Member Reviews
This is my second Kathryn Kincaid book; I started with the first in this series, which was a hockey romance. Call Your Shot had similar writing to Play Your Part where the MCs have deep problems in their life that they need to work through in order to allow them selves to love and be loved. The MMC is very well written and easy to fall for. The FMC has family issues that persist throughout the story. The writing wasn't always my favorite but the storyline overshadowed those qualms.
Nathan and Brenna are two characters I fell in love with right from the start of the story. I felt like I was on an emotional rollercoaster, and I loved every moment of it. I was already a fan of the author's writing after reading Play Your Part last year, and this one was even better.
Thank you so much, NetGalley and the publisher, for sending me this ARC.
<b> Thank you to Kathryn Kincaid and Netgalley for an ARC to review. </b>
Eight years after Nathan corners his best friend Brenna in their baseball team dugout to confess his attraction to her, he's once again thrown in her path trying hard to suppress his feelings for a now-engaged woman. Little does he know that Brenna feels the same way about him. This sweet 2nd forced-proximity chance romance takes place after Nathan's mostly estranged father leaves everything he owns to the two of them in his will attempting to right the wrongs he made that ripped these once young lovers apart. Call Your Shot is a cute, quick straightforward read that brings all the sweet feels for a good HEA booster shot. Definitely looking forward to the next installment of this series.
HSP rep included.
TW: toxic parental figures, their parents having an affair/get married, emotional abuse by parents, FMC trying to gain custody of a younger sibling.
Stars 4/5
Steam 2/5
PS: This is purely about the formatting for the ARC. The grey filter that was put over the kindle copy was really problematic for me as a dyslexic reader. I prefer reading on my kindle because I can read the book on a larger screen than on my phone though the netgalley app. In the future I would urge you to be aware that not all ARC readers find reading books without accommodations possible. (Some readers with vision impairments or who might be even more severely dyslexic than I am might be using assistive technology that is not accessible through the netgalley app or that would be rendered mute with a grey filter (for example if they rely heavily on being able to adjust text/background contrast/color.
This was a sweetly written book, I truly enjoyed this book. It was a slow burn into a beautiful ending! I love the fact of the characters were like friends to enemies, then became enemies to lovers. I love the FMC, Brenna. She is so sweet, sensitive, over loving, compassionate for her family and friends. I would recommend reading this to any romance junky like myself!
As kids, Brenna and Nathan were inseparable, they were best friends, teammates and as they got older they became lovers but family drama tore them apart and now they’re strangers.
Eight years later, Brenna has uprooted her life for the past few months to help care for her seven year old sister once she learned her mom is back to her old ways leaving her life and fiancé in Chicago. Nathan is a minor league baseball player with commitment issues. The two are forced together again to discuss Nathan’s late father’s will … which leaves the two everything - Nathan’s childhood home and his fathers business but the two have to agree on everything before they can sell. Brenna and Nathan are forced to stay in the home together as they maneuver this new reality as their past is begging to be discussed.
This was a quick read for me. It reminded me of Love and Other Words and Just For the Summer with a sports twist. I really liked that they got past their previous issues and realized their love was worth it. I haven’t read anything else by her, but this was a good starting point and I’ll be keeping my eyes open for more!
4⭐️ 2🌶️
Some Tropes:
⚾️ Best Friends to Lovers
❤️ Second Chance
⚾️ First Love
❤️ Found Family
The Characters:
Brenna is a Kinesiology college student who had to put her life on hold in order to help take care of her family. She was in a relationship where feelings were dwindling and she didn’t know where her life was going to go.
Nathan is in the off season for baseball and just lost his dad. He is emotionally withdrawn, stubborn, and holding onto grudges that would burn him if he wasn’t careful.
My Opinion:
This book was a rollercoaster. The flashbacks connected really well with the “now.” I thought the flow of the book was planned very well and it helped really build the story line.
My only qualm was how quickly the ending happened. From the time Brenna’s mom made her decision to the end was abrupt and I wish that part of the story, of their lives, would’ve been given a little more substance. It was a huge build up to these decisions and I felt the ending was very deflated, but still good.
I would totally read this book again. I am obsessed with this series and I love how Kathryn tied 2 different sports and storylines together to keep the characters from the first book alive in this one.
