Called Out

Jen Doyle

May 2017 · Sold by Carina Press

About this ebook

Jen Doyle is back with another hot and heartfelt home run of a contemporary romance. Fans of Jill Shalvis should prepare to swoon over Jack and Lola’s HEA.

Jack “Ox” Oxford is used to being alone. Granted, when you screw over your friends, being alone isn’t always a choice. Playing for the Chicago Watchmen is a last-ditch effort to save his career...and right some of his past wrongs. He’s not expecting a warm reception, but he’s also not expecting a flat tire to change everything.

Recovering control freak, single mom and semiprofessional chaos wrangler Lola Deacon McIntire doesn’t need an arrogant ballplayer to swoop in and save her from anything, much less her flat tire. And she definitely doesn’t need her body to betray her and decide this is the guy to wake up her rusty libido. She isn’t about to upset her sons’ lives for any man—much less one who so clearly doesn’t think he’s dad material.

Jack never thought he’d find someone who wanted to build a life with him, but the more time he spends with Lola and her boys, the more it starts to feel permanent. Even tough-as-nails Lola concedes there just might be a future here—the big, beautiful, messy future neither of them was looking for—but only if Jack will accept he deserves it.

This book is approximately 100,000 words

One-click with confidence. This title is part of the Carina Press Romance Promise: all the romance you’re looking for with an HEA/HFN. It’s a promise!

Ratings and reviews

4.5 Stars I highly enjoyed this book. Jack is looking to make a comeback in his baseball career and find some forgiveness/redemption for the horrible thing he did to his best friend. Lola is just looking to survive single motherhood, but Jack calls to her. A more unlikely pair Lola and Jack, but when you see them together it's not so strange as it seems. Lola sees in Jack what others overlook. When Jack is with Lola's boys total swoon worthy material. I thought it was beautiful the way Jack grows as a person in this book. I highly recommend this book.

Through the rain, anger, bitterness and heartache Lola and Jack found each other. Called Out is a close up look at redemption. A second chance story that revolves around a washed up baseball player seeking to mend fences as he strives for a chance to relive his glory days. Jack is a work in progress that lands at the feet of his happy ending when he meets Lola. Lola is a single mother with a fearless spirit and her own painful mistakes to bear. The greatest obstacle each faces is forgiving themselves as their lives move forward. Ms. Doyle mixes moments of insight with humorous delivery and emotional storytelling as she creates a masterful story of maturity and romance.

I read the first book, Calling It, and fell in love with Doyle’s writing.  She delivers down to earth, regular people who are engaging and interesting but not too full of drama.  Their problems seem normal and relatable, and you finish the book feeling like you just made friends.  In Called Out she once again givers her readers characters that they can fall for and a story that captivates.  If you read Calling It you remember Jack because he was Nate’s best friend … until Jack slept with Nate’s fiancé … and got her pregnant.  If you haven’t read it, don’t worry – Doyle makes sure you know all about it  :)  But what we didn’t get before were a lot of details and no we get Jack’s side of the story!  And I feel so bad for the guy.  His childhood, while privileged, was awful.  His parents were (and still are) emotionally abusive, so Jack has a hard time truly valuing his worth off the baseball field.  He’s never really let himself get involved, with anyone.  Until Nate.  And he screwed it up, publicly and big time.  Now he’s going to do what he can to at least salvage his career because he doesn’t feel like he can really expect anything more.  Lola is struggling to raise four boys on her own but she has a great support system of friends and family.  And that includes Nate.  So being attracted to the man who treated him so terribly is definitely not something she wants.  But as she spends time with Jack it gets harder and harder to resist him.  Especially when she finds out there is more to the man that the cold demeanor he’s shown the world.  Mouthy, flirty, sexy Jack is so much fun.  And he just loves getting under Lola’s skin, which is such a hoot.  She’s not afraid to give back, though, which is fun as well.  But it's when Jack’s secrets and fears start coming out that we truly start to understand the man.  That’s when he steals our hearts. Emotionally-driven but humorous and fun, Doyle delivers a powerhouse romance that's the perfect summer read. *** I voluntarily read a Review Copy of this book. All opinions stated are solely my own and no one else’s. ***

About the author

A big believer in happily ever afters, Jen Doyle decided it was high time she started creating some. She has an M.S. in Library and Information Science and has worked as a librarian, an events planner, and an administrator in both preschool and higher ed environments (some might say that there is very little difference between the two; Jen has no comment regarding whether she is one of the “some”). For more information, see www.jendoyleink.com. (Rep'd by Sarah Younger)