Catching Heat

Feeling the Heat #3

by Alison Packard

Life has taught Angie DeMarco that all baseball players are womanizers, and her incredible one-night stand with sexy San Francisco Blaze back-up catcher J.T. Sawyer seemed to prove it. Determined not to give in to their sizzling chemistry a second time, she's kept her distance ever since, focusing on her accounting job with the team. But now she's laid off…and pregnant.

J.T. was hurt by Angie's rejection, but with one more year with the Blaze, he has no time for love. He needs to spend the off season training hard so he can negotiate a better contract with a new team at the end of the year. But when Angie shows up on his doorstep, he's overwhelmed by wanting to not just do right by her but pursue a relationship with her. Hoping for a second chance, he proposes.

Angie agrees to marry J.T. on one the marriage will be purely a business arrangement. But as Angie spends time with him and his family, and J.T. neglects his training to spend time with her, what begins as a union in name only slowly grows into something more—something that looks a whole lot like love and friendship.

For more stories about the San Francisco Blaze, check out The Winning Season!

87,000 words

Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Sports Romance, Sports, Contemporary, Baseball, Ebooks

267 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 20, 2013

About the author

Alison’s love of the romance genre goes all the way back to her high school years when she gobbled up every Harlequin novel she could get her hands on. Back then, she never dreamed of writing her own stories. But years later, her inner writer emerged and she’s now a multi-published author of contemporary romance.

When she’s not plotting her next book, she hangs out with her adorable rescue dog, Bailey, consumes more chocolate than she should, and spends time with her friends and family.

Visit her website at www.alisonpackard.com to subscribe to her newsletter, get information about previous books, and updates about upcoming releases.

Reviews

[✿kawehi.reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

J.T: ”Hey, I know a damn good muffin when I eat one.” He paused. “Did that sound dirty?”
-“Only if by muffin you’re thinking something entirely different than..” she pointed to the pan, “..those.”
”I wasn’t.” He grinned. “But now that you mentioned it, I’ve tasted your muffin and I woudn’t mind tasting it again.”



Catching Heat was a lovely story in which I enjoyed a lot. As a fan of this series, I had been hoping for a J.T. and Angie story since The Winning Season . I just knew that there was an obvious attraction brewing between the two and had suspected that something had happened that one night after the game. And I was right!!

With that said, I guess we can all predict what happened that fateful night as little Miss DeMarco, (yes, like Carmine DeMarco, you SEMPRE fans!) finds herself knocked up and now laid off from her job.

With nowhere to go, she seeks help from none only then her baby daddy, J.T. Sawyer!

So now J.T….

J.T., a backup catcher for the San Francisco Blaze, was spurned but Angie’s rejection and now figures he better cut his losses and concentrate to up his game if he ever wants to start as the starting pitcher of a team next game season.

When Angie shows up on his doorstep, broke and carrying his baby, J.T. steps up and does the noble thing: he proposes marriage.

Angie, initially declines, but eventually gives in as she has no better options. She then throws in her own proposition: that the marriage be “purely business” and after two years they go their own ways with J.T. still able to take part only in the raising of their child. Sounds easy, right? Hah!

As the two estranged lovers start spending time with one another, feelings begin to grow, priorities begin to shift, walls are brought down, and J.T. finally realizes why Angie was so fearful to take the plunge with him.

Will these two ever work out? Or will they fall and catch some heat?

A definite great third installment to this series!!

I’m now really crossing my fingers for a JakexMelissa and even a LivviexJosh story as well!! Pretty please!!

*ARC provided on behalf on bewitchingbooktours for the upcoming blog tour.*

[Kame · Rating 5 out of 5]

I give this 4 1/2 stars

I liked J.T and Angie so much from Winning Season I couldn't wait for this book. I was happy with their story.

J.T. will be one of my favorite heroes, yes he is a professional baseball player, yes he has a drool worthy body - but honestly it was his character, his values and how he treated Angie that make me love him.

Angie seems like a complicated person until you realize how much she has followed others ideas and advice over her own. I like her growth.

LOVED the Sawyer family - (well except for Justin) and I am anxious to see who out of all the great secondary characters I have met in this series will be next - Maybe Jake, maybe another player from the Blaze, Maybe Nick's partner - who knows but I can tell you I will be reading it.

