| Title | : | The Ninth Inning (The Boys of Baseball, #1) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 346 |
| Publication | : | First published April 10, 2020 |
To prove he’s serious about his final season, he’s given up girls. No more casual hookups, dates or one-night stands. But there's one girl who has always refused to give up on him. One girl who has been there since the start of Freshman year. One girl he stupidly assumed would always be waiting for him when he got off the field, no matter how long it took.
Christina's had enough of Cole pushing her aside for baseball. She’s grown tired of waiting for him to see what she’s known since they were freshmen… that they are good together. She’s finally moved on- for good this time.
Cole has other ideas, but she refuses to cave. It’s not her problem if he wants her now. Too little too late.
There comes a point in your life when you have to stop the incessant merry-go-round and just get off the ride, right? Try telling that to Cole.
The Ninth Inning (The Boys of Baseball, #1) Reviews
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dnf 56%
the blurb drew me in and this had potential but nahh.
spoilers ahead!!
the paragraph of the H in the very first chapter talking about how he hates girls who have lip fillers should've been my first warning:"Ladies, we guys loved that you had a mouth in general. We daydreamed about the things we'd like to do it or put in it or having it wrapped around our dicks. But we never daydreamed about you making them bigger. If anything, we wished you'd stop. There was enough fake shit in this world; you didn't need to fill your face with it."
uhh... okay, dad?
i ignored that because i thought that was gonna be a one time thing so anyways, in the first chapter we get to read about how the H is NOT a ho because he rarely slept around. hmm ok. good for him. thank god we don't have another man ho H.
BUT THEN literally the next chapter, we get to find out that the h and H have been hooking up since freshman year while they were sleeping with OP (more so on H's side)... uhh well ok. well, the blurb was misleading then cuz i thought they were only friends or whatever and by then i was a little uncomfortable because i don't like it when the MCs are falling in love but they slept with OP. that's a me thing so, strike one
so there was a bit of a back and forth between them and how the H regrets hurting the h in the past all the time and strung her a long and how the h just went with it because she thought he would change and now she thinks she was pathetic that whole time blah blah blah. H sees h with his nemesis and gets jealous, finally realizes that he can actually play baseball AND have a girlfriend at the same time so he starts trying to win her back. and i was like ok maybe i can continue reading this if there's gonna be grovelling cuz that's my kryptonite but NOPE. we only got one grovelling scene from the H and the h was like ugh fine ok i won't let you work harder or grovel more because of my pride or something blah blah and with that, i dnf'ed.
how can you not let a man grovel some more when he repeatedly hurt you and pushed you away by sleeping with other girls and by choosing baseball over her all the damn time?? this happened for three years and realistically, that kind of pain don't just go away so quickly!
i absolutely hate heroines who KNOWS the heroes treated them badly but then forgives them right away! granted, the h here ignored the H for 7 months but once he actually started to grovel she was like aight whatever we'll be together. let's forget the past and think about the future. i don't like that so that's a strike two.
but what really nailed the coffin as to why i dnf'ed this is how the h complains about why girls have to be so petty, competitive, and bringing other girls down when she JUDGES girls for wearing false lashes, hair extensions, lip fillers, etc."They literally all looked exactly the same with blonde hair extensions, fake eyelashes, and filled lips. I felt like I was staring at a group of social media influencers who should be posing up against the pink wall in LA for likes and mentions, not sitting in the stands of a baseball game... I would never understand the fascination with looking as plastic as possible at such a young age..."
now, i happen to love wearing false lashes and some of my friends love hair extensions and this book made me feel ASHAMED for liking those because according to her, i am "plastic" and "fake". everyone in the new adult age range in real life happens to love wearing full-face makeup, lashes and all, so i still don't get why books treats makeup like the devil's work. the heroine just gave me "im not like other girls" vibes and i hate those heroines with a passion so strike three...
AND. I. AM. OUT. -
ARC received for a honest review
Let me just start of by saying this book had potential. I really liked the blurb. This book could hav been amazing.
Here is why this book didn’t do it for me. STORY SPOILER AHEAD
Background story
Cole and Christiana had been seeing each other since freshmen year college, until the summer before senior year Cole breaks things off with Christina because apparently she never meant anything to him. Also let me clarify that they were NOT dating, just hooking up and having "deep conversations" with one another. Christina wanted things to become serious but Cole always pushed her away, because he just wanted to concentrate on Basketball. He basically didn't want any distractions.
