Summary
Baseball runs in the Swift family’s blood, it’s part of their DNA.
Charismatic Memphis Mavericks catcher Atticus is used to being pursued. Then he spots Charlotte across the room. Why isn’t she paying him any attention?
As a respected sports agent, Brick keeps focused on his clients. Old wounds have blocked the path to his heart. All that changes when January ignites a flash fire that burns away the scars.
Bristol is the only Swift who doesn’t give a damn about baseball or its players. After all, she’s a physician not a groupie. Maybe tall Texan pitcher, Sawyer, can convince her to reconsider.
Excerpt
She doesn’t know I’m watching. Like a wolf casing a hen house, my goal is to stay undetected. Hiding behind this column gives me the advantage. Plus, I’m able to avoid Brick while I’m checking out the new face in the clubhouse. I can ignore the piercing sound of worked-up kids in the room, because it’s the woman standing under the Tennessee Mavericks banner who’s pulled my attention. Noted and approved. She’s ripe for the taking.
Besides that, it’s impossible to miss the impressive curves hiding under jeans and a team shirt, or the long chestnut-colored hair that frames high cheekbones. Hard to beat those assets. Then she turns to pick up something she’s dropped. BONUS POINTS! Nice ass.
I learned early to master the art of the slick observation. Watching my older brother and cousins and how they acted around the opposite sex was my education. Sometimes it’s good to be the baby of the family, even at thirty. Whether my gaze is cloaked by dark glasses or team cap down—eyes up, there’s always a way to sneak a peek. It’s my superpower. There’s a kind of radar in me that locks on the most interesting girl in the room. And by interesting, I mean sexy.
It began before I even knew exactly what it was I was looking for. There was only a sense girls had something I wanted. It was a banner day when Brick told me what that something was, brother to brother. Now I had more than baseball to dream about.
This woman’s a natural beauty, three quarters girl-next-door, one quarter something I haven’t defined. Yet. But I think it’s wild. Maybe there’s a little gypsy in her. Whatever it is though, I like it. Nothing’s forced. And most unusual of all, she’s not doing a thing to get the attention of the horny young baseball players in the room. No flipping of hair or batting of unnaturally long false eyelashes. No taking selfies with pouting lips. That alone makes her stand out.
Professional athletes rarely need to work for a woman’s attention, and it messes with our heads. Not that I’m complaining. But when a guy gets used to that dynamic, it can make him lazy. It’s so damn easy to be the guy, win the girl, get laid. It happens without effort, which leads to a kinda dulling of the senses. I’d be kicked out of the testosterone club if anyone heard me admit my take on things. But we all know it’s true.
Even with my left arm in a sling I’ve managed to remain undetected. I’ve moved from behind the column just a little, so she can see I’m watching, trying to give her a preview of what I have to offer. Work with me baby. But there hasn’t been one glance my way or toward anyone else that I’ve seen. Her attention is locked on a young girl standing at the back of the crowd of rowdy kids, and she’s gesturing to her to move forward.
The girl stands her ground, holding a ball for an autograph, politely waiting her turn. Once in a while the boy in front of her turns and stares for a moment, which makes her look back to the woman. She doesn’t realize these entitled little shits aren’t going to consider the pecking order. The sponsors’ spawn are always the biggest brats. They’re like calves pushing their way to pasture, the kids crowd toward the signing table where my teammates sit. I think I hear a moo.
Review
(audiobook) For review of book one, see The curve.
The closer
It may have been the most emotional story in this box set. It follows the oldest Swift child, Brick, who’s in his forties and has sworn off love after a personal tragedy. Until he meets January, also in her forties, and a sports agent too. There’s attraction and lots of common ground between them. After several missed opportunities, they start a casual thing, that turns more serious as time goes by. And then she ends up pregnant.
I absolutely loved that the characters were in their forties. They weren’t always acting exactly like their age, but with people with no strings attached, their more playful manners could be understandable. Their fast friendship and growing feelings weren’t part of their long term plans, and I enjoyed seeing them learning how to navigate around them.
The narrators from the previous book come back for this one, and again they nail it. Especially the male narrator who almost made me cry in Brick’s saddest moments. Not a lot of drama–at least not in their relationship–and many romantic moments made the story a delightful read for sure.
The cannon
Please give me the independent professional woman and the playful younger puppy of a man any day! Add to it some deeper topics, like kids in foster care, family tragedies, and missing siblings, and you get a good love story.
Sawyer grew up in the system, not always in the best environment, and was lucky to become a baseball player at a late age. Closed to Atticus and Brick Swift, he feels immediately attracted to they sister when he meets her. He decides that he’ll woo her until she can’t resist anymore. And you know what? It was charming and fun to see the length he was ready to go to win her heart.
They were a sexy couple. I also loved watching them connect through Sawyer’s knowledge of the system and Bristol’s inability to conceive. They were clearly made for each other, despite the rocky start–Bristol has no interest in sports or baseball players, even avoids them. I hadn’t seen so much seduction and chemistry in a while.
Narrators changed this time, and though the female narrator did a perfect Bristol, I felt the male narrator wasn’t as good as Sawyer. He lacked the playfulness I associated with the character. Still a pretty good listen!
Conclusion
Comprised of two shorter stories and a longer one, all with a good mix of fun, sexiness and emotions, voiced by very good narrators, it’s a nice collection to listen to.
Quickie
- Series: Swift #1-3 (each can be read as a standalone)
- Hashtags: #sports romance #baseball #single mom #friends to lovers #older characters #surprise pregnancy #slight reverse age gap
- Triggers: teenage bullying, past death and grief, infertility, injury
- Main couple: Charlotte Bay & Atticus Swift / January Jordan & Brick Swift / Bristol Swift & Sawyer Tom
- Hotness: 4/5
- Romance: 4/5
- + sexy and fun but with a touch of deeper feelings, I’m all for it
- – not all the narrators were as good
Stalker mode
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