Making A Comeback - Book Review

By Kristina Mathews

Synopsis

With a divorce in the works, Annabelle Jones heads out to Southern California, the land of sun and starting over. She wants to prove to herself and her young daughters that she still has what it takes to turn heads as a swimsuit model—that she doesn’t need a man to take care of her. Until an accident forces her to rely on the hunky, yet mysterious man next door…

Nathan Cooper is trying to revive his own career. Once a top left-handed relief pitcher, he tried to get over a hidden injury with the aid of banned substances. Not only was he caught and suspended, he was traded and missed out on winning the championship. Now he’s a free agent without a contract, and that means life is ready to play ball…

Review

MAKING A COMEBACK is not your typical sports romance. Cooper is an MLB pitcher fresh off of a 50 game suspension for taking banned substances for an injury. The shame of what he did has turned him into a recluse, one whose afraid to step back into the game and unsure of what his future holds. When his new neighbour, Annabelle, is involved in a car accident, he’s forced to become a part of her life while she recovers. Initially he doesn’t want to be involved, but the longer he stays and the more he gets to know her and her twin daughters, the more he wants to stay…permanently.

Having recently separated from her husband, Annabelle’s plans to resurrect her modelling career and live independently are ruined by a texting teen-aged driver. She’s forced to accept help from her new neighbour when the accident leaves her unable to look after herself and her kids. As much as she’s attracted to him, she doesn’t want him there giving her kids the wrong idea.

I really liked that Cooper felt great guilt and shame over what he did and I think the author did a great job with explaining the reasons why he did it, the consequences of his actions, and the thoughts on how he’d be received by the public should he return to the game. You know he will never make that same mistake again. Annabelle’s need to stand on her own two feet was admirable, but a tad annoying when she was clearly attracted to Cooper but kept pushing him away, simply because she didn’t want to need a man. But she did a great job standing up to her husband when he came back into the picture, not letting his hurtful words affect her. With Cooper’s shameful mistake and Annabelle’s scars, both are afraid to face the world. But when they finally give in and realise they’re meant to be together, the support and courage they give to each other allows them to move forward and face the world again.

I enjoyed MAKING A COMEBACK, but I did think the story moved a bit slow. There’s also quite a bit of pushing away and pulling back done by both Annabelle and Cooper which was a little tedious. This is part of a series but can be read as a standalone. There are references to other characters from the previous books, but you don’t need to know them or what happened to enjoy the story.