He didn’t think coming home would mean falling in loveOutfielder Calvin Ramsey returns to his Texas farm home after being released from his team, an unexpected surprise sure to tarnish the family baseball legacy. But when he finds a sexy stranger acting as the temporary caretaker for his childhood home, all thoughts of baseball disappear.She won’t fall for another playerAfter losing her savings … player
After losing her savings to a swindler ex-boyfriend, Josie Vance moves to Last Stand to start fresh where no one knows her unhappy past or the con that bankrupted her. But her peaceful healing time evaporates when the homeowner’s son arrives and throws himself into life on the farm—and charming Josie. She can’t risk an affair that draws attention to her or her past. Especially not when the public’s fascination with the baseball-playing Ramsey clan is at an all-time high. Can she keep her secrets, her low profile, and her heart too?
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Another beautiful romance with deep, layered characters and a delightfully perfect happily ever after.
The Perfect Catch, Joanne Rock’s latest and the first in her new baseball series, is the perfect spring read. No matter how well your team is doing, this baseball book will make you smile and enjoy some time at the ballpark.
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this novel.
2 Stars
Review by Elizabeth
Late Night Reviewer
Up All Night w/ Books Blog
Typically, this type of story hooks me from the beginning but I found myself struggling to make it through The Perfect Catch. For some reason, I could not connect with the characters and it made that much harder to read. It felt like the chemistry between Calvin and Josie was forced and that was also a turnoff.
When we meet Josie and Calvin they are each running from something. Josie is running from a mistake she made while living in Florida and Calvin is hiding out due to his failing baseball career.
The plot was good up until a certain point and then it felt rushed. I tried to get into The Perfect Catch and powered through so I could write an educated review but it did not change my initial view.
I encourage you to read other reviews as well before making a final decision.
Sweet, quick story about a hot baseball player, Cal, who comes from a family of baseball players. When his career takes a turn for the worst, he decides to head back home to Last Stand, to take a break from baseball and help his grandpa out on his farm. When he meets the woman, Josie, who is the caretaker for his moms house, which he didn’t know about. He’s intrigued by her to say the least, but her past choices, had her leave her life behind in Florida, and move to Last Stand to start over. The last thing she wants is a relationship, or to be wowed by the hot Cal!
Follow their story, see if Josie can get past her fears and enjoy life! 4 stars for this one!!
I’m a fan of Joanne Rock’s books plus add in a baseball player you have me sold. I mean the cover definitely drew me in too. Man my heart goes out to Cal his future in baseball is up in the air. That’s the worst possible outcome for a player. Though he’s a crossroads in life it may just a blessing in disguise because he gets to meet his mother’s caretaker Joise. Sparks fly between them, but Joise is gun shy when it comes to men and relationships. I don’t blame her upon learning her back story. She deserves some happiness and peace. I love her love of books and reading; kindred spirit. Cal set ups to the plate for Joise which wins me over. I also loved the way Josie makes Cal feel and brings him some sort of peace during his turbulent time. Being a baseball fan I was intrigued by the behind the baseball aspects.
I loved this book, although I read it in a sort of reading frenzy. I loved Josie’s sweetness and kindness in her character, although she had some sass in her what made her interesting!. Cal, a baseball player, who got fired by his manager is very opinionated, but he can think out of the box too, which is a good quality when he has to humblepie his way back to Josie. I loved reading about their attraction and how Josie tried to fight it.
He didn’t think coming home would mean falling in love
Calvin Ramsey returns to his Texas farm home after being released from his team, an unexpected surprise sure to tarnish the family baseball legacy. But when he finds a sexy stranger acting as the temporary caretaker for his childhood home, all thoughts of baseball disappear.
She won’t fall for another player
After losing her savings to a swindler ex-boyfriend, Josie Vance moves to Last Stand to start fresh where no one knows her unhappy past or the con that bankrupted her. But her peaceful healing time evaporates when the homeowner’s son arrives and throws himself into life on the farm—and charming Josie. She can’t risk an affair that draws attention to her or her past. Especially not when the public’s fascination with the baseball-playing Ramsey clan is at an all-time high. Can she keep her secrets, her low profile, and her heart too?
Titles in the Texas Playmakers series include — The Perfect Catch –
This series is part of the Last Stand, Texas group of connecting series. (think Marietta, Montana– Tule Publishing’s other large set of series set in a fictional town)
Calvin has returned to Last Stand, Texas after being released from his pro baseball team, when he finds his mom has hired a caretaker, Josie. Josie has taken on this job, to start a fresh and put her past behind her. Calvin is just waiting for the next phone call, hoping another team will pick him up. Soon they can’t deny the chemistry that they share but will Josie’s past hinder them from moving forward.
A quick read that I really enjoyed. Great characters. I love the farm. A great start to new series, what’s better than baseball, but baseball and romance! I recommend this book.
his is more of a just shy of 4 star read, and this is due to me just feeling like I needed more of Cal and Josie getting to know each other and spend time together to really build the attraction to each other. In saying that it was still a really good read and I loved to getting to know Cal and Josie as well as learn about Cal’s Mum and Granddad who both seem to be like awesome people who were let down by those they loved. I hope we get to meet Cal’s other 2 brother and sister in future books as it would be great to know them all more!
