STRIKE ZONE

Author: Kate Angell ISBN: 9780505527080 4/2008 CONTEMPORARY Publisher: DORCHESTER

Faced with the love of her life waiting at the altar, thrill-seeking adventure guide Taylor Hannah lost her nerve and ran. Three years later, the gutsy blonde is back in Richmond to reclaim handsome Rogues pitcher Brek Stryker before he makes another trip down the aisle. From dressing as a giant baseball to pummeling the other team’s mouthy mascot, this former fiancée is pulling out all the stops. Trouble is, her ball player refuses to believe she’s finally ready to play by his rules. Stryke hasn’t forgiven the woman who left him on their wedding day, but he can’t ignore the chemistry that sizzles every time he and Taylor meet. The fireworks between them could light up the ball park, but Stryke won’t lose his heart again unless he knows the score. If Taylor steps into his strike zone, she’d better be ready to go past third base and all the way home.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

STRIKE ZONE is Kate Angell's third installment in her engaging Boys of Summer series, which stars yummy baseball players and the women who love them.

In this novel, pitcher Brek Stryker is faced with a blast from his past in Taylor Hannah, the woman that left him at the altar three years ago and broke his heart forever. Taylor learns that Brek is about to get married and wants to see him one more time, and maybe get a chance to make right her mistake from long ago. But Brek wants nothing to do with Taylor, and only through a series of unfortunate injuries do the two find themselves in each other's space once again. Will Brek be able to forgive Taylor? Can Taylor let Brek go once and for all? Or is there a chance at something more between the two?

This book is great because there is a secondary romance between relief pitcher Sloan McCaffrey and Taylor's sister, Eve Hannah. These two are featured just as much as Brek and Taylor, and in their own way add sizzle and pop to this wonderfully sexy story. Sloan starts out trying to go after Taylor, but once he meets Eve, all bets are off as she is the one that gets his heart racing. It's a cat and mouse game from then on as Sloan pursues Eve relentlessly and she tries to hold him off, but is attracted all the same. Reading these two was a lot of fun as I couldn't wait for each of them to fall, and fall hard. But will Sloan's life in the fast lane put a halt to his relationship with Eve? Or will the man, and not the image, be able to win this reserved lady over once and for all?

I absolutely love this series by Kate Angell. I mean, sexy baseball players who play just as hard off the field as they do on the field are hard to pass by, and I am a weak woman. SQUEEZE PLAY and CURVEBALL are the first two in this series, but I must say the books only get better as they continue on in the series. Brek and Taylor are the main couple, but I think Sloan and Hannah stole the show. Those two together could light a cold furnace with their heat. I love that Angell always features more than one romance in her stories. The characters are always likeable, the dialogue lightning fast and sharp, and the romance scenes hot enough to.... okay, you already heard that simile.

Run to your nearest bookstore and get Kate Angell's STRIKE ZONE, a definite keeper for all fans of fun and sensual romances!

Maame Kanbi