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Feeling the Heat #2
The Winning Season
Kelly Maxwell has finally landed her dream job as publicist for the San Francisco Blaze. But the team's newest member, handsome bad boy catcher Matt Scanlon, is refusing every interview. She's got to get him to open up before the season ends, or she may not be back next year. And after everything she overcame to achieve her dream, Kelly's not about to let that happen.
Matt Scanlon just wants to be left alone to rebuild his life and his career. After a year of masking the pain of a recent loss with hard partying and fast women, he finally hit rock bottom and was traded to a team he's loathed his entire life-a team with little to no chance at the post-season.
Butting heads is getting Kelly and Matt nowhere but annoyed, and with the team's schedule on the road, they can't avoid close quarters-or their surprising attraction to one another. As the season winds down, Matt finds his growing feelings for Kelly have brought his numbed emotions back to life. But when betrayal shatters their fragile trust, winning it all seems more impossible than ever.
95,000 words
Matt Scanlon just wants to be left alone to rebuild his life and his career. After a year of masking the pain of a recent loss with hard partying and fast women, he finally hit rock bottom and was traded to a team he's loathed his entire life-a team with little to no chance at the post-season.
Butting heads is getting Kelly and Matt nowhere but annoyed, and with the team's schedule on the road, they can't avoid close quarters-or their surprising attraction to one another. As the season winds down, Matt finds his growing feelings for Kelly have brought his numbed emotions back to life. But when betrayal shatters their fragile trust, winning it all seems more impossible than ever.
95,000 words
241 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 15, 2013
25 people are currently reading
1200 people want to read
About the author
Alison Packard
16 books404 followersAlison’s love of the romance genre goes all the way back to her high school years when she gobbled up every Harlequin novel she could get her hands on. Back then, she never dreamed of writing her own stories. But years later, her inner writer emerged and she’s now a multi-published author of contemporary romance.
When she’s not plotting her next book, she hangs out with her adorable rescue dog, Bailey, consumes more chocolate than she should, and spends time with her friends and family.
Visit her website at www.alisonpackard.com to subscribe to her newsletter, get information about previous books, and updates about upcoming releases.
When she’s not plotting her next book, she hangs out with her adorable rescue dog, Bailey, consumes more chocolate than she should, and spends time with her friends and family.
Visit her website at www.alisonpackard.com to subscribe to her newsletter, get information about previous books, and updates about upcoming releases.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 137 reviews
January 4, 2014
4 ½ stars. Really good. Feel good contemporary romance.
Characters well done. Personal issues good. There was not a lot of sex, if that matters. The sex scenes were brief.
The story had the formulaic fight/separation. I wish that were not so ubiquitous. As I’m reading in the middle I’m thinking “Oh there’s probably going to be a fight. I hope there is no fight.” Then a little thing happens and I think “I bet that’s going to be the source of a fight.” Sure enough a little later it happens. That’s the main thing that bothered me. I don’t want to fault the author because I know 99% of romance novels have this. I just wish more authors would write without it or do something different. As fights go this was well done. There was no stupidity. The inaccurate assumption was reasonable.
The ending was happy but very quick. I would have liked more at the end. But maybe that is a compliment.
A secondary story was about Angie and her love life. She had something going on with two guys. At the end of the book that was a big mystery. Questions floated. I assume that was a hook to get us to buy the next book. It took away from the completeness of this story.
I received an complimentary copy (ARC) from Carina Press. Thank you.
DATA:
Narrative mode: 3rd person. Kindle count length: 4,438 (241 pages). Swearing language: strong including religious swear words but rarely used. Sexual language: strong. Number of sex scenes: 4. Setting: current day mostly San Francisco, California. Copyright: 2013. Genre: contemporary sports romance, baseball.
Characters well done. Personal issues good. There was not a lot of sex, if that matters. The sex scenes were brief.
The story had the formulaic fight/separation. I wish that were not so ubiquitous. As I’m reading in the middle I’m thinking “Oh there’s probably going to be a fight. I hope there is no fight.” Then a little thing happens and I think “I bet that’s going to be the source of a fight.” Sure enough a little later it happens. That’s the main thing that bothered me. I don’t want to fault the author because I know 99% of romance novels have this. I just wish more authors would write without it or do something different. As fights go this was well done. There was no stupidity. The inaccurate assumption was reasonable.
The ending was happy but very quick. I would have liked more at the end. But maybe that is a compliment.
A secondary story was about Angie and her love life. She had something going on with two guys. At the end of the book that was a big mystery. Questions floated. I assume that was a hook to get us to buy the next book. It took away from the completeness of this story.
I received an complimentary copy (ARC) from Carina Press. Thank you.
DATA:
Narrative mode: 3rd person. Kindle count length: 4,438 (241 pages). Swearing language: strong including religious swear words but rarely used. Sexual language: strong. Number of sex scenes: 4. Setting: current day mostly San Francisco, California. Copyright: 2013. Genre: contemporary sports romance, baseball.
May 3, 2021
I can't believe this is the first romance I've read where the heroine is battling an eating disorder! In fact, this book dealt with pretty serious issues but it was done in such a way that the book wasn't a total downer. I applaud you Ms. Packard!
![Profile Image for Michelle [Helen Geek].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1448463806i%2F5557851._CR0%2C13%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
January 17, 2014
01/16/2014 --
Overall Rating = 1.5 Stars
Book Cover / Book Blurb / Book Title = 1.5 / 3 / 3 = 2.5 Stars
Writer’s Voice = 1 Stars
Character Development = 3 Stars
Story Appreciation = 1 Stars
Worth the Chili = 1 Stars -- [$3.03 on Amazon]
Smexy [HEAT] Rating = Mild to Moderate
241 pages
Bored. To. Tears.
Hate that. Had all the components I look for in a simple read; sports, sexy guy, h that isn't too annoying, okay story, etc. This author just couldn't put it all together for me. I lost interest and pushed myself to finish it at about 67%. Just monotonous.
Hope it works out better for you!
Happy Reading!
Overall Rating = 1.5 Stars
Book Cover / Book Blurb / Book Title = 1.5 / 3 / 3 = 2.5 Stars
Writer’s Voice = 1 Stars
Character Development = 3 Stars
Story Appreciation = 1 Stars
Worth the Chili = 1 Stars -- [$3.03 on Amazon]
Smexy [HEAT] Rating = Mild to Moderate
241 pages
Bored. To. Tears.
Hate that. Had all the components I look for in a simple read; sports, sexy guy, h that isn't too annoying, okay story, etc. This author just couldn't put it all together for me. I lost interest and pushed myself to finish it at about 67%. Just monotonous.
Hope it works out better for you!
Happy Reading!
July 23, 2013
Rating 3.25 stars
Book had potential, writing was nice but I felt the hero got off easy, not much grovelling required from him.
I actually read this one first before the sister's book. The hero used to be loved by everyone then he went off the rails because of a hidden tragedy, acted badly, slept around and during that time he was vicious to the heroine.
The heroine hates that the hero has now been transferred from the Dodgers to her home team Blaze, where she works in the media department and that makes the hero her head-ache. He called her unworthy of a man's attention, something that played on the heroine's past and her body issues. She has had a long and hard struggle to accept her body.
The hero acts like a dick at first and I liked how the heroine didn't mind verbally slapping him. They get involved things are fine, then something so contrived happened and the hero acts like a dick again, he apologizes and she takes him back. The END!
Book had potential, writing was nice but I felt the hero got off easy, not much grovelling required from him.
I actually read this one first before the sister's book. The hero used to be loved by everyone then he went off the rails because of a hidden tragedy, acted badly, slept around and during that time he was vicious to the heroine.
The heroine hates that the hero has now been transferred from the Dodgers to her home team Blaze, where she works in the media department and that makes the hero her head-ache. He called her unworthy of a man's attention, something that played on the heroine's past and her body issues. She has had a long and hard struggle to accept her body.
The hero acts like a dick at first and I liked how the heroine didn't mind verbally slapping him. They get involved things are fine, then something so contrived happened and the hero acts like a dick again, he apologizes and she takes him back. The END!
July 22, 2013
Review posted: Happily Ever After - Reads
Blog rating: A-
Matt Scanlon has gone from being the superstar “it” guy in baseball to a man whose behavior and attitude changed so drastically, he’s in danger of losing his career entirely. When his current team, the team he’s loved his whole life trades him to the Blaze, a team he’s hated for just as long, he can’t imagine anything worse. Kelly Maxwell is a publicist for the San Francisco Blaze and she’s having a hard time working with Matt. They had a run in a few months back, her sister and his best friend are dating and Matt, being at his lowest point, said some mean and hurtful things to Kelly. She’s not one to keep quiet, so she gave it right back to him but his words stung and they’ve been at each other’s throats constantly. Now, Kelly needs Matt to play nice with the sports media, Matt wants nothing to do with giving interviews and is refusing to do any. Kelly needs to figure out a way to do her job getting Matt to start doing press and hope he starts to turn his life around in time for their team to make a playoff push.
First off, I loved this story. I was charmed by the characters early on and I really found myself connecting to the heroine Kelly. She’s relatable to almost every woman and she just came across as someone I’d be friends with. She’s a softball playing, cussing, competitive woman who’s a little taller than the norm, a little more muscular and has battled with her body image since she was a teen. It’s a constant struggle for her and she overcame bulimia, something that still to this day she has to make an effort to deal with. I loved everything about her. From her competitive spirit on her co-ed softball team (she wants to win, dammit!) to how she’s professional with everything related to her career and wants to do the best job she can. She’s so very relatable and easy to like and I enjoyed everything about her.
On the field, the Blaze wives and girlfriends had cleared the dugout. They were on the field screaming and hugging each other. Sheila and Chantal helped Kelly up and engulfed her in a group hug. Kelly’s batting helmet was on the ground as her teammates rallied around her, delirious with the thrill of victory.
Over their heads, Kelly looked toward the dugout. Their eyes locked and the pure joy on her face ignited a spike of heat low in his [Matt] gut. He stared at her, stunned.
Just when the hell had Kelly Maxwell turned into the most beautiful woman he’d ever laid eyes on?
Matt is also a character that grabbed me early on. He went from baseball’s golden boy, to circling the drain before being traded and having this be pretty much his last chance to turn his life and his career around. He’s been secretly dealing with a tragedy that he doesn’t want to get out to the press and he’s slowly starting to move past it, thanks mostly in part to Kelly. She’s not the type of woman he’s normally attracted to, but she’s the only woman who stands up to him and tells it to him like it is. He’s wildly attracted to that and it was such a joy to see their relationship progress from enemies who hurled insults at each other, to an uneasy truce, to friends to lovers. It was such a great progression for them, I also appreciated the passage of time. Their relationship doesn’t develop overnight, the story spans weeks and months and it made it all the more easy to fall into their relationship and believe in it.
Sometimes with sports themed romances, sports plays a role in one of the character’s lives, but can tend to be in the background for much of the story. Not so here. There are many baseball scenes for Matt both on the field seeing him play and off in his relationships with his teammates and how some friendships develop between him and the guys and how some do not. But sports also plays a huge role in Kelly’s life. She works for the Blaze, but we also get plenty of time seeing her in her competitive mode on the field playing softball. I’m a huge sports fan so being able to see not only the hero but the heroine be competitive and competing was so much fun and added extra depth to both their characters.
