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Friday, February 12, 2016

Review of Dolce (Love at Center Court #2) by Rachel Blaufeld


“Who just stole my thunder across the Hafton airwaves, you ask? Right now, right this very second, listeners, I have Hafton’s one-and-only, the main man with the ball in hand, Blane Steele is in the studio. Mark my words—he’ll not only steal the ball, but your lady’s heart too. Watch out, gentlemen, the Stealer is in the house!”
— Sonny Be Knocking Boots, Hafton Radio 96.9

Coed antics.
Chaos.
Angst-ridden twists in fate.

Caterina is an intern. Sonny is her shock-jock boss. And Blane is a good-hearted baller…except when he steps on the court. Between on-air dares, an evil feminist professor, a straight-shooter of a coach, and rumors from the league surrounding Steele, these three are destined to screw it all up.

Rather than a love triangle, this is a friends-to-lovers story where the disc jockey acts as the catalyst, and a basketball player finds his life transformed when center court intersects with love.
 






Overall Rating:  4.5 Rockin’ ★★★★☆
What do you get when you mix a Southern basketball player and a spitfire Jersey girl together?  Rachel Blaufeld’s newest release, Dolce, Love at Center Court book 2.  As with her first book in this series, Vérité, we are thrown into the world of Hafton College life, with a hottie athlete and a feminist who steals his heart.  This is Blane and Caterina’s story.
Blane “The Stealer” is a Florida boy and NBA hopeful attending college in Ohio.  He’s one of the best on his team and plays hard on and off the court. After an interview gone bad with Hafton’s infamous shock jock, Blane’s world is thrown upside down by a dare.  But this gives him time to reflect and get his head in the game to hopefully win the last championship game of his college career. Although Blane has been dubbed a player with the ladies, he’s more than that.  He’s developed into an alpha male that knows what he wants and stops at nothing to get it.  When he meets the timid yet foul mouthed Caterina, Blane begins to want more, and feel more than he thought possible.
Caterina is a Jersey girl, half Italian, half Cuban.  Short in stature but over abundance in her personality.  Growing up Catie never felt like she was pretty, her self-esteem was void thanks to her mother and sisters.  She’s attending Hafton State University as a women’s studies major.  Not on the extreme side of feminism, just wanting to give a voice to all women no matter their status or job in society.  Deeply ensconced in her goals, she meets a guy who changes her perception of herself and her life.  Always sharing her father’s love of sports, Catie loves basketball and secretly has an obsession with the Fighting Green team.  Her character is beautifully scripted from a woman of choice to a woman in need.  A burning need that develops into a true fate type romance.
I loved this book!  Everything that Rachel Blaufeld writes is intense and meaningful.  The bold take on perceptions and stereotypes is evident in most everything she has written.  With that, Dolce is once again a good hearted, love story with a side of angst.  I felt the plight of the characters as the plot thickens.  Although this book can be read as a stand-alone, I would recommend reading the first book as well.  As always, this is an excellent addition to my library!  Well played Rachel!


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