Title: Swinging at Love
Author: Kendra C. Highley
Publisher: Entangled TEEN
Pub Date: March 13, 2017
Format: Kindle eBook
Pages: 228
Source: NetGalley
Genre(s): YA, Contemporary, Romance
Rating: ★★★½
Goodreads || Buy on Amazon

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Synopsis from Goodreads:

Outfielder Tristan Murrell has a problem. As the number two slugger for the Suttonville Sentinels, his team is counting on him to make their very first run at the state championship. But he has a secret—his swing has totally deserted him. As in, he can’t hit anything. He needs to fix the issue, and fast, but how?

Ballerina Alyssa Kaplan has a problem, too. The shiny new sports complex in town has left her family’s batting cage business on the verge of going under. Nailing her audition for a prestigious dance company is everything, but there’s no way she’s letting some shiny big-box company destroy her family’s livelihood.

Tristan needs a miracle. So does Alyssa. And maybe, just maybe, Tristan’s secret weapon might be the girl of his dreams…

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My review:

“What if I like curves, curly hair, and a girl who can throw a fastball?”

Thank you to the publisher (and NetGalley) for providing me with an ARC of this book! These are my honest thoughts and opinions.

I really enjoyed The Bad Boy Bargain (it’s the kind of fluff readers are looking for when they are in a reading slump), so I was excited when this sequel was offered to me. Swinging at Love takes place in the same high school and even includes cameos from the lovebirds in book 1, Faith and Kyle. But this time the story isn’t just about ballet and landscaping. It’s about love and baseball and the little bits in between.

Alyssa is a strong-willed and confident dancer. She also happens to be a kickass softball player but maybe that’s because she spends a lot of time working at Swing Away, the batting cages owned by her family. With extensive (and expensive) repairs that need to be done and the new sports complex in town stealing all of their business, Swing Away is at risk of closing forever. Needless to say, Alyssa is stressed out. How can she focus on her ballet audition when her family’s beloved business is going under?

Tristan is a batsman on the high school baseball team. He’s suffering from a batting slump and striking out more often than he’d like to. To get away from the pressure of it all, he wants to practice somewhere outside of town where he’s less likely to run into his teammates. Somewhere like Swing Away. Is he ever going to get out of his head long enough to get his swing back?

I hate to say it, but it’s like love at first sight between Alyssa and Tristan. It’s kind of annoying but mostly cute, so I’m not complaining. Alyssa is just the person to help Tristan get out of his slump, but there’s plenty of drama amongst their friends to create a little delay from the inevitable.

Overall, this was a very fun and fast-paced read. I love reading about sports that I know nothing about. My baseball experience is limited to one Toronto Blue Jays game (which was fantastic) so I’m obviously not informed on all the ins and outs of the game, but I still loved reading about the practices and stuff. Athletes are like mysterious creatures to me. What makes them good at the game? Or bad? What drives them? In this case, romance is the catalyst for success.

Ironically, I was in a reading slump before I read this book so it looks like romance was the cure for me as well. Pick this up if you’re looking for a fun and flirty story!