Reviewed by Amber
TITLE: Wild Pitch
SERIES: Homeruns #1
AUTHOR: Sloan Johnson
PUBLISHER: Self Pub
LENGTH: 228 pages
BLURB:
There’s never been any question in Sean Tucker’s mind that he’d do whatever it took to make it to the major leagues and be one of the best pitchers of his time. The day he acknowledged to himself that he was gay was also the day he vowed to stay in the closet in order to chase his dreams. The problem is, he never counted on Mason Atley.
Sean showed rookie short stop Mason Atley the ropes, both on the field and off. The two forged a friendship which continued as both of them moved through the ranks of the farm system and into the majors. Unfortunately, there’s always been one secret Mason never felt he could share with Sean. Until now.
For seven years, Sean lived with the fact that he loved a man who would never reciprocate. When Mason admits that he’s always known he’s bisexual but has never allowed himself to pursue a relationship with a man, will Sean be able to put aside his reservations about starting a relationship with the friend he’d always assumed was straight? And more importantly, will they be able to find a way to stay together when their careers keep them apart more than they can be together?
REVIEW:
I feel like this should have been a homerun (pun intended) for me, but it just wasn’t. It needs to be mentioned that it wasn’t a strike out, either. This story was just ok, kind of blah. The writing was really good, like I’ve grown accustomed to by this author. I think what fell short for me was the lack of any real emotion I felt for the characters. Sean especially was incredibly frustrating. I didn’t really get him.
Sean Tucker has been sure about a couple things the majority of his life. He’s known he would make a career in professional baseball and he has known he’s gay. Both these facts conflict with each other because it’s almost unheard of to be “out” in any professional sport. So, he hides his sexuality and excels at his chosen profession. Throughout his career he has made and maintained several long lasting friendships. None as important to him then his 7 year long friendship with fellow baseball player, Mason Atley.
Mason has his own struggles. He’s not having the best season, he’s in the midst of an ugly divorce, and he harbors and crush on his best friend, Sean. On top of that, everyone believes Mason to be straight, very straight, in fact.
The emotions and the passion these two men have kept hidden for years all comes to a head one night. Early on I struggled with Sean’s complacency in the bedroom. I believe the first 2 or 3 sexual encounters on page had Mason (who is a virgin to m/m sex) as the aggressor. Which isn’t a problem but Sean who has been gay his whole life and who has had dozens of gay sexual encounters not only just sort of lays there, he doesn’t reciprocate. In one instance, he just fell asleep afterward. And while that may not be a huge issue….it bothered me. I felt Sean should have showed Mason, early on, how good things between them could be. This was also very close to an instalove story which is understandable because they’ve been friends for so long but I warred with it due to the lack of emotion I felt from Sean.
Like I mentioned early on the writing is good. The plot is strong and the story flows pretty well. I personally struggled with the characters. This is book 1 of a series and from what I read of book 2, its sounds promising and very interesting. I just wish I could say that I loved this one…!
RATING: 
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