Today we've got not one but TWO new covers to show you, the next two books in Jami Davenport's Seattle Lumberjacks series. The first is Backfield in Motion, out in August. Here's the blurb:

All you'll ever be is a pretty face...

Star running back Bruce “Bruiser” Mackey has heard those words his entire life, especially after his twin brother’s tragic accident. He might use his surfer-boy good looks to land lucrative endorsements for his secret charity, but he hates books being judged by their covers. Which is why it’s wrong that his friend MacKenzie Hernandez is intent on giving herself a makeover.

Sure, Mac and her father have been reeling financially since her brother disappeared three years ago, and Lumberjacks management gives an annual scholarship that might get her life back on track, but he can’t imagine anyone smarter, sexier, or more beautiful than Mac already is. He can’t keep his hands off her—and the more they spend time together, the less he wants to. She’s perfect as is. One way or another, he’ll make sure the team’s tomboy greenskeeper gets a full ride. And between the two of them, they can learn to accept what’s behind them and look downfield to a future full of win.

And the second in the series, out in December 2013, is Time of Possession:

[+ another hot cover...]

Anyone who recently watched The Mindy Project will likely recognize this blond Viking-esque footballer player. He's Clay Matthews from the Green Bay Packers and boy are they packing away a lot of prime beefcake on that team! This linebacker, besides his recent turn as himself on the Fox show, also agreed to an extension of his contract on Wednesday.

In honor of his recent successes, and let's face it, just because he's plain ol' hot, here's a picture from a photoshoot he did for Muscle and Fitness magazine. Does he remind you of those Viking heroes from romance or does he remind you of your favorite football romance cover?

There is something so appealing to me about a man, fighting and sweating in a ring: if a book blurb says that the hero is a UFC or MMA fighter, there is a 100% chance I will pick up the book. No question about it. Broken bones and blood and tears. And then coming home to claim his woman with the high he has from winning his fight. It’s primal and sexy, right?

Granted, I know nothing about real life UFC or MMA fighting. My dad once took me to a WWE event and I got to see Hulk Hogan put someone in a headlock. I know professional wrestling is nowhere near professional fighting, I’m just giving you my frame of reference. In my head, professional fighters are very serious, dedicated men who still have time to romance their woman. I’m a romance reader, I can’t help it.

I can’t remember who my first fighter hero was, but the one that stands out to me most is Willing Victim by Cara McKenna. The hero is an amateur underground fighter who is a very no-nonsense type of guy. In this book, the hero likes to play out rape fantasies (not everyone’s cup of tea, but it is done really well in this book), and the backdrop of the fighting in this one really sets off the developing romance.

[Are you ready to rumble?...]

Ryan Lochte, the Olympian rival and teammate of Michael Phelps, is seen as kind of a player but in his new show on E! What Would Ryan Lochte Do? we see a few different sides of him—okay, yes the player side, but also the devoted mama's boy, hardcore athlete, and playful friend. Here's a picture from a Men's Health photoshoot to remind you what he looks like (like you needed the reminder!) and to celebrate his new show.

Will you tune into to see what Ryan Lochte will do when it airs April 21 or will you take a pass? Enjoy!

Jaci Burton
Thrown by a Curve
Berkley Trade / March 5, 2013 / $15.00 print, $9.99 digital

She thinks she knows this player—but he has a few surprise moves.

For Alicia Riley, her job as a sports therapist for the St. Louis Rivers baseball team is a home run—until she becomes the primary therapist for star pitcher, Garrett Scott. Out of the lineup with an injury, he’s short-tempered, hard to handle, and every solid inch, a man.

Right now, the only demand he’s making on Alicia is that she get him ready to pitch in time for opening day. Except the sexual chemistry between them is so charged, Alicia’s tempted to oblige Garrett just about anything. But both their careers are at stake—one bad move and it’s game over for both of them.

Garrett also feels the hot sparks between them, and the way he figures it, what better therapy is there than sex? Now all he has to do is convince the woman with the power to make the call.

The greatest thing about Jaci Burton's Play-by-Play series, besides its gorgeous sports heroes and themes that show a real enthusiasm for the world of American sports, is that it gets better with each successive release. Thrown By a Curve returns to the world of baseball with Garrett Scott, a star pitcher who has had a major set-back with a shoulder injury that could wreck his career, and Alicia Riley, a sports medicine therapist on the team who knows she has what it takes to get Garrett back on top.

[There's a dirty joke in there somewhere...]

I never danced seriously myself and didn't watch ballet; it was too slow, and there are no words. Then my kids started to take ballet. It very quickly turned into something serious. My elder daughter danced with great dedication for many years, taking class six days a week. All those classes came with parent observation—endless classes where you watch a room full of girls point their feet again and again while I sat on plastic chairs and wooden benches. But slowly (really, it took me years), I began to find the beauty of it. The more I learned, the more I appreciated the art. But—don’t tell my kids—class is still hideously dull to watch.

