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Highballer
What happens when the man is as tempting as the money?
Remy Delacour’s family doesn’t believe in mainstream medicine, and when Remy’s boyfriend reveals that Remy is majoring in nursing, they cut him off. He has to find money to finish his education—fast. And he is so done with boyfriends.
Levi Aronson met the guy of his dreams and followed him to Australia. He knew the chances for a lasting romance were slim—and boy, was he right. Now he’s back in Canada, a year behind in his university program, and short of funds. He needs money, not another man.
Tree planting is a way to make a lot of money fast, but it’s one of the hardest jobs in the world. When Levi, an experienced planter, sees pretty, sloe-eyed Remy, Levi is certain he’ll never last.
They’ll have to pry Remy’s shovel from his cold, stiff fingers, because he won’t quit—or let anything take his eyes off the prize. When a storm brings Remy and Levi together, each finds the other a distraction from the big goal. But can anything develop between two men who have sworn off relationships?
World of Stories of romance that span every corner of the globe.
Remy Delacour’s family doesn’t believe in mainstream medicine, and when Remy’s boyfriend reveals that Remy is majoring in nursing, they cut him off. He has to find money to finish his education—fast. And he is so done with boyfriends.
Levi Aronson met the guy of his dreams and followed him to Australia. He knew the chances for a lasting romance were slim—and boy, was he right. Now he’s back in Canada, a year behind in his university program, and short of funds. He needs money, not another man.
Tree planting is a way to make a lot of money fast, but it’s one of the hardest jobs in the world. When Levi, an experienced planter, sees pretty, sloe-eyed Remy, Levi is certain he’ll never last.
They’ll have to pry Remy’s shovel from his cold, stiff fingers, because he won’t quit—or let anything take his eyes off the prize. When a storm brings Remy and Levi together, each finds the other a distraction from the big goal. But can anything develop between two men who have sworn off relationships?
World of Stories of romance that span every corner of the globe.
138 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 25, 2017
45 people want to read
About the author
Ava Hayden
11 books10 followersAva Hayden lives and in Canada but grew up in the southern United States.
When not writing, she loves reading yaoi manga and LGBTQ+ romance, taking afternoon tea, baking, seeing plays, hearing live music, and hiking (even though she once came face-to-face with two grizzlies on a trail). Most of the time her life isn’t that exciting (and doesn’t require her to carry bear spray), and she’s okay with that.
Ava Hayden on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/avahayden
When not writing, she loves reading yaoi manga and LGBTQ+ romance, taking afternoon tea, baking, seeing plays, hearing live music, and hiking (even though she once came face-to-face with two grizzlies on a trail). Most of the time her life isn’t that exciting (and doesn’t require her to carry bear spray), and she’s okay with that.
Ava Hayden on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/avahayden
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
July 15, 2019
My thought on re-read is that this book deserves to have more than 26 ratings on Goodreads ...
4.5 stars
Really well done, slow-developing romance with characters who seemed real. I loved the setting and the sense of place. Honestly, reading this really makes you feel like you're up in the Canadian Rockies tree-planting with these guys.
4.5 stars
Really well done, slow-developing romance with characters who seemed real. I loved the setting and the sense of place. Honestly, reading this really makes you feel like you're up in the Canadian Rockies tree-planting with these guys.
September 30, 2017
Review soon at BMBR.
October 25, 2017
A Joyfully Jay review.
4.5 stars
As part of the World of Love collection, this book does a great job of giving the reader a feel of Alberta, Canada. From the remote wilderness where the planters are reforesting, to the bigger city of Edmonton, and the small town of Eden Pax, this book touches on it all. It also does a really great job of giving the reader all the information needed about how grueling tree planting is, without it ever feeling like an info dump.
This story is told in a non-linear fashion. It starts in present day and part of the narrative moves along the journey as Remy starts work and his relationship with Levi develops. But at key intervals, it also delves backward into Remy and Levi’s history, and gives the reader the important information needed to understand what brought each character to this point in his life. Now, in general, this isn’t my favorite way to tell a story, as my brain works in a linear way. However, it’s a credit to the author how well this worked, because I didn’t even really think about it until the book was over and I was sitting down to write this review. Hayden gives both the present and the near-past the time and attention each deserve, without one overshadowing the other. And it really fleshed out the story, making it comprehensive and complete.
I really enjoyed both MCs. They each have baggage, though Levi’s is a little heavier than Remy’s. I liked that Remy was his own person. He didn’t let his family dictate his desires, and he was unashamed of who he was or what he wanted. Okay, he did keep his course of study a secret from his family, but it was self-preservation. And when it’s revealed, he doesn’t let that deter him from his goal. He went about planting in the same way. It was a necessary task to complete his goals, and no one was going to stop him. He also had a lot of empathy for Levi, understanding where the man was coming from. But when Levi’s wants didn’t mesh with his own, Remy gently walked away.
Read Kris’ review in its entirety here.
4.5 stars
As part of the World of Love collection, this book does a great job of giving the reader a feel of Alberta, Canada. From the remote wilderness where the planters are reforesting, to the bigger city of Edmonton, and the small town of Eden Pax, this book touches on it all. It also does a really great job of giving the reader all the information needed about how grueling tree planting is, without it ever feeling like an info dump.
This story is told in a non-linear fashion. It starts in present day and part of the narrative moves along the journey as Remy starts work and his relationship with Levi develops. But at key intervals, it also delves backward into Remy and Levi’s history, and gives the reader the important information needed to understand what brought each character to this point in his life. Now, in general, this isn’t my favorite way to tell a story, as my brain works in a linear way. However, it’s a credit to the author how well this worked, because I didn’t even really think about it until the book was over and I was sitting down to write this review. Hayden gives both the present and the near-past the time and attention each deserve, without one overshadowing the other. And it really fleshed out the story, making it comprehensive and complete.
I really enjoyed both MCs. They each have baggage, though Levi’s is a little heavier than Remy’s. I liked that Remy was his own person. He didn’t let his family dictate his desires, and he was unashamed of who he was or what he wanted. Okay, he did keep his course of study a secret from his family, but it was self-preservation. And when it’s revealed, he doesn’t let that deter him from his goal. He went about planting in the same way. It was a necessary task to complete his goals, and no one was going to stop him. He also had a lot of empathy for Levi, understanding where the man was coming from. But when Levi’s wants didn’t mesh with his own, Remy gently walked away.
Read Kris’ review in its entirety here.
August 14, 2020
4.5 Stars
Highballer gave me so much more than I expected. The author managed to cover an array of topics and issues without overwhelming the romance or throwing the story out of balance.
I accidentally learned a lot about tree planting. I didn't realize that it was a thing as much as it was, but duh Ann, of course it is, and I learned a lot about it. I love accidentally learning, it's my favorite.
Remy and Levi were both strong characters and I appreciated how the author made them so fully fleshed out separately before she brought them together. Reading about characters that way, for me, make me believe in an HEA pretty easily.
After reading Highballer I bought/read the rest of the author's books. I hope there are more soon, because I'm already a big fan of her writing.
Highballer gave me so much more than I expected. The author managed to cover an array of topics and issues without overwhelming the romance or throwing the story out of balance.
I accidentally learned a lot about tree planting. I didn't realize that it was a thing as much as it was, but duh Ann, of course it is, and I learned a lot about it. I love accidentally learning, it's my favorite.
Remy and Levi were both strong characters and I appreciated how the author made them so fully fleshed out separately before she brought them together. Reading about characters that way, for me, make me believe in an HEA pretty easily.
After reading Highballer I bought/read the rest of the author's books. I hope there are more soon, because I'm already a big fan of her writing.
October 19, 2017
I was given a copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads.
Every so often I get crazy homesick for Canada and this story about tree planters in Alberta brought me right back home again. Tree planting is almost an urban legend among Canadian students - for those tough enough to hack the grueling conditions, it promises the kind of money most students can only dream of. In this book, Levi and Remy are assigned to the same team. They both need money for tuition and they both have solid backwoods skills.
Remy is brilliant. I love that his alternative lifestyle parents would have been completely fine with his sexuality - but he is disowned for studying traditional medicine. Life beyond the cult-like community he grew up in is still pretty new for Remy but he is fiercely proud and determined to finish school on his own terms. He may seem physically slight and effeminate when compared to the other tree planters but his mental fortitude is pretty special.