A more detailed review and Author interview will follow on The Book Queen - http://tbqspersonalbookpalace.blogspo... - Blog mid February 2014

I received this book from the author for my honest review

[Gokce G · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I realized there was going to be yet another installment to Alison Packard's Feeling The Heat series, I have to say I was ecstatic. I read the previous book, The Winning Season, completely by chance, simply because I liked the idea of a book about baseball players. And, okay, yes, because I loved the cover. But it turned out to be a good romance with real characters. So, you can imagine me jumping at the chance for this next book.

This time we're with J.T. and Angie, friends of the previous couple whose possible happy ever after was hinted in The Winning Season. Although the hero is a baseball player, the book doesn't spend much time on the field. As opposed to Matt, hero of the previous book whose main storyline was about him settling into his new team, J.T.'s main storyline lies in the ups and downs of his relationship with Angie, and the fact that together they have to deal with an unexpected pregnancy.
As a hero J.T. was far from perfect. But he made up for it in the clumsy way he loved Angie and cared for their child. As expected from a good hero, he made mistakes but he also knew to own up to them. Usually it is the woman who's more open and willing when it comes to romance, but in this case, it was J.T. who was the first one to fall, and hard. He was the one who had to force his way into Angie's heart and convince her that he was more, which was nice. And Angie had her reasons for being wary. She was portrayed as a strong woman, always with a plan, and it was fun to sit back and read her deal with a surprise for a change. I liked and respected her as a woman.
I don't think I can say any more about these two without actually spoiling anything, except that they made a good, loving pair, one of those couples that make you a little envious because they're so affectionate and warm. Plus, they had that extra baby factor, one of my favorite subplots. It adds so much more to the romance when written nicely, and Alison Packard involved the pregnancy so delicately into the romance, as a subtle steady line on the background that waited for the right time.

I can honestly say that I cannot wait for more of this series. In fact, while reading this book I couldn't help but wonder if there could be a possible pairing in the future. I'll sure keep my fingers crossed.
A nicely written, heartwarming story of two people who are just right for each other, I recommend these books to those who, like me, have a soft spot for a baby bump in their warm romance.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know, there was something just a little off to me here. I didn't mind the baby trope, it was actually done well and the other circumstances of their relationship balanced it out, but I felt like the conclusion was a little too pat and a bit over dramatic.

Also, what was up with Justin's sour attitude? As a cop, I understand he's supposed to be observant by nature but he just came off as being a jerk for the sake of being a jerk.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. I loved the whole Sawyer family. I can only hope that Packard will write more books about the Sawyer brothers!
B+
Full review to come

[Pamela Poole · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I could not put it down and I read it in one night. JT was outstanding. I will read more of her books.

[Lyndi W.]

Angie is intent on torturing herself and poor JT. I gave up like 3 chapters in. No patience for unreasonable women right now.

[Gisele · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute read.

[Sarah (Inkmates Read) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

JT and Angie are cute (but in comparison I like Matt and Kelly more). Marriage of convenience is always fun but these two were so sincere it was almost too much. I don’t love babies/pregnancy as a trope, and this whole thing revolves around Angie being pregnant.

Otherwise cute! Had some funny moments. Not much banter (again, sincerity is off the charts) and it might even be a bit dull in how mostly mature everyone is (which I love, realistically, but have come to not expect in romance novels).

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was not nearly as good as the one before it in the series which was much more strongly written. That combined with the subplot on the fat woman at Jake’s gym made me not like this much. I definitely don’t read romance novels to read preachy bits about fat women and what men think is wrong with them and their health. I’m sure she’s laying the groundwork for a future relationship but let me tell you as a fat woman I found the subplot rude as hell.

[Vasilena · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was actually super cute, despite the terrible premise. The character was super determined, I love characters that just keep pushing through no matter what and create a change for themselves and others.

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this predictable story! Everything about it gave me all the feels! What’s even more awesome is that it can be read as a complete standalone!

[Marika · Rating 1 out of 5]

⛔️

[Jessica Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute storyline too. The FMC kinda got on my nerves but I loved JT.

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a hard book for me to give a grade to because there were parts of it I liked a lot (marriage of convenience, yay!) and there were parts that I didn't like but felt realistic (an athlete casually fat shaming someone without malicious intent (and they were immediately called on it, fwiw)), and a part I found really weird considering the marriage of convenience was negotiated honestly by all parties.

Let's dig in.

So, stuff I liked first. I liked both the hero and the heroine. Angie gets pregnant from a one night stand that both parties had wanted for a long ass time. But, because that's not enough, she's just been laid off from her job and due to the economy, has no idea when she'll be able to find another one. She tells J.T. pretty much immediately after she confirms the pregnancy with her doctor and other than a perfectly reasonable request for a paternity test (he's a professional athlete and she was engaged to someone else, even if they weren't sleeping together), he handles the news well. He ultimately suggests they get married because he's from an extremely stable family and wants to be able to offer the same to his child. To say that Angie does not come from this background would be underselling it. Her father was a professional baseball player too, and was the kind of player who takes full advantage of his position to sleep with groupies. He ultimately left the family and screwed them financially, leaving Angie's mom with loads of residual bitterness and Angie with some healthy skepticism of other players. Because of this, Angie negotiates a term limited marriage. Two years, until she can get back on her feet, and no sex. J.T. agrees and we're off to the races.

I liked how their relationship developed within the marriage. In hindsight, it happens fairly quickly, but it didn't feel fast while reading. Possibly that's because they'd known each other, though not well, for two years before they found themselves in this position, or maybe it's because both of them were interested in each other for a long time. I don't know. It just worked for me.

Like I said, the casual fat shaming felt realistic (a comment about how someone would be a knockout once they lost the weight, one other one I can't remember as clearly), and I appreciated that J.T.'s brother Jake who owns a gym where he wants everyone to feel comfortable immediately called his brother on it. It felt sort of like a romance was being set up there, but I'm not 100% sure about that. It was just tonally incongruity with the rest of the book, especially if it wasn't sequel bait.

What worked less for me is the denouement. Like I said, J.T. and Angie negotiate the terms of their marriage well in advance and it's only after when things begin to change between them. Her family (her extremely bitter mother chiefly) knows about the two year limit on the marriage, but J.T's does not, at his request. Her mother decides it's appropriate to announce this at Christmas dinner, which makes one of J.T.'s brother's think he was right about Angie being a gold digger and sets J.T. off on this weird spiral where he doubts everything and says he regrets the marriage even though 1) it was his idea and 2) he agreed to these terms! Maybe it was a realistic freakout given how much he wanted there to be more between them, but it felt super weird and is really only ultimately a set up for there to be a shooting in the cafe that J.T.'s mother owns and that Angie has started selling baked goods to while they're both there and for J.T. to freakout and realize how in the wrong he was. I would have preferred if things had come to a more natural, less drama filled conclusion, but he did give pretty good apology. So there's that.

On the whole, I'd say this was my least favorite of the blaze books so far, but was still an enjoyable contemporary romance. Three stars.

[ysar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Angie DeMarco knows better than to get involved with a professional ballplayer.  Players on the field tend to be players off the field, a fact she learned far too young thanks to her philandering father.  So when she finds herself waking up next to the epitome of a player, she runs.  But she can't run from the consequences.

Finding herself both pregnant and unemployed in short order, she doesn't have many options, but she's determined to figure something out.   She's getting no bites on the job application front, unemployment checks won't cover her expenses, much less the medical care she'll certainly need for a health pregnancy, and it won't be long till she's unable to pay her rent.  But that doesn't mean she has to attach herself to the very man she was hoping to avoid, does it?

J.T. is more than a little stunned to find out he's going to be a father, but he's determined to take responsibility and do the right thing.  Angie's not making it easy, though, first refusing his less-than-romantic proposal, and then accepting it -- with a no-sex clause.  It's clear she doesn't trust him, no matter how often he shows her that he's a good guy who can take care of her.  Getting her to fall for him, to give him a real chance with her, is going to take more work than he expected.  But he's pretty sure she's worth it.

But...I don't know if I'd necessarily call them loose ends, but there were several pieces played up in the story that ended on an odd note...if it can really be considered ending.  Take Angie's mother, for instance.  Angie's entire distrust of ballplayers comes from the way her father betrayed her mother, something her mother never lets her forget.  And as expected, her mom's none too thrilled that Angie's gotten herself knocked up by exactly the kind of man she's always warned her about.  But after her mom plays a big role in the climax of the story, she sort of drops out.  There's just no closure there at all.

And J.T.'s brother...he's all kinds of suspicious of Angie and gives her one hell of a hard time.  But then after the big scene at the bakery, that bit is kind of brushed away in favor of the happily ever after.  Did he have a change of heart?  See Angie for who she really was?  Decide he really wasn't concerned after all?  Fall into a volcano?  I have no idea.

I expected a somewhat standard romance, since the book seemed like it was going to go with a very standard plot, but instead I got some pretty good surprises.  For one, Angie and J.T. aren't your typical characters in the got-knocked-up scenario.  He's not a philandering jerk who has to be convinced to settle down and take responsibility, and for all her troubles, Angie isn't looking for someone to ride in and save her.  While J.T.'s just an incredibly good guy, Angie is wary and independent, and it made for a really fun read.

