Amazon discontinued the ability to create images using their SiteStripe feature and in their infinite wisdom broke all previously created images on 12/31/23. Many blogs used this feature, including this one. Expect my archives to be a hot mess of broken book cover images until I can slowly comb through 20 years of archives to make corrections.

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

The Shortstop's Secret Baby

The Hero: Jose Iglesias

What You Need To Know:  Ladies and gentleman, our shortstop.  Our infant shortstop.  Jose began his American baseball career as part of the Boston Red Sox organization and then a couple of things happened: 1) Boston got their hands on another shortstop, Xander Bogaerts, who by all accounts has phenom written all over him and 2) Jhonny Peralta, Detroit's shortstop, got caught up in the Biogenesis scandal.  Jhonny was going to get a 50 game suspension, just nobody knew when because MLB took their sweet time about it.  So our General Manager worked out a three team deal to get Jose in Detroit, and he made his debut on August 2, 2013.  My Man took his first look at Jose and said, "Do you think his Mom packs a lunch for him before he leaves for the ballpark?"  Seriously, looking at cutie-patootie Jose makes me feel like a dirty old lady.  Uh, which I guess I am.  He's starting out the season on the disabled list (he'll be out out 4-6 months ::sob::) and his bat isn't all that great - but man, he's fun to watch on defense - a human highlight reel.  Plus, did I mention he's cute as hell?

His Baggage:  Jose is Cuban and was part of their junior national team.  While they were in Canada, Jose and another player defected.  That's when he signed with Boston.  He asked the Red Sox to place him with an American roommate, he's worked hard on his English, and by all accounts carries himself much "older" than he actually is (gah, he was born in 1990 - I AM a dirty old lady!).  Hey, Cuban baseball ain't no slouch - Jose has pretty much been a "professional" from the time he was a teenager.

Proposed Category Romance Plot:  He wants a better life for himself and his family and that means leaving Cuba, the only home he's ever known.  Being good at baseball gives him the opportunity, and he takes his chance when his team visits Canada.  His only regret?  The girl he left behind.  Now she's here, in the United States, with the young son he didn't know he had.  If that weren't enough to make any guy's head swim?  This woman he still loves had to make a deal with the devil to get herself and Jose Jr. out of Cuba - and now the devil wants what he feels is his rightful due.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00DPABDG2/themisaofsupe-20The Heroine:  She was so young when she fell in love with Jose and she knew he had to leave Cuba.  He begged her to come with him, but with no resources, no way out, how realistic was that?  Besides, she couldn't leave her grandmother, the woman who raised her, slowly wasting away from the cancer that nobody can seem to fix.  So she says goodbye, she lets Jose go, only to find out a month after he's defected that she's carrying his baby.  When grandma dies, she knows.  Jose Jr. deserves a father, Jose deserves to know he is a father, and none of them deserve Cuba.  So she makes the only choice she feels she can - and once in America, once back in Jose's arms, it's time to pay the piper.

What Category Romance Line?:  Harlequin Intrigue, all the way.  Secret babies have shown up in that line, and I think an action-oriented plot featuring a woman-in-peril and a Very Bad Man will do well.  Hell, now I want to read this....

4 comments:

Darlene Marshall said...

The title certainly made it sound intriguing![g]

Wendy said...

Darlene: I thought you might like that :)

Unknown said...

That's a secret baby plot I can live with!
1990? I was a junior in high school!
Whenever we go to a game my boys check out the birthdays of all the players and try to find one born in the same DECADE as mom and dad! LOL Sadly, there are very few players left born in the 70's!

Wendy said...

Tracy: Every year I say to My Man: "Either these guys are getting younger or I'm getting older." Then he tells me which it is and I stop speaking to him for the rest of the day ;)