The Heat of the Moment (The Boys of Summer, #3)

THE HEAT OF THE MOMENT #3               KATIE ROSE

The Boys of Summer are back! In Katie Rose’s sweet, sparkling novel, the newest New Jersey Sonic falls for the woman who’s trying desperately to save his career.

Physical therapist Jessica Hart has learned her lesson: Never date professional athletes. She’s been down that road, and barely recovered after the relationship crashed and burned. Then Jessica meets Gavin King. An All-Star slugger with chiseled good looks, Gavin was traded to the Sonics because he hurt his knee sliding into second, and now his future is in her hands. Gavin’s no bad boy—but he’s tempting enough to make Jessica think twice about all her rules.

Gavin is trying to find a comfortable routine. If he wants his old life back, he must take it easy, stay out of the limelight, and keep his distance from gorgeous redheaded physical therapists. The thing is, Gavin isn’t the kind of guy to sit on his ass and let other people pull his weight. And when he sees something he wants, he can’t help but fight for it, even if it means risking everything, even if it only lasts a single moment: like one kiss from Jessica. 
MY REVIEW:

     Jessica Hart physical therapist for the New Jersey Sonics Baseball team knows her stuff and she knows men.  Why she has five brothers all in pro sports and all very protective of her.  One is in soccer, one in hockey, one in baseball and two in football.

     Jessica never learned how to be a girlie girl to mom’s dismay but who could fault her with 5 brothers?  It was eat or be eaten.  With all that said Jess fell in love with a young player.  Seems natural right?  It was except that he got too much fame to fast and it went to his head and he believed his own hype.  After months of dating she finds out he has been having an affair not with just one but with many women behind her back.  Yet he couldn’t take the fact that she dumped him not the other way around.

     So the harassing phone calls started to the point where she has to change her number.  She knew a lot of it had to do with the fact that he got too successful too fast and he got a huge head at such a young age but it was hard to see a really good guy take a really bad turn.  The Zach she fell in love with before he believed his own hype was really sweet and real.  A year has passed and she has moved on with her life in every area but the romantic one.  She knew for sure there would never be a pro athlete again that is for sure.  She learned her lesson although she knew there were some good ones out there like her bother Rory, like the pitcher for the Sonics Chase and Jake the shortstop.  Rory said to even ask him about the pro ones and he would give the 411 if he didn’t know he would find out for her.

     The one day Gavin King walks into the PT room with Pete the coach to be introduced to her and she knew she was in deep trouble.  He was her type tall, dark, chocolate brown eyes and built but she saw the limp and the therapist kicked in.  She dropped down rolled up his pant leg and checked it out.  She told them to give her a few minutes to read over the doctor’s report and look at the MRI.  Really what she needed was to have a minute for her heart to stop racing and give herself a pep talk.  The spark of an interest was there for this guy.  She decided to mainly test range of motion and do minimal amount of stretching.

     Gavin was in a funk and frustrated so that night the team went to the bar and Jessica was there.  They didn’t speak because he was sulking.  So when Jess and Pete the coach got up to leave he did notice.  She may not be model pretty but there is this naturally athletic stealth body to die for that makes you take notice.  Yet, it’s her personality that captures your heart with her spirit of truly caring about who she is working with.  When she gets outside she puts on her coat and zips it high to her chin then she lets down her gorgeous mane of red curly hair that he just wanted to run his fingers through.  He shivered not knowing where that came from since he still kinda was in a relationship that was giving him questions.  Yet, he didn’t want to think Kristin his model girlfriend was trying to cut him loose like the Dodgers and or was seeing someone now that he was gone.  No sooner had he finished the thought when Roger the outfielder came up beside him and said something crude like, “Don’t even think about tapping that Jess don’t do athletes.”  Gavin told him he had a girlfriend no worries.  In his heart there was a flip when he thought of Jess.

     Can these two dance around their attraction and hearts of desire?  Or are they just meant to work together as friends during his long recovery?  What do they both want out of a relationship and can they find it with each other?

     I really enjoyed this book.  Love can be so scary for some people.  Especially, when you have been personally hurt.  When your life revolves around pro sports and you see the actions of the players first hand you become gun shy.  Yet, when your heart truly falls in love with the right one and you try as hard as you can to deny it but they are true to you and to the world in general it is hard to resist. 

     I give this 5 stars.  Provided by netgalley.com.  Follow us at:

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