Review: Double Play by Jill Shalvis

Holly‘s review of Double Play (The Heat, Book 1) by Jill Shalvis

Getting to first base is a cinch…But getting home will take a grand slam…

Pace Martin is the ace pitcher for the Pacific Heat. He’s got the arm, the experience, and the wins. He’s also got the pain, the pressure, and the possible end of his career looming over him. The last thing he needs now is a distraction, even if it comes in the form of a tough, beautiful, tell-it-like-it-is writer who sees past his defenses.

Holly Hutchins knows a good story when she sees one, and the tall, dark, and slightly attitude-challenged Pace Martin fits the bill. But when she realizes there’s more at stake than just a win, she starts to see the handsome, broad-shouldered jock in a different light.

Pace and Holly begin a seductive game, but in the face of unexpected betrayal and challenges, they’ll have to find the courage to swing for the fences…

I don’t know why, but I couldn’t seem to read this book when it first came out. I kept picking it up, but I’d set it back down again before I read even the first page. I think I just wasn’t in the mood. Looking back that seems very silly because Shalvis is always a win for me.

I didn’t expect to like Holly because she’s a reporter, one who plans to ferret out all the team’s secrets. Things like that tend to drive me absolutely crazy. Shalvis really made it work for me here because she was upfront and honest about her intentions right from the beginning. What normally drives me insane – the need to share the truth no matter the personal cost to the people involved – wasn’t done in a bloodthirsty way. Holly wanted to expose the truth – felt she had an obligation to do so – but she wasn’t slimy about it.

Holly was fun and witty. Though she held herself back from forming strong attachments she wasn’t completely closed off. She was still open and honest. I really liked her personality.

Pace wasn’t your typical alpha-athlete. Though he was the star of the team, it bothered him that people thought of him so. Instead of coming off as a martyr, I found him to be somewhat refreshing for an arrogant athlete. Because he’s injured, he isn’t sure what’s going to happen to his career. Since he’s only in year three of a 5 year contract, that especially freaks him out. There were times I thought he might take his whining to the extreme, but it never happened.

The issue of trust between the two of them was the main source of contention. I think this worked because both were upfront about not trusting the other, and because the reasons each presented were believable.

Parts of it did bother me, like Pace’s relationship with Red. Although it was mentioned the relationship being similar to that of a father and son, it seemed like Red’s only interest in Pace was what he could bring to the mound. I understand that Red was all about the game, but I saw very little real affection for Pace in him. Shouldn’t he, as a father, been more concerned about Pace as a person and less about him as a baseball player?

I really liked the baseball setting and the secondary characters. The way the team was portrayed as being so close and tight-knit really worked. They really seemed more like a family than anything. The kids Pace mentored were adorable and I liked their parts in the story.

As an aside, I was really struck by the similarities between this book and See Jane Score by Rachel Gibson. I kept having a sense of deja vu while reading, because the stories are so close in plot.

Overall I enjoyed the book and I’m anxious for the next one.

4 out of 5

The series:

This book is available from Berkley. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

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