Release Review: Diamond Ring: KD Casey
Diamond Ring
(Unwritten Rules#3)
KD Casey
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Release Date April 11, 2023
(Unwritten Rules#3)
KD Casey
Add to Goodreads
Buy Amazon | Other retailers
Release Date April 11, 2023
Estranged former teammates reunite for one last run at a championship, fanning old resentments and old sparks between them.
Jake Fischer has been here before: pitching for the Oakland Elephants, hiding his worries behind a smile, hoping to win it all. Ten years ago, it didn’t turn out the way he wanted. Nothing in his life did. But now he’s back—and so is the one teammate tied inexorably to his past.
It doesn’t matter how many times catcher Alex Angelides replays that moment during the Fall Classic over in his mind: the outcome never changes. He’s not sure what happened to make that pitch glance off his glove, or what happened with his relationship with Jake—and he’s not going to be the one to ask.
A whole lot may have changed in the last decade, but some things have stayed the same. Jake and Alex still can’t stay out of each other’s faces on the field—or out of each other’s beds off of it. They’ve got a second chance to win it all… but only if they realize what they lost.
Jake and Alex started out their professional baseball careers together on the Oakland Elephants and now ten years later they are back on the same team again as their careers may be winding down. They are former best friends who lost touch for over a decade over one important play that cost them a championship and a stubborn argument. Now they are just trying to make it through this season and at least make it a marginal success. In the ten years that they were apart, they’ve both had their own personal and career challenges. And they struggled with being honest and vulnerable together both back then and now.
They are both stubborn and prideful and have their own personal issues. But all mixed up in it are their previous anger and guilt along with a bond and connection that never really broke. There are unresolved feelings that got mixed up in the past and are now still there in the present. In the past, Jake was the charming, golden boy and media darling but his career changed trajectories and he’s just trying to do a decent job on the mound this year. Alex was always in his shadow early on but has managed to keep himself relevant. As Jake's catcher, he feels he is supposed to protect him and is determined to find a way to adapt to their new situation and make it successful.
But they are affected by the pressure of the game, the unresolved issues from the past, new personal issues, and the fact that they’re not sure how long they’re going to be playing the game that they love.
This is a raw and honest, second chance, former and current teammates, estranged best friends, friends-to-lovers, sports romance, and comeback story. Like this author's other books, this one has a relaxed pace, slow burn, and realistic feel. Sometimes the mood is honest and tender, other times there are small joys, and sometimes sadness and defeat.
I felt like the author handled Jake's issues with anxiety and OCD very well and didn’t sugarcoat them. I liked how understanding and accepting Alex is and how he does not treat Jake like something is wrong with him. They just accept each other for who they really are. I really just wanted them to succeed in their career and be able to explore a real relationship that they both wanted but had been afraid of the repercussions.
This brings back some of the other couples from the series and gives us more of a glimpse into their futures. There are plenty of ups and downs, missed opportunities, and diverging paths on their road to personal and professional success and redemption. Ultimately it's about the importance of hard work and perseverance, and the love for the sport of baseball. But at the heart of it is being able to love who you love.
They are both stubborn and prideful and have their own personal issues. But all mixed up in it are their previous anger and guilt along with a bond and connection that never really broke. There are unresolved feelings that got mixed up in the past and are now still there in the present. In the past, Jake was the charming, golden boy and media darling but his career changed trajectories and he’s just trying to do a decent job on the mound this year. Alex was always in his shadow early on but has managed to keep himself relevant. As Jake's catcher, he feels he is supposed to protect him and is determined to find a way to adapt to their new situation and make it successful.
But they are affected by the pressure of the game, the unresolved issues from the past, new personal issues, and the fact that they’re not sure how long they’re going to be playing the game that they love.
This is a raw and honest, second chance, former and current teammates, estranged best friends, friends-to-lovers, sports romance, and comeback story. Like this author's other books, this one has a relaxed pace, slow burn, and realistic feel. Sometimes the mood is honest and tender, other times there are small joys, and sometimes sadness and defeat.
I felt like the author handled Jake's issues with anxiety and OCD very well and didn’t sugarcoat them. I liked how understanding and accepting Alex is and how he does not treat Jake like something is wrong with him. They just accept each other for who they really are. I really just wanted them to succeed in their career and be able to explore a real relationship that they both wanted but had been afraid of the repercussions.
This brings back some of the other couples from the series and gives us more of a glimpse into their futures. There are plenty of ups and downs, missed opportunities, and diverging paths on their road to personal and professional success and redemption. Ultimately it's about the importance of hard work and perseverance, and the love for the sport of baseball. But at the heart of it is being able to love who you love.
Zach Glasser has put up with a lot for the sport he loves. Endless days on the road, playing half-decent baseball in front of half-full stadiums and endless nights alone, pretending this is the life he's always wanted.
The thing is, it could have been everything he ever wanted—if only he'd had the guts to tell his family, tell the club, that he was in love with his teammate Eugenio Morales. Well, ex-teammate now. When Zach wouldn't—couldn't—come out, Eugenio made the devastating choice to move on, demanding a trade away from Oakland. Away from Zach.
Three years and countless regrets later, Zach still can't get Eugenio out of his head. Or his heart. And when they both get selected to play in the league’s All-Star Classic, those feelings and that chemistry come roaring back.
Zach wants a second chance. Eugenio wants a relationship he doesn't have to hide. Maybe it's finally time they both get what they want.
Fire Season
Kim's review
Charlie Braxton has it all: a wicked curveball, a beautiful wife, and the kind of money and attention that's attached to a professional baseball contract. Except his famous curveball comes with intense social anxiety, his wife is actually his soon-to-be ex-wife, and the money… Well, suffice it to say, he knows what it’s like to be treated like an ATM. But at least he’s better off than the new guy.
Relief pitcher Reid Giordano is struggling to maintain his sobriety—and his roster spot. The press, along with a heck of a lot of his new Oakland teammates, seem to think his best baseball days are behind him. Only Charlie Braxton gives him the benefit of the doubt—and a place to stay when Reid finds himself short on cash…and friends.
When their growing friendship turns into an unexpected attraction, and that ignites a romance, both Charlie and Reid must grapple with what it means to be more than teammates. And as their season winds down, they’ll need to walk away…or go out there and give it everything they’ve got.
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