[Kame's Review]: "Too Hot to Handle"

Too Hot to Handle by Katie Rose
Publisher: Loveswept (January 27, 2015)
Series: The Boys of Summer, 2
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Katie Rose’s Boys of Summer series returns for a delicious double-header—with the story of total opposites who are drawn to each other like moths to a flame.

Nikki Case is no fan of baseball. Her ex gambled away a fortune on the sport, and now her PR firm has tasked her with cleaning up the league’s most notorious bad boys. The New Jersey Sonics are known for wild womanizing and booze-fueled brawls, so Nikki expects the worst. Her first stop in the battle to win hearts and minds is star hitter Jake Baldwin—a legendary ladies man so smokin’ he threatens to melt her tough-girl armor.

Although his teammates prank her without mercy, Jake admires the way Nikki gives as good as she gets. She may be the queen of frost, but there’s kindling beneath those sultry curves—and he’s just the man to ignite it. But when a PR nightmare lands the Sonics in headlines across the country, Nikki is ready to walk. Only then does Jake realize how important she is to the Sonics’ success—and that winning the love of a good woman is no game.

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Reviews of Rose's Previous Novels:

Bring on the Heat (#1) -- Kame


Kame's Review:

The NJ Sonics baseball team has a problem, an image problem. To solve it they hire Nikki and PR rep. Jake is the heart of the team and a confirmed bachelor, rarely seeing a woman more than once. Well that is until a teammate bets he can't make Nikki fall in love with him.


Nikki is trying to dig herself out of a fiscal mess after her divorce, and her PR firm is doing well. I am at a loss of what her specialty is - I would think a MLB team would hire someone who PR firm is focused on sports, and it seems parts of the game are foreign to Nikki. Jake is the team's star shortstop. He seems to like the party attitude of the team, but can quickly fall in line with the rules Nikki institutes. (if he was a true leader why didn't he lead by example) They seem to have an instant connection neither want to confess to since they are both determined not to have any romantic ties. The bet pushes Jake to pursue Nikki, and it doesn't take long for them to move to a steamy relationship. I myself did not "feel" the strong connection between these characters, I felt their relationship was rushed, and sometimes forgiveness was given too quickly.


The plot duration of this book is the baseball season. Baseball is the framework of their relationship but no where is it a major focus. If you are not a fan, no worries you won't be drowned in stats and details. In full disclosure - I am a baseball Mom. My son trains year round and I can not count the number of games I have watched (and his twin sister plays softball). Baseball is discussed 365 days a year in my house. I am a detail oriented person and the details (or sometimes lack of details) of this book nagged at me. I found myself sometimes yelling in my head over something I read. It also happened when I read Book 1 in this series. I doubt I have the inclination to see how it will be handled in Book 3.


One bright spot of this book was the subplot of Jake mentoring a young boy in his old neighborhood. The Jake in those scenes shined, he is one reason I kept on reading.

3 STARS! 

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Kame received an e-ARC of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for her honest opinion.

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Thanks for the review, Kame! :) That is a yummy cover though . . . 

Have you read Katie Rose? Do you have a favorite of hers?

Enjoy!


Until Next Time,




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