Balk

by Lacy Hart

Wes Martin gave up a career in the major leagues to be with Kristin, the small-town librarian, and the two have been living a happy life in Chandler ever since. That is until spring rolls around, and the familiar itch of spring training makes Wes wonder if he gave up on baseball too soon.

Should Wes stay in Chandler?
Could he make it in the big leagues again?
Would their newly forged relationship survive?

The complications quickly build for both Wes and Kristin - careers, family, friends, relationships, secrets - Is their desire for each other strong enough to overcome it all?

Genres: Sports, Sports Romance

239 pages, Paperback

Published October 9, 2019

Reviews

[Beeg Panda · Rating 1 out of 5]

The author perfectly conveyed the downward spiral of a relationship that has no strength, no spark, no solid future. Very well written in that aspect.

The hero:
- isn't around much except in his own head
- oblivious, disinterested and dismissive of anything else but playing baseball again
- relies on others to look after his kid with whom he has the obligatory father/daughter relationship but no idea whatsoever of the happenings in her life
- his romantic relationship with the heroine is basically the lack of romance; they have a few conversations here and there; nothing significant because the focus is on their failing connection, which is very well done.
- apart from his baseball career (the dead one) he isn't particularly interesting or held in high regard; he's just...there...if not at home in bed, then travelling for baseball
- he's depressed, desperate, no sexy brooding alpha here
- a well written loser who literally has no aspirations nor ambitions apart from playing ball for all the wrong reasons and does so to the detriment of the team, his relationships, he's dignity
- selfish and careless of the issues in the lives he's affecting with his pathetic need to belong in a position where he doesn't fit.

The heroine:
- loved by all, deservedly so
- dedicated to her community, her job and his kid (by his first love)
- works hard to reach her goals
- longs for him to dedicate himself to her like he promised in their first book

They'll stay together because she's pregnant now and he's occupied with this travelling "career".
They'll last until he gets more bored than what he already is.

Baseball:
- is perhaps why this book was written?
- lovers of this sport would enjoy that aspect of the book


NOTE TO SELF:
edit this review

[Nicki - The Overflowing Bookcase · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just when Wes thinks he has come to grips with leaving the Major League, Spring comes around and that old itch to swing the bat comes back full force. But can he come out of retirement and play again? Will he be able to walk away from his girlfriend Kristin and his teenage daughter Izzy? Will he settle for a league that is not up to par with MLB? With a storyline that gives the reader all the feels and characters you cannot help but fall in love with this was a fantastic read. To be able to re-visit with the characters and see exactly how their lives have changed was a joy to read.

[Paige Whitecotton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it.

Man Wes needed to be slapped at times. So did that B Sabrina. I really can’t wait for the next book.

[Amy Weller · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is fantastic, an absolute must read! Spring is on it's way and Wes is starting to get the itch to play ball again. The only problem is that at first, he doesn't tell Kristin and when he gets hurt in his own batting cage, he starts to get moody and irritable. It causes friction in the house until finally Kristin sets him straight. In the meantime, Kristin's best friend Karen gets engaged and Wes's daughter Izzy tries out for and gets the lead in the school musical. Just when things start getting better, Wes's agent Randy, finally finds him a ball team that is willing to take a chance on him. It's an Independent team but Wes feels he has to give it a go and he tells Randy to let them know he'll take the job without talking to Kristin first. This causes problems between the two and when he leaves, he's worried about how things will work out. Baseball doesn't seem to be working out for him either as he starts out not doing well in training and when the final cuts come, he's sure he's the one that will be cut. That's not the case though, as the team owner plans to use Wes's professional career to try to bring in more fans and money to the team. On the road, Sabrina, who works on the team keeps making advances towards Wes. It all comes to a head when they return home and Sabrina shows up in his hotel room where Kristin is waiting for him to return from his food run. Sabrina tells her all kinds of things about how Wes is only using her and she's not what he needs and Kristin leaves the hotel in tears. When Wes returns to find Sabrina there and Kristin gone, he's furious and throws Sabrina out of his room. His search for Kristin leads him to Karen's house, where Karen promises to help him fix it. Meanwhile, the new library board member, Richard, tries to take advantage of Kristin and then threatens her when she tells him she's going to the police. In the end, Wes returns and tells Kristin the truth about Sabrina and that Kristin is the only one for him. At Karen's wedding, Wes proposes and Kristin says yes and gives him some wonderful news that makes his heart soar.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Candi J · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of Wes & Kristin continues in Balk.
Life after retirement seems to get the better of Wes & not openly communicating with Kristin, things start taking a strain on their relationship. They seem to be living life passed each other, with Wes withdrawing somehow.
Then opportunity strikes again and Wes jumps at it, leaving Kristin unsure of how things stand between them.
In book two, we see the ups and downs of relationships. The consequences of decisions made when not thought through properly. The emotions of people living in the same house, barely speaking to each other like they used too. Book two gives you real life experiences of what it takes to maintain a relationship and how important it is to keep communication open and honest in life.

