Review: A- rating....
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 03 7, 2014
My Review:I read one other book from this series, The Winning Season, and loved it, although I'll admit that I didn't remember that until I started reading this one and recognized some of the side characters and the tidbits about their story. I'm a huge sucker for sports stories and Alison Packard writes really good ones. This one is about J.T., the back-up catcher for the Blaze, although the entire book takes place during the off-season.J.T. went into the off-season planning to do everything he could to change his back-up status in the coming year, but everything changes when his one-night stand, Angie, shows up pregnant. J.T. is shocked, but actually okay with that since he's spent two years lusting after the accountant for the Blaze. But Angie doesn't feel the same way. She grew up with a cheating ballplayer for a father and knows to NEVER trust ballplayers to stay true. Although everything with J.T. has always been so much "more" for her, she can't trust herself to get involved. That's a one-way trip to heartbreak and bitterness, just like her mother.There is a whole lot standing in the way of this couple's happiness (which is how they ended up featured as a couple in a romance novel...you have to have that conflict). And even though most of it was nothing new in the story line department, I did enjoy reading the book.I liked the whole aspect of the two characters who are truly in the midst of finding themselves. It read a lot like a New Adult because of that. They both have careers, but neither are settled into those careers yet. They are still at that point where everything can change at the drop of the hat which meant they both have a great character development arc in this book. I enjoyed reading about them finding their way through it.Even better, the book takes place throughout the holidays which I love. I like that added holiday ambiance added to the story and it definitely helped to push the conflict, especially since so much of these two characters' conflict comes from their families.There was another little tidbit that I really loved about the story. T.J.'s mom runs a coffee shop and bakery. The way that story line worked around Angie finding out exactly what she wants out of life really worked for me.I received a complimentary copy of this book in return for an honest review.