Theirs is a slow journey, with lots of time spent overcoming their hang-ups and looking deeper into the characters.  Also a nice change from typical stories in this vein is that they were both just pretty normal people.  Their character flaws added to the story instead of going way over the top, and seeing J.T. work so hard to win her over was just heartwarming.  I liked him so much that I started getting a bit annoyed with Angie's reluctance to give him a chance, but when I thought about it, I really couldn't blame her.  After all, it's easy to get snowed by someone who may not turn out to be who they seem.

It's a marriage of convenience, of course, and while I obviously expected it to build up into something more, I like the way it was done -- nicely paced, a few steamy moments tossed into the mix, and ultimately a sweet happily ever after.

[Chelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just finished the second book in this series which I loved.

So I had really high hopes. However, in comparison it was pretty average. The characters were good but not as interesting as the other book. It was all ok.

Marriage of convenience is a little tired really but it was well done. However, JT's reaction to towards the end was quite ridiculous. It simply wasn't in character and he didn't find out anything new to have such an extreme reaction.

And the climax in the coffee shop - really?!

I think the author is good so I'm going to get the next book and see.

[Maggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was originally going to give this 3.5 stars, but, after thinking about it, I really enjoyed the story and the characters so what the hell, 4 stars it is!

For some reason I really like pregnancy stories. Is that weird? I just think it's such a happy time (a time I am no where near ready for) so it's always interesting for me to read different takes on pregnancy stories. In this one Angie is an accountant working in the front office for the San Francisco Blaze, a baseball team that just won the World Series. Despite the team's success Angie is laid off, which turns out to be even more troubling when she learns she's pregnant. The father is not her former fiance, but J.T., the Blaze's backup catcher she had a one night stand with.

Let's take a moment to be thankful all Angie got from a night of unprotected sex was a baby, am I right? Anyway, when Angie tells J.T., which she does only because she feels it's the right thing, not because she wants to be with him (she has a distrust of ballplayers), he, being the stand up guy that he is, asks her to marry him. Angie initially refuses, but eventually takes him up on his offer since she's unemployed, low on cash, and without health insurance.

As the reader we know that Angie and J.T. both have feelings for each other (the story is told from both their perspectives) so I wasn't so bothered by this marriage (plus, duh, it's what the book is about). As a liberal feminist I was somewhat bothered by J.T.'s instance that a baby is better off with a mother and a father. I agree it's nice to have a loving mother and father who are together, but there's nothing wrong with single parents, divorced parents, or parents of the same sex. But, as I said, I was happy they got married and I really enjoyed watching them get to know each other and watching Angie take down some of the walls she built up after a crappy childhood.

The writing in this was probably my least favorite part, it was quick and easy, but at times I was bothered by how simplistic it was, but that certainly won't stop me from giving Alison Packard's other books a try. The strong, likable characters and the interesting, fast-moving story easily made up for any reservations I had about the writing. Even though most of the story was pretty predictable I did appreciate Packard's pacing and how she tackled things head on (oops, wrong sport) and didn't drag certain parts out longer than necessary. I do wish we could have explored the revelation J.T. had at the end of the about why he asked Angie to marry him, but that's probably a little too deep for this kind of book.

I read this having not read the first book in the series, The Winning Season, and I didn't think it was a problem. The main characters in that book made frequent appearances in this one and I'm sure if I had read The Winning Season I would have felt a bigger connection to them, but I didn't mind not knowing their history. As I said, I do want to go back and read The Winning Season and Packard's other book, Love in the Afternoon, at some point.

I received an electronic review copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley (thank you!). All opinions are my own.

[Simply Love Book Reviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slick‘s review posted on Guilty Pleasures Book Reviews

Review copy provided for an honest review

3.5 STARS

Major League Baseball’s spring training is beginning all over the U.S. and I can’t wait for opening day so it’s exciting to have a new book that centers around the sport to read. Fresh on the high of winning the World Series, the San Francisco Blaze are making some changes and those changes affect the front office as well as the field players. Angie DeMarco finds herself being laid off from the accounting office and J.T. Sawyer finds himself trying to get into the best shape of his life so he can prove he’s an asset to the team in hopes of landing a starting spot somewhere next season. Trouble is one night of passion months back leave them both facing the consequences and trying to figure out the best way to move forward.

This is one of those books that made me a little crazy. I loved the characters despite their hang ups and flaws; they are both genuinely good people. J.T. feels like his back is up against the wall and with no hope of moving into the starting catcher position with the Blaze, he knows he has to get into tip-top shape so he’ll be attractive to other teams but once he finds out he’s going to be a Dad he realizes his life is going to change forever. Angie finds herself pregnant, unmarried, and soon to be unemployed and without a lot of options so she eventually accepts a marriage proposal from J.T. that she insists is in name only. I get why they both agreed to this arrangement despite the fact they both feel more for one another, but I hate that they wind up lying and refusing to face their feelings. I also hate that Angie feels like she has no other option but to do agree to this marriage. There are some incredibly poignant and moving moments in this book but there are many more that make me feel sad for both characters. I loved watching them learn more about each other and the way they supported one another. It was fun to watch them discover their love for one another but I felt bad because there was just so much doubt and distrust because of their contract.

I liked this book but I didn’t love it; the often used plot device fell a little flat in this book because there was nothing to make their story stand out. I look forward to the next book in this series as Alison Packard’s characters are always intriguing, fun, and very likeable.

[Christi Snow · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Review:
I read one other book from this series, The Winning Season, and loved it, although I'll admit that I didn't remember that until I started reading this one and recognized some of the side characters and the tidbits about their story. I'm a huge sucker for sports stories and Alison Packard writes really good ones. This one is about J.T., the back-up catcher for the Blaze, although the entire book takes place during the off-season.

J.T. went into the off-season planning to do everything he could to change his back-up status in the coming year, but everything changes when his one-night stand, Angie, shows up pregnant. J.T. is shocked, but actually okay with that since he's spent two years lusting after the accountant for the Blaze. But Angie doesn't feel the same way. She grew up with a cheating ballplayer for a father and knows to NEVER trust ballplayers to stay true. Although everything with J.T. has always been so much "more" for her, she can't trust herself to get involved. That's a one-way trip to heartbreak and bitterness, just like her mother.

There is a whole lot standing in the way of this couple's happiness (which is how they ended up featured as a couple in a romance novel...you have to have that conflict). And even though most of it was nothing new in the story line department, I did enjoy reading the book.

I liked the whole aspect of the two characters who are truly in the midst of finding themselves. It read a lot like a New Adult because of that. They both have careers, but neither are settled into those careers yet. They are still at that point where everything can change at the drop of the hat which meant they both have a great character development arc in this book. I enjoyed reading about them finding their way through it.

Even better, the book takes place throughout the holidays which I love. I like that added holiday ambiance added to the story and it definitely helped to push the conflict, especially since so much of these two characters' conflict comes from their families.

There was another little tidbit that I really loved about the story. T.J.'s mom runs a coffee shop and bakery. The way that story line worked around Angie finding out exactly what she wants out of life really worked for me.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in return for an honest review.

[Briana Gaitan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. I had never read anything by this author, but the summary caught my eye. Unplanned pregnancy, baseball players, and falling in love? Yes, my type of romance! This is a novel about Angie and J.T. whom shared a passionate night that results in an unplanned pregnancy. When Angie loses her job, J.T's offer of marriage becomes more appealing. Angie wants nothing to do with ball players, and J.T wants nothing more than to be there during every part of his child's life. The writing style of Packard is well-written and clear. She makes the characters witty and believable. She is able to back up every "what if" question I had. So many times, I read a book, only to be like "What in the hell are you thinking???" I didn't feel that way with Catching Heat. I fell in love with both the characters. I didn't guess the ending either. (No spoilers) but I figured J.T would do something...and it never happened. A marriage of convenience isn't that far fetched. It happens! I love the character building. I promise you- you will see the characters grow and change from the beginning to the end. Even the minor characters are believable, and they don't distract from the story. From Angie's jerk of a mother to J.T's investigating brother, each character helps the story progress. I read the book in one sitting, pulling an all nighter (which i rarely do these days since I have to be at work at 7am) then went out and bought another book from this great author! I give this book 5 stars, because its a believable love story that made me laugh and cry.
Okay so I figured J.T would cheat on Angie in the end, like most books have the male character do, but he didn't. He really cared for Angie it was so sweet! When Angie's mom turned all crazy toward the end, I really think that part was believable, even J.T's reaction. These are young characters. I think some readers forget how irrational we all were in our 20's.
My review can also by found at
Books with Bree
(It won't be up for another few days though)

[Mistress of the Dark Path · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found Catching Heat to be a heart-warming romance novel. Yes, it is about a man and woman who discover they're going to have a baby together after a one night stand. They had no relationship prior to that, but I loved the journey they took to make things work. Each of them had their hang-ups, though I'd say Angie's were the more difficult ones to overcome. Yet they were both enjoyable characters whose flaws didn't go over the top like in some books.

J.T. was a real sweetheart. For most of the book (except one part toward the end) I admired the way he worked so hard to build a more permanent and stable relationship. He's just the kind of dream man most women would love to settle down with and he had such a great family too. This isn't a guy with a dark and tortured past, but actually a very positive one. That doesn't mean he didn't have some hot qualities, though!

The pacing isn't very fast. The author took a lot of time to explore all the characters and included lots of little tidbits about their backgrounds. Each of them were developed to feel unique and different. J.T.'s brothers were especially interesting and I could see them getting their own stories. Angie's family didn't get as much face time, but you learn a lot from her thoughts and memories of them. I definitely grew to not like her mother very much. I was a bit disappointed the issue with her didn't get resolved at the end. The same went for Justin, the only one of J.T.'s brothers who didn't like Angie. Life isn't perfect, though, and there will always be troublesome relatives. I just tend to prefer love stories get wrapped up with all the loose ends out of the way.

Otherwise, I enjoyed this book a lot. There was nothing too dramatic or angsty about it. I usually gravitate to darker romances, but this was a nice change of pace and well worth the read. I'd definitely recommend it to those who enjoy contemporary romance. And not to worry, there are some steamy scenes in there for those who enjoy them.


Note- I received a free digital copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

[MARQUETTA · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a sucker for the surprise pregnancy trope in romance. So I was excited to read this book about Angie, who we’ve met in the previous book, and J.T. Catching Heat was enjoyable enough but for me, it wasn’t as good as the previous two.

Angie and J.T. have a passionate one-night stand. J.T. has been lusting after Angie since he joined the Blaze two years ago. Angie hasn’t given him the time of day because she does not date baseball players. J.T. catches Angie at the right moment and they have sex which leads to Angie’s surprise pregnancy. Now Angie is unemployed and pregnant. J.T.’s solution is simple — they should get married. J.T. doesn’t want his child to be born out of wedlock and wants to be there for his kid. He grew up with two parents and wants the same for his child. Getting married is the last thing that Angie wants to do but with a baby on the way and no job, Angie doesn’t have many options.

Like I said, I love surprise pregnancies that brings a couple together. I liked Angie and J.T. but I wasn’t wowed by them. JT was a little heavy-handed with the whole marriage thing. At one point, I was like, OK! We get it! Stop talking! Angie’s issues with ballplayers are somewhat valid due to how her father treated her mother but to lump an entire group of men as no good because of one man seemed a bit much. I would have understood if she’d had several relationships with ball players that ended badly. That would make sense.

I loved JT’s family especially his brothers. Well except for Justin. He can go kick rocks and play in traffic for all I care. I don’t know if I’d want a series featuring the brothers. I like the baseball setting for this series and hope it stays that way. Maybe a spin-off series.

JT really pissed me off at the end. His reaction was whack and Angie should have made him grovel on his knees, over hot coals and glass. Angie should have made him work a little harder cause he was a total jackass.

Catching Heat was good but it didn’t wow me like the previous book. I still like the series and am looking forward to reading the next book.

[Kristiej · Rating 4 out of 5]

41/2 out of 5

I’ve been gobbling up sports books lately, baseball while the Blue Jays were still in the hunt. Catching Heat is the third book I’ve read in the series and like the first two, I enjoyed it very much. J.T, the hero and Angie the heroine have been secondary characters in the first two books and this is there story. Off camera so to speak, they had been quite attracted to each other and had a one night stand. The book opens up with Angie discovering she’s preggers and not quite sure what to do. Now I HATE the secret baby plot. I think it’s disgustingly unfair of the mother not to let the father know he has a child. Thankfully that’s not the plot of the story.
It takes no time for Angie to realize J.T. has a right to know and so she tells him. Surprisingly enough, he wants to do the honourable thing and marry her. Angie is very much against this plan as she has no trust in professional athletes, ball players in particular, being faithful. This has been reinforced all her life by her very bitter and angry mother who had been done wrong by Angie’s father, a ball player himself. But Angie’s just been laid off and trying to find a new job while pregnant is not an easy thing to do so she reluctantly agrees to marry J.T. with a few conditions, one of them being it’s a platonic relationship.
It turns out that J.T. is a really nice guy. He’s not a player at all except for baseball. There has always been an attraction between the two, but now a real friendship begins to grow between them.
Most of this book takes place during the off season but I was OK with that. I think I mentioned in a previous review that I bought the whole series in one swoop without having read anything by Alison Packard before. It was a gamble to do it, but a gamble that really paid off as I have SO enjoyed the first three books very much. I wish we could give half stars here because this is really more of 4 ½ star book than a 4. This is a good series written by a very good author and I happily recommend them.

