Blame 2: Trial by Firing

Blame #2

by Cam Carson

Tatya and Kris haven't been together long when Kris loses her job. As Kris scrambles to find work and keep up her student loan payments, Tatya struggles to find a way to help her. How do you address the topic of money when a new partner loses their job?

This book continues from the popular prequel ' Sometimes, Everybody is Wrong.' Tatya, a young professional in Miami, shares the joys and challenges of her relationship with her girlfriend, Kris. This book includes extended appearances from some of the first book's most beloved side characters, like Tatya's boisterous volleyball teammate, Cristal, and Itchy the sassy house cat. A few new characters also make their way into the story, including Tatya's prescriptive and not-necessarily-accepting mother and a gold-hearted improv enthusiast named Andre.

Even as Kris nails down a temporary gig, the couple must face broader reaching questions about this relationship. What will Kris do long-term? She feels that, from a professional perspective, she doesn't know who she is, which Tatya struggles to understand. Eventually, Kris decides that the path to her calling might lead her far away from Miami. Tatya doesn't want to do long distance, and she has made Miami her home.

Would Tatya end her relationship with her second great love?

206 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 27, 2017

Reviews

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book in the Blame series.

Tatya, a 29-year-old sports massage therapist, lives in sunny Miami, Florida. Tall blonde and athletic, Tatya is one of the stars of her women's beach volleyball team.



She's also in a romantic relationship with her 25-year-old teammate Kris, a leggy attractive redhead.



Tatya has been keeping the affair secret, fearing disclosure might affect team comradery and play. This bothers Kris, who thinks Tatya might be embarrassed about her. Moreover, each woman is troubled by occurrences in her past, which adds to the tension between them.

Still, the romance is going pretty well until Kris, a product manager, loses her job. Scrambling to find a new position, Kris questions her choice of career. Did she pick a field just for the prestige and money? Would an occupation that helps people be better? Kris's busy job search and angst keep her a little distant, which disturbs Tatya, who's already insecure about 'getting older.'



Trying to occupy herself while Kris is busy, Tatya socializes with other friends. One of my favorite characters is Cristal, a lively Latina volleyball player who liberally sprinkles her sentences with Spanish words and phrases. Cristal introduces Tatya to Friday night beach parties that include campfires, improv games, skinny dipping, and spicy s'mores.



At one party, Tatya meets Andre - a PTSD counselor for residents of violent communities - who becomes a helpful friend.

Other interesting characters include Tatya's fellow massage therapist Felicity and their boss Rossalyn;



Tatya's brawny Samoan roommate Brett;



beverage-inventing barista Sean;



and Francisco, a physical therapist with a connection to the Miami Heat.



I liked the scenes of vigorous volleyball practice sprinkled through the story. I also enjoyed the descriptions of the athletes' homemade meals, like injera with lentils;



pumpkin pancakes;



fruit smoothies;



ersatz paella, and more - all of which sounded very tasty.



The book is largely a romance, and there's plenty of sizzling sex between Tatya and Kris - in bed, on the couch, on the papasan, and in the car (where Kris's adorable cat Itchy gets an eyeful...ha ha ha).

I enjoyed the humor in the story (why can't baristas get customers' names right?) and the philosophical musings about life, love, and honesty. I look forward to reading more about these intriguing women as the series continues.

The book can be read as a standalone but readers familiar with the background will probably enjoy it more.

You can follow my reviews at https://reviewsbybarbsaffer.blogspot....

[Dee · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I feel pretty much the same about this book as I did the first. The author has a way of creating compelling characters that kept me engaged but, in the authors own words, this story is far from perfect. I don't ask for perfection, but...

In this installment, I had less tolerance for words say as - nono, whyyyyy, Kristyyyy, hiiiim, come onnn, and telll, I found them jarring and they tossed me out of an otherwise enjoyable story.

I know that sounds picky and I kept saying to myself; just enjoy the meat of the story and ignore the gravy, but if you don't like gravy it's going to spoil the meat.... Ugh, Did that make sense?

Take my review with a grain of salt, or sugar, and decide for yourself if this story is for you.

ARC received from the author, no review requested, but I'll wrote one anyway.