Cover Image: The Sweet Spot

The Sweet Spot

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Member Reviews

This is such a great, sweet and heartbreaking read. The characters are perfect. I loved them right from the very first page.
Palmer is an amazing single mom. Everything she does is for Ethan.
She does so much for everyone she knows. But she does it all on her own. She doesn't ask for help.
Cole is a retired baseball player. He is exactly what she needs. She just doesn't know it yet.
He has something weighing him down though. He doesn't want to be a burden to anyone, especially Palmer.
These two learn what love truly is.
"Maybe it's not baseball. Maybe...maybe it's what baseball will lead you to."

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5 Star Review The Sweet Spot by Adriana Locke

Another entertaining read from Adriana Locke. The Sweet Spot was an emotional, heart warming read that pulled a number of emotions from me whilst I was reading. I enjoy single parent stories and single mum Palmer Clark and retired baseball player Colson (Cole) Beck’s story was entertaining.

The last thing Cole expected when he decided to visit his parents was to meet a woman who would change the course of his life. I enjoyed the push and pull dynamic as Cole worked to convince Palmer to take a chance on him.

Cole was everything that Palmer wanted to avoid, convinced he would never settle down with her and her son Ethan. There were so many highs and lows in this emotional, romantic and well written story. I enjoyed the characters and it was wonderful to watch the development of the relationship between Cole and Ethan.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher thrugh Netgalley.

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Such a good book! I just loved it. Cole and Palmer are great together and the rest of the family just made things even better.

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Palmer is a single mum to her 12 year old son Ethan. She works hard to give him the stability every child deserves to have. She knows she needs to make up for his father’s lack of interest and presence in his life. He does see his dad but it’s always on his terms and he regularly lets his son down. Ethan is getting to age now where he is beginning to work things out on his own and he prefers his mum to give him honesty when it comes to his dad.

Cole has recently retired from professional baseball and is weighing up his future plans. He has a few great offers to consider but there are some personal matters he needs to deal with first. He is back home visiting his parents now that he has the opportunity to spend some quality time with them. He first meets Palmer when he is out at a local bar with his best mate and there is an instant spark between them.

Palmer thinks Cole is all kinds of hot but she is not into casual hook ups, no siree. Ethan comes first in her life and she has learnt from experience that it’s better not to date random guys. It doesn’t mean she wants to be alone though, it will take a special kind of person to become a permanent fixture in their lives.

‘The problem is… I’m too old to be doing this. I’ve played around enough in my life - kissed enough boys behind sheds. Now I’m thirty-two and have nothing to show for it except the best kid in the world that I’m fully and solely responsible for.’

When Ethan’s dad kindly signs him up for baseball, as usual it falls on Palmer to see it all through. Palmer works full time and is constantly trying to juggle her time but if this gets Ethan outside into the fresh air she is willing to support him. At the first practice she is surprised to see that Cole has volunteered to be the coach, it seems she can’t seem to get away from this guy.

Cole and Ethan click right away. It makes Palmer feel sad and frustrated that his own father can’t appreciate how incredible their son is. He is truly missing out on such an amazing boy. Palmer is hesitant at first to give into the attraction she is feeling for Cole but in the end there really isn’t any reason not to. She hasn’t felt this much excitement about anyone for as long as she can remember. He makes her feel wanted and beautiful. She is falling fast… and he is right there with her.

‘I look into his eyes and wish I could just pause time. This feeling is everything that I’ve ever dreamed. Supported. Appreciated. Wanted.’

Cole was not looking to meet someone. He has been so focused on his career and not really in the place to be settling down into a relationship. Being with Palmer has him rethinking his future, maybe he can relocate to Ohio, spend more time with his parents and be the man that Palmer and Ethan deserve to have in their lives.

‘Palmer Clark is a unicorn. There’s substance behind her beauty, a humbleness behind her swagger. She’s kind yet confident and has a vulnerability that eats at me in ways that it shouldn’t. She’s funny and also fierce, and watching her with her son pulls at something soul deep. She triggers something inside me that makes me want to protect her.’

As much as Cole wants to have a future with Palmer, there is still a bit of uncertainty in his life. He had a reason for retiring while was at the peak of his career and he isn’t ready to share that with Palmer. Lord knows she has enough on her plate every day and the last thing he wants is to be another burden she has to contend with. He knows he has a tough decision to make and hurting the girl he is falling in love with may simply be unavoidable.

‘I wish for the hope that he brought me, the light he shone on my life - the way things felt possible. Like there was something to look forward to. Like there was something in this life just for me.’