Anyway 7 months after their “break up” they meet again at the party and Cole realizes that he can’t let her go and decides to win her back. But now Christina is playing hard to get because she deserves more.
”If there were awards given out for resisting the one guy who held your heart in his hands, I would take home the gold.”
“I needed to stop giving my body to a guy who refused to give me anything more than his. And I definitely needed to stop giving my heart to a guy who didn’t deserve it.”
And then Cole is like please forgive me, I made a mistake and Christina is like no you told me you didn’t want me and Cole kisses her and everything is forgiven.
”Part of me knew I should make him beg harder or grovel more, but nothing erased the fact that we deserved a chance at being together. It was the one thing I’d always wanted ever since I first met him during our freshman year. And I refused to throw away the opportunity because of my pride”
Christina I thought you were going to get the gold award for resisting? What happened to that?
Lmao anyway this time they are OFFICIALLY together and have cringy dates. Also let's not forget about the whole female population in the university who are brainless bimbo's who can clearly see Cole and Christina are dating but they can't get it into their thick heads and flirt with the guy in front of his girlfriend because apparently she is irrelevant.
This is where I had enough and was so happy the book is
almost over.
But NOO we have another drama. Christina gets drunk and blacks out and apparently she sleeps with Cole’s nemesis. Christina being the honest girlfriend tells Cole and Cole begs her to tell him it’s a lie. That poor girl blacked out and doesn't remember anything so how can she tell you that it's a lie? 🙄🙄 what part of she doesn't remember did he not understand.
Anyway what does our smart Cole do? He dumps her.
And if you are wondering if she did sleep with the nemesis? OF COURSE NOT. What a shocker. When Christina tells this to Cole, he is still upset because during their breakup she didn’t contact him even once. So his ego got hurt but then he realizes what a dickhead he is and goes back to her.
The end.
Rating 2.5/5
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Sweet and frustrating.
Two words that I could use to describe this book.
It's a second chance / sports Romance, two tropes that I absolutely adore!
Cole is a hot baseball player, at his senior year in college. His only focus is to get draft for the minor league, and keep alive his dreams of becoming pro.
Christina is a social media manager and also senior in the same college.
They meet each other in their freshman year and started some sort of open relationship, since Cole couldn't focus on having a girlfriend. The book starts with they apart for 7 months after 3 years of their so called fling.
I really enjoyed his the story was told and their inner doubts.
It's a book about first loves, trust, mommy issues and friendship.
I wish that their time together were more portrayed than their time apart.
To me this book is more of a YA than a NA, their issues, their feelings, their fears... All looks like teen emotions, but since they're in college, it suits NA.
Their fight and their time apart could really been solved with conversation...
I loved Lauren and the boys.
It was a good read.
Apparently this College is also from another previous series from this author, and a few characters are from this series too... but this is my first book from her, so it didn't meant much to me.
❤️ Follow me on Instagram for my review's Edits 💋 -
DNF 46%
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So boring. The heroes are immature and I was bored.
Both of them have sex with other people during the 3 years that they hook up from time to time.Cole had never been my boyfriend. Sure, we had slept together a handful of times, but he’d never once asked me on a real date. And I was done feeling like a fool because of it. How had I allowed this much time to pass, only to find that we were still in the exact same place? It was embarrassing. And I was embarrassed.
I’d been there for Cole the last three years, taking the scraps he had given me like a starved animal and begging for more. I’d allowed it all to happen. I recognized that, and I accepted responsibility and acknowledged my role.
And over the years, I’d tried to convince myself that I wasn’t just a casual hook-up. But what followed after was always a stab to the heart. I knew he hooked up with other girls; I heard all about it whenever I walked across campus or sat down in class. It sucked, having Cole’s sex life thrown in my face, but he wasn’t the only one screwing other people.
“He doesn’t want me in public though. He doesn’t want me after the games or in the stands, where everyone can see us. He doesn’t want me at the fundraisers or the awards dinners. He sure as shit doesn’t want to take me on a date since he’s never once asked. And to be kept in the shadows, it’s not enough for me. Not anymore.”
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Cole and Christina have had an on again/off again thing going on for three years now. Cole is very focused on his baseball career and it’s his last year to have the opportunity to be drafted. He has never really had a committed relationship with any girl, he sees it as a distraction when he needs to be putting all his time and energy on improving his technique.
‘Baseball was all I saw. And I was not unique in that perspective. Baseball was all most ballplayers saw. We all shared the same dream - to get to the minor leagues and hopefully get into the bigs one day.’
Christina has been in love with Cole for as long as she can remember but the last time she tried to get any sort of commitment out of him he shut her down. She knows she needs to move on and find someone who is proud to publicly be with her, she always felt like she was Cole’s dirty little secret and she can’t put her heart through that again. She deserves more.
‘I needed to stop giving my body to a guy who refused to give me anything more than his. And I definitely needed to stop giving my heart to a guy who didn’t deserve it.’ - Christina
When Christina shows up at one of Cole’s baseball team parties looking smoking hot Cole acts indifferent but friendly towards her. That all changes when someone else shows an interest in her. He doesn’t want to commit to her but he doesn’t want her with anyone else. Poor Christina once again is getting mixed messages from Cole.
Cole has always been confident in his decision not to seriously date anyone but when he finds his mind drifting to thoughts of Christina more than it usually does, he begins to question his theory. What if keeping her at arm’s length is the one thing holding him back from being the best player he can be?
Jenn Sterling is back writing in a genre she knows well, a baseball romance. Ninth Inning is the first story in the Boys of Baseball series and I cannot wait for more! -
This somewhat second chance romance, but not quite second chance was really cute. I fully appreciated finding a baseball romance because I can never find baseball romances. I've forgotten their names but they were super cute. This happened at a really fast pace though and found myself honestly wishing there was more, that being said, I like how this was short and sweet, the hero finding that the heroine honestly made everything better in his life. He was in a batting slump and she simply made everything better. Cute baseball romance and beginning of a series.
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The Boys of Baseball is a new series, a college sport romance and a new to me author. It’s emotional, with the right amount of angst and drama to keep you turning pages.
Cole and Christina had a story, a casual relationship. They became from being lovers to enemies. Christina wanted nothing to do with him, trying to get him out of her heart. She was determined but the feelings are there and the temptation arising when Cole does everything in his power to get her back.
Cole wanted to focus in the baseball career. Christina was a distraction that threatened his goal as a baseball player. Thinking that he couldn't strike a balance between their relationship and the sport, he decided to break up with her. But when he realized that he could lose her permanently, he went after her with everything he had.
Overall I enjoyed this romance. I connected more with Christina than Cole. His attitude was more like teenage than adult. I liked the storyline, the bit of humor, and Cole’s sweetness. I hope there are no loose ends in the next book. -
„We’ll always be a thing. Look at us. We can’t stay away from each other. We always come back.”
Steam, all the feels and just the right amount of angst! Get ready, because The Ninth Inning is Big League! I’m so incredibly happy that J. Sterling brought baseball back. Sports romances are one of my favorite genres and I adored her Perfect Game series, so it’s no surprise how much I loved this one too. It includes everything I crave in a sports romance and it kept me up all night. I just couldn’t put it down, I was completely captivated by Cole and Christina’s story.
Cole instantly stole my heart! I fell head over heels for him. He’s a perfect mix of possessiveness and vulnerability. He has one goal in life - to play baseball professionally. He’s convinced that girls are a distraction and that's why he doesn’t get involved in relationships and because of that he lost the one girl who was IT for him. But he’s not a stereotypical player and I knew immediately that he wasn't the guy that everyone made him out to be. And once the façade was torn down, what was underneath was the most wonderful and loving guy, who makes your knees weak.
Christina was amazing. She was such a headstrong heroine, who I really admired. She’s so endearing and passionate about her work. She’s determined to learn from her mistakes and not allow to be hurt again. But it’s easier said than done when the one person who caused her pain wants her forgiveness and a second chance.
The attraction between Cole and Christina is evident. You can just feel the electrifying chemistry in the air and you know that they are inevitable. And seeing the progression of their feelings for one another was totally heartwarming. However, to find their happily ever after, they need to hit all the curveballs and touch all the bases before they can score home run.
Blurb nicely describes what can we expect in this story, but this is just the tip of the iceberg. This book has so many layers, such depth that it can’t be explained in a few sentences. The author's writing style is so good that the pages turn themselves. There are some unexpected twists in this book and fabulous secondary characters who will instantly pique your interest. I really hope to meet them in the other books in this series!