Levi is physically strong but he’s a bit of an emotional mess. Dumped for being too gay, he is attempting a hyper masculinity that doesn’t really work for him. He is embarrassed by his attraction to Remy and not terribly honest with himself. I have to admit that I really hated him at times - especially when he wouldn’t stand up for Remy and when his own self-doubt hurt Remy.
I’m still not sure how I feel about these two as a couple. Levi does a whole lot of growing up over the summer and he is much more likeable by the end - but I still worried for Remy’s heart. The connection between these two is hot (especially the tent sex).
I loved the descriptions of the camp and Levi and Remy’s team. The author captures Canadian student culture perfectly - the author’s observations constantly made me smile as II recognised so many familiar characters. The mix of quinoa/granola eating liberal students and the redneck career loggers on the mountain also made me smile. The weather, the camp conditions and the layers of ugly but functional clothing made me nostalgic for my own student days.
My reaction to this story is pretty personal but I hope readers with no connection to the Canadian rockies will love it just as much as I did.
Every so often I get crazy homesick for Canada and this story about tree planters in Alberta brought me right back home again. Tree planting is almost an urban legend among Canadian students - for those tough enough to hack the grueling conditions, it promises the kind of money most students can only dream of. In this book, Levi and Remy are assigned to the same team. They both need money for tuition and they both have solid backwoods skills.
Remy is brilliant. I love that his alternative lifestyle parents would have been completely fine with his sexuality - but he is disowned for studying traditional medicine. Life beyond the cult-like community he grew up in is still pretty new for Remy but he is fiercely proud and determined to finish school on his own terms. He may seem physically slight and effeminate when compared to the other tree planters but his mental fortitude is pretty special.
Levi is physically strong but he’s a bit of an emotional mess. Dumped for being too gay, he is attempting a hyper masculinity that doesn’t really work for him. He is embarrassed by his attraction to Remy and not terribly honest with himself. I have to admit that I really hated him at times - especially when he wouldn’t stand up for Remy and when his own self-doubt hurt Remy.
I’m still not sure how I feel about these two as a couple. Levi does a whole lot of growing up over the summer and he is much more likeable by the end - but I still worried for Remy’s heart. The connection between these two is hot (especially the tent sex).
I loved the descriptions of the camp and Levi and Remy’s team. The author captures Canadian student culture perfectly - the author’s observations constantly made me smile as II recognised so many familiar characters. The mix of quinoa/granola eating liberal students and the redneck career loggers on the mountain also made me smile. The weather, the camp conditions and the layers of ugly but functional clothing made me nostalgic for my own student days.
My reaction to this story is pretty personal but I hope readers with no connection to the Canadian rockies will love it just as much as I did.
June 9, 2018
** 4.5 Stars **
January 28, 2025
Eden Pax is a very small town in Canada that Remy hails from. It kind of gave me the impression of a hippie town from the 1960s with all of its homeopathic stores, acupuncturists, homemade food stores, and everything holistic in between. In fact, it began as a commune and everyone homeschools. No wonder Remy’s parents hit the roof when his a**hole of a boyfriend emailed their business account with details about Remy being in the nursing department at school. I could sure empathize with Remy’s attitude about making it through the tree planting season, no matter what. He really doesn’t have a choice. Neither does Levi, who made a stupid choice to follow a boyfriend far away from home, and now he’s stuck with not enough money to pay his tuition. I truly felt for both of these guys, right from the start, and I was rooting for them on the whole read.
“Unless that slender frame had some muscles underneath those clothes, he was going to crash and burn. Even if he did manage to stick around, if they had to spend any time in a logging camp, what were the odds he wouldn’t get jumped at least once? Look up “fey,” “nellie,” or “twink” in the dictionary—this guy’s picture would be there.”
Remy might be small and this might be his first season tree planting, but his parents own an outfitting business so being out in the wilderness, in a tent, is something he’s very familiar with. He also has a close friend who was a tree planter for years with this same company and gave Remy every piece of insider information he possibly could, right down to the lingo, and hands-on training. Not only that, he put in a word for Remy, so that’s just an additional reason not to fail and make Will look bad. You know the saying “it’s not what you know, but who you know.”
“It’s not the physical part of the job that will make you quit,” Will had told him. “It’s how your head frames the experience. It’s like anything hard. You have to game it out.”