[Angela Cornell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Balk $3.99 234 pgs *** 10/5/21 Wes & Kristin

3 stars. This book was pretty bland. The flow was good but there were filler pages in this book that I scanned over. Wes acted depressed for a long time in the beginning, shutting everyone out. He didn’t talk to anyone about what he was feeling then he just up and made a decision without discussing it with anyone first. He and Kristin were up and down the entire book over things that would naturally cause conflict between a couple but Wes acted like he didn’t understand why. At times, he acted like a teenager then other times he was back to his normal self. He missed baseball and regretted leaving but didn’t bother to talk to anyone about it. Kristin worked hard building the library, had an incident with one of the new board members and I could tell something was going to happen eventually with the guy. Kristin helped Karen plan her wedding which turned out beautifully. Just an okay read, boring at times.

[casvec · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wes and Kristin's story in Balk, will grab a hold of you from the opening line and take you on an emotional ride that with each turn of the page. The storyline will keep you so captivated that you will have a hard time putting it down.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Linda Wimer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good continuation from book one

This is the continuation of Kristin and Wes story. I am enjoying this series but I do miss the POV. I hope the third one is just as good as the first two in the series.

[Debra Morefield · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good series..

This is the second book in the series. So far I find the first two books are pretty good. Now on to the next..

[Kmansfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good

[Heather White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story

Such a great story of love with lots of drama. So much happens. I can't wait to read the next book.

[Skye Yanovsky · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was so excited to read more of Wes and Kristen’s story in Balk by @lacyhartauthor. I loved Change Up (The Home Stand Series Book 1) where we met them and see their relationship start. However, this book gave me a complete 180 in my feelings for Wes. I loved him before but I felt in Balk he was a big baby. His behavior was juvenile and if I was Kristen I would have kicked him to the curb and moved on. I still loved Kristen so much. She continued to be amazing, smart, strong and stood up for herself. Maybe a little too forgiving in my opinion...I wanted to tell her to make him beg for forgiveness and grovel some more. Again, I know Wes isn’t a bad guy at all but he lost a little bit of my heart here. .
I did enjoy this story even though I disliked Wes so much. And he did semi redeem himself at the end but I’m still mad at him for his behavior for 75% of the book. I was still totally invested in their story and needed to see what happened to them. I was happy with how the story ended (no spoilers, don’t worry!)
.
Balk is a story about relationships, dreams and forgiveness so I did like reading a story that I felt was so realistic. It always makes me happy to see the road to HEA paved with bumps in romance books because I can understand and have lived that myself. Love is not always easy but it’s worth it and Balk gives us this story. .
I received an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

[Patti Shaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

While this is book 2 in a series you do not need to read the first one to follow the story. I was well into the story before I realized there was a previous story. Characters are believable as well as the story line. This story shows that life can throw us a curve ball but how we react to it is completely up to us. We may think we make the right decision, but later wish we had followed our hearts. If we work hard enough we can have a second chance at doing the things we love. This story is a great representation of that.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[ReadonReader · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this story we get more of Wes and Kristin from Change Up their story in the Single Dad anthology. Wes has retired from baseball, but he is stuck asking himself is this what I really want or do I have more baseball left in me? So, he goes into a depressed state and pulling away from his family and friends not knowing how to deal. Kristin is busy running the library and loving her life with Wes and Izzy but she notices the changes in Wes and she doesn’t know how to help him because he never wants to talk about it. I don’t want to give too much away but there are a series of events and drama that have them questioning if their relationship can handle all these changes. I felt bad for Wes because he wanted more baseball in his life but I didn’t like how he didn’t include his family in his decisions and ended up hurting them, also I didn’t like how Kristin in a way gave up on talking to him making sure he was ok but she did her best. I did love how things turned out and these two found a way to work it out. A great follow up on a great story.

