Game On (Playing Games #2) by Rene Folsom
Publication Date: May 12th, 2015
Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance
~Summary~
Spending her days caring for her grandmother and her nights dreaming up new worlds to write about, Maci wants nothing more than to enjoy life alongside her new man, Liam. But after a wicked visit from the devil himself, she quickly learns that the hearts and flowers of her new relationship will have to wait.
Big Jim, Liam’s sworn enemy, attempts to blackmail Maci in order to gain a leg up in the gaming industry. It’s all she can do to keep her wits about her as she battles with right and wrong, knowing just how devastating it would be for Liam if she were to deceive him.
After going through hell and back, it’s finally Game On as Liam and Maci team up to defeat the evil likes of Big Jim. With the walls of betrayal closing in on them, it doesn’t take long to devise a game plan for conquering the enemy—but a solid strategy doesn’t always mean it’s game over.
Note: This contemporary romance novel is the second book in the Playing Games series and contains adult situations meant for ages 18+.
Big Jim, Liam’s sworn enemy, attempts to blackmail Maci in order to gain a leg up in the gaming industry. It’s all she can do to keep her wits about her as she battles with right and wrong, knowing just how devastating it would be for Liam if she were to deceive him.
After going through hell and back, it’s finally Game On as Liam and Maci team up to defeat the evil likes of Big Jim. With the walls of betrayal closing in on them, it doesn’t take long to devise a game plan for conquering the enemy—but a solid strategy doesn’t always mean it’s game over.
Note: This contemporary romance novel is the second book in the Playing Games series and contains adult situations meant for ages 18+.
~Excerpt~
Without even bothering to knock, Sky pushed her way through my front door, holding it open for Sofie and Sam to pass through. All three of my friends froze in place once they caught sight of me.
“Aw, hell, Maci,” Sky whined, her hands going immediately to her hips as she crossed the room. “We’ll do shots, but not while you’re dressed in your pity me sweats.”
I didn’t even bother responding with words. Instead, I slammed the bottle of Goldschläger down on the counter with a loud smack before downing all four cups of liquor in a row, one after another, after another, after another, until they were all gone.
I felt the buzz hit me immediately, my esophagus warming at a rapid pace as each one went down with a smooth roll. I hissed in a breath I didn’t know I was holding as the warmth turned to a burn, a good burn, one that told me I wouldn’t be lost in a pit of despair, at least for now. Once I woke in the morning, the stupor of liquor faded from my blood, that’d be different.
“Shit, woman!” Samantha cursed, rushing over to me to take the bottle from my reach. “That’s enough for you.”
“And that’s where your wrong,” I said, pointing my finger at her as the alcohol continued to buzz through me at a speedy pace. “A whole fucking bottle wouldn’t even be enough for me.”
“Balls,” Fie said, laughing as she took one of the solo cups from in front of me. “That’s what you’ve got, some motherfucking balls.” Sitting on a stool, she grabbed the bottle of Goldschläger from Sam and poured one for herself, wasting no time as she threw it down like a boss. “Damn, this shit is strong. Not sure how you stand the stuff,” she added with a wince and a cough, puckering her face while the schnapps glided its way smoothly to her stomach.
“There are sodas in the fridge if you pussies need a chaser,” I said, grabbing a beer and making my way to my comfy couch.
“Well, so much for our plan to kidnap her. I guess we’re staying in tonight after all,” Sofie said, pouring herself another shot before joining me in the living room.
“The hell we are!” Sky yelled while hauling her pixie ass to stand in front of me. “You talked me into going out. I didn’t get dressed up just to sit around here drinking like a bunch of old ladies with nowhere to go. I look fabulous and these new boots need some mileage, damn it!” Her rant was cute, especially when she posed as she said the last of it, twisting her legs to show off her new boots.
“Then go without me like I told you to,” I said, my voice calm as the alcohol continued to take me away. I felt fuzzy, nice, and it wouldn’t be long before I started saying stupid shit.
“Fuck that. I wanted to go out with you kickass ladies. Plus, Grandma over here said she’d be our DD,” Sky said, pointing to Samantha, who was already mixing herself a drink from my collection of booze on the counter, looking up at me like someone caught her with her hand in the cookie jar.
I couldn’t help but burst into laughter at just the thought of Sam holding her liquor. “Her idea of a DD is some Sunny-D with a double shot of vodka, yo.”
