Force Play by Elle Brownlee

I gave this book more than a fair chance but honestly, I just don't care about baseball (or know anything about it..) which means a HUGE portion of this book was totally lost on me. I was here for the character development and romance and I didn't get enough of it to keep me going. I mean, Harmon was going through stuff for sure, but it wasn't enough to keep me invested. 

Professional baseball player Harmon "Hawk" Kiel made a mess of things. First for being drafted to a prestige team and being unable to deliver. Then he was outed when he had too much fun and was too drunk to take his regular precautions. Being transferred to the worst team possible - Loggerheads - was a deserving punishment but since he has nothing without baseball he accepts. 

It took time for Harmon to say it "out loud" but in this stage in life he doesn't even like baseball and the fact he can't play as well as he "should" makes it even harder for him, not to mention his new team has another role for him to play so naturally he isn't good at it, and though he might be starting to get better, his lack of connections in town, in his team or just ANY friends makes his life miserable. His only real light is Caleb Jackson who is a part of the Loggerheads organization. He doesn't play, he sort of helps the team on practice though it's obvious he USED to play but where I stopped we still don't get any explanation to what happened. It was truly sad being in Harmon's head. Not because of what he was saying more so of what he wasn't or didn't have - including family (since he was outed). 

Emergency Contact by Elle Brownlee

This one was rather cute. I liked the interaction between the characters though there were A LOT of things unsaid and quite a lot of Liam getting lost inside his own head. In a way it's what made this story thought provoking. I mean, there were times I wanted to smack both him and Garrett on the head but other times I could see how Liam's insecurities together with Garrett's inexperience (and sometimes indecision) made it difficult to communicate in order to solve their issues. That being said I LOVED how they meshed together. There was something simply beautiful in the way they could just BE together or just beside each other and feel totally satisfied. 

Liam Wright is a mathematician which means to him everything is logical and (should) work in a perfect pattern. He had a rather "easy" life coming from money, having his own place, not needing a lot of people in his circle. Life and his routine suits him. Then his friend Carl appears out of the blue asking for a favor. Calculating what this favor is going to "cost" him, he accepts. All he has to do is help out Carl's cousin with a few tips about New York City life and if needed be his "Emergency Contact" (since Carl would be out of town).

Garrett Honeycutt is ten years younger than (33 years old) Liam. He has lived a rather sheltered life in a small town in Iowa. He came to New York City to model. It's not something he aspired to be/do, it just worked out this way and since he needs money for college he is rather content in making the big money it offers. He isn't ashamed of the job but he is also not that thrilled about it. Coming to Liam's apartment to introduce himself with a home cooked meal feels like the polite and right thing to do. Yet seeing Liam before his mandatory cup(s) of coffee might not be the best idea..

Staggered Cove Station (Coast Guard Rescue #1) [Karl & Dan] by Elle Brownlee

I stumbled upon Elle a while back through two Anthologies and I REALLY wanted to try more by her. Maybe starting with Dreamspun Desires wasn't the best idea as these tend to be less "sophisticated".  I liked the idea behind this one, and I think, as a series, it holds promise but all in all it was quite disappointing. The romance was flat, with no real issues / difficulties, taking place in a rather short period of time. The mystery was the best part, though I'm not sure what I feel about the way it was resolved. 

Karl Radin was born and raised in Alaska and he loves his job on the Coast Guard Rescue teams. He knows his job and feel capable but after losing his partner he is a bit weary of getting another "fresh" one. Dan looks like a promising prospect but he behaves a bit strange which makes it a difficult for Karl to trust him fully (which he needs considering the high risk in their job). 

Dan Farnsworth came to Alaska and the Coase Guard Rescue team for one and only reason - to find out what happened to his brother - Axe Neal. A strong swimmer, better than him, he can't believe he simply drowned. His first prospect is ex-partner (and now his own partner) - Karl, but after seeing him in action it's obvious to Dan he couldn't be behind anything nefarious. All the other girls and gals at the station are pretty nice an accepting which makes it easy to build a connection, but it doesn't make his "job" of finding the truth easier. 

One Holiday Ever After by Tere Michaels, Elle Brownlee & Elizah J. Davis

After finishing the previous book I knew there is something I needed to do - Add EVERYTHING by Elle and Elizah to my reading list (the books I have left from Tere's booklist are already scheduled for the near future). As both authors don't have a lot of published work I'll be finishing their books in the near future. Actually already started! I have just one more full length novel by Elizah I'll be delving into this month. Elle's books won't be left for long as well!

For me the first and third novellas were simply superb! For some reason I struggled a bit with the second one though I did like it, I didn't LOVE it like I did the other two. Nevertheless, great anthology !

One Night Ever After by Tere Michaels, Elle Brownlee & Elizah J. Davis

Anthologies can be tricky. That's why I saved this one for SO LONG. I knew I loved Tere's writing but since I didn't know the other two authors I was still a bit reluctant. Silly silly me. This anthology was in one word AWESOME. I enjoy all three and HIGHLY recommend them. It also means I'll be looking into both Elizah and Elle's booklist. Really interested in getting more by them.

Can't wait to start the next anthology (One Holiday Ever After) which is another collaboration between these three authors.