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Straddling the Line
Straddling the Line
Straddling the Line
Audiobook8 hours

Straddling the Line

Written by Jaci Burton

Narrated by Lucy Malone

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

()

About this audiobook

Haven Briscoe has finally landed a dream job as a sportscaster for a major network. But she hasn't been able to move past the recent death of her beloved father, and it's affecting her career. A plum assignment following the daily life of sports superstar Trevor Shay might be just the inspiration she needs . . .

Trevor will do anything to spark life back into Haven, including letting her into every aspect of his world. The chemistry between them flames higher than one of Trevor's home runs and faster than his dashes to the end zone. But as they grow closer, Haven stumbles onto Trevor's closely guarded secret, one he's hidden his entire life. And despite his protests, now it's Haven's turn to put everything on hold to help Trevor. Will he let her in and trust her with a secret that could blow his professional and personal world apart?
Contains mature themes.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateJul 1, 2014
ISBN9781452687889
Straddling the Line

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Reviews for Straddling the Line

Rating: 4.058139525581395 out of 5 stars
4/5

43 ratings7 reviews

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    STRADDLING THE LINE was a nicely spicy sports romance featuring Haven Briscoe and Trevor Shay. They have known each other since college. Haven's dad and mom were the house parents to a house full of athletes. Trevor was one of them. Haven had a massive crush on Trevor but he didn't even notice. He was too busy being charming, skating around his schoolwork and developing his skills in baseball and football.When Trevor gets a call from Haven's mother saying that Haven isn't doing well after the death of her father, Trevor decides that he will do anything to help. He knows how much Bill Briscoe loved his daughter and he feels that he owes Bill a big debt for all his help when he was in college. Since Haven is now a sports reporter, Trevor arranges things so that she can be the one to do the long sought in-depth interview on two sport athlete Trevor. Haven isn't sure she wants the job. She is bogged down in grief and is ready to throw her career away to got back to Oklahoma to be with her mom. Also, she isn't sure she wants to be around the guy she had such a crush on. She decides to give the whole interview and career thing a try.When they meet again, sparks fly. Trevor is seeing Haven in a whole new way. But Trevor has a long-held secret and he is willing to do almost anything to keep it, even give up the possible love of his life. Now, I'll admit that I saw the secret coming from a long way off. But I still enjoyed and believed Trevor's reactions to it and to sharing it with anyone.Fans of sports romances and lovers of hot athletes won't want to miss this latest entry into the Play by Play series. It was good seeing some of the characters from the earlier books in the series making their appearances in this one too.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Straddling the Line
    3 Stars

    Following the death of her beloved father, sportscaster Haven Briscoe’s life is adrift and she is in dire need of an intervention. Haven’s mother appeals to family friend and gifted athlete, Trevor Shay, who responds by offering Haven not only the interview of a lifetime, but promises of a more personal nature as well ...

    Just when I think this series has run out of steam, Burton provides an installment that pulls me back in. Don’t get me wrong - Straddling the Line is not a masterpiece of contemporary romance, but it is a lighthearted and fun read with a sweet couple and relatively little angst.

    Haven and Trevor are very open about their attraction and their scenes together are hot and spicy albeit repetitive and not as emotionally engaging as some of the previous couples (Gavin & Liz, Garrett & Alicia).

    As with most of the Play-by-Play books, there is very little plot to speak of, which is disappointing as Trevor’s “secret” is compelling and could have made for captivating reading had it been developed throughout the story rather than being pulled out at the end to cause a convenient conflict.

    Although the expected cameo appearances by couples in earlier books are cute, especially Haven’s lunch with the women, they serve little purpose and are more filler than any meaningful interaction.

