Stealing Home

by Nicole Williams

Being the only woman working for a professional baseball team isn’t easy.  As the San Diego Shock’s newest athletic trainer, Allie knows all about long hours, endless travel, and warding off players’ advances. Given she’s already the subject of a handful of rumors about how “lucky” she was to have earned such a coveted position, she can’t so much as flutter an eyelash a player’s way if she wants to be taken seriously.

But number eleven is doing more than fluttering eyelashes Allie’s way. Far more. Luke Archer is at the top of his game and doesn’t let the fear of striking out keep him from swinging. This is a motto he applies both on and off the field, but Allie appears immune, seeming to view Luke as nothing more than caution tape on legs.

He’s a player, and in Allie’s experience, they’re all the same. She won’t risk her job or her heart to another one, no matter how different this one claims to be. But as Allie gets to know him, she discovers the number eleven the public thinks they know is very different from the real Luke Archer. He seems too good to be true.

And maybe he is.

Allie will have to confront the stories attached to a player of Luke Archer’s stature and decide who she’ll put her faith in—The man she’s falling for? Or the rumors?

***Due to mature content, this book is for readers 18+***

• ISBN10: 1940448123
• ISBN13: 9781940448121
• Publish Date: 5 July 2016
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: Nicole Williams
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 280
• Language: English

Reviews

[Ashley]

This book moved way too fast and tried to accomplish too much in only 211 pages (super short!!).

There is no "meeting" phase or "wooing" phase or anything like that. Page #1 and the love interest basically jumps in with, "You know all those months we've been working together? I've been attracted to you since day one." And that's it. Then they've having sex. Since they already met months ago, and he supposedly already liked her months ago, we don't get to see any of that. We just jump right into them being together. It moved way too quickly for me to enjoy.

Also, Luke was nauseatingly "perfect". I'm putting that word in quotes because it obviously wasn't perfect for me since I didn't like it, but it was very stereotypically perfect. Always saying the "right" things, etc. I wish I highlighted some quotes to share, but I guess I didn't.

I guess it made the book feel very cheesy to open up on page one with this gorgeous, ripped, always-saying-the-right-things, super rich baseball player being like, "I've loved you forever." (To be fair, he didn't say "love", but you get the point.)

I also didn't like the conflict. It was all built on a miscommunication and the MC being a stubborn ass hat.

She found out something about Luke that upset her. She gave him the cold shoulder, Luke kept being like, "What did I do wrong? Please let me explain! Whatever it is, let me tell my side of it and apologize." But due to some weird ass kind of pride, she thought it would be better to pretend that nothing was wrong:

"Nothing's wrong. There's nothing to fix or explain or apologize for. I enjoyed my time with you, but it's over."

Uhh how fucking dumb is that? She tried to explain her reason for lying, but it was still dumb as fuck. At least tell the poor guy WTF is going on.

And by the end, I thought the book made it sound like they tackled more than they actually had:

Like meeting Luke. Falling in love with him. Slaying a legion of demons on my journey toward doing so.

It sounds like she overcame some HUGE ASS stuff based on that quote. Like deep emotional issues or confronted ghosts/demons from her past. Like Ten Tiny Breaths or On Dublin Street. But NOPE. They literally just had an argument, and got over it. There was no "legion of demons".

I'm massively disappointed because this book definitely had potential. If it was longer and more fleshed out and less, "I've loved you since before the book started", then it could have been wonderful. But it was too short and too insta-lovey and too shallow.

[Cocktails and Books]

Another baseball book I found myself liking. I loved how these two characters came together and how they struggled with keeping their relationship quiet so they didn't jeopardize her job with the team, while at the same falling hard for one another that made it impossible to hide what was happening.

If you enjoy Nicole Williams books, this is definitely one to pick up. Not quite as heavy on the emotional scale as some of her other books, this was still an absolute joy to read.

[stacey_is_sassy]

Luke is even better than he looks.

