Straddling the Line (A Play-by-Play Novel)

STRADDLING THE LINE was a nicely spicy sports romance featuring Haven Briscoe and Trevor Shay. They have known each other since college. Haven's dad and mom were the house parents to a house full of athletes. Trevor was one of them. Haven had a massive crush on Trevor but he didn't even notice. He was too busy being charming, skating around his schoolwork and developing his skills in baseball and football.

When Trevor gets a call from Haven's mother saying that Haven isn't doing well after the death of her father, Trevor decides that he will do anything to help. He knows how much Bill Briscoe loved his daughter and he feels that he owes Bill a big debt for all his help when he was in college. Since Haven is now a sports reporter, Trevor arranges things so that she can be the one to do the long sought in-depth interview on two sport athlete Trevor.

Haven isn't sure she wants the job. She is bogged down in grief and is ready to throw her career away to got back to Oklahoma to be with her mom. Also, she isn't sure she wants to be around the guy she had such a crush on. She decides to give the whole interview and career thing a try.

When they meet again, sparks fly. Trevor is seeing Haven in a whole new way. But Trevor has a long-held secret and he is willing to do almost anything to keep it, even give up the possible love of his life. Now, I'll admit that I saw the secret coming from a long way off. But I still enjoyed and believed Trevor's reactions to it and to sharing it with anyone.

Fans of sports romances and lovers of hot athletes won't want to miss this latest entry into the Play by Play series. It was good seeing some of the characters from the earlier books in the series making their appearances in this one too.

Normally I like Jaci Burton's books, but this one, not so much. The two main characters, Haven, who is struggling to get on with her job and her life after her father's death, and Trevor, the athlete who is excelling in both football and baseball simultaneously. There wasn't much chemistry and Trevor's story just seemed plain implausible. I kept fast forwarding through several parts of the story and didn't lost any of the storyline. Skip this one, but do read the other Play by Play books.

Straddling the Line is the eighth book in Jaci Burton’s Play-by-Play series. Trevor Shay is a baseball player for the St. Louis Rivers and a football player for the Tampa Hawks. He excels in both sports. Haven Briscoe is the daughter of Bill and Ginger Briscoe. They were Trevor’s dorm parents while he attended school. Haven tutored Trevor throughout college helping him through his classes while he played both sports. Haven recently accepted a sports journalist position in New York and is having difficulties with it especially since her father’s death almost a year ago. Her mother intervenes and requests Trevor’s help. He arranges for her to do a story about him. Haven and Trevor unleash feelings for one another as they are taken down the path of his life story. Hidden secrets are revealed about Trevor’s youth. Jaci’s Burton’s in depth descriptions of Haven’s grief brought tears to my eyes. Straddling the Line is a must read. I couldn’t put it down. I can’t wait to read the next book by Jaci Burton in the Play-by-Play series. I would like to disclose that I received a copy of Straddling the Line in exchange for a fair and honest review.

NUMBER OF HEARTS: 4
REVIEW:
Trevor Shay maybe a superstar that straddles the line between baseball and football. But there is so much more to this superstar then what he does on the field. So when Trevor is asked to check in on Haven and make sure she is okay he is more than willing to help. But when Haven shows up Trevor gets a little more than he bargained for.

As always Jaci writes a great story wrapped in the sports world. I have loved all of her Play by Play books and Straddling the Line was the same. I loved getting a closer look at Trevor and Haven. We have seen glimpse of them in the past books but it was great to learn all of their secrets.

I can’t wait for the next book in this series and to learn more about Quarterback Cassidy and his clan.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book from NetGalley & PENGUIN GROUP Berkley, NAL / Signet Romance, DAW in exchange for an honest review. This review is my own opinion and not a paid review.

Dear lord, Jaci Burton can write the hot stuff! When I'm in the mood for some hot sports guy meets girl, I hook up with her stories. As always, there is always a side story about some type of adversity or vulnerability, be it about the guy or the girl that makes you engage with the characters as regular people (but of course with all the fantasy hotness).

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for an honest review at Seductive Musings.

STRADDLING THE LINE is the eighth book in Jaci Burton’s popular Play By Play sports romance series, featuring a hero and heroine who briefly appeared as supporting characters in MELTING THE ICE, the story which takes place immediately before this one. Our hero, Trevor Shay, is a college buddy of other characters in the previous books. His heroine, Haven Briscoe, is the daughter of their beloved mentor who has recently died from liver cancer, leaving family and friends bereft.