One of the things that made me grow to love it so much was the passion that of everyone involved: students, teachers, performers. Even the receptionists. Everyone there thought no amount of time, effort or money was ill spent. It’s easy to get caught up in the obsession.

That kind of passionate dedication makes for fascinating characters in a book. And for even more drama in romance, the dancers are ending their dance careers for one reason or another.

Ballerina Bride by Fiona Harper is probably my favorite ballet book for the way it portrays the life of a dancer. Allegra should be at the top of her career, but she’s floundering—personally, professionally, and artistically. Harper nailed that love/hate relationship that many dancers have with their art.

It might look effortless from the outside, but from the inside it was hard and demanding. It was beautiful, but it wasn’t pretty or nice. A fierce kind of beauty that asked for you very soul in return for greatness, and then devoured it without compunction.

[And then there's Finn...]

We've had sports on the brain all this week as we prepare for Super Bowl XLVII. Not only is there an opportunity to eat, drink, and be merry with friends and family, but it's also an excuse to oggle the incredibly fit bodies of the football players. In the past we've talked about why we love sports romance and have shared some of our favorite series featuring athletes, now we want to know what is your favorite sport to see featured in a romance novel or series. Susan Elizabeth Phillips made golf sexy, Jaci Burton and Bella Andre get our vote for MVP for football, and Rachel Gibson and Deirdre Martin really know how to score with their hockey romance, but what's your favorite? Vote in the poll and let us know in the comments!

Football image courtesy of Anderson Mancini via Flickr.

The official NHL season begins on Saturday and what better way to celebrate than to look at some hunky hockey man candy. Sure, the smiles aren't always the best (unfortunately hockey leads to a few knocked out teeth), but that's not always the No. 1 priority for us!

We've got Henrik Lundqvist, who last year won the Vezina Trophy for his outstanding goalie skills for the New York Rangers, The New Jersey Devils' Jacob Josefson, The St. Louis Blues' Jason Arnott, and last but not least, Phoenix Coyotes' Antoine Vermette. Enjoy!

[+3 more players we'd gladly go to the penalty box with...we mean, for...]

Molly O’Keefe
Crazy Thing Called Love
Bantam / January 29, 2013 / $7.99 print & digital

Dallas TV morning show host Madelyn Cornish is poised, perfect, and unflappable, from her glossy smile to her sleek professionalism. No one knows that her iron will guards a shattered heart and memories of a man she’s determined to lock out. Until that man shows up at a morning meeting like a bad dream: Billy Wilkins, sexy hockey superstar in a tailspin—still skating, still fighting, and still her ex-husband.

Now the producers want this poster child for bad behavior to undergo an on-air makeover, and Billy, who has nothing to lose, agrees to the project. It’s his only chance to get near Maddy again, and to fight for the right things this time around. He believes in the fire in Maddy’s whiskey eyes and the passion that ignites the air between them. This bad-boy heartbreaker wants a last shot to be redeemed by the only thing that matters: Maddy’s love.

When I am in the mood for contemporary romance, Molly O’Keefe is one of my go-to authors.  I like that her characters often are dealing with family issues, which adds intriguing conflict to the romantic relationship.

[Love me, love my family...]

Sports romances are a sure bet for romance readers, and it's easy to see why. Sports players are part of our collective fantasies, both in and out of fiction, so they work well as romance heroes. Romance's alpha male—and of all its iterations—are similar to a sports hero;  their personalities are usually larger than life, and they tend to be a bit rough around the edges. Also, these books usually have a lot of interaction between teammates, which means hilarious situations and tons of bromance.

When I think of sports romances, the first name that comes to mind is Susan Elizabeth Phillips. Her Chicago Star series is a must-read for every fan of the genre. But her first sports novel, or the first one featuring a sport player hero, wasn’t about football or hokey, but about golf. Personally, I think it takes a lot to make golf look something other than boring, let alone sexy, but Fancy Pants did just that.

Rachel Gibson and Deirdre Martin made hockey the sport of choice in romance. The Seattle Chinooks and the New York Blades are some of the most familiar fictional teams, at least in our genre. Jill Shalvis is known for her small-town stories, but Double Play and Slow Heat, her baseball books, will always have a special place in my romance-loving heart, and I highly recommend them.

[Score!...]

The official postseason began October 5 and fans are anxious to see which team will snag the World Series champion title. Even if your team is out of competition, we at Heroes and Heartbreakers can still appreciate finding an appropriate “Mr. October.” The title was originated with Reggie Jackson for his postseason prowess, but we're taking a few liberties with it. So, we scanned lists of the hottest Major League Baseball players, both past and present, and picked out a few for you to weigh in on. Who would you pick as your Mr. October?

When life gives you hockey lockouts—read books set on the rink! Two hockey-centric books releasing in October—Juliana Stone's Offside and G.B Joyce’s The Code—have on-ice feel to them.

