Blog Tour: Power Play (Scoring Chances #3) by Avon Gale

[reviews_and_ramblings]

Power Play (Scoring Chances #3) by Avon Gale
Paperback: 200 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (May 9, 2016)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1634772431
ISBN-13: 978-1634772433
Amazon: Power Play (Scoring Chances #3)
Amazon Kindle: Power Play (Scoring Chances #3)

Blurb: A freak accident during the Stanley Cup Playoffs put an end to Max Ashford’s hockey career. Despite everything, Max gets back into the game he loves—only this time, behind the bench as an assistant coach of the Spartanburg Spitfires, the worst team in the entire league. But nothing prepares him for the shock when he learns the new head coach is Misha Samarin, the man who caused Max’s accident.

After spending guilt-ridden years for his part in Max’s accident, Russian native Misha Samarin has no idea what to do when he’s confronted with Max’s presence. Max’s optimism plays havoc with Misha’s equilibrium—as does the fierce attraction that springs up between them.

Not only must they navigate Misha’s remorse and a past he’s spent a lifetime to forget, but also a sleazy GM determined to use their history as a marketing hook. But when an unwelcome visitor targets the team, Misha revisits his darkest days, which might cost him and Max the beginning they’ve worked so hard to build.

Excerpt:

“I’d never watched this, you know.”
“The YouTube video?” Misha had seen that too. It was filed with angry commenters yelling that he should be deported back to Russia.
“The hit.”
Misha blinked. “You’ve seen the commercial, though. Yes?”
“Yeah, I wish I could say I haven’t seen that. But I meant, I didn’t watch this until a few months ago. They played that game on the NHL channel, so I watched it.”
It never occurred to Misha that Max wouldn’t have seen it, but then he remembered that Max was the hero, not the villain of the story. Misha watched the hit play out on the screen. What must that feel like, to watch the moment it all ended? When Max hit the ice, did he know that game was his last? Did Misha know it was his? How had he felt? He couldn’t remember.
The scene switched to the replay. Misha watched dispassionately, retreated into the blinding pain of his migraine, and told himself that it was all right to suffer, that he should, that he deserved it.
Max paused the video. “Look. See what I have there?”
Misha blinked. He had not expected questions. “I—what?”
“The puck, Misha. The puck. Your hit wasn’t late.”
Oh. “Yes. I know.”
Max stared at him. On the television screen, their younger selves were suspended at the moment everything changed. 



Meet the author: Avon Gale was once the mayor on Foursquare of Jazzercise and Lollicup, which should tell you all you need to know about her as a person. She likes road trips, rock concerts, drinking Kentucky bourbon and yelling at hockey. She’s a displaced southerner living in a liberal midwestern college town, and when she’s not writing you can find her at the salon, making her clients look and feel fabulous. She never gets tired of people and their stories -- either real or the ones she makes up in her head.

1) Describe your book to us.
Power Play is about two former NHL players who were hired to coach the worst team in the ECHL, the Spartanburg Spitfires. Not only did Max and Misha play for rival teams, but during a heated playoff game, Misha inadvertently caused an accident that ended Max’s career. It’s now five years later, and the two are hired by a GM who thinks maybe the publicity will help sell tickets.

2) Have you ever read something that made you think differently about your genre? Can you tell us what it was?
I can remember the first romance novel I ever read, which was a gothic romance – one of those where the girl is in a dress and running away from a towering castle? It was called “The Lost Duchess of Greydon Castle.” I was hooked on romance from that point on, and read every one in this giant box my mom kept in our upstairs guest room. I’ve always loved gothic romance and would love to write one someday!

3) Tell us about your character’s family life?
Max has a very happy and supportive family. His mother was a lacrosse player in high school, and his father was the shy, geeky kid who was good at math and tutored his outgoing, popular mother. Max jokes that his parents relationship is a real-life meet-cute rom-com, and it is. They have a very strong friendship and that’s something that has made an impact on Max from an early age. He also has an older brother, who’s married with three kids. His older brother is an accountant and the reason Max passed math in high school and college.

4) Compare yourself to your main character.
Max and I share a lot of similarities, in that we’re both positive, optimistic people who are all about moving forward and new adventures. Max sees the best in everyone and I like to think I do, too. I’m a little better at geography and definitely better with history than Max, but I can’t ice skate to save my life – and I’m a die-hard Bruins fan.

5) Describe your past week as a type of landscape or a weather forecast.
It’s hockey playoffs and my second-favorite team is in the second round, so, basically every day is like a tornado around here when the game is on. When it’s not a game day for the Blues, I’d say it’s mostly sunny with a nice cool breeze ;)

Where to find the author:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/avongalewrites
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/authoravongale
Twitter: @avongalewrites
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/avongalewrites/
Join my mailing list http://eepurl.com/bGLSrD
Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29361143



Tour Dates & Stops:
9-May: My Fiction Nook, Open Skye Book Reviews, Inked Rainbow Reads, Elisa - My Reviews and Ramblings,
Oh My Shelves
10-May: Two Chicks Obsessed With Books and Eye Candy, Joyfully Jay, Jessie G. Books, Rednecks and Romance,
Anna Butler Fiction
11-May: MM Good Book Reviews, Wicked Faerie's Tales and Reviews, Posy Roberts, Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents
12-May: Love Bytes, The Novel Approach, Unquietly Me, Happily Ever Chapter
13-May: BFD Book Blog, The Hat Party, MM Book Escape
16-May: Havan Fellows, Divine Magazine, Outrageous Heroes, Prism Book Alliance, Boys on the Brink Reviews
17-May: 3 Chicks After Dark, Full Moon Dreaming, Butterfly-O-Meter
18-May: Foxylutely Book Reviews, Three Books Over The Rainbow, V's Reads
19-May: Book Lovers 4Ever, Charley Descoteaux, Mikky's World of Books, Carly’s Book Reviews
20-May: Making It Happen, Kirsty Loves Books, Bayou Book Junkie
21-May: A.M. Leibowitz, Alpha Book Club, Molly Lolly, Man2ManTastic

Giveaway:
Rafflecopter Prize: Books one and two of the ‘Scoring Chances’ series by Avon Gale
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