[Jac (For Love and Books) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve spent the last three weeks reading Hockey Romance, and to be honest? After three weeks, I was sort of over that fad – so when I saw Alison Packard’s Catching Heat on Netgalley? I quickly requested, and started reading within minutes of getting my approval email! (I’ve recently read two other books by Alison, The Winning Season and A Christmas For Carrie – both of which I loved!)

With Catching Heat, Alison Packard is officially on my “Oh my goodness, I MUST READ HER NEW BOOK!” list! Because she is that good. Three books now, and she has proven consistency, and the ability to make me blush – which is tough to do! (Seriously, I may have made a mistake of reading this one when I knew I would be in a crowd of friends – but it was so good I couldn’t put it down!)

Now I have to confess, I don’t normally like pregnancy story lines. (Probably because I have a good friend who was trapped into a marriage by that same story line, and that ended horribly for him.) But this one? It worked. It had this fun undertone of “Love at first site” yet refusal to give into that notion on both parts. So we end up with one passionate night and then a surprise pregnancy. And oddly, it works.

I loved the characters of Angie and J.T. – and I adored the entire Sawyer family, I’m anxiously hoping that we get to see more of them! I may like them as much as Shannon Stacey’s Kowalski clan!! (And that says a lot – if you’ve read any of my reviews!)

What it comes down to? Catching Heat is a sweet romance, filled with passion and all those fabulously quirky side characters that make those of us who read romance want to jump into the pages and live forever. I will definitely be suffering from a book hangover in the morning!

I would recommend this amazing story to fans of Jaci Burton’s Play-By-Play series and Shannon Stacey’s Kowalski Family Series – it shares a lot of the characteristics that keep bringing people back to those books! 4.6 Stars/Hearts for Alison Packard!

[Char (1RadReader59) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Angie DeMarco works for the Blaze Ball Club, a pro baseball team, or at least for the next two weeks. J.T. (James Taylor) Sawyer is a Relief Catcher for the team, when they saw each other it was love at first sight, just don’t tell them they are fighting it. There was just one minor problem, Angie does not date ball players.
Which has the umpires calling foul ball, when after two years they end up hooking up in a one night stand. When J.T. wakes up the next morning though she is long gone. Then, she processed to avoid him at all cost. Now the seasons over they won the World Series and J. T.’s going home for R & R and some intense training for the new season. At the team apartment that he uses he finds Angie waiting for him outside his door in the hallway. Waiting to talk to him…She needs to tell him something, she’s pregnant and it’s his. Woo! Woo! Woo! Hold the phone! To say he’s surprised is an understatement.
Find out where Angie and J.T. take their relationship. Can they make it work? Will they marry or will they just walk away?
Totally enjoyed this book. The conflict of their relationship is so right on right there in your face and theirs too. You see how they so want each other but are so afraid of getting hurt and really not seeing that by not making a real commitment they are hurting each other so much more. Angie needs to get rid of her fears from the after affects of her parents relationship and move on and find true love with J.T. She can’t look at her marriage through the tainted eyes of her mother or she will never see the true loving man J.T. is. J.T. can’t listen to the ramblings of his family like Justin or he will get caught up in words and then he will say things he doesn’t mean for he will be taking so fast he will not even know he says it.
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[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely adored J.T.! Such a great guy--a dedicated athlete, loves his family, idolizes his dad and wants to be the same kind of man he is--what's not to love? Watching him agonize over Angie in the last book had me practically salivating to get to his story :)

Angie's a strong character, though hooo boy, did her parents do a number on her. Her mother's extreme bitterness over her father's infidelity was mind-boggling, and the way it warped Angie's view of male-female relationships is pretty much unforgivable. As a result, it took Angie waaay too long to figure out that J.T. was nothing like her dad, and I spent a good chunk of the book shaking my head at her in exasperation, but come around she did--thank goodness.

Once again here, though, we had a black moment that hinged on a slightly over-the-top reaction from one of the characters since the thing they were upset about wasn't something that had been kept from them at all. It was a brief moment of aggravation, though, and it all was resolved satisfactorily in the end. Plus, the epilogue was abso-freaking-lutely adorable!