This story had all the feel goods I was in the reading mood for, I love it when that happens. Sure, there is a bit of angst but I loved all the cute moments, the romance, Cole being blindsided by this amazingingly fierce and passionate woman. Palmer is shining example of a single mum selflessly doing everything she can to raise her child the best way she can. Loved this!

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If you love single parent romance look no further than single mum Palmer Clarke and retired baseball player Coulson ( Cole) Beck’s entertaining, sweet and heart warming journey. When Cole goes home to visit his parents he isn’t looking for Love or a relationship and he certainly never thought his life was about to be turned upside down.. But a meeting with Palmer and her son Ethan had him wanting to settle down but can he convince Palmer that he can change his player ways….. Palmer knows it’s going to take a special man for her to take a chance on and Cole was everything she normally avoided because she would never risk her son Ethan’s heart on a man she sees as a player. So can Cole prove he is the man she needs and wants in her life, can he show his love is worth taking a leap of faith on....one click now to find out This was an emotional and entertaining journey, it has adorable characters that you bond with instantly, it’s beautifully written and its a captivating story but what took this book to another level was watching Cole bond and form a relationship with Ethan. The Sweet Spot certainly ticked all my boxes and I highly recommend it to all romance lovers.

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Y’all, I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVED this book!! From the very start, I was so invested in each character individually. But very quickly became so invested in all of them together. Not only did I love all the characters, but I fell in love with the small town setting. Cole & Palmer’s relationship is one that will have you swooning for sure. But what I loved even more, was the dynamic between Palmer & her 12 year old son Ethan. His awareness and maturity for his age just blew me away. His relationship with his mom, and now Cole is one I will think about for years to come.

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I absolutely loved this! It was such a sweet story between Palmer and Cole, as well as Ethan. I love how Palmer taught Cole he was more than just baseball and Cole taught Palmer she deserves more. This is a very heartwarming story of characters, including how the supporting characters play such role in the story and the evolvement. Highly recommend reading this book!

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Cole Beck is literally the most perfect imperfect hero I've read in awhile. Palmer is a small town single mom who tries to do everything right but the world has other ideas. Once that 2 let their guards down watch or as the sparks fly.

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Book: The Sweet Spot
Author: Adriana Locke
Series: Standalone
Age: 18+
Ratings: 5⭐ | 1🌶
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Tropes: •Single mother •Meet Cute •Small Town Romance •Sports •Secret Millionnaire •HEA •Pregnancy (Epilogue)
POV: Dual H/h
Cliffhanger: No
ARC: Yes
*N.B. Any Arcs received are reviewed with honesty.

⚠️ Trigger Warnings: •Health & illness •Alcohol abuse (recollection) •Child abuse (recollection) •Single mother •Deadbeat Father

Who is it for?: If you want a book that is cozy, easy, and happy, with a "Does exactly what it says on the tin" approach. Then this is for you.

~ "The sweet spot is the area on the barrel where it's most effective to hit the ball. It's the power source-the key to everything." ~

~ It's the sweet spot. And I'm never letting her go. ~

Thoughts:

This is, without a doubt, one of my top romance reads of the year. I usually prefer more spice than was offered here, but my heart and emotions were exploding everywhere from this. I smiled from ear to ear for the majority of the story. It was so heartwarming and cozy with some really beautifully written characters and story progression. There wasn't too much drama, which was honestly a relief, making this a relaxing read. We do have a couple of heart-wrenching moments and some real anger moments, but the story is so well balanced. It is my first book from the author, and I adored her conversational writing style.

My love for Cole, our hero of the story, knows no bounds. He is quintessential perfection. He is, of course, stunningly beautiful but has a real heart of gold whilst being absolutely wealthy... there isn't much more we could dream for. Palmer, our heroine, wow, what a character. She is such a powerful woman with some incredible morals and is a doting mother. I adored her and would love to have a friend like her. I think her story will resonate with so many single mothers. I genuinely cared about every single character. The dialogue and chemistry were incredible. Don't even get me started on Ethan, Palmers preteen son. He was a mature delight in a 12 year old body. Brilliant character. The chemistry between Ethan and Cole had me choking back tears, and I even ugly cried, something I rarely do when reading.
As you can see, it is very much a character-driven read, with most of them being in their 30s or older.

I can not recommend it enough.

✅ Likes

☆ The story itself is beautiful with some tropes that we all know and love. The authors handling of sensitive issues was incredible and had me very emotional.

☆ Mature dialogue. I despise miscommunication in books, and this, I'm relieved to say, avoided it. It was so nice to see mature conversation occur between characters.

