Spotlight & Giveaway: Foster by Sawyer Bennett

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Sawyer Bennett to HJ!

Hi Sawyer and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, Foster!

 
Hi, readers! *waves*
 

Please summarize the book for the readers here:

Foster is a standalone hockey romance featuring single dad (Foster), his precocious ten year old daughter (Bowie Jane), and the nanny that sweeps into their lives and changes everything (Mazzy).
 

Please share your favorite line(s) or quote from this book:

“That was some kiss you gave your nanny, dude.”
“Is that a perk of the job?”

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

Bowie Jane is based off my own ten year old daughter. It may seem at times that her vocabulary and vernacular is a little too mature for a ten year old, but that’s my kid. She shocks me daily with her intuitiveness and her ability to read a situation and respond accordingly. Without her, there would have been no Bowie Jane.

What first attracts your Hero to the Heroine and vice versa?

There is an obvious physical attraction on both sides, but their initial attraction was deeper and a bit of a slow burn. Mazzy is attracted to the fact that Foster is willing to do anything for his daughter, including walking away from his hockey career if that’s what it takes. Foster is attracted to Mazzy the way she confidently walked into their lives, set boundaries, and provided a safe and supportive environment for his daughter.

Did any scene have you blushing, crying or laughing while writing it? And Why?

I think the relationship between Foster and Bowie Jane is so sweet, so this scene between them made me sigh with contentment.

“You’re just growing up and getting so independent, you don’t even need me anymore,” I lament in an overly dramatic fashion.
She knows this and to push my buttons, she says, “I don’t need you. I have Mazzy and she’s a far better cook.”
I look momentarily shocked as she grins at me, then I leap at her. “Oh yeah!” I scoop her up, move to the couch and toss her on it before tickling her. “Does Mazzy do this?”
“D-a-a-a-a-d,” Bowie Jane shrieks with laughter as I lightly drum at her rib cage with my fingers. “Stop before I pee.”
“Good. Go ahead and pee,” I taunt, never once letting up. “Mazzy will clean it up. I mean, you prefer her anyway.”
“I don’t,” she yells, kicking her legs. “I don’t prefer her. I prefer you.”
I stop tickling her but hold her by the waist. “Say it without the duress of uncontrollable laughter,” I demand.
She giggles and says, “But Mazzy is a better cook.”
I hold my hands up, fingers arched and poised to tickle again. “Say it,” I say with a warning flex.
“Okay, fine… I prefer you to Mazzy. I mean, you’re my dad and all.”
“Good girl,” I reply, picking her up and giving her a hard smack of a kiss on her cheek.
She wraps her arms around my neck, squeezes tight and whispers in my ear, even though no one is around to hear us. “Want to know a secret?”
I nod.
“You’re my favorite person out of all the persons I know.”
Fuck if that doesn’t make my eyes sting, and I squeeze her back. “You’re my favorite person too.”

Readers should read this book….

For a lighthearted (okay, 95% lighthearted) nanny/single dad, friends to lovers, sassy daughter who keeps her dad on her toes, hockey romance.

What are you currently working on? What other releases do you have in the works?

I have a new series coming! *squeals* It’s been a couple of years since I launched something new, so I’m SUPER excited about the Bluegrass Empires series, kicking off on June 25 (June 18 on the Sawyer Bennett Bookstore) with the release of The Feud! Two families and a centuries long hatred for one another, brought face-to-face by an unexpected custody battle. Set in the rolling hills of Kentucky, the Bluegrass Empires series centers around the Blackburn family (saddlebred horses) and the Mardraggon family (bourbon). I can’t wait to get this series out into the wild!!

And, of course, there will be more from the Pittsburgh Titans this year (and into the next) as well!
 

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: Signed paperback of Foster (US only)

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: Other than hockey, what type of sporty romances do you like to read?

