What do you think?
Rate this book
Unwritten Rules #3
Diamond Ring
Teammates reunite to give love another shot in the third installment of KD Casey’s riveting Unwritten Rules series.
Jake Fischer has been here before: pitching for the Oakland Elephants, hiding his worries behind a smile, hoping to win it all. Ten years ago, it didn’t turn out the way he wanted. Nothing in his life did. But now he’s back—and so is the one teammate tied inexorably to his past.
It doesn’t matter how many times catcher Alex Angelides replays that moment during the Fall Classic over in his mind, the outcome never changes. He’s not sure what happened to make that pitch glance off his glove, or what happened with his relationship with Jake—and he’s not going to be the one to ask.
A whole lot may have changed in the last decade, but some things have stayed the same. Jake and Alex still can’t stay out of each other's faces on the field, or out of each other's beds off of it. They’ve got a second chance to win it all…but only if they realize what they lost.
Jake Fischer has been here before: pitching for the Oakland Elephants, hiding his worries behind a smile, hoping to win it all. Ten years ago, it didn’t turn out the way he wanted. Nothing in his life did. But now he’s back—and so is the one teammate tied inexorably to his past.
It doesn’t matter how many times catcher Alex Angelides replays that moment during the Fall Classic over in his mind, the outcome never changes. He’s not sure what happened to make that pitch glance off his glove, or what happened with his relationship with Jake—and he’s not going to be the one to ask.
A whole lot may have changed in the last decade, but some things have stayed the same. Jake and Alex still can’t stay out of each other's faces on the field, or out of each other's beds off of it. They’ve got a second chance to win it all…but only if they realize what they lost.
Audible Audio
First published April 11, 2023
52 people are currently reading
985 people want to read
About the author
K.D. Casey
11 books306 followersKD Casey is a writer and baseball enthusiast. Come chat about writing and baseball at kdcaseywrites on Instagram. Want a free story? Let's keep in touch at kdcaseywrites dot com.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 285 reviews
June 29, 2023
this book made me feel like a funny-looking rock in the middle of the ocean. it made me feel like a small snail on a very big leaf. it made me feel like at one point I was a human guy but am now just a rain puddle on the sidewalk. this is the best romance I’ve read all year.
April 30, 2023
This is a hard rating for me because I think that K.D. Casey is a fantastic writer, and not many people are writing baseball M/M romances, much less with such fantastic Jewish rep, but Diamond Ring had one too many issues for me to bump up my rating.
I don't mind hard-fought romances, but I have to feel like the two MCs are meant for each other, and I didn't quite feel that here. There was so much back and forth with these two and so many hurt feelings and so much time that I got a bit overwhelmed and tired of their story. I didn't think they had enough to sustain them as a couple, and for the length of the book, I didn't think their romance lived up to it.
Diamond Ring has a lot of similarities to K.D. Casey's previous stories. LOTS of baseball details (the author clearly knows their stuff), and lots of various types of Jewish rep (love that), so if those are your things, the book might work for you. I happened to have enjoyed both of the previous books in the series, but this one felt too similar to stand out but also not quite as engaging for me.
I also don't love time jumps and second chance romance books, so those didn't help. I think the author should condense the story and make the guys less... miserable? I hate to say it, but the book felt a little joyless.
I think I'll try another K.D. Casey book, but I'm hoping it's something a bit different and a bit more engaging.
goodreads|instagram|twitter|tiktok
I don't mind hard-fought romances, but I have to feel like the two MCs are meant for each other, and I didn't quite feel that here. There was so much back and forth with these two and so many hurt feelings and so much time that I got a bit overwhelmed and tired of their story. I didn't think they had enough to sustain them as a couple, and for the length of the book, I didn't think their romance lived up to it.
Diamond Ring has a lot of similarities to K.D. Casey's previous stories. LOTS of baseball details (the author clearly knows their stuff), and lots of various types of Jewish rep (love that), so if those are your things, the book might work for you. I happened to have enjoyed both of the previous books in the series, but this one felt too similar to stand out but also not quite as engaging for me.
I also don't love time jumps and second chance romance books, so those didn't help. I think the author should condense the story and make the guys less... miserable? I hate to say it, but the book felt a little joyless.
I think I'll try another K.D. Casey book, but I'm hoping it's something a bit different and a bit more engaging.
goodreads|instagram|twitter|tiktok
October 6, 2025
Re-read October 2025: you guuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuys (gn)!!!!!! Why does being kicked repeatedly in the heart feel so good?????
You know how some authors just click for you? Like reading their writing feels like coming home, even if home is sometimes frustrating and uncomfortable and heartbreaking (but also joyous and triumphant and embracing and right)? Like it just resonates somewhere inside, and you can’t put your finger on why, but what does it matter because resistance is futile, and why would you want to resist anyway?
Yeah. KD Casey is one of those authors for me.
I adored Unwritten Rules and Fire Season, the two other books in this (loosely connected) series. So this was one of my most anticipated releases for 2023, and damn, did it deliver.
This book is exhilarating, emotional, draining, wry, empathetic, hopeful, unputdownable, and so, so good. And while Diamond Ring hits many of the same beats and themes as both of its predecessors – reconciling your private and public selves or, more saliently, who you love with what you love; estrangement and second chances and trying (and failing, and trying again) to do better; being ground down and defeated and clawing your way back because what choice do you have; the chronic, gnawing uncertainty of always waiting for the ax to fall in a sport where most people are disposable; managing mental health in a system that values only bodies – it is also entirely, uniquely itself.
One of my all-time favorite tropes is “soulmates, but the author would rather rip their own face off than commit that word to paper.” KJ Charles is master of this; here is an illustrative example:
The point of this example is not to pit these two excellent authors against each other; we readers are richer for having both of them. The point is that KD Casey goes HARD in the “soulmates-no-ripped-face” category.
And:
In genre terms, this is second-chance romance. In sports terms, this is a comeback story. And obviously, it is both those things. But it is so much more. It is about failure and regret and inflection points that you don’t realize are inflection points, because sometimes the things that set our life on a different course are only recognizable in retrospect. It’s about attraction and friendship and love and knowing and how that knowing makes forgetting impossible and hating more painful, like hating yourself, but the best part of you, the part almost no one else can touch. It’s about loss and acceptance and tenacity and faith – in yourself and another, yes, but also strongly influenced (as were Unwritten Rules and Fire Season) by Jewish faith and practices. It’s about how people who love each other can hurt each other, even without intending to. It’s about stepping out of the shadows and finding a way forward, together, in the light, and finally seeing all the stuff you missed in the darkness.
This is simply structured – dual POV with two timelines, 10 years apart, that are told in separate sections rather than toggling back and forth like in Unwritten Rules – but it is so cleverly done. It was only on my second read (yes, I’ve already done a re-read) that I noticed how Casey is seeding small moments, actions, and exchanges throughout that are picked up again later, sometimes to melancholic effect, sometimes triumphantly, sometimes bittersweet. This is a book that rewards close attention and care, even as it sweeps you along towards a finale that can only be described as grand.
And of course, when all is said and done, this is a baseball story. You don’t have to know much about baseball – my familiarity with the sport is glancing, at best – but you do have to give over to its peculiarities and imperatives. Because baseball – two seasons, a decade apart – is not just the framework and context for the story. It also infuses its pacing and rhythm. This book reads like baseball is supposed to feel: a languid, summer day, endlessly unfurling time and space and little decisions and critical moments that end up being more than the sum of their parts. It breathes baseball and wallows in all its dimensions – the grind, the demands, the pleasure, the simplicity, the hardness, the glory.
And it culminates in a final few chapters that kept me on the edge of my seat, with a grin that just got bigger and bigger and bigger until my cheeks hurt and, ok, there were tears. The ending could not have been more satisfying, not just for Alex and Jake, but also in the resolution it provides for Charlie and Reid, Eugenio and Zach (with stalwart support from sweet, steady Johnson). It’s a perfect ending, one that feels like a new beginning.
I got an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
_____________________________________________
First reaction: This book killed me dead.
You know how some authors just click for you? Like reading their writing feels like coming home, even if home is sometimes frustrating and uncomfortable and heartbreaking (but also joyous and triumphant and embracing and right)? Like it just resonates somewhere inside, and you can’t put your finger on why, but what does it matter because resistance is futile, and why would you want to resist anyway?
Yeah. KD Casey is one of those authors for me.
I adored Unwritten Rules and Fire Season, the two other books in this (loosely connected) series. So this was one of my most anticipated releases for 2023, and damn, did it deliver.
This book is exhilarating, emotional, draining, wry, empathetic, hopeful, unputdownable, and so, so good. And while Diamond Ring hits many of the same beats and themes as both of its predecessors – reconciling your private and public selves or, more saliently, who you love with what you love; estrangement and second chances and trying (and failing, and trying again) to do better; being ground down and defeated and clawing your way back because what choice do you have; the chronic, gnawing uncertainty of always waiting for the ax to fall in a sport where most people are disposable; managing mental health in a system that values only bodies – it is also entirely, uniquely itself.
One of my all-time favorite tropes is “soulmates, but the author would rather rip their own face off than commit that word to paper.” KJ Charles is master of this; here is an illustrative example:
"Why?"
"Why what?" Jonah asked. "Why do I love you?"
"Well. Yes."
Jonah gave him a look of some confusion, more amusement. "But why would I not? Of course I love you." He spoke as though it were axiomatic. I am Jonah, therefore I love Ben. And the converse would be true, Ben recalled from distant memories of arithmetical logic. I am Ben, therefore I love Jonah.
The point of this example is not to pit these two excellent authors against each other; we readers are richer for having both of them. The point is that KD Casey goes HARD in the “soulmates-no-ripped-face” category.
Jake takes out his journal, inscribes a horizontal line under his earlier entry for the day. Hotel room is great: good view, good bed. Nervous about my start. Better now that . . . Be honest. Erase nothing . . . now that Alex held my hand. A strangely vulnerable thing to write, even in a book full of his deepest anxieties. That he was calmed by the simple contact of their palms and Alex’s slight smile as he pointed something out on screen and his unwavering assurance that they could actually do this. Jake feels coated in that assurance now, like a thin but unmistakable armor against the world that he can’t quite bring himself to name.
And:
“Not a big deal.”
“It kind of is.”
“Anyone would have done it.”
“No, they wouldn’t.” Jake lets out an audible breath. “This is how it’s gonna be for the rest of my life. That’s the hardest part – that it might not get fixed.”
A strand of Jake’s hair has spilled onto his forehead. Lines of tension radiate around his eyes, like he’s bracing for Alex to kiss him on the cheek, to tell him that this isn’t going to work, to leave.
Alex brushes his hair away, kisses the skin at his temple. Doesn’t move. “Okay.”
Jake’s lips curve slightly. “Okay?”
Alex tries to think of what to say, though it’s hard to articulate. That Jake is how he is. That Alex has loved him for so long that he’s forgotten what not loving him is like.
In genre terms, this is second-chance romance. In sports terms, this is a comeback story. And obviously, it is both those things. But it is so much more. It is about failure and regret and inflection points that you don’t realize are inflection points, because sometimes the things that set our life on a different course are only recognizable in retrospect. It’s about attraction and friendship and love and knowing and how that knowing makes forgetting impossible and hating more painful, like hating yourself, but the best part of you, the part almost no one else can touch. It’s about loss and acceptance and tenacity and faith – in yourself and another, yes, but also strongly influenced (as were Unwritten Rules and Fire Season) by Jewish faith and practices. It’s about how people who love each other can hurt each other, even without intending to. It’s about stepping out of the shadows and finding a way forward, together, in the light, and finally seeing all the stuff you missed in the darkness.
At his apartment, he grabs his journal when he’s in bed and flips to a blank page. Didn’t give up any runs today. A technical truth. The photo thing with Alex was funny. Especially to the bullpen, though guys who sit around for all but one inning of a game tend to be easy to amuse.
Alex loves me, and I love him.
There is it, in plain letters, ones he can’t – won’t – erase, the simple fact of his adult life condensed to two phrases.
This is simply structured – dual POV with two timelines, 10 years apart, that are told in separate sections rather than toggling back and forth like in Unwritten Rules – but it is so cleverly done. It was only on my second read (yes, I’ve already done a re-read) that I noticed how Casey is seeding small moments, actions, and exchanges throughout that are picked up again later, sometimes to melancholic effect, sometimes triumphantly, sometimes bittersweet. This is a book that rewards close attention and care, even as it sweeps you along towards a finale that can only be described as grand.
And of course, when all is said and done, this is a baseball story. You don’t have to know much about baseball – my familiarity with the sport is glancing, at best – but you do have to give over to its peculiarities and imperatives. Because baseball – two seasons, a decade apart – is not just the framework and context for the story. It also infuses its pacing and rhythm. This book reads like baseball is supposed to feel: a languid, summer day, endlessly unfurling time and space and little decisions and critical moments that end up being more than the sum of their parts. It breathes baseball and wallows in all its dimensions – the grind, the demands, the pleasure, the simplicity, the hardness, the glory.
And it culminates in a final few chapters that kept me on the edge of my seat, with a grin that just got bigger and bigger and bigger until my cheeks hurt and, ok, there were tears. The ending could not have been more satisfying, not just for Alex and Jake, but also in the resolution it provides for Charlie and Reid, Eugenio and Zach (with stalwart support from sweet, steady Johnson). It’s a perfect ending, one that feels like a new beginning.
“I guess at some point in my career, stuff started to feel finite. The number of late-night flights I want to take, the number of times I can get hit in the balls and still field the next inning. The number of games I have left in me to play.
“I think, if you love something, you learn to set all that stuff aside. That’s the thing I didn’t know the last time. How to love something like that. How much work that kind of love takes. What you’ll do to keep it.”
I got an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
_____________________________________________
First reaction: This book killed me dead.
