The Back Nine

40s, Love, and Romance #1

by Rachel Blaufeld

A BRAND NEW ALL-THE-FEELS * SECOND CHANCE AT LOVE* SERIES from Rachel Blaufeld.

James “Jamie” Silver is all grown up, working for the same high-profile, überwealthy people she’s spent her entire life surrounded by—as the outsider. With a new hairstyle and a sliver of confidence, she attacks the role daily…because since she was the scholarship kid at a hoity-toity District of Columbia prep school, Jamie has never quite belonged. Especially when it comes to her longtime BFF and secret crush, Ford Conway III.

As the oldest son of a Supreme Court justice and the world’s savviest society lady, Ford Conway was meant to attend prep school and grow into someone great. His mom never predicted he’d befriend the charity case. Much to her chagrin, as young kids and college classmates, Ford and Jamie were inseparable.

The duo shared all their secrets, until graduation, when they shared a magical night.

That is, until Ford forced himself to run away from his family’s political ties and his growing feelings for Jamie Silver.
Now a famous Hollywood producer, Ford makes his own rules. Except when his father becomes gravely ill, he’s forced to come home and runs head-on into the only woman who ever captured his heart. Although Jamie doesn’t remotely resemble the girl he fell for decades ago, his heart doesn’t care. But his mom certainly does…

In a cross-country second chance love story, the pair embark on discovering one another as adults and finding happiness in their back nine.

Genres: Romance, Friends To Lovers, Steamy, Contemporary, Second Chance, Contemporary Romance, Fiction

201 pages, Paperback

Published January 5, 2023

About the author

A recent poll of her readers described Rachel Blaufeld as insightful, generous, articulate, and spunky. Originally a clinical social worker, Rachel creates broken yet redeeming characters. She’s been known to turn up the angst like cranking up the heat in the dead of winter. A devout coffee drinker and doughnut eater, Rachel spends way too many hours in local coffee shops, downing the aforementioned goodies while she plots her ideas.

As a side note, Blaufeld, also a long-time blogger and an advocate of woman-run anything, is fearless about sharing her opinion. She captured the ears of stay-at-home and working moms on her blog, BacknGrooveMom, chronicling her adventures in parenting tweens and running a business, often at the same time. To her, work/life/family balance is an urban legend, but she does her best. Rachel has also blogged for The Huffington Post and Modern Mom. Most recently, her insights can be found in USA TODAY Happy Ever After Blog, where she shares conversations at “In Bed with a Romance Author.” 

Rachel lives around the corner from her childhood home in Pennsylvania with her family and two beagles. When she isn’t writing, she can be found courtside, tweeting about hoops as her son plays, or walking around the house wearing earplugs while her other son, the drummer, bangs away.


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Reviews

[Christy]

3.5 stars

As much as I love new adult romance and YA books, I always enjoy reading about couples that are a little older than your typical romance couple. The Back Nine is a second chance at love for Ford and Jamie, two childhood best friends that have finally made their way back to each other.

Ford comes from a successful family and Jamie was never wealthy, but has worked hard and gotten far in her career. I thought Jamie and Ford's romance was sweet. I liked them as a couple and I enjoyed Rachel's writing as always. Ford's mother was insufferable and I wasn't a big fan of her part in the story. I also wish we would have had more insight to the time they were apart, who they were then etc. Especially with Ford.

If you're looking for a book with characters who are a little more mature, I would recommend this one. Overall, I enjoyed it!

[Courtney]

The Back Nine is Blaufeld's first book in her 40s, Love and Romance series and a complete standalone.

I really enjoyed this middle-age romance between old friends with are reacquainted years later.

Jamie and Ford grew up together, but it completely different societal levels. They had one blissful night in college but Ford panicked and left Jamie high and dry and never contacted her again.

They find one another twenty years later but Jamie has changed a lot in many ways. But one thing Ford doesn't forget is one intimate part of Jamie that only someone close would know about.

I really enjoyed the premise of this book and how most of it played out. There wasn't a lot of high drama involved. However, there were times when I wanted to smack Ford upside his head for being an immature idiot. I also wanted to see a bit more of a deeper connection between Ford Jamie (both from the past and in the present) but I could sense their connection. There is a lot of steamy scenes and Rachel does not hold back on that at all.

Overall, a really great start to this series and I'm looking forward to the next book.

[Rochelle Weinstein]

Fun, sexy read! Blaufeld weaves a steamy story.

[Unn Lovegood]

3,8/5🌟
4/5🌶
(📚3/100)

My first of Rachel Blaufeld and I adored this book. Not gonna lie, her writting was 👌

Sebenernya aku suka buku ini, kenapa? Karena plotnya yang meskipun simple, tapi nggak bikin bosen.  Tokoh-tokohnya menarik, terutama si FMCnya, James. Romancenga juga nggak menye-menye (lebay) dan nggak banyak drama karena mungkin 40s bukan 20s yak :v.

The reason i gave this one lesser stars is because of the 🌶. Terlalu banyak adegan pedes,ya memang kalo genre romance mah ga jauh-jauh dari 'itu' ya, tapi di buku ini tuh udah kaya jadi 'main plot'nya. Its just not my cup of tea.

Aku juga nggak terlalu suka Karakter Ford di awal. Aku ngrasa kayak dia udah umur 40 tahunan tapi dia masih belum punya pendirian sendiri, masih mau di atur-atur sama Ibunya.

Tapi pada akhirnya aku suka banget endingnya. Develompment MMC-nya bagus—seperti yang aku harapkan. 😁

Last one. Aku suka karakter Billy, dibanding Ford aku lebih suka dia. Dan mungkin aku bakal baca buku selanjutnya tentang Billy, kalau-kalau authornya bakal nulis buku tentang Billy juga.

Read if you like :
• Dual PoV
• Forbidden Love (?)
• Playmate (Bestfriends) to Lovers
• Second Chance Romance
• 'its Always Been You'

Hugeee thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

[Olivia Caridi]

Pheeeew-ee, what a spicy second-chance romance novel this is!

Synopsis: Jamie (James) and Ford were childhood best friends up through college, when on one of the final nights before graduation, took their friendship to the romantic level. Jamie though it would turn into something, but Ford got scared and "ran," and the two didn't speak for twenty years. But when Ford's father is in the hospital that his family is deeply entrenched in, he runs smack dab into Jamie, the director of development at the hospital. Jamie instantly wants to pick things back up and pursue a second-chance fated connection, but there are a few bumps in the road, leading her to fear that she doesn't belong in Ford's life and his big family name, or that he'll always run away when things get real. However, we see Ford grow into the love connection and strengthen himself to stand up to his controlling family, and although that journey doesn't come without bumps, the love story by the end is one that I delighted in reading, It's a realistic look at a love and relationship that doesn't always come easy, but one that is worth the effort - and it doesn't hurt that the steamy scenes, of which were abundant, were reeeeally steamy.

I love Jamie's character - the fact that she found her way up into a big career on her own and the way she doesn't cower in what she expects from a partner. I do wish, however, that there wasn't SO much focus on her age - she's 44, not 84! It just felt like the age was being brought up a lot (and I know, that's the premise of the book's title), and that her insecurity about her body type was heavily mentioned as well, despite dreamy Ford saying over and over that he loved her body. I totally understand body insecurities, it just felt like overkill in a shorter book. The only other complaint I had was that I really didn't understand WHY Ford's mom hated Jamie so much. It was never really clear why she had such an aversion to their coupling.

But other than that, I LOVED this book. Finished it in one sitting! The love story moved quickly (the sexual chemistry started in chapter two, I swear!), and that chemistry was palpable. It's always fun to read a Hollywood-style romance, at times it felt almost 50 Shades-esque with how dominant Ford was in bed and in his "sexy talk" which was scintillating to read. And having read the preview of the following novel about Ford's sister Billy, I cannot wait to read more of Rachel Blaufeld!

Thanks to Rachel Blaufeld and NetGalley for the ARC for a review.

[Maria Angie Mendoza]

This story is everything I love about reading.
Heartfelt, bittersweet, and thought provoking, the best way to describe this story is using the authors own words “I fell down the most hedonistic rabbit hole”…and I didn’t want to get out!
This is the story of James aka Jamie and Ford. Theirs is a unique and passionate romance of second chances in life, hope and not wasting time.

