Richmond Rogues by K. Angell

There are times when I just want to read something light and romantic. Those are the times where I go back to my first love – the trashy romance novel. Granted, that’s a loaded term since romance novels are not really trashy, but you always know what you’re going to get with one.  Awhile ago, I was told about this series that focused on team members of a major league baseball team and since I used to be a baseball junkie, I added it to my TBR list.  Well, while I was at the library this weekend, I came across all three novels in the series and grabbed them.

Yeah, that wasn’t a wrong move.  I have to say that I really enjoyed myself with Squeeze Play.  It was a quick read that kept me interested and had enough gossipy action going on that it really never slowed down.  One of the things I’m enjoying more and more with romances is when they focus on more than one couple.  For Squeeze Play, we get to see the rebound lovers Jacy and Risk figure out what they want and old time sweethearts Stevie and Aaron move on to new pastures (Zen and Natalie).  The fact that we were following three separate relationships that were tied so closely together really worked.  There was never any confusion as to who was speaking or who we were following and it all flowed well together.  Squeeze Play was definitely a treat as I started this new series and this new author.

Next up was Curveball and it had all of the same elements as the first one, but I would have changed one thing.  This time, we were introduced to the woman who tamed the Bat Pack and while each story was good, I think I would have rather seen this as a collection of novellas instead of one full length one.  Unlike Squeeze Play,the three stories didn’t flow as well together.  Don’t get me wrong, this did not take away the absorption quality of the story, because it was still really good and kept my attention all day.  However, there were times I would start wondering what was going on with either Chaser, Romeo or Pyscho, depending on who I was reading at the time.  Still, the novel was good and each romance was just as spellbinding as the previous novel.

The third novel in the series, Strike Zone was just as good as the previous two, however this time around we’re only following two romances rather than three.  Angell does a little better job at mixing the two up for the novel, but there was one hole I would have like to seen fixed.  I wanted to know what eventually happened to Hilary and Stuart.  We get an idea, but I would have liked to seen more there; especially considering they did get a shot at the spotlight for a bit.  The only real complaint I have is the timing of events.  I don’t know how much time passes between Squeeze Play and Curveball , but I do know that only a year passes between Curveball and Strike Zone and the main characters in Strike Zone first parted three years ago.  For some reason, I feel like there isn’t that big of a gap between Squeeze Play and Curveball , yet there would have to be at least 2-3 years since Taylor didn’t know about the Bat Pack’s marriages.  That’s really the only thing I couldn’t get a grasp on this time around.

Overall, this was a fabulous series.  Baseball is the one sport that I will actually pay money to go see and these novels definitely pick up the feel of being at the baseball diamond in the summer.  I’ve played the baseball groupie at one point (a long time ago) and this series brought back a lot of fun that time was.  All three of these novels were fun, quick and very humorous.  I’m seriously thinking of hitting the library as soon as Santa, Honey! and Sliding Home come out this fall.  I would definitely recommend these to anyone looking for a light and quick read.

Read Order:
Squeeze Play
Curveball
Strike Zone
Sliding Home (8/25/09)
Ho-Humbug-Ho novella in Santa, Honey! anthology (9/25/09)

Also reviewed by:
Dear Author – Squeeze Play and Strike Zone
Socrates Book Reviews – Squeeze Play and Curveball
Occasional Book Reviews (Squeeze Play)
The Idea Boutique (Curveball)
Angiels Romance Reviews (Curveball)
Breezing Through (Strike Zone)
Another Book on the Stack (Strike Zone)

About Jackie 3282 Articles
I am a 30-something SAHM with two adorable boys and a supportive husband who is very tolerant of my reading addiction. I love to read and easily go through about a dozen books a month – well I did before I had kids. Now, not so much. After my first son was born, I began to take my hobby of reviewing a little more serious and started Literary Escapism to help with my sanity. I love to discuss the fabulous novels I’ve read and meeting all the wonderful people in the book blogging community has been amazing.