LOVED this one!! I've enjoyed each book in this series but I think this might be my favorite.  Lola and Jack are great characters and Lola's four little guys add so much to the story.  This is a wonderful story of redemption, forgiveness, and finding new love when it's least expected.  The story is very well written written and I think you will love these characters as much as I do.  I highly recommend this one.

Called Out,  Jen Doyle

Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews

Genre:  Romance, 

Carina: what I love about Carina books is they have a happy ending, eiother a HEA or a HFN, and thats what I want in a romance, an escape from realisty into happy times, a way to leave todays probelms behind and disappear into a world where things go wrong but end well. 
 
I've got to start this review with a gripe though :-( One thing that really bothered me about this story. 
We're told Jack screwed over his best friend and work colleague, and has been given the cold shoulder by everyone since. 
What he did was dreadful, a total no-go thing to do to your best mate but I kept thinking, maybe there's something we're missing? There are some details that mean what we think happened may not be quite that way perhaps?
Equally there were complications, something results from that act that gets left open. That felt weird to me, I can't understand why it wasn't dealt with, why Jack would have not acted upon what resulted, or again maybe there's something I'm missing. The Jack we know from this story would not have just done nothing, would have acted, stepped up, not just left things hanging.  
Without giving it away its hard to say what happened, maybe it resolved spontaneously, but it felt very strange to me, and was hard to match with the Jack we came to know.

I love this kind of book, enemies to lovers, and there was some serious chemistry between Jack and Lola, some scorching sensual scenes that are page melting.
Lola, I so felt for her, devastated after her husbands death, left with four small boys, she's kind of running through life on autopilot, and anything that affects that fine tuned organisation she has is disastrous. So she's not in the best mood when she meets Jack. Her boys though - he's one of their idols.
Jack's actually a really good guy, though his background leads to him to deny that, to think he's like his parenst and incapable of love. Yet the things he does for Lola show us otherwise and how he is with the boys, (one, two and three...and four the later addition!!) well, that's heart melting.

We meet up with the gang again, I loved Dorie and Nate from the first book, somehow missed out on book two, but its the same great group of characters, who've known each other for years, who feel so real. 
Its another story I loved, that pulled at the heart strings, made me laugh and feel tearful all within a few pages sometimes.
Its a great summer read, one for when you're feeling a little down and want something to make you smile and feel really good at the end.  
 
Stars: four and a half. I have to take off a half star for that huge, unresolved issue, the thing that's such a catalyst for the story and yet gets left hanging. 

ARC supplied for review purposes by Netgalley and Publishers

This is the third book in this series, it's is a fantastic read and a even fantastic book and I think this is my favourite so far in this series. There is a great bunch of characters in this series and they have brilliant interactions with each other and make you fall in love with each one of them.  This book has a lot of humour and the romance is so Sweet too. Would recommend

Okay, I am in love!  Great lead characters, wonderful secondary characters, melting hearts, believable conflict, and a happy ending.  What more could you want?  This book is well written and adorable.  If it had been an option, I would’ve read this in one sitting!  Jen Doyle is a new author for me, but that is about to change in a big way.  While this book was great as a standalone, I will definitely be going back to read the other books in the series.  After meeting the characters that star in them, how could I not?

In this sweet and steamy romance, Jack and Lola meet under less than perfect circumstances.  From the very beginning, the “Mama Bear” comes out and Jack “Iceman” Oxford can’t help but be intrigued.  Jack is used to people hating him. He expects it now more than ever.   After all, he’s done a terrible thing, and he is now surrounded by people who love the friend he betrayed.  Despite this, he and Lola are drawn together.  This trip to Inspiration is meant to be a last ditch effort at saving his career.  He has no intentions of finding forgiveness or making friends let alone falling in love.  Regardless of his intentions, he can’t seem to help himself.  

Lola is not much better off.  Sure, she hasn’t betrayed her best friend or turned a country full of people against her, but she certainly isn’t looking for love or planning to make nice with people who have hurt those she loves.  After losing her war hero husband three years ago, she has been completely focused on raising her four small boys.  She doesn’t have time for a personal life and she certainly doesn’t want to set a bad example for her fatherless children.  She is a complete spitfire who speaks her mind and stands up for herself and her friends/family when needed.  However, she is tired.  So tired.  How much longer can she continue like this? Could a man like Jack really be the answer to her problems?

