Besides her family,
Lacey Robinson’s only other love is baseball. She’s on top of the world
when Arizona State University approaches her to discuss a scholarship.
To be the first girl ever to grace a college boys’ team is beyond what
she has ever dreamed.
Her fastball is impeccable, her curveball equally as good, and her slider annihilates anyone who dares to step in the batter’s box. But fate has its own way of throwing curveballs. When she loses her mother and sister to a home invasion, baseball and her dreams die with them. Tragedy has a way of seeping deep into her psyche, causing nightmares, panic attacks and blackouts. Diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, her psychiatrist recommends a change of scenery and picking up the things that she loved to do, and for Lacey that is baseball.
After a move clear across the country, only two things matter to Lacey—overcome her PTSD and make Kensington High’s baseball team. But trying out for the team comes with obstacles—the captain, Aaron Seever, doesn’t want a girl on the team.
Her life is further complicated when she meets Kade Maxwell, a tall, sexy and drool-worthy bad boy who has a magical touch that awakens her feminine side and a kiss that slowly erases her nightmares. But getting involved with him may be dangerous when Kade’s archenemy returns to town to settle a vendetta.
To complicate matters, her PTSD has taken a turn for the worse. She has to find a way to heal otherwise she may not have a chance at anything in life, especially love.
This is a New Adult Novel and contains strong language and sexual content. Intended for audiences age 17+
Her fastball is impeccable, her curveball equally as good, and her slider annihilates anyone who dares to step in the batter’s box. But fate has its own way of throwing curveballs. When she loses her mother and sister to a home invasion, baseball and her dreams die with them. Tragedy has a way of seeping deep into her psyche, causing nightmares, panic attacks and blackouts. Diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, her psychiatrist recommends a change of scenery and picking up the things that she loved to do, and for Lacey that is baseball.
After a move clear across the country, only two things matter to Lacey—overcome her PTSD and make Kensington High’s baseball team. But trying out for the team comes with obstacles—the captain, Aaron Seever, doesn’t want a girl on the team.
Her life is further complicated when she meets Kade Maxwell, a tall, sexy and drool-worthy bad boy who has a magical touch that awakens her feminine side and a kiss that slowly erases her nightmares. But getting involved with him may be dangerous when Kade’s archenemy returns to town to settle a vendetta.
To complicate matters, her PTSD has taken a turn for the worse. She has to find a way to heal otherwise she may not have a chance at anything in life, especially love.
This is a New Adult Novel and contains strong language and sexual content. Intended for audiences age 17+
Description taken from Goodreads
My Review
Dare to Kiss definitely surprised me. I flew right through it and got wrapped up in
the plot as well as being so invested in the characters. It really had an interesting concept and I
have never read anything like it before.
Let’s start out with the characters first shall we?
First up is Lacey, our main character. She was a hoot. She was so sarcastic. I love me some overly sarcastic characters. Probably because I, myself, am known to be
quite sarcastic. I love it. It’s an art, is what it is. But, there was so much more to Lacey than what’s
on the outside. Just by looking at her
you can tell that she sticks up for herself, she’s dedicated and knows what she
wants. But, getting in her head you
realize that she has flaws and she is scared and paranoid because her mom and
sister were murdered. She’s also strong
as well. She tries so hard to get over
her PTSD, even though she may make a few mistakes down the road, you can’t
fault her for not trying.
Next up is Kade, the love interest. I found Kade to be super interesting. He was swoon worthy and protective but he
also had his faults as well and I hope that we can delve more into that in the
next book. You know, I actually found
myself comparing Kade to Daemon from the Lux series by Jennifer L.
Armentrout. They both have that devil
may care attitude but deep down care for the ones closest to them and their
families are what gets them through the day.
Solid character, Kade is.
All of the side characters were great as well, I hope we see
more of them in future books, or could they possibly have their own? Companion series? Yes?
Please? I want more of the
triplets! That’s right, I said
triplets!
The storyline was definitely something that I loved. The combination of Laceys’ PTSD, her love of
baseball, and her need to get through some traumatic stuff was handled pretty
well and was balanced. She really works
through everything and doesn’t give up.
There was a sense of mystery in the fact that the killer who murdered
her mom and sister is still out there and I really hope that that continues in
the next book. I did feel as though the
author built up the murders and Laceys’ bullying/threats so much but there was
no follow through, no resolution. Both
plotlines just kind of stopped. So, here’s
to hoping that we get more in the sequel.
The romance was definitely steamy but I hated that it was
insta-love. And this right here is the
main reason why Dare to Kiss isn’t a 5 star rating. I wish it was but insta-love is a major turn
off for me and a lot of other readers.
There really was no foundation for their relationship at all, not until
later in the book when they actually start sharing their inner most darkest
secrets. After that I could get on board
but just barely. It just really went way
too fast.
It did end nicely as there is no real cliffhanger but I am
glad that there will be a sequel so we can explore more of the murder case as
well as all the threats Lacey received for playing baseball.
If you enjoyed the sports element of All Lined Up by Cora
Carmack or the romance and deep issues in the Wait for You series by J. Lynn
(JLA), then I dare you to check out
Dare to Kiss. (See what I did there?)
4/5 Hearts!
Check Out The Book Trailer!
 |
Author Links:
|
