Secure Your Copy A League Of Her Own By Karen Rock Accessible As Paper Copy

was so excited when I was scheduled as a stop on Karens blog tour, Not only is she a gifted storyteller, shes a sweet friend, I was originally supposed to post my review on theth, but family problems got in the way, Karen was so gracious and understanding, She told me family, of course, came before book reviews, And, although she is correct, I still want to share some of my thoughts on her newest novel in the “Heartwarming” series by Harlequin, “A League of Her Own.
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“A League of Her Own” is a touching look at the dynamics of human relationships, from family, to romantic.
It explores how these relationships mold and shape ones life and attitudes, all the while entertaining the reader with a well written, thoroughly enjoyable story.


Anyone who reads my blog knows my biggest rule: never, ever, talk about a books plot, I dont give a rehash of the story in my review, You have to read the book yourself to get the full emotional connection the author intended, However, its so hard for me to keep my own rule with this review!

There are so many levels in this story, so many different relationships and stages of those relationships.
Id love to outline them all, dissect each, and tell you what I think about the characters relationships and how they weave into the fabric of the story, intersecting with the other relationships.
It was incredibly well written and thought out and I found myself getting so wrapped up in the dynamics of the story that hours felt like minutes.
Before I knew it, my kids were asking about dinner and I thought, “Dinner Its only one oclock, ” Um, nope. Try five oclock and Id read more than half the book,

The story is full of beautifully, richly written characters, which seemed three dimensional, In other words, not just words on a page, The characters in “A League of Her Own” walked across the pages, playing out the scenes, and the reader isnt a mere spectator, but an active participant.
Writing that pulls the reader so far into a story is rare and a true gift, It is something every author strives for, and this book shows Karen Rocks talent of taking a reader from their favorite reading chair, to a world of Karens creation.


I suppose one reason I was so drawn to “A League of Her Own” is because I could relate to the main character, Heather.
Alcohol had always played a part in her life in some way, It was like a living, breathing thing that skulked around corners and darted from bush to bush following hernever leaving her in peace.
And with it, it brought its friends: Deceit, Selfdoubt, Suspicion, and the meanest of all, the inability to let people in.
To truly open yourself up and let them into your life, Because once you did that you opened yourself up for alcohols other friends, Pain and Loss, I could see myself in Heather, I read my life on the pages of the book, And parts made my heart ache, and parts showed me the hope I carry with me now, But all of it was a story that needed to be told, That needs to be told more often,

Deceit. Loss. Pain. Selfdoubt. Suspicion. Alone. They are the faces of alcoholism and they touch everyone,

Bottom Line: An engaging story, The plot was well thought out, the pacing was steady throughout the book, The characters were flawed, making them real and likeable, I think this is one of my favorite of Karens books, I highly recommend it.

I am not an athlete, yet I enjoy a story that revolves around sports, Heather has spent her whole life around baseball and has a deep love for the sport, Not only is she a college champion softball pitcher, but she's a great coach and has a good eye for things not obvious to others.
She's had an emotional tough upbringing, due to her mother's addictions, and baseball seems to be a stabilizing force in her life.


Garrett has also had a tough upbringing and just wants to feel successful and accepted, Determined to break out of the cycle, he makes a name for himself, only to lose it all, When he is given a second chance to pitch for the Falcons, he takes it and decides to focus solely on his dreams, but with Heather as his boss, that's pretty hard to do.


I love a good romance and thought this one was very well done, There are a lot of issues that these characters are dealing with, from fears to forgiveness to battling with weaknesses to earning respect.
Everything was woven together so well, I especially loved how these characters seemed to jump off the pages, Heather seems so cool, collected, and confident, but she has insecurities that leave her feeling far from perfect, Garrett has a way of drawing her feelings out, even when she has major issues with him, In turn, Heather has a way of reaching Garrett, so that he finds himself doing things that he never thought he would do.
Ms. Rock has a way of weaving an enchanting tale and I'm a huge fan!

Content: a few mild expletives no violence, but brief mentions of neglectful parenting and underage drinking a couple of romantic kisses.
Clean!

I received a copy in exchange for an honest review They definitely got the Heartwarming right, this is the sweetest heartwarming story that will warm your heart and soul.
In all of the books I have read of Karens she hits on tough issues, she has the talent to pull you in and touch your heart in so many ways.
In this it is addiction of pain medication and alcohol, Karen shows you how it rips families apart, how hard it is to fight the battle of not taking the next hit.
This is a story of not only one person but two people who have to get their life on track and keep it there to keep their love ones.


How do you learn to trust someone you know you never have been able to Can you ever trust an addict These are the questions that Heather will have to ask herself and deal with before she can ever find peace in her life.
She has an over bearing father who makes her feel she has never been good enough, StrikeShe has a mother who left her when she was very young for whatever reason and her addiction, StrikeShe wants to manage her fathers baseball team he is against it Strike, . You add Garrett who is a recovering alcoholic, their star pitcher and off limits, the attraction is powerful could this be strikeIt looks like Heather is about to strike out in her own life, can she get it together, show her father what she is made of and make him proud On top of that she has to deal with her mother she hasnt seen in years, how much can a girl take Garrett just isnt taking no for an answer but once an addict always and addict.
could he really be clean and can he stay clean So many question and not enough answers, time is running out can she pull off being the first female manager in the league

You always fall in love with Karens many different characters, each one will hold a place in your heart.
She gives such life to them you feel you know them and they become a part of your family, Karen writes strong stand up characters that have been given a bad hand in life, Karens writing style flows easy, she keeps you with her as you turn the pages to find out what she has in store for you.
I found this story to be very believable, her facts are right on the money, These characters are fighters, the go for what they want in live, strong, caring and human, This is a wonderful clean read with many surprises that holds the readers attention, Karen gives you a story of pain, lost, hope, forgiving, peace and love, It was a very touching read that will keep you looking for the next shoe to drop and hoping they can pull it together to find a happy ending.


