Kulti by Mariana Zapata

Blurb...

When the man you worshipped as a kid becomes your coach, it’s supposed to be the greatest thing in the world. Keywords: supposed to.

It didn’t take a week for twenty-seven-year-old Sal Casillas to wonder what she’d seen in the international soccer icon—why she’d ever had his posters on her wall, or ever envisioned marrying him and having super-playing soccer babies.

Sal had long ago gotten over the worst non-break-up in the history of imaginary relationships with a man that hadn’t known she’d existed. So she isn’t prepared for this version of Reiner Kulti who shows up to her team’s season: a quiet, reclusive, shadow of the explosive, passionate man he’d once been.

Nothing could have prepared her for the man she got to know.

Or the murderous urges he brought out in her.

“Every single thing that has ever happened in my life has led me here, Sal. Destiny is a ladder, a series of steps that takes you where you’re supposed to go. I am the man that I am, and I have done the things that I’ve done, to get me to you.”

Kulti is one of those difficult-to-review books, not because there’s anything wrong with it but because there is just so much “right” with it. There are so many things to gush about, so many things I want to share with you, but I won’t deprive you of the enjoyment that’ll come as the story slowly unfolds revealing painful secrets from the past, and the peace that can come when you share those secrets with the people who care about you most.

I’ve seen some reviewers say that this isn’t a romance novel, and I might agree with them, but only to a degree. The relationship - both emotional and sexual - between Reiner Kulti and Salomé Casillas is slow to grow, but it happens in such a mature, believable way that it’s one of the things I love most about the story. But make no mistake about it, there’s most definitely a romance here, and it’s beautiful - and hot!

I’ll wrap it by saying that if you’re like me and not a big fan of the New Adult genre because of all the drama inherent in its stories, give this one a try. There's drama, yes, but it's not contrived and fits perfectly with this sports themed romance.

Kulti is a stand-alone novel and so well done that you can bet I’ll be looking for more by Mariana Zapata!

Click here to purchase Kulti from Amazon

Throwing Heat by Jennifer Seasons

The sexy baseball players of Jennifer Seasons' Diamonds and Dugouts series slide into home with a final fiery romance worthy of a World Series win.

Nightclub manager Leslie Cutter has never been one to back down from a bet. So when Peter Kowalskin, pitcher for the Denver Rush baseball team, bets her that she can't keep her hands off of him, she's not about to let the arrogant, gorgeous playboy win. Especially when the prize could put her business on the map. She's got this in the bag, just so long as she can stay out of his arms … and his bed.

Peter struck out once before with Leslie, but this bet is sure to be the second chance he's been waiting for. Determined to stoke the passion he knows is there, he'll do anything to win—even if it means playing a little dirty.

But as things heat up, this combustible pair will have to decide just how much they're willing to wager on one another … and on a future that just might last forever.

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4.5 fun, sexy, exciting stars!

I just adore Jennifer Seasons’ Diamonds and Dugouts series, and with Throwing Heat she’s hit another home run!

My review

Diamonds and Dugouts is one of my favorite Contemporary Romance series because each book and each character has so much passion, so much life that I can’t help but become invested in their story and attached to the people, each and every time.

I hope I’m wrong, but based on the blurb calling this “a final fiery romance” that this might be the last book? I sure hope not because I absolutely love the Rush world and its players and can’t get enough!

The bottom line

Throwing Heat is a fun, sassy, sexy story, but there was some serious emotional depth to this one, too. Who knew I could love a heroine who would work so hard to keep the hero at arms length? And who knew that hero, a cocky, sexy, ‘I need no one’ MLB pitcher could be so vulnerable!?! But it’s that vulnerability that made me want to bring Peter home and love him all better, and that made me round this up to a 5 star read.

My thanks to Avon Books for providing me with a copy of this awesome story in exchange for an honest review.

Books in the Diamonds and Dugouts series: