The Baller

by Vi Keeland

[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.