Title: Bring on the Heat
Series: The Boys of Summer #1
Author: Katie Rose
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Blurb: In Katie Rose’s irresistible battle of wits, a case of mistaken identity lands a female fan in bed with a sexy superstar—and in major-league trouble.
House-sitting for a rich and famous friend has its perks, and Darcy Hamel isn’t shy about enjoying them. Especially when it means scoring a ticket to an exclusive fashion show hosted by the New Jersey Sonics. An avid baseball fan, Darcy has always dreamed of meeting the team—especially the starting pitcher whose body is as hot as his fastball. But there’s a catch. The gala is by invitation only. To get behind the velvet rope, mild-mannered Darcy will have to pose as party girl Lydia Logan.
Schmoozing is one of the downsides of fame, but Chase Westbrook knows how to liven up even the dullest event. And nothing spices a night up more than a beautiful socialite with a naughty reputation. What Chase doesn’t expect is a hint of sweetness beneath her sultry façade. Flirtation turns to seduction and leaves him aching for more. Chase just doesn’t know who the real Lydia is: the spoiled tease crying foul over some missing diamonds or the alluring woman making a play for his heart.
Thoughts: This is just one of those stories that makes you smile….most of the time.
Lydia Logan is a man-eating, party-girl socialite living off her grandfather’s money. Darcy is her house-sitter, but she also does almost anything Lydia needs. Darcy feels like she is Lydia’s only real friend. When Lydia heads out of the country to party with a new guy, she gives Darcy her ticket to a fashion show for the New Jersey Sonics. The Sonics are Darcy’s favorite team and she’s always had a crush on the star pitcher, Chase Westbrook. She goes to the event with Lydia’s invite, but she does try to tell them who she is. They don’t listen to her and everybody assumes she’s Lydia.
Chase is happy with the Sonics, but he wants real baseball glory and you have to play for the Yankees to get that. Since Lydia’s grandfather is part owner to the Yankees, he intends to get close with her and help his chances. Lydia is a known man-eater and wild child, so he is surprised at the sweet side she keeps showing him.
When Darcy realizes the earrings she borrowed from Lydia were real diamonds and that she left them at Chase’s, she is panicked to get them back. Chase know Lydia will never talk to him again once she gets the earrings back, so he uses them as a way to lure her into continuing to date him. As they get to know each other more, Chase and Darcy (posing as Lydia) fall in love.
When Lydia figures out that Darcy has been posing as her, she doesn’t ask questions. She’s sure that if Chase is interested in Darcy as Lydia, he will love the real thing. This might even get her grandfather to release her trust fund to her early. She finds the absolute most embarrassing way to “out” Darcy and Chase is angry and embarrassed. Darcy goes back to her regular life while Chase and the real Lydia start dating. Yes, that’s right! He starts dating and having sex with the real Lydia. I had 2 cringe-worthy moments in this book and this was one of them.
Darcy decides to write a letter to both Lydia and Chase to apologize and let them know why and how it happened. Will Lydia and/or Chase accept her apology? Will Chase get over the anger and will he want to be with Darcy? What happens with the Yankees?
Long story short, I liked this book. I really like romance with a sports theme, so I was eager to read this and predisposed to enjoy it. Lately, I have noticed that I don’t care much for the female lead, but the leading male ends up redeeming the story line (so likeable, funny, hot, etc). That was not the case in this story. Darcy was likeable from the beginning. She was just an ordinary girl caught in a crazy situation. Would any single, straight american girl do the exact same thing she did? I believe the vast majority would. Chase was a jerk at the beginning….beyond a jerk really! I mentioned 1 of the 2 cringe-worthy moments in the story. Here is the other: The night Chase and Darcy posing as Lydia meet at the fashion show, Darcy drinks too much and Chase takes her to his house. She passes out and he considers having sex with her anyway! I had to read this section over about 3 times, because I was SURE I misunderstood. I didn’t. Chase needed to grow in this story and Darcy helped with that. By the end of the book, Chase was far more likeable.
Grade: A-
