Catching Hell

The Diamond Brides #2

by Mindy Klasky

Anna Benson is an eager "May" to Zach Ormond's downright sexy "December." At age thirty-seven, Zach is a veteran catcher in the last years of his contract, grateful for a no-trade clause that will let him retire a star in Raleigh. Twenty-five-year-old Anna has grown up in the Rockets' front office; her grandfather has long groomed her to take over the team. When Zach finally realizes Anna is no longer a star-struck kid, their passion flares like a game-winning grand slam. But after a freak accident injures a young phenom and forces the team to land a new player, Anna must sacrifice Zach for the Rockets, convincing him to forfeit his hard-won no-trade guarantee. There's hell to pay. He's doing everything in his considerable seductive power to make her keep him-on the team and in her bed. How can Anna and Zach live happily ever after when their romance will destroy the team they love?

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

174 pages, Paperback

First published April 9, 2014

About the author

Mindy Klasky learned to read when her parents shoved a book in her hands and told her that she could travel anywhere in the world through stories. She never forgot that advice.

Mindy's travels took her through multiple careers, including copyright lawyer and law librarian. Mindy now writes full time. Her books fall in a number of genres -- including romantic comedies, paranormal romance, and traditional fantasy.

In her spare time, Mindy knits, quilts, and tries to tame the endless to-be-read shelf in her home library. Her husband and two cats do their best to fill the left-over minutes in her days.

Reviews

[Maria V. Snyder · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a part of Mindy's Diamond Brides series of novellas that is based on a fictional baseball team in North Carolina - they're fun and humorous and I'm actually learning about....*looking over shoulder*....baseball! I'd though it a rather boring game, but now....not so much :) Please don't tell my husband!

The novella was a perfect beach read and I also read the next one as well!

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this 'cause baseball and I like May/December romances. It was okay. Some of the baseball details were off (a player who isn't old enough to drink is unlikely to have a $100 million contract, all baseball contracts are guaranteed, you can't trade draft picks, there's no salary cap), but it had a lot of the feeling of baseball right.

The romance happened too quickly and I really didn't like the pettiness the team engaged in. Also, not sure the resolution made a ton of sense. And they could've done that anyway. I mean, the way it was phrased was weird and, like I said, you can't trade draft picks, but they could've given Texas a bunch of money all along.

But I liked the writing fairly well and the premise of the next book intrigues me, so I'll read that.

[Coco.V]

🎁Part of Triple Play I: A Diamond Brides Series Boxed Set (The Diamond Brides #1-3) which is FREE on Amazon & on Apple iBooks today (4/8/2022)! 🎁

[Christina Montminy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a May/December relationship between an aging major league catcher & the granddaughter & future owner of the team he plays for. Anna has been in love with Zack for 15 yrs, since he first came to play major league baseball for her grandfather's team. Now Anna has to take over the job of trying to trade Zack to get a 1st string player to replace their injured 1st baseman, only problem is Zack has a no trade clause in his contract & he will retire from this team. Anna is put in a bad spot when she & Zack start a private relationship only to realize that the team needs to get rid of him. Zack stands firm on the no trade, so the front office starts taking measures to push him out all with Anna's approval. While Zack understands Anna's difficult spot he decides to push back & distances himself from her. On top of all this her ailing grandfather becomes sicker & she has no one to turn to for comfort because Zack is ignoring her. Can they find a solution to their problem of the no trade clause? Will there be a them whether they find a solution or not? Quick but really good read. Definite recommend.

[Jackie Ziegler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anna has loved Zack since she was a little girl. She could care less about the 12 year age difference.

When Cody gets injured the team needs to make decisions about players .. Will Zack become a player the team needs to keep or get rid of? Can Anna put aside her feelings and run the team the way Gramps needs her to?

[RomanceIsMyJam · Rating 2 out of 5]

This short, novella short.
I picked this up because it was baseball themed and I hadn’t read a baseball story in a bit.

The couple getting together or realizing a spark between them was very quick. But yet the plot and writing just dragged. So much so that this book was boring and interesting at the same time. Barely held my attention at times.

The ending is very abrupt and I wasn’t feeling it. It was weird. But again it was a novella so I get it. Really wish authors wouldn’t do this though.if you know how many words you ave to end with plan accordingly or cut out some of the other filler garbage.

I won’t be reading the other stories as I don’t enjoy novellas written as this was.

[Sue Parker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anna is the granddaughter of the owner of the Rockies base ball team. She has had a crush on the catcher since she met him. Only he is older than her and she doesn’t think he notices her at all. But he does. Only a player on the team is hurt and they need to make a decision to get a new player. Unfortunately the general manager wants to trade Zach. But he has a no trade clause and is fighting to stay where he is at. It’s a tough situation to say the least. But in the end it works out.

[Mandi Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn't feel like there was really that much of a storyline. What was there was not very captivating. But I liked the ending.

[Alexandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐

[Bj · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you love baseball and strong heroines, CATCHING HELL may just be the next book you should read. At just 174 pages, it can easily be read in an evening, and packs a wonderful combination of intrigue and romance.

Featuring a romance between Anna Benson, the 25-year old granddaughter of the Rockets' professional baseball team owner, and their star, but aging catcher, Zach Ormond, CATCHING HELL is the epitome of why work love relationships should be avoided; but, as we all know, sometimes there is no denying passion even under the most inopportune of circumstances.

Anna has had a crush on Zach Ormond since he first started with the Rockets when he was a rookie and she was just 10 years-old. Having been raised by her grandparents, after her parents died in a car accident, she spent a lot of her free time at the Rockets ballpark with her Grandfather, further adding fuel to her secret obsession with Zach. Still, the only person she has previously informed of her feelings is her best friend, and notwithstanding her best friend's constant encouragement, she refuses to act any way other than professionally towards Zach.

Having been born and raised in North Carolina, where the Rockets are based, and being a loyal man, Zach always envisioned playing with the Rockets for his entire career. To that end, he fought tooth and nail to get an unprecedented, no-trade clause added to his ground-breaking multimillion dollar a year contract with the Rockets. Longing for a happily ever-after on his farm just 45-minutes away from the Rockets' home field, Zach has unfortunately not been as successful at this love life as he has been with his baseball career.

Then one evening Anna and Zach find themselves at the hospital, tending to an injured teammate, and sparks begin to fly. Zach, being 12-years older, warns Anna about the panoply of reasons why they should ignore their feelings; but Anna being a strong woman, and used to being in charge, determines that it is time to take control of this situation and dominates Zach into compliance.

Of course, shortly thereafter all hell breaks loose, and Anna and Zach find themselves in the untenable position of being lovers by night but adversaries by day as Anna is tasked with job of convincing Zach to waive his no-trade clause and agree to a trade, so the Rockets can recruit a replacement for their injured star rookie. They agree to keep their love and professional lives separate but, when an all out, no holds barred, war breaks out, can they possibly find a way to "catch" a HEA?

I really enjoyed CATCHING HELL, and read it all in one sitting. It was that good! In fact, I'd wager to say that the first 90% or so of the book deserves a 5-star rating. The ending, however, came a little fast for me, and I would have really loved to see the romance at the end further elaborated and detailed. So while I was sad to see this one come to an abrupt end, I still loved the plot, writing and style and therefore I highly recommend it to enthusiasts of sports romances.

Source: Early Reviewers copy provided through LibraryThing in exchange for an honest review.

[Bruce Curran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Home Run

“Catching Hell” is the second in Mindy Klasky’s new series “Diamond Brides”. Each of these is a standalone novel but share a common theme. This offering is Anna and Zack’s story.
These are contemporary romances taking place in Raleigh North Carolina. They revolve around the Raleigh Rockets Baseball Team with its male players providing the male lead. In this particular story the female is the team owner’s granddaughter and heir apparent. While the team is fictional Ms. Klasky has a good job of weaving it into the Major League.

Since I strive to keep my reviews spoiler free and try to give more of an idea of the author’s style and ability I will limit plot descriptions to that above. So first let me say the story that unfolds is a pleasant fun read. Mindy has a real talent as a story teller and I enjoy both her sense of humor and her ability to produce not only readable but natural dialog. She has created a series that will appeal to a fairly broad audience. This is pretty standard romance as far as language and situation so if you are not offended by prime time TV you should be fine with this.

These are short novels so they don’t take a long time to read. They have both a light romantic plot and some fairly steamy but not overly graphic love scenes. The characters are well developed and the stories are well focused on the main characters without an excess of superfluous characters. The plots move well. These are well suited for those who like to finish a book in a sitting or two.
Now for the disclaimers. I was offered an advanced copy of this book for a fair and honest review. I will admit I have read other books by Mindy and have enjoyed all I have tried. I also am not her normal demographic being older and older retired male. I originally started read her Jane Madison paranormal series. As a lifelong fantasy reader I have gotten a kick out of that series and have been working my way through her catalog.

