The Shake Off

The New York Lions, Book 2

De: Lulu Moore

Narrado por: Ramona Master, Lee Samuels

My name is Ace Watson, and I'm having an existential crisis.

I finished last season as one of the league's best pitchers. Baseball's smooth-talking boy wonder. The future of The New York Lions.

I'm starting this season as the worst.

I don't want to sound dramatic, but the fault lies entirely with Payton Lopez. She walked into my life with her mile-long legs and dark brown waves and threw me the curviest of all curve balls. Overnight, my ability to pitch disappeared with my ability to charm, and I found myself riding a one-way ticket to being the most expensive bench warmer in the M.L.B.

The only solution: get Payton to fix what she broke, something she agrees to on one very easy condition.

Before long, what started as a way to get my pitch back soon turned into any excuse I could find for us to spend time together. Before long, I had everything I didn't even realize I wanted.

Now, I just need to prove to her that while I exist without baseball, I can't live without her.

Payton Lopez might have thrown me a curveball, but I'm pitching it right back.

The Shake Off is a grumpy/sunshine, friends-with-benefits, sizzling TikTok sensation. Perfect for fans of Hannah Grace and Elle Kennedy.

©2023 Lulu Moore (P)2024 Podium Audio

Good

This is an odd critique, but I felt like the author didn’t really understand pitchers….he was the “starting pitcher”, when there are many “starting” pitchers on a major league team. It felt kinda off.

Baseball romance with a one night stand gone wrong!

The Shake Off is a baseball romance from Lulu Moore with an older heroine (she’s 7 years older) and kicks off with a one night stand gone wrong!

Payton works in publishing and the story starts with her birthday wish coming true, Ace Watson in her bed. Excepttttt it doesn’t go so well and when he doesn’t live up to her fantasy she sends him packing the next morning. Ace Watson is the cocky pitcher for the New York Lions baseball team, but after their one night stand and finding out Payton didn’t have the great time he thought he delivered, well his world kind of spirals. He ends up with the yips and feeling like he lost his mojo after she tells him it wasn’t that enjoyable! Cue him and his friends/teammates grabbing every Cosmo magazine they can get their hands on to find out exactly how to give pleasure! When Payton’s offered her dream job in exchange for some NY Lions gear, she ends up hitting up Ace for a bargain…and offering some friends with benefits/lessons while they’re at it.

This was a fun one and I always enjoy Lulu Moore’s books. I did still love the first book in this series more but that one hits my fav trope (second chance). I love the friend group and the teammates and I can’t wait for the next book in the series later this summer.

Loved these Narrators!

I read the physical book when it came out and loved it, so had to get my hands on the audio too!

5 Stars

I couldn't wait to listen to this one after I finished the first book. I loved Ace, and I knew he would be a favorite.

This one night stand gone wrong baseball romance had me laughing and swooning. Payton says it like it is, and that is one of my favorite things about her. She has so much sass and doesn't apologize for it.
Ace is a wonderful character and loyal to his friends. I adored him and loved seeing him get his HEA.

Lee Samuels and Ramona Master did an awesome job with this one. I don't think I have listened to Ramona before and loved her! I thoroughly enjoyed this audio.
Lee Samuels is one that I will listen to and always enjoy.

I am loving this series.

Love Ace’s tenacity

As a baseball fan, reading romance stories that include actual details of the game makes me supper Happy!! Loved loved the bickering between characters made it all the more fun

So cute

5 ⭐ 3 🌶️ 5 🎧

I am so so happy I kept going with this series. I enjoyed the first book, but I absolutely lovedddd this one. I just really adored everything about Payton and Ace from their one night stand mishaps to their hilarious banter all the way to their happily ever after.

Ace was so stinking cute. He was the epitome of the world just falls at my feet, naive to his shortcomings athlete and Payton absolutely handed him his butt. And instead of being a butt, he looked inward, researched (so funny) and proved himself worthy. And Payton deserved every moment.

The audio was so great too. I love Lee Samuels and Romana Master was fantastic as well. This was a fun listen.

I really love Ramona&Lee!

Simply wow! I loved the story and Lulu's storytelling but let me tell you: this is one is even better on audio!

Ramona performance was so amazing and every second in this one was SUPERB!!

I laugh SO MUCH with this one! I wasn't expecting to love Ace’s story as much as I did but oh man his plot was… SO GOOD!

Firstly, the beginning of this book was the funniest - Ace’s unbeliever about Payton's reaction was so, so good and I can’t stop laughing when I think about that particular scene. And the way both Lee and Ramona delivered the fun scenes was SIMPLY WOW.

Lulu’s sense of humor is always so good and I love every single moment she writes.

The book was super funny but there were some parts I was completely obsessed over this couple and how Ace loved Payton - oh Lord!!

It’s also spicier than the first one but in the best way possible.

This series just became one of my favorites and I can’t wait for the next books.

