Veena’s review of Straddling The Line (Play By Play, Book Eight) by Jaci Burton
Contemporary Romance published by Berkley Trade 01 Jul 14
I have only myself to blame when I jump into the middle of a series that is already eight deep and then spend part of the time while reading this book wondering about the back stories of all the new (to me) characters. I am not a die-hard sports fan, so a book about sports would not be a natural choice for me, but I read another one recently which I enjoyed and the hunk on this cover totally sucked me in. I am glad to report that while, of course, there’s sports in the story, considering our hero is a player and our heroine is a sportscaster, it was all about the rich emotions and relationships that make this an enjoyable read.
Trevor Shay is a rare person who excels in both football and baseball and chooses to play both professionally. Clearly it’s a challenge to play at that level of intensity almost year round, but he seems to thrive on it. The one person whom he credits for achieving the fame and fortune he now enjoys is his college mentor and dorm parent, Bill Briscoe. When Bill’s daughter Haven is in trouble getting over her father’s death and getting her career as a sportscaster to take off, he steps in and uses himself to give her a career-making opportunity.
Haven has always had the hots for Trevor, but she’s wary when the opportunity to spend up-close-and-personal time with him comes her way. The famous Trevor who she now meets and becomes up close the personal way with is very different from the college student who she once tutored, and now it seems that her attraction is reciprocated. Knowing that players are like butterflies moving fairly rapidly, she’s constantly afraid that their relationship, such as it is, will be short lived, but even she couldn’t have envisioned the explosive secrets that will derail it so quickly.
Trevor, for all that he is a professional in two highly competitive sports, comes across as a good guy with a heart and a soul. Haven is having a hard time dealing with her father’s death and his kindness to her and her mother is very endearing. His friends from college and/or the teammates from the two teams he plays on are fun to meet with their kick-ass wives and girlfriends, who all sound like they have interesting back stories, which I really would like to make time to read. If anyone out there has figured out how to carve out more hours in a twenty-four-hour day to do the things one loves, please sign me up for a tutoring session.
Grade: B
Summary:
Trevor Shay has it all—a successful football and baseball career, and any woman he wants. But when he finds out his college mentor’s daughter is in trouble, he drops everything to come to her aid.
Haven Briscoe has finally landed a dream job as a sportscaster for a major network. But she hasn’t been able to move past the recent death of her beloved father, and it’s affecting her career. A plum assignment following the daily life of sports superstar Trevor Shay might be just the inspiration she needs…
Trevor will do anything to spark life back into Haven, including letting her into every aspect of his world. The chemistry between them flames higher than one of Trevor’s home runs and faster than his dashes to the end zone. But as they grow closer, Haven stumbles onto Trevor’s closely guarded secret, one he’s hidden his entire life. And despite his protests, now it’s Haven’s turn to put everything on hold to help Trevor. Will he let her in and trust her with a secret that could blow his professional and personal world apart?
Other books in this series:
