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I left my family and tiny Texas hometown 15 years ago to escape small-town gossips and to give my mom and sister the chance at a better life. But when a phone call from an attorney back home informs me that my sister passed away, leaving me custody of her newborn baby, I'm shocked out of the steady life I've built for myself running a tattoo shop in San Francisco. The thing is: I don't do babies. And I don't do small towns. Or commitment. And I especially don't do family.
I never thought a night out could change everything. All I wanted was to dance, drink, maybe take a cute guy home for a night of fun. I met the guy, but the night ended as a nightmare. Screams and blood and tragedy haunt my dreams. I'm alive and I owe it all to the gorgeous marine who refused to leave me for dead. But how can I start a new relationship when I'm not even sure who I am anymore?
Jamie Canning has never been able to figure out how he lost his closest friend. Four years ago, his tattooed, wisecracking, rule-breaking roommate cut him off without an explanation. So what if things got a little weird on the last night of hockey camp the summer they were 18? It was just a little drunken foolishness. Nobody died.
Blue: When my ex walks into the resort bar with his new husband on his arm, I want nothing more than to prove to him that I've moved on. Thankfully, the sexy stranger sitting next to me is more than willing to share a few kisses in the name of revenge. It gets even better when those scorching kisses turn into a night of fiery passion. The only problem? Turns out the stranger's brother is marrying my sister later this week.
As a sorority pledge, there are commandments that Katie Vickery must live by. One: Thou shalt not show up for the party without a date. Two: The guy shall be an athlete, preferably an upperclassman. Unfortunately, Katie just broke up with her jerkface football player boyfriend. Even worse, her last encounter with him resulted in utter humiliation. She'd rather hide under the bed than attend a party where he'll be. Yet staying home would mean letting him win.
The night I twice rescued presumably straight Ethan Harris, I figured that would be the last time I saw him. However, he keeps finding his way back into my life - and into my bed. Guess he wasn't as straight as I thought. Ethan's full of surprises, though, and being bi is just one of them. As cocky as he can be, he's also sharp and witty and, even when he's being his most arrogant self, he's charming as hell. He likes to win, but so do I. However, as we get to know each other, I realize there's more to us than the games we play in and out of the bedroom.
I left my family and tiny Texas hometown 15 years ago to escape small-town gossips and to give my mom and sister the chance at a better life. But when a phone call from an attorney back home informs me that my sister passed away, leaving me custody of her newborn baby, I'm shocked out of the steady life I've built for myself running a tattoo shop in San Francisco. The thing is: I don't do babies. And I don't do small towns. Or commitment. And I especially don't do family.
I never thought a night out could change everything. All I wanted was to dance, drink, maybe take a cute guy home for a night of fun. I met the guy, but the night ended as a nightmare. Screams and blood and tragedy haunt my dreams. I'm alive and I owe it all to the gorgeous marine who refused to leave me for dead. But how can I start a new relationship when I'm not even sure who I am anymore?
Jamie Canning has never been able to figure out how he lost his closest friend. Four years ago, his tattooed, wisecracking, rule-breaking roommate cut him off without an explanation. So what if things got a little weird on the last night of hockey camp the summer they were 18? It was just a little drunken foolishness. Nobody died.
Blue: When my ex walks into the resort bar with his new husband on his arm, I want nothing more than to prove to him that I've moved on. Thankfully, the sexy stranger sitting next to me is more than willing to share a few kisses in the name of revenge. It gets even better when those scorching kisses turn into a night of fiery passion. The only problem? Turns out the stranger's brother is marrying my sister later this week.
As a sorority pledge, there are commandments that Katie Vickery must live by. One: Thou shalt not show up for the party without a date. Two: The guy shall be an athlete, preferably an upperclassman. Unfortunately, Katie just broke up with her jerkface football player boyfriend. Even worse, her last encounter with him resulted in utter humiliation. She'd rather hide under the bed than attend a party where he'll be. Yet staying home would mean letting him win.
The night I twice rescued presumably straight Ethan Harris, I figured that would be the last time I saw him. However, he keeps finding his way back into my life - and into my bed. Guess he wasn't as straight as I thought. Ethan's full of surprises, though, and being bi is just one of them. As cocky as he can be, he's also sharp and witty and, even when he's being his most arrogant self, he's charming as hell. He likes to win, but so do I. However, as we get to know each other, I realize there's more to us than the games we play in and out of the bedroom.
When Brian "Brin" Schubert's condo floods, he takes his co-worker up on the offer to stay on his crappy futon for a while. The last thing he expects is for his friend's roommate to be the one guy he despises the most. The same guy who stomped on his heart senior year of high school. And by the looks of the girl on his arm, the same man who's still deep inside the closet. Nicholas Dell never predicted that 11 years later, one of his greatest regrets would show up on his doorstep down on his luck.
