Even The Score

By Beth Ehemann

Synopsis

Single dad Andy Shaw loves his job as a sports agent, with one exception: it doesn’t leave him much time for his kids. No parent likes being sidelined, so Andy decides to hire someone to share the workload. But when one of the hottest agents in the industry applies, Andy knows that this deal is definitely trouble.

Danicka Douglas works her butt off, but being an attractive woman in a testosterone-heavy industry isn’t exactly a cakewalk. She guards her professional reputation fiercely, which means no crushing on her gorgeous boss. But the more they ignore that sexy little spark, the more it sizzles…

Just when it looks like romance might be in the game plan, Dani is threatened by a stalker with dark intentions. To keep her safe, Andy must cross the line between professional and very personal…because this time, he’s playing for keeps.

Review

I have been waiting for Andy’s story since we met him in the Cranberry Inn series, where he kicked his vicious, money-hungry wife to the curb. Now divorced and a single father to two kids, his successful career as a sports agent is taking him away from his family more than he’d like. At the suggestion of a friend, he decides to expand his business by hiring another agent to be his partner. Enter Danicka, a woman leaving her current job because she was sexually harassed by a client.

As much as I hate to admit it, the characters aren’t what stand out in this book. In Beth’s other series, it’s the characters that draw you into the story and worm their way into your heart. So it’s really sad that I can’t remember much about Andy and Danicka. All I know is that they are very nice people and are amazing with Andy’s kids. They both love their jobs and really care about their clients as people, not just as pay checks. Here, it’s the stalking and attack of Danicka that takes centre stage. I’ll be honest, the “who” behind the attack was predictable, but the “why” came as a shock because it just didn’t fit with the character. Nor did the “why” fit with the timeline, because the threats started before the villain had reason to do so.

I’d recommend reading the Cranberry Inn series first to fully understand Andy’s history with his ex-wife. You won’t be disappointed because that series is amazing. You don’t need to read the Viper’s Heart series, but those books are amazing too, so why not? Both couples from those two series make their appearances here, and Viper is still as funny and filthy as ever. A new character popped up in this book, one I don’t recall seeing before, yet everyone seems to know him. Justin, a baseball player and one of Andy’s clients, is currently single and recovering from a tragic accident. Will we see a book about him in the near future?

EVEN THE SCORE is told in dual POVs and is currently a stand-alone. I say currently because I didn’t expect a second book on Viper but we got one, so never say never. It does not end with a cliffhanger and comes with a HEA. Apart from Danicka’s attack, it was a nice and sweet story, but not as emotionally gripping as the previous series.

My Rating: