The Baller

by Vi Keeland

Sean Crisden (Narrator) and MacKenzie Cartwright (Narrator)

From New York Times & USA Today Bestseller, Vi Keeland, comes a sexy new standalone novel.

The first time I met Brody Easton was in the men's locker room.

It was my first interview as a professional sportscaster.

The famed quarterback decided to bare all.

And by all, I don't mean he told me any of his secrets.

No. The arrogant ass decided to drop his towel, just as I asked the first question. On camera.

The Super Bowl MVP quickly adopted a new hobby--screwing with me.

When I pushed back, he shifted from wanting to screw with me, to wanting to screw me.

But I don't date players.

And it's not because I'm one of the few women working in the world of professional football.

I'd date an athlete.

It's the other kind of player I don't date.
You know the type. Good looking, strong, cocky, always looking to get laid.

Brody Easton was the ultimate player.
Every woman wanted to be the one to change him.
But the truth was, all he needed was a girl worth changing for.
Turned out, I was that girl.
Simple right?
Let's face it. It never is.
There's a story between once upon a time and happily ever after...
And this one is ours.

Author's note - The Baller is a full-length standalone novel. Due to strong language and sexual content, this book is not intended for readers under the age of 18.

• ISBN10: 1515954080
• ISBN13: 9781515954088
• Publish Date: 12 April 2016 (first published 18 January 2016)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 14 March 2021
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Tantor Media, Inc
• Edition: Unabridged edition
• Format: Audiobook (MP3)
• Duration: 8 hours and 50 minutes
• Language: English

Reviews

[Linda]

This review was originally posted on (un)Conventional Bookviews
The Baller was a hot story - the sports reporter and the professional football player started off on the wrong foot - but once they got it right, they got it good!

Story:

Delilah was my kind of character! In The Baller, she was a sports journalist, and she covered football. She thought she was incapable of loving anyone, because of her past, but Brody made her so mad she knew her emotions worked, at least. The first time Brody and Delilah met, she was all ready to interview him. After a game, in the locker room, and to see what she was made of, he dropped his towel. Right before she went on air.

Brody was the king of one-night-stands, and he didn't want to change. Not now, not ever. He had someone from his past who had turned him off from relationships, and he really didn't want to make himself suffer anymore heartache. The Baller was a quite light-hearted story, even if it dealt with some heavier themes as well. The story is character-driven, and I enjoyed getting to know Delilah and Brody both.

Characters:

Delilah was a strong woman, and I think she had to be in such a male-dominated world. She knew her football, and apart from her job, she had a great friend... and possibly Brody to keep her feel alive.

Brody was the best player of his team. And he knew it - the cocky man didn't have to do much to have women swarm him. Apart from Delilah, who frowned and turned him away more than once.

Writing style :

Brody and Delilah both got their chapters, and they were narrated by MacKenzie for Delilah, and Sean for Brody. The pace was nice and fluid, and the story was well done.

Feels :

So many feels! I felt so sad for Delilah and Brody and what they had been through in the past. And there was some drama brought to the present as well, that made me hold my breath wile listening, that's how invested I was in their happiness.

Narration:

Overall, I really enjoyed the narration, however, in conversations, I found the male narrator to have a horrible voice when he did the female part of the dialogue. I will definitely listen to both narrators again, though.

[stacey_is_sassy]

The dirty talker can sweet talk too.

I've decided after reading The Baller that Brody should be our first cloning candidate. I really, really like him. The Brody is a smart bloke and knows how to get people on his side. A smile and a compliment to the ladies, a pat on the back and man talk for the lads. The Brody doesn't talk down to kids and is respectful to the older generation. There's a slight malfunction that might need to get tweaked in the cloning process though. The Brody turns into an arrogant jerk when a possible mating candidate comes into touching distance. His second brain also causes strife when said mating candidate is close. The Brody's second brain wants to escape from its cover and rise into attack position...in case mating candidate needs him urgently. The Brody's first brain also goes into a default setting of testing tolerance, by making the mating candidate put up with sexist drivel. Luckily, once mating candidate has been matched and successfully caught in The Brody's clutches, he reverts back to perfect, or near to perfect, Brody.

Delilah has a tough job. She works in an industry where it's a bit of a men's club and she's one of very few women who steps in to the club and dares to do the job as well, if not better. She isn't a stranger to the game. Her father was a star football player when she was growing up and because she takes her job seriously, goes out of her way to know as many statistics as possible about football and the players. As a sports reporter, one part of her job is to walk into the locker room after a game for an interview. Some of the players are respectful, while others go out of their way to make her uncomfortable. One of those players that do an excellent job of making her uncomfortable is the quarterback, Brody Easton.

Brody has spent the last few years concentrating on his career. Football is a very important part of his life, but for awhile there, real life and issues intruded that nearly took it all away. After having a few seasons on the sidelines, he knows where his head needs to be. Women have a place in his bed, but relationships are not high on his list of priorities. His priorities change when a curly haired, beautiful woman tells him straight that she doesn't do hook ups. What's a bloke to do? Try and have a relationship of course.

Brody is fond of walls. Especially if there's a woman between him and the wall. Especially, especially when that woman has her legs around his waist. Brody is a DIRTY TALKER. He does it extremely well. I was feeling hot and bothered before the action even started...and the action definitely lived up to the words.

Brody is also a sweetheart. He's been going to a nursing home to visit a woman every Tuesday for years. Marlene, was there for him throughout his life and now she has dementia. His dedication to her is only one of the many things that demonstrate how sweet he is.

This review is mostly a dedication to Brody. I can't help myself, he was a bloody good character. He wasn't perfect, but he tried his hardest to be a good man and find goodness in other people. Delilah was also pretty cool. She has faced her own challenges and heartbreak, but by the end is stronger and more confident in herself and the relationship between herself and Brody.

There are interesting additional characters and some of them I loved. I would like to see Indie get her own story and maybe even Michael too...but not together. There were a few people and their stories that felt a little unfinished. I kind of wanted to know what happened to them in the end and wouldn't mind a story for them too. I'm thinking of joining the Vi Keeland fan club too. This will definitely not be my last story by this author.

[Romance Schmomance]

Review coming soon!

[Cocktails and Books]

Vi Keeland hasn't written a book I haven't loved. The Baller has lived up to the hype and gave me a new book boyfriend for my collection. Full review to come.