Review ❤️ Yours to Keep by Lauren Layne

Pro baseball shortstop Carter Ramsey is about to be Citizen magazine’s Man of the Year, but the only title that matters to him is out of reach: World Series MVP. Benched by a recent injury, Carter retreats to his hometown to recover. His ten-year class reunion and a potential reconciliation with the sweetheart he left behind could be perfect distractions. Until another old acquaintance throws Carter a curveball.

Olive Dunn admits that her former high school science partner is still a handsome charmer. But she wasn’t swayed then, and she won’t be swayed now. Because Olive remembers Carter’s little shortcoming: he tends to bail the moment it suits him, without a backward glance. Best to keep her feelings strictly platonic while he’s in town.

Except the entitled boy she knew is a changed man: solid, reflective, and generous. As they ease back in to their familiar friendship, things take a surprising turn, and Carter and Olive must decide if what they have is a passing flirtation or a real shot at love.


Release Date: Sep 1, 2020
Series: Man of the Year
Book: 3
Heat Level: Sensual
Publisher: Amazon Publishing
Imprint: Montlake
Price: $4.99



Carter
suffers an injury that leaves him rushing home to recover. While he is there, he takes the time to attempt to get back with an old flame that will be attending the high school reunion. Instead, he keeps coming across another classmate, Olive, who is not the woman he thought she was.

This one ticked my boxes but didn’t necessarily wow me. Now I love a good small town romance to keep me feeling all cozy but the cozy feeling didn’t really stay.  I kept wondering what happened to the old fling. The idea of that fizzled immediately as he encountered Olive.  

I like the individual characters but they didn’t quite work well together in my opinion. Carter is the typical handsome jock who is stuck on himself and his sports. Now that he has to slow down he is a lot more reflective and kind. He likes being around Olive. They have always had an easy going friendship so when things spark up between them, it is a no brainer.

I connected more with Olive because she is this tough woman who isn’t shy or afraid to be exactly who she is. I liked how she is straight shooter and didn’t want to give Carter any play despite him being this big time athlete. In fact, I thought she could have come around faster than she did but I get the witty banter and the constant flirting.

The slow burn got to be a bit too slow which made the book drag.  After a while the friendship needed to be kicked up a notch and the romance needed to seep into the storyline more. I think an addition of spice could have made this more interesting for me.

Overall, I’m still invested in this series. I recommend this book to fans for a quick, easy and light-hearted contemporary romance.

~ Samantha