“Hey now,” she protested, plopping a straw into her Solo cup and slowly strolling to sit with us in the living room. “I’m not that bad. Plus, tomorrow is Friday and I have a shit ton of editing deadlines. So, this is my one and only drink.” Raising her cup in the air, she pretended to salute us before sucking half the liquid through her straw and sighing with relief.
“Riiight,” I said, wiping the tears of laughter from my eyes.
“Well, I’m going to go raid your closet, Maci, and find something sexy for you to wear. We are so not staring at those goddamn sweats all night,” Sky reprimanded, her anger cute as she stomped toward my bedroom in her new boots.
“But I like my sweats. They’re comfy,” I whined, tugging at the worn fabric around my neck. I knew at this point, with the alcohol taking full effect, I really couldn’t care less what the hell she did to me. She could probably parade me around naked and I wouldn’t give a fuck.
~Sequel To~
~About The Author~
As an award-winning web and graphic designer, Rene Folsom has always grasped the ability to transform information into art. After many years in the design industry, capturing the attention of the reader with great graphics was no longer her only goal. While her artistic side will always be her source of inspiration, Rene has found that branching out into the literary world with her heartfelt, romantic, and rather steamy stories by combining her love of art and reading, was just the next step in her journey.
Being a mother of three and wife of one, Rene has had to juggle career, kids, family, grocery shopping, and stain removal. Years of experience has provided her plenty of creative material to work with. Using both words and design, taking these very different experiences and bringing them all to paper has proven to be quite enjoyable for both writer and reader alike.
Obtaining her degree from Santa Fe State College in Gainesville, Florida, Rene studied everything from fine arts to sculpture and vocals, but found her true artistic inspiration when she took off to Italy after graduation.
Still residing on the beaches of sunny Central Florida, Rene Folsom now adds the title of “author” to her belt, providing contemporary and paranormal romance stories to her readers. If you like stories that ratchet up your heart rate and make you lose your breath, then basque in the glow of your eReader and let one of Rene’s books take your heart, body, and soul on a journey.
Being a mother of three and wife of one, Rene has had to juggle career, kids, family, grocery shopping, and stain removal. Years of experience has provided her plenty of creative material to work with. Using both words and design, taking these very different experiences and bringing them all to paper has proven to be quite enjoyable for both writer and reader alike.
Obtaining her degree from Santa Fe State College in Gainesville, Florida, Rene studied everything from fine arts to sculpture and vocals, but found her true artistic inspiration when she took off to Italy after graduation.
Still residing on the beaches of sunny Central Florida, Rene Folsom now adds the title of “author” to her belt, providing contemporary and paranormal romance stories to her readers. If you like stories that ratchet up your heart rate and make you lose your breath, then basque in the glow of your eReader and let one of Rene’s books take your heart, body, and soul on a journey.
~Interview~
Q: How many books will be in the Playing Games series?
A: At the moment, I have three novels and two novellas planned for Liam and Maci. Here is the tentative series order and titles:
* Game Changer - Book One (LIVE) *
* The Wager - A Game Changer companion novella (LIVE) *
* Game On - Book Two (LIVE) *
* The Break - A Game On companion novella (coming sometime in June) *
* End Game - Book Three (coming before the end of summer 2015) *
Q: Will you be writing about Sky, Thad, Sofie, or any of the other characters?
A: Yes. The first spin-off novel will be about Sofie (an awesome character introduced in Game On) and will hopefully release within the next few months. If Sofie's story is well received among Playing Games readers, Thad, Sky, and other characters might also have their own stories to be told. :)
Q: Why isn't The Wager on all platforms?
A: I initially put The Wager in Kindle Unlimited to see how it would do. Since it hasn't thrived among the Kindle Unlimited subscribers, I will be putting it back on all platforms on July 2nd. Hopefully the second companion novella will be out by then and I can send everyone the links to both.
Q: Why did you decide to write about a geeky hero rather than
an overly-dominant alpha male?
an overly-dominant alpha male?
A: It's come to my attention that too many authors fall back on the safe character build because they have been told time and time again that is what women want. So, I took a step back and thought about the things I like in a man. While my husband may be a sports-loving beast of muscle, I decided to put aside his appearance and think of his other qualities. In steps Liam. Instead of sports, Liam loves games, and I know for a fact there are a lot of female gamers out there who would love to get their hands on a Liam. ;)
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