Reviewed by Kat
TITLE: Dori & Sonny
SERIES: Men of Memphis Blues (Book 2)
AUTHOR: Sam E. Kraemer
PUBLISHER: Kaye Klub Publishing
LENGTH: 68,000 words
RELEASE DATE: October 15, 2021
BLURB:
♥ M/M Sports Romance ♥ Age-Gap ♥ Boss/Employee ♥ Gay Billionaire ♥ Friends-to-lovers ♥ HEA ♥
★ Dorian “Dori” Holt ★
It’s my lifelong dream to play a game of baseball. When I was thirteen, I thought I was finally going to get the chance to learn. The family driver had offered to teach me to pitch a baseball, but that had ended badly. My father fired him and humiliated me to the point I could never get over it.
Becoming the head of Holt Industries was never the dream – yet here I was, hating my life while secretly owning a Major League Baseball team, The Memphis Blues.
After one of the games, my head coach explains to me that we need to make some changes to the roster. A new pitching coach and bullpen coach are needed, and he has the perfect candidates. One candidate, Cary Brewer, is married to my star pitcher, the other is the man I’ve loved since I was thirteen and he will forever be the only man I’ll ever love.
- •◆◆◆••
★ Harrison “Sonny” Rhimes ★
While getting my masters in sports medicine, I take a job working for one of the most bitter men I’ve ever met. I want to quit at least once a week, but his son is absolutely the sweetest kid and he’s quite lonely. I feel like his only friend, so I put up with Linwood Holt to be there for Dori. Unfortunately, one broken window costs me the job, and I never see Dori again.
My dream has always been to be a major league pitcher, but I don’t have the skills. So, I do the next best thing—I become a pitching coach and a trainer for a Triple-A ball team, the Nashville Blue Notes. I love it, and I’m happy. I meet a young pitcher who has the potential to be a star, and I’m not surprised when he gets called up to the majors after one year on the farm team.
Unsurprisingly, Cash Mitchell takes the Memphis Blues to the World Series, but when my turn comes to get called up, I can’t believe who owns the team!
This fictional story is approximately 68,000 words in length. It is the second book in the “Men of Memphis Blues” series. TRIGGER WARNING: Discussions and a description of physical and emotional child abuse.
REVIEW:
Oh how I love this series! The Memphis Blues baseball team would be my MLB team if they were real! I couldn’t read this book fast enough!!!
Dorian “Dori” Holt is a multibillionaire. He is also the secret owner of the Memphis Blues baseball franchise. His childhood has left deep scars that have traumatized him for life. His evil father and grandmother never provided one moment of love, compassion or nurturing. The staff, referred to by their title’s Driver and Cook, were the only ones that ever cared or showed him any kind of care. When a mis-thrown baseball breaks a window in his grandmother’s precious greenhouse there is hell to pay. Being whipped by his father’s belt bent over his desk with his pants down was bad enough at thirteen with his vindictive grandmother watching and egging his father on. Having Driver, his only real friend, witness it and then be fired was the ultimate embarrassment. Never to see Driver again, or even know his given name, was devastating for the young boy. But, in a freak turn of events 15 years later, the two are reunited as Dorian Holt, mystery owner of the baseball club, and Harrison “Sonny” Rbimes, as one of his coaches. Now what will happen?
How could your heart not go out for Dori? He was the nicest, sweetest most polite man. And his childhood was a series of horror stories being raised by his heartless father and his evil grandmother that wanted nothing to do with him. Cook and Driver were his only true friends and how it ended with Driver, who he loved, was too much. The way his father and grandmother’s influence basically drove him to insecurity, debilitating anxiety and constant stuttering was abominable. They couldn’t have ever died from a heart attack because they had no hearts to begin with!
I was a wee bit worried about Harrison at first. (I, like Dori, could only see him as Harrison.) He sees Dori collapsing, realizes this is the boy he drove years ago, jumps in to grab him during his anxiety attack then thinks this boy needs a Daddy to take care of him. However I very quickly trusted Harrison and his judgement. This story wasn’t an over-the-top Daddy/boy 24/7 story and there was no regression at all. Dori just needed the love, attention and acceptance he never got as a child. And Harrison got that completely because he had witnessed first hand how cold and cruel Dori’s dad and grandma were. And their love was visible to anyone paying attention.
The part with Dori’s abusive driver blackmailing and hurting him really pissed me off. I know that he thought he was protecting everyone he cared about but in reality all he did was put himself in danger.
I was thrilled that we got to interact with Cash and Cary and catch up with them. And there also was a short cameo with Kim. We even got a small backstory about Skip! And we were introduced to several coaches and players that I’m sure we will get their stories soon.
This is a fabulous story of a poor little neglected rich boy that finally gets the life he richly deserves. I totally fell for both Dori and Harrison and look forward to glimpses of them in the future!
RATING: 
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