Maggie Jennings didn’t think she’d ever see Dylan McCormick again. When she was eighteen, he took everything she had to give—her heart, her love, and her virginity—and then broke her heart when he left for college. But now he’s back in her life, playing for the Dallas Longhorns, where Maggie works as the team’s media director. Watching him on the field is the most exquisite torture—he’s a … muscled, talented athlete who looks amazing in a pair of baseball pants. Seeing him again makes her want all kinds of things she shouldn’t.
Dylan McCormick has it all. A pro baseball career, millions of dollars, and a life most only dream of. But everyone has regrets, including Dylan—and his is Maggie. One look at her, and he knows that he’ll do anything to get her back. He wants her. He needs her. He’s determined to atone for the past while showing her the man he’s become because he knows there’s no one else for him. But the past has a way of refusing to stay buried, and when secrets surface, their sizzling chemistry may not be enough to keep them together…
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Maggie and Dylan were young when they fell hard and believed they’d be together forever. He was heading off to college on a baseball scholarship but long distance would work. They had it all planned out, but he broke things off and broke her heart just hours before leaving. Ten years later, they’re thrown together again and despite his success, Dylan has nothing but regret. He’s missed Maggie every single day and wishes he could go back in time to make a different choice.
This is a second chance at the life they almost had but they have to confront the issues from their past if this is going to work. Dylan and Maggie are both great characters and so sympathetic. They were just kids and his evil father manipulated them, changing the course of their lives. Maggie wants to give Dylan another chance but she can’t bear the thought of him breaking her heart again. He wants to prove she’s the only thing that truly matters to him, but he’s afraid to come clean about the past so it’s always hanging over the couple, threatening to break them apart for the second time.
Their story is sweet but sexy and I loved the supporting cast as well as the baseball subplots. It’s low-angst and fun and I just want more.
The good, The Bad and The Ugly…
What I Wanted‼
I was drawn into this story by the introduction. I love sports and I love second chances so combining those two topics sounded perfect. Unfortunately, it wasn’t, at least not for me. Why? Because the plot I just referred too was secondary. Too bad, as that would have made a great storyline. What little of it that was covered in the book was good. Problem is, other things discussed below took over and got in the way.
What We Got
The first several chapters were nothing but sex in one form or another. Sexual situations in and out of the bedroom, booty calls, phone sexting and/or sex talk among friends. Throw that in with too much unnecessary cursing, I almost quit reading. Since I’m one that needs to finish a book, I skimmed, skipped and read over those many areas.
What woman would ever think she needed sex with the one who dumped her in order to forget him? Well, that’s the excuse Maggie used to find ‘closure’ …. closure from what happened 10 years ago when she was a teenager.
What Was Missing
Dylan’s dad needed a real comeuppance. Yes, Dylan FINALLY stands up to his dad but it ends there. WHY?
Did his dad ever have to look in the mirror? We don’t know.
Did dad just drop Dylan and let him go? Again, we don’t know.
And I want to know what Dylan needed to know….. why did his dad HATE Maggie so much? Yep, we never find out and just don’t know.
What about Dylan’s mother? All we know is she took off never to look back, never wondered about her son at all? What’s that story? We sure don’t find out in this book.
… Soooo….. a book I really, really wanted to enjoy was a big disappointment. It had too many irrelevant things and too many unanswered questions. Had the many chapters of those irrelevant scenes been cut out to allow better development of Maggie’s and Dylan’s second chance, it would have been much better. That way all those missing answers we needed could have brought about real closure.
Left heartbroken and alone when Dylan leaves for college, Maggie is left to pick up the pieces of her broken heart. Telling herself that her love for Dylan has turned into hatred only last for so long when he ends up being traded to the very same baseball team that she works for ten years later. When she decides that the only way to get over him is to get under him one last time, the sparks from years past are still there. Can you fall in love with the man who had broken your heart and left you devastated? Or wil you be able to love again? With great characters this was a great read. Nothing better than baseball and romance.
This was a great second chance love story. I loved reading it!
Great Book!
Felt like the took was stalling out
Really enjoyed this book
Good story. Very sweet and you could totally relate to the characters. We have all been there with a break up that feels like it doesn’t have closure. Personally I think Maggie’s closure reasoning for her no strings sex offer was stupid. Even if they felt like they had chemistry that doesn’t lead to closure. It’s leads to more sex. I really liked Dylan even with everything. Honestly the only person I hate is his dad. So he slowly tried to break down her walls breaking and curving their rules they set (which she was fine other and happy about according to her because she wanted to be around him more too). He loved her. Had always loved her and wanted her back. Honestly her freaking out I understood but he technically told her the truth when they got back together. He did admit their breakup had something to do/his dad had been behind it. Yeah she did deserve to know but he was also right they couldn’t change anything and knowing only hurt her. Honestly I get her waning to he told back then yes it was her future. But come on. I think anyone who truly loves you only wants better for you and he did. He loved her enough to give her the opportunity to grow. I think that is amazing and very h selfish for an 18 year old. Just think more should have been done with Dylan and his dad. Yeah he told him where to shove it basically but like it felt like it needed more. Idk. Great story. Can’t wait for Hunter.