April 11, 2023
5 stars
KD absolutely nailed it with this one. Or, since it's a baseball book, knocked it out of the park? Whichever metaphor you choose this book was amazing, perfect, 10 out of 10, no notes. Like, how dare this book.
It's amazing to see an already great writer improve upon their craft. All the things that bugged me from the first two books in this series were fixed and all the things I loved were still there. The writing struck the perfect balance of melancholy, baseball, romance, and character development which the dense and poetic writing style complements well.
The other things I loved about the book: the two main characters, Jake and Alex; the baseball; the mental health rep; the linear storytelling; the more conclusive ending; less of the book dedicated to the first chance romance; the build up of the second chance romance; the baseball as a rebellion rep; the proper name pronunciation rep; the epistolary interlude; the whole thing, really.
Absolutely the best KD Casey baseball book yet.
I received an ARC copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.
KD absolutely nailed it with this one. Or, since it's a baseball book, knocked it out of the park? Whichever metaphor you choose this book was amazing, perfect, 10 out of 10, no notes. Like, how dare this book.
It's amazing to see an already great writer improve upon their craft. All the things that bugged me from the first two books in this series were fixed and all the things I loved were still there. The writing struck the perfect balance of melancholy, baseball, romance, and character development which the dense and poetic writing style complements well.
The other things I loved about the book: the two main characters, Jake and Alex; the baseball; the mental health rep; the linear storytelling; the more conclusive ending; less of the book dedicated to the first chance romance; the build up of the second chance romance; the baseball as a rebellion rep; the proper name pronunciation rep; the epistolary interlude; the whole thing, really.
Absolutely the best KD Casey baseball book yet.
I received an ARC copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.
May 12, 2023
Baseball is not a sport I grew up with. It's not very popular where I live, but I've watched it when I was visiting the States, even went to a baseball game one time to have the experience. I'm not very familiar with the rules, or with how the game is tactically played. But I do love sports romance books and I love to read about baseball. There's just something about these men that I really seem to appreciate 🙃
This is the third book in a series about baseball players, but it can easily be read as a stand alone.
This story is a second chance romance that spans 10 years, though the majority of the book is set in the present. And even though Jake and Alex sometimes frustrated me, I also understood where they were coming from, that they needed time and space to grow and accept that life had different ideas about their futures. They needed time to accept that they had always been inevitable, but that it came at a certain price. Accepting the loss of a life anticipated, a glamorous life in the spotlights of baseball that appeared to not be in the cards, which was against every dream, every expectation. Learning to live with that and accepting is not an easy thing to do, and KD Casey gave us all the feelings and desperation that came with that. The story is written in a beautifully, modest way - no over the top drama. It's quiet, yet it gave me all the feelings. I admire that about this author's writing style.
I loved to be a witness to Jake and Alex's journey together, and without each other. Growing towards that acceptance that they were meant to be. They set their doubts aside, went after what they needed and what made them feel good. I loved how understanding and patient Alex was with Jake, and how Jake eventually learned to trust Alex's and his own feelings.
I love this series and even though Zack and Eugenio from book 1 still hold a piece of my heart, Alex and Jake have become really close to being my favorite couple!
”They sleep like that, or Alex does, and Jake catalogs how they fit together, the press of Alex’s knees to his, Alex’s mouth warm on his neck. Alex’s hands, battered from years of catching, cling to the fabric of Jake’s shirt. He has the urge to pull one to his mouth, to press his lips to the valley of Alex’s palm. To try to express what he can’t in words. That, even adrift, his internal compass spinning, his path could only lead him here.”
This is the third book in a series about baseball players, but it can easily be read as a stand alone.
This story is a second chance romance that spans 10 years, though the majority of the book is set in the present. And even though Jake and Alex sometimes frustrated me, I also understood where they were coming from, that they needed time and space to grow and accept that life had different ideas about their futures. They needed time to accept that they had always been inevitable, but that it came at a certain price. Accepting the loss of a life anticipated, a glamorous life in the spotlights of baseball that appeared to not be in the cards, which was against every dream, every expectation. Learning to live with that and accepting is not an easy thing to do, and KD Casey gave us all the feelings and desperation that came with that. The story is written in a beautifully, modest way - no over the top drama. It's quiet, yet it gave me all the feelings. I admire that about this author's writing style.
I loved to be a witness to Jake and Alex's journey together, and without each other. Growing towards that acceptance that they were meant to be. They set their doubts aside, went after what they needed and what made them feel good. I loved how understanding and patient Alex was with Jake, and how Jake eventually learned to trust Alex's and his own feelings.
I love this series and even though Zack and Eugenio from book 1 still hold a piece of my heart, Alex and Jake have become really close to being my favorite couple!
”They sleep like that, or Alex does, and Jake catalogs how they fit together, the press of Alex’s knees to his, Alex’s mouth warm on his neck. Alex’s hands, battered from years of catching, cling to the fabric of Jake’s shirt. He has the urge to pull one to his mouth, to press his lips to the valley of Alex’s palm. To try to express what he can’t in words. That, even adrift, his internal compass spinning, his path could only lead him here.”
October 1, 2025
Jake smiles slightly. "I don't think we're good at being nothing to each other, do you?"
This was for sure my favourite of the series, I thought I loved Charlie and Reid, but oh boy! Jake and Alex stole my heart, theirs was the perfect friends to almost lovers to enemies to lovers story.
It was heartbreaking to think that they lost 10 years of being together because of their stubbornness, but the way they eventually reunite proves that they were soulmates, always meant to be, and I'm sure Mike and Ben would agree with that.
Beautiful Jake with his anxiety and depression and missed opportunities always feeling wrong and out of place, was finally so happy he was back and then Alex was also there, Alex who was so unsure of his feelings and angry and sad.
It was the ideal ending for this series those last chapters made my heart so happy, to see them all have a HEA was perfection.
This was for sure my favourite of the series, I thought I loved Charlie and Reid, but oh boy! Jake and Alex stole my heart, theirs was the perfect friends to almost lovers to enemies to lovers story.
It was heartbreaking to think that they lost 10 years of being together because of their stubbornness, but the way they eventually reunite proves that they were soulmates, always meant to be, and I'm sure Mike and Ben would agree with that.
Beautiful Jake with his anxiety and depression and missed opportunities always feeling wrong and out of place, was finally so happy he was back and then Alex was also there, Alex who was so unsure of his feelings and angry and sad.
It was the ideal ending for this series those last chapters made my heart so happy, to see them all have a HEA was perfection.
June 24, 2023
Finally! I thought this would never end. I know I'm the only person on the planet who didn't like this book but the pacing was even worse in this one than in the first book (Unwritten Rules) and I hated Jake. In fairness to the author, I'll start by pointing out some of the things I really liked first.
My favorite parts of the story was how the author dealt with Jake's OCD and his sex-related issues due to the medications he takes. I would have loved for the OCD to be a bigger plot point (and since the story was mind numbingly boring, it could have used some more conflict) but OCD depiction in books is rare anyway so I enjoyed seeing that. The way he incorporated therapy techniques he'd learned into his daily life was also really cool to see but I would have loved to have Alex be more involved in that part of Jake's life.
I also liked that Jake's bedroom problems were dealt with realistically, although I do wish that there had been a bigger focus on ejaculation-free orgasms. Even though Jake often warned Alex that he might not come and if he did, his cock won't be involved, in reality - he did ejaculate during nearly every sex scene, which kind of made the issues a moot point. Like with the OCD - I wish the author had done a lot more with this but it's a rare plot choice so I liked it and I did appreciate that the author didn't go down the usual Magic Cock route, although it came close.
I also liked the baseball stuff, despite not understanding a lot of it. I like how the author unapologetically writes the baseball as if the MCs really are professional baseball players. They talk, think and act like guys who have been playing this sport at the highest level for years and that's exactly what I want in a sports romance. I didn't understand the majority of what they were talking about but that doesn't matter - I fully believed that they were pro athletes who know this sport inside and out.
Now for the negatives. As usual for these types of reviews, I'll list my issues from smallest to biggest.
Dropped Grief Plotlines
I loved that . When we learned that Jake had lost a close friend of his (Matt) and Alex promises to support Jake when that anniversary came around, I was hopeful that the theme of grief would continue as a thread throughout the story. Unfortunately, I became wary when the anniversary of Matt's death came and went and Alex didn't even attempt to contact Jake purely due to a stupid disagreement they had. I don't know if the author forgot about Alex's promise but it didn't fit Alex's personality or the deep friendship these two guys had.
The final nail in the coffin is that the author doesn't bring up Alex's dad in any significant way again, nor is there any reference to what the boys do on future anniversaries. The author would randomly shove references about Matt into the story, but this was sloppy and unnecessary. Readers don't know anything about Matt and he's not an important part of the story so it felt like clutter. Since the author had no desire to have Matt play a role in Alex and Jake's relationship, I wish his presence had been cut out completely.
Too Much Jewelry
I LOVE LOVE LOVE having MCs give each other things and then the receiver keeps the item for years afterwards purely because it was given to him by the other MC. This is especially true for second chance romances. In Unwritten Rules, I really liked how one MC kept all the plants that the other MC had given him. They were a detail carried throughout the entire book and I loved the emotional significance of them. Unfortunately, the author went overboard with this in Diamond Ring. In this book, both Alex and Jake wear special necklaces. Alex stole one of Jake's and Alex gave Jake a chain which Jake added to by buying a Jewish pendant. Near the end of the story, there are two more necklaces added into the mix. Two problems:
1. Jake buying the large Jewish pendant meant the focus moved away from the chain itself. This is a problem because Alex's contribution to the necklace was purely the chain itself, not the pendant. As a result, the necklace was no longer something important that Alex gave Jake. Instead, it's something Jake bought for himself to proudly display his Jewish faith to the world. This necklace was the most important one out of the four so having Alex's connection with it be so minimal meant I didn't feel it was a good representation of their romance.
2. Having the author add more and more necklaces diluted the impact of the whole thing.
Overall, I wish Alex had bought Jake the pendant and necklace together. It would have demonstrated Alex doing research about Judaism (thus, illustrating his desire to learn about things important to Jake) and it would have had much more romantic significance. As for the other three necklaces - they weren't needed. Alex could have worn one of Jake's shirts or done anything else to fulfill the purpose that the necklace had but having so many of the same item being used meant all of the necklaces lost their significance.
Presence Of Other Book MCs
To the author's credit, the inclusion of the other book MCs wasn't heavy-handed and wasn't as annoying as it usually is in such series. If it had been, I would have DNF'd. But because the book suffered from horrible pacing issues and was extremely boring already, having the other MCs show up and add nothing important to the story made things worse.
I also got annoyed by the author using the common tactic that many MM romance authors use in long running sports series. Like Rachel Reid's Game Changer series, this series has reached the point where the inclusion of MCs from previous books takes up significant narrative space and it's also becoming ridiculous. Having this many same-sex pairings within the MLB (meaning player/player pairings) is already stretching credibility. But having those players all be close to each other and having each pairing include a Jewish player pushed the whole thing into the realm of ridiculousness.
Terrible Pacing, Bad Second Chance Romance Framing
My main issue with Unwritten Rules was that the second chance romance structure was the wrong way around. 75% of the book was spent on the first romance and only 25% was spent on the second one. To the author's credit, they fixed that in this book and the structure was the right way around. Unfortunately, the author made other choices that made me dislike this second chance romance even more than in Unwritten Rules.
+ The MCs relationship had barely entered romantic territory when they broke up which meant I hadn't connected with them as a couple before the break up and this meant I didn't feel that pining/UST that I want to experience when they come back into contact
+ The break up was a result of a petty, dumb argument between them related to their team losing that season's championship and I didn't believe that these two guys would throw away their friendship and their budding romance purely due to this disagreement. It felt forced and made it seem as if their relationship didn't matter enough to either of them, which isn't what I want to feel during a second chance romance. In comparison, the break up in Unwritten Rules was extremely well done.
+ The MCs come back into contact by 50% so there was plenty of time to explore the second chance romance (yay!) BUT, the MCs got back together immediately and it was very clear that there was no reason for them not to resume their relationship. The author desperately tried to keep them apart by forcing in more petty disagreements, stretching out minor issues and having the MCs angsting over repetitive issues but it all felt like the author knew the MCs had no barriers to keeping them apart but didn't want the story to be over so soon. I wish the author had come up with some interesting conflict that would have kept the MCs apart for longer instead of the petty, dumb scenarios that were included, like the pointless thing which wasn't necessary and was resolved quickly anyway.
+ The forced separation between the MCs that the author insisted on combined with the author wanting the book to be a ridiculous length meant the pacing moved way too slowly. The MCs angsted over the same things over and over again without making any progress, conversations went in circles, character interactions had no purpose and there was tons of filler material like including details that weren't needed. In Unwritten Rules, a quarter of the story could and should have been cut. In this one, over half of it wasn't needed.
Jake = Whiny, Immature Asshole
Wow, I hated Jake. I couldn't stand him and I always felt Alex deserved much better. Things started out relatively well with Jake being portrayed as a cheerful, naïve superstar-in-the-making who has been told his entire life that he's going to be the MLBs Next Big Star and that nothing but greatness awaits him. I love that the author went the route of having Jake not perform at the level people expected him to during his first season, then he gets injured and this injury sends him out of the majors. This is an unfortunate reality for a handful of young superstars in professional sports and it's one I haven't seen explored before in MM romance. I loved the idea of Jake starting out being naïve, overly excited and ready to bask in the successes he had been told he'd achieve, only for the rug to be pulled out from under him and for him to end up being a forgotten, insignificant minor leaguer who only features in the media when they're doing a list of 'MLBs Biggest Disappointments'.
Unfortunately, I hated the way the author portrayed Jake and his journey. The first part of the story is told from Alex's POV, which I believe was a mistake. Readers don't get a chance to know Jake very well and at its heart, this story is about Jake's journey, not Alex's. Jake is portrayed as having a very straight-forward personality (cheerful, puppy-dog enthusiasm, humble, happy to be in the big leagues) that was supposed to paint him as Alex's opposite (who is the grumpy, quiet, punk kid with an attitude). It was a classic opposites-attract scenario and I know the author wanted the point of the story to be that Jake changes dramatically when life drop-kicks him off a cliff. Unfortunately, the execution was poorly done.
Jake is supposed to be the Nice One, the one who goes out of his way to ensure Alex also gets credit and admiration. But when they !
Everything that followed made this bizarre situation worse. . It was immature and at complete odds with Jake's team-player personality. But even worse - this stupid argument leads to their break up and them not contacting each other for 10 years. Everything about it was dumb and felt forced.
Fast forward 10 years and we learn that Jake has been throwing himself a non-stop pity party. He's spent years doing expensive therapy, yet he's made no significant progress with getting past his disappointments from 10 years ago. He's not grateful that he's regularly found other baseball playing opportunities and that his parents don't mind contributing financially when his minor league funds come up short for whatever he needs to pay for (rent, deposits, therapy, medication). Despite being in his 30s and being lucky enough to play a game as a career, he spends his time whining and feeling sorry for himself. While I felt no sympathy for Jake's privileged whining, I could understand his attitude. Unfortunately, I lost any patience I had for him when he has the chance to come back to the major league but he doesn't leave his selfish, whining attitude behind.
First - when he's back in the team's locker room, Jake is asked about his loss from 10 years ago. Instead of giving a mature reply or a neutral reply, he rudely points out that at least Jake had only lost one championship whereas Alex had lost two. WTF? Jake and Alex's new relationship hadn't been very bad at that point and anyway - any bad feelings between them were Jake's fault, not Alex's. So Jake saying such a rude, immature thing made me want to throttle him.
Second - the guy continues being an asshole to Alex while they're playing and again, it's for no reason. There's a part where . This was such a WTF moment for me.
Third - Jake is only happy when he's pitching. He doesn't care that Alex has come back to their old team as well and that it's a chance for redemption for Alex too. This becomes more obvious when . What a shitty attitude for a team player to have! And it's an extremely shitty attitude to have when Jake is supposedly in love with Alex. By that point, I knew the author would never convince me that Jake actually does love Alex. The only person Jake has ever loved is himself.
The only time Jake seems to care about the playoffs is when he's playing (of course). And this was happening at the end of the story which means the guy had learned absolutely nothing, which was very frustrating. I had expected Jake to have come to terms with his disappointing pro-league career long ago and to use this unexpected gift of a final season in the majors to enjoy every experience and be grateful that he gets to share it with Alex. Even better, I expected Jake to put aside his own disappointment and for once, to focus exclusively on Alex. I wanted him to be cheering on Alex, to be happy for Alex's triumph during the playoffs. But no. Jake doesn't care about situations unless they revolve around him.
This is why I was incredibly disappointed that the book ends with .
The author desperately tried to give Jake a tiny bit of character development near the very end where Jake admits that maybe there's a tiny chance that his elbow hadn't been doing so well during that first Fall Classic game and that might be a tiny bit of a contributing factor for why they lost. Sorry, but this is merely a drop in the enormous bucket of development that Jake had to go through during the story.
Making things worse is that the author ends with Jake continuing to be a selfish ass - he'd spent ages whining about wanting to . What a dumb way to end the story.
Conclusion
Overall, I think this author's books aren't for me. Their storytelling and writing style isn't my cup of tea and it's irritating to read a book and know that everything I want to see happen won't happen or at least, it won't happen the way I want.
My favorite parts of the story was how the author dealt with Jake's OCD and his sex-related issues due to the medications he takes. I would have loved for the OCD to be a bigger plot point (and since the story was mind numbingly boring, it could have used some more conflict) but OCD depiction in books is rare anyway so I enjoyed seeing that. The way he incorporated therapy techniques he'd learned into his daily life was also really cool to see but I would have loved to have Alex be more involved in that part of Jake's life.
I also liked that Jake's bedroom problems were dealt with realistically, although I do wish that there had been a bigger focus on ejaculation-free orgasms. Even though Jake often warned Alex that he might not come and if he did, his cock won't be involved, in reality - he did ejaculate during nearly every sex scene, which kind of made the issues a moot point. Like with the OCD - I wish the author had done a lot more with this but it's a rare plot choice so I liked it and I did appreciate that the author didn't go down the usual Magic Cock route, although it came close.
I also liked the baseball stuff, despite not understanding a lot of it. I like how the author unapologetically writes the baseball as if the MCs really are professional baseball players. They talk, think and act like guys who have been playing this sport at the highest level for years and that's exactly what I want in a sports romance. I didn't understand the majority of what they were talking about but that doesn't matter - I fully believed that they were pro athletes who know this sport inside and out.
Now for the negatives. As usual for these types of reviews, I'll list my issues from smallest to biggest.
Dropped Grief Plotlines
I loved that . When we learned that Jake had lost a close friend of his (Matt) and Alex promises to support Jake when that anniversary came around, I was hopeful that the theme of grief would continue as a thread throughout the story. Unfortunately, I became wary when the anniversary of Matt's death came and went and Alex didn't even attempt to contact Jake purely due to a stupid disagreement they had. I don't know if the author forgot about Alex's promise but it didn't fit Alex's personality or the deep friendship these two guys had.
The final nail in the coffin is that the author doesn't bring up Alex's dad in any significant way again, nor is there any reference to what the boys do on future anniversaries. The author would randomly shove references about Matt into the story, but this was sloppy and unnecessary. Readers don't know anything about Matt and he's not an important part of the story so it felt like clutter. Since the author had no desire to have Matt play a role in Alex and Jake's relationship, I wish his presence had been cut out completely.
Too Much Jewelry
I LOVE LOVE LOVE having MCs give each other things and then the receiver keeps the item for years afterwards purely because it was given to him by the other MC. This is especially true for second chance romances. In Unwritten Rules, I really liked how one MC kept all the plants that the other MC had given him. They were a detail carried throughout the entire book and I loved the emotional significance of them. Unfortunately, the author went overboard with this in Diamond Ring. In this book, both Alex and Jake wear special necklaces. Alex stole one of Jake's and Alex gave Jake a chain which Jake added to by buying a Jewish pendant. Near the end of the story, there are two more necklaces added into the mix. Two problems:
1. Jake buying the large Jewish pendant meant the focus moved away from the chain itself. This is a problem because Alex's contribution to the necklace was purely the chain itself, not the pendant. As a result, the necklace was no longer something important that Alex gave Jake. Instead, it's something Jake bought for himself to proudly display his Jewish faith to the world. This necklace was the most important one out of the four so having Alex's connection with it be so minimal meant I didn't feel it was a good representation of their romance.
2. Having the author add more and more necklaces diluted the impact of the whole thing.
Overall, I wish Alex had bought Jake the pendant and necklace together. It would have demonstrated Alex doing research about Judaism (thus, illustrating his desire to learn about things important to Jake) and it would have had much more romantic significance. As for the other three necklaces - they weren't needed. Alex could have worn one of Jake's shirts or done anything else to fulfill the purpose that the necklace had but having so many of the same item being used meant all of the necklaces lost their significance.
Presence Of Other Book MCs
To the author's credit, the inclusion of the other book MCs wasn't heavy-handed and wasn't as annoying as it usually is in such series. If it had been, I would have DNF'd. But because the book suffered from horrible pacing issues and was extremely boring already, having the other MCs show up and add nothing important to the story made things worse.
I also got annoyed by the author using the common tactic that many MM romance authors use in long running sports series. Like Rachel Reid's Game Changer series, this series has reached the point where the inclusion of MCs from previous books takes up significant narrative space and it's also becoming ridiculous. Having this many same-sex pairings within the MLB (meaning player/player pairings) is already stretching credibility. But having those players all be close to each other and having each pairing include a Jewish player pushed the whole thing into the realm of ridiculousness.
Terrible Pacing, Bad Second Chance Romance Framing
My main issue with Unwritten Rules was that the second chance romance structure was the wrong way around. 75% of the book was spent on the first romance and only 25% was spent on the second one. To the author's credit, they fixed that in this book and the structure was the right way around. Unfortunately, the author made other choices that made me dislike this second chance romance even more than in Unwritten Rules.
+ The MCs relationship had barely entered romantic territory when they broke up which meant I hadn't connected with them as a couple before the break up and this meant I didn't feel that pining/UST that I want to experience when they come back into contact
+ The break up was a result of a petty, dumb argument between them related to their team losing that season's championship and I didn't believe that these two guys would throw away their friendship and their budding romance purely due to this disagreement. It felt forced and made it seem as if their relationship didn't matter enough to either of them, which isn't what I want to feel during a second chance romance. In comparison, the break up in Unwritten Rules was extremely well done.
+ The MCs come back into contact by 50% so there was plenty of time to explore the second chance romance (yay!) BUT, the MCs got back together immediately and it was very clear that there was no reason for them not to resume their relationship. The author desperately tried to keep them apart by forcing in more petty disagreements, stretching out minor issues and having the MCs angsting over repetitive issues but it all felt like the author knew the MCs had no barriers to keeping them apart but didn't want the story to be over so soon. I wish the author had come up with some interesting conflict that would have kept the MCs apart for longer instead of the petty, dumb scenarios that were included, like the pointless thing which wasn't necessary and was resolved quickly anyway.
+ The forced separation between the MCs that the author insisted on combined with the author wanting the book to be a ridiculous length meant the pacing moved way too slowly. The MCs angsted over the same things over and over again without making any progress, conversations went in circles, character interactions had no purpose and there was tons of filler material like including details that weren't needed. In Unwritten Rules, a quarter of the story could and should have been cut. In this one, over half of it wasn't needed.
Jake = Whiny, Immature Asshole
Wow, I hated Jake. I couldn't stand him and I always felt Alex deserved much better. Things started out relatively well with Jake being portrayed as a cheerful, naïve superstar-in-the-making who has been told his entire life that he's going to be the MLBs Next Big Star and that nothing but greatness awaits him. I love that the author went the route of having Jake not perform at the level people expected him to during his first season, then he gets injured and this injury sends him out of the majors. This is an unfortunate reality for a handful of young superstars in professional sports and it's one I haven't seen explored before in MM romance. I loved the idea of Jake starting out being naïve, overly excited and ready to bask in the successes he had been told he'd achieve, only for the rug to be pulled out from under him and for him to end up being a forgotten, insignificant minor leaguer who only features in the media when they're doing a list of 'MLBs Biggest Disappointments'.
Unfortunately, I hated the way the author portrayed Jake and his journey. The first part of the story is told from Alex's POV, which I believe was a mistake. Readers don't get a chance to know Jake very well and at its heart, this story is about Jake's journey, not Alex's. Jake is portrayed as having a very straight-forward personality (cheerful, puppy-dog enthusiasm, humble, happy to be in the big leagues) that was supposed to paint him as Alex's opposite (who is the grumpy, quiet, punk kid with an attitude). It was a classic opposites-attract scenario and I know the author wanted the point of the story to be that Jake changes dramatically when life drop-kicks him off a cliff. Unfortunately, the execution was poorly done.
Jake is supposed to be the Nice One, the one who goes out of his way to ensure Alex also gets credit and admiration. But when they !
Everything that followed made this bizarre situation worse. . It was immature and at complete odds with Jake's team-player personality. But even worse - this stupid argument leads to their break up and them not contacting each other for 10 years. Everything about it was dumb and felt forced.
Fast forward 10 years and we learn that Jake has been throwing himself a non-stop pity party. He's spent years doing expensive therapy, yet he's made no significant progress with getting past his disappointments from 10 years ago. He's not grateful that he's regularly found other baseball playing opportunities and that his parents don't mind contributing financially when his minor league funds come up short for whatever he needs to pay for (rent, deposits, therapy, medication). Despite being in his 30s and being lucky enough to play a game as a career, he spends his time whining and feeling sorry for himself. While I felt no sympathy for Jake's privileged whining, I could understand his attitude. Unfortunately, I lost any patience I had for him when he has the chance to come back to the major league but he doesn't leave his selfish, whining attitude behind.
First - when he's back in the team's locker room, Jake is asked about his loss from 10 years ago. Instead of giving a mature reply or a neutral reply, he rudely points out that at least Jake had only lost one championship whereas Alex had lost two. WTF? Jake and Alex's new relationship hadn't been very bad at that point and anyway - any bad feelings between them were Jake's fault, not Alex's. So Jake saying such a rude, immature thing made me want to throttle him.
Second - the guy continues being an asshole to Alex while they're playing and again, it's for no reason. There's a part where . This was such a WTF moment for me.
Third - Jake is only happy when he's pitching. He doesn't care that Alex has come back to their old team as well and that it's a chance for redemption for Alex too. This becomes more obvious when . What a shitty attitude for a team player to have! And it's an extremely shitty attitude to have when Jake is supposedly in love with Alex. By that point, I knew the author would never convince me that Jake actually does love Alex. The only person Jake has ever loved is himself.
The only time Jake seems to care about the playoffs is when he's playing (of course). And this was happening at the end of the story which means the guy had learned absolutely nothing, which was very frustrating. I had expected Jake to have come to terms with his disappointing pro-league career long ago and to use this unexpected gift of a final season in the majors to enjoy every experience and be grateful that he gets to share it with Alex. Even better, I expected Jake to put aside his own disappointment and for once, to focus exclusively on Alex. I wanted him to be cheering on Alex, to be happy for Alex's triumph during the playoffs. But no. Jake doesn't care about situations unless they revolve around him.
This is why I was incredibly disappointed that the book ends with .
The author desperately tried to give Jake a tiny bit of character development near the very end where Jake admits that maybe there's a tiny chance that his elbow hadn't been doing so well during that first Fall Classic game and that might be a tiny bit of a contributing factor for why they lost. Sorry, but this is merely a drop in the enormous bucket of development that Jake had to go through during the story.
