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Rachelle Ayala is a USA Today bestselling author of contemporary romance and romantic suspense. Her foremost goal is to take readers on a shared emotional journey with her characters as they grow and become more true to themselves. Rachelle believes in the power of love to overcome obstacles and feels that everyone should find love as often as possible, especially if it's within the pages of a book.
Her book, Knowing Vera, won the 2015 Angie Ovation Award, and A Father for Christmas garnered a 2015 Readers’ Favorite Gold Award. In 2016, Christmas Stray won the Readers’ Favorite Gold Award, A Pet for Christmas got an Honorable Mention, and Playing for the Save earned a 2017 Readers’ Favorite Gold Award.
She is also a writing teacher and founder of the Romance In A Month writing community. She recently released many of her books in audiobook.
Reviewed by Christian Sia for Readers' Favorite
Playing for the Save by Rachelle Ayala is book three in the Men of Spring series, a well-crafted romance that will delight fans of Nicholas Sparks. Meet veteran relief pitcher, Ryan Hudson, a professional baseball player who keeps to himself and who doesn’t want his life entangled in any way by a woman or a family. Jamie Rush is a single mom committed to the care of her two boys, one of whom is autistic. She works very hard to provide for them, without the support of her ex-husband. She is the kind of woman who wouldn’t like her already difficult life to get more complicated with another relationship. But things change when her two sons “win a day” with baseball player Ryan Hudson. A powerful bond seems to happen between the baseball icon and the kids, and although she can’t trust him, Jamie can’t help but fantasize about him. On his part, Ryan feels an irresistible attraction for the devoted mother, but can he muster the courage to face it?
Here is a story that captures the finest feelings of humanity, exploring themes like solitude, motherhood, autism, and love. Although I haven’t read a previous book in this series, I found this one complete and masterfully crafted to read as a standalone story. The themes — sports, being a single mom, solitude, love, and courage — are so beautifully woven into the plot that readers are well-informed as much as they are entertained. The pace is steady and the writing is filled with insightful and emotionally charged passages. Playing for the Save is a novel for those readers who enjoy love stories that are well-fleshed out, with characters that are real and memorable. Rachelle Ayala has won a place as one of the best storytellers to feature on my library shelves.
