Hot Item (Hot Zone)

The final chapter in Phillips's Hot Zone trilogy. What could be farther from reality that spotting bad-boy star quarterback Riley Nash around town with none other than buttoned-down Sophie Jordan, the straitlaced co-owner of The Hot Zone? Original.

"Saving her best for last, Phillips wraps up her jocular Hot Zone trilogy with Sophie, middle sister of the Jordan clan and co-owner of the prestigious Manhattan-based sports management agency (and family business) the Hot Zone. After a gossip columnist reveals him as gay, big-time sports agent Spencer Atkins, whose PR firm recently merged with the Hot Zone, goes MIA — just three weeks before the pro football draft. With her entire family on leave (big sister Annabelle on maternity, little sister Michelle on her honeymoon and Uncle Yank Morgan after eloping with his assistant Lola), Sophie must deal with the crisis on her own. Enter star quarterback Riley Nash, Uncle Yank's client and Spencer's son from a failed marriage. Riley wants his biological father to keep their familial ties under wraps, and Sophie wants to ensure they don't lose any of Spencer's clients. Together, they track Spencer to Florida, while Sophie tries to suppress her attraction to 'jock nightmare' Riley and things go haywire back at the agency — giving a Hot Zone adversary the upper hand. Followers of this smart series will slip right into this final book, but newbies might want to check out the earlier two first. (June)" Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

What star quarterback has been spotted with a new flavor of arm candy? It's notorious bad boy Riley Nash, but his newest flame is the last person onearth this reporter could imagine- none other than Sophie Jordan, beautiful, buttoned-down co-owner of The Hot Zone, the industry's top sports management agency. What's behind this unlikely team? Some say it has to dowith the sudden disappearance of superagent Spencer Atkins. Could there bea connection between the red-hot quarterback and the missing dealmaker? Orhas the famous groupie magnet simply met his perfect match in cool, collected Sophie?