☆ I loved every single character, and it's not often I say that. All of them were well written with their own personalities and amazing chemistry between each other. We have only one villain type in this story, and my anger for him is probably relatable to most people. Cole, Palmer, Ethan, and Val were all amazing and bounced off each other so well.

☆ The authors writing style is my idea of writing perfection. Conversational and nice and easy to sink into.

☆ The HEA was satisfying. The epilogue covers most of that. There is nothing worse than an anti-climactic ending. This was just perfect.

❌ Dislikes

☆ I found the overall story amazing but maybe a little too predictable in parts. There aren't really any twists and turns in this story.

☆ It's not a negative but maybe a "wishful thinking." I'd love to have seen a spin-off between Coles friend and Palmers friend. Maybe...

Happy Reading ❤

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Bummer. This book has multiple tropes that I love to read, but it just didn't capture my attention the way I anticipated it would. I've read and loved books by Adriana Locke in the past, but The Sweet Spot just didn't hit the sweet spot for me. Shelved this one as DNF.

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Overall Grade: 4.5 ⭐️

Tropes: single mom; former MLB baseball player with a secret; small-town romance; insta-attraction

One of my favorite parts of reading romance is reaching the end of a book and finding a fulfilling HEA or HFN, the kind that makes your heart swell and threatens to put a perma-smile on your face. This is the case with Adriana Locke’s The Sweet Spot. Adriana Locke has found her niche in the world of romancelandia, and she continues to create stories that make you pine for her characters even after the book has ended. In this newest story, Palmer and Cole simply and effectively steal your time because you hate to leave them to their love affair. There are some intentional and important choices that Locke has made in her story that make it effectively a time guzzler.

Palmer (what a great name for a heroine) has lived a life where the people in her past and present have stolen her hope. She lives her life raising a son who is a great citizen and human being, but his father has done very little to contribute. As many single moms know, it falls on her to bear the burden of raising her child. She does this with aplomb, but given her experience with an alcoholic father and an absentee ex, she isn’t hopeful that she would ever find a man to love her as she needs to be loved. She knows that she wants to marry a man and have another child, but she’s reticent to believe she will ever find what she needs. Palmer is every woman, and vulnerability and trust don’t come easy for her as it doesn’t for many of us.

What Locke does so brilliantly is craft a hero in Cole Beck who is not interested in relationships to act as a foil to Palmer. What’s profound about his characterization is he’s been raised to be a relationship-type of guy. His parents are incredible examples of love and marriage. He’s lived a fairly idyllic life, and he cares for people. Post-baseball, he doesn’t know himself. He also harbors a secret that Locke does well to hide for much of the book. Palmer and Cole’s character arcs side by side look like a potential trainwreck, but, with her writing prowess, Locke shows us how a single mom can grow hope through the careful actions of a stalwart hero. Together, they grow into each other, and their journey looks like a fairy tale. They are both loveable and extraordinary and likable.

Add to their pairing Cole’s parents, Palmer’s tween-age son, Ethan (by the way, probably the wisest person in the story), and Palmer’s best friend, Val. These people conspire to hold Palmer and Beck’s feet to the romance fire so to speak. They also provide carefully placed wisdom and humor to the story's plot. It would be fun in the future for Val and Ethan to receive stories in Locke’s idyllic small-town world, but The Sweet Spot is so good on its own that I feel replete at its end.

Adriana Locke is a small-town romance force of nature. Every time I enter her stories, I’m astounded at her ability to woo me with characters so loveable you want to know them in real life. This is definitely the case for The Sweet Spot. Using an oft-used baseball metaphor, she hit a home run with this one.

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I really enjoyed this book and getting to know Palmer and Cole (and Ethan, of course!)
Palmer and Cole fit together so well and were able to calm and ground each other, which was awesome to see.
Watching Palmer open up to Cole and trust him was such a good time.
Cole was navigating a huge change in his life, and I loved seeing Palmer there to support him. And watching Cole feel more comfortable with the others in his life. While also finding his place in the town!
Overall and really good read and I would recommend!

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Get ready to swoon over Cole Beck!! 😍

4/5 ⭐ OVERALL
1/5 🌶 STEAM

"This is better than any baseball game I’ve ever played in, better than any home run or grand slam in the biggest games of my career. This, right here, holding my girl, is it. It’s what I’ve always been looking for. It’s the sweet spot.”

If you enjoy:
- Contemporary Romance
- Small Town
- Single Mom
- Swoon Worthy Hero

I enjoyed this story immensely!! Adriana Locke knocked it out of the park. She's always been a favorite author of mine so it's no surprised that I was vastly interested, but Cole Beck's character was pure gold! Top it off with a single independent mama with the coolest son and great plot and you've got yourself a wonderful book.

