Yours to Keep (Man of the Year #2) by Lauren Layne – Dual Review

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Description:
Pro baseball shortstop Carter Ramsey is about to be Citizen magazine’s Man of the Year, but the only title that matters to him is out of reach: World Series MVP. Benched by a recent injury, Carter retreats to his hometown to recover. His ten-year class reunion and a potential reconciliation with the sweetheart he left behind could be perfect distractions. Until another old acquaintance throws Carter a curveball.

Olive Dunn admits that her former high school science partner is still a handsome charmer. But she wasn’t swayed then, and she won’t be swayed now. Because Olive remembers Carter’s little shortcoming: he tends to bail the moment it suits him, without a backward glance. Best to keep her feelings strictly platonic while he’s in town.

Except the entitled boy she knew is a changed man: solid, reflective, and generous. As they ease back in to their familiar friendship, things take a surprising turn, and Carter and Olive must decide if what they have is a passing flirtation or a real shot at love.

Sandy’s Review: YOURS TO KEEP is the second instalment in Lauren Layne’s contemporary, adult MAN OF THE YEAR romance series. This is professional baseball player Carter Ramsey, and high school biology teacher Olive Dunn’s story line. YOURS TO KEEP can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty.

Told from dual third person perspectives (Olive and Carter) YOURS TO KEEP follows in the aftermath of a possible career ending injury for our hero, and Citizen Magazine’s Man of the Year Carter Ramsey. Returning to his home town of Haven for his ten year high school reunion, Carter finds that his pregnant sister has volunteered his time on the reunion committee where he will me his former lab partner Olive Dunn. Olive is now the high school biology teacher, having never moved from their home town but Olive never expected to fall for Carter, the boy who had fallen in love with someone else. What ensues is the building romance and relationship between Carter and Olive, and the potential fall-out as Carter’s old flame returns looking for a second chances, and Carter’s time in Haven, comes to a close.

Carter Ramsey struggled in the aftermath of an injury with the potential to end his career but Carter had a couple of secrets including the real reason he had returned to his home town of Haven. Working with Olive meant getting a change to know the outspoken, animated and ‘perfect’ woman but Carter never expected to fall in love. Olive Dunn was never the prom queen or high school cheerleader, in fact, Olive was the high school nerd. Knowing that Carter was only in town for a few short weeks, Olive finds herself falling for a man who was about to break her heart.

The relationship between Olive and Carter is a friends to lovers relationship with an end date that will come sooner rather than later. Carter Ramsey’s career meant time in Haven had come to an end, as had his relationship with the woman with whom he had fallen in love. The back and forth banter between Carter and Olive is quirky and delightful. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

We are introduced to Olive’s friend Kelly Blakely; Carter’s sister Caitlyn and her husband AJ; Carter’s high school friend Jacob Jakey Kutcher and his wife Becky; Carter’s parents Warren and Tracy, and his ex Felicity George.

YOURS TO KEEP is a sweet and sexy story line; a fast paced tale of attraction and love, friendship and happily ever afters. The premise is engaging; the romance is seductive; the characters are sassy and fun.

Barb’s Review:
Yours to Keep by Lauren Layne is another one of her wonderful romances and the 2^nd book in her Man of the Year series.  We meet Carter Ramsey, our hero, who is a famous professional baseball player who is now sidelined from an injury and will miss the rest of the season.  Prior to his injury, he knew that his face will be plastered on all magazines, as he was named The Man of the Year. Carter is a bit depressed about his injury, worrying he may never return to the game he loves. He decides to back to his home town, for a little privacy, and as his pregnant sister tells him that his high school sweetheart is also coming to town. When Carter arrives at his rented house, to his shock he learns that the girl next door is his old lab partner.

Olive Dunn, our heroine, has no qualms of pushing her way into people’s lives, and when she realizes that her temporary next-door neighbor is Carter, she immediately takes over everything that he needs to have done; a rented car, fix the house, make him help her co-chair their high school reunion, etc.  The town loves Olive, as she is friends with everyone, and they love her flamboyant way helping others and telling them what to do.  Carter is amused how Olive takes control of his life, as she is a whirlwind talking nonstop, that even I got a bit dizzy.  But who cannot resist a friend like Olive? 

While Carter awaits the arrival of his ex-high school sweetheart that he has not seen for 10 years, he and Olive become friends, as she has him helping her with everything, including fun outings, drinking with old friends.  They remember the old days when they were lab partners, and now Olive is a science teacher at their school.  Olive is not Carter’s type, but over time he begins to see her in a different light, and enjoys the fun flirty bantering between them.  In a short time, Carter realizes he is having fun, enjoying his time with Olive, even if she can be a bit complicated or even over board a few times, but as time goes on, he knows he is falling for her;  but he also knows she will never leave town as she loves her job, and he wants to go back to playing baseball.  Is there a future for them?

What follows is a slow build romance between two unlikely people.  Yours to Keep was a fun, enjoyable, fast paced story that was very well written by Lauren Layne.  Olive was a fantastic heroine, and Carter was fun, sweet and hot.  The chemistry between them escalated as we got closer to the last 1/3 of the story.  If you enjoy pure sweet feel good romances, look no further this Man of the Year series, and a fantastic writer in Lauren Layne.