Drafted to play for the Jacksonville Sea Storm, an NHL affiliate, 20-year-old Lane Courtnall's future looks bright, apart from the awkwardness he feels as a gay man playing on a minor league hockey team. He's put his foot in his mouth a few times and alienated his teammates. Then, during a rivalry game, Lane throws off his gloves against Jared Shore, enforcer for the Savannah Renegades. It's a strange way to begin a relationship.
Professionally, Dr. Alec Johnson has almost reached his goals. As this year's recipient of a humanitarian award with his ex, Dr. Tyler Hall, Alec's work with the homeless is about to be recognized. Unfortunately, his personal life sucks because now he has to attend several events alongside Tyler - with his ex's new boyfriend in tow. In an attempt to lift his mood and break out of his rut, Alec purchases a motorcycle he has no idea how to start.
Firefighter Morgan has worked hard to build a home for himself after a nomadic childhood. When Morgan is called to a fire, he finds the family out front, but their tenant still inside. He rescues Richard Smalley, who turns out to be an old friend he hasn't seen in years and the one person he regretted leaving behind.
Most people called it a cult. But for 20 years, Josh and Caleb called it home. In Paradise, there is no television. No fast food. Just long hours of farmwork and prayer on a dusty Wyoming ranch and nights in a crowded bunkhouse. The boys of the Compound are kept far from the sinners' world. But Joshua doesn't need temptation to sin. His whole life he's wanted his best friend, Caleb. By day they work side by side. Only when Josh closes his eyes at night can they be together the way he craves. It can never be.
Jory Keyes leads a normal life as an architect’s assistant until he is witness to a brutal murder. Though initially saved by police Detective Sam Kage, Jory refuses protective custody - he has a life he loves that he won’t give up no matter who is after him. But Jory’s life is in real jeopardy, especially after he agrees to testify about what he saw. While dealing with attempts on his life, well-meaning friends who want to see him happy, an overly protective boss, and a slowly unfolding mystery that is much more sinister than he could ever imagine, the young gay man finds himself getting involved with Sam, the conflicted and closeted detective....
When introverted doctor Ben Hardy's high-maintenance girlfriend wants to introduce a little more kink into their love life, he doesn't expect it to come in the form of the hunky new EMT who just moved to Blackwood. Ben's not gay, but damn! He can definitely see why all the women turn to mush when he's around: tall, blue eyes, body of an underwear model. The prospect of being naked in the same room with him is horrifying. So why the hell is he considering it?
Trevor Dixon has made too many mistakes to count. Sober for 13 months, he's determined to do the right thing: rebuild his relationship with his family and help his brother get Rock Solid Construction off the ground. Failing them again isn't an option. Too bad the first estimate Trevor goes on alone is for an uptight doctor with a superiority complex. A hand injury took away the only important thing in Dr. Simon Malone's life - performing heart surgery. He doesn't do well with people and has no family, but being a damn good surgeon? He always had that.
Daniel Mulligan is tough, snarky, and tattooed, hiding his self-consciousness behind sarcasm. Daniel has never fit in - not at home in Philadelphia with his auto mechanic father and brothers, and not at school where his Ivy League classmates looked down on him. Now, Daniel's relieved to have a job at a small college in Holiday, Northern Michigan, but he's a city boy through and through, and it's clear that this small town is one more place he won't fit in.
Self-proclaimed playboy, Aiden Vale, has it all - good looks, successful career, plenty of cash in the bank, and an endless supply of men who know the score...that one night is just that. So the last thing he wants, or needs, is to forge a connection that might mean revealing more of himself than he's ready to. But when fate intervenes, putting Aiden in the path of someone who threatens to knock down his carefully constructed walls, he's quick to realize the young man he's become infatuated with is hiding a painful secret.
Hosting her brother's wedding for an MVP guest list is the challenge of Jess Canning's life. Already the family screw-up, she can't afford to fail. And nobody (nobody!) can learn of the colossal mistake she made with the best man during a weak moment last spring. It was wrong, and there will not be a repeat. Absolutely not. Even if he is the sexiest thing on two legs.
When Theodore Davenport decides to switch his mundane job for a career, he walks into Holden House Publishing with enthusiasm and determination to succeed. As he settles into his new role, makes new friends, and dreams of making it to the top, everything is going to plan. Until he meets James Holden, CEO of Holden House.
