Jacob Vaughn represents everything I could ever want in a man, until he makes the wrong assumption about me. He says he’s sorry, but the damage has already been done. Can Jacob convince Zoe that he deserves a second chance? Fans of the Brentwood Baseball Series by Meghan Quinn will devour The Slider by A.M. Williams, a mistaken identity, single-parent romance.
*****
The Slider
Boys of Summer series
by A.M. Williams
Blurb:
How do you recover when a first impression goes wrong?
Zoe
Meeting Jacob Vaughn wasn’t what I expected when I went out with my best friend to celebrate my new job. Jacob was kind, funny, and easy to talk to.
He represents everything I want in a dream man.
But then he assumes something about me and makes comments that my nephew overhears.
He says he’s sorry, but it’s hard to let go of the hurt when I’m not the only person impacted. He hurt Noah, and that’s just not something I can easily forgive.
Jacob
Zoe Atkinson is the breath of fresh air I didn’t realize I needed. After saving her from a handsy drunk, I discover how amazing she is and can’t get her out of my mind.
Except, I’m coming out of a bad divorce and can’t think about anyone other than myself for now.
Then I ruin things by running my mouth, upsetting someone close to her, making me realize that I like her a whole lot more than I should.
I’ve got to figure out how to get us over this hump so I can show her that I’m serious about her and Noah.
We have to decide if we’ll let first impressions ruin what could be the best thing to happen to us.
The Slider is book five in A.M. Williams’ Boys of Summer baseball romance series. It’s a mistaken identity, single-parent romance with a recently divorced baseball player and an aunt that is now struggling to raise a teenager.
If you love men in tight pants and the sassy women they fall for, this series is for you.
Goodreads →https://bit.ly/3fv9hhG
Amazon → https://amzn.to/3jAGPxh
*****
Excerpt:
It was rude to stare. I knew this.
I knew this, and I didn’t care.
Want to know why?
The hottest man I’d ever seen in my entire life just walked into The Splinter.
It felt cliche to say that it was like that slow-mo entrance you see in the movies, but it really was like that.
A group of guys came in before him and he trailed them. It was like God smiled down on me when he did, too.
It was raining, so his hair was wet. Once inside, he reached up to run his hands through his hair, shaking the water out of it.
And his hair was gorgeous. This thick, lush brown color that was begging me to go over and help him shake the rest of that water out.
I didn’t because that would be weird. Much weirder than me being a creep from across the bar as I watched him join his friends at the table they’d claimed near the pool tables.
Those same pool tables I was sitting at with my friend and her friends. Though I wasn’t sure how good of a friend she was with them because there was something off about some of them.
They were nice, but catty. I’d never had many female friends growing up because I was a little awkward and lived in my head. So I also wasn’t the best at reading people.
Maybe my read was wrong.
But I didn’t think so.
They smiled when Cass introduced me, and they tried to include me in conversation initially. But then I was quickly forgotten by everyone except for Cass.
I was okay with that. I liked people watching.
Hence me noticing Mr. Good Looks when he walked in.
And I wasn’t the only one to notice him, either. The Cat Pack had as well.
“Did you see who just walked in?” one girl, a redhead, breathed.
“I did. I’ve never known him to come out before,” a brunette responded.
Cass sent me a look, nibbling her bottom lip, before looking back at her friends.
What was that about?
I sucked on my straw, it making the awfully slurping sound to tell me my drink was empty. That was my cue.
While the women were caught up in discussing Mr. Good Looking and his hot friends, I slipped away. Instead of going right for the bar, I veered toward the jukebox. I wasn’t too interested in picking a song to play, but I wanted some time away from Cass’s friends.
I flicked through the selections before digging a dollar from my pocket and feeding it to the machine and picking my songs.
Knowing I’d have to wait awhile, I turned toward the bar.
As I wound through the thickening crowd, I couldn’t help looking toward Mr. Good Looking to get another fix.
I caught sight of him and did a quick scan before forcing myself to look in front of me and not at him.
He would star in my fantasies later tonight.
Copyright 2021 A.M. Williams
*****
Review:
Zoe has had a rough few years and she’s doing her best to raise her nephew & figure out what she wants to do with her life. Overall, she’s doing quite well. Then a night out has her meeting Jacob in a bar and even though nothing comes of it then fate will keep bringing them together.
Jacob is fresh off a difficult divorce and not looking for anything during a night out with friends. He saves Zoe from a troublesome drunk because it is the right thing to do, not knowing that it will mean he won’t be able to forget her. Luckily he runs into her again a few months later … only to stick his foot in his mouth. It’s time to salvage his reputation, prove that he’s a better man than she thinks, and maybe discover a new love.
I will say there are a few issues. The sex scenes weren’t as smooth as they could have been and they felt a little awkward compared to the way the rest of the book was written. There are also quite a few times when things don’t match – people who have met before don’t react like it or conversations are held but a few pages later it’s like it never happened. The copy I read was due for at least one more edit and I’m hoping they caught some of these. But I would definitely say that the love story is more than worth it even if these things aren’t fixed.
The romance between Jacob and Zoe is sweet and I enjoyed watching them move past some early stumbles, get to know each other, and fall in love. Jacob is awesome with both Zoe and her nephew Jacob. Together they grow into a wonderful, supportive family unit.
*****
Author Info:
A.M. Williams is just a simple girl from the south that found herself living abroad. When she’s not annoying her cat or reading, she’s spending time with her husband and traveling as much as possible. She has a serious case of wanderlust and wants to go as many places as possible while she can. She loves Cheerwine, sweet tea, and North Carolina (eastern style) BBQ as well as those crystal clear waters on the North Carolina coast.
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*****
