Rating: 4.75 stars
Buy Links:  Amazon | All Romance
Length: Novel

Are you in love with the boys of summer? Can’t wait for opening day and the cry of “play ball”? Baseball is America’s favorite pastime and the focal point of the love, heartbreak, and dreams of a nation of fans and players alike. In this anthology, four terrific authors share their passion for the game of baseball with four stories of love…the love of the game as well as romance between men who share a passion for baseball and each other.

Here are the stories in the order they are to be found within this anthology:

“One Man to Remember” by Kate McMurray
“Home Field Advantage” by Shae Connor
“One Last Road Trip” by Kerry Freeman
“Wild Pitch” by Marguerite Labbe

What a treat to pick up a book whose authors and collection of stories share my love for baseball and the boys of summer! From stories situated in 1927 that bring the Babe back to life, to the present day game and romance, these four stories will keep you happy and engaged, especially during those months where the fields of dreams are empty and the stadium seats wait for summer and the fans to arrive once more.

Here are my reviews for each story in the order found within the book:

One Man to Remember by Kate McMurray
Rating: 5 stars

It’s 1927, New York City. Babe Ruth and the Yankees’ unstoppable batting lineup, Murderers’ Row, are on their way to a season that will go down in the annals of baseball as legendary. Across town, a rookie infielder for the Giants, Skip LIttlefield, is racking up as many hits as the Babe but no one is noticing. No one except a famed sports reporter named Walter Selby, a notorious dandy whose sexuality is an open secret. Walter has been watching the kid make hit after hit in seeming anonymity as everyones attention is focused on the Babe. Everything about this rookie puzzles and intrigues Walter so he arranges an interview that will have far ranging repercussions for them both.

Kate McMurray has gifted us with a small historical gem of writing with One Man to Remember. She has captured both the flair of the era, as well as the homophobia and secret society of gay men during those times. Its clear that McMurray has done her homework, not only for the information she imparts about that storied run of Babe’s and the Yankees, but the every day life as lived in 1927. Whether it is snappy slang of the day or the notorious places represented by The Penguin Club off Fifty-Sixth Street near Times Square, the author submerges us as throughly as her characters in this time period and brings off a home-run of a story.

The men, their love and knowledge of the game, and the manner in which they have to hide their romance is both realistically and beautifully laid out in a story so well done that it cries out for a sequel. One of my favorite stories in an anthology full of great tales.

Home Field Advantage by Shae Connor
Rating: 4.25 stars

Toby MacMillan lives for baseball and loves his team, the Atlanta Braves. In fact, Toby has grown up with the Braves as Toby is the grandson of Atlanta Braves owner Ray MacMillan. Toby owns 30 percent of the team and expects to inherit the rest from his conservative grandfather upon his death. And that’s primarily the reason Toby has hidden his sexuality from his family and team.

Then a new rookie arrives from the minors, Caleb Browning, ready to make his appearance in the major leagues. Caleb is talented, naive, attractive, and gay. And he has eyes for Toby. A dinner engagement highlights their attraction to each other, as well as the dangers that any relationship between them will bring to each of their careers. Despite their good intensions to remain just friends, a romance begins that soon deepens into love. What will happen when a fastball to the head threatens not only Caleb’s career, but their love affair as well?

Situated in present times, Shae Connor looks at the reality of major league players coming forward about their sexuality and the fragile acceptance they are met with. Toby’s entire life has revolved about the Atlanta Braves, a team owned by his grandfather. His is a character in love with the game, while still aware of the realities of being a gay man involved in professional team sports and the sacrifices that requires. Toby is an endearing characters whose reality is grounded in the truth of the men who love and control the game itself. Toby realizes that while change is coming, the progress is as slow as acceptance itself.

I had a little more of a stretch to believe in Caleb Browning. I really don’t see someone who plays ball, whether it is in the minor or major leagues, not being more aware of the consequences of his “gayness” while remaining a ballplayer. His naivete seems not only extreme but unrealistic, so it took me a while to commit to their relationship. But once committed, I threw myself into their romance with all the fervor of a fan at the game. And by the time I got to Toby’s speech towards the end I was cheering them on. You will be too.

