Thank you Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

This book was not exactly what I thought it would be. The romance was just not clicking for me. I think it's a great story but the characters just weren't my favorite for whatever reason.

Too much was taking away from the romance that I wanted to read about.

Poor Henrick seems to be attracted to the closeted guys. First, Klaus, then Tino. Love CAN conquer all as we find out in this heartfelt romance, set in an exotic seaside community in Albania of all places. Can two handsome men that are highly attracted to each other just be friends? If so, can friends become lovers?

I really enjoyed this book. I found the characters interesting with some complexity to their characters that made them compelling. A book with a good solid plot and found that author Mustafic's simmering story line slowly revealed an undeniable passion in a relaxing, pleasurable read. Love isn't perfect-- but perfect love is worth taking chances.

I received an ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange fro an honest review.

I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

After his in-the-closet boyfriend announces he wants to take his cover relationship to the next level, Henrick Kohler decides it's time to walk away from their relationship, as he's fed up with being the other man. While taking a much needed vacation, he soon comes face-to-face with famed footballer, Tino Alessi. Tino was recently the center of a scandal, and is hiding out at his favorite vacation spot. While firmly in the closet, or at least in the public's eye, Tino is instantly smitten with Henrick. However, Henrick refuses to be in a relationship with another closeted man, and the two soon settle for friendship. Nevertheless, their mutual attraction soon makes for complications.

Calling the Ball is the second book I've read by Mustafic, and I'm a little disappointed to find I didn't like it nearly as much as the first. While the concept was intriguing, I found myself instantly disliking Tino's character, and despite his "family man" status, I found his initial encounter with Henrick to be slightly skeevy and immature. I've never really understood characters that continuously go after another when turned down, and I didn't really find Tino and Henrick to have an abundance of chemistry. Furthermore, I didn't find their friendship to be very believable. The pacing was slow, which wouldn't normally bother me, but I just couldn't connect with the story or characters.

Overall, Calling the Ball was just not the book for me. While I wasn't in love with this book, I do still look forward to reading more from the author.

3/5

This book was so boring. The characters were one dimensional and the plot was slow. I wanted to like this one! However, it's not one I would recommend.

This was a lovely slow burn romance about Henrick, who recently got out of a relationship with a closeted man, and Valentino, a “football” player. The story takes place in Europe, and Henrick and Valentino meet on vacation in Albania. (It was interesting to learn about the Italian-Albanian connection when it was briefly mentioned!) It was an unusual setting, which I appreciated. When the two men meet, Henrick is hesitant to pursue more, as dating the famous Valentino would mean yet another relationship with a closeted man, but on a bigger scale this time. Matters are complicated when another man expresses interest in Henrick as well - one who is not closeted. Personally I didn’t care for that addition, as I wanted even more focus on Henrick with Valentino, but it was probably a necessary plot device to help Valentino make a decision in some ways. There was some use of Italian and other European languages, and I would have liked to know what was being said there on the less obvious words/phrases, but I liked how Valentino called Henrick “tesoro,” as that was so sweet and cute. The subplot between Valentino and his model friend also served its purpose, and Valentino’s team convinced him not to come out until something happens later in the book that makes Valentino understand how much he needs Henrick. I really enjoyed this book, and was so pleased with the ending.