I know you’ve seen the cover for Stealing Home but maybe you should study it again…

Look at those muscles. I mean he’s like a work of art. Guess what? Luke Archer is almost perfect on the inside too. I can confirm that Nicole Williams knows what boxes to tick to create the best hero.

Hmmm…let’s tick them off one by one and see if you agree with me.

- Luke Archer has three younger sisters. This means that Luke has lived and breathed females nearly his whole life. He knows we get hormonal, have very long memories and in general, can be a pain in the ass. Less training needed.

- Luke Archer has seen what true love looks like. Luke’s parents shared a deep and emotional connection. They did not hide it from their kids. This gives Luke something to aim for. He might mistakenly look in the wrong direction at first, but eventually he’ll recognise the real deal.

- Luke Archer has experienced great loss. Luke’s learnt to make the most of every situation and not waste time on the bad stuff. This also means he’ll fight for what he believes in.

- Luke Archer does not expect handouts. He works bloody hard to be the best on the field. He doesn’t want the perks involved with his career just a fair salary and good teammates. This means that the fame and fortune haven't gone to his head. He’s down to earth and doesn’t get his head turned by the pretties.

So, there you have it. Luke is a bloody good catch. Looks good, feels great (I’m guessing) and acts sweet. When we first meet him and get to know him, you realise that baseball is not his only focus. He is also the guardian of his 3 teenage sisters and their health and welfare are a top priority.

We meet Allie who is the new athletic trainer for the San Diego Shock’s baseball team. It’s not an easy job but it’s made even harder because she’s a chick walking into a role that is normally male dominated. Allie doesn’t mind working hard to achieve her goals. She’s focused and determined to succeed which means that work comes ahead of her social life and relationships. Allie’s just had another short term relationship go kaput which just reinforces her belief that her career and boyfriends just don’t mix. Allie has seen so many HOT bodies in her job that she doesn’t “see” them anymore…which in my opinion, is an absolute travesty. There is one man’s body that she does “see” though. Star of the team, clutch hitter, Luke Archer. Allie doesn’t realise that Luke sees her and likes what he sees. At first, Allie thinks he is pranking her when he shows interest. Why would someone as famous, gorgeous and rich as him be interested in her? Allie’s also a little hesitant to put her career in jeopardy for a player.

Stealing Home takes us behind the scenes of a professional baseball team. It’s not all fun and glory. It’s mostly hard work, lots of travel and making sure your head is in the game. There’s internal politics, egos and attitudes that Allie has to work against to do her job but she proves herself again and again. Luke is the star because of his skill but also because he’s such a great team player as well. He supports and encourages them to do their best…just more proof Luke’s a top bloke.

Now, Stealing Home was almost perfect. The characters were appealing, the storyline kept my attention from start to finish (HELLO…stayed up reading until one o’clock in the morning) and it was a love story that I really believed. What it missed for me was the gut punches, overwhelming swooning, heart flutters and tears flowing. Look, I’m not a writer so I don’t know how you add these into a story, but Stealing Home just missed it by a smidge. It had all the ingredients in the bowl but the mixer was stuck at a slow setting and not enough volume or depth was achieved. For some, this would probably make it perfect for them as the angst is low. I’m looking for more when I allocate a 5-star read. I should have busted a gut, shed a tear or felt like punching someone at least once.

Stealing Home is definitely worth trying out. I really enjoyed getting to know Luke and Allie, seeing their love blossom and watching them learn to trust each other. There are some steamy scenes that showed the connection between the characters. It was also nice to meet a superstar sports hero whose sports prowess is more important than who he’s sleeping with.

This is the first story I’ve read by this author and I can definitely say it won’t be my last.

To buy Stealing Home from Amazon - http://amzn.to/2a4HZeM



I’m an Aussie chick who loves to read and review romance, drink coffee, be a Style Setter and stalk David Gandy. To see more of my reviews, fashion, food and pervathons -