I find now that I am retired that I like to read other genres that authors work in to get a better idea of the author. Surprising myself that I find many romantic comedies or light romances to be quite entertaining. Ms. Klasky has not disappointed and I found myself not only liking this book but I also went and grabbed the first in the series “Perfect Pitch” (99cents right now). I will be looking forward to seeing where this series goes as there are quite a future books planned. Now I am off to review Perfect Pitch and I apologize but I can’t resist… So it’s time to Play Ball!

[Ellen (more books, please) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is really an overview review (say that ten times fast) for , ,
, and , the first four novellas/short books in The Diamond Brides series.

First let me say I thoroughly enjoyed each and every one of these. The heroes, by series necessity, all play baseball. But baseball is merely another character in the books. It is not dwelled on, but it is used to drive action and characters.

Each of these books has very realistic heroines (okay, an MLB team owner isn't that realistic, but she is very down to earth, 'kay?). Their careers are varied but meaningful to each of them.

Each of these books deserved another 100 pages. There were topics in each of the books that needed more meat, but in the 175-page average length, they were lean on the meat. Yes, there was enough there to make a good story, but there was a lot of room left for more, more, MORE. I would have loved to have had more.

Ms. Klasky has a way of making likeable (and sometimes lightly flawed) characters. She has a way of describing a scene that takes your right there. She shows humor and wisdom in her writing. Maybe because of the lack of meat described above, her writing style is very succinct. The books are edited well. BUT there were some issues with misspellings and wrong words. Not enough to take you out of the story, but they were there.

I read all of these through my Scribd subscription, a blessing that has allowed me to indulge myself in all sorts of books I never would have known existed.

But I rate books based on what my expectations are. These books, novella/short book length with a new-to-me author, were just perfect for sitting down on cold winter's night, snuggled up all comfy cozy. Charming, fun, and fluffy. Perfect bedtime reading.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even if you are not a sports fan, you will definitely like this book. This is Anna’s story, as we follow her through her first days taking over the baseball club her grandfather owned, learning the ins and outs, joys and sadness of ownership. It is also the story of Zach, the team’s catcher and long-time team member (he has never played for any other team), who finally realizes how important finding and keeping the one you love close, while helping Anna through her first days as team owner. The two have known each other for years, as Anna, raised by her grandfather after losing her parents early on, was always around the club, in its offices, watching the team practice and play, sitting on the side during her grandfather’s meetings concerning and with team players. The two don’t realize it but there is a lot of chemistry between them. Zach hesitates because he is several years Anna’s senior. Anna is too busy trying to be an owner like her grandfather. When one of the team’s star players is injured during a game, they finally meet at other than meetings and professional team discussions. However, things don’t get easier after that, mostly because the team management decides to somehow convince Zach to break his no-transfer clause in his contract, so they can trade him for another player to sub for the injured one. How they go about this is sort of ruthless, but this is major league ball and things can be ruthless anytime you work with contracts and money. I loved this book. There was not a lot of baseball mumbo jumbo in it. Baseball was just the backdrop for the story. Anna and Zach’s characters were well developed, and there definitely was real chemistry between them. I have read others of the author’s novels, but this is the first one in this series. Having read this one, I am ready to get the first book in the series, hoping it will be as great as this one was. Mindy Klasky has definitely shown that she can write and write well. I received this from Library Thing to read and review.

[Lara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not a fan of sports-based stories, but received this free for review, and am glad I did. Anna grew up at the ball park with her grandfather team-owner. She lives baseball, but has had an unrequited crush on the catcher for 15 years. Zach is nearing the end of his baseball career and is intensely aware of that fact. His knowledge and experience are a great value though. And he is aware of Anna, having seen her frequently with her grandfather since she was 10 years old.

Now Anna is 25 and is being groomed to take over for her grandfather, who is in his 80s and has poor health. An unwelcome series of events at a game create a crisis that ends up not only bringing Anna more to Zach's attention, but ultimately pits them against each other for the sake of the team.

While the age difference is clear, I appreciated that both Anna and Zach are up front about their motivations. Anna doesn't hide her role in their conflict, and Zach doesn't hide his stance either. Ultimately, their relationship is impacted directly by the work conflict though.

While I found both characters likeable and each had challenges to overcome, I wish there had been more progression of their relationship outside the bedroom. They watch one game together and phone calls are mentioned after the fact. But, most of the time they are together "on screen" they are either talking about the conflict or dealing with their sexual tension (they don't just jump into bed, but they have also known each other for 15 years).

This book stands alone from the first in the series. I didn't notice any mention of events that may have related to the first book.

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ms. Klasky has literally hit it out of the ballpark with her newest Diamond Brides series, Catching Hell. Thrown together when a promising young player on the Richmond Rocket's baseball team is severely injured sliding into home, the sparks start to fly between Anna Benson, the owner's granddaughter and Zach Ormond, Richmond's chivalrous, good looking catcher.

When word goes out that the Richmond Rockets are in need of a new player to replace the injured team member, the request comes back, 'we want Ormond'. As Anna's heart sinks at the thought of Zach being traded, she realizes that when Zach was negotiating his contract, he'd included an unusual clause, that he could not be traded to another team for any reason. Anna prepares to play hardball to get Zach to agree to break his 'unbreakable' clause as Zach, simultaneously, prepares to play twice as hard to stay.

As the inevitable showdown between Anna and Zach approaches, tensions are stretched thin. To find out if Anna is successful in love and the strategic baseball war to save her team and if Zach is ultimately traded for the 'good of the team,' run to your local bookstore or download Catching Hell to your Kindle and find out for yourself.

[Books, Coffee & Passion · Rating 4 out of 5]

Books, Coffee & Passion.

For a sports lover and a sucker romance like me, this book was PERFECT.

I love baseball so I really enjoyed Anna’s struggle to fix the team’s problems during the season. I also liked the main characters, both Anna and Zach were very solid and there was no unnecessary drama between them. The story was sweet and entertaining. I also totally loved Anna’s grandfather, the way he tried not to swear around her was hilarious, he became one of my favorite character’s right in the beginning of the book.

Unfortunately, and this is the reason why I’m not giving this book 5 stars, the ending seemed a little rushed. It’s not that I couldn’t understand Zach’s decision, he always said it wasn’t about the money and I think that decision showed his deep love for the Rockets, it just felt a little sudden.

Mindy Klasky managed to make me fall in love with the Rockets, so after finishing this review, I’ll buy the first book of this series that I haven’t read yet and I’ll be definitely keeping an eye for her future books.

I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for this honest review.

[Rjlouise · Rating 4 out of 5]

I KNEW THIS SERIES WOULD GET BETTER. (Sorry, had to get that out of the way.)

I still love Mindy Klasky, I still love baseball, I still love that this series is going in position order. I hate that I have to wait until next Sunday to get a shot at the next book and until November until I get the final book in this series.

I felt like this book improved a LOT on the issues from the series starter, PERFECT PITCH. First of all, the relationship of the characters is better established and feels less rushed. Second, there was more baseball in this one and I loved it. The politics of playing and club house antics fit right in. The first book felt a little more about the pageant and less about baseball. Third, the pacing of the book felt more polished.

Again, though, there was some hand waving of issues between the characters. Not everyone is going to automatically understand why another character did something. I want to see problems get solved, not just disappear.

A- (many issues with first book resolved, fun story, great characters; still feel like there was some hand-waving of important issues)

[Zonell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Catching Hell is the second in the Diamond Brides series. Zach Ormond is the 37 year old catcher for Raleigh Rockets in his 8th year of a 10 year contract. Anna Benson the 25 year old, granddaughter of the team owner is ready to take over the team. Anna has had a crush on Zach since she was 10 and he was a rookie catcher. After an accident on the ball field throws them together for a night vigil at the hospital, Zach starts to see her as more than old man Benson's granddaughter.
I love the relationship between Zach and Ann, it is filled with conflict as the two come head to head over a clause in his contract, while maintaining a hotter than hell relationship off the field. The book is fast paced and enjoyable, it held my attention from the beginning. Baseball fans will certainly enjoy this book, I recommend Catching Hell to none baseball fans as well.