These characters are older, wiser and perfectly imperfect. Both are 44 years old, divorced from opposite sides of the track. Yet, they have a connection that is undeniable.

“Aren’t we a little old for that?”
Is there a rule book?”

Those questions are put to the test over and over again throughout this story, making the reader like me think back to those times that age, and size circumstances mattered.
Reconnecting after 20 years was a bit challenging despite the fact they had been childhood friends and knew each other intimately. Never mind their chemistry was undeniable and even unapologetically combustible!
Their banter hilarious. Despite all their life experiences, and maturity they found out that some things in their lives never changed, creating a perfect storm in how they handled their new found relationship. Brimming with passion and humor, these characters came to life flawlessly and their story was a journey I was disappointed when it ended.

There were some scenes where I wanted to throat punch both of them because of the things Ford did and said, and Jamie’s too quick forgiveness. However, once you meet Ford and witness the passion between them, you could understand why she forgave him!
However, much like in real life, there are circumstances bigger than ourselves that can make or break a relationship and discovering what happens between Ford and Jamie made this story so well worth reading.

[Gwen|| Bookish Blondie]

While I enjoyed the storyline of them reconnecting and finding their way back to each other, there is just way too much spice in it that just felt like it was copy and pasted with some adjectives moved around.

This isn't a bad book by any means, but it just felt like there wasn't much growth happening in characters and all the growth, especially in Ford happened off page between the twenty years they were apart and I needed to see more proof in the actual writing.

And the villainess in the story is so over the top and her schemes and machinations are ridiculous it becomes campy.

However, I really enjoyed James and her storyline and how she stood up for herself and chose herself throughout the novel.

Lastly, this is a book about 40+ year olds finding love and there is a severe lack of that in romcoms, so I love that the author chose to represent a demographic outside the stereotypical age range.

Thanks to Rachel Blaufeld and NetGalley for the ARC for a review.

[Anas Attic Book Blog]

The Back Nine by Rachel Blaufeld
First in a Series. Stands Alone. 
3.5 stars

I requested The Back Nine  by Rachel Blaufeld from Net Galley because I noticed it was about an older couple, which is my favorite now that I’m in my fifties, and I enjoyed the other book I read by her.

Ford and James (Aka Jamie) were close childhood friends even though they were from opposite sides of the track. Ford’s nanny was best friends the Jamie’s mom, so the kids played together all the time. James always crushed on Ford, but she was poor, a little chubby and had frizzy curly red hair, and she never felt good enough for Ford’s upper class family.

They spent one amazing night together the night they graduated college, then Ford ghosted her. For 20 years.

Now he’s back in town because his dad is in the hospital, and who does he run into? Jamie. He almost doesn’t recognize her because she slimmed down and straightened and dyed her hair. But he remembers, and he wants his old James back

“Aren’t we a little old for that?”
“You need to cut it out with that. We’re not too old for anything… Is there a rule book?”

Ford is a famous Hollywood producer, no kids. His sister Billy is a famous actress, no kids. James is a hospital administrator, no kids. So it kind of feels like none of them has a lot of baggage, except for Ford’s mom, who is completely horrible, and it bothered me that Ford tolerated her at all. We learned very little about the intervening 20 years, so I never really felt that passage of time,  felt them missing big chunks of each other’s lives.

Likes:
•I love an older couple.
•I really loved Jamie.
•Her friend Val.
•I’m intrigued by Billy’s story.
•Spicy scenes that included her insecurities about her age and weight.

Dislikes:
•In real life I love boy’s names for girls, but every time I read ‘James’ and ‘Billy’ my brain did a little skip and I had to think about it for a second. This never went away for me, and it pulled me out of the story every time.
•I sometimes had trouble following who was speaking, it needed some more ‘she said’/‘he said’.
•None of these people in their forties seem to have kids or much personal baggage at all.
•There was very little discussion of the 20 years they missed and I felt like I never really got to know them.
•OMG Ford was such a pussy with his mom, and Jamie kept taking him back.