Love the New York Lions

AUDIOBOOK / ebook review:

Another great baseball romance from Lulu Moore and our beloved New York Lions baseball team. Book two in the New York Lions series (can also be enjoyed as a standalone) following Major League pitcher Ace Watson and children’s book editor and team owners friend Payton Lopez. After Ace and Payton have a one night stand, Ace wakes up the next morning thinking he’s every women’s desire, and Payton, not feeling that satisfaction one bit, lets Ace know it. After letting it soaking in, Ace is in a major funk. Now not only is he questioning every hook up he’s ever had, his pitching game suffers too. Ace goes on a mission to not only learn the ways of women but get his pitching game back in order, and his lucky charm, Payton Lopez. I really enjoyed this book and the way that Payton was in charge, she was confident in what she wanted and not afraid to go after it. I loved how this was a secret hook up, yet she wasn’t afraid to tell her close girl friends, which lead to great advice and epic conversations. Ace fell fast and fell hard and when she wasn’t falling all over him every moment, he worked harder. With Ace on the road playing baseball Payton was independent and supportive and I enjoyed that part of the story, she wasn’t threatened by his status and she wanted to see him do well.
Overall this was a fun baseball romance with some great “teaching” moments and a sweet HEA. Romona Master and Lee Samuel were fantastic narrating this book in dual. They both gave each character their own personalities and expressed their confidence as well as moment of vulnerability so well. They were able to bring their chemistry to life and I loved hearing their laughs when bantering back and forth as well as their hot steamy growls and demands when things were getting spicy. A great pair as Payton and Ace.

*Listed on audible, Also, read on KU.

HILARIOUS Age Gap Sports Romance!

I absolutely LOVED this book yall! It is hands down my favorite of the series so far. I loved the banter. The characters. The age gap. The spice. The confidence of these two. The vulnerability. But mostly I loved how much this book made me LAUGH. I have read this series out of order which I normally don't like but was ok doing it in this case. So I knew Ace and Payton ended up together after reading the Baller. Ace Watson is the star pitcher for the New York Lions. He has a way with the ladies. Or at least he thinks he does until he has a one night stand with Payton Lopez who tells him in a few choice words that he didn't do it for her. This story follows him trying to get his mojo back because now he can't pitch. And Payton being looped into being a participant in this experiment all while trying to ignore the fact that they both like doing these things with EACH OTHER. I loved Payton's sass. I loved that she was older- we don't see a lot of books with the FMC being old. She was 30 to Ace's 23 (maybe 24?). I loved how that little gap made such a difference in her knowledge of things and her self confidence. And I loved reading when Ace realized this. Ace was hilarious. He was kind of a grump at first but him showing up at Payton's for round two and saying he felt like he was in school was perfect. These two just clicked. They were opposite in so many ways but watching them unravel each other was very sweet and fun to be a part of.

Payton has always had this fantasy of Ace Watson. It is involved and specific. So when she ends up having a one night stand with him on her birthday and things fall short of said fantasy- she is disappointed. But also kind of like oh well. See Payton is a dating girl. She doesn't do like full relationships but more likes the feeling of firsts while also really liking kissing. So when she sees Ace and let's him know how he stands with her. She recognizes it as a young man who still hasn't learned all the things. But then he shows up at her door with a proposition. He wants to try again and he comes with new lessons in his back pocket. Payton is surprised and pleasured in the best way. And now this is their thing. His pitching had dropped with his mojo but now it comes back after they spend the night together. The thing is though that Payton likes having all of these experiences with him. She likes learning new things and trying things together. She likes seeing his confidence grow. She likes that he brings her gifts and kind of dotes on her. But then someone tells her a harsh reality and she has to wonder if she will be brave enough to recognize that she LIKES Ace not just what they are doing together. Will she be brave enough to tell him before it's too late?

Ace is a man of many talents. He is the star pitcher of the team while also enjoying himself with different women regularly. He knows how good he is at all things women. But then a woman leaves him alone the next morning. She doesn't come back for seconds. And that has him thinking. When he sees her, Payton, at a party and confronts her- she gives it to him straight. He focused on himself more than her. Now he can't get out of his head. Have women been lying to him all this time? Is he just mediocre? And now he has the yips. Only one thing can fix it- a second chance. So he shows up at Payton's apartment and asks her. Can they try again? What she doesn't know is that he has found old Cosmo articles with insider info on how to make things great for your partner. So he brings that to the table and this time the experience is unlike anything he has experienced before. How did he never know kissing could be like that? Or just foreplay in general? He is determined to continue to see the look of satisfaction on Payton's face not only because his pitching is back but because he LIKES seeing that look. He likes surprising her. He likes how comfortable they are with each other to try new things. He starts to realize how much he actually likes her. He realizes he wants more with her. But she seems to be holding him at arm's length. When she breaks things off unexpectedly he starts to realize more is at play. He is determined to help her understand that he isn't going anywhere. He just needs her to catch up.

I just can't recommend this one enough. I have enjoyed all of the books in this series but this one just hit different for me in the best way! I am really looking forward to reading Parker and Tanner's stories coming soon :)

The Shake Off by LuLu Moore ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Ace and Payton have officially stolen the show as my favorite couple in the New York Lions series.

From the first page, The Shake Off had me hooked. Lulu Moore nails the chemistry between Ace and Payton. The banter? Perfection. Witty, sharp, and filled with that delicious tension that makes you want to simultaneously scream and swoon.
Payton is bold, unapologetically herself, and never afraid to put Ace in his place—exactly what he needs and doesn’t even realize. And watching Ace fall hard for her, piece by piece, is exactly the kind of slow-burn magic I live for. The story balances laugh-out-loud humor, sports drama and authentic emotional depth.

Definitely a 5 star read and recommend it to others if you’re up for a MMC who’s completely undone by the woman who turns his world upside down and the FMC who knows exactly what she brings to the table. I couldn’t put it down—and I didn’t want to.