I enjoy romance and sports so this has both.
Good second chance romance.
Great word building and character building. Always like these 2nd chance books.
This was a short and sweet read, but for me, nothing really “grabbed” me. It was pretty predictable in how the story would go, as well as the ending, but I enjoyed the storyline enough to keep on reading. Not sure if I will continue on with the series. While there are sparks between these two, I would have like a little more depth into their characters, but maybe that is just me.
The short-short version: Dylan and Magnolia were in love in their teenage years. Dylan broke it off before he went to college in Magnolia’s best interest. Heart break. Fast word ten years and they are now both employed by the Dallas Longhorns. Maggie wants closure but ends up with some friends with benefits deal with Dylan – and he keeps breaking all the rules.
I enjoyed this book. I enjoy baseball, and the author seemed to have a good knowledge of the game. Some of the decisions by the heroine were silly, but the characters were likeable. One thing that really turned me off was that I was offered a free epilogue, if I provided my email. The epilogue was 11 pages long, and it was 10 1/2 pages of sex. A little plot would have been welcome. I mean really now!
02/02/2021 “Stealing Home” (nook) is a wonderfully-written, intense story. I was barely into the Prologue when I started crying. And my crying resumed several times throughout the book because of the heartbreak. So much angst, so much heartache, so much love. A worthwhile read.
I would happily rate this book as 6 stars.
3.5 Stars
Stealing Home is the first book in Tara Wyatt’s new series called Dallas Longhorns.
From the beginning I was drawn into the story, high school sweethearts, Dylan and Maggie’s lives are headed in different direction. So he breaks her heart by breaking up with her. Maggie swore she wouldn’t put herself in that position to be hurt again, until the day she sees Dylan walk into the Dallas Longhorn Club, and all those feeling resurface. Dylan has always regretted letting Maggie go, will he be able to get her to give him a second chance? This was quick paced, east to read, sports romance.
I can’t wait to read Hunter’s story next.
3.5 Returning Home Stars. Stealing Home is a second chance romance for two high school sweethearts. Dylan and Maggie come from vastly different sides of the track. Maggie knew it was too good to be true, but she trusted Dylan ten years ago when he said he loved her and theirs was a future full of promise. Nothing was going to stop them, they were set to conquer the world. That all came to a crashing halt the night before Dylan left for Vanderbilt. He took Maggie’s choices away from her that night and in return gave her her future. Now, ten years later, Dylan is back in TX, Maggie works PR for the Dallas Longhorns MLB team who Dylan has just been traded to, and they’ve come face-to-face. Dylan sees a second chance. Maggie sees closure.
This isn’t a lighthearted story, but neither is it a total downer. There are tensions, to be sure. There is a lot to overcome. Stealing Home is a good introduction to the Dallas Longhorns series and a sweet second chance for Dylan and Maggie.
This is one of my favorite baseball romances and I have a feeling that the whole series will be too! I really enjoy sports romances that successfully bring together sports and romance without one overpowering the other. And this did exactly that! I was able to read about the sport I have come to love and this beautiful couple who have won me over!
Y’all, I am absolutely in love with Dylan McCormick! In the beginning, I was so angry with him, but that only lasted a couple of chapters, and then I was falling head over heels for him alongside Maggie. He is so swoony and knows exactly what he wants when it comes to his relationship with Maggie. Maggie on the other hand is apprehensive about them. She doesn’t want anything more than to get Dylan out of her system and my sweet girl didn’t know what she was in for. There was no way these two weren’t going to gain feelings for each other again and I don’t think they ever lost them, to begin with. I really enjoyed these two together and I was so sad for their book to end!
This book brings together second chances and friends with benefits creating a swoony and steamy story! And I sometimes find myself having trouble connecting with characters when the book is written in third person but Tara did an amazing job at really enveloping you into this book. This is the first book I’ve read by Tara but I am quickly moving on to book 2 in the series because I can’t get enough!
Tara Wyatt has a way with words. She was able to take you back 10 years ago to when Maggie and Dylan were madly in love with each other as well as to the heartbreaking moment in the relationship and she made sure you could feel it. When it came to the present, she made sure you knew the emotions of what each character were feeling as well as making it to where you could easily be placed in the shoes with how she let you into the mind of Maggie and Dylan.
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Dylan and Magnolia were self proclaimed high school sweethearts but he broke her heart when he broke up with her the night before he leaves for college. Ten years later, Maggie is working in the marketing department for the Dallas Longhorns, the team that Dylan is traded to during a major slump. Dylan has always regretted breaking Maggie’s heart so he is happy for his second chance with her. Maggie just wants closure since she never believed his reason for breaking up with her.
This was a short, sweet and enjoyable enough read. It just didn’t call to me. Maggie’s reasoning to get her closure was kind of silly and a little ridiculous. I liked both her and Dylan but that is kind of it. Nothing to make me dislike the book at all but nothing that pushes it over the top for me.
Love those athletes!