The Down & Dirty:
I enjoyed The Back Nine by Rachel Blaufeld. It’s rare to find books about older couples and I so appreciate when an author writes a sexy one. I’m curious to read Billy’s story, and I hope that’s next, because I will grab it.

Rating: 3.5 Stars, 4 Flames

Purchase The Back Nine by Rachel Blaufeld




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[KDRBCK]

The Back Nine by R. Blaufeld is the first stand-alone in the 40s, Love and Romance Series. It's the introduction to the Conway Family. Ford, Scott and Billy grew up in a family of power and wealth. One of them embraced the family politics, the other two kind of made peace and kind of escaped. One is a movie director, the other one became an actor.
And then is there little old James Silver, a woman in her fourties, a self-amde woman, suceessful on her own. And she knows Ford since the age of three. They grew up together and James is eternally in love with Ford. But he already disappointed her. Now 20 something years later they run into each other again and there's still a lot of ember under the ashes. Sometimes you can't stay away, give second and third chances.
Reading TBN is like sitting on a river, watching the water peacefully flow downriver away from you. A beautiful peace of art I greatly enjoyed reading the book. Next is Billy's story and I can not wait for this story.

[Kathi]

Great Analogy (Title) – Later in Life Romance!!

Ford Conway III is from a powerful family, while Jamie Silver was always a “scholarship kid”. Ford and Jamie were friends growing up, much to his mothers dismay. Years later Ford is a famous Hollywood producer, having kept away from the politics of the family. But he must return home as his father is gravely ill. Jaime is now development director for the hospital Fords father is staying in, so of course they reconnect.

Ford is thrilled Jamie has the “three S’s” successful, stunning and sassy. His mom is still “not thrilled” and takes action. Can feelings survive two decades, and active sabotage from family?

Emotional, touching, romantic and relatable. I really enjoyed this story.

***** I am voluntarily leaving my honest review of this book *****

[jai ୨୧]

I think this book had a really interesting premise, especially since I've never really read a romance novel with the protagonists over the age of 30. However, this interesting concept was overshadowed by characters (particularly Ford) that were so childish at times that it was really off-putting considering the entire plot is about how the two MCs are now in their forties and have finally matured enough to be with each other. The latter half of the story is largely devoted to Ford's mother and her crazy, obsessive antics, which become incredibly repetitive and uninteresting. I honestly would have preferred someone else to have been made the villain of the story. I really loved James and her character development felt natural. I can't wait to read Billy's story next!

Many thanks to Netgalley for the arc.

[Megan]

Man, oh man, oh man. What a book! I was totally addicted from the first page. This book goes in swinging and doesn’t stop. The amount of times I wanted to punch Ford in the face though, were extremely high. I loved that the book didn’t mess around and there wasn’t too much of a slow burn. I like that it was fast paced and seemed to move along quickly. This was a VERY quick read and I appreciated that. I read it in one sitting (mostly cause I couldn’t put it down.) Highly recommend and I actually love that there was an excerpt from the next book as part of this ARC and now I can’t wait for that one!

[Edie L]

The Back Nine by Rachel Blaufeld
I loved this book! This was Jamie and Ford’s book and I just know you must read it. It was a heartwarming story to read and just what you need to begin the year with. The chemistry between these two was undeniable even after so many years. It’s a book about te connection and rediscovering what truly makes you happy at any age. Truly enjoyed this book and highly recommend.

[Barbara]

James (Jamie) has had a thing for Ford since they were kids. He’s lived under the pressure of a society-driven mother who wants to control his life. And until he ran into Jamie after 20 years, he let his mom do just that. Now, he realizes just what he’s been missing. Will Jamie give him another chance? Will his mom stop meddling and let them have a HEA? Plenty of drama, mean girls and sexy times as they find support in unexpected places. Looking forward to Billy’s story next.

[Brenda Bishop]

The Back Nine is a wonderful middle age, second chance romance. Jamie and Ford were best friends as children throughout college. They had one night together and Ford got cold feet and ran. Jamie hasn't seen him since until she bumps into him once day. It's been 20+ years but Ford is insistent on making things right.

The spice is a 10/10!! I loved the characters and their chemistry is off the charts!

