Review: What  a chance meeting
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 07 5, 2014
I love stepping out of my boundaries as a reader.  It’s exciting to enter a world with the blinders on sort to speak, to get a feel for the characters, their motivations, their emotions without the hindrance of expectation. It’s why I take a risk to read new authors (or new to me); it’s the thrill of not knowing what I’m about to step in and embracing that thrilling moment.Such was the feeling I had when I began reading  "For the Love of the Game" by Rhonda Laurel. At first, I scoffed slightly at the way  Seth and  Morgan met, ready to just write it off as a formulaic romance but as I read further and got to know Seth and  Morgan more, I found myself loving  the interaction  between Morgan and Seth and the unconventional path that they take towards a fulfilling, loving relationship. I couldn’t stop  grinning at the way Morgan would  take Seth to task about things instead of standing aside and letting him take over.  Conversely, I absolutely adored the way that Seth fell for Morgan. He fell fast and hard but maintained his wits, and near the end, I was readily rooting for them to officially come together.  They made such an engaging couple and I was so invested in their burgeoning relationship that I was constantly looking for the drama to shake up such a great love match. I’ve read one too many stories in which the drama overwhelms the plot and  it was refreshing that the author took the time to cultivate her characters beyond the perceived drama. I loved that neither Seth nor Morgan were the typical one dimensional characters; there was emotional depth, complexity  beneath both of their exteriors and it was a treat to see those complexities emerge without dragging the story down.This is exactly what authors strive for when they create. They want the reader to invest in the story being told, to hang on to every word, to read until the very last sentence or the sun rises-whichever comes first.  The only detractor was that the story ended far too quickly for me and it’s the only reason why I gave it a four instead of a five. There were places in which I thought the story was being rushed and the pacing a bit jumbled but it never took away from the overall experience. I was simply not ready to let go of Seth and Morgan quite yet.I am a serial series reader; if I start a series, I won’t stop until the series is complete.  The Blake Boys is definitely a series that I will keep my eye on and highly recommend!Great work, Ms. Laurel!