When Trevor discovers that Haven is going to abandon her new job as a national sports broadcaster after the death of her father, he vows to do whatever it takes to stop her from making such a huge mistake. Haven is surprised to find herself chosen by Trevor as the first person allowed into his daily life to document how he succeeds at playing both professional baseball and football, not realizing his hidden agenda to keep her from throwing away her career before it’s begun. But when Haven’s college crush on Trevor flares into a shared passion, it’s only a matter of time before she gets too close to what he’s kept from nearly everyone in his life. As much as Trevor may need Haven, he needs to protect his secret more, even if it means pushing her away completely. And now it’s Haven who needs to save Trevor from himself and a future without love.

For me, STRADDLING THE LINE clearly established its own identity in the Play By Play series without straying from its established sports romance formula, We got to see how professional baseball differs from professional football beyond what’s already obvious, and how their competing interests were a constant issue for Trevor, even as he continued to excel in both fields. Keeping both teams happy would be an herculean effort for anyone, yet the added strain of Trevor’s big secret didn’t appear to be as much of a problem as I would have expected under the circumstances. For yes, I did figure out what he was hiding fairly quickly, but that’s only because I’ve read a few other romances recently with the same plot twist, including one featuring another baseball player hero. Once I’d guessed Trevor’s secret, all the signs were there like big red flags, and although I tried not to hold it against the book for making it so obvious by the time of Trevor’s big reveal, I did find it all too convenient that Haven was uniquely qualified to help him not only face his problem but also work to help others in a similar situation. But with such an otherwise appealing hero and heroine, and all the familiar characters from the previous books making an appearance to help this latest couple along toward their own HEA, how could I not enjoy how it turned out in the end? It was also great to meet the new family of sports heroes who will be featured in future Play By Play books. This is a series that continues to prove itself worthy with every new installment, and STRADDLING THE LINE is no exception.

Ratings:

Overall: 4
Sensuality level: 3

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Heidi
straddling-the-line-play-by-play-jaci-burton

Haven Briscoe hasn’t been the same since her father passed away. She’s succumbed to a depression that nobody has been able to pull her out of. And, now she’s ready to throw away her dream job of being a sports reporter for the network. Her mom knows she must do something to pull Haven out of her funk, and turns to the only person she can think of, Trevor Shay.

Trevor is a big name in sports, being the only professional athlete to play both baseball and football. He prides himself on being the best. And, when he sees an opportunity to pay back his former dorm parents by helping out their daughter, he jumps right in, offering Haven the sports writer’s job of a lifetime, a full bio feature on him. He just has to make sure that she doesn’t uncover his big secret.

This is the first Jaci Burton book I’ve read, and it’s the eighth installment of the Play by Play series, but the book can easily be read as a stand-alone.

This book was an easy one to be able to understand and I was easily pulled into it. It was a bit strange having a book with such a large part of it taking place in St. Louis, where I live. It was neat seeing Trevor take Haven to places I’ve seen and been to myself, mixed in with some fictional ones as well. It was odd that they changed the sports teams, but I guess they had to. But I must say that Trevor lost a lot of respect in my eyes when he named Imo’s as his favorite pizza (yuck!).

I found some things got a bit preachy and drug out that had no bearing on the story like, Trevor’s rant about animals in captivity when they were at the zoo. I also found him playing both baseball and football professionally and both teams okay with sharing him to be really unrealistic.

Overall I liked the story, but it just didn’t wow me. The ending wasn’t all that great for me, and actually brought my overall enjoyment of the book down. But I think Burton can write a good story, and definitely some good sex scenes. I’m looking forward to reading future books in this series.

*OBS would like to thank the publisher for supplying a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review*

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Another hit from the first lady of sports romance. Jaci Burton has done it again! Trevor Shay is hot and cocky and a gifted athlete. Haven is smart but emotionally fragile. But it is when Trevor lets down his guard that things get real. This is another smoking hot couple and a really quick read, the story keeps you so engrossed you look up and it is over. I love this series.
I received An Advanced Readers Copy from First To Read in exchange for my honest review

Another hit from the first lady of sports romance. Jaci Burton has done it again! Trevor Shay is hot and cocky and a gifted athlete. Haven is smart but emotionally fragile. But it is when Trevor lets down his guard that things get real. This is another smoking hot couple and a really quick read, the story keeps you so engrossed you look up and it is over. I love this series.
I received An Advanced Readers Copy from First To Read in exchange for my honest review