Making things worse is that the author ends with Jake continuing to be a selfish ass - he'd spent ages whining about wanting to . What a dumb way to end the story.
Conclusion
Overall, I think this author's books aren't for me. Their storytelling and writing style isn't my cup of tea and it's irritating to read a book and know that everything I want to see happen won't happen or at least, it won't happen the way I want.
September 20, 2023
4.5. compelling as all hell, perhaps unhealthily so, like “ignore all your real-life responsibilities” type of compulsion.
funny, clever, knows their stuff, baseball-wise. casey’s writing reminds me a little of ari baran’s in places, which is just about the highest compliment I can give a sports romance. never before has a cooling burger been so tantalizing, and even though the oakland Ælephants gave me the gigs (as a giants fan I am actually contractually forbidden to like this book), the mets SHOULD be called the gothams, actually.
my brain problems annoy me and take up far too much of my time too, jake. also: thank u 4 the queer considering-fostering-an-older-kid would-be parent rep. my appreciation is deep and heartfelt.
it is another high compliment to say that the end of this book put me in mind of sheenagh pugh’s “sometimes”:
funny, clever, knows their stuff, baseball-wise. casey’s writing reminds me a little of ari baran’s in places, which is just about the highest compliment I can give a sports romance. never before has a cooling burger been so tantalizing, and even though the oakland Ælephants gave me the gigs (as a giants fan I am actually contractually forbidden to like this book), the mets SHOULD be called the gothams, actually.
my brain problems annoy me and take up far too much of my time too, jake. also: thank u 4 the queer considering-fostering-an-older-kid would-be parent rep. my appreciation is deep and heartfelt.
it is another high compliment to say that the end of this book put me in mind of sheenagh pugh’s “sometimes”:
Sometimes things don’t go, after all,
from bad to worse. Some years, muscadel
faces down frost; green thrives; the crops don’t fail.
Sometimes a man aims high, and all goes well.
A people sometimes will step back from war,
elect an honest man, decide they care
enough, that they can’t leave some stranger poor.
Some men become what they were born for.
Sometimes our best intentions do not go
amiss; sometimes we do as we meant to.
The sun will sometimes melt a field of sorrow
that seemed hard frozen; may it happen for you.
April 23, 2023
Diamond Ring was an excellent finish to a series I have really loved reading. The book was so well written—with an emotional resonance and a depth of characters that pulled me in and held me the entire time. While I enjoyed all three of the books in this series, I think Alex and Jake’s journey was the most tender, sweetest and well developed of the series. There’s so much longing and ache and love between those two.
I so appreciated all the updates we got near the end for the couples from book one and book two, which were included in a really organic and well thought out way.
Sad to be at the end of this series but happy with how it all wrapped up.
I so appreciated all the updates we got near the end for the couples from book one and book two, which were included in a really organic and well thought out way.
Sad to be at the end of this series but happy with how it all wrapped up.
November 3, 2023
sickening levels of slay. KD Casey truly wakes up every morning and chooses to be THE romance writer of 2023!!
first things first, linking X's and Kathleen's reviews, bcs they're rlly smart and they basically said it all. secondly, you already know the drill - yes KD Casey's books are perhaps overly long and langurous, no i do not care about this fact enough to let it impact my opinion of them. if u do that is perfectly valid, de gustibus non est disputandum and all that jazz, but my guess is that if you don't click w Casey's style you probably haven't made it to book 3, so i am aware that i am writing this review solely for the pleasure of the enabling hobgoblins who got me into this mess in the first place.
so my approach for this one is gonna be me going through my notes and screaming. everyone on boad? good. i have compiled a neatly numbered list so as to facilitate screaming in the comment section (ur welcome besties <3)
1. the opening chapter.
THE OPENING CHAPTER!!!! i knew AT ONCE that Alex Angelides was iconic beyond words and only screms would suffice.
this was page two. PAGE TWO!!! we go from "the crumbling, messy, smelly clubhouse is the physical manifestation of my wounded soul" (i mean Zach and Reid don't outright say it but like...need they say it?) to "huh, this place is falling apart and smells like a builder's armpit. wicked."
you can so strongly sense that Alex is in this early twenties from the moment the story opens, he is so fresh and rebellious and funny as hell. i mean look at his first impressions of Jake:
number one, X my dude Alex is clearly your guy re:golden retrievers. number two, the straight guy comment is the first time in a KD Casey that i've read a queer person who sounds like the (mid-twenties) queer people i know, with this sense of queerness not as difference but as a community. an outlook where the boring straights are the weird ones, and a blue-haired PR lady is the first normal person Alex has laid eyes on all day. again, makes a lot of sense since he's the only one of Casey's protagonists to come from a queer household. but idk, it made me happy, seeing queerness as the status quo.
basically alex is such a king. baseball is his way of rebeling, he compliments women by comparing them to his lesbian witch aunt, he's constantly scowling, he takes no bullshit, he was in a band, he had his nipples pierced. who else is doing it like he is???? nobody, that's who.
2. THE YEARNING.
"we were together when we were young but we were stupid and rash and stubborn as hell so we ruined the one good thing we had- oh no wait it's been 10 years and fate has united us once again, can we ever rebuilt our bond or are we destined to stay apart while slowly dying on the inside????" is a classic for a reason. KD Casey gives us not only this, but also "i went online to meet an anonymous stranger hoping for a new beginning, but the stranger turned out to be you because all my roads lead back to you" (and i quote "in the endless ephemeral scroll of apps, they still found each other" SCREAMING CRYING PROJECTILE VOMITING!!!). just...majestic stuff. and all this tropey romance writing is ofc exemplary and off the charts (and in their hands, somehow does not feel tropey at all), but what Casey is spectacular at is evoking this sense of loss and nostalgia over how innocent you once were, and how this past version of you is an integral part of who you've become, but damn if it isn't painful as all hell to look back, and it's even more painful to hope for something better somewhere along the line.
the story of Diamond Ring, especially from Jake's POV, is of what happens when the world is your oyster for a while...but then abruptly it isn't. with no reason or rhyme, things sometimes don't work out to a truly spectacular extent, and you're left there in the wreckage of who you thought you'd grow up to be, thinking "how did this happen? everything was supposed to be fine. i was supposed to be fine." the sudden turning of tables, from Jake at the top of the world and Alex in his shadow to Jake barely hanging in there (in every sense of the word) while Alex has an impressive career behind him, is so KD Casey, but more than that, it is so human.
related to his, Jake's mental health stuff, just like Reid's recovery, was so incredibly well done. and for both of these protagonists, staying well is *work*, constant and endless work that you do as a gift to yourself, as a promise of a future, as a thank you to all the previous versions of you that have kept you alive up to this moment.
i'm not Jewish, but in previous reading i've come across a piece of Jewish ethical teaching that goes "it is not incumbent upon you to complete the work, but neither are you at liberty to desist from it". and again, definitely not in a position to catch or interpret the ways that Jewishness is woven into this series, but this sentence just rings so true for how Casey's protagonists who *really* struggle with something manage to keep going. how Reid goes from 30-minute timer to 30-minute timer to keep himself from drinking, how Jake fights with his own brain to get the number of compulsive repetitions to stay at 5. this one time Reid doesn't drink, or this one time Jake does his 5 repetitions and no more, does not mean that the work is somehow magically done. the work will maybe someday be finished by some stronger, more stable version of them, but maybe it won't. maybe their burdens will always be with them. that is the work, and they are not at liberty to desist from it.
3. OOF IS SOMEONE CHOPPING ONIONS HERE OR WHAT? ANYWAY BACK TO THE YEARNING
a few choice quotes for your perusal:
this last quote...THIS LAST QUOTE. you cannot just waltz up to me and be like "sup dude? me? oh no nothing much, my protagonist just had this neat little thought about his lover being akin to Atlas, no biggie", you just can't. the Hozierification of it all. distressing and sickening. brb gotta go howl at to moon real quick.
4. SOME MISCELLANEOUS THOUGHTS
- Gordon getting a wholeass documentary about his illustrious career and using it as a matchmaking tool....king shit.
-Johnson killing his LSATs and thinking about going into labor law is how the world heals.
-the fact that Jake gets a long text that's formatted like an e-mail from Zach's mom AND a phone-call from Reid's grandma...the world has gone from healing to flourishing.
-i want a 40k enemies to lovers fic about Elbow Patches and D'Spara and i want it NOW.
-the ending of this book is literally insane, i'd call it fan service but it's even more powerful than that, it's just batshit insane. i'm imagining an in-universe version of Alex Jones' "they turned the freakin frogs gay" but about the Elephants, and then Alex records a really embarrassing pop-punk cover with guest vocals from Charlie Braxton.
-the fact that i had to rejoice while the sexiest man in this entire series lost the championship....cruel and unusual. it would have been easier for me if i had to watch Zach lose, not gonna lie.
-"Yeah, print that." nah scratch that, maybe Alex Angelides is the sexiest man in this entire series.
first things first, linking X's and Kathleen's reviews, bcs they're rlly smart and they basically said it all. secondly, you already know the drill - yes KD Casey's books are perhaps overly long and langurous, no i do not care about this fact enough to let it impact my opinion of them. if u do that is perfectly valid, de gustibus non est disputandum and all that jazz, but my guess is that if you don't click w Casey's style you probably haven't made it to book 3, so i am aware that i am writing this review solely for the pleasure of the enabling hobgoblins who got me into this mess in the first place.
so my approach for this one is gonna be me going through my notes and screaming. everyone on boad? good. i have compiled a neatly numbered list so as to facilitate screaming in the comment section (ur welcome besties <3)
1. the opening chapter.
THE OPENING CHAPTER!!!! i knew AT ONCE that Alex Angelides was iconic beyond words and only screms would suffice.
He's heard stories about the Elephants Coliseum that are apparently true - its peeling paint, its smell like the alley behind a bar. Kind of punk rock.
this was page two. PAGE TWO!!! we go from "the crumbling, messy, smelly clubhouse is the physical manifestation of my wounded soul" (i mean Zach and Reid don't outright say it but like...need they say it?) to "huh, this place is falling apart and smells like a builder's armpit. wicked."
you can so strongly sense that Alex is in this early twenties from the moment the story opens, he is so fresh and rebellious and funny as hell. i mean look at his first impressions of Jake:
He's handsome for a straight guy and about as threatening as a glas of skim milk.
"This is exciting." He seems sincere. It makes Alex wonder if he ever got stuffed in a locker, though, given his size, his status as an ace-in-the-making, probably not. People probably find his enthusiasm endearing. Then again people find golden retrievers endearing.
number one, X my dude Alex is clearly your guy re:golden retrievers. number two, the straight guy comment is the first time in a KD Casey that i've read a queer person who sounds like the (mid-twenties) queer people i know, with this sense of queerness not as difference but as a community. an outlook where the boring straights are the weird ones, and a blue-haired PR lady is the first normal person Alex has laid eyes on all day. again, makes a lot of sense since he's the only one of Casey's protagonists to come from a queer household. but idk, it made me happy, seeing queerness as the status quo.
basically alex is such a king. baseball is his way of rebeling, he compliments women by comparing them to his lesbian witch aunt, he's constantly scowling, he takes no bullshit, he was in a band, he had his nipples pierced. who else is doing it like he is???? nobody, that's who.
2. THE YEARNING.
"we were together when we were young but we were stupid and rash and stubborn as hell so we ruined the one good thing we had- oh no wait it's been 10 years and fate has united us once again, can we ever rebuilt our bond or are we destined to stay apart while slowly dying on the inside????" is a classic for a reason. KD Casey gives us not only this, but also "i went online to meet an anonymous stranger hoping for a new beginning, but the stranger turned out to be you because all my roads lead back to you" (and i quote "in the endless ephemeral scroll of apps, they still found each other" SCREAMING CRYING PROJECTILE VOMITING!!!). just...majestic stuff. and all this tropey romance writing is ofc exemplary and off the charts (and in their hands, somehow does not feel tropey at all), but what Casey is spectacular at is evoking this sense of loss and nostalgia over how innocent you once were, and how this past version of you is an integral part of who you've become, but damn if it isn't painful as all hell to look back, and it's even more painful to hope for something better somewhere along the line.
He knows Jake told him things, but mostly Alex remembers that wide-open feeling of how much they wanted. How sincerely they believed that the game was unkind, sure, but that unkindness would never come for them.
His suitcase is already sitting by the door, packed. In his carry-on, he stashes his necklace, his headphones, his sense of uncertainty and his greater one of hope - that for once, things might work out. He's not sure which is heavier as he hauls his luggage to his truck, scanning himself for any twinge in his elbow.
the story of Diamond Ring, especially from Jake's POV, is of what happens when the world is your oyster for a while...but then abruptly it isn't. with no reason or rhyme, things sometimes don't work out to a truly spectacular extent, and you're left there in the wreckage of who you thought you'd grow up to be, thinking "how did this happen? everything was supposed to be fine. i was supposed to be fine." the sudden turning of tables, from Jake at the top of the world and Alex in his shadow to Jake barely hanging in there (in every sense of the word) while Alex has an impressive career behind him, is so KD Casey, but more than that, it is so human.
related to his, Jake's mental health stuff, just like Reid's recovery, was so incredibly well done. and for both of these protagonists, staying well is *work*, constant and endless work that you do as a gift to yourself, as a promise of a future, as a thank you to all the previous versions of you that have kept you alive up to this moment.
i'm not Jewish, but in previous reading i've come across a piece of Jewish ethical teaching that goes "it is not incumbent upon you to complete the work, but neither are you at liberty to desist from it". and again, definitely not in a position to catch or interpret the ways that Jewishness is woven into this series, but this sentence just rings so true for how Casey's protagonists who *really* struggle with something manage to keep going. how Reid goes from 30-minute timer to 30-minute timer to keep himself from drinking, how Jake fights with his own brain to get the number of compulsive repetitions to stay at 5. this one time Reid doesn't drink, or this one time Jake does his 5 repetitions and no more, does not mean that the work is somehow magically done. the work will maybe someday be finished by some stronger, more stable version of them, but maybe it won't. maybe their burdens will always be with them. that is the work, and they are not at liberty to desist from it.
