“He’d showered and changed after the media session, and she could smell his soap on the air—something tangy and fresh, like just-cut grass. His close-cropped light-brown hair was still wet on the temples, and had just begun to curl in the Florida heat. He was so close to her chair that she wanted to reach up and smooth it down, so she could feel the damp strands against her skin.
She had to do something to break this spell, before he did anything they couldn’t take back; before he did anything to compromise her career even more than it had already been compromised.”
IT’S THE BOTTOM OF THE NINTH . . .
Izzy Dalton’s about to strike out. Her new job as the sideline reporter for the Portland Pioneers major league baseball team is problematic on several levels:
1. Baseball is her least-favorite sport. Falling behind golf, tennis, and maybe even curling.
2. What Izzy knows about baseball could fill about three minutes of airtime.
3. Her last experience in front of a camera was in college. Six years ago.
4. The Pioneers’ second baseman has a wicked sense of humor and even wickeder blue eyes.
AND A FULL COUNT. . .
Jack Bennett couldn’t be more uninterested in a little sideline action. He just wants to show up at the park and win baseball games. Izzy is the one woman he should steer clear of, but she’s also the key to his success–and his heart, too.
All Izzy has to do is convince her misogynistic boss she’s competent, learn what the heck an RBI is, and stay away from Jack Bennett. Izzy tells herself it’ll be a snap, but 162 games is longer than she ever imagined and Jack more irresistible than she counted on.
What people say...
"I don't know if I'd call Jack grumpy, but he is a little surly and unpredictable. He likes Izzy from the beginning, but doesn't always sugarcoat his words. He has a very fun relationship with his buddy Noah, who pushes him to ask Izzy out, even after she declines since it's a conflict with her job. Izzy is used to living and breathing work, but being a reporter and traveling with a baseball team really takes it out of her. She is so nervous and uptight about learning the sport of baseball, that Jack just looks at her and shakes his head. She carries around note cards with baseball definitions on them and Jack can barely stand it. So they become friends. He teaches her about the game - the nuances on the field, the atmosphere, the strategy, and ever so slowly, Izzy is enthralled.
The best part is, Jack becomes this adorable hero. It really surprised me. He becomes such a supporting figure for her - giving her confidence around every turn or giving her a hard time to get her to laugh when needed." ~ Mandi Schreiner, goodreads
"Every now and then, it is nice to take a break from all the action and drama and read a book that just makes you happy. And that was exactly what it did. It made me happy. I was happy to be reading it, happy to see it worked out in the end, and happy to know there is more coming. Not that the ending leaves us in a cliffhanger, because it doesn't. I just happened to see that the author has this as a series on goodreads. I could definitely see Foxy having his own book." ~ Mandy Anderson, goodreads
"I really enjoyed this book. As a major baseball fan, it was obvious that Bolden is also a true baseball fan--I loved the in-game details from the hero's perspective (that being said, I do believe non-baseball fans would enjoy this book, too). This was a fast, humorous read with really good development of the romance--I loved the fact that the hero and heroine got to know each other before hopping into bed together. Was there chemistry and an attraction? Oh, yeah. But their reasons for not jumping on it from the beginning were believable, and it made their developing relationship even stronger." ~ Aubrey, goodreads