Single is the first book in the new Stockton Beavers series from Collette West. This series is a spin-off of her New York Kings series, so if you have read any of those books you will recognize a few familiar faces here. Don't worry if you haven't though as Single is a complete standalone and you do not need to have read any of those to understand this one.
After getting hit in the neck with a pitch, Luke "Single" Singleton not only lost his career, but nearly his life. So when he is offered a chance to play for his hometown team the Stockton Beavers, Luke knows that this could be his one chance to make it to the majors. But Luke's mom has Alzheimer's and he promised his dad he wouldn't put her in a facility, leaving him as her sole care provider. So when Roberta Bennett comes to town, he knows that she could be the solution to all his problems since she is a personal care aide. Soon Roberta has accepted the job and is living under the same roof as Luke while she cares for his mom and things between them start to heat up. Though neither of them were looking for a relationship, they can't fight the connection between them. But Roberta has a past that she is trying to hide from, and when her secret comes out it could destroy everything they have been building together.
I have to admit that when I first saw Roberta was going to be the heroine here I was worried. She was definitely not my favorite character in the New York Kings series and I was nervous that I wouldn't like her or be able to connect with her. That was absolutely not the case here though. There was so much more to her than we had seen and it was a case of how one should never assume they have all the facts when looking in from the outside. Roberta was easy to like right from the start of this book, and I felt like she was very was to relate to. Luke was amazing. He was sweet and humble, not like your typical cocky athlete at all. It was great to see a guy that cared more about his mother and taking care of her than pursuing a career that could make him rich and famous. He was willing to give it all up for her, and I really admired that about him. At the same time he was hard working, and gave baseball everything he had. I thought that he was great with Roberta too, and these two had great chemistry and a connection that I really enjoyed seeing form.
I will say that Single had less heat than other books I have read from Collette West and there were times that this book felt a bit slower than her others have. But I really enjoyed the story and the characters and didn't mind that this one had a bit of a different feel to it. Collette is a great writer, and I really liked seeing this more emotional and inspirational type of writing from her. Not that I don't enjoy a good amount of steam with my books, but I felt like in this case the story was so good that I didn't miss it. If you haven't read anything by her I would recommend checking them out, especially if you are a sports romance fan. I have really enjoyed everything I have read from her, and I am looking forward to reading more from her in the future.
**ARC Provided by Good Choice Reading**
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