3. OOF IS SOMEONE CHOPPING ONIONS HERE OR WHAT? ANYWAY BACK TO THE YEARNING
a few choice quotes for your perusal:
What else is there to say? That they're linked, inextricably, and have been for the better part of their adult lives.
Alex tries to think of what to say, though it's hard to articulate. That Jake is how he is. That Alex has loved him for so long that he's forgotten what not loving him is like.
A calm comes over him, an assurance like the tap of Alex's knuckles against his, like he could be in a ballfield like in any other city, with a half-cracked home plate and memories worn into the base paths. Like he's fully housed within his body, himself to the tips of his fingers and ends of his hair.
He's here, so he's here, in a continuous humming present, the game slowing until in matches the steady beat of his heart. Alex set up sixty feet away, like his shoulders could carry the world.
this last quote...THIS LAST QUOTE. you cannot just waltz up to me and be like "sup dude? me? oh no nothing much, my protagonist just had this neat little thought about his lover being akin to Atlas, no biggie", you just can't. the Hozierification of it all. distressing and sickening. brb gotta go howl at to moon real quick.
4. SOME MISCELLANEOUS THOUGHTS
- Gordon getting a wholeass documentary about his illustrious career and using it as a matchmaking tool....king shit.
-Johnson killing his LSATs and thinking about going into labor law is how the world heals.
-the fact that Jake gets a long text that's formatted like an e-mail from Zach's mom AND a phone-call from Reid's grandma...the world has gone from healing to flourishing.
-i want a 40k enemies to lovers fic about Elbow Patches and D'Spara and i want it NOW.
-the ending of this book is literally insane, i'd call it fan service but it's even more powerful than that, it's just batshit insane. i'm imagining an in-universe version of Alex Jones' "they turned the freakin frogs gay" but about the Elephants, and then Alex records a really embarrassing pop-punk cover with guest vocals from Charlie Braxton.
-the fact that i had to rejoice while the sexiest man in this entire series lost the championship....cruel and unusual. it would have been easier for me if i had to watch Zach lose, not gonna lie.
-"Yeah, print that." nah scratch that, maybe Alex Angelides is the sexiest man in this entire series.
March 4, 2023
4.5/5 stars. This is my favorite KD Casey book yet. Their romance-writing skills have continued to improve and now match her baseball-writing skills. I really love how they use baseball dynamics to tease out different aspects of her pairings. It’s completely believable to me that a missed play in the World Series would lead to strife between the pitcher and catcher involved, and that for both it would come to represent every facet of their relationship. Romance writers are often criticized for having characters overreact to seemingly minor things, but books like this remind me that the issue is the execution, not the concept. People are driven apart all the time by small things that shine a spotlight on major issues they’ve been ignoring, and writers like Casey help us see why that happens.
I also loved how, once again, Casey’s baseball knowledge allowed her to give both characters career trajectories that are extremely common in real life but rarely make it into fiction because they don’t easily fit the normal tropes. I won’t go into more detail due to spoilers, but as a baseball fan I loved getting to explore what it might be like to have Jake’s career. And of course I continue to love all the minor baseball details (like those titanium necklaces!) that most authors wouldn’t know to include.
As with the other two books in this series, I highly recommend this to anyone who loves in-depth sports romance, and especially to any baseball fans longing for a baseball romance that feels realistic.
I received an ARC in exchange for my review.
I also loved how, once again, Casey’s baseball knowledge allowed her to give both characters career trajectories that are extremely common in real life but rarely make it into fiction because they don’t easily fit the normal tropes. I won’t go into more detail due to spoilers, but as a baseball fan I loved getting to explore what it might be like to have Jake’s career. And of course I continue to love all the minor baseball details (like those titanium necklaces!) that most authors wouldn’t know to include.
As with the other two books in this series, I highly recommend this to anyone who loves in-depth sports romance, and especially to any baseball fans longing for a baseball romance that feels realistic.
I received an ARC in exchange for my review.
March 17, 2024
Did I request the ARC even though I’ve already pre-ordered this? Absolutely, yes. I could not wait any longer. Look, for this book I didn’t want/need to know anything about the plot - I just knew it was going to be great. And it was! The first two books in this trilogy are ones I’ve read and reread and this one is definitely going to be the same. Rather than a regular review, I’m just going to list a couple things that have come to mind as I finished Diamond Ring:
(1) The way people in KD Casey books talk about baseball is like the way people in my hometown talk about the weather. I come from a state where it’s the cliche to say that the weather can change at any moment. One day it could snow, the next day it could be 55 and sunny (or the next hour haha). Talking about the weather, in banalities and in minute detail, is just a part of the fabric of people’s daily lives. No matter who you are, you know the rules and you know the stats, and you’re constantly doing the math about how it might affect your life, in big and small ways. That’s what baseball is to this series. And I love it! (Much like I love… talking about the weather lol. That’s not a joke, I really enjoy it.)
(2) I don’t think I’ve ever encountered a writer who is better than KD Casey at depicting the daily experience of maintaining your own mental health. I have very strong feelings about this - so many writers do it poorly tbh and it tally takes me out of the narrative. A “touching” scene where the character says they’re going to go on meds/have found a diagnosis/are going to go to therapy, and then they live happily ever after? Some kind of cliched recurring thing where the character sits in a chair receiving wisdom from some brilliant/psychic therapist? (Maybe it’s having a parent who works in the mental health field that makes a therapist being framed as some all-knowing savior THE biggest red flag haha. Therapists are just *people*, they can be helpful but they cannot magically solve your problems for you.) No - so much of actual mental health is what Jake does here, like forcing himself to write things in his diary that feel both simple and yet terrifyingly weighty.
The way this author incorporates this type of experience/storyline/context into her books - well for one, I think it’s one of the reasons her books feel SO realistic even though they are, technically speaking, about professional sports players (ie, not the most ~down to earth~ of topics). Not many writers can make the tiny daily decisions that make up who we are so compelling to read about, but she does it effortlessly!
(3) Something I really appreciate about queerness as portrayed in KD Casey’s books is the way the main characters don’t see what’s in front of them when it comes to other people. I reread Unwritten Rules recently and I had this funny cognitive dissonance moment when Zach sees Charlie Braxton and Reid Giordano dancing, and casually touching, and he thinks something like “only straight guys can get away with that, without being paranoid about how they’re perceived.” And I had read Fire Season, which is about the romance between Charlie Braxton and Reid Giordano, since the first time I read Unwritten Rules, and I was like “…….wait a second. Wait just ONE second!!” And look, I mean I think this experience of just… not seeing the expression of queerness around you for what it is? I think exploring that mental experience, of defaulting to seeing yourself as alone in a group of people even when there’s pretty decent evidence to the contrary, is a fundamental part of KD Casey’s writing. I’m talking about this here because this book, as the last (?) in the series, had a ton of these moments - lots of appearances from Zach and Eugenio and Charlie and Reid (and Christine), which all go past without any clear recognition in the moment from Jake or Alex.
And I suppose this is a slight (early) spoiler but I particularly loved the way KD Casey used the first POV switch in this book to turn this type of assumption on its head - a fun little moment of realization for the reader, similar to how Alex and Jake will have those fun little moments of realization about Charlie/Reid/etc. further along in the story.
(4) And lastly I just want to say that this book, and this whole series, is grounded in just the perfect amount of real-life detail. There is a moment when Jake is in New York and he thinks about how the tall buildings still seem like a bit much to him, someone who grew up in the outskirts of DC… yes!! This is the DC/NYC mindset divide I keep telling people about irl (and they keep not caring about lol). The weird emptiness of the suburb where Jake is from, the old-timey New England house Alex’s aunts live in, all the driving logistics… Frankly the realism of a 18-22 year old in 2023 saying they want to quit their art degree and get a “real” job, and the role of being the 30-something older sibling who’s like “I know there was a pandemic and trump was president and biden is old and climate change is coming and you can’t trust anyone with power or authority to do anything worthwhile, but you shouldn’t take that as a sign that you should give up on your dreams and become an accountant!!! There are other ways to find stability in the world than giving up on what you love and are good at before you’ve even started!!!” Not that I’ve had that exact conversation multiple times with any particular younger sibling of mine, or anything like that lol… I certainly never expected to find myself in a position of trying to inspire the youth and tbh I don’t know that I’m particularly good at it lol. Okay, this has gotten off track. 🫠🫠
But actually that shift in perspective that the passage of time can bring you is something that I was really impressed by in this book as well. I definitely related because I’m so similar in age to these characters, but there’s something about looking back at the person you were ten years ago - and knowing that you’re still the exact same person, but you also have the potential to make better decisions this time around. Because I don’t think Jake and Alex really changed at all from the beginning of the book to the end. But they were able to change their *lives* completely.
ETA even better the second time around! Love a sports romance author that has a whole afterward where they break down their influences and choices purely on the sports front - the closest thing I think I’ve come across in a romance novel to footnotes, so obviously I’m a fan.
(1) The way people in KD Casey books talk about baseball is like the way people in my hometown talk about the weather. I come from a state where it’s the cliche to say that the weather can change at any moment. One day it could snow, the next day it could be 55 and sunny (or the next hour haha). Talking about the weather, in banalities and in minute detail, is just a part of the fabric of people’s daily lives. No matter who you are, you know the rules and you know the stats, and you’re constantly doing the math about how it might affect your life, in big and small ways. That’s what baseball is to this series. And I love it! (Much like I love… talking about the weather lol. That’s not a joke, I really enjoy it.)
(2) I don’t think I’ve ever encountered a writer who is better than KD Casey at depicting the daily experience of maintaining your own mental health. I have very strong feelings about this - so many writers do it poorly tbh and it tally takes me out of the narrative. A “touching” scene where the character says they’re going to go on meds/have found a diagnosis/are going to go to therapy, and then they live happily ever after? Some kind of cliched recurring thing where the character sits in a chair receiving wisdom from some brilliant/psychic therapist? (Maybe it’s having a parent who works in the mental health field that makes a therapist being framed as some all-knowing savior THE biggest red flag haha. Therapists are just *people*, they can be helpful but they cannot magically solve your problems for you.) No - so much of actual mental health is what Jake does here, like forcing himself to write things in his diary that feel both simple and yet terrifyingly weighty.
The way this author incorporates this type of experience/storyline/context into her books - well for one, I think it’s one of the reasons her books feel SO realistic even though they are, technically speaking, about professional sports players (ie, not the most ~down to earth~ of topics). Not many writers can make the tiny daily decisions that make up who we are so compelling to read about, but she does it effortlessly!
(3) Something I really appreciate about queerness as portrayed in KD Casey’s books is the way the main characters don’t see what’s in front of them when it comes to other people. I reread Unwritten Rules recently and I had this funny cognitive dissonance moment when Zach sees Charlie Braxton and Reid Giordano dancing, and casually touching, and he thinks something like “only straight guys can get away with that, without being paranoid about how they’re perceived.” And I had read Fire Season, which is about the romance between Charlie Braxton and Reid Giordano, since the first time I read Unwritten Rules, and I was like “…….wait a second. Wait just ONE second!!” And look, I mean I think this experience of just… not seeing the expression of queerness around you for what it is? I think exploring that mental experience, of defaulting to seeing yourself as alone in a group of people even when there’s pretty decent evidence to the contrary, is a fundamental part of KD Casey’s writing. I’m talking about this here because this book, as the last (?) in the series, had a ton of these moments - lots of appearances from Zach and Eugenio and Charlie and Reid (and Christine), which all go past without any clear recognition in the moment from Jake or Alex.
And I suppose this is a slight (early) spoiler but I particularly loved the way KD Casey used the first POV switch in this book to turn this type of assumption on its head - a fun little moment of realization for the reader, similar to how Alex and Jake will have those fun little moments of realization about Charlie/Reid/etc. further along in the story.
(4) And lastly I just want to say that this book, and this whole series, is grounded in just the perfect amount of real-life detail. There is a moment when Jake is in New York and he thinks about how the tall buildings still seem like a bit much to him, someone who grew up in the outskirts of DC… yes!! This is the DC/NYC mindset divide I keep telling people about irl (and they keep not caring about lol). The weird emptiness of the suburb where Jake is from, the old-timey New England house Alex’s aunts live in, all the driving logistics… Frankly the realism of a 18-22 year old in 2023 saying they want to quit their art degree and get a “real” job, and the role of being the 30-something older sibling who’s like “I know there was a pandemic and trump was president and biden is old and climate change is coming and you can’t trust anyone with power or authority to do anything worthwhile, but you shouldn’t take that as a sign that you should give up on your dreams and become an accountant!!! There are other ways to find stability in the world than giving up on what you love and are good at before you’ve even started!!!” Not that I’ve had that exact conversation multiple times with any particular younger sibling of mine, or anything like that lol… I certainly never expected to find myself in a position of trying to inspire the youth and tbh I don’t know that I’m particularly good at it lol. Okay, this has gotten off track. 🫠🫠
But actually that shift in perspective that the passage of time can bring you is something that I was really impressed by in this book as well. I definitely related because I’m so similar in age to these characters, but there’s something about looking back at the person you were ten years ago - and knowing that you’re still the exact same person, but you also have the potential to make better decisions this time around. Because I don’t think Jake and Alex really changed at all from the beginning of the book to the end. But they were able to change their *lives* completely.
ETA even better the second time around! Love a sports romance author that has a whole afterward where they break down their influences and choices purely on the sports front - the closest thing I think I’ve come across in a romance novel to footnotes, so obviously I’m a fan.
March 6, 2023
Thanks so much to Carina Press and NetGalley for providing a free ARC in exchange for an honest review!
===
I feel really similarly about this book as I did about the first one in this series--not surprising, since both of them have two things I don't generally enjoy--second-chance romance and a strong past/present split within the book. It actually made me nervous seeing this book had those same two qualities as the first, but I was hopeful it would work better here--I think it did, but only just.
