Review copy was received from Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Yours to Keep by Lauren Layne Narrator: Alexander Cendese, Samantha Martin
Series: Man of the Year #2
Published by Brilliance Audio on September 1, 2020
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Length: 6 hours, 2 minutes
Format: Audiobook
Source: Publisher
Goodreads
Amazon, Audible
Pro baseball shortstop Carter Ramsey is about to be Citizen magazine’s Man of the Year, but the only title that matters to him is out of reach: World Series MVP. Benched by a recent injury, Carter retreats to his hometown to recover. His ten-year class reunion and a potential reconciliation with the sweetheart he left behind could be perfect distractions. Until another old acquaintance throws Carter a curveball.
Olive Dunn admits that her former high school science partner is still a handsome charmer. But she wasn’t swayed then, and she won’t be swayed now. Because Olive remembers Carter’s little shortcoming: he tends to bail the moment it suits him, without a backward glance. Best to keep her feelings strictly platonic while he’s in town.
Except the entitled boy she knew is a changed man: solid, reflective, and generous. As they ease back in to their familiar friendship, things take a surprising turn, and Carter and Olive must decide if what they have is a passing flirtation or a real shot at love.
Lauren Layne does the rom-com-chick-lit up right. She usually brings flirty fun to the table and builds characters and situations you can root for. The Man of the Year series is one of the few she has written that so far, where characters between books have had no crossover interactions and so even though Yours to Keep is the second book of the series, it can be read easily without knowing anything about the first book.
Let’s start with Olive since I loved her. She is quirky and unapologetically her. Olive seems to know all the goings on in the small town and when Carter shows up to help out his twin sister, Olive is all over making sure the new neighbor isn’t creep material. Then she up ends him from any comfort zone he has to make sure he has everything he needs while in town. Boundaries are not something Olive really has and Carter is in for some interesting times with her.
Carter is about to be named Man of the Year in a magazine and reading the article it makes his life seem a little hollow. Currently on the injured list, he needs to figure out who he is without baseball in his life. He didn’t expect that his former science partner would have grown into herself so well and it has been forever since someone didn’t like him for his fame. Between trying to teach her baseball and helping her put together a 10-year high school reunion, there is plenty of space for cute flirtations and sexual innuendos.
Carter is supposed to go back to the big city soon and Olive loves small town life and teaching. Even if it is more than just a little summer fling how will they work it out?
Totally a fun and cute story that doesn’t spend a lot of extra time or page space on unnecessary stuff. A quick easy read to scratch that rom-com itch you might be feeling. Also, I now have a new appreciation for green glitter and all of its uses.
Narration:
Alexander Cendese and Samantha Martin do up the dual PoV right. I enjoyed each narrator as they brought the fun flirtations of the characters to life. I listened to this at my usual 1.5x speed.
Listen to a clip: HERE
About Lauren Layne
Lauren Layne is the New York Times bestselling author of over a dozen romantic comedies.
A former e-commerce and web marketing manager from Seattle, Lauren relocated to New York City in 2011 to pursue a full-time writing career.
She lives in midtown Manhattan with her high-school sweetheart, where she writes smart romantic comedies with just enough sexy-times to make your mother blush. In LL’s ideal world, every stiletto-wearing, Kate Spade wielding woman would carry a Kindle stocked with Lauren Layne books.
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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- Robin Audio20
i don’t read a lot of sports books, unless it’s football, but i am glad this was a good one for you
I don’t tend to read many sports books either. Luckily the only time there was anything really sporty going on it was full of sexual innuendo
It’s an author I really need to try!
She has some great stuff you know could be the next rom com hit
You do seem to enjoy this author. I might have to try her work sometime. I love your descriptions of the characters.
I’ve read so many of her romances. I’m almost never disappointed so she is an easy pick for me.