Review: Swinging at Love by Kendra C. Highley

Swinging At Love
(Suttonville Sentinels #2)
by Kendra C. Highley
Publisher: Entangled Teen: Crush
Publication date: March 13, 2017
Genre: YA
Rating:

Outfielder Tristan Murrell has a problem. As the number two slugger for the Suttonville Sentinels, his team is counting on him to make their very first run at the state championship. But he has a secret—his swing has totally deserted him. As in, he can’t hit anything. He needs to fix the issue, and fast, but how?

Ballerina Alyssa Kaplan has a problem, too. The shiny new sports complex in town has left her family’s batting cage business on the verge of going under. Nailing her audition for a prestigious dance company is everything, but there’s no way she’s letting her some shiny big-box company destroy her family’s livelihood.

Tristan needs a miracle. So does Alyssa. And maybe, just maybe, Tristan’s secret weapon might be the girl of his dreams…

 

 

My thoughts…

Swinging at Love is a sweet romance story between two teens. Alyssa used to be an amazing softball player but she quit to be a ballet dancer instead. Her family’s batting cage business isn’t doing so well now that there’s a big shiny sports complex in town. Tristan is the outfielder for his high school team and they’re hoping to go all the way this year and win the state championship. The only problem is, he hasn’t been able to hit the ball lately. If he can’t get his swing back, the team isn’t going to make it to the championship game, and his dream of being captain of the team is over.

I recently read the first book in the series, The Bad Boy Bargain, and really enjoyed the spin the author put on it. So, I was really excited to give this story a read. The author just has such a way with making the reader fall head over heels in love with her characters. When Alyssa finds out that her family’s batting cage business is on the rocks, she does all she can to help out. She gives her parents her ballet camp fund, she does her best to learn how to do maintenance on the batting equipment, she even refuses to take payment for her hours at work. Tristan is a guy who just wants to get his swing back. So he drives out to the edge of town to some old-school batting cages to practice where no one would notice him. However, when Alyssa pops in and gives him some pointers on how to help better is swinging average, he soon realizes that she has a calming effect on him. He, too, is loyal and when he finds out that her family is struggling to keep their business open, he devises a plan to help out. Both of these characters were just too cute.

One thing that was a little annoying was the drama or conflict in the story. The whole not telling people because you don’t want to hurt their feelings was silly. Not to mention the jumping to conclusions instead of just talking it out bit that also took place. I guess they’re teens and they are going to not think clearly but I just thought it to be a bit silly. Everything could have been avoided or solved if they just talked. However, my issues with that weren’t enough to damper my feelings towards the story. I still found them adorable.

Swinging at Love is a super cute young adult romance that centers around an outfielder and a ballerina. I loved the tight-knit family aspect that Alyssa has, and I loved how close Tristan was with his teammates. It was great getting to see Kyle and Faith again. From the acknowledgements at the end of the book it sounded like this book wasn’t necessarily planned and was something her editor brought to the table. So, I’m not sure if this is going to now turn into a series or not but I’d love to see Dylan find his HEA.

 

 

Favorite quote…

“Hey, don’t mock our generation’s teenage exclamations,” Dad said. “You people say things like ‘yasss queen.’ I have no idea who you’re talking about. Queen Elizabeth?”

 

Previous reviews from Suttonville Sentinels
The Bad Boy Bargain

 

 

Meet the author…

Kendra C. Highley lives in north Texas with her husband and two children. She also serves as staff to four self-important and high-powered cats. This, according to the cats, is her most important job. She believes in everyday magic, extraordinary love stories, and the restorative powers of dark chocolate.

Website | Twitter | Facebook

 

 

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4 Thoughts on “Review: Swinging at Love by Kendra C. Highley

  1. It sounds like I’d enjoy this one, thanks for the review. I hadn’t heard of it before 🙂

  2. I don’t read too much contemp YA, but I do gravitate toward those that have some sort of art to it. So, ballerina made me curious about this one. I do think I would give it a go. Thanks for letting me know about this book!

  3. This book looks adorable, and I do love how they meet! I’m glad you enjoyed it.

    Nice review. 🙂

  4. I love teen romance! I would have felt the same way about the conflict too, but I’m really interested to read this one. Great review Kristin 🙂

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