There's never been any question in Sean Tucker's mind that he'd do whatever it took to make it to the major leagues and be one of the best pitchers of his time. The day he acknowledged to himself that he was gay was also the day he vowed to stay in the closet in order to chase his dreams. The problem is, he never counted on Mason Atley.
Sean showed rookie short stop Mason Atley the ropes, both on the field and off. The two forged a friendship, which continued as both of them moved through the ranks of the farm system and into the majors. Unfortunately, there's always been one secret Mason never felt he could share with Sean - until now.
For seven years, Sean lived with the fact that he loved a man who would never reciprocate. When Mason admits that he's always known he was bisexual but has never allowed himself to pursue a relationship with a man, will Sean be able to put aside his reservations about starting a relationship with the friend he'd always assumed was straight? And, more importantly, will they be able to find a way to stay together when their careers keep them apart more than they can be together?
I wish I had listened to the bad review one reviewer gave about the narration. It was slow with individual words said instead of flowing sentences. The narrator mispronounced so many words I couldn't keep track of them. Common words. "Rescind" does not have a long "i" sound in it. A few other words: haphazard, strenuous, and the Cy Young Award is not C. Y. Young! Brutal listening.
8 of 8 people found this review helpful
It wasn't a terribly original story, but was sweet and well told. I liked the characters enough to give it an overall favorable review and overlook the fact that I've basically read this story before.
This narrator has potential, but didn't hit it on this book. This was not the worst narration I've ever heard and I did listen to the whole book. (I've been known to quit after a chapter with a few bad narrations.) He has a nice enough voice, *bad* female voices though. His pacing/timing was off though and yes, many many mispronunciations - for me the worst was wrought as in wrought iron. I don't know what he said but it definitely wasn't wrought. I can forgive or overlook one or two stalls in pacing or strange pronunciations but this book was SO full of them I don't know that I will be able to listen to it a second time, even though I liked the story well enough. I hope if Christopher Rain is to continue as a regular narrator that he learns as he goes. I'd give him a second chance, but probably not a third unless things improve.
Wish I'd waited for it to be on sale or available through the lending library.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful
What would have made Wild Pitch better?
The narrator was not desirable. He's voice sounded as if he was choking, flat. Mason's ex-wife's voice was cringe-worthy. The other women voices were bearable.
Has Wild Pitch turned you off from other books in this genre?
No.
How did the narrator detract from the book?
YES. YES. YES!
You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?
The story line wasn't bad. However, the narrator did not do the story justice.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Liked the the story.
But the narration was utterly terrible. Robotic. Cold. Dull.
I don’t recommend it.
How could the performance have been better?
Not fond of narrator, so slow at times and I couldn't take his impression of Mason or the female characters!!!
Any additional comments?
I was so excited to start this audio book because I started with the third one Triple Play first which I loved and the narrator Greg Boudreaux was fantastic but OMG this one hurt to listen to. :-(
A beautiful read and audio the story leas beautiful of two men trot find a life together then as a family
Christopher Rain is marvellous- he has a smooth voice which was magnificent for this story.
I was halfway through this story when I realized the two men with a son I encountered in a later book in this series were the guys I was reading about. Apparently I missed reading this book when it first came out but learning I would run into them in a later story made this story all the more enjoyable.
I almost gave up on this book in the first five minutes because I felt the beginning was too slow. I usually listen at 1x speed without any issue. However, Rain narrates way too slow for me to listen at that speed. Once I started listening at 1.25x speed, the storytelling got much better. I'm not a fan of long romance novels but this was good. It was a pleasant surprise.
Story was pretty good, but the narration ruined the story for me. It was just a too bland narration.
What did you love best about Wild Pitch?
The story was decent and interesting, but mostly MEH...
What was one of the most memorable moments of Wild Pitch?
Nothing really stands out.
What aspect of Christopher Rain’s performance would you have changed?
Editors should have reviewed the pronunciation of some of the words. He pronounced "haphazardly" as "hapa-zardly" -- several mispronunciations throughout the book became very annoying. Also the "nasal" tone and "lisping" of the female characters was rather strange.
Who was the most memorable character of Wild Pitch and why?
None really stood out for me.
What disappointed you about Wild Pitch?
The narrator is a favorite of the author's. This book has decided for me that I won't be listening to anymore of his audiobooks. He speaks like a robot, slow and monotonous. In this day, we can pick narrators that "add" the inflections. Not this one. I feel like he talks to us like we are little kids.
Would you ever listen to anything by Sloan Johnson again?
Not anymore. :(
Any additional comments?
Read the book on your own but be prepared for contradictions from page one. Example - "We would do anything for the bride. Mason is so in love with her." to "He is a complete mess and she is a complete b*tch"
1 of 1 people found this review helpful