Grand Slam by Heidi McLaughlin Pages: 288
Series: Boys of Summer
Genres: Sports Romance
Source: ARC, NetGalley
Also in this series: The Heat of the Moment, Home Run
Also by this author: Third Base, Save Me, Home Run, Christmas With You: an anthology
Goodreads
Win the game. Lose your heart.Everyone knows who I am and that I could have any female fan I want. That's supposed to be the "perk" of playing left field for the Boston Renegades. But I don't want just any woman; I want her.
She should be just another face in the crowd, but I can't stop thinking about the one night we spent together-and her look of regret the morning after.
Because Saylor Blackwell is the kind of woman who haunts a man. Smart, sexy as hell, and one of the best managers in the business. She's every ballplayer's dream woman. And I'd do anything to make things right with her.
I'm done sitting on the bench when it comes to Saylor Blackwell. Time to swing for the fences.
I have really enjoyed the Boys of Summer series by Heidi McLaughlin. Grand Slam is a mix of single mom, man whore athlete, and second chance romance that will sizzle your kindle!
Saylor is a PR rep responsible for Travis Kidd. They had a drunken 1 night stand, and when Saylor realized she could lose her job over it, she fled Travis’ house as fast as she could, resulting in wrapping her car around a tree. Now, 2 years later, she has done everything to avoid being around Travis but one night, their paths cross again. This night ends in a rape accusation against Travis and he must beg Saylor for her help, even though helping him could cost her more than just her job.
Saylor is a single mother whose 5 year old daughter, Lucy, is #1 in her life. Lucy’s father, Saylor’s ex, has never wanted anything to do with Lucy…until suddenly he reaches out and wants to get to know his daughter. Saylor is skeptical of his motives after 5 years of radio silence. After her car accident, she lost her license and was placed on probation. This event plays a big part in why she can’t come forward to help Travis. As a reader, my heart hurt for her because you can understand the position she is in. She didn’t do anything wrong (much like Travis) but telling the truth would violate her probation. And with Lucy’s dad suddenly sniffing around…She could lose Lucy. But, there is a LOT of attraction between Saylor and Travis. He really wants a future with her and he isn’t willing to let her keep pushing him away. While his life is falling apart around him, he decides that Saylor can’t run from him any more and he is going to prove to her that she can trust in his love.
My biggest struggle was the angst factor. Its fairly angsty with all the drama going on and I struggle with angst. I love romantic suspense because the tension comes from outside forces and it usually avoids angst. But, for a lot of contemporary romances, that conflict and climax comes from angst. My life is giving me enough anxiety; I don’t need it in my books.
McLaughlin writes complex characters that evoke many emotions in the reader. You feel sympathy, love, anger, and more for these characters and its all done while weaving a very thoughtful plot. Grand Slam is a home run in sports romance that you will want to add to your TRB for this summer baseball season!
- POV: dual 1st
- Tears: no
- Trope: single mom, second chance
- Triggers: none
- Series/Standalone: stand alone within an interconnected series
- Cliffhanger: View Spoiler »
- HEA: View Spoiler »
The Player by K. Bromberg, Rushing the Goal by Toni Aleo, The Hot Shot by Kristen Callihan…then you will probably like Grand Slam!
Grand Slam
This one showed up on my GR the other day and I got really curious about it, but I think I’m going to skip it. The angst sounds a little too much for me. I’m glad it was enjoyable overall though! 🙂
Despite the angst, it really sounds like a good read. I can see why you would struggle, but it doesn’t really bother me.