Slow Heat

Jill Shalvis brings back the hot and sexy boys of summer in Slow Heat. Wade O'Riley, catcher for the Pacific Heat had gotten bad press once again. Some groupie claims she is carrying his love child. Public Relation for the Heat hatches a full proof plan. Wade has to pretend to be involved with the team's publicist Samantha McNead. That should be no problem Wade has wanted to get close again to Sam for a long long time. Samantha McNead loves her lob working for the Pacific Heat. Her lastest assignment is to be Wade O'Riley's "girlfriend". Samantha has tried to put her one night stand over a year ago out of her mind. Now this forced relationship has brought it all back and then some. As if Sam doesn't have enough on her plat, her brother leaves his young son in her care. Samantha and Wade think they can handle this pretend relationship with ease. But a searing hot passion and seeing each other in a different light has them both rethinking the pretend part. Slow Heat sparkles with humor and a sizzling passion that tears up each and every pager. Sam and Wade connect as friends as well as lover. They are funny and sexy and a delight to get to know better. Jill Shalvis books are a must read for every romance lover out there.

Jill writes the sexiest and most humorous books. You just can't wait to get it open and start reading. Samantha and Wade showed up in Holly and Pace's story "Double Play" and I just knew there was another book from Jill. Samantha is so uptight and Wade so funny and sarcastic, they just make you laugh! He delights in making her squirm and she doesn't quite know what to do! Jill's books are hard to put down once you start reading. I've read both of mentioned books at least twice and will probably read again and again. Short review....BIG and TALL reading!!!

Wade O'Riley, catcher for the Santa Barbara Heat Baseball team, has landed himself in PR trouble and corporate sponsors are demanding that he clean up his act. Owners decide that no one can make Wade look better than Samantha McNead, the team's gorgeous, strictly business, publicist. Given their one-time alcohol-fueled tryst in an elevator a year before, Sam isn't initially open to the idea. Turns out that Sam has no say in the matter and ever the professional, she's determined to make it work. Wade is still attracted to Sam and loves "messing her up" and making her squirm every chance he gets when they're in public. Wade makes every attempt to appear laid-back and carefree, but there are complex layers to him and he's surprised when Sam gets close enough to find and understand them. Sam isn't at all happy about acting as Wade's girlfriend. She's far too serious to act like just another one of his playthings. Not only does she have to "babysit" Wade, but serious family issues have Sam's young nephew, Tag, being sent to stay with her. Tag is bent on driving her crazy, acting out as a cry for attention, and Sam is seriously stressed. She's in a constant state of sweet frustration between the two "men" in her life, but determined to take good care of Tag and show him the unconditional love that he so desperately needs. When it comes to Wade, her feelings aren't quite so easy or understandable. It isn't long before Wade and Sam's attraction is undeniable and they both discover that there's much more to the other than meets the eye. Jill Shalvis writes the most delicious heroes and Wade O'Riley is no exception. Despite being a constant in baseball's fast lane, Wade has painful secrets that are keeping him from finding true happiness. Sam appears a little starchy early on, but it isn't long before readers see her vulnerability, just as Wade is finding them for himself. The two are like oil and water at first, but they quickly mix and it's almost immediately obvious that there's something powerful going on between them. I don't typically care for children in my romance, but Tag is beautifully written as a somewhat neglected, emotionally needy little boy and Wade's interaction with him is priceless, serving to make him even more endearing. Check out SLOW HEAT, I feel certain you'll be glad you did.

It has been a while since I read a romance and this was a wonderful one to reintroduce myself to the genre. I won't give a plot summary. You can look at the product information to see that. But I will say that I especially liked the baseball quotes that began each chapter. It was fun guessing what the quote would have to do with the chapter. Wade is a super, yummy character. I admit I have a soft spot for professional athletes - especially baseball players. He was sexy, competent, kind, and confident. I liked Samantha too. She was trying so hard to be an excellent PR person for the baseball team. I liked that both characters had hidden depths and vulnerabilities. I liked that it wasn't easy for them to fall in love. The book had high emotion and some humor too. Excellent book! Now I am off to read Double Play.

This is the the 2nd book about the Santa Barbara Heat baseball team following Double Play (Berkley Sensation). It is not necessary to have read the first book, but Wade & Sam were both introduced and Pace & Holly (couple from Double Play) are in this one. Wade O'Reilly is a player--both on and off the field. He needs a better image for his sponsors, so in steps Samantha McNead, PR specialist for the Heat. They will play a couple for a month to tame his image down and get all the sponsors and media on board the "settled down Wade" train. The problem is Sam & Wade have a history. Pretending isn't going to be easy for either one of them. And when life's complications get in the way, the relationship might be more real than either of them planned. Jill Shalvis is probably my favorite author. She has a way of giving her characters depth and a realness about them. Their problems are real and not overblown. I'm never annoyed with the "how stupid can this character be?" thoughts...I loved both Sam & Wade. I laughed plenty and felt the chemistry between the two. The relationship developed at a nice pace and kept me interested. It was the usual witty, fun writing style I'm used to from Shalvis. I had a hard time putting this book down when it was time for sleep. I finished it in just over a day (even with going to work and taking care of the house!). I'm looking forward to more from this series.