And J.T.'s family? Let's just say I'm hoping every single one of those brothers is getting his own book :) (Even Justin...even though he's a total butthead for 95% of this book, I'm sure getting his own HEA would cure that ;))

But Angie's mother? If I never see her again it will be too soon... (shudder!)

The narrator wasn't quite as strong as the narrator of the last book ( The Winning Season )--a few of her pronunciations had me shaking my head, and there were some odd moments in the narration here and there--but overall she did a decent job.

Rating: 4 stars / B+

[Monica Cullip · Rating 3 out of 5]

Catching Heat
Alison Packard
This story was gifted to me in exchange for an honest review.
Angie DeMarco has been raised by a single mother after her no-good-for-nothing baseball star father cheated on too many times. She knows how hard it is to be a single mother, how hard they struggled. This is why is comes as a complete shock to her to find herself pregnant after a one night stand with the local hotty basball star J.T. Sawyer.
Grandma Sophia always said that bad things happen in threes, and now thanks to a recent lay off at work she finds herself unmarried, unemployed and pregnant. Not a good way to start things off that is for sure.
J.T. has the perfect solution, being the good guy that he is, he thinks they should get married. Huh, do people do that anymore, get married because they are pregnant. Seems J.T. was raised with intergrity and he has the hots for Angie, maybe love at first site.
Without a lot of options Angie agrees to the marriage on the condition that there will be no sex and it will only last for two years.
Okay this story was a little easy to predict. The entire story line is a little hackneyed but none the less, at points I had the kleenex out and was sniffling in it. The secondary characters really make this story come alive. Her truly evil mother is just awesome, loved her. his mother is just so sweet and lovable, she was a pleasure to read about. The various siblings on both sides added some humour, mystery and had their own beginnings of possible romantic situations.
This author did a really great job on this story making it a very nice read. I was able to sit down and read it in one sitting which is a plus for me. The characters were well flushed out and I enjoyed following their story. I would rate this story a 3.5/5.

[Rachel Webb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Companion novel to The Winning Season, which I also read, but you don't have to read to enjoy this one. I actually liked this one better then Kelly and Matt's story.

Can the Sawyer family adopt me or can I get married to one of the brothers? Packard did a great job of writing a family unit that works well together, but still has problems. There wasn't just a picture perfect world of 2 still married parents with perfect sons, but they had flaws that were very real and I hope will be explored in later books (Jake and Melissa please!!).

Angie and J.T. were really great together and while I thought I was going to like J.T. more because he seemed more likely to give in and really let Angie know he was there for her, Angie ended up being the one that I liked more because her feelings and story was explored more and better written. Angie's struggle to deal with her father's infidelity and the anger from her mother was tough, but she dealt with it in a positive way and with the help of J.T. and the Sawyer family, she was able to overcome it and open her heart. J.T. on the other hand, well towards the end anyway, confused me with his hesitancy or actual outright refusal to make his marriage real and lasting. It seemed like Angie would be the one to mess it up, but he did and I'm still not sure why exactly. I think it had something to do with trying to balance his work and family life, but it wasn't explained well and wouldn't keeping the marriage going and having Angie there to help with the baby be easier then being a single father? That needed to be handled better, but overall I really liked all the characters and hope that the Sawyer brothers will have their own books even thought they aren't members of the Blaze team.

[Paris · Rating 5 out of 5]

After three books and a novella, it is safe to say that I love Alison Packard’s work. She creates extremely relatable characters that I can’t help but fall in love with. I always find it difficult to put her books down because I can’t wait to find out how things work out. I love how all of the books, so far, have tied together and I look forward to delving further into the newly titled series because I am definitely “Feeling the Heat”.

In Catching Heat, we finally get J.T and Angie’s story. It was easy to see in The Winning Season, that there was something between them. I really loved the way things played out in this book and how the motivations of both characters were revealed. I felt horrible for Angie and it was really easy to see why she had her hang-ups regarding baseball players. J.T. was utterly perfect, although with a tiny hiccup towards the end. He’s definitely got what it takes to be a tremendous book boyfriend.

There were so many possible set-ups for the next book in this one. Could it be Jake and Melissa or maybe Livvie and Josh? Or maybe older brother Justin will find a lady to fix him? Personally, I’m crossing my fingers for Jake and Melissa first. I loved him in this book and she seems great too. Whoever is the subject of the next book, I know that I’m going to love it.

Arc provided via Netgalley for an honest review.