BOYS OF SUMMER
JULIE ELIZABETH LETO, KIMBERLY RAYE, LESLIE KELLY
ISBN #0-373-79268-9
July 2006
Harlequin Enterprises
225 Duncan Mill Rd., Don Mills, Ontario, M3B 3K9
Mass Market Paperback
$4.75
256 pages
Contemporary Romance
Rating: 4 Cups

Fever Pitch by Julie Elizabeth Leto

Callie Andrews runs a successful restaurant and adjacent bar based on the theme of the local professional baseball team. When she discovers that the team may be leaving at the end of the season, she is devastated. Not only would she lose business, but also her ex-husband owns the team. Callie realizes that she still has feelings for him.

Donovan Ross owns the Louisville Slammers. However, he may have to move the team at the end of the season. When he seeks a comforting presence from the woman he has never stopped caring for, the desire he still has for her resurfaces.

Sometimes business deals can go awry. Donovan has trusted the wrong man and the whole team may have to pay for his mistake. However, he could not let his father lose the family business, so he has ended up in a mess. Can they resolve the issue and make a new start in their relationship?

The Sweet Spot by Kimberly Raye

Babe Bannister has developed her family's ice cream parlor into a very successful business. Her specialty ice cream concoctions are extremely popular. It does not hurt that the shop is also frequented by professional baseball players, and one in particular really gets her motor running.

Because of an injury, Brodie Jessup had to give up life as a professional baseball player, so he became a coach. He knows the players on his team rather well and is certain that his friend Babe is wasting her time lusting after sexy shortstop Cody Cameron. Can Brodie convince Babe to give him a shot instead?

The idea that the Slammers may have to leave Louisville at the end of the season has lit a fire under Babe. She is determined to follow through with her fantasy to seduce handsome player, Cody Cameron. Enlisting Brodie Jessup's help is not something she had originally planned, but he just may come in handy. Will she see the flaws in her plan and change her course of action before it is too late?

Sliding Home by Leslie Kelly

Janie Nolan does not consider herself a very attractive woman. She spends her days running her brother's sports memorabilia shop while he is away in the military, but is not very savvy about sports. When she meets a handsome pitcher, his interest in her shocks her to no end.

Riley Kelleher meets Janie when he is visiting his grandfather at the retirement village. Even he is surprised at just how much she interests him. The Slammers may be leaving for Vegas before too long, but he is not so sure he can leave Janie behind.

Running a sports memorabilia shop is not exactly Janie's cup of tea, but she does it for the love of family; the same reason she spends time with her grandmother at the retirement home. Riley's attraction to her really blows her away. He is determined to have the woman he wants, but will his thinking that she only wants the professional ball player and not the man inside, damage their budding relationship?

This terrific book is unusual for the Harlequin Blaze line in that it contains three short stories instead of the usual one. They are centered around a professional baseball team, the Louisville Slammers. The way the stories are intricately interwoven says a lot about the skill and talent of the three authors that collaborated on the book. All three tales are heartwarming and very sexy. If you enjoy contemporary tales of baseball and hot romance, then this is the book for you!

Susan White
Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance
Reviewer for Karen Find Out About New Books