[Mia Kun · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Bulk. It was everything I needed right now. I loved how the story felt 100% reality, many people want to desperately do something, as in Wes's case play basketball, but for some reason they can'tt. This leads to him being sad and depressed, isolating himself from the ones he loves. The relationship challenge was there making us see how difficult it is to have the lack of communication between two parties. I honestly felt bad for Wes throughout the story even if his behaviour wasn't justified all the time.
I loved Kristin's character - she was so smart and independent. In a way she kept standing up to herself and dealing with Wes even if other people would have long given up.
The plot kept the story interesting and wanting me to read more. It was exciting and it really did make you think about love and relationships, and how when something is important to you - you should never give up on it.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Sassy Beta Reading & Review · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is book 2 of the series that technically can be read as a stand alone, but honestly think it needs to be read in order. Things from the previous book are referenced on multiple occasions and will make the reading of this book easier to understand. This book continues where book 1 left off. Wes has left baseball to be with Kristin, but a year later, he is having regrets. Not about Kristin but about giving up on ball way too soon. Basically he whines and moans to himself about what could have been and leaves Kristin and his daughter out of the decision making process and leaves everyone with a few ruffled feathers. Can he make a come back into the sporting world, or does he just need to hang up his cleats and get on with his life.

Written as a 3rd person, multi pov with a HFN ending.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Cheryl Sanders · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars
This is book 2 in The Home Stand series and it features Wes and Kristen. If you read book one in this series you’ll remember that Wes quit baseball during his last season to spend more time with his daughter and his girlfriend. This book takes place right before the next season starts. Wes thought he was done with baseball. It turns out that’s not quite true but fails to talk to Kristen about any of it. Wes has been a bear to live with lately and she knows exactly why. These two are great together. Their chemistry is sizzling. The communication however, is sorely lacking.

This book has the potential to be longer with a deeper story line. There was a lot of repetitive home life and a lot of unsuccessful baseball happening. I wish we could’ve seen deeper into their relationship.

[Gillian · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was not what I was expecting and not in a good way. I thought that there would be more chemistry between Wes and Kristin even outside of the like two or three times that they make love to each other. Overall, the story and plot were ok, but there could be more. I found it hard to believe that Wes and Kristin would end up getting engaged because they barely did anything with each other throughout the book and even when they did, there was no passion. However, it was kinda predictable that they would end up together by the end.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Shifty Bugger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the book it was great, the story was well written and the characters are interesting. Once I started I could not put the book down. Wes and Kristin decide to live in a small town. Wes gave up his baseball early but does not know if it was to early. With twists and turns, hot and steamy with emotions that makes you want more with the chemistry and romance.
Thank you for allowing me to review your book.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Alharaca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Omg, the book is not what I expected. It's wonderful. The suspense that had i couldn't believe it, just wow. I love Wes and Kristin together but by far my favorite one is Wyatt. A perfect sequel for the first book.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Staci · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very good well written story and the characters were both entertaining and charming with some bumps that keeps you reading

I received an arc copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Elvira · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book from beginning to the end it’s characters are well developed and engaging and they have loads of chemistry throughout the storyline which made it an easy read.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Nate · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed Wes & Kristin's story. Good characters. And hot chemistry. This was an intriguing book that one could relate too. I received a free copy of the book. And am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

[Cherie Maggi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok

I was kind of disappointed in this second book. Wes turned into a character I strongly disliked which ruined the story. I also felt the ending was rushed.

[booklover0228 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second Part of Wes and Kristin's story. Loved both books in this series.