Guest Post & Giveaway: The Nature of the Game by Amy Aislin

Posted May 9, 2019 by Dale

Six years ago, an ultimatum forced Dan Greyson to make a choice that cost him everything he loved most. One of those things? His boyfriend, hockey player Ashton Yager. Now that they’ve crossed paths again, Dan isn’t about to let the opportunity slip away. Ash’s reappearance in his life is just the catalyst Dan needs to escape the rut he’s fallen into…and win back Ash’s trust and love.

Ashton Yager, once burned and now a little bit shy, didn’t mean to publicly come out as bisexual. But now that he has, he’s got to deal with the consequences, including the fact that it might’ve cost him his NHL contract. With his job on the line, he needs to keep his head down, work hard, and play the best hockey of his life. Rekindling things with Dan? That’s not exactly keeping a low profile. It’s also never going to happen, not after Dan walked away once without an explanation.

When a hurricane forces Ash to seek shelter out-of-state, he and Dan find themselves in the same B&B, where old feelings resurface. But with everything Ash has on the line, does he dare play with fire again?

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Release Date: May 7th

Book 1 in the Stick Side series, ON THE ICE, will be on mega sale at only 99¢ May 6 – 13!

Second chance romances: why I love to hate you

Thank you for joining me to celebrate the release of my newest m/m sports romance, The Nature of the Game, and thank you to Queer Books Unbound for having me!

The Nature of the Game is a second chance romance. Six years ago, the main characters—Ash and Dan—were in a relationship that didn’t end well. They haven’t spoken since then and now, all of a sudden, they’re back in each other’s lives.

Let’s talk about second chance romances and how much I hate them. Or love to hate them? I don’t read them often, and that’s because I’m not a lover of angst. And by design, second chance romances often include a heavy dose of angst. I just want the main characters to get along and live happily ever after, the end, okay?

But…they never go that way. Not only do they never go that way, but real life never goes that way.

I didn’t want The Nature of the Game to be the type of second chance romance where the main characters are at each other’s throats the whole time. Sure, Ash and Dan might not clear the air between them until more than halfway into the book, but they don’t spend the time before that fighting. There’s the inevitable I-want-nothing-to-do-with-you tension at first, which quickly resolves itself into Ash and Dan getting to know each other for who they’ve become. I tried to leave the angst out of it and make the novel a slow-burn. I’ll let you tell me how I did there!

I struggled with writing this novel because I wanted it to be realistic. How would I feel if I ran into an ex who left me six years ago? Probably not all that friendly toward him, that’s for sure. I pulled a lot on my own experiences with a bad breakup to write Ash’s character, and I hope that his reticence to let Dan into his life again, and then his slow slide back into love, is worth it!

The Nature of the Game is out now and is available for purchase at Amazon, iBooks, B&N, and Kobo.

Win a Stick Side prize pack, including signed paperbacks of books 1 and 2 in the series, as well as some Stick Side swag! Contest open internationally. Enter via Rafflecopter. Contest ends at 12:00am May 12.
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Amy started writing on a rainy day in fourth grade when her class was forced to stay inside for recess. Tales of adventures with her classmates quickly morphed into tales of adventures with the characters in her head. Based in the suburbs of Toronto, Amy is a marketer/fundraiser at a large environmental non-profit in Toronto by day, and a writer by night. Book enthusiast, animal lover and (very) amateur photographer, her interests are many and varied, including travelling, astronomy, ecology, and baking. She binge watches too much anime, and loves musical theater, Julie Andrews, the Backstreet Boys, and her hometown of Oakville, Ontario.

Genre: Contemporary Orientation: Bisexual Orientation: Gay Pairing: M/M Self Published Tag: Guest Post Tag: Part of a series Tag: Second Chances Tag: Sports Amy Aislin Stick Side series The Nature of the Game