I absolutely love these two!  I love that Lola is strong with a backbone of steel, but she can let down her guard with Jack around.  I love that she is responsible and puts her family first.  I love that while Jack feels completely broken and is lost in a sea of regret for the mistakes he has made, Lola is able to bring out the best in him and believe in him even when he doesn’t believe in himself.  I love that we get to see their transformations into the best versions of themselves when it is least expected.  It’s the little things that make me love them.  Christmas lights, snowball fights, and standing up for one another.  Ms. Doyle has created believable moments that allow them both to shine.

The secondary characters are just as good.  I was particularly fond of Nate and his fierce loyalty despite the worst circumstances.  Silas is adorable and brings out so much goodness in Jack.  The triplets were cute and added a lighter tone when needed.  The entire group of friends, which were more family than friends, was fantastic.  They added love, loyalty, and depth to the story as a whole.  I really can’t wait to read the rest of the series!

While baseball was the backdrop of the story, it certainly didn’t overpower it.  I love baseball, but you could fall in love with this story even if you know nothing of, or dislike the sport.  There is not an abundance of sports terminology or play by plays of games.  In fact, much of the story takes place during the off season.

Overall, if you are looking for a sweet and steamy romance, I highly recommend you check out Called Out!  I may be late to the Jen Doyle party, but I will certainly be sticking around.  A huge thanks to NetGalley and Carina Press for providing a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 

This review was originally posted on www.NovelMomma.com

3.5 stars 

I wasn't sure what to expect with this story since the other two books were so different for me. 

I loved Lola. I love that she's strong and stubborn and isn't afraid to stand up for herself and speak her mind. Jack is fantastic at being stand off-ish and maybe a bit stoic. Together they have some excellent chemistry and I loved the scenes between Jack and the kids. 

As in the other books, there are a lot of characters and it was a bit of a struggle to keep them straight. However, my main complaint is the whole plot line with Courtney. There's a detail mentioned about Jack's encounter with her and then it's never spoken of again.  I just found it really hard to believe that Jack would have nothing to do with the woman carrying his baby -- or the child if she had it. Even worse, it was implied that Courtney drugged him when Jack said he couldn't remember their evening together. Even though Jack said they probably did sleep together, it was a really weird thread to take and then completely abandon. 

Overall, this has been a mostly fun series and this book in particular was fluffy and adorable. 

**Huge thanks to Carina Press for providing the arc free of charge**

There's no other way to actually say this; it was nothing close to what I expected.
This is one of the very few adult books I've read, and I honestly didn't expect to like love it so much. I rooted for the characters; every single one of them. And although I haven't read the previous books in this series, I couldn't help but love Nate, Deke, Fitz, Jules, and Dorie. 
Nate's unconditional love for Jack literally brought me to my knees. Their friendship was woven in such a gorgeous pattern. 
The familial love between each and every character and their connections and relationships was an intriguing factor. Their inside jokes and memories either made me laugh or sob hysterically, there was no in-between.
I wish I could say that Jack's past and his childhood made me pity him; it infuriated me. I couldn't help but see the similarities with actual people I know that don't give two shits about their kids, the world is full of them these days. His parents' attitude only fueled my anger. They brainwashed him, FOR GOD'S SAKE, into believing he's just like them; just like his father, a cold-hearted son of a...
His constant hesitation and doubt because of the fact that he thinks he'd never give Lola what he thinks she, and her kids, deserve only made me love him even more. 
And when he actually thought that everyone's one there having his back only out of pity, I nearly lost it. I couldn't imagine anyone going through what he's gone through as a child. It was too much. 
His scenes with Lola were so friggin swoon-worthy and hot. I mean, their relationship started with hate and loathing, how romantic is that?!
Overall, I ADORED this book. It was so sweet and heartfelt and heartbreaking and heart-mending.

I'm a big fan of a sports romance, the redemption trope and a small-town setting so, in containing all these, Called out did indeed call out to me. When Jack "Ox" Oxford arrives in Inspiration, he's not expecting to be particularly welcomed by his former best-friend and teammate Nate, or Nate's nearest and dearest. And he's not, especially not by Lola McIntyre, widow and single mum to 4 young boys.

