Review: Likable Characters But a Bit Contrived In Some Places
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 06 30, 2013
Grand Slam is a fast-paced read realistically portraying the world of baseball that kept me fully immersed in the action until the final page was turned.  Spencer Hightower has always wanted to enter the Big Leagues but until now has been content making a name for himself in the Minors.  It's all he's concerned with until a chance meeting with serious and staid accountant Brock changes his entire future and has him thinking there's more to life than baseball.  Brock's not a fan of baseball as he was always the kid chosen last but Spencer makes him appreciate the sport and especially the man as their burgeoning relationship progresses at a fast pace.  Spencer's extremely confident and immediately starts flirting with Brock who's a bit clueless when it comes to flirting.  His last boyfriend called him boring and left without a word which has Brock constantly waiting for the same thing to happen again as he doesn't understand what Spencer sees in him.  Throughout the story Spencer goes out of his way to prove himself to Brock through numerous steamy encounters but it's not until a tragic event befalls Brock that they finally admit their true feelings and a HEA can commence.Spencer and Brock are a great couple even though they're opposites.  They're both drawn to each other from the moment a handshake creates sparks which leads to an extremely fast-paced romance with numerous sexual encounters.  Issues of prejudice rear their ugly head late in the story in a contrived scene forcing Spencer and Brock to communicate after a lie separates them.  This scene is over the top and comes out of left field.  Another equally unnecessary part of the story involves a diabolical agent who threatens Spencer and Brock's relationship with his lies.  This character was a stereotypical villain and his appearance annoyed me greatly.Along with a likable main couple comes an equally likable cast of secondary characters.  I normally don't care for children in stories but the two here acted as little matchmakers and were very understanding of their Uncle Brock's sexual preferences.  They spoke like youngsters and yet held much wisdom when it came to romance.  They were smart yet sweet.  Spencer's fellow teammates were supportive of him and didn't shy away from treating him like one of the boys and I would love to see the humorous and sexy Tony again.On a whole I found this story entertaining and satisfying.  It deals with important issues in a respectable way but also has the tendency to be melodramatic.  With its vividly depicted world of baseball I found myself immersed in the scenes of ball play and look forward to Ms. Cheyanne revisiting this team soon!