“This is sports romance at its best! I was hooked from the first page! Cole & Christina’s romance is my new favorite.” – Claire Contreras, NYT Bestselling Author
“The Ninth Inning is a home run! The first book in the Boys of Baseball is classic Sterling- hot baseball players, college antics, lots of angst and a crazy-against-all-odds love!” – Jillian Dodd, USA Today Bestselling Author
… Bestselling Author
Cole Anders is in his last season at Fullton State. If he doesn’t get drafted this year, he’ll be forced to hang up his cleats for good. It’s not something he’s ready to do.
To prove he’s serious about his final season, he’s given up girls. No more casual hookups, dates or one-night stands. But there’s one girl who has always refused to give up on him. One girl who has been there since the start of Freshman year. One girl he stupidly assumed would always be waiting for him when he got off the field, no matter how long it took.
Christina’s had enough of Cole pushing her aside for baseball. She’s grown tired of waiting for him to see what she’s known since they were freshmen… that they are good together. She’s finally moved on- for good this time.
Cole has other ideas, but she refuses to cave. It’s not her problem if he wants her now. Too little too late.
There comes a point in your life when you have to stop the incessant merry-go-round and just get off the ride, right? Try telling that to Cole.
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I loved being back in the world of baseball!!! Jenn knows how to write a baseball book. She writes the story around the sport!
Christina is tired of letting Cole pull her heart strings. She wants him but he doesn’t seem to want her. How do you tell your heart to stop wanting something? Can she move on with her life and let go of him?
Cole has wanted one thing for as long as he can remember. Baseball. He wants to be drafted and play pro. He doesn’t want a woman to distract him from that goal. He can’t afford the distraction. His sole focus needs to be baseball. What happens when he realizes that maybe he can have both? Will it be too late?
I really enjoyed this book. I loved seeing Chance Carter!! Yes, that’s Cassie and Jack’s son! I cannot wait to read Chance’s story! I also want to know more about Mac!
I didn’t realize how much I missed the Fulton State world until I started reading Cole and Christina’s book.
All new baseball players are living at the “Baseball House” at Fulton State Cole is in his senior year and the captain of the team within a few pages I was falling for him and the more pages I read the harder I fell.
I adored Christina she was sweet and sassy. The moment Cole and Christina locked eyes their chemistry sizzled and from there it just got more intense. Cole was the possessive, cocky baseball player that makes girls weak in the knees but it was clear he only had his eyes on Christina.
This was a fabulous introduction to on all new baseball series in a world that I love. Witty banter, angst, swoon and so many feels.
I don’t think you can hear the name J Sterling and not think of baseball (Thank you, Jack Carter). Sterling has revisited her roots with The Ninth Inning, and did it in the best possible way. Cole and Christina’s story was such an honest, pure, angsty, and sweet romance that Sterling hit right out of the park! This book is the just the start of what I already know will be an amazing series, and I can’t wait for the next book!
J. Sterling has outshines herself once again. Definitely a home run with “The Ninth Inning”! The best baseball book I’ve read in 2020. It was raw, emotional, sexy and heartbreaking all in one novel.
In “The Ninth Inning”, readers are introduced to Cole and Christina. Cole is living for his dream career of playing professional baseball. He has no time for a relationship, therefore he lets go of Christina. Christina is done waiting for a future with Cole, so she does what any strong woman does and moves on. But will it be too late for a reunion once Cole knows what he truly wants out of life?
A well-written story-line with quite a few fun and sweet moments in between the pages. Angst, drama, humor, and love, which will have readers engrossed throughout this page turner.
I highly recommend it for all lovers of college/sports stories.
The best baseball book I’ve read in a while! Miss Sterling knocked it out of the park with this one!! it was raw, emotional, sexy and heartbreaking all in one story! I can’t wait to read the next book!!
This is the 1st in a new series and is Cole and Christina’s story. Cole is concentrating on his baseball career and getting drafted so eh decides that relationships are not for him which loses him Christina, but will it be too late when he realises this? This is a well written fun and sweet story which is filled with angst, drama, humour and love, which all had me totally enthralled throughout this addictive page turner. I cannot wait to read more in this fascinating series and highly recommend for all lovers of college / sport stories.
I enjoyed Christina and Cole’s story. I didn’t like that Cole pushed her away but you could understand why he did it. It’s only when he realizes, months later, that he made a mistake that he pursues her seriously. I actually liked their banter. I had a hard time with how a conflict was handled however and would have liked to see a little more seriousness put into it.
I liked this book. I liked the storyline, the love story, the characters and maybe I liked it all so much because it was similar to the author’s other series The Perfect Game. It was a cute storyline that held my attention and had some pretty funny one liners. I’ll definitely read others in this series because I did enjoy it.
What a great start to J.Sterling’s new baseball series and if The Ninth Inning is anything to go by The Boys of Baseball are going to be a sure hit !! This author is relatively new to me but with each book I read I find myself falling in loving with her works because her stories are beautifully written with adorable characters.
Cole and Christina’s story is an emotional one , it’s about college students trying to balance school, a sports career and love, it’s a heartfelt story that at times had me holding my breath as this couple tried to steer past the obstacles they found in their way but I times I also wanted to bang their heads together to knock some sense into them and to make them see reason….
This book has a lot going for it, the characters are easy to relate to and like most students they can be adults one moment and children the next but that all added to the depth of this story. It’s a story with all the feels and it ticked all my boxes, Cole and his friends are likeable and Christina and her friends are strong and loyal, I smiled and I shed a tear as I joined this couple on their journey to find love and romance even if it was a bumpy ride. Looking forward to more from The Boys of Baseball.
A second chance, sports romance that had me feeling a ton of empathy for the heroine.
Christina and Cole have been in a yo-yo type of relationship since Freshman year of college. A relationship where Cole actually held the yo-yo and Christina was the string that he tugged back and forth at his command.
For Cole, baseball was always his first and foremost concentration, which Christina did respect and understand, but Cole also put Christina in the bootycall category even when he knew deep down she was something more than just the other random hookups he had while attending Fullton. In his mind, he associated a girlfriend with fulltime work, so if he kept Christina at arms length then he wouldn’t feel pressured and he would be able to focus on baseball. Instead he actually found his senior year game less than satisfactory and his mind on her all the time, perhaps his plan wasn’t working like it should.
Christina had finally had enough of Cole playing with her months before Senior year. His yo-yo game with her heart was finally enough. However, when he asks for another chance, this time a real chance and not just a late night hookup, she has to think if her heart can take it. Can she forgive him? They already have years of actual history together, but is it enough to repair the damage to her self esteem?
I was able to empathize with Christina so easily in this story. Many years ago I dated someone who kept me in a yo-yo cycle and it played havoc on my emotions and bruised my self esteem hard. I know what it’s like to jump into something you want to believe in so hard only to get damaged over and over again. That self destructive pattern is so easy to follow, but that is why fiction is so much better than real life.
That being said, The Ninth Inning will take you on an emotional journey. One that I definitely identified with.
The Ninth Inning has it all. Sweetness, swoon, hot baseball players, and so much freaking romance. I fell head over heels for Cole and Christina instantly. These two have such a connection it is unreal. They ooze chemistry.
Their HEA is not a happy road. They have so many ups and downs, but prove to themselves and others that their love is worth it. That they will beat the odds. There was a few times I wanted to smack both Christina and Cole upside the head and yell at them to get their shit together, but they did and they left me breathless.
The Ninth Inning is a perfect escape from this current quarantine we are all under. Baseball, sex, angst, romance. What more could a reader ask for?
So I will always love Jack Carter, he will forever have a special spot in my heart but he needs to move over because Cole Anders was freaking everything. I love that we are getting a whole new generation of baseball players from J. Sterling, especially with baseball being cancelled due to Covid 19. This was just the book I needed in my life right now. There were so many great elements to this book, sexy and sweet baseball players, not only Cole but Chase too ( I cannot wait for his book) and even Mac. There was the zany, paranoid best friend. Lauren, girl, you were hilarious and I loved everything about you. The relationship between Christian and Cole was definitely what I call a slow burn but once it started it really moved. I almost died with the drama there at the end but they figured it out. Poor Cole though, my heart broke for him. In the end it all works out with a great HEA. I am so ready for Chase Carter’s story!
*** I did receive a free advanced readers copy of this book from J. Sterling and Social Butterfly PR in exchange for a fair and honest review***
4.5 stars
The Ninth Inning starts slowly but packs a punch as you delve into Cole Anders story.
I genuinely liked Cole and his friends. He seemed like a good guy. However when he sees his ex at a party, needless to say what eventuates is a story filled with emotional struggles, heartfelt moments and times where you wonder will they or won’t they.
I liked the way Christina stood her ground and that her best friend had her back and more. But the heart wants what the heart wants and how does everything go for them.
At one point my heart was in my throat and tears were threatening as I felt the emotions they go through. I especially loved the certain cameo moments too!
Well played writing this book Ms Sterling l, well flipping played.
OMG gotta tell you ……..