"Jack Oxford had done something horrible. Despicable. And he’d done it to someone Lola cared very much about. Yet here she was, ogling the man." 

This was an sexy, romantic read with great characters, a wee dose of angst and hefty dose of adorable courtesy of Lola's sons. Because it's not just Lola that Jack begins to lose his heart to. 

"Just promise me you won’t abandon him when you’re done with me."
"I don’t ever want to be done."

However, despite loving Jack, Lola and the boys, there was a pretty big plot hole in this story and, without dropping any spoilers, it relates to the reason Nate and Jack's friendship imploded. I cannot for the life of me remember if they were addressed in the first book but that matters not, it still should have been elaborated on here and given closure as it was important to the overall story.

"You're worthy of this, Jack." 

That aside, Jen Doyle has a writing style that captures life in a small-town well, I do like Inspiration and its residents and Lola and Jack's journey is a well-paced, heartwarming easy read and a worthy addition to the Calling It series. I'd certainly not take much persuading to return.

Called out was an interesting read. I was intrigued by the summary and the book did and okay job at delivering.
It's a fluffy story that I think is great for the summer. I liked the characters, I found the chemistry between Lola and Jace really well-executed. The writing was also decent.
What I didn't like, what still bothers me are the questions the book left me with, questions about some serious plot-points. Why are they left unaddressed is beyond me. It took away so much from my overall impression.

Except for what seemed a major hole in the characterizations, this was a very enjoyable read.  The plot involves self-hating, future hall-of-fame pitcher, Jack Oxford, who had tanked his career by sleeping with his best friend’s fiance and getting her pregnant.  Now he’s been cast off by his team and has come crawling to that former best friend to get his endorsement to be hired on to that friend’s team, the Chicago Watchmen.  On the road to see Nate, his former friend, he stops to help a woman with a flat tire.  That woman turns out to be Lola McIntire, a widow with four small sons, three of whom are four-year-old triplets.  They’re immediately attracted to each other but Lola is a good friend of Nate’s and so is programmed to detest Jack.  

The romantic plot is set.  Lola, whose Army Ranger hero husband died three years ago, is quite willing to have a little fling with Jack since she misses sex.  Jack is wary about indulging since he’s trying to win back Nate’s friendship and has been warned away from fooling with a woman who has suffered enough.

Jack comes from a very cold family with hateful parents who let him be raised by the servants.  He’s the typical poor, little rich boy who grew up to be a major-league star pitcher.  He doesn’t think he’s worthy of anyone’s friendship or love.  Even though he comes to love Lola and her children, he just feels he’s bad news for her.  But he’s nowhere as bad as he thinks of himself.  Even Nate has forgiven him.   We’re just waiting for Jack to realize this about himself.

The problem I have with the book is the set-up.  We’re told that he realized that Nate was making a disastrous decision to marry his fiance and went to her to talk her out of it.  Somehow, after a lot of alcohol, they ended up sleeping together one night but he can’t even remember it.  Except she got pregnant.  

But we’re never told what happened to that pregnancy.  Maybe it was resolved in the two earlier books, but it would have been nice to have been given a hint in this book.  I can’t buy that Jack is really such a great guy who would be a good stepfather to Lola’s four sons if he allowed a woman to bear his baby and doesn’t seem to have anything to do with that child.  Don’t tell us that this is a great guy, a great father figure to four little boys, if he has nothing to do with his own child.  If the woman had an abortion, let us know.  But don’t allow that plot point to be hanging out there.  It tainted the whole story for me and I really was enjoying the rest of the story.

I was given a free ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Called Out by Jen Doyle is a romance novel that is scheduled to be released on May 29, 2017 by Carina Press. I found this romance novel to be so realistic that I felt like I was in Inspiration, Iowa with Jack and Lola. Doyle creates an amazing story of love, friendship, and town drama. The story continues with the ballplayers dealing with the game and their personal lives. This adds to the love story of Jack and Lola. I really enjoyed reading this book and found it to be a very funny and romantic novel that will melt your heart.

