Thursday, February 19, 2015

Release Day Blitz #review: Fear of Striking Out by Lyssa Layne


TITLE: Fear of Striking Out
AUTHOR: Lyssa Layne
GENRE: Contemporary Romance
PUBLICATION DATE: February 19, 2015
COVER DESIGN: E.J. Kellan
LENGTH: 54,000+
CONTENT WARNING: Adult Content


Synopsis

Shortstop Tate James has been traded from the all-American town of Milwaukee to the trendy City of Angels. 

Pink hair, manscaping, dogs in purses... not his thing. This ball player is less than excited about his new hometown. That is until he crosses paths with beautiful Mia Tomko. She lets him know that not all L.A. women are just after fame and fortune.

As Tate and Mia find that their interest in each other isn't the only thing they have in common, neither are prepared for what their future holds. 

When someone from both of their pasts arrives, will it tear them apart or make them closer?

Book Links


Excerpt


Waves crash in the darkness of the night. The moon peeks behind a few clouds as I lean against Mia’s deck sipping whiskey. Once again, the thought of moving to L.A. doesn’t seem so bad, especially when I feel her hand slide over my back pockets. Her breath is warm on my ear as both hands run over my backside. I feel her smile against my cheek. She lightly kisses it and whispers while she gives me a squeeze, “I can’t wait to see you in baseball pants this season.”

Laughing, I turn around to face her and pull her body against mine. She moves her arms around my neck and we exchange a powerful kiss. My whole body shakes inside and I don’t ever want to stop kissing her. What is this woman doing to me? I’m not the kind of man that wants to settle down. Back in Milwaukee, I had a few lady friends that I would get together with from time to time, but I’ve never seen a woman the way I see Mia Tomko. She breaks the kiss, but I don’t let go.

“Good, you started the fire,” she says nodding toward the fire pit. “I brought out the fixings for s’mores; hope you like them.”

Chuckling, I nod my head as I let go of her and she walks over to the table. “They’re actually my favorite.”

I watch her open the box of graham crackers. Damn, even in torn-up jeans and a baggy Stanford sweatshirt she looks good. Reaching for another bag to busy myself, I stop and look at Mia. “Reese’s?”

She nods with a grin. “Trust me, it’s way better than a Hershey bar. It’s pure ecstasy.”

Leaning forward, I kiss her neck, making her giggle. “Nah, I think this is pure ecstasy.”

Walking to the fire pit with roasters in hand, I stand behind her so I can nibble on her neck as we toast the ‘mallows. She tilts her head, giving me full access to her soft skin. A few turns of the roaster and she holds the s’more in front of my mouth. My teeth clamp down over the treat as I lock eyes with her. “Mmm… ” I moan. She’s right, the Reese’s are delicious.

Grinning, she pulls the s’more back and takes a bite herself. Chocolate smears on her lip. I lean forward and run my tongue over it then close my mouth and suck her lip to get every last bit off. As she slips her tongue over mine, I can feel myself start to get hard and I moan into her mouth. Mumbling with my lips still against hers, I utter, “You’re right… ecstasy.”

Additional Books
If you love Fear of Striking Out then you don't want to miss Tate & Mia's friends story in The Right Pitch.

Review
Tate James gets transfer to LA to continue his baseball career, he needs to get a place to live pronto and has an appointment with a realtor the next morning, but tonight he finds himself at a bar contemplating his latest life twist. Is at that bar where he meets Mia Tomko, their exchange is brief and a bit heated ending with Mia walking out on him. But the next morning he gets a very nice surprise when his realtor is none other than Mia herself.
These two hit it off and a relationship blossoms. They both have things they have to come clean about, Tate has a cute boy from a previous relationship who he has custody of and his parents take care of while he plays ball. Mia's history is a bit more complicated and dark, it also involves a man they both know.
When that man from their past comes back in the picture, will he be the one to bring them closer or would he be the one to push them apart?
I LOVED this book! I'm not a baseball fan but this book has the right amount of the sport to keep me entertain and keep my attention. What really brought my attention to the book was the human aspect of the story. I love how little by little Mia starts giving herself the credit and respect she deserves and start breaking the chains of abuse that had been oppressing her up until the point when she met Tate.
Usually in a story I find myself disliking characters, in this story I found myself hating Mia's ex. I found myself calling him a few (more than a few) not so nice words throughout the story, and absolutely despising him at the end. This is a story that will hold your interest from beginning to end and the author did a fantastic job telling it.
Side Note: The story deals with domestic abuse which can be a trigger to some readers, that said, the author did a good job of approaching the subject.

About the Author


Lyssa Layne is first, and foremost, the proud momma to her precious daughter, AR. In addition to working full-time and being a mommy to AR, she is also an avid St. Louis Cardinals fan, a runner, blogger, and an infertility survivor. 

Having watched one too many medical dramas and being inspired by author Rachelle Ayala, who introduced her to the world of indie writing, Lyssa decided to try her hand at writing a romance story. Her attempt turned into the Burning Lovesick series. You can find Lyssa's own interests throughout her stories although all stories are fictional.

Author Links


Facebook Party

You won't want to miss the Fear of Striking Out Release Day Party on Facebook tonight from 7-10PM CT. There will be giveaways, games, and tons of fun! Hosts include: Beth Jones, Traci Hayden, William Scott, Linda Armstrong, Toshia Slade, and of course, Lyssa Layne! See you there!

Giveaway

Be sure to enter this Rafflecopter for a chance to win an ebook from Lyssa Layne, jewelry from Baseball Wishes, and a free cover from E.J. Kellan! Rafflecopter will be open until 2/22/15.


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