Out of His League

by Cathryn Parry

Catch her if he can... Dr. Elizabeth LaValley's life works just fine, thank you very much. She's a successful anesthesiologist, and she's put the chaos of her youth and family behind her. When hottie pitcher Jon Farell shows up in her hospital, she's the only one who doesn't fawn over him. Sure she feels the heat between them, but being alone is safe and predictable. She didn't get where she is by taking risks. 

Jon can't get the beautiful doctor out of his head. His talents on the field have always been enough for any woman. But if he's going to win Elizabeth's heart, he'll have to offer her much more than a wicked curveball....

Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Sports, Baseball, Harlequin, Contemporary Romance

304 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Cathryn Parry writes from her home in central Massachusetts. She’s an award-winning author of romance fiction with over a dozen novels published to date. Her books include small-town, Sweet and Clean, Scottish-set contemporary and sports romance series.

In her free time, she loves figure skating, planning as many vacations as possible and pursuing her family genealogy hobby. She lives with her husband, Lou, and a sweet, sixteen-pound rescue cat named Buster who loves to supervise her office activities.

For more information about Cathryn’s upcoming releases and to subscribe for new-book alerts, please visit her website at CathrynParry.com

Cathryn's Books:

Sweet and Clean Romance:
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Return to Wallis Point Beach (the Clean Romance version of The Long Way Home)
The Highlander’s Romance (the Clean Romance version of The Sweetest Hours)
Falling for the Pitcher (the Clean Romance version of Out of His League)
Christmas at Prescott Inn

Small Town Beach Romance:
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The Long Way Home (Wallis Point Book 1)
The Secret Between Them (Wallis Point Book 2)
The Undercover Affair (Wallis Point Book 3)
Summer by the Sea (Wallis Point Book 4)

Sports Romance:
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Out of His League (LaValley Sisters/Boston Baseball 1)
The Good Mom (LaValley Sisters/Boston Baseball 2)
Something to Prove (A Downhill Skier Romance)
Secret Garden (A Golfer Romance)
Christmas at Prescott Inn (Figure Skaters Romance)

Contemporary Scottish Adventure Romance:
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The Sweetest Hours (Sage Family 1)
Scotland for Christmas (Sage Family 2)
Secret Garden (Sage Family 3)

For more information and to subscribe for new-book-alert emails, please see her website at www.CathrynParry.com

Reviews

[Zoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't usually read Harlequin Superromances. They're too long and don't have nearly enough sex. But I make exceptions for uncommon stories, and I'm glad I read Out of His League. The sports romance isn't uncommon, of course, but the prickly, antisocial heroine is, and I really liked this exploration of an introvert figuring out how to open herself up to another person - a very public person at that.

I really liked how long it took for the couple to admit their attraction to each other, and then how it took a few false starts to get on the same page once they did.

All the family stuff was extraneous for me, but I get that's what SRs are about, so I won't criticize the book for working within its category. That being said, I wish there was more after the final chapter, and after 300 pages, I probably shouldn't. So a bit less family, and a bit more relationship detail after the resolution, and this would have been a big hit for me. As it was, I'd give it 3.75/5, but I'm rounding up because I love prickly heroines and the nice guys that fall in love with them. Parry got that dynamic just right.

A couple of things rankled me, but they're nitpicky, and not about the story:
* The cover photo - his hair is WRONG - and this isn't the first time I've made this complaint about a Harlequin Superromance. Their cover art department needs a talking to. In this case, the hero's hair is referenced repeatedly throughout the story, it's a plot point. GET IT RIGHT.
* At one point the hero talks about playing ball across the U.S. and in "Toronto, Canada". Harlequin is a Canadian company. Their style guide should ban such references. It's a world-class city. Enough to reference it as "Toronto". Or not, and just say "Canada". But not both. It's weird.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think the socially-awkward heroine is one we can all relate to on some level. Her tendency to pull away and live inside her own head made her hard to relate to at times, but made her a more realistic character, imo.

I like the emotional undercurrents of the book and applaud the author for touching on them.

