Book: Block and Strike
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Publication date: January 6, 2017
Length: 266 pages
Reviewed by Meredith
Synopsis
Jacob Kendricks is three months out of prison, estranged
from his daughter, and ready to get his life on track. Taking care of the bum
curled up on his doorstep isn’t part of the plan. When he realizes the man has
been assaulted, Jake takes him to the hospital, where he learns that Max is his
downstairs neighbor… and that he could really use a friend. Keeping Max in
the friend-zone would be easier if he wasn’t so damned cute.
Maxwell Wilson has been bullied for years and the only
person who ever cared lives too far away to come to his rescue. Now his
upstairs neighbor is offering support. Max remains cautious, suspecting he is
little more than a project for the handsome Jake. When he learns Jake has had
boyfriends as well as girlfriends, Max has to reevaluate his priorities—and
muster the courage to take a chance at love.
Just when a happy future is within their grasp, life knocks
them back down. A devastating blow leaves Max lower than ever and Jake
wrestling with regret. They both have to find the strength to stand on their
own before they can stand together.
Review
This is the second Kelly Jensen book I’ve read. Here’s the
interesting thing; the two were polar opposites. One was light, funny, magical.
Block and Strike was emotional, raw, a bit gritty, and a lot amazing. I love
the fact that the author is so versatile in her writing.
Block and Strike deals with something so many people are
familiar with…bullying. Sometimes bullying is words and sometimes it’s
physical. In Max’s case it’s both.
Max’s journey in life has been nothing but push down, drag
out situations. A sick mom, a homophobic abusive father, bullies at school and
as an adult. The man broke my heart so much. We see what the effects of
prolonged harassment and abuse do to a person and I thought the author really
did an outstanding job fleshing out this character and the evolution of his
story.
Jake was a different story. He’s a criminal and I knew the
second I read him that whatever he did, it was for a good reason. He got a raw
deal but he owned his mistake and works every day to be a better person. When
he saves Max he also saves himself and so we watch these two broken men grow
into extraordinary people.
The secondaries in this book were terrific. Mostly Jake’s
family. Their love and support for their son filled me with a kind of warmth
only a mother could understand. Then to bestow the same love, affection, and
support onto Max? Yeah, they win all the awards.
This is a great book. Emotional, dark at times, but it’s a
gritty love story. Great read.
Hobbies
I love giving my characters interesting hobbies and Max and
Jake from Block and Strike are no
exception!
When choosing hobbies for my characters, I try to match the
activity to their personality. It doesn’t need to be an obvious match, but Jake’s
hobbies are. He works in construction and his main hobby is restoring furniture
he finds on the side of the road. It’s a great activity for him because he
likes to work with his hands. He’s also a very nurturing guy. Just as he sees
the beauty in an old table that needs to be stripped and refinished, he sees
the potential in someone like Max.
Jake also enjoys cooking. He likes to eat and that nurturing
side of him loves to feed people. Having his friends gathered around a table
he’s set is something that pleases him very much. The scene in Block and Strike where he prepares
dinner for his friends is one of my favourites. It says a lot of about Jake.
Martial arts training appeals to Jake’s need for structure
and discipline. He’s a pretty emotional guy. Training gives him confidence in
his choices and his physicality. You can tell that he takes the lessons he’s
learned in the dojo seriously, and that his training has been an integral part
of his growth as a person.
Max is a quiet little dude and his hobbies mostly reflect that. He collects
plants—cast offs from the supermarket where he works—and has a bookshelf full
of science fiction novels. (Wonder where he got that hobby?)
He also likes to run. For pleasure. Running is one of those
hobbies that really defines Max. It’s a solitary sport, which suits his
shyness, but it’s not limited by time or location. He can just step outside and
go, whenever he wants. Wherever he wants. Running is his escape. The exercise
also has the benefit of keeping him fit and somewhat sane. While he’s running,
Max enters a relaxed mental state he calls Max-Space where he worries less and
dreams a little bigger.
Perhaps the most unexpected hobby in Block and Strike is Max’s obsession with motor racing. On the one
hand, it’s hardly surprising. His father is a mechanic with his own garage. Max
basically grew up with a wrench in one hand. The roar of engines and the thrill
of speed doesn’t exactly seem like Max’s thing, though. It’s easy to picture
him with a book, or loping along the trails at Pennypack Park. But behind the
wheel of a sports car?
He doesn’t get to drive all that often, but he does watch a
lot of driving. One of the few luxuries in his hole of an apartment is a DVR so
he can record and watch every race—and it’s in the watching that this hobby
makes more sense for him. It’s a quiet pastime. Yes, the sport is noisy, but
watching it is actually kind of peaceful. Especially the endurance races. And
it’s not the sport where the biggest guy wins. Drivers can be the quiet,
unassuming sort. Drivers need focus and patience. So, it’s hardly surprising
that these are two of the traits Jake most admires in Max.
About Kelly
If aliens ever do land on Earth, Kelly will not be prepared,
despite having read over a hundred stories of the apocalypse. Still, she will
pack her precious books into a box and carry them with her as she strives to
survive. It’s what bibliophiles do.
Kelly is the author of a number of novels, novellas and
short stories, including the Chaos
Station series, co-written with Jenn Burke. Some of what she writes is
speculative in nature, but mostly it’s just about a guy losing his socks and/or
burning dinner. Because life isn’t all conquering aliens and mountain peaks.
Sometimes finding a happy ever after is all the adventure we need.
Giveaway
Thanks for following
my tour! At the end of every post, I’ll be asking a question. Leave a comment
with your answer (and your email address). Every comment throughout the tour
counts as an entry in my giveaway. Two winners will each receive $25 (US or
equivalent) to spend at the Dreamspinner Press store.
Question: What’s
your favourite hobby?
