Arden, Elley

Sports romance novel lovers will truly enjoy this tale of a strong female who dominates in a male sport.

Readers need not be sports fans to appreciate the strong female lead Arden ("Kemmons Brothers Baseball" series) has created in Tanya. Adding to the entertainment is the sweat-inducing physicality that occurs both on the field and off. The second title in the series, Crossing the Line, is scheduled for May.

While all four stories intertwine both the national pastime and love—or former loves, in the case of three of the stories—the comparisons stop there. A varying amount of actual baseball is in each work, but never enough to turn away nonsports fans. Likewise, some of the stories put the passion behind closed doors, while one or two will make more than a few readers blush. The home run of this quartet, however, is "Slugger Gone South," with "Tradeoff" coming in with a triple. Both make the short story format work, with compelling characters and straightforward plot lines. While baseball-loving romance readers will gravitate toward this title, anyone who appreciates variety and quick tales will appreciate this set as well.