Claire and Jude Sinclair have been living the perfect life for the last ten years. Blissfully in love, professionally successful, happily married… They have everything they want—except a baby to make their family complete. On the eve of the birth of the baby they’re planning to adopt, Jude gets traded to another hockey team in another state, and their thoughtfully planned-out road to parenthood … road to parenthood hits a speed bump.
But they didn’t survive all the turmoil of their pasts to get knocked out now. This is their game seven, and they won’t accept anything less than a win for the family they’re destined to have.
more
4.5 Stars
This is a novella in the Bellevue Bullies series and a reader is just perfect. It’s the next phase in Claire and Jude’s live. They want to add to their family, but it hasn’t been easy for these two. Then God works in mysterious ways because soon they’re put on a path the reach their dream. This novella packed in all the feels and emotions. We catch up characters and see how HEAs are going. Its a beautiful story and shows the true strength and power of love
Let me start by saying this: Claire Anderson Sinclair and Jude Sinclair are my absolute favorite couple that Toni Aleo has created. I will never, ever get enough of them (sorry Toni…. NOT)!!! There is just something about them that just catches my heart and will not let go. Changing Lines is the 5th book in the Bellevue Bullies series, and this series is just as phenomenal as Ms. Aleo’s Assassins series. When this book hit my ereader, I quit reading the book I was reading and started Changing Lines. I just could not wait!!! Once I started it, I just could not put it down. I did an all-nighter!
Let me get into some background in case you have not read any of the phenomenal Assassin and/or Bellevue Bullies series. We first met Claire Anderson in the 6th book of Ms. Aleo’s Assassins series. She is the niece/daughter of Phillip Anderson and Reese Allen Anderson. She went though hell growing up with her mother and grandmother. God forgive me for saying this, but the best thing that happened to Claire was the grandmother and mother dying, because Claire then went to live with her uncle, Phillip. Her life by this time, was really messed up. However, with the total love and support of Phillip and Reese, and dance, her life was totally turned around. We first met Jude Sinclair in the first Bellevue Bullies book, Boarded by Love. The sparks flew from the moment these two met. Their relationship had a lot of twists and turns, falling in love and Jude proposing and Claire accepting. The only problem… Claire signed a contract to work in Las Vegas as the head choreographer in a burlesque club, and Jude signed with an NHL team in Las Angeles.
Now, to the present and Changing Lines…
Claire and Jude are finally living part-time in the same city, Nashville. They’re about to adopt a baby, the only thing missing in their lives. Just when they are about to become parents and have everything, they ever wanted besides each other, Jude gets traded. These two just cannot catch a break.
I absolutely enjoyed catching up with Claire and Jude as well as the rest of the Assassins/Sinclair Family, because they are ALL family. Which is why I think I love both series so, so much. Ms. Aleo does a fabulous job showing us that being married to a hockey player, for that matter, anyone in the sports field, is not always sunshine and roses. A lot of times it is separation and loneliness, being separated from and spouses, children, and extended family.
Kudos, Ms. Aleo, and THANK YOU for sharing your phenomena talents with your readers. As I said above, I will never, ever get enough of Jude and Claire, so ANY time you want to write more about them, feel free!!! And that little surprise at the end… AWWWW!!!! You WILL write more about that won’t you??? PLEASE!!!!
Thank you for reading my review. I really believe you will love this wonderful story. This story absolutely has all the “feels”. So, what are you waiting for! Go hit that purchase button from what ever store you buy from. You will not be sorry!!
I missed this family and all of the craziness that comes with it. Claire and Jude were the first ones to capture my heart in this series with they’re love for each other and always wanting to see each other succeed and this novella broke me a bit just to see them struggle to give each other what they each most definitely wanted and had tried so hard for. Even though it was only a novella i loved and enjoyed every bit of this one. I loved seeing how much had changed since the endings if the original three Sinclair men books. They’ve all grown so much as men but also the group as a whole has grown and changed so much and it made my little heart so happy! If you loved the Bellevue Bullies series by her you definitely need to read the baby. Nice slice of Sinclair family happiness and craziness.
This book reminded me that family isn’t always blood that family is who stands beside you at the end of the day.
Claire and Jude both desperately want to be parents. The problem it doesnt look like either of them can. Claire meets Tristan a young pregnant woman who just left a bad relationship and wants to give her child up for adoption. She adores Claire and Jude and would like them to adopt her baby.
All their dreams appear to becoming true until Jude gets traded out of the state. Can they keep it all together an adoption? a move? And still trying for a baby of their own?
I laughed, I cried, I fell in love with these characters all over again. It was the perfect ending to this couples love story. I also loved the appearances of some of my other fave assassins and bullies!!
Claire and Jude have been living their best life for the last 10 years. College sweethearts, they have been through it all. The one they want is to have a baby, but it doesn’t seem to be in the cards for them. They are planning to adopt a baby, they’ve finally set down more roots in Minnesota, they are living the good life…and then Jude gets traded. That wrench thrown in their perfectly laid out plans, throws them for a loop, but the two know that their love can get them through anything.
Claire and Jude have always been one of my favorite couplings from Toni Aleo. I fell in love with them in ‘Boarded by Love’ and have loved being able to do quick catch ups with them in other novels that Toni has written. This book was such a quick but awesome read, I enjoyed getting to catch up with Jude and Claire in a more in-depth way. I love that in every book Toni makes her characters so relatable. As someone who is currently struggling with this now, it was a breath of fresh air to read about it. I only wish we could get more and more from all of her characters!
5 star Review Changing Lines (Bellevue Bullies #5) by Toni Aleo
I am new to Claire and Jude Sinclair as I have not read any other books in the series. However, having said that, I had no problem following this story.
What an emotional roller coaster of a read this was. Jude and Claire are so in love, the only thing that would their lives complete would be a baby. Sadly despite many attempts, infertility and heartache abound.
Just when it looks like they will finally be able to adopt the baby they desperately want, Jude is traded to another hockey team in Florida.
Toni Aleo had me totally invested from the first to the last chapter. If ever a couple deserved to get their hearts desire it was Jude and Claire.
This story was beautifully written, a story of love and determination, of never giving up. It was emotional, uplifting, devastating and absolutely real. Ms. Aleo handled the highs and lows of infertility with care and dignity.
Changing Lines is a sweet novella full of love and family. Although a quick read the emotions and love packed into this story will hit you right in the heart.
Never have I cheered for a couple to achieve their hearts desire as much as I did Jude and Claire.
Warning: Spoilers Ahead
I have loved Jude and Claire since the moment I picked up “Boarded by Love”. To be honest, this was the book that started it all for me. I read “Boarded by Love” before I started any of Toni’s other books and after I finished it, I was hooked. (Intentional hockey pun) Jude was the bad boy player that every girl told all their friends they would never fall for, but secretly crave. Claire was a troubled youth who needed the love that no one thought a guy like Jude could provide her.
It was amazing to be able to not only see their love form in “Boarded by Love”, but to now see how they’ve continued to love each other through life’s ups and downs. Coming from someone that suffers from PCOS and as a 20 year old I was told that it was almost impossible for me to have kids, Toni did this book justice and then some. I could feel myself in Claire’s shoes and the reactions that she makes her characters go through are so real that when she was crying about a negative test result, I was right there with her. I can only hope that I’ll have a man as amazing as Jude when the time comes that I’ll want to try for children, or adopt.
As always, I loved this book and I can’t wait for the next installment of whatever Toni decides to grace us with. 🙂