Scoring Position

Vegas Heat: Bases Loaded, Book 1

By: Lisa Suzanne

Narrated by: Avery Reid, Scott Rose

I wasn't looking to change my "bad boy of baseball" reputation. At least not until my dream girl, Pop Princess Alexis Bodega, stepped foot in my clubhouse to sing for the stadium on opening day.

There's just one problem, and it's a big one. Her manager is also her boyfriend, and her father is her agent.

She's kept on a tight leash with her incredibly busy schedule, and I'm at the start of a new baseball season with a new team.

It's the worst time to explore this attraction with the wrong girl, but that doesn't stop me from fighting my way backstage at her surprise performance in Vegas and slipping her my number.

I quickly discover that nothing is what it seems where her manager is concerned. The more I learn about America's Sweetheart, the more I realize what the world knows of her is the carefully crafted façade of her brand… not the woman behind it all. But I'm getting to know the real Alexis, and I'm falling hard and fast for her.

Her father might be the one holding the ball, but I'm in a scoring position, and I won't let anything stop me from getting the win.

©2024 Lisa Suzanne (P)2024 Podium Audio

Short Story w/ a Cliffhanger

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25
Spice: 🌶
Narrating: 🎧🎧🎧🎧🎧

This was a short story offered up for free on audible and I can see why now. Because you have to purchase the next 5 books separately in order to hear the whole story. I do not see this one posted up in a bundle neither. A great way to drag you in and keep you hanging on until you buy every 4 hour book.

Tropes:
⚾️ Sports Romance (Baseball)
🎤 Celebrity Pop Sweetheart
⚾️ Bad Boy/Good Girl
🎤 Instant Connection
⚾️ Long Distance
🎤 In Relationship (FMC to her Manager)

First, the narrators did excellent. I really enjoy Scott Rose's voice and he does an outstanding job. So did the female narrator.

Now, this book was a lot of things, but there was no real connection between the main characters besides on the phone. They rarely saw each other before his season started traveling and her leaving to go on tour for 8 months. It was just phone calls and texting.

There was no spice in this book besides 1 scene that was phone s3x. They often talked about how they couldn't wait to be alone with one another, but nothing happened between them in this book.

Alexis is trapped in a contract with her father that he made her sign at age 16. she is now 28 and has no life. He father controls every aspect of her life and then her manager, who also hairband to be her fake boyfriend tells on her too her father. This 2 work together to keep her in line and she getting tired of it.

Alexis wants a new contract and a new life...sometimes. Other times she still wants the same thing her father wants. She is confused and really has no backbone. She may back talk every once in a while, but she eventually gives in.

Danny is known as the bad boy of baseball. A different girl every night, and drinking a lot. Until he meets the girl of his dreams and all he sees and wants is her. He changes his life to show Alexis he wants her. He not really a bad guy, just does some dumb stuff.

Danny also has issues with cheating bc he caught his dad cheating on his mom when he was young, then he caught his sisters husband doing the same thing. So he has relationship issues dealing with that as well. Plus, with it looking like Alexis is with another man, it kind of looks bad, but she keeps ensuring him she not with him.

Then this book ends with Danny coming to LA to finally be with her and confess his feelings, but her manager proposes to her first in front of a crowd. Her father is threatening/blackmailing Alexis that he'll keep her stuck in her contact is she doesn't say yes. So she says YES!. Girl, grow a spine and tell them all to shove it where the sun don't shine. Tell you dad that he is only looking out for himself and not her and what an awful man he is. Then her fiance, he's so dull and flat that you can tell they both don't like each other. But this man does as he's told and snitches on a Alexis ask the time and over stupid stuff.

I honestly don't know if I want to listen to all these different books to get to the same conclusion. These need to be in a package with all the books bundled together to buy. Maybe this author will do that in the future and I'll purchase them then.

More of a 3.4 ⭐

The writing was decent, but not great. The narration was fine and the world building was good. I appreciate the slow burn to build the relationship between the MCs.

However, the premise keeping the MCs apart, and the reason there are so many books in this series, is bc MFC is in a bad contract with her agent/father, who is making her pretend to date her manager. Her father threatens her career in exchange for her to get engaged/marry her manager to benefit his business. MMC is clear on not liking cheaters/married women. MFC chooses to stay in a contract with a team of people she can't trust and don't have her best interest, for a dream she agreed to when she was 16 and a chance to win some career awards. She struggles giving up bad people so she can be with a person who care about her AND the chance to find an entourage who is good for her and her career. Talk about selfish, talk about cutting off your nose to spite your face.

Clearly the author needed an obstacle to keep the MCs apart. But the obstacle is stupid. MFC would be better off choosing the guy and working on getting a good lawyer, manager, and agent with a normal and balanced contract. Instead she's singularly minded to keep allowing terrible/selfish people use her and keep her on a professional path that's not healthy while keeping her away from the guy she wants. This story is very Brittany meets Taylor, but with issues that should be easier to solve for the HEA. I don't mind the simplicity of the story, just the actions the MFC chooses. If the chance for 2 awards is worth more than self happiness and to escape a toxic situation, than she doesn't deserve the guy.

It’s not HEA

I hate cliff hangers. Especially in audiobooks. Until it ended unfinished. Would not recommend to listen to.

UNFINISHED

This book is incomplete. The 2nd book in incomplete. The 3rd book is incomplete. The 4th book is incomplete. The 5th book who knows, i gave up i got tired of having to pay for another run-on. It dragged on for way too long. Hate soap operas!

Over the top drama with cliffhanger ending

Maybe I am not living that life and that is why I can’t understand but the heroine’s position is absurd. You either have a backbone or you don’t and your father/manager/agent should not be allowed to dictate who you marry. All this, coupled with withholding information from the man you love is just lack of maturity.
All the angst and drama will most likely turn this series into a telenovela.