Sometimes you come across a book that ends up being tough to describe your feelings about the story. Maybe you liked it but you don’t care for some of the characters. Maybe there’s something in it that just makes it hard for you to connect with everything going on.
I read and review a lot of books. This new release is one of those that falls in the tough to review category for me. Entertaining and unique contemporary fiction released last month, I have some mixed feelings about this one so read on for my full review.
The One-Night Stand by Elizabeth Hayley
Publisher : Waterhouse Press LLC (December 15, 2020)
ISBN-13 : 978-1642632767
Synopsis:
It should have been a grand slam…
Gabriel Torres thought his life after major league baseball would be simple and quiet—or at least quieter. However, as he takes over running the exclusive Players Club, he finds himself constantly embroiled in scandal and drama. Surely nothing or no one could make his life any crazier…right?
Rachel Adler is a blast from Gabe’s past who crashed back into his life with the finesse of a freight train. But she’s a welcome distraction. At least for a night.
Rachel’s been working hard to become one of the top sports journalists in the country, and she doesn’t have time for an irresistibly charming baseball player. A one-night stand with a man who she knew would hit it out of the park was all she wanted.
But when Rachel gets a tip that Gabe could have ties to one of the biggest sports stories in history—a story that could make her career—she decides she has time for the sexy baseball player after all. As Rachel gets in deeper with both her story and Gabe, she begins to question who she is, what she wants, and what exactly she’s willing to sacrifice for her career.
Will this potential grand-slam romance be stopped short? Or will Rachel and Gabe go the distance?
The One-Night Stand by Elizabeth Hayley Review
Second chance at romance are a fun genre to read. You get to see the characters in the past and today. We get to watch them evolve and truly come to understand who they are and what went wrong with the romance the first time.
The author to has a great plot here and one that was highly engaging and swept me along with the story. But there were some character issues with them really put a damper on my overall feeling about the story.
I truly loved the character of Gabe. He is sweet and fun and is completely head over heels for his long lost friend who just came back into the picture. I love his friends and the whole sports theme surrounding him and why he had to leave the game.
Rachel is a reporter and has come back to town looking for a secret. What bothers me the most is the lie and how the author chose to allow it to perpetuate throughout the entire story. Personally I think that’s a character flaw in Rachel and it bothered me a lot as a reader.
The author made a choice on building a romance on a character flaw that could make it a tough read. Once you get tangled up in the bad choice it’s hard to dig yourself out and that’s exactly what happened in the story for me.
The story is a beautiful romance that otherwise would been a total win for me. However, I’m holding a grudge, I guess. For me it would be hard to trust someone that started a relationship on a big fat lie.
I love the overall theme and the supporting characters were fresh and fun. The author tells a fun beautiful second-chance romance that has ups and downs with plenty of emotions running through it. There’s also some great supporting characters and a wonderful ending. But I had a really hard time with the female lead and for me it made me sad.
3.5 rounded to 4 STARS!
Disclaimer: Chris has personally reviewed the product listed above. She has not received any monetary compensation for her review but did receive a free ebook so she could evaluate and use it for this post. Her thoughts & opinions in this review are unbiased & honest and your opinions may differ.
Hi! I’m Chris! Just a Midlife Wife sharing about life’s journey; screaming and kicking through it while supposedly aging gracefully…
Focusing on healthy living, low carb & keto, things I am loving right now, and life in general.