Can they conquer their demons and find love,
or will they run from their pasts and abandon their future together?
BOTTOM OF THE NINTH
Seattle Skookums Baseball
Game on in Seattle #6
Jami Davenport
Released Oct 21st, 2016
This
long-awaited story of the third Wolfe brother introduces the Seattle Skookums
baseball team.
Zeke Wolfe, the man who’s written
off his entire family, rescues a young woman and three children on a stormy
Seattle night. Before he knows it, he has an instant family and a fake fiancé
he’s certain he doesn’t want.
Paisley Madison dreams of having a
real home for herself and her sister's children. When a handsome baseball
player drops into her life, she knows a gift when she sees one and hires
herself as his assistant.
As their business arrangement turns
into something much more personal, Paisley and Zeke's pasts threaten to destroy
their precarious hold on a future together. Can they conquer their demons and
find love, or will they run from their pasts and abandon their future together?
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Bottom of the Ninth by Jami Davenport
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Stories that mix sports with any genre are usually a real turn off for me but in recent years I have been reading many more sports romances and Jami Davenport is one of the reasons why. Her characters are not afraid to show the flaws behind the facade of structure and privilege. For instance from the start it's obvious that Zeke has family issues. Estrangement is a flashing red sign. Living in the same city and still having no interaction is as in your face a snub as a person can get. But no man is an island. It takes Paisley and her ready made family to show him the error of his ways. If something is important you have to work at it to achieve success. In that sense baseball was a wonderful metaphor for the motto "practice makes perfect". Sophie, Sadie and Bray upped the adorable factor but Paisley's connection to them served as an example for Zeke. Will he learn from it?
View all my reviews
EXCERPT
REVIEW: BOTTOM OF THE NINTH BY JAMI DAVENPORT
Bottom of the Ninth by Jami DavenportMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Stories that mix sports with any genre are usually a real turn off for me but in recent years I have been reading many more sports romances and Jami Davenport is one of the reasons why. Her characters are not afraid to show the flaws behind the facade of structure and privilege. For instance from the start it's obvious that Zeke has family issues. Estrangement is a flashing red sign. Living in the same city and still having no interaction is as in your face a snub as a person can get. But no man is an island. It takes Paisley and her ready made family to show him the error of his ways. If something is important you have to work at it to achieve success. In that sense baseball was a wonderful metaphor for the motto "practice makes perfect". Sophie, Sadie and Bray upped the adorable factor but Paisley's connection to them served as an example for Zeke. Will he learn from it?
View all my reviews
EXCERPT
Paisley startled awake early. She bolted upright and winced when her back protested. Ignoring her whiny body parts, she blinked several times and squinted, attempting to get her bearings. The morning sun cast beams of light across the room and over the sleeping children. Last night flooded back to her in a rush of confusion and hope.
Being drenched. The hot baseball player. The old, creepy house. The pizza.
Checking each child to make sure they were all still asleep, Paisley rose, stretched, and padded out of the bedroom in her bare feet. The place didn’t look so creepy in the daylight. In fact, despite the obvious neglect, it was beautiful. She took her time exploring each room, except the closed door to Zeke’s room.
Zeke. Holy mother of all creation, he was hot. And he was wealthy. She wasn’t a gold digger by any means, but he had the money to pay her for a job well done, which had her wheels turning. She believed in making wine out of any beer that life threw her way. She’d keep her hands off and prove her value to Zeke. He needed someone to manage his life and battle the dust and spiders staking their claim on this grand old house.
He needed her.
Zeke’s house wasn’t just a house; it was a mansion by her standards. Much to her delight, it was perched on a hill among older homes overlooking Seattle and the water. She couldn’t wait to explore the stately old neighborhood. What she could see from the windows indicated the other homes were well kept, unlike Zeke’s. His yard needed as much work as the inside. She’d tackle that project, too.
Yeah, the poor man really needed her, and she’d make sure he knew it.
The house had seen better days and was in need of updating and TLC, but the potential shone through like an unpolished diamond among common rocks, and the view was priceless.
Last night’s deluge gave way to a partially cloudy morning with patches of blue sky. Rays of sun bounced off drops of rain on the leaves of nearby trees. The sun lit up the large expanse of water below. She hadn’t a clue whether it was part of the ocean or something else.
A few rooms in the house were stacked with boxes. Stray pieces of furniture were placed here and there. Zeke didn’t appear to have much in the way of personal belongings. She added shopping for furniture to her assistant to-do list. She’d create a design for each room with an overarching theme among them. Judging from the age of the house and the style, she’d opt for mission style, one of her favorites.
Paisley rubbed her hands together in glee, excited and ready to get started with her day. The kids could help. On Monday, she’d need to enroll them in a local school despite their lack of an actual home. During her nosy explorations she’d found a temporary option. The daylight basement level of this house had been converted into an apartment. It had big windows looking into the backyard and down the hill.