The first... at least 30% of the book is entirely their past story, and while I did find that context necessary and helpful here, the 10-year gap between those events and the "main" story left me feeling a little untethered. Of course a lot can and should change in 10 years, but I literally felt like Jake was an entirely different character, which could also partially be a function of the fact that most of the early timeline was from Alex's POV. But Jake goes through so much, none of which we get to actually see on screen, that it made the difference between who he was and who he becomes so stark and I really needed to see that journey to understand him as the same person. It ended up feeling really disconnected for me.
As with other books in this series, there is a lot of baseball detail, to a degree that felt mostly distracting and unnecessary, though it certainly added to the realism, and wasn't bad by any means, just a little too much detail.
Some great Jewish representation, as well as general mental health issues and some OCD tendancies. As always, it felt like all of those aspects were respectfully handled and naturally incorporated into the book.
I enjoyed the characters a lot, but the smut and dynamic between them just wasn't my personal cup of tea. I also had this issue in the first book, where the dynamic we get here ended up being the opposite of what I wanted and what I felt like we were sort of initially building towards.
Overall, I liked this book, but I didn't love it, though I'm very much planning to keep an eye out for this author's future books, as I do think much of what didn't work for me here was a function of this specific story being told. Though I think I've got enough data now to know that these particular tropes tend to specifically not resonate for me from this author, so I'll probably give those books a pass in the future--but definitely a personal preference thing, and I do think this book was well written!
===
I feel really similarly about this book as I did about the first one in this series--not surprising, since both of them have two things I don't generally enjoy--second-chance romance and a strong past/present split within the book. It actually made me nervous seeing this book had those same two qualities as the first, but I was hopeful it would work better here--I think it did, but only just.
The first... at least 30% of the book is entirely their past story, and while I did find that context necessary and helpful here, the 10-year gap between those events and the "main" story left me feeling a little untethered. Of course a lot can and should change in 10 years, but I literally felt like Jake was an entirely different character, which could also partially be a function of the fact that most of the early timeline was from Alex's POV. But Jake goes through so much, none of which we get to actually see on screen, that it made the difference between who he was and who he becomes so stark and I really needed to see that journey to understand him as the same person. It ended up feeling really disconnected for me.
As with other books in this series, there is a lot of baseball detail, to a degree that felt mostly distracting and unnecessary, though it certainly added to the realism, and wasn't bad by any means, just a little too much detail.
Some great Jewish representation, as well as general mental health issues and some OCD tendancies. As always, it felt like all of those aspects were respectfully handled and naturally incorporated into the book.
I enjoyed the characters a lot, but the smut and dynamic between them just wasn't my personal cup of tea. I also had this issue in the first book, where the dynamic we get here ended up being the opposite of what I wanted and what I felt like we were sort of initially building towards.
Overall, I liked this book, but I didn't love it, though I'm very much planning to keep an eye out for this author's future books, as I do think much of what didn't work for me here was a function of this specific story being told. Though I think I've got enough data now to know that these particular tropes tend to specifically not resonate for me from this author, so I'll probably give those books a pass in the future--but definitely a personal preference thing, and I do think this book was well written!
April 21, 2025
4.25⭐️
If only the ending wasn’t as anticlimactic as I found it. Still, this was wonderful. FRTC
If only the ending wasn’t as anticlimactic as I found it. Still, this was wonderful. FRTC
April 11, 2023
I read Fire Season first last year. While I mostly liked it and found the prose especially to be great, I had issues with the pacing and it took me a weirdly long time to read. Not being a fan of second chances romance, I wasn't even thinking about reading Unwritten Rules (the first one in the series) before reading Diamond Ring as an ARC. But after getting basically bullied into reading it, I ended up LOVING book 1 and Zach and Eugenio and I couldn't wait for Diamond Ring (luckily that was four days ago and I've had this ARC downloaded for weeks lmao). I didn't even care about this being a second-chance romance anymore. I didn't even read the blurb!
This is the best one of the series so far. All the pacing issues and the... "not having an ending"... issues from the previous two books are solved. I think this is helped by the fact that the first/second chances timelines are well-balanced and sequential. The build-up of tension between them was so good, and the release was also satisfactory. This is not an angst-free story. Like KD Casey's other books, there's this underlying current of melancholia, carried by the strong and recognizable prose, but the flavor of it is so distinct from the previous books. I loved Alex and Jake and their dynamics, even when they were fighting. I loved the boys equally, but Alex, with his prickly ways, has a particular place in my heart.
I feel like I wrote a lot already and I'm not even coming close to explain why I loved this book so much. I know people talked a lot already about K.D. Casey's writing style. But to me, it's more than the prose that makes this book special. It's just a very well-crafted book, with points of tension and release that flows very well, so you don't feel like it's constricted by a particular narrative frame, even though it definitely has one. It even has a cliché surprise trope at some point in the middle. (And it was Great.)
And points for the mental health rep, which included the discussion of medication side effects without dismissing their use. OCD is not the easiest disorder to write, and I feel like it was well-done (from my purely clinical point of view).
Also, guys, the baseball? Like, I'm a hockey gal. I don't know a lot about baseball, and what I do know, I know in another language. Never before in my life has baseball given me so many emotions. And it probably won't anytime soon, at least until KD Casey's next book.
I received a free copy of this book and am providing my honest review voluntarily.
This is the best one of the series so far. All the pacing issues and the... "not having an ending"... issues from the previous two books are solved. I think this is helped by the fact that the first/second chances timelines are well-balanced and sequential. The build-up of tension between them was so good, and the release was also satisfactory. This is not an angst-free story. Like KD Casey's other books, there's this underlying current of melancholia, carried by the strong and recognizable prose, but the flavor of it is so distinct from the previous books. I loved Alex and Jake and their dynamics, even when they were fighting. I loved the boys equally, but Alex, with his prickly ways, has a particular place in my heart.
I feel like I wrote a lot already and I'm not even coming close to explain why I loved this book so much. I know people talked a lot already about K.D. Casey's writing style. But to me, it's more than the prose that makes this book special. It's just a very well-crafted book, with points of tension and release that flows very well, so you don't feel like it's constricted by a particular narrative frame, even though it definitely has one. It even has a cliché surprise trope at some point in the middle. (And it was Great.)
And points for the mental health rep, which included the discussion of medication side effects without dismissing their use. OCD is not the easiest disorder to write, and I feel like it was well-done (from my purely clinical point of view).
Also, guys, the baseball? Like, I'm a hockey gal. I don't know a lot about baseball, and what I do know, I know in another language. Never before in my life has baseball given me so many emotions. And it probably won't anytime soon, at least until KD Casey's next book.
I received a free copy of this book and am providing my honest review voluntarily.
February 25, 2023
My favorite thing about Casey’s writing is how it wraps me in a chokehold from the first chapter and doesn’t let go until I’ve consumed the whole thing without rest—and then for a while after I’ve finished, too. (Followed by an inevitable pang that I read it so fast.) Their writing is so immersive and atmospheric, like we are immediately and intimately put in these two people’s heads and their worlds and ready for wherever their journeys take us. It’s like their stories are a different color in my head than everyone else’s stories. I also honestly don’t know how Casey creates such instant chemistry between her MCs, every time.
Anyway! This one was really, on the whole, incredibly sweet. Like both MCs were really thoughtful, kind people even when they’re getting in each other’s and their own way. I thought Jake’s compulsions were handled particularly well here; I always enjoy the various mental health/disability issues Casey explores. I also love the care they put into describing at least one of the MC’s families, their quirks and importance to the MC. As always, I just really wish the best for these two, however their futures play out.
Anyway! This one was really, on the whole, incredibly sweet. Like both MCs were really thoughtful, kind people even when they’re getting in each other’s and their own way. I thought Jake’s compulsions were handled particularly well here; I always enjoy the various mental health/disability issues Casey explores. I also love the care they put into describing at least one of the MC’s families, their quirks and importance to the MC. As always, I just really wish the best for these two, however their futures play out.
April 10, 2023
This comes out tomorrow and it had me hooked right from the start and gave me everything I want in a romance. I highly recommend it. It's a dual POV with two MCs I found very real and very lovable, and I was so damn invested in their happiness. But whew it was a long road to the HEA in this one and my heart definitely hurt while reading it.
The structure in at least one of K.D. Casey's previous books was challenging for me, I struggle with dual timelines. There was only one big time jump here, and I think it was done really well and worked perfectly for these characters and their story. But it still HURT! I really loved the way the MCs sort of went from (one sided) enemies to "can hardly bear it they're so sweet" friends to something more, and then kind of started that journey all over again to get back to one another. There were a lotta feels in this one. A LOT OF FEELS.
Okay, so I happen to like baseball. It's the only sport I care about at all, so I was pleased with the amount of baseball in the book. I also don't think it will be too baseball-y for non baseball people. Even if you don't like baseball, I think the players' feelings about it are incredibly poignant.
One of my favorite things about the book is something that happens around the midway point that I won't spoil but that is a favorite plot device, but it almost always leads to drama and hurt feelings, which I was dreading. Only it didn't. I LOVED the way it played out instead. Squeals, elation, etc from me on that whole bit.
My other favorite thing about the book, apart from the relationship arc feeling so hard earned and so moving, was the way Jake's mental health and other health issues are handled. I've read a lot of romance featuring MCs with mental health struggles, and this is up there with some of the best of them in my opinion. I think Casey really captured the insidious nature of some types of mental illness, how easy it is for it to take over your life, and how easy it can be to fall back into. Mental illness is cruel. There is so often no easy fix. Jake is a character who gets professional help, who takes medication that helps and that keeps him able to function and that also comes with some really frustrating and life changing side effects that aren't going away. Because medication is necessary for so many people, but that doesn't mean the prospect of taking it every day is easy or a magic solution. And it doesn't mean that your mental health struggles just disappear. Neither do they magically end when you find the love of your life or accomplish your goals. You gotta do those things with your mental illness along for the ride. Which SUCKS. I actually cried at one point because Jake's struggles were just so familiar to my own and I wanted to just reach through the pages of the book and say to him, "This feels impossible sometimes, right? Like how do we keep doing this every day? How is it still this hard?" But ya know what, it is hard. And it does suck. And we do keep doing it every day. We keep fighting as long as we can. And the unfairness of and acceptance of that are a big part of Jake's story. Because it is what it is. But it isn't all he is.
My one tiny complaint is I wished we'd gotten a bit more time in Alex's head. I just felt like I knew Jake a little better. But I loved them both equally so I didn't really mind.
And I'll admit that while the couples from the previous books are mentioned here, I am appallingly bad at remembering characters, so I had literally no memory of who they were. And their appearances in this one aren't really spoilers, because they don't give away a whole lot about their back stories. I mean, you'll know they end up together, but it's romance, so you know that's gonna happen anyway. I think it would be fine to read this one as a stand alone, though I enjoyed the whole series.
This was an annoyingly long review but I had a lot of feelings about this book and just was super invested in it. If you don't mind some angst and bumps in the road, and especially if you appreciate some realistic mental health portrayal in romance, I'd absolutely recommend this. I really loved it and can't wait to see what else this author has in store.
*ARC provided by NetGalley
The structure in at least one of K.D. Casey's previous books was challenging for me, I struggle with dual timelines. There was only one big time jump here, and I think it was done really well and worked perfectly for these characters and their story. But it still HURT! I really loved the way the MCs sort of went from (one sided) enemies to "can hardly bear it they're so sweet" friends to something more, and then kind of started that journey all over again to get back to one another. There were a lotta feels in this one. A LOT OF FEELS.
Okay, so I happen to like baseball. It's the only sport I care about at all, so I was pleased with the amount of baseball in the book. I also don't think it will be too baseball-y for non baseball people. Even if you don't like baseball, I think the players' feelings about it are incredibly poignant.
One of my favorite things about the book is something that happens around the midway point that I won't spoil but that is a favorite plot device, but it almost always leads to drama and hurt feelings, which I was dreading. Only it didn't. I LOVED the way it played out instead. Squeals, elation, etc from me on that whole bit.
My other favorite thing about the book, apart from the relationship arc feeling so hard earned and so moving, was the way Jake's mental health and other health issues are handled. I've read a lot of romance featuring MCs with mental health struggles, and this is up there with some of the best of them in my opinion. I think Casey really captured the insidious nature of some types of mental illness, how easy it is for it to take over your life, and how easy it can be to fall back into. Mental illness is cruel. There is so often no easy fix. Jake is a character who gets professional help, who takes medication that helps and that keeps him able to function and that also comes with some really frustrating and life changing side effects that aren't going away. Because medication is necessary for so many people, but that doesn't mean the prospect of taking it every day is easy or a magic solution. And it doesn't mean that your mental health struggles just disappear. Neither do they magically end when you find the love of your life or accomplish your goals. You gotta do those things with your mental illness along for the ride. Which SUCKS. I actually cried at one point because Jake's struggles were just so familiar to my own and I wanted to just reach through the pages of the book and say to him, "This feels impossible sometimes, right? Like how do we keep doing this every day? How is it still this hard?" But ya know what, it is hard. And it does suck. And we do keep doing it every day. We keep fighting as long as we can. And the unfairness of and acceptance of that are a big part of Jake's story. Because it is what it is. But it isn't all he is.
My one tiny complaint is I wished we'd gotten a bit more time in Alex's head. I just felt like I knew Jake a little better. But I loved them both equally so I didn't really mind.
And I'll admit that while the couples from the previous books are mentioned here, I am appallingly bad at remembering characters, so I had literally no memory of who they were. And their appearances in this one aren't really spoilers, because they don't give away a whole lot about their back stories. I mean, you'll know they end up together, but it's romance, so you know that's gonna happen anyway. I think it would be fine to read this one as a stand alone, though I enjoyed the whole series.
