DISCLAIMER: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an HONEST review. However, please note that since I realized it was third of a series, I did purchase the first two books to read so that I was familiar with the characters.

First of all, don't be afraid to pick this book up -- you don't necessarily need to have read the prior two books in the "Foul Ball" series in order to understand &/or enjoy the book. It can easily be a standalone read. Secondly, don't be put off thinking you need to /understand baseball in order to read this book. Baseball is more a "setting" for the book - and just as easily gambling could be used as the setting.

Catriona McDaniel is back and working for the Soldiers, once again a team reporter and living with her fiance, Benji. You're introduced to her half-brother, Quinn, who is a shady McDaniel that creates a huge problem for Cat. This book exhibits similiar themes to the prior two -- greed is bad and the rich are overpriveleged. There are rants against ball player salaries; overconsumption by "celebrities" and Benji gets in a few more ecological points. But the basic of the book is a "cozy mystery" of what actually happened on Cat's balcony and how that ripples out into the rest of her life and the baseball playoffs. It's an enjoyable read, with a few cute little twists. I would have enjoyed the story much more if I hadn't thought too much about it (guess that's a downside to knowing you're going to review it -- instead of reading for enjoyment, you're reading it knowing you need to review it). I think the whole relationship with Benji REALLY bothers me. Between her "dalliance" in "Curveball" with Junior and her nightmares about getting married (& more than obvious reluctance to do so) I just couldn't believe the relationship. And what woman really thinks about if her ring is actually real 14K gold (& how in the world does a college professor afford a 2 carat diamond???)? The ending bothered me; she obviously did NOT want to go with him for a year and to end it with her looking longingly at Soldier Field... well, not sure if that is meant to let the reader guess that the engagement is doomed to fail, or if it was more of a "I promise I'll be back" situation.

I did really the family themes; family sticks together, etc... It was also great that Quinn returned in the end to save her. I thought that I had read this was a three book series, but I think it'd really be interesting to "hear" from Michael McDaniel (the father) if there is a future book...

Overall, about a 3.8 star book (I rounded up) but it's a nice, easy read with some fun characters. Enjoy!sport-romance Kate80 9

This is a fun book with good dialogue and lively characters. There were some elements that really didn't work for me, such as why anybody would really care if an informal card game was held at someone's home, but overall it was OK and a pleasant enough way to spend a couple of hours.comedy e-library Jennifer286

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