The supporting characters are plentiful, from Matt’s teammates to Kelly’s friends, family and co-workers, but no one overpowers the main couple. There is definitely enough buildup and sparkage between Kelly’s friend and co-worker Angie and Matt’s teammate J.T. I can’t wait to see what happens next for them.
If you love romance and especially if you love sports in romance, pick up The Winning Season. Matt and Kelly brought the story to life from the start at first through their bickering and then by steaming up the pages when they couldn’t take their hands off each other. They’re both dealing with past issues, Kelly with her eating disorder and Matt with his personal tragedy, but when they confide in each other, the load is lightened considerably for them and it was so much fun to see their relationship grow. This was such a charming story and one I highly recommend.
Blog rating: A-
Matt Scanlon has gone from being the superstar “it” guy in baseball to a man whose behavior and attitude changed so drastically, he’s in danger of losing his career entirely. When his current team, the team he’s loved his whole life trades him to the Blaze, a team he’s hated for just as long, he can’t imagine anything worse. Kelly Maxwell is a publicist for the San Francisco Blaze and she’s having a hard time working with Matt. They had a run in a few months back, her sister and his best friend are dating and Matt, being at his lowest point, said some mean and hurtful things to Kelly. She’s not one to keep quiet, so she gave it right back to him but his words stung and they’ve been at each other’s throats constantly. Now, Kelly needs Matt to play nice with the sports media, Matt wants nothing to do with giving interviews and is refusing to do any. Kelly needs to figure out a way to do her job getting Matt to start doing press and hope he starts to turn his life around in time for their team to make a playoff push.
First off, I loved this story. I was charmed by the characters early on and I really found myself connecting to the heroine Kelly. She’s relatable to almost every woman and she just came across as someone I’d be friends with. She’s a softball playing, cussing, competitive woman who’s a little taller than the norm, a little more muscular and has battled with her body image since she was a teen. It’s a constant struggle for her and she overcame bulimia, something that still to this day she has to make an effort to deal with. I loved everything about her. From her competitive spirit on her co-ed softball team (she wants to win, dammit!) to how she’s professional with everything related to her career and wants to do the best job she can. She’s so very relatable and easy to like and I enjoyed everything about her.
On the field, the Blaze wives and girlfriends had cleared the dugout. They were on the field screaming and hugging each other. Sheila and Chantal helped Kelly up and engulfed her in a group hug. Kelly’s batting helmet was on the ground as her teammates rallied around her, delirious with the thrill of victory.
Over their heads, Kelly looked toward the dugout. Their eyes locked and the pure joy on her face ignited a spike of heat low in his [Matt] gut. He stared at her, stunned.
Just when the hell had Kelly Maxwell turned into the most beautiful woman he’d ever laid eyes on?
Matt is also a character that grabbed me early on. He went from baseball’s golden boy, to circling the drain before being traded and having this be pretty much his last chance to turn his life and his career around. He’s been secretly dealing with a tragedy that he doesn’t want to get out to the press and he’s slowly starting to move past it, thanks mostly in part to Kelly. She’s not the type of woman he’s normally attracted to, but she’s the only woman who stands up to him and tells it to him like it is. He’s wildly attracted to that and it was such a joy to see their relationship progress from enemies who hurled insults at each other, to an uneasy truce, to friends to lovers. It was such a great progression for them, I also appreciated the passage of time. Their relationship doesn’t develop overnight, the story spans weeks and months and it made it all the more easy to fall into their relationship and believe in it.
Sometimes with sports themed romances, sports plays a role in one of the character’s lives, but can tend to be in the background for much of the story. Not so here. There are many baseball scenes for Matt both on the field seeing him play and off in his relationships with his teammates and how some friendships develop between him and the guys and how some do not. But sports also plays a huge role in Kelly’s life. She works for the Blaze, but we also get plenty of time seeing her in her competitive mode on the field playing softball. I’m a huge sports fan so being able to see not only the hero but the heroine be competitive and competing was so much fun and added extra depth to both their characters.
The supporting characters are plentiful, from Matt’s teammates to Kelly’s friends, family and co-workers, but no one overpowers the main couple. There is definitely enough buildup and sparkage between Kelly’s friend and co-worker Angie and Matt’s teammate J.T. I can’t wait to see what happens next for them.
If you love romance and especially if you love sports in romance, pick up The Winning Season. Matt and Kelly brought the story to life from the start at first through their bickering and then by steaming up the pages when they couldn’t take their hands off each other. They’re both dealing with past issues, Kelly with her eating disorder and Matt with his personal tragedy, but when they confide in each other, the load is lightened considerably for them and it was so much fun to see their relationship grow. This was such a charming story and one I highly recommend.
July 23, 2013
I enjoyed the hell outta that.
Review originally posted at http://fictionvixen.com/review-the-wi...
Kelly Maxwell and Matt Scanlon don’t like each other. At all. Her sister and his best friend might be in love, but it was hate at first sight for this pair. Their first meeting didn’t go well, with him calling her names, her telling him that he’s a screw up about to get kicked off his beloved Dodgers and then him storming out of the restaurant. Now it’s months later and Kelly’s prediction has come true. Matt’s outrageous behavior for the past year has led to his trade from the Dodgers to the San Francisco Blaze, the team where Kelly happens to be the publicist. Matt’s refusal to do any media interviews or publicity for his new team hasn’t brought them any closer. The Blaze is Kelly’s team and to keep her job she is going to have to find a way to get Matt to break down and do what she wants.
Matt Scanlon has had a hard year. No one but his best friend Sean even realizes what set off his self-destructive behavior. After sleeping with cleat chasers, getting into brawls on the field and all around bad conduct he’s been traded to a team he’s always loathed. Now he’s trying to get his life back on track and to do that he has to walk the straight and narrow and focus on the game. That includes no media and he’s not about to let pushy Kelly Maxwell get in his way.
I pretty much liked everything about Matt and Kelly’s story. She is a real woman, with real woman body issues. She’s tall, shapely, athletic and has finally learned to accept her body and be comfortable with who she is. She’s battled her way back from bulimia and is strong and set on having the respect of the Blaze organization. He was once the golden boy of baseball. A catcher of extreme talent who almost threw it all away. He and Kelly are connected through the relationship between his best friend and her sister, but they haven’t moved past their initial ideas about each other. Now they are working for the same baseball team and are forced to deal with each other on an everyday basis.
I loved how this couple’s story unfolded so slowly and believably. They move from rancor to a tentative friendship to respect and then onto being lovers and in love. Instead of insta-love the reader actually gets to watch them learn about each other and build a relationship. The trust between them slowly develops until finally Matt is able to confide in Kelly his reasons for going crazy in the previous year and she is able to talk about her past struggles with her body image. Matt might have started out an ass and said some pretty deplorable things, but I had compassion for him after hearing his story and watching him fall for Kelly. Their relationship is helped along because of mutual interests and a relationship with one sick little girl who they both bond with after a charity event. They are continually thrown together until neither actually wants to be apart anymore. The heat level isn’t too high, they do have some nice love scenes, but that was okay with me as the build up of the relationship was what kept and held my attention so fully.
My only complaint was that the ending was rather abrupt and I would have liked to have had an epilogue. Just some glimpse of them in a more settled place in the future. Other than that small request this romance really worked for me and I will definitely be recommending. Final Grade- B+
Favorite Quote:
Review originally posted at http://fictionvixen.com/review-the-wi...
Kelly Maxwell and Matt Scanlon don’t like each other. At all. Her sister and his best friend might be in love, but it was hate at first sight for this pair. Their first meeting didn’t go well, with him calling her names, her telling him that he’s a screw up about to get kicked off his beloved Dodgers and then him storming out of the restaurant. Now it’s months later and Kelly’s prediction has come true. Matt’s outrageous behavior for the past year has led to his trade from the Dodgers to the San Francisco Blaze, the team where Kelly happens to be the publicist. Matt’s refusal to do any media interviews or publicity for his new team hasn’t brought them any closer. The Blaze is Kelly’s team and to keep her job she is going to have to find a way to get Matt to break down and do what she wants.
Matt Scanlon has had a hard year. No one but his best friend Sean even realizes what set off his self-destructive behavior. After sleeping with cleat chasers, getting into brawls on the field and all around bad conduct he’s been traded to a team he’s always loathed. Now he’s trying to get his life back on track and to do that he has to walk the straight and narrow and focus on the game. That includes no media and he’s not about to let pushy Kelly Maxwell get in his way.
Over their heads, Kelly looked toward the dugout. Their eyes locked and the pure joy on her face ignited a spike of heat low in his gut. He stared at her, stunned.
Just when the hell had Kelly Maxwell turned into the most beautiful woman he’d ever laid eyes on?
I pretty much liked everything about Matt and Kelly’s story. She is a real woman, with real woman body issues. She’s tall, shapely, athletic and has finally learned to accept her body and be comfortable with who she is. She’s battled her way back from bulimia and is strong and set on having the respect of the Blaze organization. He was once the golden boy of baseball. A catcher of extreme talent who almost threw it all away. He and Kelly are connected through the relationship between his best friend and her sister, but they haven’t moved past their initial ideas about each other. Now they are working for the same baseball team and are forced to deal with each other on an everyday basis.
I loved how this couple’s story unfolded so slowly and believably. They move from rancor to a tentative friendship to respect and then onto being lovers and in love. Instead of insta-love the reader actually gets to watch them learn about each other and build a relationship. The trust between them slowly develops until finally Matt is able to confide in Kelly his reasons for going crazy in the previous year and she is able to talk about her past struggles with her body image. Matt might have started out an ass and said some pretty deplorable things, but I had compassion for him after hearing his story and watching him fall for Kelly. Their relationship is helped along because of mutual interests and a relationship with one sick little girl who they both bond with after a charity event. They are continually thrown together until neither actually wants to be apart anymore. The heat level isn’t too high, they do have some nice love scenes, but that was okay with me as the build up of the relationship was what kept and held my attention so fully.
My only complaint was that the ending was rather abrupt and I would have liked to have had an epilogue. Just some glimpse of them in a more settled place in the future. Other than that small request this romance really worked for me and I will definitely be recommending. Final Grade- B+
Favorite Quote:
“What do you want?” he asked, surprised by the need that threatened to consume him.
“I want you.” Her voice was low, hypnotic and unbearably sexy. “Can I have you?”
July 20, 2013
Review originally posted here: http://thebookpushers.com/2013/07/15/...
When I read Packard’s debut novel last year, I was hooked. I adored it. When I saw this baseball book, I didn’t even read the blurb before requesting it (I am a sport romance junkie)!! The fact that this book tied back into Love in the Afternoon made it even better.
Kelly has her dream job working publicity for the Blaze baseball team. Only her biggest nightmare has been traded onto her team, and she finds herself having to work day in and day out with the one man who drives her absolutely crazy. But in between insults, Kelly gets to know Matt and finds out that there is something more to the man than just a total screw-up.
Matt went through one of the most traumatic things someone could suffer, and he let his career and life spiral out of control because of it. But when he gets traded to the Blaze, he realizes he needs to get his shit together. Being thrown into the path of Kelly time and again opens his eyes to so many things, and Matt realizes that the woman he once hurled insults at, is one he doesn’t want to live without.
I absolutely adored this book, it was so fun and sexy and everything I love about romance. The romance was great, with Kelly and Matt starting the book as enemies who absolutely hated each other, but had such an intense sexual attraction between them. I loved watching them burn up for one another, all while trying to like each other, and eventually fall in love.
I adored Kelly, especially once we got to learn more about her past struggles. Growing up the polar opposite of her sister led to some horrific experiences in high school and college, and I thought Packard did an amazing job showcasing the destructive ways that self image can impact young women. Some issues can be really hard to read about, and eating disorders are ones that can go either horribly wrong, or have a strong impact. I thought Packard did an incredible job, and the story benefited from that subplot beautifully.
Poor Matt was kinda a dick and yet as his story unfolded, I wanted to cry for the guy. He had to deal with some pretty crazy changes in his life in a short period of time, so the fact that he went off his rocker was understandable. I loved the way he had to struggle to rebuild his reputation and life, especially as he leaned on Kelly to do so. He was a genuinely great guy, and I adored reading him. I hope we get to see more of him and Kelly both in future books.
My one gripe with this book is that it seemed to end rather abruptly. Matt and Kelly finally were able to resolve their big fight, and the book seemed to end right at that point. I would have like to see a little bit more after, since there were still a few things I would have liked to see be wrapped up. I hate when books leave me hanging like that, because I feel like I’m missing something important in the story still, so I’m going to be anxiously waiting for the next book in Packard’s series.
Via Twitter, Packard told me the next hero and heroine will be JT and Angie, two secondary characters from this book I adored. I hope that the baseball theme continues in her books, because I thought it was a wonderful balance of sports and fame and romance.
All in all I loved this sophomore book from Packard. She has quickly made her way to my auto-buy list for contemporary romance authors. I loved both Matt and Kelly as well as all the other characters we got to meet in this book. I’m anxious to see what Packard has in store for me next!
I give The Winning Season an A-
When I read Packard’s debut novel last year, I was hooked. I adored it. When I saw this baseball book, I didn’t even read the blurb before requesting it (I am a sport romance junkie)!! The fact that this book tied back into Love in the Afternoon made it even better.
Kelly has her dream job working publicity for the Blaze baseball team. Only her biggest nightmare has been traded onto her team, and she finds herself having to work day in and day out with the one man who drives her absolutely crazy. But in between insults, Kelly gets to know Matt and finds out that there is something more to the man than just a total screw-up.
Matt went through one of the most traumatic things someone could suffer, and he let his career and life spiral out of control because of it. But when he gets traded to the Blaze, he realizes he needs to get his shit together. Being thrown into the path of Kelly time and again opens his eyes to so many things, and Matt realizes that the woman he once hurled insults at, is one he doesn’t want to live without.
I absolutely adored this book, it was so fun and sexy and everything I love about romance. The romance was great, with Kelly and Matt starting the book as enemies who absolutely hated each other, but had such an intense sexual attraction between them. I loved watching them burn up for one another, all while trying to like each other, and eventually fall in love.
I adored Kelly, especially once we got to learn more about her past struggles. Growing up the polar opposite of her sister led to some horrific experiences in high school and college, and I thought Packard did an amazing job showcasing the destructive ways that self image can impact young women. Some issues can be really hard to read about, and eating disorders are ones that can go either horribly wrong, or have a strong impact. I thought Packard did an incredible job, and the story benefited from that subplot beautifully.
Poor Matt was kinda a dick and yet as his story unfolded, I wanted to cry for the guy. He had to deal with some pretty crazy changes in his life in a short period of time, so the fact that he went off his rocker was understandable. I loved the way he had to struggle to rebuild his reputation and life, especially as he leaned on Kelly to do so. He was a genuinely great guy, and I adored reading him. I hope we get to see more of him and Kelly both in future books.
My one gripe with this book is that it seemed to end rather abruptly. Matt and Kelly finally were able to resolve their big fight, and the book seemed to end right at that point. I would have like to see a little bit more after, since there were still a few things I would have liked to see be wrapped up. I hate when books leave me hanging like that, because I feel like I’m missing something important in the story still, so I’m going to be anxiously waiting for the next book in Packard’s series.
Via Twitter, Packard told me the next hero and heroine will be JT and Angie, two secondary characters from this book I adored. I hope that the baseball theme continues in her books, because I thought it was a wonderful balance of sports and fame and romance.
All in all I loved this sophomore book from Packard. She has quickly made her way to my auto-buy list for contemporary romance authors. I loved both Matt and Kelly as well as all the other characters we got to meet in this book. I’m anxious to see what Packard has in store for me next!
I give The Winning Season an A-
February 24, 2014
How different this book turned out to be than what I expected, not that it was anything bad, but what I did expect, was a light romance with a little bit of sports for seasoning. What I got, however, was a lovely romance that involved characters who had to deal with their personal demons, characters I was able to connect with.
Kelly Maxwell is the publicist for the San Francisco Blaze baseball team, and it is her job to arrange and deal with everything media related for the team. She loves her job, she handles things pretty good, but all that happy soon meets the wall that is Matt Scanlon. Matt is the new catcher, transferred to the Blaze after a year he spent in ruining his reputation, he now wants nothing but playing his game, especially no more media relations, and it's up to Kelly to get him to open up.
All the elements for a nice romance are there. A screwed up hero, a strong heroine that gives him a hard time, and men playing sports, hitting the showers after every game. Okay, maybe that last part was just for me. But there's gotta be a plot, and the sports aspect of the book helped that a lot. Even though I'm not familiar with baseball, a fact that I plan to compensate for in the near future, I was still able to read through the games without being completely lost. I think when done good enough not to make the clueless reader alienated, a romance with a backdrop of any sport is a wonderful idea.
The characters are what make the story though, and I loved the ones in here. Kelly Maxwell was the kind of heroine I'd like to read in books. She was smart, talented, she knew how to hold her own around too much testosterone, and I especially loved how strong she was when it came to dealing with her own problems. She was a reminder that not all bad things come to an abrupt end in time, but some things you have to constantly struggle with along the way.
Matt Scanlon was also my kind of hero. We met him right after his screw up, so he was already on his way to redemption and that's always a turn on. He was a much more decent guy than you'd expect from a man in his situation though. Even though he had the life of the party before he came to the Blaze, all alcohol and one night stands, once he decided to clean up his act, he truly meant it. You don't see that a lot with a hero who wants to hide and forget a certain past, they tend to snap and bite at every turn until they find their love, but it seemed with Matt, the only time he attacked was when people came too close to hitting home in regard to his painful memories. In all other times, he was a gentleman.
I liked how the romance took off from clear animosity, to a certain degree of friendship, to lust, and to finally end up at love. The pace was the right one for me, it wasn't too rushed and it didn't stretch out to eternity. We were able to see the exact moments when they both realized their true feelings for each other and I liked those scenes. Their romance was a sweet one.
I did think, however, that towards the end, for the sake of tying all loose ends and to make things final, it felt a bit rushed. Everything unraveled evenly up until that point when suddenly, things were wrapped up and the book ended. There were a couple of side characters who I felt like had more to say, and there was a certain little twist that I wished we could've done without.
A sweet romance with a side dish of baseball and a few sprinkles of the emotional that I'd recommend.
Kelly Maxwell is the publicist for the San Francisco Blaze baseball team, and it is her job to arrange and deal with everything media related for the team. She loves her job, she handles things pretty good, but all that happy soon meets the wall that is Matt Scanlon. Matt is the new catcher, transferred to the Blaze after a year he spent in ruining his reputation, he now wants nothing but playing his game, especially no more media relations, and it's up to Kelly to get him to open up.
All the elements for a nice romance are there. A screwed up hero, a strong heroine that gives him a hard time, and men playing sports, hitting the showers after every game. Okay, maybe that last part was just for me. But there's gotta be a plot, and the sports aspect of the book helped that a lot. Even though I'm not familiar with baseball, a fact that I plan to compensate for in the near future, I was still able to read through the games without being completely lost. I think when done good enough not to make the clueless reader alienated, a romance with a backdrop of any sport is a wonderful idea.
The characters are what make the story though, and I loved the ones in here. Kelly Maxwell was the kind of heroine I'd like to read in books. She was smart, talented, she knew how to hold her own around too much testosterone, and I especially loved how strong she was when it came to dealing with her own problems. She was a reminder that not all bad things come to an abrupt end in time, but some things you have to constantly struggle with along the way.
Matt Scanlon was also my kind of hero. We met him right after his screw up, so he was already on his way to redemption and that's always a turn on. He was a much more decent guy than you'd expect from a man in his situation though. Even though he had the life of the party before he came to the Blaze, all alcohol and one night stands, once he decided to clean up his act, he truly meant it. You don't see that a lot with a hero who wants to hide and forget a certain past, they tend to snap and bite at every turn until they find their love, but it seemed with Matt, the only time he attacked was when people came too close to hitting home in regard to his painful memories. In all other times, he was a gentleman.
I liked how the romance took off from clear animosity, to a certain degree of friendship, to lust, and to finally end up at love. The pace was the right one for me, it wasn't too rushed and it didn't stretch out to eternity. We were able to see the exact moments when they both realized their true feelings for each other and I liked those scenes. Their romance was a sweet one.
I did think, however, that towards the end, for the sake of tying all loose ends and to make things final, it felt a bit rushed. Everything unraveled evenly up until that point when suddenly, things were wrapped up and the book ended. There were a couple of side characters who I felt like had more to say, and there was a certain little twist that I wished we could've done without.
A sweet romance with a side dish of baseball and a few sprinkles of the emotional that I'd recommend.
July 26, 2013
This book started off as a 4 for me and spiraled downward roughly at the 40% mark. At the 75% mark, I was contemplating not finishing it, but, perseverance won out and here I am, wondering how can I get back that time of my life? I can’t.
In the beginning, I empathized with the h, Kelly. She was self-conscious about her appearance and when she first met the H, Matt, he was in an “ugly place”, having gone through some personal issues. They had a heated exchange and he didn’t help matters by insulting her. So, of course, I was up in arms at his treatment and was waiting to savor his comeuppance and wondering how he would turn this all around.
And I waited.
And while I waited, I found out a few things. The h, having gone through her own personal issue, had become a self-righteous harpy. She butted her nose where it didn’t belong, all in the name of “caring”. I felt the storyline of her assistant was not necessary as, instead of the topic being a serious matter, it became a preachy one. Instead of being dealt with sensitivity, the h came across as aggressive and “I’ve been in your shoes so I know much better than you so you must listen to me!” I didn’t feel like she was helping; I felt like she was transferring. I also found her incredibly judgmental, throwing Matt’s past history in his face. It’s one thing to base your decisions on whether to pursue a relationship on it, but, she just kept throwing it out there. It was NONE OF HER BUSINESS and it was BEFORE HER. Don’t even get me started about her BFF. At that point, it made her an unlikeable character.
