Title: Curveball
Author: Mariah Dietz
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: May 18, 2017
Blurb
Shakespeare believed there was always humor in tragedy and
tragedy in humor.
My life proved his theory as fact.
At eighteen I was a single parent moving to this small town
to be with the man I loved. The one who was supposed to love and cherish me in
return.
Finding out he had a wife was tragic.
Remaining in love with him in spite of her was more tragic.
My mom and best friend setting me up on a long string of
blind dates was an ongoing tragedy.
Nine years later, I’ve learned to see the humor in most
situations.
My mom and best friend setting me up on disastrous blind
dates.
My son’s jokes.
The fire alarm going off each time I cook.
My constant bright spot always adding to the humor was my
son, Hayden. But when Hayden had a life-threatening allergic reaction, the man
who came to help my little boy became my own savior. His laugh, his smile, and
the way his eyes lit up when he spoke to my son made him a beacon of light in
both our lives.
But I wasn’t the only one who noticed him.
When I began having feelings for the man my best and only
friend had fallen for, I knew following my heart would once again lead to a fresh
round of heartbreak.
Love led me to this town.
Lies kept me there.
Would history repeat itself?
Or had life just thrown me another Curveball?
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Curveball is one of those stories that consumed my thoughts and kept me up reading way past my bedtime. In fact, I started this book one evening and ended up staying up and finishing it. It was truly an unputdownable read for me. It's been a while since a book has held my attention like that and I love when it happens!
In all honesty, when I read the blurb for this one, I was nervous to read it. I'm so glad I took a chance and picked it up. Curveball is about Ella, a single mother who is completely devoted to her son and works hard at her job. Lately, at her best friend and mom's insistence, she has been a 'serial dater', but things are complicated with her ex, and she's not been in a relationship with anyone since.
One day, Ella is at her best friends house and meets her new neighbor, Coen. She and Coen share an immediate attraction, but thats where it stops. Coen doesn't date his neighbors and Ella doesn't date firefighters (which is what Coen is) so it's apparent friends is all they will ever be. And Coen is a great friend to her. He cares for her, for her son Hayden, and eventually you can see there is so much more than friendship there...
“I want to break all the rules.” He takes another step closer to me. “All of these ridiculous rules we have. That this town and society have. I want us to break each of them.” “All of them,” I whisper. Coen runs his nose along my jaw. “And we’ll crush them as slowly as you want.”
COEN. oh Coen! Is there a more perfect book boyfriend out there? He's the best I've read about lately. I loved his character, his connection with his family, and the type of person he was. He wasn't only great to Ella, but seeing how he was with her son truly had me melting. I adored him. So swoony! Ella was a heroine with strength. She struggled at times to make the right choices, but I always felt like she was doing what she felt was best for her son and I could never fault her in that. This book brought the feels in the best way!
This wasn't my first book by Mariah Dietz, and it certainly won't be my last, but it was by far my favorite that I've read from her so far. The story sucked me in, the angst wasn't as high as I thought it would be, but just enough. Her writing has such a great flow and I love her style. Also, I loved that there was a twist I didn't see coming. I wish there was a little more at the end (perhaps more of an epilogue...) but besides that, it was perfect for me. Highly recommend!
Excerpt
“I don’t watch TV at night…” Her voice drifts off, and I know it’s because she realizes I’m going to ask why.
And I do.
“You're going to laugh.”
“Probably.”
“It's because I can't hear things.”
“What kinds of things are you trying to hear?”
“I don't know. Strange noises and things…”
“Strange noises?”
“Do I need to spell it out for you?” She’s trying to sound annoyed, but I can hear the smile in her voice.
“Apparently, because I have no idea what you're talking about. What kinds of strange noises are you going to hear? I usually turn my TV up to block out all the strange sounds like the neighbor’s kids and the lady behind me that sounds like Fran fucking Drescher.”
“You know who Fran Drescher is?”
“My mother was a big fan of that stupid show she was in. Stop changing the subject. What are you listening for? Hayden won’t sneak out.”
“What if someone breaks in?”
“You're not serious.”
“Of course I'm serious!”
“What do you do all night?” I ask.
“Work,” she admits. “Well, usually I clean, and then I work.”
“I’m coming over.”
“You can’t.”
The panic in her voice doesn’t make her sound upset about the idea, but afraid.
Is it because she likes me?
“Why not?” I ask.
“It’s like nine o'clock.”
“Are you about to turn orange and sprout a stem?”
“That and I'm not wearing a bra, if you must know.”
“So put it back on.”
“You don't understand. That's like saying put your jeans back on.”
“I am in jeans,” I lie just to get a reaction out of her.
“What is wrong with you?” she cries.
“What's wrong with jeans?”
“They're stiff and uncomfortable. Wearing jeans all day is basically equivalent to walking on sandpaper. But at least you guys have pockets that will actually hold something larger than a thimble and don’t ride up your ass.”
And I do.
“You're going to laugh.”
“Probably.”
“It's because I can't hear things.”
“What kinds of things are you trying to hear?”
“I don't know. Strange noises and things…”
“Strange noises?”
“Do I need to spell it out for you?” She’s trying to sound annoyed, but I can hear the smile in her voice.
“Apparently, because I have no idea what you're talking about. What kinds of strange noises are you going to hear? I usually turn my TV up to block out all the strange sounds like the neighbor’s kids and the lady behind me that sounds like Fran fucking Drescher.”
“You know who Fran Drescher is?”
“My mother was a big fan of that stupid show she was in. Stop changing the subject. What are you listening for? Hayden won’t sneak out.”
“What if someone breaks in?”
“You're not serious.”
“Of course I'm serious!”
“What do you do all night?” I ask.
“Work,” she admits. “Well, usually I clean, and then I work.”
“I’m coming over.”
“You can’t.”
The panic in her voice doesn’t make her sound upset about the idea, but afraid.
Is it because she likes me?
“Why not?” I ask.
“It’s like nine o'clock.”
“Are you about to turn orange and sprout a stem?”
“That and I'm not wearing a bra, if you must know.”
“So put it back on.”
“You don't understand. That's like saying put your jeans back on.”
“I am in jeans,” I lie just to get a reaction out of her.
“What is wrong with you?” she cries.
“What's wrong with jeans?”
“They're stiff and uncomfortable. Wearing jeans all day is basically equivalent to walking on sandpaper. But at least you guys have pockets that will actually hold something larger than a thimble and don’t ride up your ass.”
“If your bra is riding up your ass, we have bigger fish to fry than being afraid of the boogey man.”
Author Bio
Mariah Dietz lives
with her husband, two sons, and two four-legged children who are the axis of
her crazy and wonderful world.
Mariah grew up in a
tiny town outside of Portland, Oregon where she spent most of her time immersed
in the pages of books that she both read and created.
She has a love for
all things that include her family, good coffee, books, traveling, and dark
chocolate. She’s also obsessed with Christmas ornaments and all things Disney.
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