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A review by angieinbooks
The Long Shot by A.L. Brooks
3.0
Morgan Spencer is at the top of her game without a major win to show for it, which is especially tough on her since she’s the daughter of a six-time major-winning golf legend Gordy Spencer. The press can’t seem to let the association to her father slide and Morgan’s silence on anything personal or even a show of disappointment after a brutal loss in a major isn’t doing Morgan any favors. Curiosity about Morgan Spencer—and whether there is anything more to her—makes her the unwilling focus of a sports documentary on the women’s pro tour. Enter the documentary’s producer, Adrienne Wyatt, who seems to be the key to breaking through Morgan’s icy facade and unlocking a more relatable and marketable Morgan Spencer.
The problem is Adrienne can’t date the primary subject of her documentary and Morgan has to keep her focus if she wants finally win a major and maybe also get her father’s attention and support. Oh, and there’s also an 18 year age difference between Adrienne, who’s 49, and Morgan, who’s 31.
And now for the major problem with this book: the age-gap. But not the actual gap in their age. Look, I’ve certainly been upfront with how age-gap romances are not for me, and admittedly, this gap breaches my comfort zone by at least 5 years, but that’s not what’s bugging me. The problem with the age-gap in this novel is it’s the source of the vast majority of the tension in this novel. It comes up ALL THE TIME. And, quite frankly, I don’t always want to be reminded of it. But nope. Not here. You literally won’t forget it’s there. And I have to wonder why. There’s plenty Brooks puts into this narrative where the tension could come from: dating a coworker at the cost of your job, dating someone and losing focus on winning, Morgan’s relationship with her father, Morgan’s ex- girlfriend drama... But nope. Let’s focus on the disparity of their ages.
And, see, here’s the thing... If you want me to believe that love can conquer all—that a 31 year golfer at the top of her game would fall in love with a woman who’s an entire generation older—you’re going to have to really sell their attraction to me and, well, it’s just not here. They meet and then two seconds later they can’t keep their hands off each other? Nope. Sorry. You have to give me more.
So while that was really disappointing and I wanted more out of that storyline with her father, there’s enough here to like. Morgan and Adrienne are both very likable characters and you do root for them. And I liked the golf parts a lot. So for those reasons, I’m giving this a 3 instead of a 2.
The problem is Adrienne can’t date the primary subject of her documentary and Morgan has to keep her focus if she wants finally win a major and maybe also get her father’s attention and support. Oh, and there’s also an 18 year age difference between Adrienne, who’s 49, and Morgan, who’s 31.
And now for the major problem with this book: the age-gap. But not the actual gap in their age. Look, I’ve certainly been upfront with how age-gap romances are not for me, and admittedly, this gap breaches my comfort zone by at least 5 years, but that’s not what’s bugging me. The problem with the age-gap in this novel is it’s the source of the vast majority of the tension in this novel. It comes up ALL THE TIME. And, quite frankly, I don’t always want to be reminded of it. But nope. Not here. You literally won’t forget it’s there. And I have to wonder why. There’s plenty Brooks puts into this narrative where the tension could come from: dating a coworker at the cost of your job, dating someone and losing focus on winning, Morgan’s relationship with her father, Morgan’s ex- girlfriend drama... But nope. Let’s focus on the disparity of their ages.
And, see, here’s the thing... If you want me to believe that love can conquer all—that a 31 year golfer at the top of her game would fall in love with a woman who’s an entire generation older—you’re going to have to really sell their attraction to me and, well, it’s just not here. They meet and then two seconds later they can’t keep their hands off each other? Nope. Sorry. You have to give me more.
So while that was really disappointing and I wanted more out of that storyline with her father, there’s enough here to like. Morgan and Adrienne are both very likable characters and you do root for them. And I liked the golf parts a lot. So for those reasons, I’m giving this a 3 instead of a 2.