REVIEWED BY CINDY
TITLE: Block and Strike
AUTHOR: Kelly Jensen
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 266 Pages
RELEASE DATE: January 6, 2017
Blurb:
Jacob Kendricks is three months out of prison, estranged from his daughter, and ready to get his life on track. Taking care of the bum curled up on his doorstep isn’t part of the plan. When he realizes the man has been assaulted, Jake takes him to the hospital, where he learns that Max is his downstairs neighbor… and that he could really use a friend. Keeping Max in the friend-zone would be easier if he wasn’t so damned cute.
Maxwell Wilson has been bullied for years, and the only person who ever cared lives too far away to come to his rescue. Now his upstairs neighbor is offering support. Max remains cautious, suspecting he is little more than a project for the handsome Jake. When he learns Jake has had boyfriends as well as girlfriends, Max has to reevaluate his priorities—and muster the courage to take a chance at love.
Just when a happy future is within their grasp, life knocks them back down. A devastating blow leaves Max lower than ever and Jake wrestling with regret. They both have to find the strength to stand on their own before they can stand together.
Review:
I am a sucker for the underdog and Jake and Max both qualify for the title.
Jake is trying to get his life back together after a lapse in judgement leaves him with nowhere to go but up. He’s doing his best to be a good person so he can maybe be reunited with his daughter some day.
Max is a man who lives his life with the horrible acceptance that its his lot in life to be bullied and picked on. It started with his family and grew from there, with only his best friend ever giving a damn about what happens to him. But she lives too far away and has a life of her own and Max just feels isolated.
They meet when tragedy strikes and their friendship grows slowly. Max is very slow to trust and Jake can understand why but he revels in the fact that his relationship with Max feels like it’s helping him ground himself.
These two men are easy to love. Good-hearted and desperate for someone to care, I cheered them the whole way through the story.
They struggle a lot. First with how they feel about each other and as more truths are revealed the chance for a happily-ever-after seems far away.
But they keep trying and for me this book really was about the journey. I found myself in tears a few times as I followed their struggles and I maybe have shook my fist in frustration once or twice, but with the help of Jake’s karate teacher and the support of his family the two men finally find their way.
The writer does a great job of writing characters that I could become invested in. It dragged a little in some spots but my need to see how it all went down over rode my impatience.
With smart dialogue and believable issues, this book is one I can highly recommend if you like a lot of angst with your romance.
Rating: 
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