Always Right

The Diamond Brides #9

by Mindy Klasky

A hot baseball romance.

Teetering on the brink of success as a patent lawyer, Amanda Carter is courting financial disaster. She’s juggling her family’s crippling medical expenses and a huge payment to join her law firm partners – nearly impossible burdens because her father stole her identity. If she doesn’t pay up and win her current case, everything she’s worked for will crash to a humiliating end.

Easy-going right fielder Kyle Norton is mired in the worst hitting slump of his career—until a black-haired beauty in the stands offers him her sunglasses. Slump broken, superstitious Kyle is convinced Amanda is the key to the championship his team so desperately wants to win for its dying owner.

Kyle needs Amanda to give him her glasses at every game. Amanda needs to bury herself in work and win the lawsuit—if she can find the money to buy into the firm. Soon, Amanda and Kyle are locked in battle, united by need and consumed by passion. In the end, only one can be always right.

Genres: Baseball, Romance, Sports

174 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 1, 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

[Kathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have read the whole series about a baseball team, its players and their various lives and romances. This is the last book in the series, and, by far, my least favorite. The story was a bit more involved and different from the others. In this one, lawyer Amanda Carter, one step away from going down financially thanks to her family’s needs and wants, casually tosses her sunglasses to Rockets player Kyle Norton, currently in a no-hit slump, bad for a baseball player at any time. After this encounter, Amanda discovers Kyle’s hidden, and potentially destructive secret and convinces him to let her act as his lawyer to prevent the story from getting out—for a nice, tidy sum, which will help her through her bad financial woes. As the story progresses, the couple spend time going over the secret between them, meeting for quick, intimate dinners and chats, and trying to fight the growing attraction between them. Amanda regrets, almost immediately, her actions regarding Kyle and the “job” she has coerced him into giving her. Kyle meanwhile continues to try to put the whole episode she discovered behind him. Amanda attends the team’s home game, going through the same scenario she did the first game she attended, helping Kyle, a superstitious man about such things, keep up his solid batting average and great team playing. The story provides a great picture of the romance that emerges and grows between Amanda and Kyle. However, I did not think the basic premise of Amanda, a patent lawyer, stooping to the criminal act of blackmail fit into the picture the author provided of her or of him. In the story, Amanda routinely bemoans the way her father squandered the family fortune, though not very large. Yet, at the same time, every family member comes to her for money to fund/cover some big unforeseen expense. It seemed as if no one really had much of a job or was really willing to accept responsibility for his/her actions, and Amanda kept enabling this behavior, though it definitely jeopardized her position as a lawyer in the firm. I wondered if others in her position would have acted the same way. The fact that this led her to do something that was illegal, contradicted the persona the author portrayed. I am also not sure about the relationship between her and Kyle—whether if really would have emerged and/or grown in these circumstances. In honesty, I had difficulty continuing the book, since I disliked the basic plot so much and found the characters so difficult to accept. I guess, by thin time, the author needs something different, and most of the other books had already used up the basic plots we all know and love so well. However, this plot is really just too much for me to take. I received this from Library Thing to read and provide an honest review.

[Lara · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars. This romance between the most up-tight woman and a baseball player was a quick and easy read. Amanda is an attorney with personal and family financial issues. Kyle is a ball player who likes to keep things easy, but is superstitious. When they cross paths, they each end up needing something from the other. Kyle is up front about his needs, Amanda is not. And I think that is part of the issue for me. She starts to open up, but doesn't fully do so. Kyle goes along with her hot and cold behavior because he recognizes something in her that speaks to him. But, he does go along for quite a long way before things come to a crisis. In the end, I'm glad she prioritizes her career, and was not pleased that Kyle didn't recognize that it was a make-or-break situation for her. But, at the end, she appears to toss the importance of her career away to be with him, and that didn't go over well for me.

This series has a single season of baseball that goes along in the background. This book, the last in the series, also wraps up the baseball season. It was a nice structural element that I didn't realize until reading this book. Another thing that is nice about this series is that each book can be read on its own. While characters from previous books are present, their stories are not relevant to the current plot.

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

[Stacey · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I found this better than the previous book in the series, it was not my favorite. We have Amanda, using Kyle's past to blackmail him multiple times. We have Kyle, who just hands over the money as long as she comes to the games.

Only once did she explain why she needed money. The other times she didn't reveal her reasons. Kyle asks for them but when she refuses to tell him, he doesn't push for answers.

Amanda came across as greedy, only looking out for herself and her family. And why doesn't she just come clean with her family and admit she can't afford to help them instead of going after Kyle? Speaking of Kyle, he came across as weak and needy. He acted like a child when Amanda couldn't get away from work to go to one of his games. I prefer my heroes to have a little more backbone and maturity.

There was nothing realistic about this story. No one in their right mind would let Amanda get away with what she was doing without reporting her, let alone wanting to be in a relationship with such a person.

There was very little mention of the characters from the previous books so it could be read as a standalone. It would have been nice to have them around more, especially since they were playing in the World Series.

If this is the last book in the series, I'm sad to say it didn't go out on a high note.

**A free copy was provided via LibraryThing in exchange for an honest review**

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kyle Norton was in a batting slump with the Rockets until a chance encounter with visitor Amanda, who passes him down a pair of sunglasses when his own break after smashing into the wall while catching a baseball. But as with many sportsmen, superstitious repetition keeps bad luck away, and he needs Amanda to be at each home game batting practice and repeat the ritual of passing him these sunglasses. Amanda needs quick cash to fulfill her dream of making partner at her law firm. When Kyle approaches her to show up at his next game to repeat this ritual, she researches him and finds he has a secret in his past that he goes not want revealed. She agrees to his request only if he pays her $100,000. Not an auspicious start to a relationship, but as time goes on, Kyle and Amanda begin to develop romantic feelings for each other. But can these feelings survive the schemes they play with each other: one so obsessed on superstition that he fears failure and the other using blackmail to further their own goals. This is the last in the Diamond Brides series. Disclosure: I was provided a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Gold Dust Editing & Book Promotions · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a home run for me, but definitely a triple.

