Playing Catch

Publisher's Summary

On the field and off the field, bartender Jeanine Jewell plays, collecting one-night stands like baseball cards. She doesn't need a man, except to curl her toes and make her scream. She's learned the hard way that love is about control and manipulation - and the last thing she can handle is letting herself be vulnerable, or having anyone discover her shameful secret.

Scoring women is easy for catcher Kirk Kennedy - they don't call him "Catch and Release" for nothing. He never goes back for a repeat performance. Being traded to a new city is an opportunity for new adventures - until he runs into Jeanine and she refuses to go home with him.

Intrigued, Kirk is determined to catch the elusive blonde and keep her to himself. When he proposes a wingman-to-wingwoman, friends-without-benefits relationship, he's surprised she accepts.

The no-benefits clause soon falls by the wayside when neither Jeanine or Kirk can resist their explosive chemistry. Despite the sparks between the sheets, they both refuse to acknowledge they're anything more than friends.

Everything changes when Kirk discovers someone from his past is the one Jeanine is hiding from.

Trigger Warning: The heroine was sexually abused by her foster father and has flashbacks.

©2016 Rachelle Ayala (P)2018 Rachelle Ayala Publishing, LLC

Amazing story

Every time I listen to a Rachelle Ayala book, I know I am in for a treat. She writes meaningful stories with strong characters, and it makes the book worthwhile. This installment of the Men of Spring Baseball brings together Jeanine and Kirk. Kirk is the catcher for our favorite team, the Rattlesnakes and Jeanine is the intrigued by him, but will not go home with him. Of course this peaks his interest and he finds himself falling for the girl. As he gets to know her better though, he realizes that she has some deep rooted problems from her childhood. Kirk is a man who does not give up, and the two stand together to fight their demons. Such childhood abuse is normally handled with kid gloves, but this story shows how such actions affect a person and their loved ones. It brings a sensitive subject to light and Ayala has told this horrific situation of sexual abuse in a foster home with care and compassion. I love that Rachelle brings real life to her books with well researched information and wonderfully caring stories.

Charley Ongel and Tor Thom voice this emotionally driven story with incredible feeling. Charley channeled herself into Jeanine and voiced her with the heart wrenching pain and confusion she was feeling, while Tor gave Kirk the understanding and compassion. It is a wonderful listen.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Recovery Warriors

What a book! I loved how forgiving means love and healing. The story focuses around Jeanine and Kirk and their families. The subject of abuse is underlying in this book. Recovery gives hope. Rachelle Ayala did fantastic weaving this book, and Charley Ongel with Tor Thom added so much. I liked how this book is not the traditional romance recovery book, yet I don't like abuse of children. Jeanine overcame so much in this book. Fishing terms will never have the same meaning to me. Hearing tidbits of Brock and Marcia and Bianca from the book Playing Without Rules was a fun addition. I enjoy the fact that this book is a standalone listen and part of a series.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Awesome Read!

I found this story to be really good, in fact I will be reading the previous one. This author did a really good job with the sensitive nature of child abuse. The characters of Kirk and Jeanine seemed to flow endlessly. The narrators did a great job with their characters. This was my first book by this author but will definitely not be my last! I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Powerful Story

Jeanine and Kirk are both "catch and release" people with their sexual encounters - one time with someone and they never have another with the same person. Both have an attraction to each other but are afraid to commit and don't want it to be a one and done relationship. Jeanine has problems from childhood sexual abuse from a foster father which is sometimes hard to hear about but it's good to know she's working on getting through her feelings. Kirk had problems with his overbearing mother. Rachelle Ayala keeps delving into hard situations and educates us with ways to overcome these problems. The narration of Charley Ongel and Tor Thom is wonderful. I really like the dual narration and it brings the story to life more.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

A Powerhouse Romance!!

Playing Catch is a hard hitting story that deals with some touch family issues. It doesn't shy away from dealing with these issues which I absolutely LOVE! Instead it handles with the grace and so much care. It is a spectacular story that will stay with you long after you finish it.

The wildly talented narrators bring such life and justice to this sexy yet hard-hitting story. They were so much fun to listen to, and I savored every second!! What a fabulous performance!! I can't wait to listen to this fantastic duo again!

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Strikes, Singles and Homeruns

I love the narration by Charley Ongel and Tor Thom... they are great. Their voices complement each other. This is my first book by Rachelle Ayala. Jeanine and Kirk bring in a lot of baggage into this book and causes the story to jump around a bit however it is relevant to the story. To some, it could touch on subjects that are uncomfortable but I say push on... the book is worth it.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Powerful Story!

Kirk Kennedy was a catcher on a baseball team. His mother was a control freak and he had bad experiences from her. Jeanine Jewell had been raised in the foster care system and her foster father George Simpson had sexually abused her from a very young age. Jeanine was frightened because someone had broken into her apartment, so she went to Kirk for a safe haven. She kept having flashbacks from her foster days. Tor Thom and Charley Ongel makes a huge impact on the narration of this one with their wonderful voices!

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Amazing story

What a book! I loved how forgiving means love and healing. The story focuses around Jeanine and Kirk and their families. The subject of abuse is underlying in this book. Recovery gives hope. Rachelle Ayala did fantastic weaving this book, and Charley Ongel with Tor Thom added so much. I liked how this book is not the traditional romance recovery book, yet I don't like abuse of children. Jeanine overcame so much in this book. Fishing terms will never have the same meaning to me. Hearing tidbits of Brock and Marcia and Bianca from the book Playing Without Rules was a fun addition. I enjoy the fact that this book is a standalone listen and part of a series.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Playing Baseball & Being A Wingmate!

Playing Catch: Men Of Baseball, Book 2 bring together two catch & release players, Jeanine Jewel & Kirk Kennedy. Character's are complex with well detailed backgrounds. Supporting character's crossover from book one, which is peachy. Romance, humour & witty moments are intertwined into this narrative with a painful topic. Told in duo naration which is my favourite type of naration. Charley Ongel & Tor Thom voices complement each other and are able to capture all the intense moments of the narrative. Overall, writing is vivid, passionate, & dynamics as well as narrators are able to bring out the tenacious, cogent, and adept characters. Looking forward to listening to the next audiobook in this series.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Completely different from the first book!

I was a little hesitant to read this book because I wasn't sure if it would be a continuation of the first book. After starting it, I was glad I decided to take the plunge. It is about the same team but follows a completely different path. In my opinion, this book was much more engaging than the first. I hope the rest of the series continues on like this one did!

The narration was amazing! Tor and Charley did a fantastic job on this duet!

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Touching sports romance about self acceptance

While listening to the first hour or so of this audiobook I assumed it would be a frivolous romance between two slightly jaded players. Boy was I wrong!!

While this story features two people who have an undeniable, fairly instantaneous, deep attraction, it is so much more. Before the protagonists can even consider a relationship, they need to address their own personal demons and resolve their sex additions. So this is a story about self discovery and self acceptance with a whole lot of baseball, a bit of suspense and a light touch of humour.

Rachelle Ayala does a fabulous job of gracefully incorporating some heavy topics in this book. She doesn't allow the characters to solve all their issues when the first hurdle is crossed. She keeps it real with the very human experience of taking several steps backwards while moving foward in the process of healing. It definitely makes the story more believable.

I enjoyed this story. Honestly, that first hour had me wondering if I would, but I quickly found myself committed to the characters and the story.

This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful