Doubletalk by Teralyn Mitchell [Review]

Doubletalk (The Busy Bean) by Teralyn Mitchell
Format: ebook
Source: borrowed through Kindle Unlimited
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date read: February 11, 2023

The Busy Bean
Sweetheart
Cowboy
Cakewalk
Friendzoned
Studfinder
Doubletalk - Paperback | Kindle
Sidetracked
Fireproof
Footnote
Afterglow

Related Series:
(find all the books in the series on the 1st book review)
In Vino Veritas
1. Wildfire

Moo U
1. Boyfriend

True North
1. Bittersweet

Speakeasy
1. Touchstone

Vino and Veritas
1. Roommate

Teralyn Mitchell
| Website | Amazon |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

Basketball has always been his one love, until now . . .

Zeke Armstrong never imagined he’d be back in Vermont, but here he is, living in Colebury and trying to rehab an injury that could mean an early retirement from pro basketball. Running into his former classmate, Mallory Barrett, shouldn’t be a distraction. It shouldn’t mean anything, so why is he accidentally on purpose showing up at the coffee shop where the beautiful writer spends her time?

Mallory Barrett has met a guy. Well, she hasn’t met him yet, except for on the dating app she almost refused to download. “Coby” sparks her interest and gets her jokes--and gives the romance-novel heroes she loves so much a full-court run for their money. When their first date doesn’t work out, she decides to give him another shot . . . just as a man she despises reenters her life. While her interest in the mystery man on the app grows, she clashes constantly with Zeke in real life. She can’t forgive him for humiliating her in high school, yet she can’t deny she’s drawn to him now.

She’s somehow gone from confirmed bachelorette to the tie-breaker between two men. Meanwhile Zeke has a secret--one that will cost him the game if Mallory finds out . . .

Thoughts on Doubletalk: Oh man. You know when a character is keeping a secret and you can just feel the inevitable slide toward when everything is revealed and there's whole lot of pain coming for the one the secret is being kept from? Yeaaaaaah. Zeke might have started out with good intentions with what he did (I'm honestly torn on it because I understand why he did it, but secrets have a way of blowing up in the worst way, right?), but he let things go on way too long (I get his reasoning, but YIKES!) and OUCH.

As for Mallory, she has a hard time letting go of old hurts from the past. Not that I blame her, really. What was done to her was not cool and just maybe might have jumped to a conclusion or two once all was said and done. It takes a lot for her to reach the point where she was willing to consider that people might have changed. Then Zeke and his secrets messed her up all over again.

A small town, a big secret, an author struggling with her current story, an athlete who's only planning on being around short term, and a couple who have more than a few issues to unravel before they can do that relationship thing.