Palmer is a single mom that's had it with men that give nothing but empty promises. She refuses to get in another relationship that leads nowhere. She wants a family for her and her son. That's not too much to ask for, right? When Cole waltzes in her life trying to breakdown her defenses she tries so hard to resist, she really does. But, like I said he comes with all the swoon!

This story was so beautiful. It's all about family, love, and trust. It's about laying your heavy hearts in the hands of the people you love knowing they will help take care of it. This book is heart-warming along with some sad moments. In the end, love prevails. I absolutely recommend if you're in the mood for a good love story that's light on the steam with great character chemistry!

Happy Reading! 💜

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This is a feel good, small town romance that revolves around a single mom and a retired baseball player! He's in town temporarily while Palmer isn't looking for a fling. Her life revolves around her son and needs a permanent in her life not someone who will be leaving. It's just got that feel good vibe that makes you smile while reading!

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I love sport romances, small town and single mom or single dad tropes, so I had high hopes when I started this one. The beginning was great, with a hot retired pro-baseball athlete and a single mom. Their first meet cute was spectacular, full of witty banter and sexy promises. Then it fell flat.

Palmer is full of conflicts. Coming from several relationships with loser boyfriends, beginning with her son’s deadbeat father, now she’s looking for a husband and family and Cole doesn’t fit the bill. So she’s flat out refusing to give him a chance.

Cole Beck is everything you want in a book boyfriend: gorgeous, respectful, considerate, and super sexy and charming. He pursued Palmer relentlessly and she kept saying no. I wanted to knock my head on the wall!

Palmer’s son Ethan is twelve years old, going on twenty. He’s super cute and smart, and sometimes he was wiser than his mom. Like her, he sings them as they are, and he frequently opened her mind and her heart to possibilities.

The story was fantastic and the characters charming. The pace of the story and the going in circles about issues is what killed it for me. The slow burn was so slow that it gave me heartburn! I got impatient and skimmed parts, then I stopped reading and went to do something else. When a book doesn’t hold my attention, I can’t give it a high rating. There were some brilliant parts and some heartwarming parts, especially the parts where Cole’s parents and Ethan were involved. But for the most part I found the story tedious and slow. Then after stringing us along for a ton of chapters, the story is fixed in one chapter and one epilogue. I felt cheated of some fun and happy times! I’m glad to have met Palmer, Ethan and Cole, but won’t be getting more books from this author.

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What a sweet story! I absolutely loved Cole! He had swagger. I loved that he was not only interested in Palmer, but in forming a relationship with her son Ethan. Palmer's refusal to try anything with Cole got a little old for me, but in the end it all worked out :)

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The Sweet Spot is as the title says---very sweet. Single mom Palmer thinks she has her life figured out. And then Cole wanders into town, taking time with his family as he starts retirement. The two of them together have lots of fun banter. Cole wants to get to know Palmer better but her guard in up.

The story was just very easy going. Most of the angst was in both character's heads. Actually lots of self talk in this one. I found it easy to set this one down and walk away. No burning need to finish it since I had guessed the HEA was coming all along. Overall just an ok read. Not my favorite of this author but not awful either.

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3.5⭐️

I was really looking forward to this one. And it started off really well. I loved the chemistry, banter and the back and forth between Palmer and Cole. However, I don't feel the connection growing after that. The relationship growth just wasn't there, I feel. And I didn't think the time they spent together was enough to have developed romantic feelings towards each other. Idk if it's just me. But that's how I felt.

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I thought this was an amazing read! The writing flowed well from start to finish, and I loved Cole and Palmer together. I thought they had great chemistry, and you could see it from their first meeting. Palmer was such a strong heroine and I loved her. She was stubborn about accepting help when she needed it, but with her past, I understood it. Cole was an awesome hero. He was sweet and kind, and I loved that his relationship with Ethan was as good as his relationship with Palmer. I knew something major was being alluded to, but I wasn't expecting what was dropped towards the end of the book. I usually hate when a decision is made for another person "because that's what's best", but for once, I would have absolutely done what a character in a book would have done. I completely understand Cole's feelings, and although it sucked, I got it. I was all too happy to see them being able to make it back to each other though, and the ending was super sweet.
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced readers copy of this book.

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Adriana Locke is one of my favorite authors and she hits it out of the park with this small town romance about a single mom and retired baseball player.

Palmer and Cole had fun, flirty banter and so much chemistry from the moment they first met. They were both great characters and I especially liked Palmer. I also liked how their relationship developed and they found something special and unexpected together.

Adriana's writing is engaging and fun and the relationship development and story were well paced. This is one of my favorite books she's written.

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