Review: The Game Changer

Where are all my baseball and romance lovers at? There’s a new series in town! The Game Changer is the first in Julia Jarrett’s new Cedar Creek Thunder series, which focuses on a baseball team in a small (ish) town in British Columbia. Like all of Jarrett’s novels, I was all in on this one while I was reading it and I can’t wait for the next book in this series.

Here’s the book’s description:

Buying a small town baseball team might seem an odd choice for a millionaire tech developer, but I welcome the challenge.

Moving back to my hometown and reviving the once-beloved Cedar Creek Thunder is an impulsive attempt to find a deeper purpose, and a life that is measured in happiness rather than dollars.

A chance encounter with the most gorgeous woman I’ve ever seen has my temperature rising from more than the tea she’s spilled on me. When she walks into my office for an interview later that morning, it quickly becomes clear there’s no one better suited for the job .

Isla Forrester should be off limits, but with a smile that pierces my soul, the single mom is fire wrapped up in sweet temptation.

I’ve always had thick walls around my heart, but Isla and her son are breaking them down.

Now my sole purpose is getting her to believe that loving her is no challenge at all.

The description is all from Luca’s point of view but the book alternates between him and Isla, so you can see how both of them are feeling as their relationship progresses. I liked getting into both of their heads and it definitely helped me enjoy the book more than I would have if it had just been a single POV.

There aren’t nearly enough baseball romances out there, which is part of why I wanted to read The Game Changer. (That and Jarrett’s books always give me the warm fuzzies.) Given neither main character is a player and it took place in the lead up to the start of the season, the baseball aspect is limited. The vibes were there, though. The town is behind the team and you can tell the players were excited about the new owner and the new season. It made me want to buy tickets to a Thunder game!

There’s some good representation in this book. Both Luca and Charlie, Isla’s son, have amniotic band syndrome (ABS), which, for them, resulted in limb differences. Jarrett made sure to have sensitivity readers, which she shouts out in her acknowledgments. I had never heard of ABS, specifically, so I appreciated the insight on what it could be like to live with it. And seeing the two of them bond? Adorable.

This novel had a few tropes that aren’t always my favourite so I needed to work a little harder to overcome them, though Jarrett makes it easy because she always writes such satisfying romances. Isla is a single parent, there’s an age gap (he’s older by 13 years), and he’s her boss. Everything’s really respectful but they’re tropes to keep in mind when you’re reading.

Jarrett’s characters are never perfect but they’re perfect for romance heroes and heroines. They’re always so relatable (even when they’re stupid rich, a single parent, or an athlete) and I always root for them to have the most magical Happily Ever After. You can’t help it because you’ve fallen in love with them along the way and want all the very best for them. It makes Jarrett’s books so damn satisfying.

We don’t have any details on the second book in the Cedar Creek Thunder series but based solely on The Game Changer? I’ll definitely be reading the next in Julia Jarrett’s small town baseball series. Her romance novels always bring a smile to my face and I hope more people check this one out!

*An egalley was provided by the author in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*