Having said that, it was hard to read at times. The constant push-pull from the h/h was irritating and I struggled to buy into their continued attraction. The first time they met it made sense, after that I began to question it.

In the end I was won over. An emotionally compelling read, if a bit hard to get into.

[Cathryn Parry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm the author of this book. I recently reread it in preparation for its rerelease later this spring.
It was a pleasure to be reintroduced to these two characters. Dr. Elizabeth LaValley is an anesthesiologist at a large Boston hospital. She's introverted and bookish by nature, but a difficult childhood has also caused her to be distrustful of people. She's prickly and awkward in her interactions.
Jon Farell is naturally outgoing and gregarious. He's also in a very public profession--he's a pro baseball pitcher. It's the off-season, and he's in trouble on a couple of fronts, professional and personal. He meets "Lizzy" when she's his anesthesiologist during a surgery to remove a tumor on his non-pitching hand.
Theirs is an opposite-attracts romance. On the surface it shouldn't work, and yet it does. Despite all the difficulties, they bring out the best in each other, and everyone around them benefits as well.
I'm drawn to heartwarming stories of healing, and this is one of my favorites.

[Linniegayl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I gave this a B+ at AAR and wrote, "I’ve reviewed two other books by Ms. Parry, and her books continue to interest me; this is no exception. At its bare bones, the story seems trite: a successful woman doctor meets a star baseball player in a hospital. I thought I knew where this was going: she’s all brains, he’s all brawn, but somehow they get together. I was completely wrong. These are two complex characters with numerous issues and problems. Their mutual attraction is only part of the story.

Unlike some romance readers, the most important character for me is the heroine, and Dr. Elizabeth LaValley is difficult to like. Elizabeth’s an anesthesiologist at a major hospital. She chose anesthesiology because it involves only minimal interactions with patients. Elizabeth wants nothing to do with most people. She’s spent her adulthood building an ordered, peaceful, quiet life with no room for complications and messy people."

http://likesbooks.com/cgi-bin/bookRev...

[Kate Vale · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elizabeth LaValley is an anesthesiologist, the perfect profession for someone who doesn't like to talk to patients or get pulled into their lives.

Jon Farrell is a pro baseball pitcher needing a tumor removed from his catching hand. Fearful it is cancer (like what killed his mother), he begs Elizabeth to tell him the outcome of the surgery as soon as he wakens. When Liz isn't available when he wakes up, he goes in search and finds himself talking to her nephew, who'se been palmed off on her when her sister has to enter rehab for her alcoholism.

Jon promises the kid an autograph and delivers it in person, thereby forcing Liz to acknowledge him when what she really wants is to be left alone--or so she thinks.

But Jon is as attracted to her as she is to him and what follows is a story rife with heartbreak and joy, as well as a conclusion that will please all who love a happily-ever-after ending.

[Claudia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a slow going book. I was close to dnf-ing it twice but I'm glad I kept going. I liked the heroine and her social awkwardness and how the hero wanted to help her coming out of her shell but I think there was too much saving on both sides going on. I didn't buy into their motivation why they wanted to keep seeing each other and I'm also waving a red flag for everyone who doesn't want to read about annoying kids in romance novels. Borderline annoying kid in this one.                  

[Kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this because I can relate to the heroine in a lot of ways. But, I just really didn't get the attraction. I didn't understand their connection. The first half of the book, they were each in their own head way too much. It felt cold.

[Kerry Connor · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's been 3 or 4 months since I've managed to finish a romance novel, with everything I've tried failing to grab me and winding up abandoned. Not this one. It's not perfect, but very, very good. 4 1/2 stars.

[Harlequin Books]

Rated 4 Stars by RT Book Reviews

[Harlequin Books]

"Parry's sweet story does a nice job of portraying both Elizabeth's and Jon's insecurities - and their eventual ability to triumph over them." RT Book Reviews, rated 4 stars

[Kobie · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF. characters motivations weren't working for me. Plus, I love baseball and don't need a fresher course!