So, by the time the ending conflict occurred, which I really could have done without, I was all for Matt. And then “it” happened. I had thought I was off the crazy train by 75% but, nope. It was just a pit stop. Let me get this right… He was smart enough to piece together an errant statement in one conversation that happened days ago along with media coverage over those last few weeks to conclude that Kelly was indeed innocent of what he accused her of, but, he couldn’t go by the fact that she denied his accusations to listen to her side? He just shut her out, immediately called her a liar, and ABUSED her both physically and verbally? Seriously? HE LEFT BRUISES ON HER ARMS! THAT was not dealt with AT ALL. Sorry. If it happened in a historical romance, ok... it happens and some glossing is allowed. But not in this day and age. You leave bruises, you. are. DONE. Even without the bruise incident, it was uncharacteristic of Matt to shutter down like that. It’s one thing if he had trust issues from his heart being broken before by betrayal but… nope… nothing like that had happened. So, it just wasn't believable and felt rather forced.
Which leads me to the writing. At first, it seemed “ok”. Tolerable. But then the over-description of the clothes, the same adjectives to describe features. I get it. Her eyes are the color of whiskey. We all got it. He was devastatingly handsome. CHECK! Do I really need to know about her outfits? Were these pertinent to the plot? No? Ok. Just checking. The dialog seemed awkward in places with a lack of fluid transitions. It just didn’t work for me.
I had some hopes for this book. There was potential in this plot for some serious angst and witty banter. But disappointingly, it fell short.
In the beginning, I empathized with the h, Kelly. She was self-conscious about her appearance and when she first met the H, Matt, he was in an “ugly place”, having gone through some personal issues. They had a heated exchange and he didn’t help matters by insulting her. So, of course, I was up in arms at his treatment and was waiting to savor his comeuppance and wondering how he would turn this all around.
And I waited.
And while I waited, I found out a few things. The h, having gone through her own personal issue, had become a self-righteous harpy. She butted her nose where it didn’t belong, all in the name of “caring”. I felt the storyline of her assistant was not necessary as, instead of the topic being a serious matter, it became a preachy one. Instead of being dealt with sensitivity, the h came across as aggressive and “I’ve been in your shoes so I know much better than you so you must listen to me!” I didn’t feel like she was helping; I felt like she was transferring. I also found her incredibly judgmental, throwing Matt’s past history in his face. It’s one thing to base your decisions on whether to pursue a relationship on it, but, she just kept throwing it out there. It was NONE OF HER BUSINESS and it was BEFORE HER. Don’t even get me started about her BFF. At that point, it made her an unlikeable character.
So, by the time the ending conflict occurred, which I really could have done without, I was all for Matt. And then “it” happened. I had thought I was off the crazy train by 75% but, nope. It was just a pit stop. Let me get this right… He was smart enough to piece together an errant statement in one conversation that happened days ago along with media coverage over those last few weeks to conclude that Kelly was indeed innocent of what he accused her of, but, he couldn’t go by the fact that she denied his accusations to listen to her side? He just shut her out, immediately called her a liar, and ABUSED her both physically and verbally? Seriously? HE LEFT BRUISES ON HER ARMS! THAT was not dealt with AT ALL. Sorry. If it happened in a historical romance, ok... it happens and some glossing is allowed. But not in this day and age. You leave bruises, you. are. DONE. Even without the bruise incident, it was uncharacteristic of Matt to shutter down like that. It’s one thing if he had trust issues from his heart being broken before by betrayal but… nope… nothing like that had happened. So, it just wasn't believable and felt rather forced.
Which leads me to the writing. At first, it seemed “ok”. Tolerable. But then the over-description of the clothes, the same adjectives to describe features. I get it. Her eyes are the color of whiskey. We all got it. He was devastatingly handsome. CHECK! Do I really need to know about her outfits? Were these pertinent to the plot? No? Ok. Just checking. The dialog seemed awkward in places with a lack of fluid transitions. It just didn’t work for me.
I had some hopes for this book. There was potential in this plot for some serious angst and witty banter. But disappointingly, it fell short.
August 4, 2013
Nice enough contemporary sports romance.
My favorite thing about this was the amount of detail about the actual sport that was included. The book showed the players training, playing, obsessing about stats, and following the wins-losses of other teams to keep abreast of their ranking. The heroine, Kelly, is in media relations for the team so we also got enough detail about how media and interviewing works. It didn't overwhelm the story but it was just right enough and just detailed enough so the sport part of the romance wasn't just wallpaper.
My least favorite thing about this was the way Kelly's weight was presented as seemingly her most definitive visual signifier for many of the characters.
In the past, Kelly had an eating disorder which she developed as a result of having a growth spurt and being taller than kids in school. She felt unattractive throughout college because she was not perceived as being attractive. As the book begins Kelly is 4-years into her recovery from her eating disorder and has a good healthy body weight for her height. And yet character after character in the book are quick to note she is huge, "freakishly tall", a "lard ass" or a "cow." But given that Kelly is 6'1, 150-ish pounds, athletic and with a low body fat percentage, these oft verbalized characterizations seem puzzling to me. My first thought at the sight of a tall, athletic woman of that height and weight would not be that she was a lard-ass. Venus Williams is 6'1, 160 pounds and she just looks fit. If the book had been written in first person POV, and if it were Kelly's perception, not fact, that this is what everyone thought of her, then it would have made more sense given that she still has some body image issues. But it wasn't and every character seemed very quick to call her fat. So I in turn had a hard time forming a picture of her because all I could think was "Well? is she fat or not? And how the heck could such a hideous beast snag such a hot guy?"
All the weight stuff aside, the romance part was well done. Kelly and Matt's relationship developed very nicely. They went from enemies to friends to lovers and it felt like a natural progression.
I did think the ending was rushed. Matt made a terrible assumption about Kelly which I thought she forgave way too easily. I don't need heroes to grovel, but I did need Kelly to take more time to consider how trust issues factor into their relationship.
There were two subplots that mirrored too closely the issue triggers affected the H/h but they didn't interest me at all. One is about an ailing, probably dying kid and the other was about a bulimic intern. I skimmed those parts because they made me impatient and because I am just an unfeeling cow I guess.
My favorite thing about this was the amount of detail about the actual sport that was included. The book showed the players training, playing, obsessing about stats, and following the wins-losses of other teams to keep abreast of their ranking. The heroine, Kelly, is in media relations for the team so we also got enough detail about how media and interviewing works. It didn't overwhelm the story but it was just right enough and just detailed enough so the sport part of the romance wasn't just wallpaper.
My least favorite thing about this was the way Kelly's weight was presented as seemingly her most definitive visual signifier for many of the characters.
In the past, Kelly had an eating disorder which she developed as a result of having a growth spurt and being taller than kids in school. She felt unattractive throughout college because she was not perceived as being attractive. As the book begins Kelly is 4-years into her recovery from her eating disorder and has a good healthy body weight for her height. And yet character after character in the book are quick to note she is huge, "freakishly tall", a "lard ass" or a "cow." But given that Kelly is 6'1, 150-ish pounds, athletic and with a low body fat percentage, these oft verbalized characterizations seem puzzling to me. My first thought at the sight of a tall, athletic woman of that height and weight would not be that she was a lard-ass. Venus Williams is 6'1, 160 pounds and she just looks fit. If the book had been written in first person POV, and if it were Kelly's perception, not fact, that this is what everyone thought of her, then it would have made more sense given that she still has some body image issues. But it wasn't and every character seemed very quick to call her fat. So I in turn had a hard time forming a picture of her because all I could think was "Well? is she fat or not? And how the heck could such a hideous beast snag such a hot guy?"
All the weight stuff aside, the romance part was well done. Kelly and Matt's relationship developed very nicely. They went from enemies to friends to lovers and it felt like a natural progression.
I did think the ending was rushed. Matt made a terrible assumption about Kelly which I thought she forgave way too easily. I don't need heroes to grovel, but I did need Kelly to take more time to consider how trust issues factor into their relationship.
There were two subplots that mirrored too closely the issue triggers affected the H/h but they didn't interest me at all. One is about an ailing, probably dying kid and the other was about a bulimic intern. I skimmed those parts because they made me impatient and because I am just an unfeeling cow I guess.
August 23, 2013
A sports themed story plus a bad boy hero and a sassy, no-nonsense heroine equals a stellar combination in THE WINNING SEASON!
I must admit I am kind of a sucker for the ‘famous bad-boy falls for the average Jill’ type story. Isn’t the bad boy to romance readers like apple pie or better yet, baseball is to Americans? I think that is a pretty accurate assessment.
As a life-long fan, Kelly Maxwell is blissfully happy in her dream job as the publicist for the professional baseball team, the San Francisco Blaze. The stars have aligned and everything is just perfect… that is until The Blaze acquires Dodgers bad boy, Matt Scanlon. Although Kelly can admit that Matt is a super-sexy specimen of male perfection, he is kind of a publicist’s nightmare. With all his hard partying and womanizing, he has done a pretty good job at owning the title of “bad boy.” On top of that, his attitude sucks, he won’t do interviews and he doesn’t play well with others. The chip he sports on his shoulder is large enough to rival Mt. Rushmore, but with all that said, he has his reasons.
The more Matt refuses interviews, the more the media wants an interview. Kelly is a tough chick; she has to be tough in this male dominated industry. If she want’s to keep her job, she’s going to have to change her tactics in order to get through to him, but she’s not going to compromise the respect she has earned by being his door just to feed his ego. Maybe he’s not looking for that at all, maybe he just wants her to see him for the man he really is, not that bad boy that got him traded to begin with. The sooner Kelly realizes he is a changed man, the sooner she will get what she wants, but the real question is: What exactly is it that she wants from him?
The chemistry between Matt and Kelly is undeniable and watching them fall was such a satisfying and sexy adventure. If sporty romance reads are your thing, THE WINNING SEASON is a home run that’s sure to hit the spot!
✳✳ Copy provided by the author/publisher for an honest review.
✳✳ Reviewed on I ♥ Bookie Nookie Reviews
___________________________________________________
If you like this type of book, you might enjoy one of these groups. Check us out!
Menage Readers
Erotic Enchants
Bookie Nookie's Erotic Lending Group
I must admit I am kind of a sucker for the ‘famous bad-boy falls for the average Jill’ type story. Isn’t the bad boy to romance readers like apple pie or better yet, baseball is to Americans? I think that is a pretty accurate assessment.
As a life-long fan, Kelly Maxwell is blissfully happy in her dream job as the publicist for the professional baseball team, the San Francisco Blaze. The stars have aligned and everything is just perfect… that is until The Blaze acquires Dodgers bad boy, Matt Scanlon. Although Kelly can admit that Matt is a super-sexy specimen of male perfection, he is kind of a publicist’s nightmare. With all his hard partying and womanizing, he has done a pretty good job at owning the title of “bad boy.” On top of that, his attitude sucks, he won’t do interviews and he doesn’t play well with others. The chip he sports on his shoulder is large enough to rival Mt. Rushmore, but with all that said, he has his reasons.
The more Matt refuses interviews, the more the media wants an interview. Kelly is a tough chick; she has to be tough in this male dominated industry. If she want’s to keep her job, she’s going to have to change her tactics in order to get through to him, but she’s not going to compromise the respect she has earned by being his door just to feed his ego. Maybe he’s not looking for that at all, maybe he just wants her to see him for the man he really is, not that bad boy that got him traded to begin with. The sooner Kelly realizes he is a changed man, the sooner she will get what she wants, but the real question is: What exactly is it that she wants from him?
