Dirty Slide by Lauren Blakey and KD Casey

Dirty Slide

By Lauren Blakely and KD Casey

Rating: 5/5 
Genre: Sports Romance
Steam: Explicit!
Pub Date: November 5, 2021
Available: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Dirty Slide Synopsis (from GoodReads):

Don’t play dirty.

That’s the code I live by on and off the field.

The other?

Don’t get distracted.

Not by the media, not by hookups, and definitely not by our rival team’s ridiculously charming star player, who loves to whisper dirty nothings to me every time we play ball.

And sure, his offers are tempting, but he’s the love ‘em and leave ‘em type, and I want the real thing.

So I resist.

But the night he steals second on me in the biggest game of the year, the guy’s a whole lot harder to ignore. Especially after a filthy postgame kiss leaves me wanting all the things I can’t have.

What’s the risk in playing dirty just one time?

Review:

This novella is amazing. There is incredible chemistry, BASEBALL, and fabulous banter. Seriously though, rival players having a media “feud” over a dirty slide in the World Series having undeniable chemistry? Is there a more perfect foundation for a novella? FYI there is not.

Dirty Slide is short enough that it’s a quick, enjoyable read, but long enough that there is character development that makes it feel like it’s double the length😉. When I finished reading the book I was shocked that it was only 150 pages because it did feel longer. That’s only greater testament to the writing of Blakely and Casey. And if you’ve read any of Casey’s other writing there are subtle nods, which I loved.

Josh and Chris were perfect compliments to each other. Broody/Serious and Cocky/Lighthearted. Not quite sunshine-grumpy but close (which is what I prefer)!! And their banter—so good🤩!! Like I’m shocked not everyone on their teams were trying to set them up because their chemistry was perfection.

This novella is such a great blend of Blakely and Kacey’s writing. Hot in many places, but also several tender, quiet moments that flesh this out beyond a quick steamy read. The complexity of the characters made this novella as they were dynamic, complicated humans. And by far the best scene of the novella is the bar scene, the quiet moment layered with emotional complexities and worries. It was stunning.

Long Story Short:

Obviously I’m going to recommend picking it up to read. To be honest, I’m probably going to pick it up to read again. Enemies to lovers rival baseball players is the ultimate pick-me-up novella. How could you not want to read it?