The Ninth Inning is New Adult at its best! It’s fast paced, full of sexual tension and burning passion. I fell deeply in love with Christina and Cole’s story and I can’t wait for more of The Boys of Baseball! -
4.5 Stars
Sports romances are some of my favorite genres, and The Ninth Inning was definitely a grand slam, and yeah I went there *wink* It gave me all the things I crave in a sports romance, and especially one of my fave sports, baseball. Cole and Christina’s story hooked me right from the start, I was consumed and I couldn’t read fast enough.
Cole without question stole my heart. He has one goal in life, and that’s to play baseball professionally. He’s convinced that girls are a distraction and that’s why he’s kept them at a distance and doesn’t get involved in relationships. He wasn’t a stereotypical player and what people made him out to be. There were layers to Cole, and once they were peeled back what was underneath was a loving and wonderful guy.
Christina was amazing. I admired her and her strong will. She’s been friends with Cole since freshmen year and sometimes a constant hookup, but never a girlfriend since he doesn’t do relationships. She’s trying her hardest and determined to learn from her mistakes and not allow to be hurt again. But it’s becoming hard to adhere to that since Cole, the one person who caused her pain wants her forgiveness and a second chance.
The chemistry between Cole and Christina is evident. You feel their attraction and it’s electrifying and inevitable. The progression of their feelings for one another was heartwarming and gave me all the feels. There are some bumps along the way, and they have to work to get that deserved happy ending in the end.
The Ninth Inning was a great start to this new series by J. Sterling. It’s full of sexual tension and brimming with passion. I loved Cole and Christina and very much enjoyed the secondary characters. I can’t wait for more of this series, and more of The Boys of Baseball.
*I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book* -
Get ready for a fun and fabulous series. J. Sterling is bringing baseball back and the first book in the series is a home run. I adored Cole Anders and Christina Travers. Great chemistry, awkward moments, lots of fun and of course college drama.
I enjoyed how Sterling wrote these characters-- 21 yr old's who might think they know a thing or two about relationships but have so much to learn. I love that Sterling did not over- romanticize 21 yr old college relationships. She made it fun. She made it real-- angsty, lots of back and forth, self-doubt, etc.
J. Sterling always balances her stories with angst, humor, romance and love.
She definitely hit this one out of the park. Meet Cole, Chance and Mac-- OMG Mac will have you LOL'ing and the ladies Christina and Lauren who will also have you laughing on more than one occasion.
D 4/5 -
Review by Lisa Kane
4.5 Stars!
I love a baseball romance. But, and this is a big but, after Taking Chances decimated me, I was a little hesitant to read another baseball romance from the same author. But, yep another but, I loved this book.
Cole Anders eats, sleeps and lives for baseball. He's a senior at Fullton State and he knows this is his last chance of his dreams of playing professional baseball. Nothing is going to come between him and his dreams. Especially a girl.
Well, not just any girl. Christina Travers.
Christina Travers. The one girl who had been my constant since I started going here. At least, she had been until I finally cut her loose one hot night last August after a disastrous summer ball performance.
Cole has regretted his decision ever since he broke things off with Christina. Well actually, he let her think that they were a casual thing and he had decided even that wasn't going to work out. In his mind, he can only have baseball or the girl. Not both.
Sometimes people wise up and realize that maybe they can have what they want and the world won't end. But what if it's too late? Cole is about to find out that anything worth having is worth fighting for.
Pissed that I'd ever let her go.
Pissed that I had convinced myself all this time that I never felt anything real for her.
Pissed that I'd pushed her into someone's else's arms.
The Ninth Inning has angst and drama and swoon. That's right, it has swoon. A good guy, a great girl and some misunderstandings that will make your worry that it's deja vue all over again. Ms. Sterling seems to love to rip our hearts open in scenes that play out in parking lots. Don't worry, this one isn't going to kill you like that again. But it's delicious drama and and the story flows and weaves its way from climax to resolution.
I wasn't ready just yet.
What I was, however, was conflicted and confused. I couldn't stop overthinking and replaying his words in my head.
Cole and Christina just work. I don't think I mentioned that Chance Carter is in this story. Yeah, Jack Carter's son. And he's getting his own story. Home Run!
She and baseball were the two things on earth I never wanted to live without.
But if I ever had to choose between them, it would be her.
Every time. -
Literally one of the worst books I've listened to this year. Couldn't stop rolling my eyes throughout.
This author keeps making her characters refer to women as "females" was only ONE of the myriads of reasons why I disliked this experience.
We have a "I'm not like other girls" heroine who takes back the hero after he strung her along for 3 years in a situationship, one where he was sleeping with other girls mind you, and one where he ended it with her in a humuliating way.
Heroine didn't make him fight for it, he just showed up after she had a bad date, and suddenly she's like, okay, I'll have breakfast with you and take you back.
Hero complaining about women getting injected with fake lips for "men" and saying that's not what men "like..." okay...?
For some reason, this author puts every woman who has gotten plastic/cosmetic surgery into a "they do it for men" box, which I found to be tasteless.
Hero breaks up with stupid heroine for "cheating" after it was implied that she was drugged and possibly raped...
um, okay... heroine is having a alcohol enduced memory lapse and is scared she may have slept with someone during it and doesn't remember, but the hero doesnt comfort her and try to help find out, but instead breaks up with her over "cheating..."
How is this a romance...? -
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3.5/5 Stars 🌟
▪▪▪ “I could have baseball, and I would still be missing something if I didn’t have you by my side. I need you both in my life. But I need you more” ▪▪▪
I really enjoyed this story like A LOT maybe more than I should've but I'm a mood reader and just before I started this book I was in the mood for an angsty, drama filled, new adult book and that's exactly what I got.
Cole & Christina's story was a second chance sports romance. They had been in an on again/off again relationship while in college until Cole decided he needed to focus more on Baseball and ended things for good. Now in their senior year of College Cole & Christina run into each other at a party and Cole is quick to realise he is not over her & wants her back except Christina is still upset about the way things ended and doesn't want anything to do with him. Cole is also struggling with his Baseball and not playing as well as he used to as well as dealing with a highly competitive team mate who is vying for his position on the team.
This story had a bit of everything in it. It was sweet, funny, passionate, frustrating at times, emotional and packed with a lot of drama. As much as I enjoyed this story & loved Cole & Christina I also had a few issues I couldn't ignore.
Even though both Main Characters are Seniors in College to me they read more like Seniors in High School. Both had moments where they felt immature and naive at times. The majority of the conflict and drama felt petty and some times over the top (but I secretly love pettty drama so this is why I loved this book 🤷♀️)
There was one instance in particular where Christina is put in a vulnerable position and I do not like the way either of them dealt with the aftermath. I felt bad for Christina but also felt she needed to take a more serious approach into finding out what really happened and making sure she was ok after the fact. Cole frustrated me so much during this part as I hated his reaction. I understand he was upset and hurt but by not being there for Christina and helping her figure it out broke my heart. He was also borderline victim blaming when he thought he wouldn't be able to get over the situation. I did feel bad for him and the pain he was going through with the unresolved issues from his childhood but I lost a little bit of respect for him in the way he treated Christina.
With that being said I actually did love this story and it was everything I was craving and more but I just couldn't ignore the faults. Their love was messy but in a good way and the ending was perfect. I can't wait for book 2 in this series as I just know Chance's story is going to be a good one.
《book aesthetic made by me. I do not own the pictures, all found via pinterest》
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“𝘉𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦, 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘢. 𝘠𝘰𝘶’𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘪𝘵.”
TOP FAVORITE READ OF 2020!!! Everything Jenn writes is pure gold and this book is no exception. I’ve waited 6 years for this series to become a thing after that tease of Chance at the end of the perfect game series and let me tell you...Jenn hit it out of the park with this one!! This series will give you old school Perfect Game feels with the drama, angst, humor and an amazing love story thrown in. The Ninth Inning takes us back to the drama of Fulton State and those lovable baseball players with the hot bodies and even cockier attitudes. You even get a glimpse of Jack as a coach and dad, swoon. Christina is the perfect heroine, she doesn’t take shit from anyone because she knows she deserves better and tells it how it is. Cole, oh Cole Anders... how I love that tall, dark, and handsome man. He is a ball player for Fullton State with a heart of gold even though he only let’s Christina see that version of him. Christina & Cole are the perfect couple even though it takes them awhile to realize they are meant for each other. You are introduced to Chance and Mac, Coles teammates and the other two boys of baseball. Ladies, Mac is mine, I’m calling dibs!! This story is everything you love in a good sports romance, Jenn has a way with words that keeps you intrigued and the bombshells she hits you with, you think one thing is going to happen and then bam! That’s not actually whats happening at all. This book goes ahead and breaks all the normal stereotypes of girls and guys in typical romance books. I can’t say it enough...THIS. BOOK. IS. EVERYTHING. If I could give this book all the stars I would but I’ll have to settle for 5 stars!! When this book releases on April 10th, run and don’t walk to get this amazing book!! This is a Must Read book!!! Thank you Jenn for the ARC in exhange for an honest review. 💙⚾️ -
I don’t think you can hear the name J Sterling and not think of baseball (Thank you, Jack Carter). Sterling has revisited her roots with The Ninth Inning, and did it in the best possible way. Cole and Christina’s story was such an honest, pure, angsty, and sweet romance that Sterling hit right out of the park! This book is the just the start of what I already know will be an amazing series, and I can’t wait for the next book!
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Spring is in the air -- it's time to BRING ON THOSE BOYS OF BASEBALL!
The first book in J. Sterling's new series takes readers back to the baseball diamond with a new star, Cole Anders and Christina Travers, a girl he's treated rather badly and been a total jerk. We begin their story seven months after they last parted and Cole is having second, third and on and on thoughts about why he let her go. This is their senior year in college and they've had an on and off hook-up since freshman year. Of course, you can expect the usual angst and drama that college romances usually circle around, including the prospects of a star player once again hoping to be drafted into the major leagues.
There are a few foul balls and a couple of strike-outs that kept this one from being a homerun. I'm not going into details -- you'll need to be the umpire and call 'em as you see 'em. One fun and exciting addition is that Chase Carter is now a sophomore in college and a teammate of Cole's. Fans of the Perfect Game series will certainly remember his dad, Jack Carter. Hoping to see more of Chase (and maybe a book of his own) in this series.
So, nothing really out of the ordinary in this sports-related college romance, but the story does read well and if you're like this fan, you'll enjoy nine innings and a trip back to the ballpark. -
3.5*
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4.5 Stars
J Sterling is one of my OG authors that I will always come back to. She started my love for sports romance and when I saw she was going back to baseball, I could not be more excited. And she did not let her readers down!!
The Ninth Inning starts off her newest series, The Boys of Baseball and she smacks this one out of the park (yes, I had to be corny and throw in some baseball analogies). LOL
The Ninth Inning introduces us to the few fellows who these books will be about, but this book is Cole and Christina's story. And it is a very sweet yet hot romance.
Cole has always made baseball his main focus and never allowing anything or anyone to distract him. Now in his senior year, he is finding himself in a slump with this batting and he has no idea why and he needs to fix it in order to have any chance to be drafted.
Christina has had an odd friendship/relationship with Cole until he told her to pretty much get out of his life. So she did - removed him from aspect of her life and hasn't seen, talked or come in contact with him the last 7 months. Christina goes to a baseball party knowing she'll possibly run into him but also to prove that she can move past whatever they were.
And that is all I am going to say. You need to figure out how things pan out and what happens between that party and the end. It is ride full of bumps, turns and groveling. I really, really enjoyed this book so much. I loved the chemistry between Cole and Christina and they both won me over with their abilities to talk things through and never giving up.
I cannot wait to see what Jenn brings us in the next two books about Chance and Mac. So excited!!! -
I struggled with this one. A lot. The author is a talented writer and there was so much potential in the story, but I never connected with either of the main characters and the never-ending DRAMA made it difficult to feel the love. And their backstory... yeah, I really misinterpreted that blurb. I went into this expecting more of a friends to lovers vibe, with the girl who has always been in the hero's peripheral vision. Instead, these two have had numerous casual hookups over the course of the last few years, but they've also slept with other people and have never been on a date. Call me crazy, but I don't love it when the main characters are hooking up with other people while falling for each other. That started this story off on the wrong note, and it wasn't a strong enough read to overcome the rocky start.
Essentially, the story follows Cole and Christina, two college students who have gravitated towards each other throughout their college years. Though they connect in private, Cole's sole focus is baseball and he's been unwilling to take things public. He's got a reputation as a player on and off the field, but he waivers on his interest in Christina. Seven months ago, Cole called things off for good, and it's not until they see each other again that either one realize how deep their feelings run. Seeing Christina with another guy is enough to set Cole off, and now he's the one determined to take things up a notch.
It's a sweet yet angsty read with a lot of push/pull interactions and drama throughout. It's much more about the struggle than the actual relationship (we see VERY little of the good times). Seemingly these two already have strong feelings for each other at the start of the book, though I wonder why Cole was never bothered by the fact that they weren't exclusive before. Jealously is definitely the primary motivation for him, so that seemed odd to me. I also don't love the depiction of women in this - honestly, I thought Christina would hold her ground more because of how poorly Cole has treated her in the past, and basically every other woman was made to look like a fake, catty jock chaser who doesn't care if Cole is single. That paired with an ending I found all sorts of problematic, and this new adult romance lost its charm for me. There's plenty that I liked, but those things were overshadowed by the problems. I appreciated receiving an ARC (and am voluntarily leaving a review), but this sweet sports romance soured for me pretty quickly. -
The best baseball book I've read in a while! Miss Sterling knocked it out of the park with this one!! it was raw, emotional, sexy and heartbreaking all in one story! I can't wait to read the next book!!
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❤️❤️❤️ Cole Anders! Full review to come
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5 GRAND SLAM STARS!! Holy moly....J. Sterling hit this one out of the park. I love baseball and Cole is a hot player with everything going for him. Christina is a pistol, I love how she held her own with Cole. These two are fun to watch through this story and they will become part of your family. If you love sports romance, you definitely need this book in your life.
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This was a refreshing take on college athletes, that's for sure. I could totally feel for both Cole and Christina in this situation. Cole is a baseball player that is intent on getting drafted and doesn't need any distractions. He knows that Christina would be the biggest distraction he could ever encounter. Not only is she his confidant and best friend, she is the only one that truly knows him. Which is why he needed to push her away and focus on his game. Right?
Seven months go by, Christina comes to a party at the baseball house just to test herself to see if she still has feelings for Cole, not so surprisingly she does, but she would be an idiot to let him string her along for ANOTHER year. Right?
When Cole pushed her away, he thought it was best for everyone, but now he is realizing that when he let Christina go, it was the worst thing for him. He is lost without her, but she would be crazy to let him back into her life. It made me swoon seeing this love sick man try his hardest to win back the woman he loves. There were ups and downs, but there wasn't an overpowering sense of angst to me. It was written in a way that it was lighter considering the subject matter. It was my first book by Jen and I will for sure read more. -
I want to start by saying this is my opinion on this book and I don’t expect everyone to agree with me. So many people will love this book, it's perfect if you want a college romance full of angst and drama, but I just wasn’t looking for that at the time I read this.
The Ninth Inning is a college baseball second chance romance about star player Cole and Christina, his casual fling who turns to more. It had such good potential but just didn’t go the way I expected, and not in a good way.
Cole Anders is a senior, determined to get drafted into professional baseball, so he gives up everything to focus solely on his goal. He only has one shot left at impressing the scouts and after a poor batting average last season, he wants no distractions, so cutting off his friend, and casual lover of three years, Christina seems like a good idea, until seven months later she arrives at a party and she’s all he can see.
Christina hasn’t gotten over the heartbreak that was caused that night all those months ago, when Cole threw away their friendship and told her to get out of his life. After avoiding him for months, she gets the courage to go to the party to see if she’s over him, and it turns out she isn’t. From there, Cole and Christina are thrown back into each other’s lives and Cole is determined to make her his, permanently this time, after coming to the realisation that he needs her to find balance in the rest of his life. But Logan, his rival and teammate, has other ideas. Intent on taking not only Cole’s spot on the team but his girl too, he tries his best to win Christina over, although not in the best of ways. Cole, upset with how Logan is messing with his head and game, convinces Christina that he is ready this time, he won’t lead her on or break her heart again, if she would just give him a chance. She reluctantly agrees, disbelieving at first but Cole goes out of his way to prove he’s telling the truth. Until one night, when Cole is at an away game, something happens which throws their whole relationship into question, and Cole must decide whether he can get past what happened, or move on for good?
Christina was by far the best character for me. She was by no means perfect at all, all the characters had their flaws, but she was the perfect relatable college girl. Every single thought process she went through any girl has had over the boy she likes, and my heart broke for her and what happened so many times. Cole’s treatment of her was at times, diabolical and I actually couldn’t believe how little respect he showed her. Cole was a cocky, at times incredible selfish and I just didn’t find him very likable. For the first time ever, at about 80% I didn’t actually want to the hero and heroine to end up together and I was hoping that Christina’s friend would tell her how much better she could do.
