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The Boys of Baltimore #3
Called Third Strike
I get to help people while working with a major league baseball team. My job is a dream come true, except for the nightmare that is Trace Ridgerton. The team’s catcher, he’s a cocky jerk who reminds me of the kids in high school who bullied me mercilessly. And for some reason, he’s got his eye on me.
I’d gotten pretty good at avoiding Trace at every turn, but then I promised my favorite cancer patient a chance to meet the player of his choice. Guess who he picked? I’ll grit my teeth and arrange the meeting, but if Trace does anything to hurt that boy, I will make sure he suffers.
Sarah Asiago is a do-gooder who loves everybody. Except me. So far, she’s been utterly resistant to my charms. But she’ll give in eventually. They all do.
Finally, I’ll get my chance to pounce on Sarah! Thank you, Cancer Kid…
I’d gotten pretty good at avoiding Trace at every turn, but then I promised my favorite cancer patient a chance to meet the player of his choice. Guess who he picked? I’ll grit my teeth and arrange the meeting, but if Trace does anything to hurt that boy, I will make sure he suffers.
Sarah Asiago is a do-gooder who loves everybody. Except me. So far, she’s been utterly resistant to my charms. But she’ll give in eventually. They all do.
Finally, I’ll get my chance to pounce on Sarah! Thank you, Cancer Kid…
284 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 14, 2022
15 people are currently reading
33 people want to read
About the author
Linda Fausnet
23 books32 followersLinda Fausnet is the author of several genres of books, including romance, LGBT fiction, chick lit, and middle-grade. She has also written numerous screenplays of various genres. Two of her scripts have been optioned by production companies in Los Angeles; Mega Films, Inc. and Runaway Productions. She runs a fan club for romance book lovers called Romance Novel Addicts Anonymous on Facebook and other social media platforms.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
March 11, 2022
I am loving this series, great stories with HEA. Sarah who works for the Baltimore Bay Birds and Trace who is a player (in all ways) clash big time. Sarah who was bullied in high school because of her weight is not happy with the way Trace is always making remarks about getting her in bed. She holds out as long as she can but it is not long before she gives in. They get to talking and he realizes he is the one that was doing the bulling in high school. Sarah has changed so much he did not recognize her. He does everything he can to make it up to her, and they after a long talk decide to forget the past and live for the future.
I was lucky enough to receive an ARC from the author, so glad I did.
I was lucky enough to receive an ARC from the author, so glad I did.
June 23, 2025
This SO misses the mark. Just absolutely terrible.
This is the third book in the series and I enjoyed the other two - wouldn't say they're the best books I've read over the last 2 years but they were decent and pleasant. This book? I should've hard passed. The blurb for the book was fine and enough to pull me into the story - I'm a sucker for a good enemies to lovers trope. But this ain't it. Just...nope, nope, nope.
The writing started off okay and then went downhill by the end of the book; I mean, the actual writing got more and more juvenile as the story went on. Also, by the end of the book, this plot was all over the place...forced plot twists, family drama, friends questioning the main characters' choices, surprise pregnancy, grand gestures...just pick a few of these and do them well, because picking ALL of them and doing them poorly makes the overall product even worse.
But getting into my major problem with this book...
One of the the main plot points is that the FMC was bullied terribly in HS for her weight and looks and this has had a seminal impact on her life, her outlook, her relationships, and pretty much everything about her, even to the point of changing her name. The FMC herself brings up this subject repeatedly and describes just how impactful and negative the bullying was for her. So for the author to then have the main plot twist be that it was the MMC who was her main HS bully, and with whom she is currently in a romantic relationship, is so absolutely far-fetched and beyond the pale that I can't even chalk this up as "oh, it's a romance novel so it doesn't have to be realistic, it's a fantasy." EVEN IF a person (in this case the FMC) had therapy and moved on with her life and forgave her HS bullies, of which the MMC was the worst one, there is NO WAY that a person would enter into a romantic relationship with that former bully. I'm not saying they would run away from them their whole life or vilify the former bully forever, but they wouldn't fall in love with that person...the person who was responsible for one of the most traumatic, life-changingly negative experiences of their lives. They might have a conversation with that person and tell them they've forgiven them and moved on, but love? NOPE. Even if you want to make the argument that a person shouldn't let their bullies have power over them moving forward, that's fine...don't let them have power over you - take a job with the team they play for instead of turning it down because that person doesn't have power over you. But why would anyone who still clearly has strong feelings about what happened to them in HS, because the FMC brings up the topic multiple times, then put themselves in a position to potentially be hurt in a traumatic way by the same person who so majorly hurt them in the past? Let me answer for you - NO ONE.
There could've been a good, thought-provoking story here, where a woman overcomes some really difficult past traumas to learn and grow and thrive, and a brash guy wins her heart by showing that he, too, can learn and grow and change his obnoxious ways for the better. But you should skip this and look for that story somewhere else.
This is the third book in the series and I enjoyed the other two - wouldn't say they're the best books I've read over the last 2 years but they were decent and pleasant. This book? I should've hard passed. The blurb for the book was fine and enough to pull me into the story - I'm a sucker for a good enemies to lovers trope. But this ain't it. Just...nope, nope, nope.
The writing started off okay and then went downhill by the end of the book; I mean, the actual writing got more and more juvenile as the story went on. Also, by the end of the book, this plot was all over the place...forced plot twists, family drama, friends questioning the main characters' choices, surprise pregnancy, grand gestures...just pick a few of these and do them well, because picking ALL of them and doing them poorly makes the overall product even worse.
But getting into my major problem with this book...
One of the the main plot points is that the FMC was bullied terribly in HS for her weight and looks and this has had a seminal impact on her life, her outlook, her relationships, and pretty much everything about her, even to the point of changing her name. The FMC herself brings up this subject repeatedly and describes just how impactful and negative the bullying was for her. So for the author to then have the main plot twist be that it was the MMC who was her main HS bully, and with whom she is currently in a romantic relationship, is so absolutely far-fetched and beyond the pale that I can't even chalk this up as "oh, it's a romance novel so it doesn't have to be realistic, it's a fantasy." EVEN IF a person (in this case the FMC) had therapy and moved on with her life and forgave her HS bullies, of which the MMC was the worst one, there is NO WAY that a person would enter into a romantic relationship with that former bully. I'm not saying they would run away from them their whole life or vilify the former bully forever, but they wouldn't fall in love with that person...the person who was responsible for one of the most traumatic, life-changingly negative experiences of their lives. They might have a conversation with that person and tell them they've forgiven them and moved on, but love? NOPE. Even if you want to make the argument that a person shouldn't let their bullies have power over them moving forward, that's fine...don't let them have power over you - take a job with the team they play for instead of turning it down because that person doesn't have power over you. But why would anyone who still clearly has strong feelings about what happened to them in HS, because the FMC brings up the topic multiple times, then put themselves in a position to potentially be hurt in a traumatic way by the same person who so majorly hurt them in the past? Let me answer for you - NO ONE.
There could've been a good, thought-provoking story here, where a woman overcomes some really difficult past traumas to learn and grow and thrive, and a brash guy wins her heart by showing that he, too, can learn and grow and change his obnoxious ways for the better. But you should skip this and look for that story somewhere else.
March 12, 2022
Called Third Strike by Linda Fausnet is an intriguing baseball romance. Sarah was the Community Partnerships and Events for the Baltimore Bay Birds and she loved her job. She loved interacting with the players and loved setting up events. She especially loved her outreach to kids with cancer during their hospital stays. Brady Keaton and Matt Jovey and their wives were to be at the fundraiser tonight and she was looking forward to seeing them. She was not looking forward to seeing Trace Ridgeway who was an arrogant, strutting womanizer. Sadly, it was her attitude that caught his eye. She wanted nothing to do with him and she let him know that in no uncertain terms. Sadly, that just sparked his competitive nature. Things were about to change, for all of them.
Watching the relationship grow between two damaged people was reward enough. Both had had horrendous childhoods, but had responded differently: Sarah becoming kind and Trace becoming a jerk. Oddly it was a teenager with cancer that changed things for both of them. Flynn was a well-written character. He talked like a real teenager; one yearning to be treated like her didn't have cancer, as well as one who was becoming an adult. Trace did both of those things, even going to the kid for advise on his love life. It was endearing and Sarah though so, too. It was also kind of fun to be on the inside of a celebrity's life and see how it feels to have so little privacy. These books made me, not only, feel grateful for my life, but envious as well. Sarah and Trace had found love in their shared pain and them moved past it. Job well done!
I was invited to read a free e-ARC of Called Third Strike by the author. All thoughts and opinions are my own. #lindafausnet #calledthirdstrike
Watching the relationship grow between two damaged people was reward enough. Both had had horrendous childhoods, but had responded differently: Sarah becoming kind and Trace becoming a jerk. Oddly it was a teenager with cancer that changed things for both of them. Flynn was a well-written character. He talked like a real teenager; one yearning to be treated like her didn't have cancer, as well as one who was becoming an adult. Trace did both of those things, even going to the kid for advise on his love life. It was endearing and Sarah though so, too. It was also kind of fun to be on the inside of a celebrity's life and see how it feels to have so little privacy. These books made me, not only, feel grateful for my life, but envious as well. Sarah and Trace had found love in their shared pain and them moved past it. Job well done!
I was invited to read a free e-ARC of Called Third Strike by the author. All thoughts and opinions are my own. #lindafausnet #calledthirdstrike
April 24, 2022
loved!
I enjoyed this story. It had some really important lessons in it and honestly was so well written because one thing I didn’t see coming AT ALL and I can usually figure out everything in a book so quickly. So really good writing here. Heartfelt, emotional with a bit of steam. I’m excited for the next book. In this series
I enjoyed this story. It had some really important lessons in it and honestly was so well written because one thing I didn’t see coming AT ALL and I can usually figure out everything in a book so quickly. So really good writing here. Heartfelt, emotional with a bit of steam. I’m excited for the next book. In this series
May 21, 2022
Another hit!
This story was thought provoking. You have a woman who was bullied as a girl and a man who has always had a super ego. The only thing is the baggage for both is one and the same, yet only one remember. When the baggage comes to light lives change. The book also carries a message of be kind to other, because you never know what they might be going through.
This story was thought provoking. You have a woman who was bullied as a girl and a man who has always had a super ego. The only thing is the baggage for both is one and the same, yet only one remember. When the baggage comes to light lives change. The book also carries a message of be kind to other, because you never know what they might be going through.
July 10, 2022
cute fun series
If you want a quick read that makes you smile then read this series…..being a Maryland gal I loved that they are set in my home state…
If you want a quick read that makes you smile then read this series…..being a Maryland gal I loved that they are set in my home state…
October 23, 2022
Good
Another great story in a series I’m really enjoying. Each book can be read as a stand-alone but I enjoyed it more reading the previous stories.
Another great story in a series I’m really enjoying. Each book can be read as a stand-alone but I enjoyed it more reading the previous stories.
January 31, 2024
This was a book full of bullying and trauma triggers. I couldn’t quite get past it to enjoy this story. It all felt wildly toxic. This was not my favorite in this series.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews