Readers looking for something a little different will love The Change Up by Elley Arden, a twist on the traditional billionaire romance.
Out now! The Change Up (Arlington Aces #1) by Elley Arden
Title: The Change Up
Series: Arlington Aces #1
Author: Elley Arden
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: May 16, 2016
Publisher: Crimson Romance
Length: 66k words
Format: Digital
Digital ISBN: 978-1-4405-9151-8
Synopsis:
Commercial real estate mogul Rachel Reed is the one person her father can depend on, so when he walks into her Philadelphia office two weeks shy of her fortieth birthday to drop a personal and professional bomb, she rises to the occasion. She will help get his independent professional baseball team up and running before the inaugural season, and then … she will sell the team to recoup his substantial investment. It’s a tall order, but Rachel knows one thing for sure: a sexy nuisance from her past and a few acres of trees won’t stand in her way.
Former minor-leaguer-turned-landscaper Sam Sutter is surprised to find his brother’s ex in the woods behind the house he bought when he cashed out his signing bonus and said so long to baseball. He’s even more surprised to learn “his” trees are on her chopping block. There’s no way he’ll desecrate his nature-loving mother’s memory by letting that happen. But butting heads with the beautiful business woman is a tricky task that leads Sam to accept a position as head groundskeeper at her father’s stadium. Working under Rachel’s watchful, smoldering eyes might be Sam’s undoing.
She doesn’t know a thing about baseball. He swore off the sport ten years ago. But strange things happen when field dust gets in your veins.
I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I love a good sports romance and I like when a trope is turned on it's head (a FEMALE billionaire? what?), so I was more than happy to read this book.
When Rachel Reed's parents walk into her office, the last thing she expects is to be in control of independent professional hometown baseball that her father has purchased. But she is and she doesn't have much time to not only get it up and running, but to also find buyers. It's a big undertaking, but like always, Rachel is up for the task.
Upon arriving home, Rachel runs into a familiar face. Sam Sutter is the younger brother of her high school boyfriend and now helps run the family landscaping business. Rachel hires his business to help get the field in shape and while that may seem like no big deal, it is a big deal to Sam. He once played for a Chicago Cubs affiliate team, but he walked away from the game ten years ago and never looked back. But Rachel has a plan of her own. She not only gets him to help her find a coach for the team, but she convinces him to try out for the team. Rachel could tell that he missed playing baseball and having a hometown guy on the team to draw the crowds in will only make things better.
As Rachel and Sam work together, their mutual (slight) animosity toward each other turns into a physical attraction that they are unable to ignore. They form a friends with benefits like relationship and they both find that they like it way more than they want to admit. But when Sam overhears a conversation that paints Rachel in a very bad light, their relationship and Rachel's motives are put into question.
I liked this book because it just wasn't about the sex. It was also about the sport. Baseball is like another character in the story. It means different things to Rachel and Sam, but it is what brings them together.
This was a great start to the series and I look forward to seeing that the next book will bring.
She thought about that for a minute, thought about him, standing there, looking at her like she was the only woman in the world, and the heat was undeniable. The attraction unmistakable. Sam Sutter was a mouth-wateringly beautiful man. Five years younger and without a discernible life plan, but damn it, libidos didn’t care about those things. And honestly, the only thing holding her back from taking out all her recent frustrations on his blessed body right now was the fact his crew was just outside the leftfield wall.
To neutralize the lust bubbling in her veins, she asked, “Do you miss baseball?”
He looked broadsided by the random question and didn’t rush to answer.
“I know that came out of left field …” she grinned at her cleverness, “but I’ve been wondering about it ever since the festival. When my dad was asking you about baseball, you looked very uncomfortable.”
His gaze shifted away from her and anchored onto something in the grandstand, but then he shrugged like she hadn’t hit a nerve. “I was uncomfortable because I was worried about your father. I wasn’t sure what was going on. That’s all.” But his jaw pulsed, and she knew better.
“Sam …” She stepped closer, narrowing the space between them. “I saw that same look a minute ago when I asked you to help me out with the coaching prospects. You miss baseball. It’s okay to admit it. If you didn’t, you wouldn’t be human. God, you played every year of your life until you were how old? Just because you were ready to hang it up professionally doesn’t mean you don’t miss the game personally.” He looked at her then with a hurt in his eyes that seemed to be saying maybe he wasn’t as ready to hang it up as he pretended to be.
“I miss some things more than others,” he said. “There’s a rush you get from playing the game.” Silence stretched out between them as the warm wind wrapped them in the sun-dried fragrances of spring. All the while, his eyes roamed her face until they focused on her lips. “Fortunately you can get that rush from other things.”
“Like?” she asked, breathlessly, knowing damned well she was encouraging him.
“This,” he whispered before he leaned in and kissed her, a brush of his lips, soft as the breeze that carried the heated scent of his skin to her nose and then to her brain.
Elley has been reading romance novels since she was a sixteen-year-old babysitter, sneaking Judith McNaught and Danielle Steele novels off the bookshelves of the women who employed her. To say she’d been sheltered up to that point is an understatement. No one had ever told her women could live bold, love freely, and have sex lives that were exciting and fulfilling. (They don’t teach these things in Catholic school!) Now that she knows, she’s happy to spread the word. The women she writes about may be fictional, but the success, respect, and love they find on the page is a universal right for women everywhere.
Elley writes books with charming characters, emotional stories, and sexy romance. Visit The Bookshelf for a detailed listing.
You can also visit her online at the following places: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon
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Really great review - thanks for sharing!
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