Perfect for her and the kids, and perfect for keeping them out of Zeke’s hair.
Now to work on selling her worth to Zeke. Her strict adherence to maintaining a positive outlook in all situations—last night being an exception—would serve her well. Zeke was a busy athlete just starting the season. Baseball players played over one hundred and fifty games a year, not counting playoffs. He’d be gone a lot to away games.
He absolutely needed her. Oh, yes, he did. She skipped up the stairs, singing a nonsensical happy song the kids loved. Cracking the door, she checked on them again. They were dead to the world. She couldn’t resist a glance into the room Zeke slept in. His suitcase was open on top of a rumpled comforter, but true to his word, he’d left early this morning. She’d heard his SUV as it backed out of the garage.
With a big grin on her face and a bounce in her step, she started her chores in the kitchen, giving it a thorough scrubbing after finding cleaning supplies under the sink. Later, she’d unpack dishes and put them in the cupboards.
The kitchen was beautiful under all the grime and dust. It’d been remodeled recently and had gorgeous wood cabinets, granite countertops, and stainless steel appliances with a professional stove and oven. The previous owners must have run out of money during the kitchen remodel. The backsplashes were missing and the walls were unpainted, as if someone had stripped off layers of wallpaper, then left.
She stood back, hands on hips, and surveyed her work. The kitchen was gleaming. Everything was in its place.
Zeke would be pleasantly surprised.
Being drenched. The hot baseball player. The old, creepy house. The pizza.
Checking each child to make sure they were all still asleep, Paisley rose, stretched, and padded out of the bedroom in her bare feet. The place didn’t look so creepy in the daylight. In fact, despite the obvious neglect, it was beautiful. She took her time exploring each room, except the closed door to Zeke’s room.
Zeke. Holy mother of all creation, he was hot. And he was wealthy. She wasn’t a gold digger by any means, but he had the money to pay her for a job well done, which had her wheels turning. She believed in making wine out of any beer that life threw her way. She’d keep her hands off and prove her value to Zeke. He needed someone to manage his life and battle the dust and spiders staking their claim on this grand old house.
He needed her.
Zeke’s house wasn’t just a house; it was a mansion by her standards. Much to her delight, it was perched on a hill among older homes overlooking Seattle and the water. She couldn’t wait to explore the stately old neighborhood. What she could see from the windows indicated the other homes were well kept, unlike Zeke’s. His yard needed as much work as the inside. She’d tackle that project, too.
Yeah, the poor man really needed her, and she’d make sure he knew it.
The house had seen better days and was in need of updating and TLC, but the potential shone through like an unpolished diamond among common rocks, and the view was priceless.
Last night’s deluge gave way to a partially cloudy morning with patches of blue sky. Rays of sun bounced off drops of rain on the leaves of nearby trees. The sun lit up the large expanse of water below. She hadn’t a clue whether it was part of the ocean or something else.
A few rooms in the house were stacked with boxes. Stray pieces of furniture were placed here and there. Zeke didn’t appear to have much in the way of personal belongings. She added shopping for furniture to her assistant to-do list. She’d create a design for each room with an overarching theme among them. Judging from the age of the house and the style, she’d opt for mission style, one of her favorites.
Paisley rubbed her hands together in glee, excited and ready to get started with her day. The kids could help. On Monday, she’d need to enroll them in a local school despite their lack of an actual home. During her nosy explorations she’d found a temporary option. The daylight basement level of this house had been converted into an apartment. It had big windows looking into the backyard and down the hill.
Perfect for her and the kids, and perfect for keeping them out of Zeke’s hair.
Now to work on selling her worth to Zeke. Her strict adherence to maintaining a positive outlook in all situations—last night being an exception—would serve her well. Zeke was a busy athlete just starting the season. Baseball players played over one hundred and fifty games a year, not counting playoffs. He’d be gone a lot to away games.
He absolutely needed her. Oh, yes, he did. She skipped up the stairs, singing a nonsensical happy song the kids loved. Cracking the door, she checked on them again. They were dead to the world. She couldn’t resist a glance into the room Zeke slept in. His suitcase was open on top of a rumpled comforter, but true to his word, he’d left early this morning. She’d heard his SUV as it backed out of the garage.
With a big grin on her face and a bounce in her step, she started her chores in the kitchen, giving it a thorough scrubbing after finding cleaning supplies under the sink. Later, she’d unpack dishes and put them in the cupboards.
The kitchen was beautiful under all the grime and dust. It’d been remodeled recently and had gorgeous wood cabinets, granite countertops, and stainless steel appliances with a professional stove and oven. The previous owners must have run out of money during the kitchen remodel. The backsplashes were missing and the walls were unpainted, as if someone had stripped off layers of wallpaper, then left.
She stood back, hands on hips, and surveyed her work. The kitchen was gleaming. Everything was in its place.
Zeke would be pleasantly surprised.
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