The Batter's Box - (Nashville Spicy) by Casey Morales (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

When you swing for the fences, you risk it all . . .

Nate

The game is all that matters. It's all that's ever mattered. I've dreamed of wearing a big-league jersey since the first day I grasped a baseball.

Now I'm so close. Playing in the minors has been a blast, but I know I'm ready.

Then Cooper appeared in the tunnel one night after a game.

He's unlike anyone I've ever met - all wild hair and dimples, with a passion for numbers and a heart of gold. Being around him makes me forget all my worries, even when a batting slump threatens everything.

Cooper

My grandmother took me in when I was little. When she died, and I had to tell those named in her will of their inheritances, my world tilted.

Sam, a mechanic who'd helped Grammy with Pop's old car, was on the list. He inherited a car, but I gained so much more, a pair of amazing friends in him and his partner, Miguel.

Then they took me to a baseball game . . .

How can meeting one man make my legs feel like jelly and my heart thump like a helicopter?

The Batter's Box is a slow-burn, nerd / jock mm sports romance where two men following very different roads converge on the path to happiness.

If you like warm, fuzzy romances that make your toes curl, good-natured, snarky banter, and wild-ride emotional rollercoasters with authentic characters you want to know in real life, you'll love this book.

Review Quotes

Casey Morales has done it again. I swear this author knows how to make you laugh through your tears, turn up the heat and then make you sob like a baby.... All within a 10 minute time frame. I didn't think I could fall for any more characters in this series but, man, does Cooper grab you not let you go and then shove Nate in your face all while screaming MINE... why do I like torturing myself by reading these stories by Casey. Every time you finish a book and your like that's it, I'm don't I can't take by more the author says oh, you thought we were finished... hahahahaha here's some more fictional people for you to fall in love with.

I loved the fact that there is so much diversity in this book. We have biracial couples. One couple consists of a deaf person and his husband who can hear. We also have Annie, a 70ish year-old woman who was best friends with Cooper's Grammy and used to be on Broadway as the godmother of the group. We don't get this in too many MM romances. We get stereotypical white gym bunnies and that's about it. I love it when I find a new author, at least for me, who shatters the tired old tropes.

Where do I start with this one? I loved the characters. If a book doesn't have strong characters or characters I care about, I'll put it down. Cooper and Nate are two of my favorites. The plot was great. The author, who I'm going to put on my to read list from now until the end of the summer, did a great job with giving us the happily ever after without falling into the same old tropes with pro athletes.

Grab this book and you will laugh so hard but also get a bit misty eyed due to Grammy and her darn letter! There is the normal funny banter between "Mom and Dad", and Ty and Gabe. You will also experience the funny never ceasing ramblings both verbal and internal of Cooper. Let's just say he leaves some people speechless when he gets going because his brain goes off on "squirrel" chases just like the dog in Up!

Morales's books and he is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. I highly recommend this book, especially if you like books about baseball with fun characters and a small amount of angst.