I really hope Leo and Deandra get a book 😂🙏🏼
I really enjoyed this book!!! The writhing did start out a little hard to understand, so make sure you’re paying attention at the beginning to properly learn the characters! I really enjoyed the passion between Brenna and Nathan, great job :)
Call Your Shot by Kathryn Kincaid is a captivating and heartwarming romance that will have you rooting for love to conquer all. The story of Nathan Sharpe and Brenna Quinn, childhood best friends turned lovers, is beautifully written and filled with emotion. The author does an incredible job of bringing these characters to life, making you feel like you're right there with them every step of the way. Nathan and Brenna's journey is filled with ups and downs, but through it all, their love for each other shines through. The small-town setting adds to the charm of the story, and the forced proximity trope adds an extra layer of tension and excitement. As Nathan and Brenna work together to flip properties and navigate their complicated past, you can't help but be drawn into their story. I also appreciated the representation of Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) in the story, adding depth to the characters and making them feel even more relatable. Call Your Shot is a must-read for fans of second chance romances. It's a story of love, forgiveness, and the power of true love to overcome any obstacle. Kathryn Kincaid has crafted a beautiful story that will stay with you long after you've finished reading.
I enjoyed this one as much as the first (Play Your Part ) - both were so well written and great storylines! Kathryn Kincaid does a great job and I can’t wait for more of her books!!
The story of Nathan and Brenna was a really good one - the neighbors growing up together from teens with hard home lives and grow together as besties because of baseball. Her mom has an interesting lifestyle that hits way too close to home and breaks up Nathan’s parents… an affair that ends up causing Nathan and his mom to leave town, the pair to end their budding relationship and best friendship, and gives them a sister one adores and one ignores.
When his father passes, Nathan is forced back to town, and terms of his will force him to remain there, with Brenna, living in his old house and running his dad’s old business with his old friend, for at least 6-months before they’re allowed to consider selling. His father knew he’d made mistakes including breaking up the pair when he broke up his marriage. He figured the terms of his will forcing their proximity and to reconnect with the house and business might bring them together and reconcile…
Such a beautiful story, even with (especially because of?) the messed up family dynamics. I loved learning about the sensitivity issues Brenna suffered with her highly sensitive person disorder - I didn’t understand this but now I can see that many people I’ve come across in my years must have been affected by this but from this being undiagnosed, they weren’t properly understood by the world around them.
My only issue was the slight love triangle aspect… love triangles and the idea of cheating are ick for me.
I would definitely recommend this for all romance audiences, especially those who enjoy learning about new conditions or reading about … neurodivergent? different or sensitive characters. Very well done, especially since the author has the condition herself and wrote with personal experience and perspective about how a person would react to the situations and environment.
I received an advance copy from Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op, and this is my honest feedback.
I received this arc in exchange for an honest review. 🤍
i enjoyed this book, however it didn’t captivate me the same way that the first book did. it felt like it was missing something but i can’t figure out what.
despite that, this was a lovely second chance sports romance with a very complicated family dynamic.
a super easy read if you want something sports-related :)
Thank you to NetGalley and Kathryn Kincaid for the opportunity to read an advanced copy.
As with the first novel in the series, I very much enjoyed Call Your Shot. I’ve been on quite the second chance romance kick lately, and this was another fun one to add to the list! I did find the basic premise to feel pretty familiar, but it was still a fun take on the trope! Overall, I’m looking forward to what comes next in this series!
this is a not for me book. i really love childhood best friends to lovers trope but this one has some other topics that im little bit uncomfortable to read it.
the most uncomfortable thing was that they're an almost(?) a step-siblings, yes they're not exactly related, but it still lil bit weird for me to include that in the drama.
Magical, beautiful and full of healing. I sat down and finished the book in one sitting, while I am not a fan of second chance romances, this one was extremely good. I loved the way it went from past to present, but it wasn't in the way that overwhelmed me, or bored me of their story. I would consider it a slow burn because I felt like they took forever to get together, but it was also necessary for their healing. There was no third act breakup, which is always a plus to me as a romance reader.
tropes:
-Childhood friends
-Neighbors
-Second chance
-Sport romance (ish)
-Forced proximity
-Small town
-Dual pov
-No third act breakup!!!!!!!!!
It had spiciness but it wasn't anything crazy so I'll give it a 3/5 in the spicy meter
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4.5/5 🌶️🌶️ 2/5
Tropes:
💌Forced Proximity
💌Second Chance Romance
I’m a real picky second chance romance reader but my god did I love Brenna and Nathan. Childhood best friends who grew up in rocky households and only had each other to lean on. Brenna feels everything so incredibly deeply and loves everyone around her (almost as much as Nathan loves her).
Although Nathan and Brenna were forced back into each others lives it felt like they never left. The character development was * chefs kiss* and I enjoyed Molly becoming a more prominent person in Nathan’s life. The tension was palpable and so darn good, the banter and dynamic in this couple was incredibly enjoyable.
Although this is in a series it can be read as a standalone but I would highly recommend checking out the first book ‘ Play you’re part’ as there is a few crossovers.
