No Breaking My Heart

June 27, 2016
Angell’s latest sports romance (after No One like You) is a letdown, with inconsistent characterization and a flimsy story. The Richmond Rogues is a baseball team whose players are all very popular with the ladies, and none more so than handsome Halo Todd, who has lovers up and down the East Coast. When he’s accosted by Alyn Jayne, who’s dressed as a chicken (though she doesn’t seem the type to do that at all) and agitatedly begs him to join her on a game show, Halo’s kind heart forces him to agree, though the gig makes him late leaving Richmond for spring training. Soon he’s captivated by modest, serious Alyn and her mother and brother. The family accompanies Halo to the Florida boardwalk town of Barefoot William, where Alyn’s little brother, Danny, gets to hang out with his baseball idols and Halo tries to show wary Alyn that he can be faithful to one woman. The push and pull of their attraction creates some appealing moments. Angell’s latest entry contains more baseball, but the descriptions of the play are not very convincing, and the players keep adopting dogs with no mention of what will happen to them when the team goes on the road. But her fans will enjoy the familiar setting and cameos by previous characters in the series, and the supporting cast is delightful.

August 1, 2016

Why would Richmond Rogues right fielder Halo Todd dress up like a chicken and attend a game show with a woman he'd never met? Because a befeathered Alyn Jayne approached him on the street, that's why. In a series of bizarre events, Halo ends up heading for Barefoot William, FL, and spring training with an eight-year-old boy, the boy's mother, a disabled dog, a bunny, a fish, and the lovely Alyn in tow. Romance soon follows and so does a business partnership when Halo agrees to help Alyn get her antiques store off the ground. Taking things to the next, more permanent level will call upon all the persuasion that Halo can muster. VERDICT Although less about baseball and more about relationships, this slightly wacky romance is just plain fun and perfect for a day at the beach. Angell (No One Like You) lives in Naples, FL.

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from July 1, 2016
Star right fielder Halo Todd is the team's ultimate ladies' man, but this is the first time a woman dressed as a chicken has asked him to put on a rooster's costume and pose as her fiance for a TV game show. Turnabout is fair play, so now it's Alyn Jane's turn to pose as his fiancee to keep his many adoring and oh-so-willing female fans at bay. In exchange, Halo will give Alyn the seed money for the antique store she's always wanted. Alyn is hesitant about their deal, because she's still reeling after her father died, her fiance dumped her, and her business partner cleaned out their joint bank account. However, when she sees the mutual affection among Halo and her mother, kid brother, and even their paralyzed dog, Alyn begins to realize that this playboy is maturing into the real deal. A second romance between the third baseman, Landon Kane, and the town photographer adds another layer of love. A perfect balance of playfulness and poignancy, this continues Angell's hilarious and heartwarming series set in the beachfront town of Barefoot William, Florida(No One Like You, 2015).(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)