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

[Karen]

I really didn't feel the romance between Ford and James (I loathe boys names for girl's). Twenty years was a long time before they meet again. And boy was his mother up into his business!!!

[Marika]

James is my new best friend! I have a serious crush on her! Ford..it took me a while to get on board as I didn't like his running away scared business! I understand that his mom is an absolute nightmare but still..
I loved the easy way the had with each other and their chemistry.

[Lesley C]

Cute premise, and I love that the MCs are in their 40s. But the writing just felt off to me. It was super choppy with a ton of unfinished business left at the end.

[Ana]

Jamie was too much of a doormat and honestly Ford was a jerk for always leaving Jamie in a lurch.

[KristieReadsBooks]

Rachel writes the most amazing characters, easy reads and fabulous love stories…this one has some heat!!

I really enjoyed this middle age, second chance romance that takes us readers on a wonderful adventure.

Ford is an actor and also comes from a wealthy family…his mom is not kind. But Ford is an independent man and is willing to stand behind his own decisions.

James/Jamie is a strong, determined and has gotten to where she is through her own hard work. After reconnecting with Ford she has to deal with some challenges.

The chemistry between these two is fantastic and I love their story, their adventure and their strength to fight for what they believe in.

[marie wilson]

this book was sooo good! this is my first book by Rachel Blaufeld and i really liked her writing style! i loved their relationship and watching all of the characters develop. i liked how this was an older couple and i really really liked jamie! my only complaints are about how sometimes the writing made the book very confusing to read. i also wish we could’ve seen a deep connection between the two. overall, this was a very good book and definitely recommend!

[Jenny - TotallybookedBlog]

‘I had wanted to tell him I believed it when he said we had the second half of our lives.’

The Back Nine by Rachel Blaufeld is an easy-to-read second-chance romance with forty-something Jamie and Ford. It’s the first book in a series but can be read as a standalone as the next book features a different couple, Ford’s sister. Some readers may call this a middle-age romance, however, we hate that term, rather it’s a romance for forty year old’s who after twenty years meet each other again and sparks literally fly, not only from what is familiar but feelings which have remained since they last saw each other.

“Red.” His hand sifted through my hair as he came up for air. “Why?” He asked one word.
“Why? What?”
“Why did I stay away so long?”

Ford and Jamie were best mates growing up. Ford is from an affluent family where honesty and integrity are not common, and Jamie grew up with her mum under very different circumstances. Whilst best friends since they were children, Jamie has harboured romantic feelings for Ford for a long as she can remember. And after a wonderful night with him, she never expected to not hear from him for another twenty years. Ford ran without an explanation and Jamie worked hard to forget him and shape a career for herself. The heart never forgets though, so despite her reservations and cautiousness she soon finds herself back in his arms.

“This is the last time anyone hurts you.”

Ford is one messed up fella and running is his default when things get tough. This is one of the reasons we didn’t feel a huge connection between Ford and Jamie, rather their relationship was mostly between the sheets when they were together. We would have loved to have experienced them together as youngsters as well as that fateful night in order to feel their connection rather than being told which would have cemented that bond when they meet again twenty years later. Experiencing as opposed to being told always makes us readers feel the emotion and passion of the characters and their hearts.

‘I had to make a man out of myself, and then maybe, just maybe, I could love her the right way.’
Whilst low on angst we wouldn’t call this a rom-com as Jamie and Ford have to resolve a lot of issues both personally as well as with each other and both go through a lot of changes. We loved the premise and this author writing style as it was quite the heart-warming spicy story with Hollywood drama and two characters who have to examine what’s important in life and learn to be comfortable in their own skin.

“You are the beginning, middle, and end of my story.”

[Jeannie Zelos]

The Back Nine
by Rachel Blaufeld


Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews

Genre: romance, women's fiction

Gah, I hate that category, we're way past times when only women read books like this.