It was really sweet to watch Levi and Remy sort of tiptoeing around one another as they became friends but both, obviously, wanted more. Even nicer was seeing Remy interacting with his planting crew and learning to socialize, while watching them grow to appreciate Remy for everything he brought to the table. I really enjoyed the author’s descriptions of this very tough job, along with the different terms and language used in Canada versus my native United States.
This was a great story and I thoroughly enjoyed every moment. The relationship drama was well done and didn’t overtake the general storyline. The characters, all of them, were strong, and a lot of fun to get to know. The ending was a wee bit sappy, in that everything worked out so perfectly for Remy and Levi not only in their relationship, but also with a few of their other struggles with life and family. I can easily recommend this read, I don’t think you’ll regret it.
NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews
“Unless that slender frame had some muscles underneath those clothes, he was going to crash and burn. Even if he did manage to stick around, if they had to spend any time in a logging camp, what were the odds he wouldn’t get jumped at least once? Look up “fey,” “nellie,” or “twink” in the dictionary—this guy’s picture would be there.”
Remy might be small and this might be his first season tree planting, but his parents own an outfitting business so being out in the wilderness, in a tent, is something he’s very familiar with. He also has a close friend who was a tree planter for years with this same company and gave Remy every piece of insider information he possibly could, right down to the lingo, and hands-on training. Not only that, he put in a word for Remy, so that’s just an additional reason not to fail and make Will look bad. You know the saying “it’s not what you know, but who you know.”
“It’s not the physical part of the job that will make you quit,” Will had told him. “It’s how your head frames the experience. It’s like anything hard. You have to game it out.”
It was really sweet to watch Levi and Remy sort of tiptoeing around one another as they became friends but both, obviously, wanted more. Even nicer was seeing Remy interacting with his planting crew and learning to socialize, while watching them grow to appreciate Remy for everything he brought to the table. I really enjoyed the author’s descriptions of this very tough job, along with the different terms and language used in Canada versus my native United States.
This was a great story and I thoroughly enjoyed every moment. The relationship drama was well done and didn’t overtake the general storyline. The characters, all of them, were strong, and a lot of fun to get to know. The ending was a wee bit sappy, in that everything worked out so perfectly for Remy and Levi not only in their relationship, but also with a few of their other struggles with life and family. I can easily recommend this read, I don’t think you’ll regret it.
NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews
October 26, 2017
This was a good read. I enjoyed seeing two men that was so against getting in a relationship find themselves not being able to avoid it. Sometimes when it is meant to be, it is just meant to be.
Remy is so determined to become a nurse even though he is going to be disowned by his parents because of it. His parents do not believe in modern medicine so Remy becoming a nurse goes against what they believe in. Remy is not going to let his stop him though. So Remy goes out and gets himself a job to earn the money he will need to finish college. Tree planting is not an easy job to say the least and Remy is not experienced in it but what he lacks in experience he makes up for in determination.
The first day on the job Remy see a man that intrigues him names Levi. Levi is standoffish towards Remy and Remy is undecided on if he wants to approach him at first. Remy is attracted to him from the start but the last thing that Remy needs is a man to come in between his dreams and his job to help him reach his dreams.
Levi is a lot like Remy when it comes to not wanting to get involved with anyone. Even though he immediately notices Remy he keeps his distance. After his last disastrous relationship Levi is not willing to even contemplate getting into another.
Sometimes fate has a different motive then the recipients may have and in this case these two are meant to be together. Though they may fight it fate has a way of making the right things happen just when they are supposed too. The question is even when fate throws two people together, if they are determined to not end up in any kind of relationship will they be able to fight what fate has in store for them or will they figure out that sometimes love is better then money?
This was a good read. I love reading a books where both the main characters try to fight there attraction to one another only to figure out in the end that they are meant to be together M. Ava Hayden did a really good job on this book and I look forward to more by herbin the future.
Was given this galley copy for free for an open and honest review
Remy is so determined to become a nurse even though he is going to be disowned by his parents because of it. His parents do not believe in modern medicine so Remy becoming a nurse goes against what they believe in. Remy is not going to let his stop him though. So Remy goes out and gets himself a job to earn the money he will need to finish college. Tree planting is not an easy job to say the least and Remy is not experienced in it but what he lacks in experience he makes up for in determination.
The first day on the job Remy see a man that intrigues him names Levi. Levi is standoffish towards Remy and Remy is undecided on if he wants to approach him at first. Remy is attracted to him from the start but the last thing that Remy needs is a man to come in between his dreams and his job to help him reach his dreams.
Levi is a lot like Remy when it comes to not wanting to get involved with anyone. Even though he immediately notices Remy he keeps his distance. After his last disastrous relationship Levi is not willing to even contemplate getting into another.
Sometimes fate has a different motive then the recipients may have and in this case these two are meant to be together. Though they may fight it fate has a way of making the right things happen just when they are supposed too. The question is even when fate throws two people together, if they are determined to not end up in any kind of relationship will they be able to fight what fate has in store for them or will they figure out that sometimes love is better then money?
This was a good read. I love reading a books where both the main characters try to fight there attraction to one another only to figure out in the end that they are meant to be together M. Ava Hayden did a really good job on this book and I look forward to more by herbin the future.
Was given this galley copy for free for an open and honest review
November 9, 2017
Review originally posted on JustLoveReviews: https://justlovereviews.com/2017/11/0...
This book is part of the World of Love series which is described as “Stories of romance that span every corner of the globe.” This book featured Alberta, Canada as its setting and it is a featured part of the story. Tree planting is a “popular” summer job to get in Canada (as in a lot of people do it to make money not because they love it) and Hayden used it to show the reader how beautiful Alberta’s wilderness is. Although the forests were the main location featured, Hayden also showed Edmonton (bigger city), and Eden Pax (small town) to give readers a good slice of what Alberta is like.
The characters ended up getting fleshed out a lot more than I expected, especially the secondary characters. Remy was my absolute favorite in the book. He’s apparently super gorgeous but he’s a really sweet guy who wants to be a nurse to help people. However, he also has a spine when it comes to his boundaries and I really liked that he didn’t turn into a doormat. When Levi won’t give him what he needs then Remy puts his foot down and it made me like him even more. He wants to be a nurse even though his parents disowned him for it. Instead of going the easy route he goes for a hard summer job to pay off his upcoming student fees. He’s the quiet type but he’s really competent and determined.
I don’t hate Levi, but he really had to work to make me like him. He had a father who was incredibly homophobic and emphasized being a man/not being weak so we can really see why Levi holds himself back with Remy. It also makes sense because Levi got emotionally burned before but given how much I LOVE Remy it made me like Levi less until he stepped up. Levi didn’t handle his emotional baggage very well but he wasn’t really purposefully being abusive to Remy. He was trying to hide their relationship and Remy didn’t want that. Hayden did a good job of showing Levi change throughout the book and although Levi is kind of impulsive with his decisions at the end of the book we can see why he did what he did. It makes sense.
Neither one of them want to get involved with anyone, so for a good chunk of the book, we get deliciously built up sexual tension and them getting to know each other better. I love slow burn romances because you get to see them get to know each other before they get into a relationship/sleep together and it helps to show why they are a good couple. It also helps them get over some of their baggage before the book turns into an angst-fest. Sometimes angst is good but with a short novella, it would eat a lot of the book (in my opinion!).
Overall I really loved this book. It was novella length but had a complete story that didn’t feel rushed or like anything was missing from the story. I wanted more of the story or another book about these characters but that’s because I didn’t want it to end. The writing and pacing were good and I think that Hayden did a good job giving the characters enough depth to get to know them in such a short amount of time. There also wasn’t a lot of drama but there was some believable conflict that added depth to the story.
I received an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for a fair and honest review.
This book is part of the World of Love series which is described as “Stories of romance that span every corner of the globe.” This book featured Alberta, Canada as its setting and it is a featured part of the story. Tree planting is a “popular” summer job to get in Canada (as in a lot of people do it to make money not because they love it) and Hayden used it to show the reader how beautiful Alberta’s wilderness is. Although the forests were the main location featured, Hayden also showed Edmonton (bigger city), and Eden Pax (small town) to give readers a good slice of what Alberta is like.
