Home Run

Starred review from April 17, 2017
McLaughlin knocks it out of the park with her second Boys of Summer sports contemporary (after Third Base). Ainsley Burke, raised by a single mother who’s always warned her daughter about the danger of falling for an athlete, has sworn not to date the baseball players who train in her Florida hometown. Then Cooper Bailey, a player for the fictional Boston Renegades, comes to town. While on a media day at the zoo where Ainsley works, Cooper asks Ainsley for her number. She refuses, but her coworker slips him the info, and Ainsley and Cooper begin a red-hot relationship. Soon, though, Cooper’s game starts to worsen—and his overbearing, obnoxious father blames Ainsley, leaving the lovers to make some tough choices. This novel goes above and beyond the typical sports romance with a hot, complex hero and a gutsy, multidimensional heroine, as well as a stellar cast of supporting characters. McLaughlin keeps the pace lively throughout, and just when readers think they have the finale figured out, she throws them a few curveballs. This novel will appeal to McLaughlin’s fans and win her many more. Agent: Marisa Corvisiero, Marisa Corvisiero Literary Agency.

May 15, 2017
The second book in McLaughlin's Boys of Summer series (Third Base, 2017) focuses on rookie Cooper Bailey. He is trying to earn his spot against a popular center fielder and does not want the distraction of a girlfriend during spring training. But Cooper can't help himself when he meets zoo employee Ainsley on a media outing, and their few dates show him that they could be a lasting couple. Ainsley is devoted to caring for her dying mother, but she can't stop thinking about Cooper, who comes under pressure after a poor start to the spring season, which provokes his demanding father. When Ainsley's mother enters hospice, the couple fights as their stress reaches a boiling point. Their breakup leaves them both miserable. The baseball team story line adds lively action without overwhelming the enjoyable love story. Sports romances are a popular trend, and this is a strong addition to the subgenre.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)