Karen is one of my favorite authors, I look forward to many more books from her, She has a talent to get right to the heart with her easy style of writing that will leave you at peace as she warms your heart and soul.

Classified as a romance, I found this book was more of a sports story, . . the first female manager of a minor league baseball team, trying to turn things around for them, and a pitcher who's a recovering alcoholic, looking for a second chance.
I really liked this book, It had a good storyline that addressed issues dealing with addition, trust and forgiveness, If you don't know a darn thing about baseball there's probably a good story here, I'm a huge baseball fan and was too distracted by the utter lack of research to keep trying to read this.
I've enjoyed other books by this author immensely! but this one was a nonstarter for me after the first couple of chapters.
I received an ebook ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review

This book was a lighthearted read, despite the different pieces of angst that were woven in.
Karen does a nice job of writing in a way that's easy to follow and that puts the reader right there in the story with the characters.
I typically don't read this particular genre of book, because as much of a romantic as I can be I tend to seek it out in New Adult stories versus straight up Romance novels.
The story followed a plot that's similar to other Harlequin books I've read, but there were twists and turns added in and some layers of complexity for certain story lines and characters that made it stand alone.


I liked the heroine Heather because she was so eager to defy a lot of the gender roles that have been imposed on females in today's society.
Becoming the first female manager for a minor league baseball team couldn't be an easy job, and Heather was so happy to take that role on and to show the team as well as the rest of the league that it could be done.
She was sure footed, but still had moments of insecurity that shined through, which made her a bit more real to me than some of the other heroines I've read in romance novels.


Garrett caught my attention immediately because he's your typical bad boy, and what woman doesn't fall for a bad boy Ok, I'm sure there are some who don't, but this one did.
He's got a boatload of issues beneath the surface though, and Karen did a great job approaching those issues in a detailed yet realistic manner.
I didn't feel that she was embellishing his problems for the sake of creating drama in the book, Instead, his demons reared their ugly heads in ways and at times that I would come to expect of anyone who might be enduring the same struggles as he is.
I'm not going to mention said struggles here because I don't want to spoil this,

There were two main things that made this a three star book for me instead of a four star.
First, I was frustrated by Heather's inability to stand up to her father, She was painted as such a confident character, and she did handle herself with confidence and grace while working with the team itself, but when it came to fielding criticism from her dad some of which was very unwarranted criticism, it was like her backbone would turn to jelly and she'd melt into a puddle on the floor.
I would have liked to have seen her take more of an assertive approach to dealing with him,

Second, I just didn't feel the immediate "spark" between Heather and Garrett that they both said they felt.
It was obvious they had some basic physical attraction to one another, but there was none of that pull, that magnetic attraction that it seemed like the author was trying to insinuate they had.
Or at least I didn't feel any of it while reading,

Overall this is a wellwritten and easy to read book with a good storyline and a good cast of characters.
Karen's secondary characters are strong and play different roles in the story as well, which was nice to see, If you're a romantic and looking for something that will make you ooh and ahh, but at the same time will provide just enough angst to keep it from being too sugary sweet, this is the book for you.
This review can also be found at sitelinkCarole's Random Life,

I received an advanced reader edition of this book from the author for the purpose of providing an honest review.


Stars!

I loved this sweet story! I have read a lot of sports romance and have found that the focus is almost always on the romance with just a glimpse of the sport.
That is not the case with this novel, This is a true sports story with the sport being just as important as the romance, I love baseball so this story really appealed to me,

Heather is a softball coach after having been a great player herself, When she gets the call that her dad has had a heart attack, she rushes to his side, Soon she finds out that her father is

planning to sell his struggling minor league baseball team and she fights to get a chance to manage the team and turn things around.
Nothing Heather does ever seems to be good enough for her father but he eventually agrees to the plan,

Garrett is a recovering alcoholic who is trying one last time to fulfill his dreams of making it to the big leagues.
When he finds out that his team will now have the first female manager, he is ready to find another team.
He soon recognizes that Heather has what it takes to lead this team and gives the team his all,

There is a lot of chemistry between Garrett and Heather from the very beginning but there are also a lot of reasons they should not act on it.
When Heather becomes the manager of the Falcons, she also becomes his boss so a relationship is not the best idea.
An even bigger problem is that Heather does not feel that she can ever trust anyone who has ever been an addict because she watched her mother relapse too many times when she was younger.


The fact that this book is part of the Harlequin Heartwarming line is perfect! It is most definitely a heartwarming story.
Garrett and Heather both have a lot of issues from their past to overcome and watching them do that in this story was wonderful.
This story is wonderfully written and the character's emotions really feel authentic, I would definitely recommend this book to others, Baseball fans should find this story particularly appealing, This is the first book by Karen Rock that I have had the chance to read and I plan to look for others in the future.

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