Love in Straight Sets by Rebecca Crowley
Contemporary Romance
Released: April 14, 2014
Carina Press
Reviewed by Mandi
This book features a very insecure heroine who is unlikable in my opinion. I tried to feel for her and her insecurities, but I never truly got there. Regan Hunter has worked hard and mostly on her own to make it to the professional tennis level. She is a star, and known for pushing coaches away. Her manager knows she is close to winning a big tournament, but she needs some guidance so he hires Ben Percy to be her new coach. Ben is a former star tennis player, whose father stole all his money. But Ben has risen past that, and now agrees to be Regan’s coach, even with her prickly reputation. Ben is from Zimbabwe and is trying to save money to help his family back home. He needs this job, but it’s going to be tough for him.
I know there are tennis players through the years that are very mouthy and have big tempers on the court. It can be somewhat amusing to watch on the television. But when I’m reading about one in my romance book, I need something else about her personaility to latch onto so I can like her. Regan is very prickly. She immediately doesn’t like Ben. She doesn’t want to listen to him, she doesn’t want to learn from him. But she does find him attractive.
Am I insane? Regan chided herself as Ben took a slow step to the side. I’m ranked in the top ten and he’s a washed-up nobody with one fluke win to his name.
Still, she found herself making a mental inventory of her sportswear and planning a coordinated outfit for tomorrow.
Regan had it hard as a kid. She didn’t grow up wealthy but her dad was a manager at the local country club so she was forced to mingle with the snobby rich kids making her feel insecure. As an adult, she suffers from extreme anxiety and panic attacks, all of which Ben discovers and starts to help her through as he gets to know her. Even with more of an explanation of Regan’s past and knowing she has anxiety, I still couldn’t excuse her bad behavior at the beginning of the book. She acted so immature and almost wanted people to feel pity for her because she is all alone and has a big house etc.. Here is a woman who worked so hard to get where she is today, to then act so rude to those who are trying to help her made me want to strangle her.
I liked Ben a little more. He had an interesting story of being a former champion who is now forced to deal with money and family issues. He was an interesting hero. However, I didn’t feel a love connecion between Ben and Regan. I didn’t really like how their romance played out in the second half of the book. I also didn’t like the role Regan’s mangaer takes towards the end of the book.
I did appreciate the details to the sport of tennis in this one. Often times in sports romances we don’t get enough of the actual sport, but that is not the case here. Unfortunately, the heroine and the romance didn’t quite click for me.
Rating: C-
This does not really sound good, sorry you did not like the heroine Mandi.