Rating: 3 stars out of 5
Ian ran screaming from New York City upon graduating from high school. A job offer too good to turn down has brought him back, but he plans to leave as soon as the job is up. In the meantime he lets an old friend talk him into joining the Rainbow League, New York’s LGBT amateur baseball league. Baseball turns out to be a great outlet for his anxiety, and not only because sexy teammate Ty has caught his eye.
Ty is like a duck on a pond—calm and laid-back on the surface, a churning mess underneath. In Ian, he’s found someone with whom he feels comfortable enough to share some of what’s going on beneath the surface. The only catch is that Ian is dead set on leaving the city as soon as he can. Ty works up a plan to convince Ian that New York is, in fact, the greatest city in the world. But when Ian receives an offer for a job overseas, Ty needs a new plan: convince Ian that home is where Ty is.
Generally, when a book is about the main character reluctantly returning to his hometown, it is usually some Midwestern or southern small town. Not in The Windup. Ian left Brooklyn as soon as he was able. His job takes him all over the country and around the world. So when his next assignment is in NYC, he doesn’t want to take it, but he knows it is only for a year or two before he moves on.
A high school friend convinces Ian to join The Rainbow League, an LGBT summer baseball league. Most join for the hook ups, some join for the game, but Ian joins to meet other people. Naturally, he is immediately drawn to the league “slut” Ty.
Ty and Ian slowly get to know each other, but they both hold back knowing that Ian is only in NYC for a short time. Ty still sees the magic that is NYC since he was born and raised in Texas. So he wants to convince Ian to stay in the city- and with him.
I loved how, that even though they both had emotional walls up, they did slowly let each other in. Neither one was a jerk- which I have seen time and again as a defense mechanism- they were each just guarded. Watching Ty’s romantic streak come out and letting his reputation as the team slut disappear was refreshing.
The sex was hot, the romance was sweet and the baseball was fun! I’ve read a lot of pro baseball books, this is my first with a league for fun and I loved it.
The cover by Aaron Anderson is a beautiful combination of NYC as an urban back drop and (I’m guessing) Ian as a bit of a loner. It really illustrates the overall book
Sales Links: Dreamspinner Press | All Romance (ARe) | Amazon | 
Book Details:
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 
Interesting review! I’ll have to check this book out.
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