Strike Three, You're Mine

All's Fair in Love and Sports #5

by Julie L. Spencer

Amberlyn didn’t realize her boyfriend was spending more time with her best friend than with her. Betrayed and publicly humiliated, she needed a box of tissues and a shoulder to cry on.

Aiden was happy to supply them. Having a crush on Amberlyn for years, he was secretly glad her boyfriend had dumped her. He may even have participated in the events that caused the breakup.

But he couldn’t focus on that when he needed to train for the upcoming baseball season.

With Amberlyn still crying over her ex-boyfriend, scouts vying for Aiden’s attention, and betrayals coming out of left field, they have so many strikes against them, they may never hit a home run.

Read the All’s Fair in Love and Sports Series:
Running to You
Meet Me at Half Court
Pass Me the Ball
Basketballs and Mistletoe

Genres: Young Adult, Baseball, Romance, Contemporary Romance, High School

226 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 1, 2020

Reviews

[Michaela | Reading in the Heartland · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed how this book starts off in the previous book and overlaps a bunch and we get more perspectives. A lot of on and off and "misunderstandings," but I really enjoyed it.

[Priscila · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ever since I finished "Pass Me the Ball" I wanted to read this one since Amberlyn seemed like an interesting character towards the end of the previous one, plus I also wanted to know how things happened from her POV. Yes, there's a crossover in the timeline from book #3 so it helped having already read it. Of course, with this being a series, there are some other characters that other readers can be happy to see again, but for me, it was just kind of confusing whenever Amberlyn and/or Aiden were in a group. Still, their story is cute and I liked how committed they grow to be to each other once they pass their first obstacle. The baseball references were fine, and even though we get to see a lot of training from Aiden's side, there's only one baseball game.

The narrator was really good with the nuances: whispers, squeaks, some shouts, as well as portraying feelings like shyness, excitement, anger, and so on. However, while her Amberlyn voice was nice and soft, I couldn't differentiate it from Aiden's, thus creating a kind of confusing listening experience (I had to pay close attention to the beginning of the chapter to know who was speaking).

Overall, a nice, sweet story about HS love, perfect for fans of the author, this series, or the YA genre. ~ 3.75 stars

Content:
Sex: none between the MCs but here's mention that another couple did and is currently expecting. There's talk between the MCs about their physical (read sexual) attraction, but they're both committed to not doing it (at least before graduation if not before marriage). Still, the girl teases her boyfriend about his herculean self-control sometimes. There are descriptions of passionate kisses/making out, but no mention of certain body parts or hands straying over there. Also, there's a comment where a girl thinks his boyfriend is gay because he never made a move on or made out with her. There's also another comment from a different girl about satisfying a guy's needs.

[Teya Teya · Rating 3 out of 5]

I forgot to write my review on this book. I read this a while ago and thought I'd written a review and I didn't see one, so here you go. I'm thrilled Aiden got a love story. I almost felt like she didn't deserve him, but still, they kept going back and forth. Admittedly it's not an easy love story but I think that makes it stronger. It had a few more back steps I seemed like than step forwards but it worked out in the end and that's what matters.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the fifth book in this series. All related to athletes and young love. Each book is a fairly lighthearted sweet romance.
In this book a few more serious issues were brought up such as teenage pregnancy. The main couple discussed waiting for intimacy and respecting each other. The other couple’s pregnancy was used somewhat as an example of what can happen if teenage hormones aren’t kept in check.

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved Aiden!!! I really felt for Amberlynn and thought she handled the betrayal - yes betrayal IMO - by her boyfriend and best friend - with so much class and dignity. I believe in forgiveness but wow. These two are such a cute couple and really wish they had gotten together years ago. Their romance and forever love was really believable.

[Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun story! While it is about high schoolers, I was still able to relate to the characters. I thought the author did a good job of developing the characters and keeping the story real.

The narration was well done.

I received a free copy of this audiobook from the author and I'm voluntarily leaving this review.

[Marilyn Burrows · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s as cute as the cover. It’s about friends who have been close friends for years but are now seniors in High School. A lot of competition and fun times. Most are really good kids. Most follow the rules. And some have such big hearts that they do a community project to. Help other kids with sports

[Leann Arave · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a sweet YA story. High school can be a tough time. The kids in this story deal with a lot of real issues and yet keep there heads straight. I think this book would be a great read for those in similar situations and anyone that likes a YA story.

[Ellen White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amberlyn breakups and betrayal are hard for anyone. How it is handled was well done by her. Life was busy for Aiden, and wanted to be there for her, his father and choices were now.

[Lisa Rector · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has been such a cute series, and this story just ties them all together. All the other characters are there and talked about. Some of the storyline of this one over laps Basketballs and Mistletoe, so it’s awesome to see it from Amberlyn and Aiden’s POV. Their story is really cute, and I love Aiden.