Bench Player

I loved the first book in Ms. Keyes newest series, and I wasn't sure how she could redeem a jailed/surly/seemed kind of dick secondary character, so I was a teensy eensy bit worried about book two. But I had faith. Also, Allison was super badass and I loved her, so...

Anyway, my faith was amply rewarded with this absolute sexy and smart charmer of a book. I think I liked it better than Team Player? Don't hold me to that; I'm re-reading it right now. First off, I don't know who that cover model is, but he's sexy as hell and I was prepared to love him no matter what. Fortunately, he turns out to be a great guy who made a really bad decision that nearly destroys his life.

In Team Player, Tyler Ashe spends the first part of the book pining for his best friend/brother from another mother/Charleston Thrasher teammate, Connor Whitman. Readers soon learned that Connor is in jail; after pleading guilty to insider trading, he's serving a two-year sentence behind bars. He refuses to have any contact with Tyler, or any of his former teammates/friends, and makes it extremely hard for a reader to like him.

Bench Player kicks off with Connor determined to regain the life he lost by making a supremely big mistake. In his defense, he didn't understand he was committing a crime when he traded on insider information, but what's happened is done, and he just wants to move on. Connor has a fairly simple vision for his future: regain his position in the Thrasher line-up. To that end he plans to train, and train, and train some more. Fortunately, he still has Tyler on his side; Tyler picks him up from jail and deposits him at his mountain retreat. Unfortunately, Tyler (and his adorable girlfriend Gwen and her corn) are determined to help him. They've read all about how to best support Connor post-prison, but all Connor wants is space. So he tolerates their well meaning efforts to support his reintegration into society, pretending all their efforts to support him are helping, and then he practically pushes them out the door for a planned Mexican get-away. He thinks he's in the clear to proceed with his train, train, train plan. Until the doorbell rings.

Allison Whyte is the badass PR manager for the Charleston Thrashers. Players fear her. Co-workers fear her.
But she gets shit done, and she loves her team. But when Bench Player begins, Allison is desperate. The newly installed General Manager (son of the former head honcho) wants to clean house. He fires her. Allison, an expert in finding solutions to tricky problems, doesn't panic. At least, not visibly. She makes a deal with her boss - promising to rehabilitate the image of Connor Whitman, their ex-con former player, and use the image makeover to generate bigger tickets sales. IF she can do it, she can save her job. The GM doesn't plan to add Whitman to the roster - but Allison hopes that if her plan succeeds, he'll have to anyway.

Bench Player is smart and sexy and funny from start to finish. Connor and Allison struggle to find any common ground right from the get-go; he doesn't want her help, and doesn't even understand he needs it, and Allison can't tell him the truth about his chances with the team, but has to convince him to accept her help anyway. They butt heads and trade hilarious insults and argue...and it's all delicious foreplay for what's to come once Connor finally gives in and lets Allison 'do her thing.'

I liked both of these characters very much, and once they team up, the novel shines. Team Player gave readers a glimpse of who Allison and Connor 'might' be - but Keyes kept the details deliberately vague. I don't want to spoil the story, but suffice it to say, she does a marvelous job proving both of these characters deserved a chance at principal characters, and that those grumpy/tough personaes are simply the masks they wear to keep others at a distance. Allison is a wonderful surprise, and her relationship with Biff, her feisty grandfather, is a highlight of the novel. Connor is similarly well-realized, and his emotional growth and maturity as a player/teammate/boyfriend/friend feels organic to the story. He's extremely likeable when he's not being a grumpy, stubborn jerk, and your heart goes out to him every time he struggles with his re-entry into society. His fears and anxieties and trust issues felt authentic to the character and the story.

But let's get back to these two as a couple. From the moment Allison rings Tyler's doorbell (that sounds pervy doesn't it?), it's clear these two have chemistry. True, they sort of resent/hate each other, but it's chemistry. I love that the transition to lovers happens suddenly - like, wait a minute, did that just happen? suddenly - but in Ms. Keyes capable hands, things don't immediately go weird and awkward. Instead, they act like adults and admit they're attracted to each other. Yes, it causes all sorts of other problems...but admitting they like and admire and desire each other isn't one of them. The Big Problem, when it finally comes, is totally expected, and no less devastating when it does. I digress. Connor and Allison are a super hot couple, and this combination worked for me on every level.

Bench Player deals with heavy subject matter, but Keyes shows a deft hand balancing these issues with lively, funny dialogue, like-able principal and secondary characters, and lots of humor and heat. Her love of baseball shines through Connor and Allison and this story, and nearly convinced me I might like baseball, too. I don't. FTR.

Loved it. 5 stars.

REVIEWED BY SUNNY

After loving TEAM PLAYER (Book 1 in the Charleston Thrashers series), I was super excited to get a chance to read BENCH PLAYER. Connor was so mysterious and Allison was so unlikeable, so I was curious to see how Julianna Keyes would pull off their romance. She didn't disappoint!

Connor's character worked for me. He was remorseful for the naïve mistake that put him jail for two years. He understood his baseball career wasn't going to be handed back to him on a silver platter. The perspective he gained while serving time and realism drove him to work hard! The painful journey back into the real world made Connor vulnerable. All these things made him a perfectly flawed character.

Allison's unlikeable character in TEAM PLAYER showed up again in BENCH PLAYER, but her antics made more sense in the second book. Not only was she trying to save herself, she was trying to save Connor. This softened her character for me. She was dealing with a difficult study in Connor, and I loved the challenges it presented her with professionally. Allison's personal life, including the house falling apart and her Grandpa Biff, really made Allison sparkle. Every scene with Biff made me smile, and their relationship made Allison more relatable.

Connor and Allison early on were like oil and water. As they learned more about each other and were working toward similar goals, their relationship started building into something special. It was hard until it was easy. I loved that evolution!

I am a big baseball fan! Because she "gets" baseball and writes great baseball romances, I am a big Julianna Keyes fan as well! More Charleston Thrashers, please!