Reviewed by Jack Magnus for Readers' Favorite

Cauliflower Heart: Wrestling With Life is a romantic sports novel written by Diana Hart. Claudine Bellamy had gone from being happily married to Drew, a champion wrestler, to being his widow after his suspicious death in Germany following an international competition. To add to the grief and stress, the purse he had won, which was $100,000, had disappeared. Her father, Billy Bonham, and brother, Toasty, were concerned about her as she answered the many condolence cards and tried not to think about the future. Billy wasn't a wealthy man, and he'd do everything in his power to help his daughter and two grandchildren, but he realized it wouldn't be nearly enough. Claudine thought perhaps that the smooth-talking Toni, a reporter who had interviewed Drew in the past and had recently put together a video for his funeral, actually had a plan that might save her financially. Toni wanted to co-write Claudine's autobiography. She had great plans for it, and the numbers she promised that they'd earn would help her pay the bills and keep her little family afloat. There was even a small advance that went right into the bank to pay some overdue bills. The widow and the reporter went right to work on Claudine's story, but she soon realized that her past and Toni's spin on it were not necessarily the same thing.

Diana Hart's romantic sports novel, Cauliflower Heart: Wrestling With Life transports the reader into the life of a wrestling family in Manchester. I was fascinated by the amount of wrestling lore and sporting information I encountered in this book, and had a grand time reading it. Claudine is a wonderful character; one I just couldn't fault for her somewhat naive faith in the scheming Toni, especially in circumstances where anyone's mind would be clouded in grief. Hart's characters are beautifully fleshed out, and you just can't help but get involved in their lives, especially Claudine and her son and daughter. Her plot is a finely balanced blend of sports and family, and her writing style is strong and assured. This is the second book in Hart's Cauliflower Heart series, but it works well as a standalone read as well. It's highly recommended.

Reviewed by Rosie Malezer for Readers' Favorite

Chasing Swells is a romance novel written by A.L. Goulden. After teasing his father, Randy, about being able to catch more swells, a young Dean Bazner sits on his surfboard, relaxing as his father tries to catch up. Years later, while on his way to Fiji (a stopover to Bali), Dean is advised that a writer will be joining him in order to write about his travels as a surfer. Nonplussed, Dean hopes the guy that they assign to the job keeps out of his way so he can train and compete in peace. A freelance reporter, Azure Thomas, arrives on the island, excited at having been chosen to write about the travelling experiences of the famous surfer, but after encountering some surfers during her initial journey to Fiji, she is less than impressed by their display of immaturity. The chemistry between Dean and Azure is electric from the moment they lay eyes on one another, but both maintain their cool exteriors in the name of professionalism. They soon realize that they share similar tragic pasts in the loss of their families so young, and feel an inexplicable need to protect each other from any unexpected curve-balls that life throws their way. While their inner voice keeps telling them both how much they need to distance themselves from each other, their attraction grows more and more, making it hard to keep their focus on their careers, which had originally brought them together in the first place.

This is certainly one of the most fun and realistic romance novels I have ever read. Getting inside the head of each of the main characters throughout the story made it very easy to relate to and engage with them both. A.L. Goulden’s use of coarse language at exactly the right moments and in the right doses adds to the realism of this wonderfully romantic (and often hilarious) tale of two adults who are in high profile careers and are used to others gushing over them, but who are determined to appear uninterested in each other, despite the more their feelings grow. Having a writer who knows nothing at all about the sport of the celebrity she has been assigned to follow creates an innocence all of its own, especially since the only knowledge that the writer has prior to her arrival on the island is a few hours of Googling. I found myself smiling throughout most of this book, seeing a shy boy and a modest young girl getting to know each other in such a beautiful setting while overcoming past relationships which have left them both scarred. I very much enjoyed Chasing Swells and recommend it to all those who love action, adventure, drama, jealousy and humor tucked into the perfect romantic tale.

Reviewed by Jack Magnus for Readers' Favorite

Tracks: Racing the Sun is a historical fiction novel written by Sandro Martini. Journalist Joe Deutsch has come to Venice to speak with Johnny Finestrini, a retired journalist and author, at the hotel where he's living in L'Isola Del Lido. It's 1968, and the story Deutsch is researching begins with the rise to fame of the legendary racers Achille Varzi and Tazio Nuvolari, and follows the races in which they competed in the years before and during World War II. The two were friendly rivals and sometime enemies whose daring exploits, inspired driving and disregard of danger inspired nationalistic fervor. Finestrini was a reporter for the Italian newspaper, the Gazzetta, and his daily column covered the races, the race car makers, and the drivers who lived and died on the track, but in the process he had become much more than a reporter and observer.

Sandro Martini's historical fiction novel, Tracks: Racing the Sun, is a monumental achievement that brings to life the motor racing experience of Italy and Germany during the first half of the twentieth century. It's a remarkable story that is impeccably written and researched. I was spellbound as Johnny Finestrini's recollections and tales unwind. Martini masterfully recreates the tension, expectations and mood of Italy's citizens under fascism and Mussolini, and details the political expedience that pressured racers to excel, challenge boundaries and risk their lives as national heroes. I especially enjoyed reading about the design and evolution of the Italian and German racing cars. Tracks: Racing the Sun is filled with stories and anecdotes that are historical as well as those that serve to fill in the gaps with what might have been, and the blend of fact and supposition works marvelously in this enthralling and fascinating tale. I had a marvelous time reading Tracks: Racing the Sun. If you're a racing fan as I am, you're in for a thrill when you start reading this book. If you're not, you might just become one, or at least get a better idea of what all the fuss is about. Tracks: Racing the Sun is most highly recommended.

Reviewed by Jack Magnus for Readers' Favorite

Delayed Penalty: A Pilots Hockey Novel is a contemporary sports fiction novel written by Sophia Henry. Auden’s working off the hurt of being cut from the women’s soccer team at Central State in the tried and true manner that her best friend has suggested -- a few drinks at a familiar bar where the music rocks. Auden and Kristen had been enjoying the scene at the karaoke bar they frequented when Auden’s attention was riveted on the well-built man with the crazy Mohawk who seemed to be approaching her. He was just a bit too lovely for words, but then he blew any attraction Auden may have been feeling away with a rather crude joke: one at which an onlooker protested, saying she was too hot to be treated that way. Auden was rather taken by surprise at the hotness comment, as she had never thought of herself as particularly hot, or anything other than normal. When she finds out soon after that evening that her grandfather has already arranged a translation job for her winter break, Auden wants to argue but knows it will be useless, and she resigns herself to the situation. It was a new and different type of job from the usual transcription work, however, for her grandfather had set her up to be the translator for a Russian superstar hockey player, who just happened to be the crazy-haired man she knew to stay away from.

Sophia Henry’s romantic sports fiction novel, Delayed Penalty: A Pilots Hockey Novel, features two very memorable main characters, Auden and Aleksandr who seem at first destined to be unwilling partners as she is his interpreter, but the plot thickens when Auden realizes that the Russian hockey player is much more comfortable speaking English than he lets on, and is more than just the sports bunny chaser she’s convinced he is. This well-written and superbly plotted story juxtaposes two people who seem at first from very different lifestyles, but soon the similarities and the attraction begin as each learns how to place their trust in another human being. I especially enjoyed the sports that play so large a part in Delayed Penalty, and reading about the Center Clubs that are Auden’s creation and contribution to Detroit. Henry’s Detroit setting is inspired: while we see the destruction and desolation that is present in so much of that once-proud and bustling city, the reader can’t help but be inspired by the youth clubs, the pockets of beauty, and the life that still flourishes despite the urban blight. Delayed Penalty is an absorbing tale that covers a lot of ground, and it does so in a beautifully flowing and very entertaining way. It’s highly recommended.

Reviewed by Vernita Naylor for Readers' Favorite

There are a couple of murders being committed in Pull The Trigger: A Chase Williams Murder Mystery (Chase Williams Detective Stories Book 2) by Stefania Mattana. Can Inspector Angelo Annuli, ballistics guru expert Gianmarco Betti, and former Police Detective Chase Williams solve it in time before there’s more? Three young male cyclists, Olympic athletes from the Rio 2016 Italian Team Cycling Project, were training at Monte Priore when they were all shot. Sergio Mencarelli and Renato Rengoni were killed with fairly calculated precision while Edoardo Zuccon was shot twice but merely injured. Is Edoardo actually the target or is he being used as a pawn to throw suspicion off the case? Will the shooter come back to finish the job with Edoardo? Is it a professional hit or one of their teammates? Is there more than one shooter? Will others be killed? Is there a serial killer lurching throughout Monte Priore? There are so many questions to be answered and the clock is ticking for Angelo, Betti and Chase.

Pull The Trigger: A Chase Williams Murder Mystery by Stefania Mattana is a great murder mystery and will keep you longing for the next turn and twist in the story. Everyone is a suspect and, as the story unfolds, more clues are discovered ... which continues to have the experts Angelo, Betti and Chase second guessing their findings and the suspects. If you like whodunits, thrillers and murder mysteries where you can’t tell - even after reading half of the book - who is the killer, then you will be ecstatic with Pull The Trigger: A Chase Williams Murder Mystery by Stefania Mattana.

Reviewed by Jack Magnus for Readers' Favorite

Over the Monster is an inspirational baseball novel written by Douglas Folsom. Harding Ambler's nine-year-old world revolved around his author dad, artist mom, big brother, Charles, and baseball. He was already a promising player in the local Little League in Woodstock, Vermont, but unlike most of his family and friends, Harding was a Yankees fan and proudly wore his number two uniform when he played. His birthday was a big event: his mom had made a chocolate cake and the family was going to A&W for dinner, but they never made it back home again -- only Harding survived. His grandparents, Allen and Hattie Ambler, took him home to their house on Cape Cod and were warm, loving and supporting, but it took years for Harding to learn to cope with his grief and his confusion over his having survived. Despite it all, there was still baseball in his life, however, once he had recovered enough to accept it, and his grandfather, known locally as Ty Ambler, was a consummate coach.

Douglas Folsom's inspirational sports novel, Over the Monster, starts with a tragedy, but the reader quickly gets involved in the relationship between Ty Ambler and his grandson. Folsom's Cape Cod setting is marvelous, and I started seriously considering a vacation trip after reading about their trip over the coast on a friend's small plane. Over the Monster is a heartwarming coming of age story that seems to have everything finally going Harding's way until he accepts a ride from his old friend, James, and ends up ensnared in the wheels of justice. It's a drastic situation for an author to put his character into, but somehow it works marvelously, perhaps because these kinds of things do happen in real life, and the reader can identify with it so well. I loved the baseball theme of Over the Monster, especially that part of the book concerning Harding's vision and creation of the prison team. This is one of those books that you get wrapped up in and then feel just a bit disoriented and sad when it's finally over. It's most highly recommended.

Reviewed by Chris Fischer for Readers' Favorite

OK, full disclosure here. I am not a Cubs fan. And I mean, really not a Cubs fan. So when I picked up Killing the Curse by Dennis Hetzel, I wasn’t sure if I would like it, just because it follows the team through the end of a gasp winning season. Hard to believe, I know. But Killing the Curse is a fantastic read, Cubs fan or not. When a crazed fanatic tries to tip the scales in the direction of their favorite team, first by attacking the father of rival Boston’s pitcher, and then by even more diabolic means, involving the sports reporter the Cubs fans ‘love to hate’ Bob Walters, his beautiful daughter, Aimee, and no less than Bob’s best friend and the President of the United States, Luke Murphy, the book takes us on a wild and intriguing ride.

This book was fun, fast-paced and an easy read. I got sucked in early and spent the majority of an evening and into the night reading this one, as I just couldn’t put it down. The information about the games being played came across as realistically as if I was watching a game myself. Killing the Curse is a book that would appeal to any person who enjoys reading fiction with a tie-in to sports, mysteries, or those Cubs fans who continue to live in hope that their team will actually win the big one. Dennis Hetzel has a winner with Killing the Curse, and I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for an enjoyable, exciting and absorbing read.

Reviewed by Jack Magnus for Readers' Favorite

Baseball Girl: A Novel is a contemporary sports fiction novel written by Stephanie L. Verni. Francesca's young world revolved around her dad and the baseball games they watched together, both in the stadium and at home. They loved the Bay City Blackbirds, and Francesca knew all the stats and even the team's scoring system. From the time, she was seven until her dad's illness and death at age 44 from leukemia, the two of them thrilled to the sounds of the bat hitting the ball and the cheers of the fans. When Francesca was a sophomore in college, a year after he died, she found a help wanted ad for a Public Relations Assistant with the Bay City Blackbirds. It seemed the perfect job for a communications major who just happened to live and breathe baseball.

Stephanie L. Verni's contemporary fiction novel, Baseball Girl, is a marvelous novel that blends the coming of age, romance and sports fiction genres. The author's long-term association with the Baltimore Orioles makes the novel feel like the real thing. Verni takes the reader into the inner workings of the front office of a baseball team, and it's a fascinating look at the hard work, dedication, and stamina needed to be part of that world. While Francesca is no longer a young adult, the interwoven tales of her childhood through to her late twenties, combined with the ongoing trauma of her loss which keeps her locked up inside and unwilling to risk emotional attachments, make this story one of the more compelling coming of age tales I've read. Baseball Girl has a strong romantic thread, but the lack of any overtly sexual or erotic themes makes this novel eminently suitable for young adult readers as well as the target adult audience. Verni's strong and competent Francesca is the perfect role model for young women, especially if they just happen to love sports. Baseball Girl is an awesome read, and it's most highly recommended.

Reviewed by Roy T. James for Readers' Favorite

Cauliflower Heart: A Romantic Wrestler by Diana Hart, named after an acquired deformity or hardening of the ear affecting the fighters, reflects on the trials and tribulations of living in the wrestling milieu. Through the story of Claudine Bellamy, who grew up in the wrestling world and married a wrestler, Diana narrates the ever present romantic twists in a wrestler’s tale, some of them enjoyable and a few sad. The book describes how, with a superstar husband and the associated celebrity status, Claudine has to rise up in providing necessary help and assistance to her husband, as well as protecting her children who stand to lose the love and wisdom they deserved, wanted and needed from their father.

Cauliflower Heart: A Romantic Wrestler by Diana Hart is an eye opener of a story with a compelling narration. Just as the cauliflower ear is considered a badge of courage and experience, this tale is also the celebration of the superhuman strength of the wrestling crowd in finding answers to their challenges. This book reaffirms the adage, in the words of a famous poet, “The paths of glory lead but to the grave.” The romantic and whirlwind life of Claudine, and the brave face she had to put on for meeting the challenges of her family life, comes alive in these pages. Well written and describing all facets of a colorful life, this story is a great read.

Reviewed by Natasha Jackson for Readers' Favorite

Professional tennis player Gemma Lemmon has been preparing her entire career to win a Grand Slam. Her chance at the Australian Open was diverted thanks to an injury that almost ended her career, but four months later the British darling of tennis is back on track and primed to win the French Open. Then she meets another prodigy in the form of the dark and handsome Andre Reyes. In Game of Love by Ara Grigorian, Gemma and Andre meet and sparks fly. Ara Grigorian did a fantastic job creating two overachieving characters whose paths have been set from a young age, which makes them so intriguing. Neither Andre nor Gemma have ever had a true moment of freedom, yet their take on ‘what matters’ differs greatly and forms the main conflict in this story.

I loved that Andre is the one trying to convince Gemma that there is more to life than winning trophies and that love is the true prize. It was refreshing that Ara Grigorian chose to make the female the professional athlete and therefore the perceived ‘stronger’ one of the pair. Game of Love is a great tennis love story. I loved that she had to deal with all the speculation about her readiness to win a Slam, the pressure of an entire nation resting on her shoulders, all while she’s learning about love for the first time. The insight into the pressure on Gemma from coaches, trainers, and even the Prime Minister, adds a level of realism to this story that pushes the plot forward in an exciting way. But it is the love story here that prevails, and the push and pull between Gemma and Andre is at the heart of this tale. Game of Love is what a good sports romance should be; fast paced, strategic, emotional, and endlessly fascinating.