Title: Curveball
Author: Mariah Dietz
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: May 18, 2017
Blurb
Shakespeare believed there was always humor in tragedy and
tragedy in humor.
My life proved his theory as fact.
At eighteen I was a single parent moving to this small town
to be with the man I loved. The one who was supposed to love and cherish me in
return.
Finding out he had a wife was tragic.
Remaining in love with him in spite of her was more tragic.
My mom and best friend setting me up on a long string of
blind dates was an ongoing tragedy.
Nine years later, I’ve learned to see the humor in most
situations.
My mom and best friend setting me up on disastrous blind
dates.
My son’s jokes.
The fire alarm going off each time I cook.
My constant bright spot always adding to the humor was my
son, Hayden. But when Hayden had a life-threatening allergic reaction, the man
who came to help my little boy became my own savior. His laugh, his smile, and
the way his eyes lit up when he spoke to my son made him a beacon of light in
both our lives.
But I wasn’t the only one who noticed him.
When I began having feelings for the man my best and only
friend had fallen for, I knew following my heart would once again lead to a fresh
round of heartbreak.
Love led me to this town.
Lies kept me there.
Would history repeat itself?
Or had life just thrown me another Curveball?
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Excerpt
“I don’t watch TV at night…” Her voice drifts off, and I know it’s because she realizes I’m going to ask why.
And I do.
“You're going to laugh.”
“Probably.”
“It's because I can't hear things.”
“What kinds of things are you trying to hear?”
“I don't know. Strange noises and things…”
“Strange noises?”
“Do I need to spell it out for you?” She’s trying to sound annoyed, but I can hear the smile in her voice.
“Apparently, because I have no idea what you're talking about. What kinds of strange noises are you going to hear? I usually turn my TV up to block out all the strange sounds like the neighbor’s kids and the lady behind me that sounds like Fran fucking Drescher.”
“You know who Fran Drescher is?”
“My mother was a big fan of that stupid show she was in. Stop changing the subject. What are you listening for? Hayden won’t sneak out.”
“What if someone breaks in?”
“You're not serious.”
“Of course I'm serious!”
“What do you do all night?” I ask.
“Work,” she admits. “Well, usually I clean, and then I work.”
“I’m coming over.”
“You can’t.”
The panic in her voice doesn’t make her sound upset about the idea, but afraid.
Is it because she likes me?
“Why not?” I ask.
“It’s like nine o'clock.”
“Are you about to turn orange and sprout a stem?”
“That and I'm not wearing a bra, if you must know.”
“So put it back on.”
“You don't understand. That's like saying put your jeans back on.”
“I am in jeans,” I lie just to get a reaction out of her.
“What is wrong with you?” she cries.
“What's wrong with jeans?”
“They're stiff and uncomfortable. Wearing jeans all day is basically equivalent to walking on sandpaper. But at least you guys have pockets that will actually hold something larger than a thimble and don’t ride up your ass.”
“If your bra is riding up your ass, we have bigger fish to fry than being afraid of the boogey man.”
This is a well written story. Ella, as a teenager, fell in love with a man. A man she did not know was married. But in order to giver her son Hayden a father she moved to the small town where the father lived. And shortly thereafter was branded with the proverbial scarlet letter. With only one friend, Rachel, she stayed in the town, handling the rumors and gossip the best that she could. When a firefighter, Coen moves in across the street from Rachel, small changes start to occur. Especially when Coen starts teaching Hayden how to throw the perfect curveball.
I love when an author picks the perfect title for a book, this nails it. Curveball is perfect for this story, metaphorically and physically. I loved that there was an underlying mystery within the plot that kept me on my toes and had me wondering "who" until it was revealed. That is hard to do. I also enjoyed the slow burn between the various characters. Getting to know the background stories of each one was great. The way the author revealed it seemed so natural. There was non of that "it isn't my story to tell" because really, who does that? I felt that I could walk next door and find Ella, Hayden or Coen. I enjoy when a writer makes me feel like the characters are my friends.
Mariah Dietz lives
with her husband, two sons, and two four-legged children who are the axis of
her crazy and wonderful world.
Mariah grew up in a
tiny town outside of Portland, Oregon where she spent most of her time immersed
in the pages of books that she both read and created.
She has a love for
all things that include her family, good coffee, books, traveling, and dark
chocolate. She’s also obsessed with Christmas ornaments and all things Disney.
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