Calling It by Jen Doyle Pages: 254
Genres: Sports Romance
Goodreads
"Sexy and sweet and packing some serious heat. CALLING IT is a debut home run." ~ Marina Adair #1 national bestselling author of Summer in Napa
Baseball player Nathan Hawkins needs to get away from Chicago. After a near career-ending car accident and with paparazzi surrounding his penthouse, Nate can only think of one place to go: home. But when he finds his old apartment occupied by a half-naked woman wielding a baseball bat, he's not sure what to think...except that maybe his luck has finally changed for the better.
Librarian Dorie Donelli never thought she'd get to meet her fantasy man in person--much less while she's wearing her bathrobe. To her surprise, her nearly naked run-in with Nate leads to more unclothed encounters. But Dorie is sure their fling is only temporary. As long as she remembers he'll be gone once his life gets back on track, she won't get hurt. In the meantime, she throws herself into enjoying their three weeks together before he has to report for spring training and go back to his old life.
For Nate, being with Dorie is the only time in months that he finds himself smiling. Laughing. And he has no intention of letting that go. He might even be falling in love...if only Dorie will let him say the words. What they have isn't just a dream, but the start of a dream come true.
Calling It
Jen Doyle
Another sports romance! I love me some sports romance! I also enjoy when the sport isn’t football and hockey because I seem to read a LOT of those (Seriously, check out my reviews page and you will see!). So, Calling it seemed like a home run for me! But, it was more like a double. Not bad, but not what you’re hoping for!
Calling it is the story of Nate, a professional baseball player who was in a terrible car accident and is now fleeing to his hometown to escape the media. Turns out that in his hometown he was famous even before the MLB! He and his friends were phenomenal basketball players. Our heroine, Dorie, is the new town librarian. When she first meets Nate she doesn’t recognize him; however, that doesn’t last long. She is afraid of him because he is a ‘player’ who just wants her to be a notch in his bed post. They have one kiss and the rest of the world stops existing. It was a bit much on the insta love and from then on, I did some eye rolling for sure. The insta-love is a bit much, even for me. But, getting more of Nate’s back story (the accident, Courtney) and wanting to know his decision about his career kept me reading. I liked Dorie’s character but I didn’t love her. I wasn’t sure I really understood her. She was a bit of an odd duck for me that I couldn’t quite place.
Overall, its a well written book but a bit predictable. With all the sports romances I have read, this felt like a story I already knew; maybe it was about a hockey player instead of a baseball player? Either way, while I enjoyed the story, it wasn’t anything new. For a debut book, I think Jen Doyle did a fine job.
- POV: 3rd
- Tears: no
- Trope: famous, Aphrodite effect, Insta-love
- Triggers: No
- Cliffhanger: no
- HEA: View Spoiler »
Heat of the Moment by Katie Rose, Third Base by Heidi McLaughlin, Catching Summer by LP Dover…then you will probably like Calling it!
A big believer in happily ever afters, Jen Doyle decided it was high time she started creating some. Jen is a member of the Romance Writers of America, as well as a member of the New England Chapter, New Jersey Romance Writers and Music City Romance Writer chapters of RWA. She is represented by Sarah E. Younger of the Nancy Yost Literary Agency.
She has an M.S. in Library and Information Science and, in addition to her work as a librarian, has worked as a conference and events planner as well as a Communications and Enrollment administrator in both preschool and higher education environments (although some might say that there is very little difference between the two; Jen has no comment regarding whether she is one of the “some”).
Her first book, CALLING IT, will be published by Carina Press in April 2016. It was the winner of The Beacon, the Finish the Damn Book, and the Melody of Love 2014 contests in the Contemporary Romance category, and was also the Contemporary Romance winner as well as the Grand Prize Winner of the 2014 Gateway to the Best contest.
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Oh no! Insta-love! It’s difficult for me to enjoy contemporary romances where the focus is on the romance with insta love.
It sounds very typical of other sports romances so I don’t think this would be for me.
Great review, Samantha! Always appreciate the well-balanced reviews. 🙂
You know whats funny? I love fated mates. I usually can deal with insta-love. But I have had several books in a row lately where it just does NOT work for me and that is so unusual!
And I love sports romance! This book seemed perfect in theory. Maybe I am in a book funk and thats why I was more critical than usual? Who knows! 🙂