Title: Curve Ball
Series: Homeruns #2
Author: Sloan Johnson
Genre: MM Sports Romance
Published: July 29, 2015
Jason Klein’s living with the fallout from a decision he knew was the right one at the time. He never told anyone about the love of his life, which left him to mourn alone when he found out the man he gave his heart to had been killed in combat. Now, his heart has had time to heal, but he’s not sure he’s ready to let himself move on. Until he meets Cam Morgan…
Without a job lined up following graduation, Cam Morgan took his best friend up on his offer to move to Milwaukee and stay with him until he could get on his feet. The last thing he wanted to do the day after getting to town was go to a party filled with a bunch of jocks. Sure, they were “professional athletes” but Cam was convinced that bigger bank accounts didn’t make them any more accepting of people like him. He certainly didn’t expect to meet Jason, the Mavericks’ catcher who broke every stereotype he’d had.
What started out as one hot, sweaty night together quickly grows into something deeper. Jason welcomes Cam into his home and his life, but now he has to teach the younger man that it’s not a sign of weakness to let people help you.
Amazon: http://goo.gl/tcJYWD
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Amazon AU: http://goo.gl/ZMq66b
Kobo: https://goo.gl/otTww5
Curve Ball is definitely an appropriate name for Jason and Cam’s story because both are thrown for a loop with their instant attraction to one another. On the surface, they couldn’t be more different; Jason’s a strong and manly professional baseball player and Cam is all about fashion and looking good regardless of the time of day. Cam also has a great amount of disdain for athletes because of their constant harassment and derogatory statements about Cam when he was in school.
But all it takes is one steamy encounter for both Jason and Cam to understand that they just might be exactly what each other needs in order to put their broken pieces together.
I loved Jason in the first book of the series; he always offered Sean advice about what to do and he was there for his friend at all times, but it didn’t seem like Jason really allowed anyone to truly know him and the effect his past has had on him. Sloan Johnson does a great job of explaining why Jason has remained unattached for 7 years and why he feels like it’s a betrayal of sorts to have any kind of relationship with Cam.
Cam is an interesting character because there’s a duality of his personality that Johnson exposes and explores as Cam is inserted into an environment full of jocks. Cam’s exterior facade is one of confidence and independence and he’s worked hard to carry himself that way after a rather shitty childhood. But internally is someone who runs before anything bad can happen and doesn’t have faith in anyone but himself because he’s been let down too much in the past.
Jason and Cam both have scars from their pasts that make them hesitant, but their connection seems to be established quite easily, and they could have something extraordinary if they let go of all that’s happened before they found one another.
Curve Ball is a great addition to Johnson’s Homeruns series. Just like Wild Pitch, Jason and Cam’s story interweaves two plot lines – one that deals with the makings/workings of a relationship when both have issues to overcome, and another that deals with the social stigma of gay athletes and what it does to a team and its fans, which is definitely something that must be considered and discussed due to the controversy that surrounds the issue. Amidst the turmoil is a sweet and sexy story that includes many scenes with Mason and Sean as well as other Milwaukee Mavericks and their families. Mason and Sean’s struggle in the first book allows them to help Jason and Cam see why falling in love is worth all of the outside interference that comes along with being in a relationship in front of the media!
Can’t wait for Drew’s story.
A complimentary copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.
4.5 poison apples
Curve Ball Excerpt © Sloan Johnson 2015
“If you have something to say to me, just say it.” I tapped my fingers on the steering wheel to keep from shaking Drew. He was one of the youngest guys on the team, and right now, his immaturity showed through brightly. It was about time someone knocked some sense into him, before he wound up earning a bad reputation, both on the field and off. “I won’t apologize, because I haven’t done a damn thing to offend you.”
“Really? I shouldn’t be pissed off that I had no clue you were gay?” Drew seethed, his brown eyes narrow slits as he glared at me. “And I should be totally cool with you loading up my friend in the middle of the night to take him back to your place, right?”
“Yeah, actually you should,” I quipped, twisting the wheel tighter. “Cam is a grown man, and if you truly care about him, you should be fucking ecstatic that he’s getting out there to meet people.”
Drew muttered something to himself as he went back to staring out the window. His shoulders slumped forward and he seemed to shrink in his seat. I knew that look. It wasn’t one worn by a concerned or pissed off friend, it was the look of a man who felt the love of his life slipping away from him.
“How long have you felt this way about him?” I asked. My chest tightened, knowing that I wouldn’t stand between them. Drew and I might not be close, but I liked to think of him as a friend, a brother on the team.
“Doesn’t matter.” The response was so quiet I could barely hear the words. As I pulled up to the stoplight, I placed my hand on Drew’s shoulder, unsurprised when he jerked away.
“It does,” I assured him. “And you have to know I wouldn’t have done anything with him if I’d known.”
“Don’t say that. I’ve known for a long time that he’d never feel for me what I do for him.” I suddenly missed the anger Drew showed earlier. “If the way he looked this morning is any indication, you’re exactly what he needs in his life. And if I put my own feelings aside, you’re more than that. You’re what he’s always wanted.”
That was not how I expected this conversation to go. It started exactly as I’d seen it in my mind, but I hadn’t expected Drew to step aside. Maybe I was wrong in thinking that he was immature and selfish.
“Drew, if you say the word, I’ll back off. I’m not willing to destroy two friendships just for a few nights of fun.”
“The only way I’d ask you to do that is if that’s all this is for you.” I pulled up in front of the grocery store, but neither of us moved to open our doors. “Cam is one of the best guys I know. He’s got a big heart, but sometimes, he’s a little too open with it. If you’re only in this for a couple of hot nights, then yeah you should walk away from him.”
I felt backed into a corner. Sure, I’d thought about what it’d be like to explore something more with Cam, but I wasn’t in a place to do that. It had nothing to do with being on the road most of the year and everything to do with my own inability to be open with those around me. I’d grown accustomed to never letting anyone get too close, and Cam had already seen more than people I’d known for years. There was no way I’d be able to hold back if last night and tonight turned into something more.
“I’ll keep that in mind.” It was the most I could promise him.
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24597806-wild-pitch
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Sloan Johnson is a big city girl trapped in a country girl’s life. While she longs for the hustle and bustle of New York City or Las Vegas, she hasn’t yet figured out how to sit on the deck with her morning coffee, watching the deer and wild turkeys in the fields while surrounded by concrete and glass.
When she was three, her parents received their first call from the principal asking them to pick her up from school. Apparently, if you aren’t enrolled, you can’t attend classes, even in Kindergarten. The next week, she was in preschool and started plotting her first story soon after.
Later in life, her parents needed to do something to help their socially awkward, uncoordinated child come out of her shell and figured there was no better place than a bar on Wednesday nights. It’s a good thing they did because this is where she found her love of reading and writing. Who needs socialization when you can sit alone in your bedroom with a good book?
Now, Sloan is a tattooed mom with a mohawk and two kids. She’s been kicked out of the PTA in two school districts and is no longer asked to help with fundraisers because she’s been known to lose herself with a good book and forget she has somewhere to be.
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