 
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Excerpt from Foster:

“This is it, huh?” Her voice is breathy and expectant.
“Unless you tell me no.”
“Not going to tell you no.”
“Then I’m going to kiss you,” I promise.
For a moment, we just stare at each other. Mazzy waits for me to make the move. I’m trying to figure out the best way to kiss her.
Ultimately, I opt to slide my fingers along the side of her neck, curling them around the back. It lets that gorgeous fall of hair glide against my skin.
Mazzy gasps at the gesture, which is not just intimate, but slightly possessive when I give a light squeeze.
Dipping my head, I brush my lips across hers—nothing more substantive than a ghost’s touch. Mazzy’s breath mingles with mine and my heart pounds. I lift my head just enough so I can see her expression. Her eyes are closed but they flutter open, a mesmerizing blend of nerves and excitement swirling in those green depths.
I kiss her again and this time when our lips touch, I feel a surge of warmth, a profound connection that sends a shiver down my spine. Mazzy’s mouth opens to mine with the barest of tentative pressure from me and I begin a slow exploration.
Mazzy makes a tiny sound in the back of her throat, and I could be reading into it, but it sounds needy.
I’m electrified by her reaction and deepen the kiss by sliding my other arm around her back. I pull her into my body and her hands go to the nape of my neck. Without shame, she presses against me, and my body instantly reacts.
That means I need to slow the fuck down because this is just supposed to be an end-of-first-date kiss and I don’t want Mazzy to see—rather feel—how much she’s turning me on.
I try to disengage but she doesn’t let me pull away. Her hands tighten and she takes control of the kiss, her tongue swiping aggressively against mine. There’s no stopping the groan she pulls from deep within me.
I move my hands to the sides of her head so I can retake control. I nip at her lower lip before I pull back and wait patiently for those drowsy eyes to open and look at me.
When she does—gaze dreamy—I say, “I had a great time tonight.”
“That sounds like the kiss is over,” she replies.
“It needs to be over,” I mutter, bending down and brushing my lips against hers.
In response, she burrows against my body, her belly rubbing against my erection. “I don’t want it to be over.”

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 
 

Book Info:

When Foster McInnis’ ex-wife flakes and he finds himself with full custody of his daughter, the nanny he hires brings a new complication—an attraction he can’t ignore, no matter how hard he tries.

I love being on the ice and am grateful for my hockey career, but the off season is my favorite time of the year because it brings me my one true love—my daughter, Bowie Jane. Between my job and my ex-wife living across the country, the time I get to spend face-to-face with my kiddo is limited, though we make up for it with summers full of fun adventures. We’re thick as thieves and take full advantage of our time together, but the distance away from her is killing me.

My fortunes change when my ex walks away and I find myself with full custody. But with the hockey season looming, I know I’m going to need help taking care of Bowie Jane. Enter Mary Elizabeth Archer—otherwise known as Mazzy. Highly recommended to me through the Titans’ network, Mazzy crashes into our life like a hurricane. She’s unlike anyone I’ve ever met and to say I’m intrigued is an understatement. But no matter how attractive she is, no matter how I crave to know everything about her, I can’t go there. It’s inappropriate. Just wrong, wrong, wrong, even though she might be the most right thing I’ve ever known.

Being the indescribable force she is, there is soon no corner of our lives that Mazzy hasn’t impacted in a positive way. And my desire for more with her becomes far stronger than my misguided idea that I could ever resist this woman. Our attraction burns hot and keeping our eyes, hands and mouths off one another gets harder by the minute. It doesn’t take long for me to know that I’m all in with Mazzy. She’s my end game and, lucky for me, winning is my specialty.
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Meet the Author:

New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestselling author Sawyer Bennett uses real life experience to create relatable stories that appeal to a wide array of readers. From contemporary romance, fantasy romance, and both women’s and general fiction, Sawyer writes something for just about everyone.

A former trial lawyer from North Carolina, when she is not bringing fiction to life, Sawyer is a chauffeur, stylist, chef, maid, and personal assistant to her very adorable daughter, as well as full-time servant to her wonderfully naughty dogs.

If you’d like to receive a notification when Sawyer releases a new book, sign up for her newsletter (sawyerbennett.com/signup).
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