Perfect ass.

Perfect arms.

Perfect swagger.

They call Dash Wallace the Diamond King.

He’s the hottest commodity in baseball and in the bedroom.

When he runs the bases, every woman’s eyes are glued to his stunning body and a smile that puts the night lights to shame.

I’m no queen. I’m a regular girl with a regular job. I just watch him on TV and from the bleachers, season after season.

Girls like me grab a guy like that one in a million times.

My number just came up, and he is as spectacular in bed as he is on the field.

But there’s not a woman in the world who can distract Dash Wallace from the game. Not for a moment. Not even me.

Until the night I do. And everything changes.

I signed up for the Alphabet Game Heroines names. The aim is to read 26 books from A-Z with female names, easy right? No actually it’s not. I have had a dozen “S, M & I” That is why I went with Hardball. I had it on my TBR shelf and then I found out that the heroine’s name starts with V. Home run! Only 16 more letters to go.

There are going to be some spoilers further along in my review so don’t continue reading if you don’t want to know.

3 “Love is an ever-fixed mark.’” “Be my ever-fixed mark. Be my north star.”

Vivian is a librarian for an elementary school on a school trip to the Dodger’s stadium. She needs to get a baseball signed by all twenty five ball players for her dad. Her last up is the Diamond King, Dashiell Beaumont Wallace, I feel as if a III is missing here or some kind of title.

Vivian is my kind of girl.

“I wasn’t the demonstrative type. I didn’t say I love you all the time, and I wasn’t girlish or giggly. I hated shopping in pairs and preferred staying home with a good romance novel than a girls’ night out. But I figured sometimes you have to meet someone halfway.”

She loves books, is kind hearted but she lives life risk-averse. But has taken to heart what her Mum once told her.

“Don’t be fooled by the handsome ones or, God forbid, the rich ones,” she’d say. “Look for a beautiful heart.”

Dash is one of the best baseball players out there. He has rules that he needs to stick to and at the moment he is shit out of luck. It all started with an Avocado tree and moved on to a Princess Pin. If he doesn’t stick to his routines he is impulsive. His rules include several strange things but I guess it also has a lot to do with baseball.

He can’t get Vivian out of his head but he only does expiration dates. Vivian doesn’t and she stands her ground. Dash decides that he can be friends but it ends up to be more. But he is leaving for spring training soon.

I liked Dash up until this Point:

“There are women I see,” I said. “It doesn’t mean anything. Not like you do. But it’s a ritual, and I can’t stop because of you.”

Sheesh Dash you really know how to make a woman feel special. But stop ladies you think that this is bad it carries on later in the book and this is where Dash nearly broke me or should Ms. Reiss as she wrote the book.

“Thank you for all the good years. We had some great times.”

Dash cut it effing fine even for me. And I’m not bothered by a lot of things. But deep down I let out a huge sigh and me inner self was whooping.  He grovelled, he did screw some things up along the way but so did Vivian.

They did have banter and good moments with one another where you could really feel the connection between them.

 

“Were you this irritating when we met?” “I was charming. Very charming.” “Where did Mr. Charming go?” “That guy didn’t have staying power. “But Mr. Irritating? He’ll stick around?” “Unfortunately. Go up to the top please.”

One of my favourite characters in the book is actually Vivian’s Dad. He is awesome, each and every girl should have a Dad like that in her Corner.

“But don’t be a fucking putz anymore.” “I won’t. I don’t know what a putz is, but I’m sure I can stop being it.” “It’s a man who takes women for granted is what.” “I won’t. Not Vivian ever again.” “Goo. Now stop making eyes at her and ask her if she needs anything.” He winked.  

This is my first book by C.D. Reiss and she is very talented from her writing style to keeping me captivated with the characters that I read the book in a very short amount of time. Now for me personally she is a maybe author and at some point I’m sure I’ll come back to her books.

Thinking more about it Hardball is actually perfect, the writing you name it and I really do not know why I can give it only 3 stars instead of the deserved 5 but one of life’s mysteries I guess. Ms. Reiss described Dash’s issues without having pity on him but still showing compassion.

There was great character development with the MC and each as an individual.  

 

I would certainly recommend it to peeps.