{ARC YA Review} Dare to Kiss by S.B. Alexander

Besides her family, Lacey Robinson’s only other love is baseball. She’s on top of the world when Arizona State University approaches her to discuss a scholarship. To be the first girl ever to grace a college boys’ team is beyond what she has ever dreamed. Her fastball is impeccable, her curveball equally as good, and her slider annihilates anyone who dares to step in the batter’s box. But fate has its own way of throwing curveballs.

When she looses her mother and sister to a home invasion, baseball and her dreams die with them. Tragedy has a way of seeping deep into her psyche, causing nightmares, panic attacks and blackouts. Diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, her psychiatrist recommends a change of scenery and picking up the things that she loved to do, and for Lacey that is baseball.

After a move clear across the country, only two things matter to Lacey—overcome her PTSD and make Kensington High’s baseball team. However, she never counted on meeting someone who wants her as badly as Kade Maxwell. The tall, sexy and drool-worthy bad boy has a magical touch that awakens her feminine side, and a kiss that slowly erases her nightmares. But getting involved with him may be dangerous when Kade’s nemesis returns to town to settle a vendetta. To complicate matters, her PTSD has taken a turn for the worse. She has to find a way to heal otherwise she may not have a chance at anything in life, especially love. (Blurb via Goodreads)

{Details} eARC, ebook, 309 pages. Expected publication: September 2014. Source: Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to S.B. Alexander

{Rating} 4/5 - I really liked it!

{Review}

"The ball left my hand and zigzagged on its way to home plate, missing Tyler Langley's glove." (page 1, line 1)

Lacey is a different kind of heroine. She's struggling with her past, with a horrific loss and the way that it has changed every facet of her life. She's quick to react, to overreact, to hit out - literally and figuratively. She's reckless and impulsive. I didn't always understand Lacey and her actions and I didn't always like her but I was fascinated by her and her story and I was dying to know what was going to happen next. Though I'm not a baseball fan - or sports fan of any variety - I liked how Alexander showed Lacey's passion for the game and her drive and commitment.

Kade. A guy with his own demons. A guy who has been hurt too. A guy who sees something in Lacey that calls to him. I found him to be a little over the top, trying a little too hard to be an alpha male, but I did like him. He's a caretaker and a fixer and he's good for Lacey. He gets that she has issues with trust, with love, and he pushes her to open up, to trust, to give him a chance. I liked his imperfections, how he screws up, more than once, and we get to see how he deals.

The triplets. Ahh. I love their dynamic. How they are with each other, with Lacey. Alexander does a great job with making each of the Maxwell brothers distinctive and interesting, and giving just a hint of their histories and struggles. I so want to know more about them.

Though Dare to Kiss is only the first part of Lacey and Kade's story it doesn't end on a cliffhanger (halleluiah!) there are still unanswered questions. I want to know what happens next. And I want to see more of the Maxwell boys.