Review: Game Changer by Collette West (New York Kings #1)
Note: This ebook was provided by Enticing Journey Book Promotions in exchange for an honest review.
I've always been a sucker for a good sports romance, especially when it involves a sport I actually enjoy watching--like baseball. Now, I've read my fair share of baseball-related love stories but not only was Collette West a new author to me and her New York Kings series a new one on my book radar, I was drawn to Game Changer, the first book in the said series because it gave me something so out of left field that I couldn't wait to read it: a woman becoming a professional baseball player! And I'm not talking about a women's league here. Sasha Roberts came up with a plan to save her ailing brother's spot on his baseball team, the New York Kings, and that was to play in his place. He may not have agreed to it, but Brooks Davison wanted to be supportive, especially because Sasha was his best friend Kyle's sister...and the girl he's been in love with for years. The feelings aren't all that one-sided either but fraternizing with a fellow player could lead to several repercussions. How long can Sasha and Brooks keep their emotions a secret?
This was a thoroughly enjoyable series starter, one that introduced me to the players of the New York Kings--a number of whom piqued my interest quite a bit--and gave me an original love story set in the world of baseball and uses the falling-for-a-best-friend's-sibling trope in a creative way. Sasha and Brooks are like runners caught between two bases, not sure where the ball's going to end up, leaving them wondering if they're going to be called out or safe. It's taken a good, long while for them to own up to how they feel for one another, but the fact that Sasha does become Brooks's teammate more than complicates things. Add to that the pressures of everyone else on the time not exactly thrilled at the idea of having a female as part of what's always been an exclusive boys' club while trying to find an organ donor for Kyle and Sasha and Brooks can't help but feel as if they're being pulled in all directions. This was a slow burn of sorts, and I appreciated the slow pacing because they really had conflicts that needed to be addressed first.
Aside from the romance brewing between the two lead characters, the other important angle in the story had to do with family--both Sasha's and Brooks's as well as the idea of the New York Kings being a family. Kyle's health condition was precarious and there were a couple of moments in the story that I had tears in my eyes because of how emotional everything had gotten with regards to Kyle, especially when the team does something Sasha didn't expect. This story has a strong set of supporting characters that so tempted me to find out more about them, and so yes, the rest of the New York Kings series is on my to-be-read list as well as Night Changes, which is about Chase Whitfield and which I thought was actually the first book in this series but turns out to be a standalone (go figure). The latter is a tad difficult to find so I'm not sure if it's been taken out of publication (no!), but Google is my friend and a bit more digging wouldn't hurt. All in all, Game Changer was an unexpected but absolutely fantastic series starter and it easily receives 4.5 stars. ♥
Date Read: 02 March 2016
Learn more about Collette West.
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