This is another well written, page turner by Ms. Bernard. I loved the addition of a female ball player. She created a freshness in the baseball element. And, I thoroughly enjoyed the hero and heroine being older. Being over thirty myself, I would love to see authors use more older main characters. This is a must read for fans of Ms. Bernard.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book. ( )

Kilby Catfish Coach Crush Taylor receives a phone call saying he’s been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Although he’s very pleased, he doesn’t like all the hoopla that goes around that kind of thing. That evening he gets very drunk, and passes out on the baseball field, to wake up to a young woman throwing a baseball, and throwing amazingly well. Teri Dimitri is just passing in town, she’s looking for someone, and Crush offers to drive her. Teri is so good that Crush decides to polish her game, and he’s hoping that she be the first woman to make it to Triple A.

Mayor Wendy Trent does everything she can not to tarnish her spotless public image, how will she handle the fact that Teri is her biological daughter? Wendy has always fought for women’s rights, and she makes Teri her personal crusade: she will help her daughter to achieve her dream however she can. Crush is a huge complication though, him being always around; he rattles Wendy and while they’ve exchanged too many barbs to mention along the years, she just can’t ignore the sexual sparks anymore.

Jennifer Bernard sure packs a punch in the novella CRUSHING IT! Finally, Crush and Wendy acknowledge what Wendy had tried to ignore, as the Ice Queen burns up the sheets with the retired Playboy Pitcher! It’s great to see a real, sizzling romance between older adults: Wendy is 43, and Crush 51, and a fabulous romance it is as well; they’re both great characters, together and separately, and there are interesting turns to their romance. But the baseball story is phenomenal! Teri is just fabulous, and not stereotypical in the least. She sounds like a 21 year-old, she acts like one, she is passionate about the game; you cannot help to cheer her on. There is also a rather daring plot twist from Ms. Bernard. And we get to see a bit of the players from the team, and their banter has not mellowed.

CRUSHING IT is another exceptional story by Jennifer Bernard, filled with vibrant baseball images, complex and engaging characters with terrific backstories, and sizzling sex scenes with two alpha personalities; the book is over before you know it.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book. ( )

I have been wanting a book featuring Crush and Wendy about their combative flirting and I got it! Thank you Ms. Bernard! This is a stand alone in the great series of Love Between the Bases featuring the Kirby Catfish. I really adore this series because it gives me a few of my favorite things.. Small Towns, Baseball Players, and of course so great writing.

I thought it was very refreshing to have some "older" characters find love. Crush is in his 50's and Wendy is in her 40's and they can still heat up a room. Seeing another "softer" side of Wendy was great and learning a little bit about her past that made her the strong organized women that she is today. I loved the dialog between Crush and Wendy and the off-the-charts heat.

Another thing that I absolutely loved was Teri ! A female pitcher... Heck Yeah! I hope that maybe Teri will get her own story in the future.

I can't wait to see what is going to happen next with the Catfish. ( )

What happens when you pair up a no commitment playboy baseball manager with an uptight, icy mayor of the small town the team is headquartered in? A fiery relationship that breaks all the rules! Crush & Wendy have been circling each other for four books & striking sparks off each other.

Crush is a retired baseball player turned manager for the Kilby Catfish, a triple a baseball team. Being informed that you are being inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame is an honor for most men, but not Crush. He doesn't think he's old enough for the honor. When he's depressed & out drinking, he runs across a young lady pitching on a dark baseball field one night. He sees a lot of talent in Teri & he decides to mentor her. Then he finds out that Wendy is her birth mother. What has he gotten himself into?

The characters & the plot in this book are really enjoyable. It's great to have a story about an older couple having the courage to fight for a relationship with each other & the woman's young daughter. I love the fact that Teri has the confidence & guts to go after her dream of pitching in the minor leagues!Instead of being just another baseball story, the addition of a young female pitcher adds a new element & the conflict with her birth parents adds an entirely different dimension! If you like a book with sizzling sex, internal conflict, engaging characters & great descriptive dialogue, you need to read this book! ( )