Welcome to the RELAY Blog Tour, presented by Layla Reyne and Riptide Publishing!

RELAY, by Layla Reyne, is Book 1 of the Changing Lanes sports romance series featuring Olympic swimmers. RELAY is an enemies-to-lovers, second chance romance between Alex, the team captain, and his closeted ex, Dane, swimming’s biggest star. Read on to learn more about RELAY, Changing Lanes, and Layla Reyne!  

 

Captain is not a title Alejandro “Alex” Cantu takes lightly. Elected by his teammates to helm the US Men’s Swim Team, he proudly accepts the role, despite juggling endless training, team administrative work, and helping out on the family farm. And despite his ex-lover, Dane Ellis—swimming’s biggest star—also making the Olympic Team.

Dane has been a pawn in his celebrity parents’ empire from crib to pool, flashing his camera-ready smile on demand and staying deeply in the closet. Only once did he drop the act—the summer he fell in love with Alex. Ten years later, Dane longs to cut his parents’ strings, drop his too-bright smile, and beg Alex for another chance.

Alex, though, isn’t ready to forgive and forget, and Dane is a distraction he doesn’t need on his team, until an injury forces Alex to accept Dane as his medley relay anchor. Working together, their passion reignites. When Dane’s parents threaten reprisal and Alex is accused of doping, the two must risk everything to prove Alex’s innocence, to love one another, and to win back their spots on the team, together. Available now from Riptide Publishing!

About Changing Lanes

A chance at gold or a chance at love? Members of the US Men’s Swim Team fight for both in this sports romance duology following two couples on one medley relay team as they train and compete in the world’s biggest sporting event: the Olympics. To reach the top of the podium, they’ll need to depend on one another and be willing to change lanes—in their lives and hearts, and in the biggest race of their athletic careers. Check out Changing Lanes!

Guest Post by Layla Reyne

Favorite Second Chance Romances

Second chance love is one of my favorite romance tropes to read and write. In RELAY, the first book of my Changing Lanes series, it’s been ten years since Alex and Dane were together, and given the way they parted, they meet again in the present as enemies. As far as second chance romances on my bookshelf, here are just a few of my favorites:

Adam and Faisal – The Executive Office Series by Tal Bauer – Adam and Faisal aren’t even the main couple in this series, but their romance captivated me from their first appearance on page together. The longing was palpable. Pulled apart by family and duty—the one a US Marine, the other a Saudi Intelligence Officer/Prince—their push and pull weaves throughout this series. And the pay off at the end of their very bumpy road is one of the best happily-ever-afters I’ve read in a long time.

Feb and Colt – For You by Kristin Ashley – Classic second chance romance! High school sweethearts, torn apart and pining, until Feb moves back to town with a stalker on her heels. Colt, now a police lieutenant, is determined to protect her. All that forced proximity leads to a scorching hot reunion.

Kaleb and Sahara – Heart of Obsidian (Psy-Changling Series) by Nalini Singh – Kaleb had been an enigmatic, incredibly powerful, is-he-good-or-bad character for much of the series leading up to this book twelve. To find out so much of what he’d done, his driving motivation, had been to find and rescue the girl he’d loved and lost, cemented him firmly in my top ten romance heroes. Sahara is no wilting flower either. Incredibly powerful herself, she’s the only person who can hold a fracturing Kaleb together.

Rikker and Graham – The Understatement of the Year by Sarina Bowen – Tragedy struck Rikker and Graham when they were young and secretly in love. It tore them apart for years, until they end up on the same hockey team. All of Graham’s guilt at their parting and his intense feelings for Rikker come crashing back, and his slow spiral is painful to watch. That said, it’s a joy to also see his reawakening and his love for Rikker bloom full in the end.

Stella and Mace – Rock Chick Reckoning – A badass lead singer/guitarist and her ex, a bounty-hunter/detective type, can’t help crossing paths with similar friends. Then when Stella stumbles into one of her bandmate’s messes, which turns out to be a bigger mess than any of the crew realize, reclusive Mace takes the reins. He and Stella are thrown back together and sparks fly. So do swoony love songs!

2016 RWA® Golden Heart® Finalist Layla Reyne was raised in North Carolina and now calls San Francisco home. She enjoys weaving her bicoastal experiences into her stories, along with adrenaline-fueled suspense and heart-pounding romance. When she’s not writing stories to excite her readers, she downloads too many books, watches too much television, and cooks too much food with her scientist husband, much to the delight of their smushed-face, leftover-loving dogs.

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To celebrate the release of Relay, one lucky winner will receive a signed paperback copy of the book and a $25 Amazon gift card! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on January 13, 2018. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!

Blog Tour Genre: Contemporary Orientation: Gay Pairing: M/M Publisher: Riptide Publishing Tag: Enemies to Lovers Tag: Guest Post Tag: Part of a series Tag: PoC Tag: Sports Changing Lanes Layla Reyne Relay