This was an annoyingly long review but I had a lot of feelings about this book and just was super invested in it. If you don't mind some angst and bumps in the road, and especially if you appreciate some realistic mental health portrayal in romance, I'd absolutely recommend this. I really loved it and can't wait to see what else this author has in store.
*ARC provided by NetGalley
June 19, 2023
Pride Month 2023 Book #10: 3 stars.
Traditionally, I haven't read a lot of MM romance books, and since I'm not a sports guy, sports-themed MM romances are an even rarer read for me. With all that in mind, I enjoyed this book pretty well; a 3-star rating from me means the book was a solid and worthwhile read. The two main characters, baseball players Jake Fischer and Alex Angelides, were well-written and engaging. What I liked most about the book, though, was its frank discussions about the former character's mental health struggles, including OCD and anxiety. There are more and more books that include these themes, but they can sometimes feel like they've been added to create more ballast, whereas here, the author made these issues feel important to the story but not inauthentic or unnecessary. In other words, they rounded out the characters involved and added real weight to their stories. Recommend.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the author and publisher for a free digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Traditionally, I haven't read a lot of MM romance books, and since I'm not a sports guy, sports-themed MM romances are an even rarer read for me. With all that in mind, I enjoyed this book pretty well; a 3-star rating from me means the book was a solid and worthwhile read. The two main characters, baseball players Jake Fischer and Alex Angelides, were well-written and engaging. What I liked most about the book, though, was its frank discussions about the former character's mental health struggles, including OCD and anxiety. There are more and more books that include these themes, but they can sometimes feel like they've been added to create more ballast, whereas here, the author made these issues feel important to the story but not inauthentic or unnecessary. In other words, they rounded out the characters involved and added real weight to their stories. Recommend.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the author and publisher for a free digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
April 12, 2023
rep: Jewish bi mc with anxiety & OCD, gay mc, side sapphic characters, side achillean characters, side Jewish achillean characters
tw: past death of a parent, panic attacks, obsessive/compulsive behaviors, medication
Diamond Ring tells the story of second chances. Of second chances which happen kind of on accident, when you least expect them (or weren’t expecting at all for the last ten years), but still yearn for nonetheless.
This book, like both previous ones from KD Casey, excels at the characters & their connections. It’s such a cliche, but the guys do feel like real people, with real problems and real dreams. We’re introduced to them when they’re barely over twenty and starting their very first season in the major league. What follows is basically a pink-glassed montage of them falling in love. We get snapshots of their first months together, which somehow manage to steadily grow in intensity, to mark the progress of their growing feelings for each other.
It brings to life fully fleshed-out characters, and so watching them fall in love is a true pleasure. You can understand why they would, you can almost feel that love yourself. It’s in the smallest moments, like a secretive smile, and it’s in the biggest ones, like choosing a future that involves someone else.
Which is to say, the romance in KD Casey’s books is very much showed, not just told. In this particular one we actually get to witness two: one when they first meet, ending in a big fight, and the other when they meet again ten years later. Both believable, both paced wonderfully. From the beginning, the attraction & the chemistry between Alex and Jake is undeniable. (There’s even a third romance there, almost the sweetest of them all, but that’s in the spoiler territory.)
But of course, Diamond Ring isn’t just a romance, rather: it’s a story about two people. And that means we get to witness their individual struggles and values, and development. Judaism is brought up time and time again, so that it’s clear how important it is, not just an afterthought for brownie points in regards to rep; there are beautiful discussions of OCD and how it affects one’s life, how therapy can help but isn’t the magic cure either; a contrast between the guys is underlined throughout the whole book: Jake plays baseball because he truly loves the game, while Alex is in the league more because it allows him to support his family. And finally, the cherry on this delicious cake, is the almost magical gay universe KD Casey created - all the characters from previous novels show up or at least are mentioned, and it feels very safe, it feels full of love and acceptance.
Diamond Ring is a romance novel that you absolutely do not want to miss out on. It will bring you joy, just like their love clearly brought joy to Jake and Alex.
tw: past death of a parent, panic attacks, obsessive/compulsive behaviors, medication
Diamond Ring tells the story of second chances. Of second chances which happen kind of on accident, when you least expect them (or weren’t expecting at all for the last ten years), but still yearn for nonetheless.
This book, like both previous ones from KD Casey, excels at the characters & their connections. It’s such a cliche, but the guys do feel like real people, with real problems and real dreams. We’re introduced to them when they’re barely over twenty and starting their very first season in the major league. What follows is basically a pink-glassed montage of them falling in love. We get snapshots of their first months together, which somehow manage to steadily grow in intensity, to mark the progress of their growing feelings for each other.
It brings to life fully fleshed-out characters, and so watching them fall in love is a true pleasure. You can understand why they would, you can almost feel that love yourself. It’s in the smallest moments, like a secretive smile, and it’s in the biggest ones, like choosing a future that involves someone else.
Which is to say, the romance in KD Casey’s books is very much showed, not just told. In this particular one we actually get to witness two: one when they first meet, ending in a big fight, and the other when they meet again ten years later. Both believable, both paced wonderfully. From the beginning, the attraction & the chemistry between Alex and Jake is undeniable. (There’s even a third romance there, almost the sweetest of them all, but that’s in the spoiler territory.)
But of course, Diamond Ring isn’t just a romance, rather: it’s a story about two people. And that means we get to witness their individual struggles and values, and development. Judaism is brought up time and time again, so that it’s clear how important it is, not just an afterthought for brownie points in regards to rep; there are beautiful discussions of OCD and how it affects one’s life, how therapy can help but isn’t the magic cure either; a contrast between the guys is underlined throughout the whole book: Jake plays baseball because he truly loves the game, while Alex is in the league more because it allows him to support his family. And finally, the cherry on this delicious cake, is the almost magical gay universe KD Casey created - all the characters from previous novels show up or at least are mentioned, and it feels very safe, it feels full of love and acceptance.
Diamond Ring is a romance novel that you absolutely do not want to miss out on. It will bring you joy, just like their love clearly brought joy to Jake and Alex.
May 2, 2023
This series has changed me
December 9, 2023
*SLIGHT SPOILERS AHEAD!*
Who knew that I would enjoy baseball romance so much, seeing as I find the game itself quite boring.
I really enjoyed this third book in the series. I really liked both characters, Alex and Jake, and I really liked both of their arcs over the course of the book. I was a bit surprised by the 10 year time jump, but I thought the author did a good job of filling that time in, so that I wasn't left in the lurch.
I really liked what a complex character Jake is, I thought Casey did a really good job of weaving mental health struggles in with the stress and superstition associated with most sports (though it seems to me that baseball is especially superstitious). How many of those superstitions are just that and how many are small glimpses of OCD? I think that within sports it's really easy to not see the OCD coming through, because of all the superstitions. When I was playing hockey I wasn't putting on my left skate and then my right because I thought that if I didn't we wouldn't win or something, I was doing it because that's how I put my skates on and to do it right and then left would feel really, really wrong. But I'm sure there are lots of folks I played with who put their gear on in a certain order because that's what they did this one time and they got a hattrick, so they're going to keep doing it, in hopes of getting another one. So, again, I just really appreciated how Jake's OCD was written, it felt very true and real, and I haven't actually read many books that have characters with OCD in them.
The pining in the first part of the book was a bit much for me, as it's not my favourite thing. I really like just being honest and talking, but thankfully we got through it, and it was fine.
Really enjoyed this one, looking forward to any more that KD Casey wants to write, I will devour them, baseball or not.
Who knew that I would enjoy baseball romance so much, seeing as I find the game itself quite boring.
I really enjoyed this third book in the series. I really liked both characters, Alex and Jake, and I really liked both of their arcs over the course of the book. I was a bit surprised by the 10 year time jump, but I thought the author did a good job of filling that time in, so that I wasn't left in the lurch.
I really liked what a complex character Jake is, I thought Casey did a really good job of weaving mental health struggles in with the stress and superstition associated with most sports (though it seems to me that baseball is especially superstitious). How many of those superstitions are just that and how many are small glimpses of OCD? I think that within sports it's really easy to not see the OCD coming through, because of all the superstitions. When I was playing hockey I wasn't putting on my left skate and then my right because I thought that if I didn't we wouldn't win or something, I was doing it because that's how I put my skates on and to do it right and then left would feel really, really wrong. But I'm sure there are lots of folks I played with who put their gear on in a certain order because that's what they did this one time and they got a hattrick, so they're going to keep doing it, in hopes of getting another one. So, again, I just really appreciated how Jake's OCD was written, it felt very true and real, and I haven't actually read many books that have characters with OCD in them.
The pining in the first part of the book was a bit much for me, as it's not my favourite thing. I really like just being honest and talking, but thankfully we got through it, and it was fine.
Really enjoyed this one, looking forward to any more that KD Casey wants to write, I will devour them, baseball or not.
June 4, 2023
4.6 ⭐
Another great story for this series! I absolutely love this author's writing. I always immerse myself in her books and finish them way too quickly 😭. This one was extremely good. I suffered for the characters and hurt with them and their ups and down. Their story was so real it pained me. Jake's anxiety was really well portrayed (at least it felt that way to me).
I hope there will be more books in this series 🥺.
Another great story for this series! I absolutely love this author's writing. I always immerse myself in her books and finish them way too quickly 😭. This one was extremely good. I suffered for the characters and hurt with them and their ups and down. Their story was so real it pained me. Jake's anxiety was really well portrayed (at least it felt that way to me).
I hope there will be more books in this series 🥺.
September 19, 2024
4.5 rounded down, because Unwritten Rules is truly a best-of, 5-star, unforgettable read and this isn't quite as good. But it's damn good.
Living with limits;
unlimited love. Grown-ups
settle their shit. Swoon.
Living with limits;
unlimited love. Grown-ups
settle their shit. Swoon.
April 26, 2023
Simply adored this, to the point that I really took my time with it and savored it. KD just doesn't miss. I love their writing style and the way the characters seem to latch onto my heart instantly. It covered some of my favorite aspects of romance like epistolary tropes, no 80% breakup, and being together & facing challenges as the climax of the book.
The end of the book felt specifically cinematic to me, to the point where I was playing baseball movie scores to amplify the experience. I can't wait to read this again!
The end of the book felt specifically cinematic to me, to the point where I was playing baseball movie scores to amplify the experience. I can't wait to read this again!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 22, 2023
Having read (and loved) Fire Season, I really looked forward to the book, and in particular the author's skill in writing about baseball and some of its hard truths.
Rookie pitching phenom Jake Fischer and catcher Alex Angelides meet in their exhilarating first season where they make it to the Series, but things don't work out the way they'd hoped and planned.
10 years later ... Alex and Jake reunite for one more season, Jake hoping to make it through the season without getting cut. For Jake, it's a sobering view of what can never be - "to be ten years younger, with a good elbow, with the career he was supposed to have. A championship ring, a record-breaking contract. To stop feeling a hot wash of shame when his parents and friends ask him when he's going to settle down. To give up this stupid fucking dream and begin his actual life."
Where this book really works for me is in the way the author deconstructs the fairy tale, not only of a successful baseball career, but the relationship between Jake and Alex, which doesn't end right away with an unrealistic HEA. And Casey does not stint on how Jake works so hard to manages his mental health:
" ... his therapist asked why he thought he rearranged things when he was stressed. "I guess it's my way of controlling the stuff I can control," Jake said. Because that made it sound normal as a habit. Practically healthy. His therapist smiled, and nodded, and asked him when he felt out of control, casually enough that Jake's honest answer slipped out. All the time.
KD Casey really brings their A game here as we get a complex story of success and struggle, sweat and heartache coupled with a sizzling connection between Alex and Jake that they finally get right. 5 stars.
I received an ARC from Carina Press, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.
Rookie pitching phenom Jake Fischer and catcher Alex Angelides meet in their exhilarating first season where they make it to the Series, but things don't work out the way they'd hoped and planned.
10 years later ... Alex and Jake reunite for one more season, Jake hoping to make it through the season without getting cut. For Jake, it's a sobering view of what can never be - "to be ten years younger, with a good elbow, with the career he was supposed to have. A championship ring, a record-breaking contract. To stop feeling a hot wash of shame when his parents and friends ask him when he's going to settle down. To give up this stupid fucking dream and begin his actual life."
Where this book really works for me is in the way the author deconstructs the fairy tale, not only of a successful baseball career, but the relationship between Jake and Alex, which doesn't end right away with an unrealistic HEA. And Casey does not stint on how Jake works so hard to manages his mental health:
" ... his therapist asked why he thought he rearranged things when he was stressed. "I guess it's my way of controlling the stuff I can control," Jake said. Because that made it sound normal as a habit. Practically healthy. His therapist smiled, and nodded, and asked him when he felt out of control, casually enough that Jake's honest answer slipped out. All the time.
KD Casey really brings their A game here as we get a complex story of success and struggle, sweat and heartache coupled with a sizzling connection between Alex and Jake that they finally get right. 5 stars.
I received an ARC from Carina Press, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.
March 10, 2023
Well, excuse me while I cry!
Alex and Jake's story was beautiful.
I think Charlie and Reid will probably remain my favourites, but these two, especially Jake, stole my heart as well.
"Diamond Ring" has everything I've come to expect from a K.D. Casey novel: lots of baseball (and no, even after three books, I am no closer to understanding this sport and I had to wikipedia all the lingo, again), a second chance romance that left me simultaneously swooning, crying and clutching my heart because of all the feels, absolutely gorgeous, gut-wrenching writing that also left me clutching my heart, and an amazing cast of main and side characters.
Jake and Alex were both lovable and hugely relatable protagonists.
Jake especially, he absolutely stole my heart. His struggles with his mental health, his compulsions, his anxiety, everything about him resonated with me and once again I have to applaud K.D. Casey for including a character like Jake. Not only is he immensely likable, and yes, I was prepared to take up arms in his name because he DESERVES the whole world, but he's also very, very human: flawed and messy and absolutely relatable. So yes, once again K.D. Casey has included another realistic, heartfelt and much needed representation in their novels, so kudos for that. There definitely should be more of mental health and chronic illness rep in romances.
