sister. Unfortunately, he doesn’t need his unique combination of empathy and telepathy to realize there’ll be problems if he pursues her.

But when mandatory English conversational sessions lead to a fake date that feels all too real, Max and Kayleigh must decide whether to cross the line between friendship and love.


1. Hi Stacey, we're so happy to have you here in the blog! Tell us a bit about yourself and what do you write. 
I'm so happy to be here :D Thank you for having me. I'm from New York, and I live in a little town near the Hudson river. I write paranormal, contemporary and historical romance. I love music and hockey *g* and read waaay too much.

2. What do you enjoy about writing about sports? Especially hockey. And if you were to write about another sport, which one would it be? 
Hockey is my favorite sport to watch and follow. I spend *a lot* of time following my favorite team, and a few of the bloggers that write about it and soak in as much as I can. The stories come naturally from all of that research . And I love being able to involve myself in my favorite sport that way :) 

Other sports? hmm. A few years ago I thought about a book with a soccer player hero and a race car driver heroine ;) I may still at some point. But we'll see :)

3. We love romance here in The Book Voyagers. Some of our favorite tropes are friends to lovers, rivals, fake dating, and much more. Which ones are your favorite? 
I'm a sucker for the tortured hero (the less emotions the hero in question has at the start, the better). It is my catnip as a reader and something that carries all through the subgenres of romance I read. I also like friends to lovers and fake dating *g*

4. We're now going to play a game of This or That, okay? 

• So.... bad boy or good boy? 

Good boy :D (especially irl). Bad boys are fun to read about but not to date ;)

• Watching sports or reading about sports? 

Can't decide on this one. I love both reading about my favorite sports and watching them. I've even brought some of my favorite sports romances to games (yep..) Books by Deirdre Martin and Rachel Gibson have made me feel better about playoff losses. Also reading sports romance by authors like Kat Latham, Kate Willoughby, Sawyer Bennett, Sophia Henry, Elle Kennedy, Kat Latham, Sarina Bowen, Farrah Rochon, Alison Parr and so many others, has gotten me through a very long offseason. so both :)

• Coffee or tea? 

Though I like both (and have mixed them in interesting ways), I'll say coffee because I'm more apt to reach for it first :)

• Cold weather or hot weather? 

Cold.

• Physical books or ebooks? 

Both. absolutely both :) It's like pokemon - you gotta catch them all :D

5. Icing the Puck, the anthology your story - Crossing the Lines - is on, just came out. Do you still have the same reaction when you see your book go live as the first time? What do you like more about release week? 
YES. Disbelief, excitement, tears, nerves. I'm excited to see that people want to buy the book, and thrilled at the excitement about something I've written, nerves because I want them to enjoy it the way I've enjoyed so many books over the years. Tears, because something I've written has been published :D Also, and more importantly, how lucky I am that awesome people like Isabo Kelly and the Kenzie MacLir team agreed to come on this journey with me :)

6. And last, can you tell us what are you writing next.... or a bit about your future projects? 
So there are three Emerson siblings. Chris was the hero of my story in Going All In(Playing Her Game), Kayleigh, who's the heroine of this one, and Bryce. Bryce has started 'lobbying' for his story, so I'm starting to research that one. I've also just sent in a short to an anthology celebrating a historic house in Manhattan about a guy who has an encounter of sorts with one of his ancestors. It's a postscript to a story called 'Home' that appeared in an anthology called 'For Love and Liberty.' And a few other things :)

7. That sounds amazingggg *Ahh* Thank you so much! It was a joy to have you here with us. Hope you had a good time :')
Thank you so much for having me :D I love chatting with you guys on twitter and your instagram reviews are amazing. As was this :D

Stacey Agdern has written for : ‘HEA’ USA today’s online romance blog, Heroes and Heartbreakers, Criminal Element, Romance at Random, Romantic Times Magazine and Barbara Vey’s Beyond Her Book’ Column at Publishers Weekly Online Site. She has been interviewed by the New York Times. She has also given presentations on the effective use of booksellers at regional and national conferences (and is a two time award winner for her bookselling).

Hi, guys! Sil here. Yesterday in the Twitter Universe, I saw great Alisha Rai and Courtney Milan getting these tweets because they spoke about this article in Culturess called Sports-Themed Romance Novels: Two Great Tastes... and that article is great + it talks about the lack of diversity in regard of the MCs or secondary characters in sports romances.

So of course, I had to talk a bit about this because IT IS SO TRUE. I wrote a super long thread saying why it is impossible writing all-white sports teams when in REAL LIFE there is nothing like that.

I am tired of finding a sports romance and it sounds good but the cast is all white? It's impossible for a sports team especially football+

— The Book Voyagers (@thebookvoyagers) August 24, 2016

 You can click the tweet and it will lead you to my thread where I also talk about various sports (tennis, F1, football, and more).

I decided to make a list of books with POC as MC/LIs in sports romances/New Adults! You know I love doing rec lists and it's a joy to me doing them. I also find out about more books while doing the lists and it's a win win!

Fear stops dreams in their tracks before they even have a chance. Then again, so do injuries.

Natalia Grekov was born to win Olympic gold. As the USA’s top gymnast, she’s calm, confident and ready to make her country proud in just two short months. And her elite athlete lifestyle includes no time for distractions—especially men. When a disastrous fall in practice puts her dreams at risk, it seems the only person who can help her is the one person she wants nothing from.

Spencer Russell is gymnastics’ bad boy. A cocky, laid-back charmer with abs of steel and a witty mouth, he waltzes around the U.S. Gymnastics Training Camp like he owns the place—even though he doesn't anymore. After an injury sidelined his career and any chance at Olympic glory, he’s now just a coach, helping other gymnasts reach their goals. Serious is not a word in Spencer’s vocabulary. But when Natalia tumbles into his life, he's suddenly sincerely interested in helping the blonde beauty in any way he can.

Can they vault over the obstacles standing in their way? Or will Spencer be the distraction that causes Natalia's chance at gold to crash and burn?

Gorgeous college senior Val Fabian is a player in every sense of the word. She's the star spiker of her university's volleyball team, and she never runs out of dates. But it seems that this year, she has finally been bitten by the commitment bug. She sets her sights on an unexpected target--the unassuming yet ultra-cute Jake Clementia. Val is used to getting what she wants, and is sure she'll snag him before graduation. But in the process of winning his heart, she is sideswiped by a surprise move that sends her tumbling from her pedestal.

Second post of the day, yay! This one is SO *omgomgomg* I like d i e d when I saw this in my inbox and I'm like yesyeyes! I am waiting for this series to release asap I mean it's bound to be a favorite because a) hockey b) Sarina Bowen wrote it. I'm sold.

Today I bring you the cover of book #2 of the Brooklyn Bruisers series by Sarina Bowen: HARD HITTER. It's yummy and drool-worthy and I might spend all my day staring at it (as everyone else).

Hi, The Book Voyagers here! This is the second list of book recommendations of a certain theme/trope. For today we're going to attempt to put up a list of books with characters that play sports or include sports in their storyline (not necessary the character must be playing the sport!).
*Most of them are book #1 in a series (unless I stated otherwise) - though can be read as standalones!

• Racing Hearts by Melissa West (Horse racing) 
• Where We Belong by Eve Connell (Swimming)
• Everything That Makes You by Moriah McStay (Lacrosse)
• Revved by Samantha Towle (Car racing)