I loved this book. I couldn’t put it down once I started and Katherine Kincaid has a new fan in me. I really enjoyed the way the book was written and the flashbacks that occurred helped propel the story.
I will be reading Leo’s book (PLEASE WE NEED LEOS STORY) and literally anything else this author publishes
Title: Call Your Shot
Author: Kathryn Kincaid
Genre: Romance
Media: ebook
Rating: 5 stars
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Favorite quote: N/A
Sum of this book in 5 words or less: N/A
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Themes: small town, baseball romance, friends to lovers, forced proximity
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Thoughts:
I received a free ebook in exchange for an honest review.
Short summary - Brenna and Nathan were childhood best friends that morphed into something more when they were teenagers. After an affair between their parents, Nathan moved away and they had a falling out. They never expected to see each other again until Nathan’s father leaves them an inheritance that they can only have if they accept it together. They live together at the house renovating it and they revamp the family business.
Let’s talk about the book itself for a second - there is a small drawing of Nathan as a pitcher and Brenna as his catcher at the top of every chapter. I love seeing little drawings like this - it’s so cute! Even better that it’s perfectly them.
These two were so cute! I love the fact that Brenna knows things about Nathan without him saying anything, and without them even talking about it! Like the fact that his shoulder has an overuse injury.
I love that HSP (Highly Sensitive Person) was included in this book and Nathan was genuinely curious as to what it is. Brenna getting custody of her little sister Molly was the icing on the cake.
I did not expect most of these storyline when heading into this book mostly blind, but man I loved the combination. Nathan and Brenna are ex-step siblings and high school sweethearts and teammates, so basically they spent every waking moment together until Nathan’s mom moved away and took him with her. The younger versions of these two failed to communicate at all, but you can see the changes in the present versions of the characters!
I loved the flashbacks as you really can see how their past is still heavily affecting their future and their decisions, but at the same time you can see their growth! They have a ton of chemistry and keep you hooked waiting for them to be honest with each other over the small things!
3.5 stars
3 spice levels
I would like to thank NetGalley for the chance to read this book.
I enjoyed this book I read it in one sitting and enjoyed the story. I love second chance romance books and this book didn’t disappoint. The tension was amazing.
I love the representation of HSP. It wasn’t forced and just added to the storyline which was amazing. It helped me understand Brenna’s character, her behaviour and helped me love her more.
I love nicknames even if it’s just a shorter version of their names. I love how this book had duel POV so we could look into both of there heads and understand what they are thinking. I think all romance books needs dual POV.
Tropes in this book
Small town, home town, second chance, friends to lovers to enemies to lovers, forced proximity, sport romance.
CW
Infidelity, broken family, emotional manipulation, gaslighting, death of a parent, cheating
I love sport romance and I wish there was more baseball especially of Brianna playing because I loved that she played baseball. As a female who use to play baseball it’s cool to spread about females playing sport.
I didn’t really like the two timelines. It was great looking into the past but I think it was over used and didn’t add to the story all the time.
Thanks to Kathryn Kincaid and NetGalley for an ARC of Call Your Shot!
I’m definitely in my baseball romance era and enjoyed this super sweet love story. The story covered some serious topics delicately while also managing to be sweet with some funny moments and some spice!!
POV: dual first person
You can expect: childhood sweethearts, second chance, baseball pitcher MMC, former baseball catcher FMC, physical therapy student FMC, friends to lovers, forced proximity, “there’s a blackout so we have to share a bed for warmth”, small town, gaining guardianship of a sibling, highly sensitive person rep.
CW: emotionally neglectful parent, cheating, sports-related injury.
Spice: 2/5
Call Your Shot is book two in the All In series by Kathryn Kincaid…. and y'all it was such a great story.
I was hooked right from the beginning and finished this bad boy in one day.
The chemistry between Nathan and Brenna was to die for.
This story kept me captivated and engaged the whole time. I was rooting for both characters and could not put it down.
The tension was mind-blowing and I couldn’t get enough of it.
A fun and engaging second chance baseball romance.
Now I’ve got to go read book one Play Your Part.
I cannot wait to see what else Kathryn Kincaid publishes.
Thank You NetGalley and Victory Editing for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!
I absolutely loved this story Nathan and Breanne go through it I have never rooted and fussed two characters more than with these two! If you are looking for a second chance with angst and tension this is it. I loved the HSP representation it was handled with so much care. Even though this is a baseball romance it is set in/near the same town as play your part so there are some familiar faces,
~~What to Expect~~
⚾️Friends to Lovers to Enemies to Lovers
⚾️Forced Proximity
⚾️Small Town
⚾️Baseball Romance
⚾️Second Chance
⚾️HSP Representation
~Quote~
🥎An introvert at heart she shied away from people but not him. Never him.