I enjoyed reading about Amanda and Kyle. I liked Amanda’s quirky habit of jotting down numbers when she became stressed, as well as her overall connection to numbers and math in general. Although not a superstitious person myself, I found Kyle’s habits adorable. I’ve heard of baseball players having superstitions, and I was pleased to see that the author expanded on that.

I’m all for family helping family, but I found Amanda’s family rather bothersome. I felt as if they took advantage of her. Althought they didn’t mean to, I felt they should’ve known better. I’m sure somebody visited her apartment at some time or another – since they were all so close- so they shouldn’ve been able to tell that she wasn’t a rich attorney by any means. On that same note, she should’ve just been honest instead of taking on all that responsibility. I also felt like Kyle should’ve been stronger and given her more of a challenge. But hey, I guess without all that there wouldn’t have been as much of a story.

I think it was well worth the time I spent reading it, and I look forward to reading about the other diamond brides.

[Sherry · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is the last in the series about the Raleigh Rockets. Amanda Carter is an attorney who attended a ballgame with co-workers from her law firm. Kyle Norton broke his sunglasses on the field that day, and asked Amanda for hers. Kyle was finally able to break out of his hitting slump and believed the new ritual with Amanda was necessary to keep his slump away. Amanda was working hard to buy a partnership into her law firm and also to take care of all her family's many needs, but she was struggling to do it all. I did not like Amanda and the decisions she made on how to get the money to take care of everyone in her life. It seemed unrealistic that Kyle could fall for Amanda since she never did explain to him why she made the decisions and choices that she did. This book was definitely not my favorite in the series.

[Cathy Geha · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is another fun story with a baseball theme written by Mindy Klasky. I liked the lead into the need for the superstitious use of sunglasses provided by Amanda, a lawyer on a group outing to a baseball game with her colleagues, and the ensuing routine superstitious Kyle required of her. I was NOT so happy that when Kyle, the baseball main throb, was blackmailed by Amanda. It all works out in the end with some major ups and downs, but I think I would have preferred to see a bit stronger relationship between the two based on something other than money and superstition. Since I have not read all of the other books in this series I wonder if since this was the end of the series it went out with a sputter instead of a bang. It was definitely a fun read and I thank LibraryThing and Ms Klasky for the opportunity to read this story.

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here we meet Kyle Norton and Amanda. Kyle plays for the Rockets. Amanda is a lawyer. They meet at an afternoon pre-baseball game batting practice. Kyle has busted his sunglasses and sees Amanda in the stands and asks her for her glasses. She reluctantly gives them to her.

Amanda does research on Kyle and learns something about his past. She decides to blackmail him. Kyle goes along with it by using her for his superstition. He begs her to come to all morning/afternoon home games for the rest of the season.

They start to fall in love as they discover more about each other. This story was cute and I was pulling for them to stop the shenanigans with each other. Another typical romance book yet enjoyable.

[Ash P Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

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

I am sad that this series has ended but, I am also glad that it ended with dreams being fulfilled. A great finale installment to an overall great series. Mindy Klasky's heros and heroines are all "human" which is the best part of her stories. They all have their quirks and weaknesses, their life histories and secrets. Now I am wondering.... should I continue with the As You Wish series or pick up the Jane Madison or Glasswrights Series. Hmmmmmmmm?

[Christina Montminy · Rating 4 out of 5]

who knew that blackmail could turn into hot, steamy nights with a baseball player. Amanda isn't getting anywhere in her career because of her past & she thinks that blackmailing Kyle can help her bring together the money she needs to help her career & her family. Kyle needs Amanda, she's been his good luck charm since the day he saw her, so he'll pay her off but put a clause with it. She has to continue the ritual they start that first day. Can this be the start of something? Can they both succeed in their endeavors or will it come crashing down around them both?

[Irene Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an advance review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This is another short, light, interesting read about baseball by Mindy Klasky. The superstitious repetitions of ball players is an interesting scenario and under certain circumstances could be very expensive to maintain. Each of the main characters is flawed and has secrets. Even though some of the story is a little unrealistic this is still an interesting and enjoyable read and I would recommend it.

[Baca Buku · Rating 3 out of 5]

More a novella-length book, so the story was undeveloped.

How they first meet is cute, how they start a "relationship" is detestable, which makes how they become romantically involved unconvincing.

This is the final book in the Diamond Brides series, which I have read in entirety. If I remember correctly, since I read the series a few years ago, there were some good stories, though all of them are pretty short.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I found the 'blackmail' theme to be a little unrealistic I really grew to like both Amanda and Kyle. They both have their issues and they both helped each other through them. A strange pair but one that works.


** I received an advanced e-copy of this book through library thing in return for an honest review.

[Teri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Secrets Lies Blackmail Love Deceit Anger Confusion Forgiveness! Did I miss something? Well Mindy didn't. She included all of these emotions and more in this delightful book that had you crying laughing mad happy overcome confused and then just relieved that it was finally over. Great book get your emotions ready to tangle cause they will.

[Sass Snark · Rating 2 out of 5]

My least favorite of the series. I did not like Amanda at all. I connected some with Kyle, but I feel his character wasn't developed enough. It just felt like this book was rushed to finish the series.

[Sweetpea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book from the LibraryThing Early Reviewers in exchange for an honest review. I have enjoyed this series and am sorry to see it end. A quick, fun read.