Review & Giveaway: Making a Comeback by Kristina Mathews

July 08, 2015

Review & Giveaway: Making a Comeback by Kristina Mathews

Making a Comeback
More than a Game # 3

By: Kristina Mathews

Releasing July 7th, 2015

Lyrical Press

Blurb

With a divorce in the works, Annabelle Jones heads out to Southern California, the land of sun and starting over. She wants to prove to herself and her young daughters that she still has what it takes to turn heads as a swimsuit model—that she doesn’t need a man to take care of her. Until an accident forces her to rely on the hunky, yet mysterious man next door…

Nathan Cooper is trying to revive his own career. Once a top left-handed relief pitcher, he tried to get over a hidden injury with the aid of banned substances. Not only was he caught and suspended, he was traded and missed out on winning the championship. Now he’s a free agent without a contract, and that means life is ready to play ball…

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Excerpt

Today was a good day. A glorious day. Sitting at the stoplight in the Southern California sunshine, Annabelle Jones did a drum solo on the steering wheel of her convertible Mercedes. She didn’t care if people stared at her singing along to “Don’t Stop Believing.” She hadn’t stopped believing, and look at her now, fresh off her first modeling job since filing for divorce. So it wasn’t the cover of Sports Illustrated, still, it was a job. Something she could be proud of. Her daughters could be proud of her.

It wasn’t about the money. The income she earned from this modeling job was more about pride. Having something to offer the world, even if it was just her face.

Annabelle wanted to show her daughters that a woman didn’t need a man to take care of her. She could stand on her own two feet, and return to the career she’d given up when she married Clayton Barry. She might not fly off to exotic locations or work with the world’s most famous photographers, but she was working.

She lifted her face to the sun, soaking in its warmth. It was as if the fog of the last few years had finally lifted. Nothing but blue skies ahead for her and her six-year-old twin daughters.

Today’s shoot was just the beginning. Her agent had two more jobs lined up for her before the end of the month. He’d also scheduled her to attend the televised celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue. She hadn’t been able to make the photo shoot last fall in New York for the magazine, but he thought making an appearance on the live show would give her plenty of exposure.

Hopefully, she’d be able to juggle it all. Part of what appealed to her about today’s job was that it was close enough that she’d be able to shoot for a few hours and still get home in time to meet her daughters when they got off the school bus.

Annabelle glanced at the clock. If the light didn’t change soon, she wasn’t going to make it to the bus stop in time.

The song ended and Annabelle turned down the volume. She’d started listening to Journey during the Goliaths’ World Series run. So the song was five years older than she was, the message still rang true. It was about hope. Starting over. Believing.

The traffic light turned green, and she pulled into the intersection. A flash of yellow appeared out of the corner of her eye. She turned in time to see an SUV blow through the stoplight. Before she could react, the vehicle struck her Mercedes just behind the driver’s side door.

Her head slammed into the side window. Glass shattered and she looked down at the blood on her blouse. A thousand black pixels danced before her eyes.

And then nothing.

Author Info

Kristina Mathews doesn't remember a time when she didn't have a book in her hand. Or in her head. But it wasn't until she turned forty that she confessed the reason the laundry never made it out of the dryer was because she was busy writing.

While she resigned from teaching with the arrival of her second son, she's remained an educator in some form. As a volunteer, parent club member or para educator, she finds the most satisfaction working with emergent and developing readers, helping foster confidence and a lifelong love of books.

Kristina lives in Northern California with her husband of more than twenty years, two sons and a black lab. A veteran road tripper, amateur renovator and sports fanatic. She hopes to one day travel all 3,073 miles of Highway 50 from Sacramento, CA to Ocean City, MD, replace her carpet with hardwood floors and serve as a “Ball Dudette” for the San Francisco Giants.

Author Links
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My thoughts...

I know, I know...you are thinking to yourself..."what is it that she's always telling us? Read in order" Think of it this way, I could have lied and acted like I did. But you all deserve more then that from me for continually following me.

Most of the time I say to read a book in order because I feel you get a better picture of the world that the author is creating. Sometimes there is a common thread going through each book that if not read in order, you are lost.

And even though I read Making a Comeback which is book #3, I still believe you should read them in order. Or maybe it's just me that every time a name is mentioned I think to myself...are they mentioned in the books before this one. It really kills your enjoyment.

But because it's my great luck to review books for you I made the sacrifice. See how I made it all your fault. Haha! Sometimes I do read out of order when something sounds good and I want to try it. That was the case with Making a Comeback. Okay, I'm lying, it was the cover that caught my eye first. That I think you can understand. I mean,,,just look at it.

Once I got over staring at the cover and started reading Making a Comeback I was glad that I did decide to read it. If you are going to read a series out of order this is a good one. It reads like a single title. Of course without having read the others...

Those who love a sport related book will like this. Not only does it have that theme, but its also a great story about learning to push on when life gets you down and leaning on those around you to help you through.

Both Nathan and Annabella have things to work through. Nathan some (in my mind) major ones. But they do and they are stronger for them. I think you'll like them both as characters but will at time just feel that the author could have given them a little more depth. I know that sounds funny since there is so much going on in the book, it's just how I feel.

As a whole, it's a good story. I enjoyed reading it and I'm glad that I went with my gut. I would love to hear your thoughts if you've read it. Happy reading!