I knew when I started reading this book it would be good, because I have read the first three in this series by Carie Lawson and they were all a "home run". This one did not disappoint me. Jude McCord is a baseball player with an injury he is recovering from and finds himself taking on the job as a police officer while his shoulder heals. He first meets up with Isabelle Winters when he pulls her over for speeding. He later finds out she is his long time friend and partner's grand-daughter, who he doesn't think very highly of. Which is okay because she doesn't think very highly of him at first. But they end up working together on Jude's dream of building a baseball camp to help teach kids the basics, and learning that both of them were wrong in their initial opinion of each other.

I wish there could be more men out there like Jude McCord. He was a man with a personality that drew people to him, a person with respect and love for his elders, who didn't think more highly of himself that he ought to think, who had personal convictions and stood by them even when it would have been easy to give in to the moment. I just thought he was a "knight in shining armor" in this story. The way Isabelle grew to understand and know him was fun and endearing and I just enjoyed myself all the way through the book. This is just a great series and I say "well done!" to Carie Lawson. You can read this book by itself, but I must encourage you to read the whole series because you will fall in love with the rest of the McCord family. ( )

Jude McCord is all about baseball. When he receives a shoulder injury he's forced to return home to recuperate and not sure if he'll be ready when spring training comes. While home, he purchases the neighboring ranch and begins working on another dream. A baseball camp to help young men gain skills as well as find a love for the game. Isabelle Winters is having some family problems and decides to pay a visit to her grandparents. She doesn't know that her Nannas had a stroke or that her Pops has sold the land to Jude. Jude feels Isabelle would have known if she had bothered to call them in the last decade. Nanna and Pops are like grandparents to Jude but Isabelle thinks he's taking advantage of them. Can a very skeptical Isabelle and a very protective Jude ever come to terms?

Carie Lawson hits another home run with Beyond Baseball! WOW! I LOVED this story! It had it all. I found myself laughing (you will love the scene with Isabelle 'cooking' in the kitchen), crying, sighing and just plain loving ever minute of the story. In the other three stories we have gotten glimpses of the fun and playful Jude but this story allows you to see the whole man. And Ladies let me tell you...he's worth seein'! It was so much fun hanging out with all the McCords. They are such a neat family. You just want to be a part of them. I especially loved all the verbal sparring. Zane and Carly's girls are an absolute riot and will getcha right in the heart! Jude and Isabelle are a great match for each other. The romantic tension ran wild! It was fun watching to see what they would do next. The message of reliance upon the Lord ran strong through the story and caused me to ponder whether I was really doing that myself. Each of the four stories in the Twisted Roots Series can be read as stand alone but I would highly recommend that you start at the beginning. (Beyond Africa, Beyond Summer, Beyond Ever After and Beyond Baseball) It really is a journey of the McCord Family and you won't want to miss a single moment with them. Trust me. As much as I loved Beyond Baseball it was hard to say farewell to this family. I am really going to miss them but at least they're only a bookshelf away. Great job Carie! A thank goes to the author for providing this complimentary copy for my review.
Publisher: Desert Breeze Publishing, Inc (August 30, 2011)
ISBN: 978-1-61252-074-2
Category: Inspirational
Rating: Sweet
Release Date: September 1, 2011 ( )