A romance month Saturday spotlight from A Heart So Broken (Atlanta Siege Hockey Romance #5)
By Raine Thomas

Samantha smiled. “Do you want a touch-up on your coffee? I’m getting one.”
“I’m good, thanks.”
Once she had topped off her cup, she returned to her chair. “Now, where were we? Oh, yeah. I think you were considering making a disastrous dating mistake by inviting a woman you barely know to a wedding.”
His eyebrows shot up.
“Seriously, Mitch. Weddings are significant events. You should only attend one with a person you’ve been dating for a while and feel as though you want a future with. Do you think Alicia is that person?”
“How the hell should I know? I was just glad to get through this first date without her lookin’ like I disappointed her.” After a pause, he blew out a heavy breath. “Who am I kidding, anyway? I’m probably never gonna get that serious with another woman. I’m too rusty and set in my ways.”
“Hey, you’re just getting back into the dating world. It’s bound to feel weird at first. Give it some time. You might have to kiss a few snakes before you find your prince—er, princess.”
His brow furrowed. “I think you’re thinkin’ of toads or frogs.”
“Huh?”
“You have to kiss a few frogs before you find your prince.”
She made a face. “And I thought kissing snakes was bad.”
One corner of his mouth lifted. “Now you’ve got me worryin’ the next woman I kiss is gonna think I’m a toad.”
“Ha, ha. Believe me, you’d know that about yourself by now. Have you ever had any complaints in that area before?”
“No, but—”
He cut himself off. When his face rose in color, she quickly clued in. It took a huge amount of self-control not to gape at him.
“You haven’t kissed anyone since your divorce?” she guessed.
He didn’t reply.
“But…it’s been a while, right?”
When he still didn’t reply, she realized what a sensitive subject this was for him. It was clear the idea of intimacy with someone new unnerved him, and that was only going to hinder his chances of having a successful relationship with anyone else.
Her heart went out to him. She couldn’t let him continue to flounder like this. He was too nice a guy.
She set her coffee on the end table between their chairs and got to her feet. “Come with me.”
“Come with you where?”
“To my office.”
And away from Alex if he happened to wake up again, but she didn’t add that. When he didn’t immediately rise, she held her hand out to him. He looked wary, but he finally took her hand and got up. She led him to her office and closed the door, then turned to face him. He was looking around with obvious curiosity.

“Is this where you work?”
“Yep.” She gestured to her recording area. “That’s my recording setup for a product I’ll be reviewing tomorrow.”
“Ah. You really like coffee, huh?” he said, lifting a chin towards the collection of partially filled coffee cups on her desk.
“It’s my life’s blood.”
His question nudged her towards her desk. She opened the top drawer, pulling out two of the Life Saver’s mints she kept there. She handed one to Mitch and popped the second one into her mouth.
He eyed the mint with a baffled expression. “You brought me into your office to tell me I have bad breath?”
“No. I brought you in here to kiss you.”
He looked at her like she had lost her mind.
“Eat the mint, Mitch.”
He didn’t seem to know what to do. After a moment during which she just stared at him and sucked on her mint, he eventually stuck it in his mouth.
“Kissing is like riding a bike,” she said. “It’s really nothing to get worked up about.”
“Then why do women make such a big deal about their first kiss with a guy?” he asked around his mint.
She tilted her head in consideration. “That’s a fair point, I suppose. Some women do put a lot of pressure on that first kiss, but not all of us do.”
“Kissed a lot of fellas, have you?”
“Not really,” she said. “Matt was my first kiss. My first love. After he died, I didn’t date for many years. I was pregnant with Alex, then I was focused on raising him. Dating was the last thing on my mind.”
“I get that.”
She supposed he did, at least on some level. After all, divorce was the death of a relationship. But such topics weren’t exactly mood setters.
“Anyway, once I started dating again, I did it with a casual mindset. I wasn’t looking for a new life partner. I just wanted to enjoy a little time every so often with someone I found interesting. If that led to us testing our chemistry with a kiss, it did. If it didn’t, it didn’t.”
“Huh.”
Noting that they were both done with their mints, she removed her glasses and moved closer to him. “I figure since we’re not dating, this takes all the pressure off your first post-divorce kiss. Then you’ll see it’s not such a big deal and you can carry on with a typical dating life.”
“But—
She reached up and placed her finger over his mouth. “Just kiss me, Cowboy.”
A Heart So Broken

He’s an All-Star NHL defenseman, a still-reeling divorcé, and Atlanta’s most recently declared Hottest Eligible Bachelor.
Mitch Frasier had it all…marriage to his high school sweetheart, a son to share his passion for hockey, and a welcoming place to call home.
Until he didn’t.
He still isn’t sure where it all went to hell, but one thing’s for certain: the sad life he’s been living since his divorce has got to change. So when his teammate insists on setting him up on a blind date with the perfect woman, he accepts.
The only problem? He’s got absolutely no game.
She’s a gutsy military widow, a devoted single mother, and one of social media’s top influencers.
Samantha Matthews had it all…a storybook marriage, a new life away from the difficult memories of her childhood, and the promise of a contented future.
Until she didn’t.
She’ll never forget the day it all went to hell. From that moment, her focus turned to providing the best possible life for her son. So when the social media empire she built threatens to crumble, she’s got to think on her feet and find a way to save it.
The only problem? Her viewers want dating advice, and she’s got absolutely no social life.
When a friend offers to set her up on a blind date, Samantha sees it as a win-win. She’ll get content that her dwindling viewership will love and finally kick-start her stagnant dating life.
Well, at least she’ll be half-right.
It starts as the world’s worst blind date. How it all ends will depend on a determined woman’s tenacity against a stubborn broken heart.
Game on.
CAUTION: You will likely experience a serious book hangover when finishing A Heart So Broken!
This fifth book in the Atlanta Siege hockey romance series is perfect for fans of steamy sports romances that touch the heart and have a satisfying HEA. Featuring a dedicated single mother of a child on the spectrum and a sexy divorcé also navigating single parenthood, A Heart So Broken is full of as many laugh-out-loud moments as scenes that will steal your heart. Prepare for full steam ahead in this sexy, friends to lovers romance that readers are calling the best in the series so far.
Raine Thomas
is a multiple award-winning author of bestselling romance. Known for character-driven stories that inspire the imagination, Raine has signed with multiple award-winning producer Chase Chenowith of Back Fence Productions to bring her popular Daughters of Saraqael trilogy to the big screen. She’s a proud indie author who is living the dream.
Raine is a hopeless romantic with a background in the fields of mental health and wedding planning…two areas that intersect far more than one would think. Her years working with children and young adults with emotional and behavioral challenges inspired her to create protagonists who overcome their own conflicts. When she isn’t writing or glued to e-mail or social networking sites, Raine can usually be found vacationing with her husband and daughter on one of Florida’s beautiful beaches or crossing the border to visit with her Canadian friends and relatives.
Raine loves to hear from readers! You can connect with her here:
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