The characters ended up getting fleshed out a lot more than I expected, especially the secondary characters. Remy was my absolute favorite in the book. He’s apparently super gorgeous but he’s a really sweet guy who wants to be a nurse to help people. However, he also has a spine when it comes to his boundaries and I really liked that he didn’t turn into a doormat. When Levi won’t give him what he needs then Remy puts his foot down and it made me like him even more. He wants to be a nurse even though his parents disowned him for it. Instead of going the easy route he goes for a hard summer job to pay off his upcoming student fees. He’s the quiet type but he’s really competent and determined.
I don’t hate Levi, but he really had to work to make me like him. He had a father who was incredibly homophobic and emphasized being a man/not being weak so we can really see why Levi holds himself back with Remy. It also makes sense because Levi got emotionally burned before but given how much I LOVE Remy it made me like Levi less until he stepped up. Levi didn’t handle his emotional baggage very well but he wasn’t really purposefully being abusive to Remy. He was trying to hide their relationship and Remy didn’t want that. Hayden did a good job of showing Levi change throughout the book and although Levi is kind of impulsive with his decisions at the end of the book we can see why he did what he did. It makes sense.
Neither one of them want to get involved with anyone, so for a good chunk of the book, we get deliciously built up sexual tension and them getting to know each other better. I love slow burn romances because you get to see them get to know each other before they get into a relationship/sleep together and it helps to show why they are a good couple. It also helps them get over some of their baggage before the book turns into an angst-fest. Sometimes angst is good but with a short novella, it would eat a lot of the book (in my opinion!).
Overall I really loved this book. It was novella length but had a complete story that didn’t feel rushed or like anything was missing from the story. I wanted more of the story or another book about these characters but that’s because I didn’t want it to end. The writing and pacing were good and I think that Hayden did a good job giving the characters enough depth to get to know them in such a short amount of time. There also wasn’t a lot of drama but there was some believable conflict that added depth to the story.
I received an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for a fair and honest review.
March 3, 2018
Review can be read at It's About The Book
3.5 stars
I like this series of books. I pick and choose which ones I want to read but I’m always pleasantly surprised by how much I like them. This follows a nursing student named Remy who through a friend gets a chance to plant trees for some good quick money in Canada. It’s hard brutal work though. I think the author did a good job of emphasizing that. The guys are exhausted after working long non stop days so finding love wasn’t ever what they were expecting. It had a very organic feel to it too. There’s attraction and friendship first. Then they fall for each other. They stumble a bit along the way though. Both have issues they’re still working through.
Levi recently took a leap for a guy who broke his heart. Leaving him a little damaged. He doesn’t mean to but hurts Levi. Levi needs to stay focused and earn this money. His family quit paying his tuition because he chose to be a nurse. His family comes from a naturalist healing type commune and see his career choice as a slap to the face. Levi sees it as a way to help people. This story felt rich in detail. There’s a lot of history and hurt packed in while keeping the current story moving along. I’d definitely recommend it.
3.5 stars
I like this series of books. I pick and choose which ones I want to read but I’m always pleasantly surprised by how much I like them. This follows a nursing student named Remy who through a friend gets a chance to plant trees for some good quick money in Canada. It’s hard brutal work though. I think the author did a good job of emphasizing that. The guys are exhausted after working long non stop days so finding love wasn’t ever what they were expecting. It had a very organic feel to it too. There’s attraction and friendship first. Then they fall for each other. They stumble a bit along the way though. Both have issues they’re still working through.
Levi recently took a leap for a guy who broke his heart. Leaving him a little damaged. He doesn’t mean to but hurts Levi. Levi needs to stay focused and earn this money. His family quit paying his tuition because he chose to be a nurse. His family comes from a naturalist healing type commune and see his career choice as a slap to the face. Levi sees it as a way to help people. This story felt rich in detail. There’s a lot of history and hurt packed in while keeping the current story moving along. I’d definitely recommend it.
October 24, 2017
A Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words Review
Rating: 4.75 stars out of 5
For the full review, visit http://wp.me/p220KL-bYi on 10/25
From that review, " I'm coming to love this author and her stories. They always contain characters that feel so grounded in reality and yet unusual enough to make me think I've never come across anyone like them before in a romance. That certainly happens here in Highballer, one of Dreamspinner Press' World of Love romances."