Offside is a small-town hockey romance. Juliana Stone uses the hockey atmosphere and combines it with a slice of small town life in a story that will make any romance reader, hockey fan or no, a very happy person. It’s the story of a hometown heroine, BillieJo Barker, who comes home to the guy who she’s always been in love with. Yep. The hometown heroine, a hockey player who's been felled by injury, must now figure out what to do with her life. When she decides to play hockey in her hometown’s men's league, she comes into conflict with most of the town, including one of her sisters. Except of course the guy she’s always been in love with suddenly starts to be her own, personal, protector.

[How serendipitous...]

A hockey lockout is awful. As every other sports fandom gets revved up, hockey fans are in for a long haul of…nothing. Hoping that there will be progress in the talks that there hadn’t been before. Hoping something miraculous might happen, but somehow aware that that’s about as likely as Mike Eruzione scoring a hat trick against Henrik Lundquist.

With that in mind, I’m bringing you a two-part series talking about books that might prepare you to weather the long wait.

First, the classics. Some of these books are tried and true, discussed by hockey fans and romance readers everywhere. Some of these books are by authors we love, who’ve made their first hockey book a must read. And one of these books was an author and hockey fan’s first on the road to hockey romance greatness.

1. True Love and Other Disasters by Rachel Gibson

Every single list of hockey romances must include a Rachel Gibson. It’s practically required. This one makes this list because it is memorable for both  on the ice action as well as off the ice. Gibson’s team, the Seattle Chinooks, actually joined the NHL in this book, and we had appearances from real players (I remember seeing Markus Nasulnd’s name in the pages of this book a short time after he retired).

[For the love of hockey...]

 Football season has just started, and with the weather finally starting to cool off, we're ready for a chance to snuggle up with some of the NFL's hottest bodies, including The Patriots' Wes Welker and Tom Brady, the Steelers' Troy Polamalu, Tony Romo of the Cowboys, Adrian Peterson of the Vikings, the Chiefs' Brady Quinn, and Mark Sanchez of the Jets.

Whether these players and their respective teams do well this season or not, we were rooting for them from the start!

Who's your MVB? (And feel free to bring more eye candy!)

[+6 more mouth-watering photos!...]

Perfect timing! Later on today we'll be celebrating the beauty of football, and some football fans might already be planning their Sunday viewing. So now we're pleased to reveal the cover for Jami Davenport's Forward Passes, featuring a football hero and the heroine who is—at first—reluctant to accept his pass. Here's the blurb:

With two championships in as many years, superstar Tyler Harris is the best quarterback in the league. Gorgeous and rich, he’s at the top of his game. But everyone’s looking to take him down. There’s a building media frenzy around an unfortunate accident, and the only safe place seems a rundown mansion deep in the San Juans and owned by his late great uncle. There, Tyler gets sacked by the sassy redhead next door. It’s more alive than he’s felt in years.

Lavender Mead has a good reason to dislike jocks, namely an absentee father who deserted the family to coach college football. Maybe that explains her penchant for bad boys who play ball for a living and break hearts for a hobby. Her new neighbor seems just the type. Yet, something is different about Tyler, and sometimes love requires a Hail Mary. You draw back your arm, pray…and give it all up to fate. And sometimes you win your ring.

Forward Passes will be out in early October. 

During the Olympics, we’ve all witnessed some pretty incredible athletes overcome serious odds, beat records, or compete with fierce determination. Thousands of fans cheered them on in the stands and millions upon millions cheered them on across the globe. We are infatuated with our heroes, but why do we hoist them onto a pedestal in the first place?

Is it because they inspire and motivate us to do our personal best? Or maybe it’s because we envy them, wishing we had the athletic ability, intelligence, courage, good looks, or countless other qualities that make up a good hero. It’s not so bad, picturing yourself in their shoes—whether it’s an Olympian or your favorite romantic hero.

[It’s not just being a street-wise Hercules you know...]

ESPN magazine’s “The Body Issue” issue hit newsstands this week, and, well, obviously it was PRIME beefcake material. So without further ado, we present you with a few of our favorite shots of Tyson Chandler, Brad Richards, Jose Bautista, Carlos Bocanegra, and Walter Dix. And for lots more where these came from, check out the ESPN photo gallery. Enjoy!

[+ 4 pics...]

The Summer Olympics begin July 27th, and athletes are preparing and stretching and training for their big events.

There are very few of us who could even think about competing in the Olympics. But what if there was a Romance Novel Olympics? What would your sport be?

The ability to remember the names of all the heroes and heroines? To list, in order, a multi-book series? To read three books simultaneously without confusing the plots?

What’s your Romance Novel Olympic Sport?

This week’s Friday Beefcake is dedicated to the (gorgeous) French Open men’s singles final four: Rafael Nadal, David Ferrer, Roger Federer, and Novak Djokovic.* Athletic and gorgeous? YES PLEASE. Whatever the final results, these guys are all winners to us.

Enjoy!

_{*Hat tip to Team H&H’s Jennifer Proffitt for the suggestion!}

[+ 3 more drool-worthy pics...]