I spent last night with a man, well hell yes !! HOT SEXY DREAMY BASEBALL PANTS BUTT HOT MAN !!! RIGHT NOW i’m not sure whether to kiss or scowl at the author J. Sterling because… well you know Jack “FN” Carter right>. He’s my baseball guy, the one that set the bar, the one that all others haven’t yet reached… that is until now !!! How could you do this too me ???? He’s got to share Jack’s pedestal now!! NOW we are getting Cole Anders!!! I Kid you not, this guy will have you rocking and drooling in the corner!! Cole is a young man who has pressure and the weight of the world on his shoulders. He knows this is his last chance, his only chance of making it to the draft and gaining his one goal and his life’s dream. Sure he had to give up everything else and his regular hook up even though he misses her, You can’t have it all right? His story will bring you to your knees and a puddle on the floor. Also we get more than a few little surprises !!! (Zips mouth) He’s EVERYTHING and his Everything is an amazing heroine!!! Christina is so likeable, she’s determined and down to earth, Cole has broken her heart, but they were never in a proper relationship anyhow, she’s determined to move on with life and her goal! I Loved their story, two young people that have much to learn as yet about relationships and themselves and this author brings us all the juicy drama and angst perfectly, Puts them together and vavoom !!!! Jenn Sterling has given us is an awesome book that ROCKED IT RIGHT OUT OF THE BALL. PARK !!!!
This was a refreshing take on college athletes, that’s for sure. I could totally feel for both Cole and Christina in this situation. Cole is a baseball player that is intent on getting drafted and doesn’t need any distractions. He knows that Christina would be the biggest distraction he could ever encounter. Not only is she his confidant and best friend, she is the only one that truly knows him. Which is why he needed to push her away and focus on his game. Right?
Seven months go by, Christina comes to a party at the baseball house just to test herself to see if she still has feelings for Cole, not so surprisingly she does, but she would be an idiot to let him string her along for ANOTHER year. Right?
When Cole pushed her away, he thought it was best for everyone, but now he is realizing that when he let Christina go, it was the worst thing for him. He is lost without her, but she would be crazy to let him back into her life. It made me swoon seeing this love sick man try his hardest to win back the woman he loves. There were ups and downs, but there wasn’t an overpowering sense of angst to me. It was written in a way that it was lighter considering the subject matter. It was my first book by Jen and I will for sure read more.
I loved this story, I’ve not read j sterling before but this was definitely a home run.
Cole and Christina’s story was amazing, sexy, sweet and utterly heartbreaking, it had me glued to the pages from the first chapter.
Cant wait for more of these boys in the next book.
I love sports romance and J. Sterling hit it out of the park with this one! This baseball book brings us back to college in Cole and Christina’s senior year. They have been off again and on again throughout college and now in their last year Cole is starts to understand what is really important. Life doesn’t get easier especially with a certain fellow teammate out to take Cole down! Will he get the girl? Can he juggle both baseball and dating? You must read to find out!
ARC received for an honest review
When The Ninth Inning turned up on my Kindle, there was a squee of joy that emerged from my mouth
And then I started singing to the tune of Justin Timberlake “she’s bringing baseball back”.
I was obsessed with Jack F’n Carter for the longest time, and finding out we were heading back to Fullton State had me so, so, excited. Seeing the next generation come through is going to be so much fun.
Cole and Christina’s second chance story has shade of Jack and his Kitten all over again.
Cole had me right from the start, and I loved thew way he fought to get his girl back. We had the angst, we had the fun and laughter, we had the whole college drama thing happening.
They had great chemistry that jumped off the page. The spark were flying from the first line to the last. I laughed, I smiled, and boy oh boy did I get so frustrated.
I adore Christina’s best friend Lauren (wondering if named after author Christina Lauren??) and I need her to get her HEA,
And don’t get me started on Cole’s friends, particularly Chance Carter.
The Ninth Inning was a great start to a fantastic new series, and I can’t wait to get more.
Where do I start? I love J. Sterling so I was super excited to see she has a new baseball series coming out. I loved Jack and Cassie in The Perfect Game! I went into The Ninth Inning with high expectations, and unfortunately for me I feel like I was let down big time. I realize I maybe in the minority in my feelings but I felt like this book did not live up to what I imagined. I didn’t particularly like Cole, which really affects my view on the book.
This book won’t stop me from reading J. Sterling. I still cannot wait for Chance’s book and I hope it’s as amazing as his dad’s.
Giving up girls to keep his goal of being drafted at the end of his college baseball career leads Cole on a path including hurting the one girl that has stood by his side along with a huge slump he has to overcome. But once he opens up his heart and allows Christina in does his slump end and puts his career path within his reach. But will a jealous teammate push things too far? Will Cole get both the dream and the girl? With characters that I fell in love with from the opening pages and a storyline that was heart wrenching just as much as heartwarming this was a great read. I cannot wait for more in the series.