All Of Me
Love Between The Bases Series – Book 1
By Jennifer Bernard
Synopsis
Jennifer Bernard, the USA Today bestselling author of the Bachelor Firemen series, scores another homerun with a brand-new series about sexy, single baseball players.
Playing for the Kilby Catfish is hotshot pitcher Caleb Hart’s last chance to salvage his career after a major league meltdown. But the day of his opener with the minor league team, Caleb strikes out with the gorgeous woman who is delivering a petition to run the unruly Catfish out of town. Now, to stay in the lineup, Caleb will need to score big with the feisty brunette he can’t keep out of his thoughts.
After the nasty lies Sadie Merritt’s rich ex-boyfriend spread about her all over town, she’s lucky to have a job at all. She can’t afford to screw it up by falling for the player who is supposed to be helping her change the image of the fun-loving Catfish. But that’s easier said than done when Caleb’s voice alone is enough to make her pulse race. And when he surprises her with a mind-blowing kiss, she knows there’s no turning back.
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Tina’s Review
Judging a Book by it’s Cover —
Nice colors. But I’m not a big fan. Both models on the cover poorly depict the characters as described in the book. The male model looks older and “softer”, at the same time the pose makes him look like he’s one of those grabby PitA guys who think they’re cute but they’re not. Sadie also looks older and way more “buttoned up” than described. The model’s got that look like “Oh yeah? I don’t think so buddy”. It seems more playful and cheeky, but you really do not sense any romantic connection from the cover.
Synopsis sounds okay, not like something I’d pick up on my own though. I’m not a huge fan of baseball and it sounds a little too redneck as well. But, as a favor to a friend, I’ve agreed to read it. I have liked the author’s firemen series, so I’m hoping the writing style will transfer over to this new series as well.
Looking Deeper —
Caleb is a great brother. But, the way he approaches Sadie? I’m surprised the guy hasn’t been charged with sexual assault. He’s always pawing at her, and more! And, maybe it’s some sort of hole-in-the-wall small-town mentality, but if Sadie’s so dang shook up over what Ham did to her, without looking into the violation of privacy laws and reporting the photos and video to the proper channels, how did she expect to ever become a successful lawyer? I get the familial tie in the law enforcement thing, but once it hit the web, it became Federal and she would not have had to deal with Ham’s podunk father. Their parents were a damn mess, both of them. The cast of secondary characters were enjoyable, but are currently little more than filler… only one or two actually contributed to the plot. The whole slug cause seemed like an unusual mockery. The conflicts were rather plentiful and, with better communication, could have been resolved much more smoothly and efficiently. The plot, as a whole, was good. There was some predictability, but not enough to be off-putting. The conclusion was solid, with a completed HEA and hints of others to come.
I found it difficult to connect to the characters. Caleb and Sadie seemed to have some trouble connecting as well… almost like an engine with one cylinder misfiring. The dialogue was still classic Jennifer Bernard, however. Smart, sassy and fun. Maybe it’s because this is the series’ debut and a whole new world needs building, but I’m not really a fan of the small-town busybody mentality in Kilby and hope like hell that future books in the series will focus less on the narrow-minded, nosy inhabitants. Fans of Jennifer Bernard will also note that this book is quite a bit steamier than her Bachelor Firemen books ever were. I have a pet peeve about “boner” being used in adult plots, my opinion is that it’s a term used by children, teens, and up into college. It is suitable for Young Adult and New Adult, but I don’t feel it is a mature word for mature adults. Unfortunately, the terminology had made an appearance a few times throughout the book. I felt as though maybe Jennifer’s alter-ego had a more predominant hand in writing this book, expecially the sexy scenes.
Michel’s Review
Baseball and romance… the perfect way to welcome in the summer season. Jennifer Bernard has given the readers some new Boys of Summer to fall in love with. The great thing about a baseball romance is that at the end of the book the readers know that there is more coming. After all a baseball team consists of nine players.
All of Me is the first book in the new series Love Between The Bases by Jennifer Bernard. It is a good mix of romance, angst, humor, small town quirkiness, and baseball. One bad boy baseball player and one good girl with a bad reputation is the perfect blend. Both have made mistakes that they need to right. Both need second chances. Both need each other whether they know it or not. The chemistry between Caleb and Sadie is sizzling hot and could melt a popsicle in a flash.
All of Me was a very good book to start the summer.
Author Bio:
Jennifer Bernard is a graduate of Harvard and a former news promo producer. The child of academics, she confounded her family by preferring romance novels to … well, any other books. She left big city life for true love in Alaska, where she now lives with her husband and stepdaughters. She’s no stranger to book success, as she also writes erotic novellas under a naughty secret name not to be mentioned at family gatherings.
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