‘Taking a Shot’ by Jaci Burton

Reviewed by Jesi
3 stars

The last thing Jenna Riley needs is more sports in her life. While her brothers are off being athletic superstars, she's stuck running the family's sports bar, whether she likes it or not. Then in walks pro hockey stud Tyler Anderson. As much as Jenna would like to go to the boards with him, she's vowed to never fall for a jock-even one as hot as Ty.

Ty, intrigued by the beautiful bar owner, becomes a regular. He senses that Jenna wants to do something more with her life. And as he gains her trust, the passion between them grows, as does Ty's insistence that Jenna should start living for herself. With his encouragement, Jenna starts to believe it, too...

But first, Jenna has to figure out what she wants, what she needs, who she loves, and if she has the passion and pride to take a shot at having it all-including Ty...

(Amazon product description)

I buy Jaci Burton’s books on the lickable covers alone.  It’s a bonus when her stories are good.  :) 

Taking a Shot is the third book in her Play-by-Play series, which revolves around the Riley family and their uber-jock family and friends. 

I totally related to Jenna in her desire not to date a jock.  I never was much of a sports fan (that has changed a bit with age), and it was one of my criteria when looking for potential boyfriends also.  And like her, I ended up breaking this rule when I found the Mr. Right.  However, I was disappointed in Jenna as a character.  I thought she would be this tough chick who could challenge Ty.  Instead, I found her to be a bit of a weenie.  These two sides of her character did not balance well.  One small rejection in her youth completely holds her back from pursuing her dreams?  Oh, come on.  Maybe I’m callous because I’m a writer, and we have to wade in rejection daily, but this did not seem like an adequate stumbling block for the character to have to overcome.  I know the author could have come up with something deeper and more troubling. 

I had the same issue with the character of Tyler, even though I did like him better.  We are led to think there is some sort of really deep issue in his family history, but it just turned out that his mother is slightly bitter over her divorce and his dad has a really bad sense of humor.  I mean who isn’t embarrassed by their parents a little?  Aside from the boring backstory, Tyler was more likable. 

I found the plot entertaining enough, and the character chemistry was strong.  While I think this is the weakest book in the series so far, I still think Jaci Burton is a great writer.  I will definitely be first in line for the next book Playing to Win which comes out in September. 

Overall, I give Taking a Shot...

Plot - 3 1/2 bookmarks

Character development - 2 1/2 bookmarks

Love story - 4 bookmarks (The chemistry was good.)

Dream cast (otherwise known as who I pictured while reading) - Chris Hemsworth (Tyler),  Ashley Greene (Jenna)