Hitting the high notes
I’ve read all the books Jiffy Kate have published so far, and this is a slight departure from their usual. Still largely set in New Orleans, and a romance that makes you swoon and smile, it brings together two very popular tropes... sports, and music. The hero, Bo, is a rookie for the New Orleans baseball team. This is not a game I have ever watched, or even read about much, so I was relieved that they’ve written it with enough clarity and passion that I could easily grasp and get a mental picture of all the action. Charlotte, or Lola as she is known to her fans, is a former child star-turned-singer, who has lived through the best and worst of showbiz and the life that comes with it.
These two... I loved the energy between them from the first time they met. Bo is such a gentleman, a serious, focused guy, he’s deep and you know from the first page that he’s solid and dependable, and that makes him so much more desirable than just the fact that he’s good looking and athletic and overall hot. And Charlotte, who is older than him, who has dealt with the fame thing a lot longer than he has, who is, for all intents and purposes the one with the experience and baggage... I love how she’s been written. She’s the rockstar, but at the heart of it, she’s just trying to do what she loves.. make music. Her relationship with her sister was one of the highlights of the book for me. In fact, I really like Casey and feel she deserves a book of her own.. she’s a great character! I also liked the sound of some of Bo's teammates, especially Davies, who I think has more going on than we know just yet.
Back to Bo and Char... I enjoyed the development of their relationship. It’s tentative, it’s sweet, and it’s believable. And then as the layers are peeled back, as they get closer, you get so invested in them because you can relate. I have to say, I am glad that even through the conflict portion of the story, the characters stayed true to the way they’d been described from the beginning. I like how they are both committed at heart, even when reality seems to be working against them. The only real grouse I have is that I wanted to read a gruesome end for Charlotte's creepy manager guy. Other than that, I’m looking forward to reading more of this series.