Blurb:

My name is Ace Watson, and I’m having an existential crisis.

I finished last season as one of the league’s best pitchers. Baseball’s smooth-talking boy wonder. The future of The New York Lions.

I’m starting this season as the worst.

And I don’t want to sound dramatic, but the fault lies entirely with Payton Lopez.

She walked into my life with her mile long legs and dark brown waves, and threw me the curviest of all curve balls. Overnight my ability to pitch disappeared with my ability to charm, and I found myself riding a one way ticket to being the most expensive bench warmer in the M.L.B.

The only solution: to get Payton to fix what she broke, something she agrees to on one very easy condition.

Before long, what started as a way to get my pitch back, soon turns into any excuse I can find for us to spend time together.

Before long, I have everything I didn’t even realize I wanted.

Now I just need to prove to her that while I exist without baseball, I can’t live without her.

Payton Lopez might have thrown me a curve ball, but I’m pitching it right back.

My 5* Review:

The Shake Off by Lulu Moore is book two in The New York Lions series. We were introduced to the baseball players in The Third Baseman. Now it is the hilarious and unexpected romance between Payton Lopez and the Lions young star pitcher Ace Watson. We also get to catch up with Jupiter and all the guys from the Tuesday Club series because Payton is friends with all their other halves. 

Payton is on her way home from celebrating her birthday. She works for a publishing company and dreams of moving from children’s books to Adult fiction. While waiting for her  Uber, Ace offers her a lift. This is the first time she has met him but he has been the subject of many of her fantasies. However, their one night stand doesn’t live up to what she’d imagined a night with the hot baseball player would be like. 

Ace is very taken by her and thinks it’s fate they’ve met. He is shocked when she doesn’t want another night with him. He is cocky about his sexual prowess so his friends tease him he has lost his touch and she didn’t have a good time. When he sees her again, she tells him the truth thinking he will leave her alone but it makes him all the more determined. He has never found himself in this situation before so wants another chance to prove how good he can be. His ego is hurt but worse is to come. 

She has got inside his head and suddenly his pitching is affected. He accuses her of being the cause so she must fix it before he loses his career. Luckily for him an incident occurs that means she needs his help too so they came to an arrangement. She’ll help him in the bedroom and he’ll help her get the promotion. It was so sweet how all his usual confidence goes and he is nervous around her.

What follows is a very funny series of events as they work on their deal. The banter between the couple is great and he really puts in the work both with her and his pitching. The best thing though is he’s not the only one who takes it seriously. The guys cracked me up with their conversations while travelling to games. How Parker, Lux and Tanner teased Ace at first, then were as invested as he was in improving their bedroom skills. 

Payton doesn’t do relationships due to her past so will she find the courage to give it a go with him. Will he be able to turn his game around and what will happen when everyone realises what’s been going on. I really had my fingers crossed for them and how Ace showed his true feelings at the end was fantastic. This book made me laugh so much

because you have the steamy and amusing romance, but also the funny interactions with their two groups of friends. The girls were so supportive to Payton and the guys so entertaining that I can’t wait for each of their books. This was my first book by this author and I absolutely loved it so I fully recommend this sports romance.