For all our reviews, author interviews and such, visit us at http://scatteredthoughtsandroguewords...
Rating: 4.75 stars out of 5
For the full review, visit http://wp.me/p220KL-bYi on 10/25
From that review, " I'm coming to love this author and her stories. They always contain characters that feel so grounded in reality and yet unusual enough to make me think I've never come across anyone like them before in a romance. That certainly happens here in Highballer, one of Dreamspinner Press' World of Love romances."
For all our reviews, author interviews and such, visit us at http://scatteredthoughtsandroguewords...
June 22, 2018
Part of the World Of Love series. All of them are stand-alone. I went through and picked several I thought would be interesting because of the location. A couple because I've never been there and don't plan to go (like this one which is about tree planting in Canada) but thought it sounded it really interesting and others, because I have been there or it's some place I want to go. In each book, there is a lovely romance and a chance to experience the culture in that part of the world. Very enjoyable!
July 14, 2025
Romance with tree planters in Alberta. I learned about a job and subculture that I'd never thought much about. Believable romance and conflicts. Remy dealing with his childhood anti-medicine, anti-science background was interesting.
February 19, 2019
I really enjoyed this. Lovely writing. Looking forward to reading more of this author.
mm-have-bk
August 31, 2025pRdsp
October 31, 2017
4 Planting Magic Stars
OMG, this book is everything that the World of Series is supposed to be. A very non-traditional setting in a place that hardly ever gets seen in books – check. Crazy out there life experiences that wouldn’t happen “everyday” in books – double check. And finally, an awesome story, plot and characters – check, check, check!
Highballer follows the journey of Remy while he spends his summer before his senior year in college, planting seeds in Canada in order to rake in as much money as he could before school starts up again. As the story unfolds, we learn why Remy is so focused on earning income, and why he ultimately had to take this job (the best-worst job ever). Before his job even starts, he spies Levi and has an insta-crush, but is DONE with boyfriends… turns out, so is Levi. Together, over the course of the planting season, they become friends, then more, then friends, then…?
This was truly the BEST World of Love book I’ve read to date. The writing was great, the story was fun and the setting made everything interesting. And somehow, amongst all of that, the characters are so fun, unique and original. Remy is shy but strong and determined – not willing to be stepped on or passed over, holding strong to his beliefs. Levi is hurt… but his hurt manifests it very differently than you’d expect. He wants, then doesn’t – the friction here is fantastic. Overall, it’s a match that works very well!
This is a great read for anyone – for reals. It was just so good – lighthearted but deep, fun with substance and I learned a LOT about planting season (I’m going to research that more now). Definitely don’t skip out on this one! And I can’t wait for Ava’s next one.
Review Copy of Highballer provided by Dreamspinner Press for an honest review.
Reviewed by Mel from Alpha Book Club
OMG, this book is everything that the World of Series is supposed to be. A very non-traditional setting in a place that hardly ever gets seen in books – check. Crazy out there life experiences that wouldn’t happen “everyday” in books – double check. And finally, an awesome story, plot and characters – check, check, check!
Highballer follows the journey of Remy while he spends his summer before his senior year in college, planting seeds in Canada in order to rake in as much money as he could before school starts up again. As the story unfolds, we learn why Remy is so focused on earning income, and why he ultimately had to take this job (the best-worst job ever). Before his job even starts, he spies Levi and has an insta-crush, but is DONE with boyfriends… turns out, so is Levi. Together, over the course of the planting season, they become friends, then more, then friends, then…?
This was truly the BEST World of Love book I’ve read to date. The writing was great, the story was fun and the setting made everything interesting. And somehow, amongst all of that, the characters are so fun, unique and original. Remy is shy but strong and determined – not willing to be stepped on or passed over, holding strong to his beliefs. Levi is hurt… but his hurt manifests it very differently than you’d expect. He wants, then doesn’t – the friction here is fantastic. Overall, it’s a match that works very well!
This is a great read for anyone – for reals. It was just so good – lighthearted but deep, fun with substance and I learned a LOT about planting season (I’m going to research that more now). Definitely don’t skip out on this one! And I can’t wait for Ava’s next one.
Review Copy of Highballer provided by Dreamspinner Press for an honest review.
Reviewed by Mel from Alpha Book Club
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