This is a super quick fun, sexy read. I like the story and characters and honestly I would have like a bit more of them. Things move along pretty quickly as you would expect from a book of this length. Pro baseball player Calvin Ramsey finds himself adrift when his team abruptly cuts him from the roster. Now with nowhere else to go he returns home to regroup. He’s surprised to find a strange woman in the house rather than his mom. Josie Vance needed to get away from her life and disappear for a while. Taking a job as a caretaker in small town Last Chance TX seems like the perfect solution. Everything is great until Calvin returns home and blows up her plans in the process.
I recommend this one for a quick fun escape.
Josie’s been burned by a con man, and she might be on the lam, so keeping her past close to the vest and guarding her heart is her best defense. But, one look at the smooth baseball player, Calvin, makes it hard. Being the caretaker of his mother’s farm and friend to his grandfather won’t make things easy, especially when he starts helping around the properties.
Calvin was let go from his team, it smarts, but he’s not done with the game. Laying low in his hometown was the plan till he found out his mother left the farm in the care of a woman with a secretive past. As they make peace and spend time together, there’s a spark of passion.
Neither is ready for commitment, but when things are just falling into place, each has things from the past come out in a very public way. Is it too late for them to find their way back together?
Enjoyed and recommend this story!
**received an ARC from netgalley
It is not often I read one that has anything to do with sports unless it somehow tempts me as this one had. Then again it does have lots of other things in it like good fun romance. Josie and Calvin give you one that has you become immersed into their world thanks to the catch. When the spotlight hits certain areas you hold your breath waiting to see what comes of it. Their tango will pull on you wanting a certain outcome. Trust and healing play a big part with those good at tapping into our emotions. You latch onto this following easily all the way until the ending that is just right.
I want to believe in love at first sight but this story still seems like it went way too fast. The whole book they deny their attraction to each other. Neither wants to talk about their past or what they are running from. They finally take the plunge and sleep together. The next day a huge mess breaks out, within an hour they are fixed and madly in love to live with each other for all time. And all this happens in less than a week. The book just didn’t seem plausible.
*I received a free copy of this book via the NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.*
The Perfect Catch is by Joanne Rock. It’s a short read, easily read in one afternoon, with a sexy baseball player unsure of what his future holds and a determined woman who just needs a place to let her wounds heal a bit!
Calvin Ramsey thought he had the world on a string. He is a professional baseball player in the major leagues. But everything changes when he goes in to practice one day and is told he is being let off the team. The only place that sounds good to Calvin to be is home. To enjoy the peace and quiet of his boyhood home until he figures out what to do next. So he heads back to Last Stand, Texas.
Calvin’s mom is away on a trip and has hired a woman to take care of her home, her dogs, and her bee hives. That woman is Josie Vance. Josie has spent most of her life trying to run her mother’s apartment building, with no help at all from her mother. She has been forced to repair things with spit and duct tape. Josie was lonely and fell easy prey to a swindler. She lost her entire life’s savings. After a heated argument with her mother over her job, it’s time for Josie to make a change. When she heard about the caretaker’s position in Texas, she thought it would be the perfect way to figure out her future, until a certain sexy baseball player came into the picture.
“Of all the women he could have chosen, why was he so taken with a mystery woman who’d made it clear she didn’t want to get to know him better?”
Cal and Josie try to keep the attraction between them under wraps. But it’s too strong. And you know that the minute they give in to what they are feeling, their pasts are going to come back to haunt them.
As I said, this was pretty short. Josie had been badly hurt so it was hard to trust. And Cal loved the game of baseball and hadn’t given up on returning to his career. So no matter what their time together had an expiration date. I really liked Josie and her determination to do well at no matter what she attempted. I liked Cal okay but disliked the way he jumped so soon to a conclusion when he should have just waited. The story did just sort of seem to end. I would have liked a further glimpse into the future to see how things turn out for these two. If you know me, then you know that things like that bug me and I will probably be thinking about it for days. All in all, it was a sweet story of two people who had been beat down in the past and given a second chance at happiness. All they had to do was to be brave enough to take it.
The Perfect Catch (ebook) by Joanne Rock I enjoyed this book by Joanne Rock… Thank you to the publisher and #NetGalley for letting me preview this book. Calvin Ramsey (famous baseball player just cut from his team..he also has family baggage ) Josie Vance ( caretaker for his mom while she is overseas ….lots of family baggage and maybe law trouble). Their story is sweet with some sole searching, laughs, tears, some steam all getting us to a very HEA. Looking forward to Nate’s story.
“The Perfect Catch” by Joanne Rock is book one of her Texas Playmakers series and takes place in Last Stand, Texas.
With his baseball career on hold, Cal Ramsey returns home to find a woman in his mother’s house.
Josie Vance is hiding in this small Texas town and the last thing she needs is Cal asking questions. They call a truce while they help Cal’s grandfather with the family farm.
But they can’t call a truce to the chemistry that arcs between them.
Ms. Rock gives us a story mixed with humor and heart as she shows us how a parent can still affect their children’s lives even when they become an adult.
“The Perfect Catch” is exactly that—a perfect book to start your summer off right. I can’t wait to read more books with the Ramsey family!