    All in all, Straddling the Line is good enough to have me adding book #9 to the TBR. Looks like the series is moving on to a new sports family, the Cassidys, and perhaps this will breathe new life into it.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Review courtesy of Dark Faerie TalesQuick & Dirty: While certainly steamy and well written, this story just didn’t have enough plot to keep me entertained.Opening Sentence: “Haven’s in trouble.”The Review:Haven hasn’t been the same since her dad died. She has what she always thought was her dream as a sports reporter, but she just can’t get herself motivated to work. Her mother sees this happening, and contacts Trevor, an old friend who is now a famous baseball and football star. Haven’s mother asks him if there is anything he could possibly do to help. Trevor contacts Haven’s boss, saying that he wants her to do a piece on him. Even in her grief, Haven can’t pass up this opportunity. So, she agrees to follow Trevor around during the end of the baseball season and beginning of the football season. As Haven and Trevor begin working together, it’s obvious there are sparks between them. Haven wants to keep their relationship professional, but she just can’t resist Trevor’s charms. As their relationship evolves, they both want to keep an emotional distance for their own reasons. Love, however, might have a different plan for them.I was hesitant starting this book. I wasn’t thrilled with the last Jaci Burton novel I read, and I was worried that this book might go the same way. Unfortunately, I was right. There just wasn’t a whole lot of plot here for me to sink my teeth into. It seemed like once Haven and Trevor admitted their attraction, all that was left was a bunch of sex, with some other scenes thrown in here and there. I have no problem with sex scenes in general, but when that appears to be the only basis for a relationship, it makes it very hard for me to suspend my disbelief when the “I love yous” are finally shared. Sure, Haven and Trevor knew each other in college, but not on a really personal basis, so I couldn’t even use that as an excuse for why there wasn’t much relationship building going on.The next thing that annoyed me is really just a personal quirk of my own and no real fault of the book’s. I kept getting yanked out of the story every time Trevor’s baseball team was mentioned because it’s not an actual professional team. Again, just a personal quirk of mine. Living where I do, I’m very familiar with both Chicago and St. Louis sports, so hearing the St. Louis team referred to as the Rivers just served to remind me that I was just reading a story. I couldn’t let myself get caught up in what was going on. I am fully aware that this probably won’t bother most readers. It was such a big source of frustration for me though that I had to mention it.I also couldn’t help but feel that Trevor’s big secret was just thrown in to add some last minute drama. He literally mentions nothing about it until maybe the 70 percent mark, and then it’s suddenly such a big deal that it’s the reason he feels he can’t be in a serious relationship. It just felt very random and once again yanked me out of the story.On the good side, the book is well written, and the sex scenes are certainly steamy. There’s no denying Trevor and Haven have chemistry. While light on plot, I was interested enough in what was going on that I feel I have to give the book more than two stars. I just wish there had been a little more to it than what there was.Notable Scene:“You take the game seriously.”He shot her a look. “Hell, yes, I do. This is my career. I love this game. Every guy on the team does. We hate losing, especially when getting into the postseason was within our grasp.”“There were some tough calls out there, and every game was close.”“And we made a lot of mistakes. I made a lot of mistakes. I struck out with the bases loaded. That right there was the potential to turn that game around.”“So you take personal responsibility for losing tonight’s game.”“I do.” He looked around. “Talk to any guy on the team tonight and every one of them will say the same thing.” He paused to take a breath. “Look, I know I tout myself as some kind of superstar. That I play two sports and I like to think I do both of them well. But at the end of the day, we’re a team. We win as a team and we lose as a team. And right now we the team think this sucks. And we’re going to continue to think it sucks until the start of next season, when we get together again, bound and determined to take the team all the way to the postseason again.”FTC Advisory: Berkley/Penguin provided me with a copy of Straddling the Line. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    3.5 stars. This wasn't my favorite of the series but it was still good. I would of liked more a bit more connection put into the story and the couple.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I absolutely love this series and this book was another great addition to it. I don't know why it wasn't a five star read for me, but there you go. The chemistry between the two main characters was freaking awesone and totally off the charts hot! Great to see some old characters, specially my very favorite couple: Liz and Gavin and their cute little daughter.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Straddling the Line (Play by Play #8) by Jaci BurtonTrevor Shay is living his dream as both a professional football and baseball player. When he discovers that his college tutor, Haven Briscoe, is struggling with her father’s death and ready to give up her career as a sportscaster he intervenes by offering her an exclusive interview. Haven and Trevor become close and Trevor worries that Haven will discover his long guarded secret. I love this story! Trevor and Haven seem to rediscover each other at the prefect time. They end up helping each other with difficult circumstances that have hampered their lives. I enjoyed Haven. She truly loved her father and struggled with accepting his death. Having lost my father, I could relate to her circumstance. I love Trevor. He is understandably cocky, having a bit of an ego, but he does it in a way that makes him likable and not a jerk. He is a good guy who looks out for his friends and team mates.I appreciated that characters from previous books are included in this novel. It is fun seeing characters you fell in love with becoming friends with the new additions.The plot was very realistic and well done. Straddling the Line is a heartwarming story that I truly enjoyed. My heart went out to both characters and what they endured and worked to overcome.Jaci Burton is a gifted writer. I really relish the Play by Play series and recommend it to lovers of contemporary sports romances. Burton does a wonderful job describing the sport scenes as well as coming up with intriguing plots.Complimentary copy provided by Penguin in exchange for an honest review.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Our Review, by LITERAL ADDICTION's Vivacious Valkyrie - Marta:*Copy gifted in exchange for an honest reviewStraddling The Line is the eighth book in the Play by Play series. This very popular series is centred around the sporting achievements of the Riley family, but this particular book centers around characters who have previously been kept on the sidelines. Prepare to be engulfed in a world that will both surprise and delight you!Trevor Shay is quite literally a sporting legend. He's one of that rare breed of sporting superstar who plays both Baseball and American Football professionally. He's loved by many, but still remembers where it all began. Asked by an old friend to help her daughter Haven who seems to be at a crossroads, he agrees to let her interview him, but it's going to be a long process.Haven isn't quite sure anymore if what she's doing as a journalist is exactly what she really wants to do. She's devastated by her father's death, but out of the blue, the one guy who always seemed out of reach offers her a plumb assignment. Trevor has always shunned in depth interviews but getting reacquainted with Haven he starts to allow someone to see the man beneath the uniform. What started out as a favour turns into something much more serious as Haven and Trevor spend more time together. Trevor has always kept his distance, but with Haven around he's finding it much harder to keep his secret. Trevor has reasons for not letting anyone really close, but Haven isn't a journalist for nothing, and if there's a mystery to solve, she's prepared to dig deep! Boundaries are about to be breached, and these two damaged people might just find a solution together .This is a very very sexy read. Be prepared to want to grab your man or battery operated friend as this author has written a seriously hot book! Trevor may not want to discuss certain things, but when it comes to being a performer he excels, and not just on the field. Haven is suffering from grief. Grief is not a common theme in romance, and it was very pleasing to see the author tackling it and making it acceptable. Far too often we struggle and refuse to admit to emotions, but these things need to be addressed, and for Haven, it was certainly time to move forward.I've read a few books by this author and although I'm not a huge sports fan ( I'm Englis,h so don't really understand baseball) these books are highly addictive. Ms Burton has the knack of making these stories come to life as we read of people who are either family or who met at college and are interconnected . This tight knit group of people are highly entertaining, and there's always something going on so it's a wild ride that the author takes her readers on.A very sexy installment, and it was great to revisit characters that always delight.