The chemistry between Matt and Kelly is undeniable and watching them fall was such a satisfying and sexy adventure. If sporty romance reads are your thing, THE WINNING SEASON is a home run that’s sure to hit the spot!
✳✳ Copy provided by the author/publisher for an honest review.
✳✳ Reviewed on I ♥ Bookie Nookie Reviews
___________________________________________________
If you like this type of book, you might enjoy one of these groups. Check us out!
Menage Readers
Erotic Enchants
Bookie Nookie's Erotic Lending Group
July 17, 2013
4.5 stars
The Winning Season is like a no-hitter in baseball, the book is not perfect, but dang, it is pretty darn close.
Upfront. I have a pet peeve when it comes to sports-themed romances. If an author is going to make one of the characters a professional sports athlete, please, please, make the sport relevant in the story! Show me something about the sport - a good game description, a nuance about what it means to play the game, anything, something!
I'm happy to say Alison Packard does a great job of integrating the sport into the romantic storyline. Baseball is not incidental to the story and both hero and heroine are athletes. They remind me a little of pro volleyball player Gabrielle Reece and her superstar surfer husband, Laird Hamilton - two top-rated athletes finding their way around love.
Kelly Maxwell has a dream job - doing PR for the MLB team, San Francisco Blaze. She has all the headaches and joys of working in an über, male dominated sport. Being a competitive athlete, she has learned be fiercely competitive in her job and let her work speak for itself. Because of her difficult history, she does not want to draw attention to herself.
Matt Scanlon used to be the Golden Boy of the Los Angeles Dodger until the last year when he took a 180 degree turn. His bad boy antics gets him traded to the division rival, Blaze, where he takes over for a beloved rookie catcher who is out on the Disabled List.
Matt and Kelly quickly go nose-to-nose and it gets ugly. Neither is known for holding back their criticisms but what soon surfaces is a begrudging respect and attraction. The romance is sweet and edgy at the same time and I enjoyed the trading quips between the two. But I what I really enjoyed was Ms. Packard descriptions of the game. She is a fan. It is obvious and she brings her joy of the game to the pages. I love that!
It would be a perfect book, but there are too many dangling threads. Too many characters introduced with barely a storyline. With that much investment, I need for that characters' story to go somewhere.
IN A NUTSHELL:
I believe this would be an excellent start to a series and truly hope that Alison Packard continues to flush out these stories within the context of Major League Baseball. I'll be first in line to read it.
Thank you to Carina Press and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review
The review for this book is posted at http://loveaffairwithanereader.blogsp...
The Winning Season is like a no-hitter in baseball, the book is not perfect, but dang, it is pretty darn close.
Upfront. I have a pet peeve when it comes to sports-themed romances. If an author is going to make one of the characters a professional sports athlete, please, please, make the sport relevant in the story! Show me something about the sport - a good game description, a nuance about what it means to play the game, anything, something!
I'm happy to say Alison Packard does a great job of integrating the sport into the romantic storyline. Baseball is not incidental to the story and both hero and heroine are athletes. They remind me a little of pro volleyball player Gabrielle Reece and her superstar surfer husband, Laird Hamilton - two top-rated athletes finding their way around love.
Kelly Maxwell has a dream job - doing PR for the MLB team, San Francisco Blaze. She has all the headaches and joys of working in an über, male dominated sport. Being a competitive athlete, she has learned be fiercely competitive in her job and let her work speak for itself. Because of her difficult history, she does not want to draw attention to herself.
Matt Scanlon used to be the Golden Boy of the Los Angeles Dodger until the last year when he took a 180 degree turn. His bad boy antics gets him traded to the division rival, Blaze, where he takes over for a beloved rookie catcher who is out on the Disabled List.
Matt and Kelly quickly go nose-to-nose and it gets ugly. Neither is known for holding back their criticisms but what soon surfaces is a begrudging respect and attraction. The romance is sweet and edgy at the same time and I enjoyed the trading quips between the two. But I what I really enjoyed was Ms. Packard descriptions of the game. She is a fan. It is obvious and she brings her joy of the game to the pages. I love that!
It would be a perfect book, but there are too many dangling threads. Too many characters introduced with barely a storyline. With that much investment, I need for that characters' story to go somewhere.
IN A NUTSHELL:
I believe this would be an excellent start to a series and truly hope that Alison Packard continues to flush out these stories within the context of Major League Baseball. I'll be first in line to read it.
Thank you to Carina Press and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review
The review for this book is posted at http://loveaffairwithanereader.blogsp...
February 14, 2021
3.5 stars - rounded up because I enjoyed their verbal sparring
Matt Scanlon has managed to survive a disastrous year of gossip, womanizing and temper tantrums. Although traded from his Dodgers to the San Francisco Blaze, he still has a career and a chance to rectify his life and he is determined to do it.
Kelly Maxwell loathes Matt Scanlon since the night they met. She thinks he's a selfish, a-hole with a chip on his shoulders. However, she loves her job and will deal with him in the same professional manner as any other player. If only he didn't push all her buttons, this would be an easy feat.
The Winning Season is a tale of love, trust and second chances that will leave you wanting more.
I admit that in the beginning I didn't see the connection between these two, but through angry exchanges, emotional dialogue and deep inner musings Alison Packard did a great job of letting me get to know these characters better. Of course, their chemistry jumped from the page, but it was those moments of honesty between them and their easy manner when they got along that sealed the deal for me.
The story was packed-full of emotions. From lust to loss, every emotion was clearly depicted on the page to impact the reader in its full capacity. I understood where each of them were coming from. Matt's pain over his loss and Kelly's struggles with her past, all came across beautifully in the page, helping me connect to them fully and cheer them on.
I liked Kelly very much. She was funny, sarcastic and gave as good as she got. She never backed down from Matt, but yet had a softer side that made her seem more real to me. Matt, on the other hand, came across as the quintessential alpha male. Strong, determined and sexy as hell, he was what you would expect from a tough athlete. But it was when he let go and showed his vulnerable side that he won me over.
Often times I enjoy sport-themed romance books and this one was no different, except I found that there were too many references to baseball in this one. I think that those pages could've been put to better use to develop the ending a bit more. After everything these two went through, I though these two needed a more thorough ending.
All in all, The Winning Season was a hot and sweet romantic read with great complex characters that kept you on your toes with their verbal sparring and their chemistry.
I received this title from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange of my honest opinion.
Matt Scanlon has managed to survive a disastrous year of gossip, womanizing and temper tantrums. Although traded from his Dodgers to the San Francisco Blaze, he still has a career and a chance to rectify his life and he is determined to do it.
Kelly Maxwell loathes Matt Scanlon since the night they met. She thinks he's a selfish, a-hole with a chip on his shoulders. However, she loves her job and will deal with him in the same professional manner as any other player. If only he didn't push all her buttons, this would be an easy feat.
The Winning Season is a tale of love, trust and second chances that will leave you wanting more.
I admit that in the beginning I didn't see the connection between these two, but through angry exchanges, emotional dialogue and deep inner musings Alison Packard did a great job of letting me get to know these characters better. Of course, their chemistry jumped from the page, but it was those moments of honesty between them and their easy manner when they got along that sealed the deal for me.
The story was packed-full of emotions. From lust to loss, every emotion was clearly depicted on the page to impact the reader in its full capacity. I understood where each of them were coming from. Matt's pain over his loss and Kelly's struggles with her past, all came across beautifully in the page, helping me connect to them fully and cheer them on.
I liked Kelly very much. She was funny, sarcastic and gave as good as she got. She never backed down from Matt, but yet had a softer side that made her seem more real to me. Matt, on the other hand, came across as the quintessential alpha male. Strong, determined and sexy as hell, he was what you would expect from a tough athlete. But it was when he let go and showed his vulnerable side that he won me over.
Often times I enjoy sport-themed romance books and this one was no different, except I found that there were too many references to baseball in this one. I think that those pages could've been put to better use to develop the ending a bit more. After everything these two went through, I though these two needed a more thorough ending.
All in all, The Winning Season was a hot and sweet romantic read with great complex characters that kept you on your toes with their verbal sparring and their chemistry.
I received this title from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange of my honest opinion.
September 2, 2013
Kelly Maxwell is responsible for PR for the Blaze major league baseball team, and Matt Scanlon is the catcher who has been recently traded to the team. Their working relationship should be pretty straight forward, except they have a history; and explosive history. Kelly’s sister and Matt’s best friend have fallen in love and during a time when the four were together Matt and Kelly did not get along. Matt said things he shouldn’t have and Kelly predicted Matt’s beloved Dodgers would trade him. Just her luck she was right, but unfortunately it was her team that picked him up. Now Matt was Kelly’s headache, and soon to be her heartache too.
I am a baseball mom and now that the MLB is winding down its season I thought it would be a great time to read this book. This book has just enough baseball scenes. They do not dominate the book, but give you a flavor of the life of people associated with a MLB team. It was a great setting for a love story. This fantastic setting coupled with strong characters made this a wonderful read. Kelly is not your typical romance heroine. She is athletic body type and six feet tall. Kelly loves softball and is learning how to deal with her daily struggles in a different way than she has in the past. I applaud Alison Packard for creating a heroine who is outside the mold we see on so many romance book covers. Matt is reeling from a personal tragedy that he has kept private and his life on and off the field is chaos. I felt the connection between these characters. It was not love at first sight, but there was an attraction they could not deny. The relationship that developed was based on more than lust, and each character opened their soul to the other. It was so nice to see the depth in each character.
This book is the second in a series. The first book is the love story between Kelly’s sister and Matt’s best friend. It is not necessary to read first (as I didn’t), but I bet like me you will want to. My plan is to read Book 1 before the next book in this series comes out. The main characters in Book 3 are some of my favorite secondary characters in this title – I can’t wait!
I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley for my honest review.
I am a baseball mom and now that the MLB is winding down its season I thought it would be a great time to read this book. This book has just enough baseball scenes. They do not dominate the book, but give you a flavor of the life of people associated with a MLB team. It was a great setting for a love story. This fantastic setting coupled with strong characters made this a wonderful read. Kelly is not your typical romance heroine. She is athletic body type and six feet tall. Kelly loves softball and is learning how to deal with her daily struggles in a different way than she has in the past. I applaud Alison Packard for creating a heroine who is outside the mold we see on so many romance book covers. Matt is reeling from a personal tragedy that he has kept private and his life on and off the field is chaos. I felt the connection between these characters. It was not love at first sight, but there was an attraction they could not deny. The relationship that developed was based on more than lust, and each character opened their soul to the other. It was so nice to see the depth in each character.
This book is the second in a series. The first book is the love story between Kelly’s sister and Matt’s best friend. It is not necessary to read first (as I didn’t), but I bet like me you will want to. My plan is to read Book 1 before the next book in this series comes out. The main characters in Book 3 are some of my favorite secondary characters in this title – I can’t wait!
I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley for my honest review.
July 15, 2013
My Review:
I liked this one. It has a great set-up. His entire life, Matt has been a Dodger's fan, so when he gets to play for his favorite team, it's a dream come true, but that was before life dealt him a really harsh blow and he went into a year-long downward spiral. Now he has no one to blame but himself that he's been traded to the Dodger's biggest rival team, S.F. Blaze. At his heart, he's a Dodger, but now he has to work to defeat them. It's a huge uphill battle for many, many reasons.
