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.”
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.”
Title: Curveball
Author: Mariah Dietz
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series or Standalone: Standalone
Rating: ★★★★★
Fabulous! I’ve been
in a reading slump as of late and this was just the book to pull me out of it!
Curveball is the kind
of story that reminds me why I love reading romance to begin with.
Add in the realistic
characters, and what I truly believe can be a fair assessment of the ways of
small town life go. Such as the rumor mill, the talking behind peoples back,
knowing everyone’s business, etc. They really don’t make real romances better
than this.
Loved the friends to lovers’
vibe here, and the amount of time that it took for both heroine and hero to
realize just what was going on between them. The interaction with Coen and
Hayden, was everything I could have wanted it to be and more. It was sweet.
Especially with the knowledge and the care he took knowing about the boys’
allergy.
Like I said before,
very real in the way it all came across.
I had a feeling about
who the person starting all of the rumor spreading was, and in that regard I
was right, but I will say that the bombshells that were dropped after that, I
really didn’t see coming, so good on the author for making it easy to figure
out one aspect, but not all of them.
I can’t say enough
good things about this read. If you love romance, especially the sweet kind, I
think you’ll enjoy this. I have never read this author before but after reading
this one, I really can’t wait to start.
My thanks to the
author and all others involved in letting me read this before official release.
It was an honor and a journey with these characters that I’m glad to have
taken.
Author Bio
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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