Reviewed by Valerie

TITLE:  The Shutout

AUTHOR:  Dianna Roman

PUBLISHER:  Self-Published

LENGTH:  481 pages

RELEASE DATE:  March 22, 2022

BLURB:

Sometimes love is where you least expect it, and sometimes it’s right where you left it.

Widower, Max Hartwell, is barely keeping it together, being a single dad, managing his law firm, and navigating life’s chaos. Life after loss is too difficult for surprises, which is why Max would be lost without his reliable best friend and neighbor, Jack.

Best pitcher in the MLB, Jack Spears, is at the top of his game. He has it all, except for the one thing he wants most, which happens to be the one thing he can’t have if he doesn’t want his private life to overshadow his career – love. When an emotional evening reveals his biggest secret, he’s faced with losing everything that matters most to him.

Can Max see him for the man he truly is, or will Jack forever be doomed to live in the shadow of the image he created as America’s favorite pitcher?

Heartfelt and human, The Shutout is a story of friendship, loss, love, and the rough road to new beginnings.

REVIEW:

With The Shutout, Dianna Roman has created a gorgeous, heartwarming story of deep friendship evolving into a relationship full of love and the shared responsibilities of parenthood. Roman is a gifted romance narrator who takes her reader along on the journey as Jack helps Max move on after the loss of his wife, and Max proves to Jack that being an out professional athlete is worth the potential repercussions because of the freedom it gives him to live authentically for the first time.

Jack is a laid back, happy go lucky major league baseball pitcher who has earned the highest accolades: four-time MVP, eight-time all-star, three-time World Series player, and more. He’s nothing without baseball. His greatest joy other than playing are his next-door neighbors of six years:  Max, his nine-year-old daughter Emma, and until three years ago, Max’s wife Lainey – Jack’s best friend – who died tragically.

Outside of baseball, Jack wants nothing more than to be a normal guy, living in the suburbs with good friends and a sense of community. Oh, and a man of his own. He likes being the guy people can count on to lend a hand and be supportive. Being that person for Max and Emma since Lainey’s death fulfills Jack.

“Being needed had given me purpose. It had made me the most important man in the world to be there for them, to be there for them for Lainey. I heard people open speeches with it’s both an honor and a privilege. That defined my time with Max and Emma these last few years.”

But he’s in love with Max. He wants to belong to him and be a father figure to Emma. It figures his first time falling in love is with his straight best friend. He fears that as Emma grows older, one day they won’t need him anymore to help cook, keep the household functioning, and care for Emma. He needs to be needed by Max and doesn’t know where he’d be without it. Max and Emma provide Jack with the stability and family he craves, and give him respite from the pressure to be the best and the isolation he feels from so much time on the road during the season.

Jack doesn’t have the luxury of living freely out of the closet. He can’t even imagine how freeing it would be. Being closeted suffocates him more each day but he can’t allow himself to become “the gay baseball player” known for his sexuality rather than his skill and accomplishments.

Max is intense and intensely funny when not bogged down by his grief. He’s a great listener for Jack and treats him like a real person, not a pro athlete. He’s still struggling to be a single dad while providing everything two parents would. Jack’s help is invaluable.

After Jack “accidentally” kisses him, Max comes to the realization he’s attracted to Jack. But after a lifetime identifying as straight, what is he supposed to do with those feelings? He can’t stop thinking about Jack in that way, though.

“I’d surrendered to the fact I was physically attracted to him— you can’t jerk off to a guy’s picture six nights in a row and deny you’re attracted.”

Max struggles with his attraction to Jack because he feels he’s betraying Lainey if he’s no longer heavyhearted. He feels guilty and needs to understand his happiness with Jack doesn’t replace all his years with Lainey. Jack helps him get to the point he’s okay to move on. Being with Jack feels right; it’s where he’s supposed to be. I adore bisexual awakenings!  They’re so tender and sexy; here it’s both sweet and steamy as all get out. I loved seeing Max grow comfortable being intimate with another man for the first time

Emma’s a champ, a precocious darling who’s a wonderful addition to the book, and not just as an ancillary character but as one integral to the entire plot. She’s particularly cute with the “shit that comes out of my kid’s mouth” as Max says.

The narrative is clever and witty. Max is quite funny at times with his dry humor and sarcasm. His inner monologues slayed me. Even when he’s miserable he’s hilarious.

Now let me just say, if I could, I would give extra hearts/stars just for the ending. The last chapter is set seven months in the future with lots of exciting happenings, and then the epilogue occurs sixteen years down the road! There’s no doubt the happily ever after is forever when, by that point, they’ve done so much living and growing and loving, and are already forty-eight and fifty years old. Emma’s all grown up, of course, and living her own life to the fullest.

With the exception of a few timeline discrepancies, the skilled writing is like that of a much more experienced author. This book was a joy to read. There’s a strong sense of realness to Jack and Max, the grief they share, and their struggles to become a couple. They help each other grow and become comfortable in who they are – individually, together, and as co-parents. This is a truly beautiful love story. I can’t wait to see what Ms. Roman delivers next. Don’t hesitate to try out this first time MM author.

RATING: 

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