Book Review for PLAYING BY HEART by Melanie Shawn

Troy Valentine gave up everything when his parents died, leaving his career as a pro baseball player to come home to Valentine Bay and raise his little sister, Mila. It’d been so long since he put himself first or thought about what he wanted, it was hard to even remember what that felt like. 

Broadway star Alison Bartholomew needed a break from her high-pressure theater career and all the scrutiny and judgement that went with it. When she meets Troy on the first morning of her Valentine Bay getaway, she starts to wonder: could a short sabbatical turn into something more lasting? 

Troy and Alison can't help but be drawn to each other, but is the force binding them together stronger than the one pulling them in different directions?

Stand-alone Valentine Bay romance, complete with HEA--and plenty of heat and heart along the way!

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Sensual, sexy, and sweet all at the same time in the most fabulously sultry way that blew even me away, the avid reader of Melanie Shawn novels... 

The story has it all, the small town vibes with the blessings and the meddling, the best of friends that becomes the family of your heart, the romance that sweeps you off your feet and is adorable, lovable, and seductive, and I enjoyed each of these elements and how they played part in the tale and the development of the relationship between Troy Valentine and Broadway star Alison Bartholomew.

But what really sets this story apart, what had me to tear up, my heart to swell a few sizes, and want to cheer out loud, that was Mila and both Troy and Alison's relationship with her. That girl stole my heart in the first Valentine Bay book, but oh my, here, with her performance, and the town's response, I felt like I was a proud auntie in the audience applauding her until my hands were sore. And yes, there were tears all over my face as I read that scene. 

Troy and Alison are just so perfect together, in each and every possible way, that it is delightfully cute and deliciously delectable. The chemistry, the connection, the celebrity status, the interests, their love for Mila, it all just fits, it is harmonious and beautiful and mixed with all the other elements of the book, vastly entertaining.  
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And after enjoying the funny, the amusing, the touching, and the steaming -- it was the last sentence, just three words that pulls the whole story together in a brilliant way, that brought me to my knees, figuratively speaking, and brought all the feels, the smile, and the tears that only a fabulous story manages to draw out of me.
~ Five Spoons

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NEW YORK TIMES & USA TODAY bestselling author Melanie Shawn is the writing team of sister duo Melanie and Shawna. Originally from Northern California, they now make their home in So Cal.
Growing up, Melanie constantly had her head in a book and was always working on short stories, manuscripts, plays and poetry. Shawna always loved romance in any form - movie, song or literary. If it was a love story with a happy ending, Shawna was all about it! They have joined forces to create a world where true love and happily ever after always has a sexy twist!

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