Love of the Game

Wilde’s heartfelt third Stardust, Texas contemporary sports romance (after Rules of the Game) pairs an injured ballplayer with an emotionally damaged physical therapist for an explosive romance. Dallas Gunslingers pitcher Axel Richmond’s shoulder injury could mean the end of his career—and of pursuing his dreams in memory of his baseball-loving son. Enter Kasha Carlyle, a no-nonsense physical therapist. She was adopted by a loving family after her birth mother murdered her birth father, and she has just found out she has a biological half-sister, Emma, who has Down syndrome. Determined to get custody of Emma, Kasha takes on the challenging job of getting Axel back on the mound—a job that will give her the stability and generous paycheck she needs, if she can just ignore her explosive chemistry with her patient. Wilde packs a powerful emotional punch with the deeply nuanced characters of Axel and Kasha, a strong supporting cast, and a story readers will root for. (May)