Cole put himself before her on a number of occasions, brushing traumatic events which happened to Christina away and instead putting his own feelings about the situation above hers, which to me is not love. He infuriated me on so many occasions, he was the reason I nearly DNF. Neither of them seemed like college seniors, more like high school and didn’t seem ready for a real relationship either; they were both fairly immature. I will say he slightly redeemed himself in the end when he came to his realisation, but there were so many times when he could have done the right thing, but he did the opposite and it just didn’t make him likable. While he had some sweet moments, these seemed cancelled out by his other actions. Aclear indication of his behaviour came at the beginning when he was happy to dangle Christina on a string for three years, picking her up and dropping her when he wanted, without any regard for her feelings.
The writing itself is why I rated this book 3 stars and not less. J Sterling’s writing was amazing, the fact she could bring out such strong emotions and feelings in me through her powerful words is incredible. The heartache, the anger, the body shivers I got throughout the book was fantastic and I did devour it in one sitting, desperate to see if Cole could turn the whole thing around. The fact that there were signs of his redemption is another reason my rating didn’t go lower, although I am still not happy with his behaviour through most of the book.
If you love a college sports romance with a lot of drama, so much angst, hot scenes and a will-they won’t-they couple, then The Ninth Inning is perfect for you!
*I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.* -
Cole is a college student with dreams of becoming a professional baseball player so his sport comes first and everything else comes a distant second. He has had a casual relationship for Christina for the last three years but when he feels his performance declining on the field he decides that having her in his life is a distraction he doesn’t need.
Christina has deep feelings for him otherwise she wouldn’t have stayed on the fringe of life and accept what little time he chose to give her. She has now realized how little she means to him so she will move forward with her life and leave him in her past.
Months later they both happen to be at the same party and he is starting to regret the choice he made but she is cautious as he broke her heart once and doesn’t believe that he wouldn’t do the same if they encountered any obstacles. This is a challenge he can’t afford to lose so it is game on!
Cole doesn’t realize how deeply he felt about Christina until he lost her while Christina has always known how she felt about Cole but she wasn’t about to settle anymore. -
This is a second chance romance, that dives straight into the drama. I love how the reader sees Cole's POV because I was engrossed in his actions and thought process, but I found it refreshing how the roles seemed reversed from the general romance conflict. It was nice to see the woman fight for the guy instead of an instant apology from the guy.
It was a super easy and light hearted read and J.Sterling always seems to make baseball interesting, even though I agree with Cory and find it boring (sorry, I've tried to enjoy it but 4 games in, watching 4 different teams and I just can't). I would definitely recommend this book for someone in a reading slump as well, as it would be a definite pick me up.
I really enjoyed the side characters in this book and would love it if Lauren got her own book because I think she is hilarious, but unfortunately, I don't see that happening with how her future seemed to pan out briefly in the epilogue. It'll be nice to see the Carters again in the next book, as I binge read the whole of Chance's parents series, so I'll be diving into book 2 ASAP. -
I rolled my eyes, I raged, I swooned, and I celebrated as I listened to this story. Though something predictable happened, there was this heartbreaking underlying reason, and that surprised me. It gave more depth to Cole's character and helped me forgive some of his earlier decisions. The ending was so good. I always love when I can go a bit into the future with a couple, and Sterling gave me a great look at where they go. A solid start to the series.
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4 STARS
What's better than baseball? Seriously, the baseball trope is at the top of my list when it comes to a sports romance. I am almost positive I have not read anything from this author, but I was shocked by how much this author based the book around the actual sport, most authors don't do that. I was also glad to see that this author didn't base her characters off fantasy. Don't get me wrong, the Hero was an alpha when it came down to it, but he actually fit the profile of a real human.
The Ninth Inning was a book that held depth. Depth of emotion, depth of real life-like qualities. I do think the story flowed nicely, but I did dock a star because I felt at times the characters were childish even though the were seniors in college. For the most part the characters faced their feelings head on which I appreciated. There was more than enough drama, that kept this book from being anything but boring, BUT there was plenty LOL moments as well. There was high's and there was low's, but I think was the most important was how these characters wanted to redeem themselves, and redeem themselves they did.
To say there was chemistry, that would be putting it mildly. I mean it was pouring off of the pages from beginning to end. I did enjoy how J Sterling gave us past snippets of the two of them together, instead of all in one swoop. Personally, I think it made the story better, more well-rounded.
Overall, this was a really good story, and I can not wait to see how the rest of this series plays out. Bring on the butts of all butts! I mean come on, we all know baseball players have the best of butts.
*I RECOMMEND THIS BOOK
*REVIEWED FOR REVIEWS FROM THE HEART
~ Ashley
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