Jack sometimes feels the need to point out the obvious, “that’s your waist,” he answered, his smile widening as his hands went down farther. “ That’s your ***.” He gave a brief squeeze and shifted his thigh as he pulled her even closer. “And that’s your—” Jack is always turning things naughty, “don’t you worry,” he said, his smile turning wicked. “My hand works just fine when it needs to.” I loved this book, Jack was sexy and caring.

Just love this book and the characters in the entire series.  Jen Doyle writes a story that draws you into the love, friendship and drama of the town.  I loved how Jack Oxford was brought to his knees by not only the feisty Lola Deacon McIntire but her crazy, funny brood of boys.  Watching Jack fall for all 5 of this family was sweet.  Lola had her own issues to deal with and it was great also having her step away from just being a mom to being a friend and lover- having a life outside the identity of mom! Sweet and sexy at that same time.

Anxiously awaiting the next in this series!

I'm really a huge fan of this author and her work! she never disappointing me!

I love Jen Doyle.  I am sure I said that last time I reviewed one of her books, but I really can't say that enough.  This story was such a quick read, and not due to a lack of substance.  The story is very well written and the character development is very well done as well.  The supporting characters are all great additions to the story and having read the previous books in the series, it was nice seeing them again, but certainly not necessary to have read the books to understand what is going on.  I can't imagine reading this book and NOT wanting to go back and read Nate's story, because while Jack and Lola were the stars of this story, Nate really comes through as the true hero and another character with an impressive amount of depth considering his supporting role.  I recommend this to anyone who likes a good story and enjoys some humor and romance mixed in.

I am a big fan of the authors and have read all the books in the series. This is story #3 and is very much  a continuation from the first book,Calling It starring Nate and Dorie. In that book Nate comes back home after his fiancee sleeps with his best friend/teammate and gets pregnant. He meets Dorie and falls in love and they live happily ever after until where this book starts.

Jack is the guy slept with his besties fiancee and then got her pregnant. He has had a really bad year since and was a baseball teammate of Nate's but now he is teamless and friendless and has found a team, Nate's team but he can't get signed unless he makes peace with Nate.

So thats how he ends up asking Nate for forgiveness. On his way into town he runs into Lola, who is the sister of Deke(book 2 in the series) and Nate's close friend. So they start out more from a place of hate then attraction. Lola a widowed mom to triplets and and 8 year old, Silas. Silas loves Jack and so he loves meeting him.

Nate agrees to forgive jack is he stays and helps to fix up this house he owns, what Jack doesn't know is that it is Lola's house. So while working on it they get to know each other. And thats all I am spoiling on this book.

The story really answered the question of how and why Jack did what he did. Which I really liked. But it does not answer one glaring question and that is what happens with the ex fiancee's child. Its Jack's child and it is a year later so the child must have been born but its not even mentioned if it was a girl or boy or anything about the child. Which would have made more sense if jack did not spend so much time time with Lola's kids and specifically Silas.

Aside from that I really enjoyed this story about Jack and Lola falling in love. Lola has ALOT of baggage but so does Jack. They were a very fun couple to watch fall in love and I especially loved seeing Nate, Dorie and Lolas kids were a lot of fun.

Ms Doyle is gifted in capturing the realism of her characters in a way that has you truly believing they are alive and living in Inspiration, Iowa. It is easy to visualize the characters and their surroundings through the imagery that is created so succinctly. The Calling It series continues with ball players finding their HEA, but not before meeting unresolved issues head on. There are many instances of subtle humor, i.e. Jack calling the triplets One, Two, and Three with a natural charisma. The story flows seamlessly from beginning to end, at times with well placed heartbreaking results. 

Jack and Lola's story is a sensual and playful delight that took my breath away from the moment that he met her on the side of the road and changing her flat tire...with him leaning against the hood of his car, the stage was set for her to capture his heart...but not until she was able to break through his lack of self worth and frozen heart. At his core, Jack is a good man, it took Lola to help realize that. 

I anxiously await the next book in the series, I can't get enough of these boys of summer and the women who love them. 

This ARC book was provided by the Publisher and Netgalley, I am voluntarily providing my honest review.

So many great things to like about, Called Out. Jack is an amazing man, but believes the lies that his parents fed him his whole life. So he doesn't think he's worthy of love. Lola is an awesome mom and friend. And her kids are adorable. Called Out is a great book about second chances and new beginnings.