Playing Catch

Men of Spring Baseball, Book 2

By: Rachelle Ayala

Narrated by: Charley Ongel, Tor Thom

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.

Loved

Loved this story. Characters were well developed. The narrators did a great job and kept my attention until the end. A MUST read/listen!! This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.

what do you get when two players collide

Jeanine and Kirk are both 'players' in their own right...we might even go so far as to say that they are sex addicts..one and done. What happens when these two meet and want more than 'one and done' but are too damaged to recognize and admit? I can count on my hand, the number of authors whose books are guaranteed to make me pay attention, weep, etc. and this is one!! Wow...the sexual abuse that Jeanine survived was enough to make anyone cry, rage, and all. I really wanted to do some harm to the abuser...then to discover his true identity...yea...#someoneholdmeback! Kirk's abuse was not as horrific, but still has the same effect...baggage. The miscommunication and misconceptions between the two drove my nuts sometimes but, hey, I got my HEA. Totally worth the read! Great narration.
I voluntarily accepted a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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.

Changing Has To Begin With A Decision

I liked how the story began with two people who were players who had their moment of fun and then moved on never to spend another night with the previous conquests; however, when these two met, things didn't follow the same pattern. I was saddened by the trials and tribulations which Jeanine and Kirk underwent during their formative years. I thought their journeys were both emotional and full of angst. I was entertained by the dual narrations of Charley Ongel and Tor Thom, and their performances added to the story's entertainment. I was given a copy of the audiobook. I volunteered, without financial gain, to post this review which reflected my honest opinions regarding this audiobook.

Listen to a great Catch of a book

Love this listen it’s just in time for the season . This is a fast paced story full of love , intregue and mystery.
Hero is Kirk . Heroine is Jeannie . The story takes place in Phoenix
Love how these 2 meet in the hallway. After a walk of shame . Both Jeannie and Kirk are a one shot and done , you don’t know me I don’t know you.
Kirk is flabbergasted that Jeannie blew him off the first night. Even the second night Jeannie blows him off.
Jeannie needs help . She won’t tell anyone that she keeps on getting flashbacks. Kirk notices that she is zoned out a bit but he doesn’t know why . Kirk will try to get Jeannie to open up so they can make a go of it . Does Kirk find out about Jeannie horror in the past

Love Tor Thom and Charley nail it again. They bring the story to life.

Catch & Release Isn't A Lifetime Committment

A bartender and a major league catcher, both dedicated to the art of the one night stand discover that there's more to life if they can just overcome the abuse of their younger lives and mend the damage that their childhood traumas has caused.
Steamy sex scenes and a twisted story line make this a read that's not for everyone but it's a good story with an HEA on several levels.

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!

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.

Playing catch

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

This team has done it again! Great writing by Rachelle Ayala that pulls you in and amazing Narration by Tor Thom and Charley Ongel that makes you feel everything with the characters. This book was great and I can’t wait to see what comes next in this series.