Mini-Review: What There Is by Kate McMurray

Title: What There Is
Author: Kate McMurray
Genre: Contemporary Romance, M/M Romance
Sensuality Rating: Erotic
Source: review copy provided by publisher
Published: July 13, 2013 by Dreamspinner Press

Former professional baseball player Justin Piersol needs a new life after a career-ending injury, and his job as a high school baseball coach isn't exactly fulfilling. Still, things are looking up: he finds the perfect room in an apartment in Brooklyn with Mark, who writes a popular column on sports statistics.

Mark is nerdy and socially awkward and intensely shy, and he immediately develops a terrible crush on Justin, who barely seems to notice him. As they get to know each other, Justin admits he misses playing baseball, that coaching doesn’t scratch the itch. Mark confesses he thought he’d be married by now, that he wants a serious relationship. So they make a pact: Justin will help Mark find a man, and Mark will help Justin find something he loves more than baseball.

They put their plan into action… and then life gets complicated. Mark meets a nice guy named Dave, and Justin is suddenly crazy with jealousy. Justin realizes he wants to let go of the past and focus on the present, but as Mark and Dave become an item, Justin fears he’s too late.

Reviewed By: J9

I loved the set-up for this short novella with mature roommates falling in love in Brooklyn but didn’t like the rushed romance development or the HFN ending.

This novella begins with Justin, a high school baseball coach and former minor league baseball player, looking to rent Mark’s spare bedroom. Justin is the classic jock and Mark is the nerdy baseball sportswriter. Both men are around thirty which I love in romance and they had good chemistry together. Justin signs both of them up for a cooking class where Mark meets Dave, a nice guy, which causes Justin to realize he wants Mark. This all worked for me up until the end where the romance between Mark and Justin was rushed and includes the sexual intimacy without much emotional intimacy. For instance, Justin comes to an acceptance about his past but doesn’t share it with Mark.  

This had the right ingredients for a good novella but the execution just didn’t work for me, especially with its HFN ending.

J9’s Rating:

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