Got that off my chest so on to the book ;-) I love Rachel's writing, and was really excited to see a story with characters in their forties.
Jamie, she's lovely, worked so hard to get where she is despite her background, and she's now in a career where she's much admired, respected and she loves. Shes a few close friends, and seems to be doing OK in life, especially after a short lived disastrous marriage. She's the kind of MC I can really get behind, empathise with, want a happy ending for.
Ford treated her shamefully, after being such close friends when they were teens. His actions then mirror his actions now in my view, he's scared to face up to his parents, his background, to say what he wants out of life. Even as a grown man he's still a coward. You can tell already cant you, that I think he's just not good enough for Jamie ;-) But sigh....she wants him again when they accidentally bump into each other.
As usual the writing is excellent, the characters well fleshed out, feel so real. I love a good b itch character like Ford's mother, they add such drama and emotion to a story. She really was a Queen B. Horrible as she was she was a favourite character for me, I love people like her in a story, we see them ever day in life, so in stories where they can get knocked back it makes me feel good!
Its a interesting read, steamy and spicy without being OTT, I want story not just pages of sex ;-) and sadly too many novels are sex first with just a thin plot line carrying through. That's fine for some but not what want. I need a strong story that authors like Rachel deliver.
So overall I was thinking this was a three for me but, as ever Rachel's writing is solid, its a great story, fabulous characters, it was just Ford that let it down so maybe my first thoughts three is too harsh. It was great to get older characters, lovely to have a solid “bad” person, I love the dichotomy of rich v poor backgrounds and the issues that brings, and of course the struggles Jamie and Ford went through.

Stars: Four, I love the story, but Ford I felt was selfish, immature and needed to grow a backbone. He'd got there in the end but he put poor Jamie through a lot,

ARC supplied by Netgalley and publishers

[Carmela Agatha Enriquez (agathafeelingg.reads)]

📖 ARC REVIEW 📖

Thank you @greyspromo for an early copy of The Back Nine by Rachel Blaufeld. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. 🤍

The Back Nine is a second-chance romance of two long-time friends Jamie and Ford. They’re from different social classes, as always being emphasized by Ford’s socialite mother, but have grown up together. They shared everything together, even a magical night after graduation until Ford “ghosted” Jamie and ran away from his family’s political ties. Two decades later, Jamie has changed a lot, from her new hair, a slimmer figure, some confidence, and working with high-profile wealthy people, she bumps into Ford (now an award-winning producer) again.

This novel, while not entirely heavy on drama, has too much spice! I’d say it was around 70% 🌶️🌶️ I enjoyed the first portion of the story as Jamie and Ford reconnected and remembered their times together, it seemed like their chemistry then was apparent up until Ford left. In the later half though, I found Ford annoying. I wanted to punch him several times for being such an idiot, then and now. While his intentions were to protect, he’s pretty much doing it the wrong way – he wasn’t being transparent with Jamie, but he came through in the end.

I loved Jamie’s determination to have a career based on her own merit, not with having a lot of high-profile connections to back her. I can relate to her insecurities with her age and especially her body, but she brings it up loads of times in the story despite Ford praising her and loving her the way she is, which was quite annoying and relatable at the same time – I can accept the compliment, but at the back of my head the insecurities are still there.

Rating The Back Nine ⭐⭐⭐.5/5. I would have loved to see more in-depth interactions between Jamie and Ford, especially from their past selves, and while I loved the smut scenes, there was just A LOT of them for my liking. 😅 This releases January 10th, 2023!

[Jennifer Pierson]

Jamie (aka James) has made quite the life for herself after being known as the charity case when she was younger. She was best friends with Ford Conway III until they crossed a line, and he ran. He comes from a wealthy & powerful family, so he ran from them as well. These days he's a successful Hollywood producer who makes his own rules, but then he has to come home when his father becomes very ill, and he comes face to face with Jamie very quickly as she just so happens to work at the hospital his father is in, and things get complicated quickly. She's all grown up, and the sparks are flying, but he still comes off as the immature boy who ran back in the day. I just didn't warm up to him because he was selfish, & self-centered in my eyes, not to mention, he can't stand up to his mother, who doesn't want them to be together ever. I did LOVE me some Jamie, as she was a strong, feisty, hardworking heroine who deserved the very best out of life, so in my eyes, Ford was lucky to even be in her orbit but that's just me. Despite my issues with our hero, the story was hard to put down until every last page had been read as Rachel Blaufeld has an easy writing style to get immersed in so I HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

[Jo - •.• Midlife Cosy Reader •.•]

Jamie and Ford knew each other as teenagers and after getting really close in college, they shared one special night together that neither of them have ever forgotten. A future together was not meant to be and it would be years before they crossed paths again.

Ford comes from a life of wealth and privilege. Jamie has had to work hard for everything she has. Ford needed to get out from under the expectations and influence in his family home and make his own path. Jamie graduated and has a successful career in the health sector but has never forgotten about Ford

Seeing Ford in her hospital was completely unexpected, his father is currently a patient there. However, how it feels to see Ford again is quite overwhelming. Ford is thrilled to see his ‘James’ again, she is even more beautiful than he remembered. This time the timing feels so right and he has no intention of walking away from her again.

Being with Ford again comes with risk and his mother makes sure that Jamie knows her place by wielding her influence all around her. This time though, Ford is not walking away, he is prepared to fight for the girl he loves.

This is a fun, second chance romance story.

[•Cici• Theory of A Dreamer Book Blog♥]

3.5 Stars!

Having read Ms.Blaufeld's work quite a few times before i always look forward to picking up more of her books! As soon as this one was announced it piqued my interest and i knew it had to be the next one of hers that i read. I got right into the 40s, Love and Romance world. I really liked this story!

Jamie and Ford's journey got my attention! These two were best friends until one night changed things. Many years later, Jamie and Ford are face to face once again. Will they ignore everything that's between them?

I really liked the fact that there was history between Jamie and Ford. After they were reunited, i didn't know how they'd tackle things which got me into their story more. I related to Jamie. Jamie and Ford's chemistry was heat filled. I loved that both characters had me going through many emotions throughout. I just struggled at certain points to get fully into it.

With The Back Nine, Ms.Blaufeld has created a good read that had me feeling so much!


*I volunteered to read and review a copy of this book from Grey's Promotions / the author*

[Sunny Shelly Reads]

The Back Nine is a sweet and spicy second chance romance, twenty years in the making. Jamie and Ford are childhood best friends who had a one night stand the night that they graduated college. But Ford's fears to really get involved led to them losing touch and now 20 years later, they reconnect.

I enjoyed parts of this story, but found the majority of it to be a little underwhelming. It made me laugh when Jamie and her best friend Val were talking about cheek whiskers in the bar -- she's over 40 after all! But then she waffled back and forth so much when Ford reappeared in her life and I felt like she was too much of a doormat for someone that age. I was glad when she finally stood up for herself, though. And I was equally irritated at Ford for not standing up to his mom sooner.

All in all, this was an enjoyable story, and I am definitely intrigued by the preview chapters for Billy's upcoming story (Ford's sister)!

I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.

[Nickie Sale]

Ford and Jamie have known each other since they were children. Whilst in prep school their forged a strong relationship and a magical night at their Graduation. But then Ford runs, from his family, from Jamie until 20 years later when is forced to return.

Ford now a successful Hollywood Producer and Jamie, successful in her own right, now a development manager at the local hospital. Both have changed, and now with Ford's father gravely ill in the hospital where Ford's father is, they meet again. Ford's mother, never liked Ford's relationship with Jamie when they young. Now the pair have re-connected, the feelings they had all those years ago resurfaced, the chemistry is very much there and burning, the question becomes Can they re-kindle the relationship they once had? Can they survive those years apart and Ford's mother's disapproval?

I wouldn't say this is action packed but it really does bring on the heat and definately steamy +++

[Diane Wilkes]

Either I'm becoming meaner or the romance genre is finished for me.

No. I don't think so, exactly. There are still people who do it right and as long as Nora Roberts is in the world, I can't make an end with romance.

The Back Nine got great ratings and the author is a well-educated social worker. And it had actual grownups as the leads. I was very hopeful. But the book has everything I hate--vicious "other women," including the male protagonist's mother; a protagonist (Jamie) who is a very successful professional woman who becomes a mindless slave who is incredibly insecure in her relationship, and the male protagonist who likes his sex rough and has a problem committing to the female lead FOR DECADES because his mommy doesn't like her--but then the minute he sees Jamie after those decades, he promises her everything but still behaves like a three year old with his mother.

This was just the worst. SO disappointing.