One Last Road Trip by Kerry Freeman
Rating: 4.75 stars

After many years in the major leagues, bad knees sees second baseman Jake Wilson retiring from San Diego Padres and heading back home to a small town near Atlanta. He is making one last road trip, pulling along a small trailer of possessions, both physical and emotional. On his way, he visits his ex wife and his grown children, getting reacquainted with his present and bringing up memories of his past. And always present in his thoughts is Mikko Niemi, the young man he fell in love with in college and has never forgotten.

From his Facebook account, Jake has learned that Mikko’s long-term partner has died and Mikko has started to date once more. So Jake is heading home to Mikko hoping it’s not too late for them to reconnect and ignite a love that never should have been abandoned.

Kerry Freeman, Kerry Freeman, you hit a home run to the heart with this one. Not only it is about older ex lovers getting a second chance at love, but the main character is a retired MLB player feeling every inch of his years in the game and the injuries that go along with it. I loved the character of Jake Wilson. His rueful examination of his past actions along with acknowledging how much he was still grateful for his ex wife and children, well, it is a heartwarming and compassionate portrait of a man at a certain stage in life who has come to grips with who he is and where he hopes to be. Jake is a large-hearted individual aware of his short comings and his strengths. He is easy to connect with and root for. In fact all the people in this story are well rounded, layered characters that a reader will love spending time with.

If I have any small quibble at all, it is that I wish we had gotten a little bit more of Jake and Mikko after their reunion. A little more interplay between them would have sweetened an already emotionally satisfying romance. But that quibble aside, I loved this story and I think you will too.

Wild Pitch by Marguerite Labbe
Rating: 5 stars

Ruben Martell and Alan Hartner have been together as friends for a long time. They met during their early years playing baseball, and their friendship stayed strong through marriages, different teams and locations, and even through death of a wife and a divorce. Now they are business partners in a batting cage/ sports bar and coach rival Little League teams. And through it all, Ruben has loved Alan, not just as a friend, but with a passionate hidden love.

Except for one night where their relationship crossed the lines of friendship, neither man has ever referred to each other as anything other than best friends. But the pain and stress of hiding his feelings and hopes from Alan is causing Ruben to question their friendship and business partnership. Ruben isn’t sure how much more he can take of the status quo without even a glimmer of hope for their future. As Ruben pulls away from Alan and his kids, Alan realizes just how much he might lose unless he takes a chance on a wild pitch.

Wild Pitch by Margueritte Labbe brings together all the elements needed for a great romance and then spices it all up by using baseball to frame this long-term relationship between Ruben and Alan. This story is so great on so many levels I don’t know where to start. Both men have been together since their earliest times in baseball. With a love for that sport as the cement that initially held them together, Labbe lays out for the reader how that relationship has changed and deepened over the years, morphing from friendship to brotherly love, to something far more dangerous and passionate, especially on Ruben’s side.

The author delivers this story with an intimacy and warmth that makes the reader a companion and friend to these men right from the start. I loved feeling included as Alan and Ruben deal with Alan’s kids and the Little League players they coach. These are real kids spouting dialog that can be heard on school and park playing fields country wide as well as at home. I loved them and wanted as much of this aspect of the story as I did the romance.

But it’s the emotional realism of the scenes that Labbe has written as the men break through the stasis of their present relationship into that of a recognized romantic love that will catch at your heart and perhaps even bring out the sniffles. Watch out especially for that moment where one son’s asks how much love a heart can hold…sniff. Well, just have the tissues handy because you will find yourself bawling away like I was. A remarkable story to end a collection of marvelous tales.

This collection of stories demonstrates just why baseball is so often used as a metaphor for life. It is full of passion, and history. It’s hilarious and heartbreaking. It’s about the grand gesture and small intimacies. And its about love and all the memorable diverse characters drawn to the National Pastime. Every story here is a home run! It is already on my must reread list.

Cover art by Aaron Anderson is perfect. It has an almost old time look about it with the design and font that works perfectly for this collection. Great job.