But at the top of those reasons is Kelly. From the moment they met (when he was still in the middle of his downward spiral so he was REALLY NOT NICE) they have clashed. But now they have to work together. Kelly works in the PR office for the Blaze and she really needs Matt to do interviews, but Matt has refocused on baseball and only baseball. He has no intention to answer any questions about how he became the bad boy of baseball. (But trust me when I say this...as I began to see why he did what he did, my heart COMPLETELY melted for this guy!)
Kelly has her own issues. At 5'11", she's always been a huge tomboy and athletic. She extremely fit and tall. As a result of her height though, she has issues with self-image and has an eating disorder that is under control after many years of struggling with it. And with her job, she's always played down her femininity. It brought an interesting twist to the story and getting into a relationship with a guy who usually dates petite, blonde bimbos.
There were moments throughout this book that were funny, sweet, sexy and yes, even really sad. Reading it definitely sent me through the full gamut of emotion, but never once did I want to put down the book. It was really enjoyable and I can't wait to read more from this author!
I loved both these characters. In fact, I loved ALL the characters in the book and I really hope that it's setting up for many more books to this series...J.T. and Angie, please??
I received a complimentary copy of this book in return for an honest review.
I liked this one. It has a great set-up. His entire life, Matt has been a Dodger's fan, so when he gets to play for his favorite team, it's a dream come true, but that was before life dealt him a really harsh blow and he went into a year-long downward spiral. Now he has no one to blame but himself that he's been traded to the Dodger's biggest rival team, S.F. Blaze. At his heart, he's a Dodger, but now he has to work to defeat them. It's a huge uphill battle for many, many reasons.
But at the top of those reasons is Kelly. From the moment they met (when he was still in the middle of his downward spiral so he was REALLY NOT NICE) they have clashed. But now they have to work together. Kelly works in the PR office for the Blaze and she really needs Matt to do interviews, but Matt has refocused on baseball and only baseball. He has no intention to answer any questions about how he became the bad boy of baseball. (But trust me when I say this...as I began to see why he did what he did, my heart COMPLETELY melted for this guy!)
Kelly has her own issues. At 5'11", she's always been a huge tomboy and athletic. She extremely fit and tall. As a result of her height though, she has issues with self-image and has an eating disorder that is under control after many years of struggling with it. And with her job, she's always played down her femininity. It brought an interesting twist to the story and getting into a relationship with a guy who usually dates petite, blonde bimbos.
There were moments throughout this book that were funny, sweet, sexy and yes, even really sad. Reading it definitely sent me through the full gamut of emotion, but never once did I want to put down the book. It was really enjoyable and I can't wait to read more from this author!
I loved both these characters. In fact, I loved ALL the characters in the book and I really hope that it's setting up for many more books to this series...J.T. and Angie, please??
I received a complimentary copy of this book in return for an honest review.
July 17, 2013
4.5
Kelly has a dream job as a publicist for the San Francisco Blaze baseball team. She loves her job but also would love to have a love like her sister has found. She's got some major issues with the fact the team brought in a catcher to replace the catcher that is out due to an accident. This catcher is the same man who insulted her to no end at a dinner with her sister and now she has to work with the train wreck that is Matt. She also finds herself incredibly attracted to this infuriating man but has her own body image issues to work thru. She's strong, feisty and definitely able to stand up to such a strong man. I loved how much she was wiling to put herself out there to try to help an intern and also to help our damaged Matt heal. She was such a strong character and I found myself proud of what she had accomplished even as she fell apart at the seams. I also loved how much she put on the line with Matt even as things got rough.
Matt is such a great hero even when he behaves like an ass. I adored him as we got to know him and watching him struggle with his past was heartbreaking but seeing him open up to Kelly was lovely. He's such a hard person to like initially as we do not know what exactly is causing him to lash out but I liked that the author gave us a chance to see his own inner struggle. Even as he says and does things that are hurtful you got to see that it wasn't as callous as he was making it seem but that he hated himself even as he was saying or doing those things. I adored when he did let the softer side show and also that he was so amazing when Kelly shared her own struggles. I understood why he did what he did towards the end of the story even though it pissed me off royally. He really put his heart out there for Kelly even though he didn't say the words until it was almost too late but when he does it was just beautiful.
Thanks to NetGalley.com and Carina Press for the chance to read this in exchange for my honest review.
Kelly has a dream job as a publicist for the San Francisco Blaze baseball team. She loves her job but also would love to have a love like her sister has found. She's got some major issues with the fact the team brought in a catcher to replace the catcher that is out due to an accident. This catcher is the same man who insulted her to no end at a dinner with her sister and now she has to work with the train wreck that is Matt. She also finds herself incredibly attracted to this infuriating man but has her own body image issues to work thru. She's strong, feisty and definitely able to stand up to such a strong man. I loved how much she was wiling to put herself out there to try to help an intern and also to help our damaged Matt heal. She was such a strong character and I found myself proud of what she had accomplished even as she fell apart at the seams. I also loved how much she put on the line with Matt even as things got rough.
Matt is such a great hero even when he behaves like an ass. I adored him as we got to know him and watching him struggle with his past was heartbreaking but seeing him open up to Kelly was lovely. He's such a hard person to like initially as we do not know what exactly is causing him to lash out but I liked that the author gave us a chance to see his own inner struggle. Even as he says and does things that are hurtful you got to see that it wasn't as callous as he was making it seem but that he hated himself even as he was saying or doing those things. I adored when he did let the softer side show and also that he was so amazing when Kelly shared her own struggles. I understood why he did what he did towards the end of the story even though it pissed me off royally. He really put his heart out there for Kelly even though he didn't say the words until it was almost too late but when he does it was just beautiful.
Thanks to NetGalley.com and Carina Press for the chance to read this in exchange for my honest review.
October 20, 2013
Although The Winning Season isn’t technically part of a series, its characters were first introduced in Love in the Afternoon. Kelly Maxwell is the sister of Kayla Maxwell, hot shot soap actress and Matt Scanlon is best friends with Kayla’s co-star and boyfriend Sean Barrett. When Kelly and Matt are first introduced in Love in the Afternoon sparks fly and they aren’t necessarily the good kind. When The Winning Season started I was happy to see that the sparks were still very much there.
Matt is a professional baseball player that after a very rough year was traded from the LA Dodgers to the San Francisco Blaze, which is the very team that Kelly works for. Although Matt is trying to be a better person, he and Kelly still clash on almost everything. Of course underneath that clashing is the good kind of spark and boy was it great watching that spark build into an all consuming fire. Matt and Kelly are ridiculously hot together. Their first two kisses were amazing and nearly lit my Kindle on fire.
Both Kelly and Matt have secrets from their past that they don’t share with anyone. Eventually, they break down each other’s walls and secrets come out. Of course there has to be some kind of turmoil, but thankfully that wasn’t drawn out too long. There were some amazingly sweet moments in this book and look forward to reading it again someday. Matt and Kelly both surprised me at times, which is difficult to do.
I’m a sucker for ball players and loved Matt from the moment I met him, even if he was a jerk. I know that Alison Packard is working on another book in this world that features J.T. another ball player who I loved upon meeting him. I can’t wait for his story and to read more by Alison.
Arc provided by the publisher via Netgalley
Matt is a professional baseball player that after a very rough year was traded from the LA Dodgers to the San Francisco Blaze, which is the very team that Kelly works for. Although Matt is trying to be a better person, he and Kelly still clash on almost everything. Of course underneath that clashing is the good kind of spark and boy was it great watching that spark build into an all consuming fire. Matt and Kelly are ridiculously hot together. Their first two kisses were amazing and nearly lit my Kindle on fire.
Both Kelly and Matt have secrets from their past that they don’t share with anyone. Eventually, they break down each other’s walls and secrets come out. Of course there has to be some kind of turmoil, but thankfully that wasn’t drawn out too long. There were some amazingly sweet moments in this book and look forward to reading it again someday. Matt and Kelly both surprised me at times, which is difficult to do.
I’m a sucker for ball players and loved Matt from the moment I met him, even if he was a jerk. I know that Alison Packard is working on another book in this world that features J.T. another ball player who I loved upon meeting him. I can’t wait for his story and to read more by Alison.
Arc provided by the publisher via Netgalley
October 30, 2025
I finished this last night while watching the Blu Jays win their second game in LA. It was sublime. 👏👏👏👏👏. Now onto my thoughts on the book. Apparently I read and reviewed it a few years ago but I honestly barely remembered it. Strange as I loved it both times. I agree with my review and don’t need to add to it. It’s a great baseball romance and I highly recommend it.
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I quite enjoyed the first book and since I’m a baseball fan I was excited to read this one. Both Matt and Kelly appeared in the first book. Kelly is the sister of Kayla from the last book. Where Kayla is feminine and beautiful, Kelly has always struggled with her self-image. As one who is the same, I found her very relatable. She’s quite athletic and she has a job working for a pro baseball team in PR. So she’s very likeable and has her issues.
Matt on the other hand has issues that we don’t know about and isn’t very likeable in either the last book or the first part of this book. But over the course of the story he is redeemed. He realizes what a jerk he is has been, especially in regards to Kelly with whom he had a run in with in the first book, Love in the Afternoon.
He has some sad stuff going on which he was trying to deal with in a rather self-destructive way. The more the book went on, the more I forgave him for his initial jerkiness I enjoyed it right from the beginning but even more once I started like Matt even more. Once again I was glad I bought the entire series. I will be reading the next one soon.
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I quite enjoyed the first book and since I’m a baseball fan I was excited to read this one. Both Matt and Kelly appeared in the first book. Kelly is the sister of Kayla from the last book. Where Kayla is feminine and beautiful, Kelly has always struggled with her self-image. As one who is the same, I found her very relatable. She’s quite athletic and she has a job working for a pro baseball team in PR. So she’s very likeable and has her issues.
Matt on the other hand has issues that we don’t know about and isn’t very likeable in either the last book or the first part of this book. But over the course of the story he is redeemed. He realizes what a jerk he is has been, especially in regards to Kelly with whom he had a run in with in the first book, Love in the Afternoon.
He has some sad stuff going on which he was trying to deal with in a rather self-destructive way. The more the book went on, the more I forgave him for his initial jerkiness I enjoyed it right from the beginning but even more once I started like Matt even more. Once again I was glad I bought the entire series. I will be reading the next one soon.
July 4, 2013
In one moment Kelly Maxwell, a publicist for the San Francisco Blaze, was excited to meet catcher Matt Scanlon, the next she was ready to wring his neck and throw him out the nearest window. Now that she is forced to interact with him on a daily basis, Kelly has to find a way to work with unpredictable and egotistical man who she can't get to do interviews.
Matt was not happy he was traded to the Blaze, he knows his actions in the last year cost him his position with the Dodgers, but he was acting out for reasons only known to him. Kelly is a thorn in his side, she swears like a sailor, doesn't back down, and is as tenacious as a rabid pit bull. Of course when he accidentally sees her after getting out of the shower it all changes. He can't seem to get enough of looking at Kelly and from the hidden glances it seems she can't get enough of him. As they begin a friendship, it doesn't take long before it begins to develop into something else entirely.
Full review on Sensual Reads
http://singletitles.com/?p=8983
Matt was not happy he was traded to the Blaze, he knows his actions in the last year cost him his position with the Dodgers, but he was acting out for reasons only known to him. Kelly is a thorn in his side, she swears like a sailor, doesn't back down, and is as tenacious as a rabid pit bull. Of course when he accidentally sees her after getting out of the shower it all changes. He can't seem to get enough of looking at Kelly and from the hidden glances it seems she can't get enough of him. As they begin a friendship, it doesn't take long before it begins to develop into something else entirely.
Full review on Sensual Reads
http://singletitles.com/?p=8983
July 26, 2013
Another Angela James twitter recommendation. Apologies in advance, because this is probably going to be a very unhelpful review.
The sports stuff was good, I really liked the locker room scenes. I liked the eating disorder stuff. I thought it was handled sensitively and intelligently.
But the book as a whole? I dunno. It just didn't resonate with me and I know I found some plot elements predictable. A lack of chemistry between the hero and heroine, maybe? Even now, I'm trying to think back and most of the book just blurs together.
In a nutshell, it was, well, okay. Not bad, but not great. Just...okay.
The sports stuff was good, I really liked the locker room scenes. I liked the eating disorder stuff. I thought it was handled sensitively and intelligently.
But the book as a whole? I dunno. It just didn't resonate with me and I know I found some plot elements predictable. A lack of chemistry between the hero and heroine, maybe? Even now, I'm trying to think back and most of the book just blurs together.
In a nutshell, it was, well, okay. Not bad, but not great. Just...okay.
May 28, 2015
I liked this enemies to lovers story. Kelly and Matt were both great characters struggling with their inner demons and I was glad that they found a way to each other. Even if it was a little rocky in the beginning.
Also, this was a great tie in to the book I had originally read by this author Love in the Afternoon. I had no idea when I listened to that book on audio that it was a part of a series.
Also, this was a great tie in to the book I had originally read by this author Love in the Afternoon. I had no idea when I listened to that book on audio that it was a part of a series.
September 28, 2014
A fun-to-read baseball-themed romance. Both main characters had burdens to bear and had a hard time sharing them with each other. Loved the addition of a young girl with burdens of her own, who is a big fan of baseball and our hero. The story was touching and sweet.
All in all a fast and easy read.
All in all a fast and easy read.
July 18, 2013
Not really much to write about here. If you like baseball stories, this was nice. It was well written, but it really wasn't a nail biter. I gave it 4 stars because it was written rather well but I just think that it wasn't my cup of tea.
:)
:)
August 9, 2013
This is sure to stay on my all-time favorite sports romance novels forever. I loved the ballsy heroine and the issues she struggles with, which are unusual in romance. And the hero's hot hot hot! A really fantastic read.
October 4, 2016
4 and a bit stars
What a terrific cracking read. Such interesting and challenging characters. They had real stories and I felt for both of them. Loved it.
The author's writing style is great, very easy to read but not a simple story.
Book two in lovely series
What a terrific cracking read. Such interesting and challenging characters. They had real stories and I felt for both of them. Loved it.
The author's writing style is great, very easy to read but not a simple story.
Book two in lovely series
July 28, 2013
3.5 stars rounding up to 4 stars
January 13, 2014
I am a sucker for a good baseball romance book and this was one of them. Real baseball talk and action, L.A. vs. S.F. (I grew up in Dodger blue). A wonderful read.
June 18, 2023
One of the best sports romances I’ve read for a while. A major factor is that the sport is actually a major part of the story, not just an interesting occupation along the side of a story happening somewhere else. In this book, baseball is actually relevant to events, motivation, inspiration, identity, etc etc. Also baseball is my favourite, so it was nice to have a book that legitimately (but in a very fluffy, chill way to fit the tone) talks baseball. Yay.
I really liked Kelly and Matt. I confess I hadn’t read the first in this series that features Kelly’s sister (spoiler, she’s in this one and obviously her HEA from her book is a thing here), but I didn’t feel like I couldn’t keep up with the connections. They were fun characters on their own, each dealing with their own crap as individuals, but their banter as a couple was pretty cute, especially as we see them going from offended combatants to lovers. They both have a depth to their characters that was interesting and compelling, and added a lil sumthin’ sumthin’ to the book as a whole.
The set up for Angie and JT is there but not a major part of the book - cute if you’re going to read their book, but otherwise inoffensive in the big picture.
I love romance reads where the guy messes up and the FMC actually isn’t at fault at all. (I get really bored of the ones where the FMC taps out for jealousy or miscommunicated overheard convos and she has to be convinced she’s perfect and special blah blah. Lame.) Kelly has too much hutzpah for that, frankly, and knows she didn’t do anything wrong. She keeps on living her life, doing her job like the bad bitch she is, and good for her. I’m not blaming Matt per se bc the situation in the third act is awful for him, but he’s definitely in the wrong and that was fun. The ending felt a bit rushed but also I can’t think of a better one without dragging out the story unnecessarily.
Final note: That Kelly battles an eating disorder is a powerful choice and I loved the time given to her talking about it.
To that end, there were a lot of serious topics discussed here, so maybe beware of trigger warnings such as: . Some of these have more spotlight than others, but they’re all in there, so take care.
I really liked Kelly and Matt. I confess I hadn’t read the first in this series that features Kelly’s sister (spoiler, she’s in this one and obviously her HEA from her book is a thing here), but I didn’t feel like I couldn’t keep up with the connections. They were fun characters on their own, each dealing with their own crap as individuals, but their banter as a couple was pretty cute, especially as we see them going from offended combatants to lovers. They both have a depth to their characters that was interesting and compelling, and added a lil sumthin’ sumthin’ to the book as a whole.
The set up for Angie and JT is there but not a major part of the book - cute if you’re going to read their book, but otherwise inoffensive in the big picture.
I love romance reads where the guy messes up and the FMC actually isn’t at fault at all. (I get really bored of the ones where the FMC taps out for jealousy or miscommunicated overheard convos and she has to be convinced she’s perfect and special blah blah. Lame.) Kelly has too much hutzpah for that, frankly, and knows she didn’t do anything wrong. She keeps on living her life, doing her job like the bad bitch she is, and good for her. I’m not blaming Matt per se bc the situation in the third act is awful for him, but he’s definitely in the wrong and that was fun. The ending felt a bit rushed but also I can’t think of a better one without dragging out the story unnecessarily.
Final note: That Kelly battles an eating disorder is a powerful choice and I loved the time given to her talking about it.
To that end, there were a lot of serious topics discussed here, so maybe beware of trigger warnings such as: . Some of these have more spotlight than others, but they’re all in there, so take care.
August 8, 2013
Originally posted at Rarely Dusty Books
Genre & Keywords:
Contemporary Romance, M/F, Sports, Baseball, Enemies to Friends, Eating Disorder, Loss, Secret
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Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Heat level: 2 out of 3 flames
~~~~~
My first acquaintance with Packard's work was definitely a pleasant reading experience. Not only, did I enjoy the setting of The Winning Season immensely, I also thought the relationship development and overall pace were very well done. Additionally, her writing style is clean and entertaining with quick dialogues and vivid descriptions. However, what kept me from rating this novel with 5 stars is the presence of a few predictable plot elements.
This is a sport romance with a baseball hero. Accordingly the story takes place on and around a ball field. I loved this baseball setting. Especially since it was not only a decor, it felt very real and authentic. The heroine also works for the PR department of the baseball team, so we learn different aspects about what's going on behind the scenes of a major league team and competition. I'm not an American so the concept of this specific sport is somewhat foreign to me, although I've heard of the World Series of course and I've been to a Padres game when I was in San Diego last May. So I can say that I know a lot more about baseball after reading the novel than I knew before. But I gained this knowledge in a playful manner; I didn't feel overwhelmed with baseball lingo at all. I just really enjoyed the insider’s perspective on this sport.
As for the romantic developments in this novel, the pace of the falling in love part was slow and nearly perfect. It would've been perfect with a less rushed ending. But what I liked immensely is that this couple starts out hating each other and then, slowly but steadily, they fall in love. This is done credibly and convincingly, in a way that you can actually see them get there. I rather enjoyed this phase, especially when they weren't that much into each other yet and had these amusing banters, bickering and cussing at each other at every opportunity. When their mutual attraction starts to surface more and more, it results in some very steamy encounters, which are also a pleasure to read. I think an important part of my enjoyment is due to the author's ability to write vivid and evocative scenes, mingled with great and often witty dialogue.
However, as much as I liked this author's voice and the way the feelings developed between the main characters, I have to address the several predictable plot turns the romantic arc takes. The enemy-to-lovers trope has a dramatic secret as a centerpiece right there in the middle of it, being the reason for the transformation from hate to love. Albeit a not very original take on the trope, nonetheless it turned out to evoke quite some emotions as well.
Furthermore, the big secret becomes the catalyst for The Big Misunderstanding when it's unwillingly unveiled in the media and some accusations are made. Especially this plot element was a bit of a disappointment for me. I kept thinking, long before it happened, 'no the author won't go there' and yet, she did! I regretted she went for this obvious and predictable choice and actually thought she altogether could've skipped the big, big drama that followed if she intended to rush through a reconciliation as quickly as she did anyway.
Also a bit predictable was that most of the secondary plot lines - like Matt's role in the new team, his future as a catcher for the Blaze, the medical condition of Lily, the outcome of the last series of games - were rounded up neatly with no real tension or threats. They felt a bit artificial to me but maybe that's because I don’t think that everything has to end well.
One secondary plot line however, didn't get this neat treatment: that of the eating disorder and more specifically the plot line of Kelly handling her intern. Some may cynically say because it served its purpose already being a means to Kelly's end, namely winning Matt's sympathy and admiration, so that he would share in return. But I actually liked how the author handled this topic and left the ending open where it concerned the plot of Kelly's intern. We don't really know how she's doing after she left the hospital with her parents but we can only hope she acknowledged her problem and got help. Like Kelly did. I think the topic of the eating disorder and Kelly's experience with it come across as realistic and authentic. In real life stories like this don’t always end well either. I actually think the way that this topic is dealt with here makes this an above average novel, along with the earlier mentioned positive elements.
Overall, I can certainly recommend this sport romance. It has a great setting, a well-paced, believable romance, quite a few emotional moments, a lack of fear for some harsh scenes between the main characters and, most importantly, skillful writing. I will definitely pick up another book by Alison Packard in the future!
Genre & Keywords:
Contemporary Romance, M/F, Sports, Baseball, Enemies to Friends, Eating Disorder, Loss, Secret
~~~~~
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Heat level: 2 out of 3 flames
~~~~~
My first acquaintance with Packard's work was definitely a pleasant reading experience. Not only, did I enjoy the setting of The Winning Season immensely, I also thought the relationship development and overall pace were very well done. Additionally, her writing style is clean and entertaining with quick dialogues and vivid descriptions. However, what kept me from rating this novel with 5 stars is the presence of a few predictable plot elements.
This is a sport romance with a baseball hero. Accordingly the story takes place on and around a ball field. I loved this baseball setting. Especially since it was not only a decor, it felt very real and authentic. The heroine also works for the PR department of the baseball team, so we learn different aspects about what's going on behind the scenes of a major league team and competition. I'm not an American so the concept of this specific sport is somewhat foreign to me, although I've heard of the World Series of course and I've been to a Padres game when I was in San Diego last May. So I can say that I know a lot more about baseball after reading the novel than I knew before. But I gained this knowledge in a playful manner; I didn't feel overwhelmed with baseball lingo at all. I just really enjoyed the insider’s perspective on this sport.
As for the romantic developments in this novel, the pace of the falling in love part was slow and nearly perfect. It would've been perfect with a less rushed ending. But what I liked immensely is that this couple starts out hating each other and then, slowly but steadily, they fall in love. This is done credibly and convincingly, in a way that you can actually see them get there. I rather enjoyed this phase, especially when they weren't that much into each other yet and had these amusing banters, bickering and cussing at each other at every opportunity. When their mutual attraction starts to surface more and more, it results in some very steamy encounters, which are also a pleasure to read. I think an important part of my enjoyment is due to the author's ability to write vivid and evocative scenes, mingled with great and often witty dialogue.
However, as much as I liked this author's voice and the way the feelings developed between the main characters, I have to address the several predictable plot turns the romantic arc takes. The enemy-to-lovers trope has a dramatic secret as a centerpiece right there in the middle of it, being the reason for the transformation from hate to love. Albeit a not very original take on the trope, nonetheless it turned out to evoke quite some emotions as well.
Furthermore, the big secret becomes the catalyst for The Big Misunderstanding when it's unwillingly unveiled in the media and some accusations are made. Especially this plot element was a bit of a disappointment for me. I kept thinking, long before it happened, 'no the author won't go there' and yet, she did! I regretted she went for this obvious and predictable choice and actually thought she altogether could've skipped the big, big drama that followed if she intended to rush through a reconciliation as quickly as she did anyway.
Also a bit predictable was that most of the secondary plot lines - like Matt's role in the new team, his future as a catcher for the Blaze, the medical condition of Lily, the outcome of the last series of games - were rounded up neatly with no real tension or threats. They felt a bit artificial to me but maybe that's because I don’t think that everything has to end well.
One secondary plot line however, didn't get this neat treatment: that of the eating disorder and more specifically the plot line of Kelly handling her intern. Some may cynically say because it served its purpose already being a means to Kelly's end, namely winning Matt's sympathy and admiration, so that he would share in return. But I actually liked how the author handled this topic and left the ending open where it concerned the plot of Kelly's intern. We don't really know how she's doing after she left the hospital with her parents but we can only hope she acknowledged her problem and got help. Like Kelly did. I think the topic of the eating disorder and Kelly's experience with it come across as realistic and authentic. In real life stories like this don’t always end well either. I actually think the way that this topic is dealt with here makes this an above average novel, along with the earlier mentioned positive elements.
Overall, I can certainly recommend this sport romance. It has a great setting, a well-paced, believable romance, quite a few emotional moments, a lack of fear for some harsh scenes between the main characters and, most importantly, skillful writing. I will definitely pick up another book by Alison Packard in the future!
August 23, 2013
Close to a Grand Slam
The first time they met, they hated each other. Then Matt Scanlon, an MLB catcher riding a self-destruction rocket to rock bottom, got traded to his rival team, the San Francisco Blaze, and comes face-to-face with Kelly Maxwell in a professional capacity. Maxwell is the publicist for the Blaze.
Second impressions - for both of them - were no better than the first.
All Matt wants is to be left alone while he tries to pull his life back together after a long, painful year of bad decisions and worse actions. He refuses to talk to the media vultures clamoring for an interview, no matter how intently Kelly badgers him. If pushing her buttons and being an ass keeps her off his back about it, well, that's not exactly a hardship. Especially when it hits him that Kelly Maxwell, professional ball buster, is pretty damn gorgeous when she's riled.
He's the bane of her existence. The insufferable, boorish jackass is making her job hell. Kelly doesn't know why Matt suddenly went from being the golden boy of baseball to a self-made pariah, nor does she care. She's stuck with him for now, so she'll do whatever it takes to get him to tow the publicity line. And if it just so happens that doing her job forces her to get in that shockingly handsome face of his at every turn, well, maybe that isn't so bad after all.
Matt never expected that sparring with the fiery Kelly would become the highlight of his day. He's not sure what that means, exactly, but he knows one thing. If he can't convince her that he's sorry for their past and he's genuine in his interest in her, she'll toss him out of the game before he can even make it to the plate.
~*~
I like sports romance and I love the enemies-to-lovers trope, so I have to admit, I was predisposed to enjoying the heck out of this sexy, fun little reading treat, but Packard really went above and beyond for her readers with this one. Not only were the characters fairly awesome, especially the tomboyish, foul-mouthed (though she's working on that) Kelly, but the plot had enough meat on its bones to satisfy even the pickiest reader.
Baseball isn't really my thing as a sport (I'm a football fangirl), and I don't know much about it, but even my untrained eye was impressed by the authentic-feeling touches Packard put into the story. There wasn't a huge baseball element (a fact I appreciated), but what was there felt very much like it was written by someone who not only understands the sport more than I do but likes it. That was a particularly nice touch and, oddly enough, fairly rare in the sports romances I've read.
Kelly and Matt had a nice bit of depth as characters, too. Kelly, who deals daily with the harsh realities of surviving an eating disorder, isn't your typical romance heroine in form or function, and I liked that about her. Matt, probably the more stereotypical of the two of them, didn't make any better a first (or second) impression on me than he did on Kelly, but allusions to the cause of a lot of his personal demons kept me from writing him off precipitously and he evolved rapidly enough after that to win me over.
That was a good thing, because he had a lot of evolving to do. I've rarely read an enemies-to-lovers themed romance in which the "enemies" part of the plot was so completely justified. If any man ever spoke to me the way that Matt spoke to Kelly on their first meeting, I don't know that I would've been as violence-free as she was. Kudos to Kelly for her ability to handle him with a vicious verbal volley that reverberated long after their initial encounter.
And kudos to Packard for divulging that scene when she did, because if it had come at the beginning of the book, I can't say I would have continued the story long enough for Matt to redeem himself.
My only disappointment with the read came, unfortunately, at the end of the book. The relationship conflict was predictable, obvious, and cliched, and the resolution was downright unsatisfying. After such a great buildup, with a slowly evolving romance and a positively wicked amount of sexual chemistry between Kelly and Matt, the end felt more like a wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am and it left me a little agog. A few dangling secondary plot threads lent it an unfinished feel, too, which didn't help matters.
I could have handled the lack of satisfactory resolution on those plot threads, because there was setup in this book for another story in that world (though nothing I could find about this being a series, despite the character connections to Packard's debut novel, Love in the Afternoon), but the romance resolution left a mark. Just about everything that preceded it, though, was great - some was even more than great. It was certainly enough to make me a fan of both the book and of Packard's writing, if not the sport of baseball (nobody is that good).
Disclosure: An ARC of this book was provided to me by Carina Press via NetGalley. This rating, review, and all included thoughts and comments are my own.
~*~*~*~
Reviewed for One Good Book Deserves Another.
The first time they met, they hated each other. Then Matt Scanlon, an MLB catcher riding a self-destruction rocket to rock bottom, got traded to his rival team, the San Francisco Blaze, and comes face-to-face with Kelly Maxwell in a professional capacity. Maxwell is the publicist for the Blaze.
Second impressions - for both of them - were no better than the first.
All Matt wants is to be left alone while he tries to pull his life back together after a long, painful year of bad decisions and worse actions. He refuses to talk to the media vultures clamoring for an interview, no matter how intently Kelly badgers him. If pushing her buttons and being an ass keeps her off his back about it, well, that's not exactly a hardship. Especially when it hits him that Kelly Maxwell, professional ball buster, is pretty damn gorgeous when she's riled.
He's the bane of her existence. The insufferable, boorish jackass is making her job hell. Kelly doesn't know why Matt suddenly went from being the golden boy of baseball to a self-made pariah, nor does she care. She's stuck with him for now, so she'll do whatever it takes to get him to tow the publicity line. And if it just so happens that doing her job forces her to get in that shockingly handsome face of his at every turn, well, maybe that isn't so bad after all.
Matt never expected that sparring with the fiery Kelly would become the highlight of his day. He's not sure what that means, exactly, but he knows one thing. If he can't convince her that he's sorry for their past and he's genuine in his interest in her, she'll toss him out of the game before he can even make it to the plate.
~*~
I like sports romance and I love the enemies-to-lovers trope, so I have to admit, I was predisposed to enjoying the heck out of this sexy, fun little reading treat, but Packard really went above and beyond for her readers with this one. Not only were the characters fairly awesome, especially the tomboyish, foul-mouthed (though she's working on that) Kelly, but the plot had enough meat on its bones to satisfy even the pickiest reader.
Baseball isn't really my thing as a sport (I'm a football fangirl), and I don't know much about it, but even my untrained eye was impressed by the authentic-feeling touches Packard put into the story. There wasn't a huge baseball element (a fact I appreciated), but what was there felt very much like it was written by someone who not only understands the sport more than I do but likes it. That was a particularly nice touch and, oddly enough, fairly rare in the sports romances I've read.
Kelly and Matt had a nice bit of depth as characters, too. Kelly, who deals daily with the harsh realities of surviving an eating disorder, isn't your typical romance heroine in form or function, and I liked that about her. Matt, probably the more stereotypical of the two of them, didn't make any better a first (or second) impression on me than he did on Kelly, but allusions to the cause of a lot of his personal demons kept me from writing him off precipitously and he evolved rapidly enough after that to win me over.
That was a good thing, because he had a lot of evolving to do. I've rarely read an enemies-to-lovers themed romance in which the "enemies" part of the plot was so completely justified. If any man ever spoke to me the way that Matt spoke to Kelly on their first meeting, I don't know that I would've been as violence-free as she was. Kudos to Kelly for her ability to handle him with a vicious verbal volley that reverberated long after their initial encounter.
And kudos to Packard for divulging that scene when she did, because if it had come at the beginning of the book, I can't say I would have continued the story long enough for Matt to redeem himself.
My only disappointment with the read came, unfortunately, at the end of the book. The relationship conflict was predictable, obvious, and cliched, and the resolution was downright unsatisfying. After such a great buildup, with a slowly evolving romance and a positively wicked amount of sexual chemistry between Kelly and Matt, the end felt more like a wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am and it left me a little agog. A few dangling secondary plot threads lent it an unfinished feel, too, which didn't help matters.
I could have handled the lack of satisfactory resolution on those plot threads, because there was setup in this book for another story in that world (though nothing I could find about this being a series, despite the character connections to Packard's debut novel, Love in the Afternoon), but the romance resolution left a mark. Just about everything that preceded it, though, was great - some was even more than great. It was certainly enough to make me a fan of both the book and of Packard's writing, if not the sport of baseball (nobody is that good).
Disclosure: An ARC of this book was provided to me by Carina Press via NetGalley. This rating, review, and all included thoughts and comments are my own.
~*~*~*~
Reviewed for One Good Book Deserves Another.
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