Jake and Alex's second chance at romance was as gut-wrenching as I expected: bittersweet and emotional, full of resentment and anger, but also deep, palpable affection and care and love. I adored following their journey towards a much deserved HEA, especially during the second half of this book, after the time jump ahead.
I adored that part with my whole heart, and I also adored getting glimpses of all the previous couples and their HEA.
And I also utterly adored the writing: it's so beautiful. So damn beautiful, and I felt every single word as a punch to the gut.
I'm not sure of Casey has any plans to write another book, but either way, I'm very much looking forward to whatever comes next.
I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Alex and Jake's story was beautiful.
I think Charlie and Reid will probably remain my favourites, but these two, especially Jake, stole my heart as well.
"Diamond Ring" has everything I've come to expect from a K.D. Casey novel: lots of baseball (and no, even after three books, I am no closer to understanding this sport and I had to wikipedia all the lingo, again), a second chance romance that left me simultaneously swooning, crying and clutching my heart because of all the feels, absolutely gorgeous, gut-wrenching writing that also left me clutching my heart, and an amazing cast of main and side characters.
Jake and Alex were both lovable and hugely relatable protagonists.
Jake especially, he absolutely stole my heart. His struggles with his mental health, his compulsions, his anxiety, everything about him resonated with me and once again I have to applaud K.D. Casey for including a character like Jake. Not only is he immensely likable, and yes, I was prepared to take up arms in his name because he DESERVES the whole world, but he's also very, very human: flawed and messy and absolutely relatable. So yes, once again K.D. Casey has included another realistic, heartfelt and much needed representation in their novels, so kudos for that. There definitely should be more of mental health and chronic illness rep in romances.
Jake and Alex's second chance at romance was as gut-wrenching as I expected: bittersweet and emotional, full of resentment and anger, but also deep, palpable affection and care and love. I adored following their journey towards a much deserved HEA, especially during the second half of this book, after the time jump ahead.
I adored that part with my whole heart, and I also adored getting glimpses of all the previous couples and their HEA.
And I also utterly adored the writing: it's so beautiful. So damn beautiful, and I felt every single word as a punch to the gut.
I'm not sure of Casey has any plans to write another book, but either way, I'm very much looking forward to whatever comes next.
I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
October 1, 2025
4⭐️
•spoilers•
Jake and Alex were both called up to the majors at the same time and spent a season playing ball and supporting one another as rookies. After a crushing end to the season, they have a falling out. Years later they are once again reunited, not only having to face their failed relationship but play for the same team where it all went wrong.
I really liked how their romance was set up. In the first part it's such young, hesitant, all consuming love for a best friend. It's the high of finally making the big leagues and the comfort you found someone who's there with you. Unfortunately it was also a little doomed. The second part was where it really showed the intensity of first love and heartbreak and the strength of that love when rediscovered in a mature way. It was a story of two halves and played really well off of each other.
Similarly, both Jake and Alex's stories are like two sides of a coin. Jake comes in as a humble, rising star and when tragedy strikes. He works to rebuild his career because he truly loves the game, but battles anxiety and depression because of all he's missed. Conversely, Alex has a bad attitude and had to work to make his name known, but ends up with a long career in the majors. While he loves baseball, he mostly plays to repay his family for all their support. They come back into each other's lives at a bit of a personal crossroads, Jake working to cope with all he's been through and Alex deciding if his future still lies with baseball. They both listen and support one another, taking the time to understand and making sure the other feels cherished no matter what. It's a bit messy but the depth of their love shines through all the hard parts.
This was for sure my favorite of the series. It was so interesting to see the contrast with Unwritten Rules - they both are very similar stories (romance plot wise) but done differently. This felt a little more structured and the timeline really flowed nicely where there was some suspense of what happened and how they'll work it out. I wish it had a little more drama, a little more oomph, but a very satisfying ending to the series. I have a thing where I fall in love with side characters, especially if they are teammates, and seeing Gordon's career over the decade this series takes places and the storybook ending was just perfect. Of course I loved seeing all the characters again, especially Charlie being a big sweetie as always. If you love baseball, all the pining, and endearing characters fighting to do what they love, this is the series for you.
Read if you like:
• baseball romance
• second chance
• teammates
•••••••••••••••••••••
•spoilers•
Jake and Alex were both called up to the majors at the same time and spent a season playing ball and supporting one another as rookies. After a crushing end to the season, they have a falling out. Years later they are once again reunited, not only having to face their failed relationship but play for the same team where it all went wrong.
I really liked how their romance was set up. In the first part it's such young, hesitant, all consuming love for a best friend. It's the high of finally making the big leagues and the comfort you found someone who's there with you. Unfortunately it was also a little doomed. The second part was where it really showed the intensity of first love and heartbreak and the strength of that love when rediscovered in a mature way. It was a story of two halves and played really well off of each other.
Similarly, both Jake and Alex's stories are like two sides of a coin. Jake comes in as a humble, rising star and when tragedy strikes. He works to rebuild his career because he truly loves the game, but battles anxiety and depression because of all he's missed. Conversely, Alex has a bad attitude and had to work to make his name known, but ends up with a long career in the majors. While he loves baseball, he mostly plays to repay his family for all their support. They come back into each other's lives at a bit of a personal crossroads, Jake working to cope with all he's been through and Alex deciding if his future still lies with baseball. They both listen and support one another, taking the time to understand and making sure the other feels cherished no matter what. It's a bit messy but the depth of their love shines through all the hard parts.
This was for sure my favorite of the series. It was so interesting to see the contrast with Unwritten Rules - they both are very similar stories (romance plot wise) but done differently. This felt a little more structured and the timeline really flowed nicely where there was some suspense of what happened and how they'll work it out. I wish it had a little more drama, a little more oomph, but a very satisfying ending to the series. I have a thing where I fall in love with side characters, especially if they are teammates, and seeing Gordon's career over the decade this series takes places and the storybook ending was just perfect. Of course I loved seeing all the characters again, especially Charlie being a big sweetie as always. If you love baseball, all the pining, and endearing characters fighting to do what they love, this is the series for you.
Read if you like:
• baseball romance
• second chance
• teammates
•••••••••••••••••••••
April 15, 2023
I have a difficult time finding the right words to describe what this series means to me. KD Casey’s books occupy that space where they feel like they were written specifically for me, but I know they also make a bunch of other people feel that way too.
Diamond Ring is the perfect conclusion to the series. I had a slow start to my reading, partially because I kept having a very intense, visceral reaction to Jake’s compulsive behaviors and coping mechanisms, which is a testament to how well they were written.
In all of Casey’s books so far, there is a common thread of things not happening the way you want them to or expect them to, figuring out how to move forward, and finding joy and purpose in a new reality. That undercurrent of melancholy and acceptance is one of my favorite literary vibes. Alex and Jake’s journey was difficult but beautiful.
I was crying non-stop through the last 10-15% of the book and one particular thing that I desperately wanted to happen did in fact happen.
I will revisit these books many times over and I would commit many crimes to obtain paperback copies.
Diamond Ring is the perfect conclusion to the series. I had a slow start to my reading, partially because I kept having a very intense, visceral reaction to Jake’s compulsive behaviors and coping mechanisms, which is a testament to how well they were written.
In all of Casey’s books so far, there is a common thread of things not happening the way you want them to or expect them to, figuring out how to move forward, and finding joy and purpose in a new reality. That undercurrent of melancholy and acceptance is one of my favorite literary vibes. Alex and Jake’s journey was difficult but beautiful.
I was crying non-stop through the last 10-15% of the book and one particular thing that I desperately wanted to happen did in fact happen.
I will revisit these books many times over and I would commit many crimes to obtain paperback copies.
May 6, 2023
With it being a sports romance about male professional athletes falling in love, of course this book touches upon the subject of homosexuality in sports and the risks of coming out. Okay, more than touches upon it, as we see more of the characters from previous books, especially their official announcements. But the other main topic, in my opinion, is how Jake deals with his mental health problems.
We meet first with Jake and Alex when they come to play for the Elephants. They’re young, ambitious, and life is supposed to be good to them, even when they crave each other but need to hide their feelings. Alex has long accepted who he is, and lives comfortably with himself. It’s the exact opposite for Jake: he has a supportive family, and a promising future, but he hides his struggles behind a facade of smiles and confidence. Only Alex seems to get him. So they become friends, though they both want more. And then, they lose big. Jake is injured, he fights with Alex, and then it’s all downhill from there for him.
Fast forward ten years. They’re both called back to be on the Elephants’ roster and get another chance. Literally. A chance at winning, and a chance at love.
Young Jake mostly ignores his problems, but it isn’t that hard since he’s successful. Older Jake has lived through deceptions and unstability, and despite seeing a therapist and being on medication, he struggles big time. His career isn’t what it should have been, and his love life is basically non existent, and not just because the men he dates aren’t Alex. His treatment affects his performances in bed. A surprising element, for sure, and I loved how the author dealt with it. Jake’s dysfunction doesn’t magically disappear, and it doesn’t keep him from enjoying intimacy with Alex.
Jake is also the Jewish character in this book–Jewish representation is an important element in this series. It felt a bit weird, in my opinion, to spend so much time in Alex’s head when, really, this book is Jake’s story. Yet that doesn’t mean that nothing happens to Alex. Mostly he’s a catcher at the end of his career, starting to think about the next part of his life.
Again, there’s a lot of baseball talk. Detailed depiction of games, strategy, behind the scene moments, the good and bad of such a career… I’ve never watched a game, am not really interested in it, yet I love that kind of detail.
Be warned that, though there’s a happily ever after, the general mood of the book is quite sad and angsty. My kind of thing.
Quickie
- Series: Unwritten rules #3 (can be read as a standalone)
- Hashtags: #MM romance #sports romance #baseball #friends to lovers #bisexual #jewish #mental health
- Triggers: mention of possible suicide, past death, sexual dysfunction
- Main couple: Jake Fischer & Alex Angelides
- Hotness: 4/5
- Romance: 4/5
- + I loved how the author writes Jake’s problems
- – with a little communication, they wouldn’t have spent 10 years apart
We meet first with Jake and Alex when they come to play for the Elephants. They’re young, ambitious, and life is supposed to be good to them, even when they crave each other but need to hide their feelings. Alex has long accepted who he is, and lives comfortably with himself. It’s the exact opposite for Jake: he has a supportive family, and a promising future, but he hides his struggles behind a facade of smiles and confidence. Only Alex seems to get him. So they become friends, though they both want more. And then, they lose big. Jake is injured, he fights with Alex, and then it’s all downhill from there for him.
Fast forward ten years. They’re both called back to be on the Elephants’ roster and get another chance. Literally. A chance at winning, and a chance at love.
Young Jake mostly ignores his problems, but it isn’t that hard since he’s successful. Older Jake has lived through deceptions and unstability, and despite seeing a therapist and being on medication, he struggles big time. His career isn’t what it should have been, and his love life is basically non existent, and not just because the men he dates aren’t Alex. His treatment affects his performances in bed. A surprising element, for sure, and I loved how the author dealt with it. Jake’s dysfunction doesn’t magically disappear, and it doesn’t keep him from enjoying intimacy with Alex.
Jake is also the Jewish character in this book–Jewish representation is an important element in this series. It felt a bit weird, in my opinion, to spend so much time in Alex’s head when, really, this book is Jake’s story. Yet that doesn’t mean that nothing happens to Alex. Mostly he’s a catcher at the end of his career, starting to think about the next part of his life.
Again, there’s a lot of baseball talk. Detailed depiction of games, strategy, behind the scene moments, the good and bad of such a career… I’ve never watched a game, am not really interested in it, yet I love that kind of detail.
Be warned that, though there’s a happily ever after, the general mood of the book is quite sad and angsty. My kind of thing.
Quickie
- Series: Unwritten rules #3 (can be read as a standalone)
- Hashtags: #MM romance #sports romance #baseball #friends to lovers #bisexual #jewish #mental health
- Triggers: mention of possible suicide, past death, sexual dysfunction
- Main couple: Jake Fischer & Alex Angelides
- Hotness: 4/5
- Romance: 4/5
- + I loved how the author writes Jake’s problems
- – with a little communication, they wouldn’t have spent 10 years apart
October 13, 2023
buddy read with jenni (again)!!!!!
this was ???? so good???? like idk what happened bc the first books were okay story and writing wise but this was so much better!!!! i ate it the fuck up every step of the way!!! alex and jake just *chefs kiss* did that
idk what else to say. talking about good books is so hard. i'm sure this had flaws but i just don't care bc i had such a good time!!
also as a side note - i mentioned this in my review of the first book of the series but i really do appreciate the way casey incorporates diversity and inclusion in their books. like it never feels forced or for brownie points, it's never forgotten about (with perhaps the exception of charlie's anxiety in book 2 which was told about a few times but i didn't feel it very much), but it's also never treated as flaws (narratively, anyway - how the characters feel abt themselves is another thing, but that's how life is) - just a part of them, like any other. and i really really appreciate that 🩷
this was ???? so good???? like idk what happened bc the first books were okay story and writing wise but this was so much better!!!! i ate it the fuck up every step of the way!!! alex and jake just *chefs kiss* did that
idk what else to say. talking about good books is so hard. i'm sure this had flaws but i just don't care bc i had such a good time!!
also as a side note - i mentioned this in my review of the first book of the series but i really do appreciate the way casey incorporates diversity and inclusion in their books. like it never feels forced or for brownie points, it's never forgotten about (with perhaps the exception of charlie's anxiety in book 2 which was told about a few times but i didn't feel it very much), but it's also never treated as flaws (narratively, anyway - how the characters feel abt themselves is another thing, but that's how life is) - just a part of them, like any other. and i really really appreciate that 🩷
Displaying 1 - 30 of 285 reviews