Review & Giveaway: Chasing Jillian by Julie Brannagh

Chasing Jillian
Love and Football # 5
By: Julie Brannagh
Releasing July 7, 2015
Avon Impulse







Blurb

Jillian Miller likes her job working in the front office for the Seattle Sharks, but lately being surrounded by a constant parade of perfection only seems to make her own imperfections all the more obvious. She needs a change, which takes her into foreign territory: the Sharks’ workout facility after hours. The last thing she expects is a hot, grumbly god among men to be there as witness.

Star linebacker Seth Taylor had a bad day-well, a series of them recently. When he hits the Sharks’ gym to work out his frustration, he’s startled to find someone there-and even more surprised that it’s Jillian, the team owner’s administrative assistant. When he learns of Jillian’s mission to revamp her lifestyle, he finds himself volunteering to help. Something about Jillian’s beautiful smile and quick wit makes him want to stick around. She may not be like the swimsuit models he usually has on his arm, but the more time Seth spends with Jillian the harder he falls.

And as Jillian discovers that the new her is about so much more than she sees in the mirror, can she discover that happiness and love are oh-so-much better than perfect?

Goodreads Book Link
Goodreads Series Link




Buy Links
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Excerpt
She hurried over to the laptop on the little desk in the kitchen, pulled up Google, and searched on Seth’s name. She sank into a chair while she read. He was six foot four, and she practically weighed as much as he did. Well, not quite, but still. She let out a long sigh. He was two years younger than she was. It also seemed Seth had been busy: He was single. “Very single,” according to one of the most recent fan websites she looked at. In Google Images, she found a series of photos of him with multiple tall, dark-haired women, each more gorgeous than the last.
Jillian shut the laptop lid with an irritated “click”, got up from her chair, and hurried into the bathroom. She’d stood in front of a full-length mirror so many times, but it always showed her the same thing. She wasn’t unattractive, but she could use a little more self-confidence and a lot more toning.  She wasn’t asking for physical perfection, but she’d like to make some changes. If she made a plan, started slowly and kept at it, she’d see a difference.  The biggest changes needed to start on the inside, though. Maybe if she got out a little more, she might meet a guy that was interested in her. Seth was gorgeous, but he wasn’t really in her universe. Jillian went into the kitchen, grabbed a frozen low-calorie dinner out of the freezer, ripped the cardboard lid off, and shoved it into the microwave. Dinner would taste a whole lot better if it was accompanied by half a bag of chips and some Ranch dip. But that wasn’t an option right now. She opened the refrigerator door to look for a fresh vegetable of some type.
She pushed the fridge door shut after a fruitless search and rummaged around in her apartment’s tiny pantry. She located a can of peas. Peas were good. Plus, there weren’t many calories in peas. Maybe she could fill up on them if the diet dinner didn’t cut it.
Jillian’s love-hate relationship with her body and food had started when she was little.  Most of the time, there wasn’t enough to eat. She ended up in a foster home at three years old after her mother died in a car wreck, and she was moved a few times before she entered elementary school. Things got a little better for Jillian when she was placed in a more permanent foster home, but she was still so hungry. No matter how much she ate, she wanted more.  When she was old enough to make her own money, she made sure there was more than enough, and that’s when the problems began. Even more than a diet or a new workout regime, she needed to focus on the great things in her life. She’d build a healthier lifestyle as a result. Even more than a diet or a new workout regime, change from the inside would last a lot longer. She wanted to build on the goals she’d already achieved and reach out for more of the things she wanted in life: A husband. A family. To belong.



Author Info
USA Today Bestselling Author, Julie Brannagh has been writing since she was old enough to hold a pencil. She lives in a small town near Seattle, where she once served as a city council member and owned a yarn shop. She shares her home with a wonderful husband, two uncivilized Maine Coons and a rambunctious chocolate Lab.
When she’s not writing, she’s reading, or armchair-quarterbacking her favorite NFL team from the comfort of the family room couch. Julie is a Golden Heart finalist and the author of contemporary sports romances.

Author Links
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads



My thoughts...

If you follow me regularly you kind of get that I like most of the books I read. What can I say, I'm pretty lucky that way. But there are books that I enjoy but at the end of the night I can put them down and go to sleep, and there are books that keep me up all night. 

The ones that keep me up aren't always from the same author. Sometimes it's just the books itself, other times it's the author. Julie is one of those authors that I can't stop reading till I'm done. For whatever the reason I know when I start one of her books I'm in for a late night. I try never to start one when I have things going on. 

Doesn't always work. Around the holidays I ran late to a party because I was reading Holding Holly and needed to finish it. Otherwise all through the party all I'd be thinking of is the book. 

For those of you who are reading the Love & Football Series don't you love how the titles all have the ladies names in them? I do. I like when the author or publisher or both, run with a theme and keep it going. 

So lets talk about Chasing Jillian which is book #5 of the Love & Football Series. Like with her past books you'll find this one to be well-written, with good characters, some humor and a wonderful love story. 

The best part of a romance! 

I have to tell you I just love Seth, he is the type of man we all dream for. With Jillian having a few extra pounds on her, and him being a athlete, things could have gotten messy. He could have treated her badly when her learned her weight, but he didn't. He did all he could to help her lose some pounds without making her feel like if she didn't, she was a loser. 

That part in the book really shouted out to me. We've all have felt at one time or another like we are fat, ugly or stupid. What helps are those around us that support us, not bring us down. Seth was very uplifting in his approach.  

I also liked being in Jillian's head when she was down on herself and when she started to see the changes she was making and how they made her feel. I also loved when she realized that Seth liked her no matter what she looked like. 

In Chasing Jillian you have so many of the past characters come to visit, with I always love. A sign of a good series is when a author can make the story all about the main characters but bring back for a visit those characters that we love from past books and not have them overshadow the newbies. 

That's done in this book. You never feel like you lose Jillian and Seth. Speaking of characters I have to mention how much I loved CB. One of the best characters in the book.  You'll have to read Chasing Jillian to find out why they are my favorite character. Evil, I know! 

So much happens in this book that you won't be able to put it down. I can honestly say I didn't find anything I didn't like...I lied, I didn't care for how Jillian's boss made her feel when he found out she was seeing Seth. Some of it was her, but he still could have been a little easier on her. 

Of course that complaint isn't much so let's forget about it. I would love to hear from any of you that have read the Love & Football series. What do you think? Also for those who haven't (why not?) do you like sports themed stories and if so, which sports? Give us a shout out with your answers. Happy reading! 



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