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a hockey fan. Aside from the Jackie Robinson story I have never read a book with baseball as part of the story line. I must say I was pleasantly surprised. I enjoyed the role reversals in the story. The "girl" holding her own in the "guy's world. It was a well told love story with a little comedy thrown in for good measure. The characters were likable for the most part and were easy to identify with. The bedroom scenes were detailed but not graphic and there was very little use of foul language. It was a book I thoroughly enjoyed.
I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for this honest review. But I enjoyed it enough to purchase another book in the series before I took the time to write this review.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anna is being groomed to take over the Raleigh Rockets for her grandfather, Zach is the team's veteran catcher. All kinds of tension, sexual and otherwise, builds up when a player gets hurt and the team tries to trade Zach, who has a no-trade clause.

Overall a fast read (don't judge by progress updates, I had other things to read), but because of the build up of the relationship between Anna and Zach felt rushed, forced. Yeah, she'd had a crush on him for years, and yeah she was suddenly 'grown up in his eyes'. But hey, if you're looking for something that gets pretty straight to the nitty gritty, and that's well written, too, Catching Hell isn't a bad read.

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another book in the Diamond Brides series. I won this through LibraryThings Early Reviewers program. This is the second book in the series. We meet Anna and Zach.

Anna Benson is the granddaughter of a baseball owner. She is now helping with the team as her gramps is ill. Zach is the catcher for the Raleigh Rockets. Anna is 14 years younger then Zach and she is in love with him.

This story is entertaining. I enjoyed the banter between Anna and Zach. The sexual tension is felt from the beginning when they first met. Now this story continues into the third book with Anna's friend Emily and the new acquisition the Rockets have made.

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. The author has a great style of writing and sucks you into her books with vivid descriptions. Anna is the granddaughter of the owner & has had a crush on Zach basically all her life. Zach is 12 years her senior, and has known her since she was 10. Even though I wish the relationship between Anna and Zach would have had more time to develop, I would still recommend this book to anyone looking for a nice romance. I also recommend her "Jane Madison" series if you are into paranormal books.

[Cathy Geha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book I have read by Mindy Klasky and also was a gift through LibraryThing. I have always enjoyed a good romance and that is just what this book is. The writing is well done, the characters are both strong individuals with interesting lives, the pacing, intrigues and troubles faced by the couple are for the most part believable. I don’t know that a major league baseball player would have made the decision in the end that Zach made for himself and Anna BUT it was in keeping with a fairy tale ending romance.

[Malin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A moderately long book about a young woman who is about to take the step up as the heir to a baseball team. We follow her rocky road to prove that she can handle the job not only to her grandfather, but also to herself and her colleagues.

She has a crush since childhood on one of the players and we get to follow their path to a life together. It is not always easy when two stubborn people want to get their way.

A very readable book out of a writer who I think will write more bestsellers in the near future.

[Irene Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book free from the author through LibraryThing in exchange for an honest review. May December romance. Anna is trying to fix the baseball team’s problems and Zach wants to finish his no trade clause contract. Both of the main characters are very adult about handling conflict in this difficult work love relationship with very little drama but it does eventually affect their love relationship. Read the book to see how they work this out. This was a very enjoyable book. I also enjoyed the relationship between Anna and her grandfather.

[SL · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book proved my theory when I bought it believing that the series would get better. It has, and I'm glad I took a chance.

Anna and Zach have chemistry and are much better defined than the H/H in book one. I admired the strength and commitment they both showed as they struggled to separate their personal and professional lives. Zach is a man who is to be admired for his strength of character, sense of humor, and love for his team and woman. Anna is mature and wise beyond her years. Together they make a great couple who I liked more and more as the book progressed.

[Tricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this romance book, however, I felt the story was a little rushed and the book a little short. The main characters (Anna & Zach) were very likable though, and I was immediately rooting for them. A sweet & sexy book, very entertaining! All in all, a fun & quick read! Definitely planning on reading the others in this series!


**I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review**

[Medavis66 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was great! I enjoy sports romance books and read them often. This one goes up as a quick, cute romantic one. I enjoyed reading about the workings of the team, Zach's contract dispute, and his and Anna's growing relationship. I liked the resolution and ending of this story, but I wish there was an entire series just based on these two characters. They were a perfect pair and made for a sweet read.

[Karen Cino · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book two was a quick read. I like that Zach Ormond was introduced in book one. Anna Benson, the owners granddaughter did a wonderful job in keeping the team in order after her grandfather is rushed to the hospital. If you are a baseball fan, you will love this book.

[Cecilia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this story a lot. The characters were endearing and there were plenty of times I didn't know who to root for since everyone had good reasons to do what they were doing. I really like the hero in this story!