KEEPING SCOREby ALYSSA KALE
One more careless mistake and I could lose the career I’ve worked my entire life for—I could lose everything. My last year has been wrapped in one scandal after another, and I am done.
Done with the jersey chasers.
And done with women… for the time being.
Or so I thought.
Sophie Thomas, a local magazine photographer, is my undoing. She’s bright, she’s funny, and her very being just draws me in. I know I need to stay away, but there’s something about her—a sadness almost—that keeps pulling me back to her.
Maybe I’m not quite as done with everything as I once believed.
REVIEW: 3.5+ STARS
It's a very sticky line for me to agree to read books by friends. I am always objective - but I want it known that I have a personal relationship with this author, but it will not affect my rating on this book. I have always prided myself on my ability to stay objective and respectful with my reviews.
Having said this, I want to say that I really enjoyed this debut book by Alyssa Kale. The bones of the actual story, the background - the storyline, were really good. Have we read this type of story before? Sure. Any sports romance reader has read about the athlete that doesn't want to settle down but meets 'her' and his world changes and he has to 'realize' what he has. I don't read formulaic with both eyes open...but this one, it didn't come across overwhelmingly that way. It didn't feel like I was rolling my eyes and skipping along to get to the HEA I knew was there. Nope. I was enjoying it from the minute I opened it until I finished. It was an easy read with plenty of smiles and some swooniness along the way. I would definitely say this was a win for me.
The fact that I have read this type of story before but didn't want to put it down told me all I needed to know. It flowed easily, even given some of the repetitive nature of some of the statements and points being made. It was a breath of fresh air for the fact that it had characters that were relatable, hardships that were recognizable, and a reality that was as dreamy as they come. I honestly adored these characters. Just an easy, sexy little read that provided some light entertainment.
And I will say this, I think this is only my.....second? baseball romance and I LOVED it. I love sports romance in general, but it was fun reading a sport I don't generally watch or pay attention to, and I won't lie and say it didn't have me smiling while looking at the players and their baseball pants while the game was on the TV at the restaurant the other night. {{insert evil grin}}
"God, that butt. Thank you to whoever designed baseball pants. They really do make everything better."
And much can be said about her characters. they weren't one dimensional, but they were simple and likable. I loved Braxton so much. He had honest faults and true emotions that came out when they were necessary. His actions were all male and I found myself laughing at him, with him, and for him. He was a real easy character to fall in love with. I did appreciate that her Hero's voice didn't sound overly feminine and I cannot tell you enough how much I am very thankful for that. I have DNF'd many books where the Hero sounds too feminine and very unlikely in the way he thinks. And.....and he was about as subtle as a bull in a china shop! His comments had me laughing a few times.
But, the same can be said about Sophie. She was a great, strong and stubborn heroine. I followed her heart and the way her mind worked. I understood her hesitance, but also wanted to shake her for her unwavering stubbornness. I knew what she was thinking but also wanted her to see the light. She was relatable in her strength, but also in her perseverance. I felt an emotional connection to her for the situation she was in, and I loved that Kale gave two varying misunderstandings on the primary situation, which allowed me to see both sides with equal thoughts.
So, a little robotic in some spots, a little formulaic in others - not necessarily a 'been there, done that' kind of read, and I knew what was going on, but I still wanted to keep reading. I felt there was a bit of telling rather than showing, but not so far as to distract and detract from the overall enjoyment of it. She gave me everything I needed in a SWEET read, and she did it well. Again, I don’t do these willingly - but this one really worked for me. It was just the right ease in between the heavy and angsty reads I crave and read regularly. It was seriously the best light-hearted read I have read in a while. I really did enjoy these characters and this book, and I feel like Kale has plenty of stories left in her. I hope she will continue to share her words because I can't wait to read more by her.
She gave me two characters that I could fall in love with.
She gave me a story that I never stopped smiling while reading.
She gave me a HEA that I just knew was going to be blissful and happy.
I'm a happy....
~BEE
~MEET ALYSSA KALE~
Alyssa Kale, better known as Alyssa Garcia, is a debut author that really got her start in the industry as a book blogger, then a cover designer, then she got into the busy world of PR and marketing. It was only a matter of time before she actually sat down and wrote a book considering how intertwined her life is with the industry.
~CONNECT WITH ALYSSA KALE~
ARC REVIEW
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COPY PURCHASED FOR GIVEAWAY
Love your honesty and i love this cover!
ReplyDeleteAnother thorough review and you definitely have me curious to read it.
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