We love our sports teams when they’re doing well, but that may turn to love/hate when they’re not, as disappointment and frustrations swell during losses. The ups and downs of a good romance novel can be just as emotionally fraught as an MLB season: the initial swell of attraction/love (winning streaks!), the pitfalls of actually getting to know each other in all our human messiness (awe come on, why’d you pitch that?!), or maybe a third act break up (losing streaks). But as any true fan and romance reader knows, love ultimately wins the day (we’ll get ‘em next year). In the thick of such an exciting Mariners baseball season with a world series on the table, take a third act break from the tension to enjoy these guaranteed Happily Ever After wins.
Pure love of the game shines through in two sapphic romances. In Jennifer Dugan’s YA romance, Playing for Keeps, high school baseball pitcher June wants to make a name for herself and step out of father’s shadow, a star in the minor leagues, while pushing herself to injury. Meanwhile, Ivy, who wants nothing more than to referee for the NFL, must contend with her mother’s pressure to attend college. When Ivy umpires for one of June’s games, they hit it off and soon find themselves on the wrong side of their school’s athletic code of conduct. Both struggling with loss, family pressures and their own ideas of the future soon come to a head. In Heart of the Game by Rachel Spangler, Sarah Duke has finally achieved her life-time goal of being an MLB sports writer when she meets Molly and her two young sons at a ballgame, forming an instant connection. As they explore a new relationship, Duke must decide if there’s room in her heart for more than just baseball, while Molly contends with fears of trust and abandonment.
What fun is baseball (or any sport, for that matter) without rivalries? In romance, just as in baseball, the tension and friction only add to those sweet, sweet wins. In KT Hoffman’s The Prospects, trans shortstop Gene gets shunted over to second base when his long-time rival, Luis, is traded to Gene’s beloved minor league team, the Beaverton Beavers. Despite the fact they can barely stand each other, Gene starts helping Luis with hopes of getting him into the majors and off his team. As their relationship blooms and the whole team improves along with it, playoffs finally become a real possibility, putting Gene’s hidden dreams at odds with both his beloved Beavers and his newfound relationship with Luis.
Sometimes your team disappoints you so much you have to break up–you just can’t endure another moment of heartache and disappointment. But is the love still there? Does the spark remain? Fortunately for romance readers, the answer is usually yes. In Lyssa Kay Adams’ Bromance Book Club, the second baseman for fictional Nashville Legends turns to a surprising source for help when his wife unexpectedly asks for a divorce: a secret book club of Nashville’s elite dudes who read romance books to try and learn how to be better partners and better men. In Evvie Drake Starts Over, by NPR radio host Linda Holms, it’s less about reigniting a smothered flame and more about learning how to build a new fire. After her husband dies, Evvie withdraws into her house, becoming a perceived shut-in. When her best friend invites Dean–an MLB pitcher who can’t seem to throw straight and can’t figure out why–to stay for a rest and reset, Evvie rents him the apartment at the back of her house. Their initial friendship starts turning into something more, but both have pasts and secrets to wrestle with.
Whatever the outcome of this magical Mariners season, love of the game endures. GO MARINERS!!
~ Posted by V.