Monday, July 8, 2019

One Old, One New: Take Me Out to the Ball Game

One Old, One New features two books - one old, one new, which are connected in some way. Today, I am sharing two books that feature a summertime staple - baseball.

Stealing Home
Becky Wallace
Age/Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Page Street
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads
Fight for your dreams, even if it means breaking a few rules.

Seventeen-year-old Ryan Russell has life perfectly planned. If she keeps up her hard work, one day she’ll take over the family business: owning the Buckley Beavers, a minor league baseball team, and become one of the only female General Managers in the sport.

But when the newest member of the Beavers, child-phenom Sawyer Campbell, shows up, Ryan’s carefully laid plans are thrown a major curveball. Sawyer is far more charming than the arrogant jocks she usually manages, his ambition rivals her own workaholic nature—and he’s completely out of bounds. Fraternizing is against every rule in the Beaver’s handbook.

Then Ryan’s divorced parents butt heads over the future of the Beavers, and her mom plans to sell her shares to a business group known for relocating teams. If this happens, Ryan’s dreams of becoming GM disappear. In a bid to save her future, she partners with Sawyer to use his star power to draw in sponsors who will keep the team in Buckley. But the more time she spends with him, the more impossible it becomes to play by the Beaver’s rules, and she can’t afford a strikeout on the path to her dreams.

Full count with two outs, Ryan’s one pitch away from losing the whole ball game.
Although I never played any sports ball, I LOVE sports romances, and therefore, had to have this book as soon as I heard about it. But, Stealing Home was not your typical sports romance. This was about having a dream, and doing everything you could to make it happen.

Sawyer was the number one draft pick for the Buckley Beavers, the minor league team for the Texas Rangers. He hoped to make it to the majors, and earn enough money to help save his family's farm. Ryan also hoped to make a life in baseball. She wanted to be the first female general manager in the sport. However, when Sawyer and Ryan's aspirations were threatened, the two were able to work together to try and save both their dreams.

Ryan was incredible. She was so focused and driven, almost to a fault, but I admired her for it. You could tell how much she loved the game, her dad, and the Buckley Beavers. I found all the behind the scenes stuff really interesting, and absolutely loved all her planning and plotting to save the business.

Sawyer was also fabulous. He was a baseball playing southern farm boy with a drawl. Be still my heart. He was so sweet and endearing, and his love for his family just made me adore him more. I absolutely had no problem rooting for these two.

The romance was of the slow burn variety, but not really by choice. Sawyer and Ryan had to fight their growing attraction, because of the non-fraternization policy, and, well, that resulted in some serious tension. It didn't stop the two from developing a fond friendship, though, and being there for each other when they really needed someone in their court. Still, I was 100% behind them making that love connection, because they were just perfectly matched.

This book was summer personified. It was warm and sunny, light and easy. It was like a glass of sweet tea on a hot day - refreshing and satisfying, and it made me feel good.

**ARC received in exchange for an honest review.

Whatever Life Throws at you
Julie Cross
Age/Genre: Young Adult/New Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Entangled: Teen
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads
Life loves a good curveball…

Seventeen-year-old Annie Lucas's life is completely upended the moment her dad returns to the major leagues as the new pitching coach for the Kansas City Royals. Now she's living in Missouri (too cold), attending an all-girls school (no boys), and navigating the strange world of professional sports. But Annie has dreams of her own—most of which involve placing first at every track meet…and one starring the Royals' super-hot rookie pitcher.

But nineteen-year-old Jason Brody is completely, utterly, and totally off-limits. Besides, her dad would kill them both several times over. Not to mention Brody has something of a past, and his fan club is filled with C-cupped models, not smart-mouthed high school “brats” who can run the pants off every player on the team. Annie has enough on her plate without taking their friendship to the next level. The last thing she should be doing is falling in love.

But baseball isn't just a game. It's life. And sometimes, it can break your heart…
I found, and fell in love with, Julie Cross via her Juniper Falls books, and have been working my way through her backlist. As with her other books, this book was an utter delight for me.

It was love at first page for me and Annie. I found her a bit sassy and snarky, and her musings made me smile. I also learned quickly, that beneath her gruff exterior, was a kind and big hearted person. Her love for her grandmother and her dad was showcased, time and time again, and I am all about the big-happy-family vibe. Just the fact, that she was willing to compromise her aspirations for her dad won a lot of points from me. But, the move to Kansas City was a challenge for Annie, and I thought she rose to the challenge, grabbed it with both hands, and adapted in order to succeed. As much as she was labeled a "kid" during this story, she did a lot of growing up, and earned her spot at the grown-up table.

Jason was such a wonderful and swoony hero. It took a while to scratch the surface, but once I saw past the bad boy persona, I just couldn't get enough of him. Jason was tying to improve himself and his life. He was attempting to make better decisions, and I was rooting for him to succeed, because he wasn't that trouble making kid any more.

And, I don't care that he was 19 (Annie was almost 18), I adored him and Annie together. They encouraged and supported one another. They had a flirtation, which grew into a genuine friendship, and eventually, full-on love. They were able to confide in one another, and oh! I loved that Jason was all about communication. That's right, friends. He was about having an open discourse with the people you care about, no matter how awkward it could be. It was so...healthy, and really refreshing to see.

Cross made the story just that much better by throwing in a whole bunch of feel-good baseball stuff too. I am not a sports fan, but there is something about seeing an underdog succeed, which never fails to make my heart soar.

After I finished this book, I posted this Goodreads status:
I just finished this book, and all I have to say is....

And, I am happy to report, I still feel this way about this wonderful book.


What's your favorite ballpark snack?
Let us know in the comments!

24 comments:

  1. I love seeing such a positive review for Whatever Life Throws at You! We chatted a week or so ago about this one and I mentioned how long it's been sitting on my shelf just waiting to be read. I love the sound of both Annie and Jason and can't wait to pick up their story!

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    1. When you need a little light, feel good read, pick that one up. You're half way there by owning the book.

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  2. Stealing Home sounds like a fun read - I think learning about all the behind-the-scenes stuff on owning a baseball team would be really cool!

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    1. It was interesting and a little different take on a baseball book, which I really enjoyed.

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  3. I'm reading this book right now and it's exactly the kind of romance that I love to read so far. Plus, I love sports and researched sports stadium operations and team ownership for a kids nonfiction book I was hired to write. So all the details in this book are in line with my knowledge of these careers. Very cool!

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    1. Well, it's good to know Wallace did her homework. And, yes, such a great romance. Glad you are enjoying it.

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  4. I think I actually have both of these books on my kindle to read still LOL! So glad to know they were good and even though I'm not a huge sports fan, I do love baseball!

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    1. I hope you get a chance to read them. They are perfect poolside/beach reads, and left me smiling.

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  5. I read Whatever Life Throws at You back when it came out and recall really enjoying it so I'll have to check out Stealing Home! Awesome reviews :D

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    1. I am having a lot of luck with these backlist book. Whatever Life Throws at You has so many elements that I like to see in the books I read. It was a perfect match for me.

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  6. These both sound like beautiful written romances Sam and I don't mind a sports romance every now ans then, even though I know virtually nothing about baseball, usually a great author will give you little snippets of information and enough to get by. Will be keeping an eye out for when these two go on sale. Wonderful reviews Sam, really enjoyed them.

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    1. Yeah, I don't think baseball is too popular in your neck of the woods, but I did grow up going to games, and my dad had been scouted for the Mets farm team, so he always tried to get me to play ball. I disappointed him there, but there's just something about a sports book, no matter what sport, that stirs up some good feelings in me.

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  7. I was wondering about Stealing Home, so it was nice to hear it was good! I love Julie Cross's books. Is this the only one you have read?

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    1. I have read Cross' Juniper Falls books and the Eleanor Ames books - all of which I loved.

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  8. I love feel good reads!! Entanged Teen does a good job with those. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

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    1. I won't say every Entangled book was 5-stars for me, but they are always solid reads, and I am glad I discovered Cross, because her books work really well for me.

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  9. Both of these sound wonderful. I need to read something other than thrillers and horror and a feel good story would be a nice change:)

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    1. I am all about the feel-good. They are my favorite kinds of books, and both lived up to the idea of summertime read.

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  10. These both sound really good. I've never played sports either but for some reason have always loved sports romances. The cover for that first one is really cool too.

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    1. If I looked at my romance shelf, I know sports romances dominate it. That extra element just brings something special to the story for me.

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  11. I've seen you rave about Stealing Home and it sounds soo good! I love going to baseball games in the summer! Great reviews!

    ~ Kendra @ Kendra Loves Books

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    1. I am all about how a book makes me feel, and both of these made me exceedingly jubilant. What more could I ask for?

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  12. I'd seen Stealing Home about and I did really want to read (I'm a sucker for sports romance and I find there are so many brilliant YA ones about in the past few years). I'll definitely be giving this one a read as it does sound perfectly summery and a great way to spend a warm day. And I actually have Whatever Life Throws At You on my Kindle and have owned it for 2 or 3 years without reading it seems. I'm glad I have it if your comments are anything to go by. I think I'd brushed it off as a stupid impulse buy I'd never get to now I know I was wrong and need to check it out.

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    1. Whatever Life Throws at You was SO GOOD!!!! It delivered the same level of feels that Stealing Home did for me. I was feeling fabulous after reading these books back to back

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