All Wound Up by Jaci Burton
Series: Play By Play, #10
Contemporary Romance/Sports
August 4, 2015
Berkley
Reviewed by Tori
Favorite Quote: “He has great hands…Great control of his balls.”
When Tucker Cassidy’s crazy girlfriend of two months pushes to move in with him, his resounding no ends with him on the ground, trying to recover from a knee to the groin. Lucky for him, the good doctor is in.
Dr. Aubry Ross only wanted to get some more wine for her parent’s party but duty calls when she sees a man writhing on the ground, clutching his groin. After a quick check, she pronounces him good to go.
Tucker ends up in her emergency room two more times, causing Aubry to wonder if he’s injuring himself just to see her. Not on the market for a relationship, her residency takes up all her time. But she can’t help but gravitate to the smart and oh so sexy pitcher whose sinful eyes promise good times to be had.
As their relationship heats up, so do their choices. When Aubry’s father threatens Tucker’s career, will Tucker choose baseball or Aubry?
Number ten in Burton’s sports oriented contemporary romance series, Play By Play, takes us back to the Cassidy family and the only baseball player in the family-Tucker Cassidy. A smoothly written lightweight story that tells of a romance that develops between a sweet couple amidst crazy work schedules, interfering relatives, and a sexual connection that confounds and satisfies them both.
Tucker Cassidy is a nice man. A confident, sexy, phenomenal pitcher for the St. Louis Rivers, he is pretty much at the top of his game and life. He doesn’t expect or demand genuflection for his skill or fame. Not looking for “the one” especially after an embarrassing episode with his ex girlfriend, he is shocked by his reaction to the gorgeous Dr who swoops him to check him out after he is kneed in the groin.
“I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.”
“I see you’re starting to feel better. That’s a very good sign. But no, I’m not showing you mine. I am going to look at yours, though. And in your weakened condition, I’m pretty sure I can get into your pants.”
“Okay. Fine. You’re really a doctor?”
“I really am. So drop ‘em and let’s take a look at the goods.”
He reached for the zipper of his pants. “If I had a dollar for every time a woman said that to me …”
Dr. Aubry Ross is an emergency room resident and daughter of the St. Louis River’s owner. Content with her life as it is, she isn’t looking for any relationships as she chooses to focus on her career. Intelligent, witty, and very dedicated, she doesn’t want to date period but she can’t help the attraction she feels towards Tucker and after much debate, sort of agrees to a date. Of course, being a man, he makes some mistakes.
He turned around and walked through the doors before she had a chance to tell him no. Damn that man. He was infuriating. To think he’d assume she’d go out to dinner with him—do anything with him, was outrageous. When he came back, she’d tell him.
All Wound Up is a decent though more laid back romance than the other installments. There are no dark secrets to unravel or emotional hurdles to jump over. A bit of a chase and capture approach brings Tucker and Aubry together and plenty of humor and sex keep them together. I loved Tucker’s ideas for their first date. Bowling and a visit to a psychic were unusual but it showed that Tucker wasn’t just interested in sex. He wanted to do something that would not only capture Aubry’s attention but hopefully hold it. They have some great chemistry and dialogue with lends to some laugh out loud moments.
“Always thinking with your stomach.”
“Either my stomach or my cock. Mostly my cock.”
There are some smaller subplots that circle around, giving us insight into where Tucker and Aubry stand emotionally and professionally.. Both are dedicated to their careers and families and neither ask the other to give anything up. There is much respect on both sides. I did enjoy seeing more of the Cassidys, especially the brothers. They are a close family and their camaraderie and hilarious banter shows this. Burton uses these scenes into the Cassidy family dynamics to further expand on their individual storylines and prepare us for the next brother to fall off the market.
As I stated earlier, this is very lightweight story. Formulaic in that there is no real problems for them to overcome. A little bit of conflict and angst regarding their relationship and outside influences but everything is resolved rather quickly and without much fanfair. Sexually speaking the story is hot and spicy as Burton is wrought to do though I did feel it became repetitive after a while. I would have loved more personal talk between them in the bedroom as they became closer-something that took them out of their comfort zones.
All Wound Up is a quick and easy romance that doesn’t inspire much emotional investment from the reader but does offer a nice respite from the heat of the summer with some steamy sex, witty dialogue, and an uncomplicated romance.
RATING: C+
Recent Reviews:
Under the Cover Blog (Annie)
Cocktails and Books
Goodreads I Author Website I Series List
Leave a Reply