Review of "Blame 2: Trial by Firing" by Cam Carson

This is the second book in the Blame series.

Tatya, a 29-year-old sports massage therapist, lives in sunny Miami, Florida. Tall blonde and athletic, Tatya is one of the stars of her women's beach volleyball team.



She's also in a romantic relationship with her 25-year-old teammate Kris, a leggy attractive redhead.



Tatya has been keeping the affair secret, fearing disclosure might affect team comradery and play. This bothers Kris, who thinks Tatya might be embarrassed about her. Moreover, each woman is troubled by occurrences in her past, which adds to the tension between them.

Still, the romance is going pretty well until Kris, a product manager, loses her job. Scrambling to find a new position, Kris questions her choice of career. Did she pick a field just for the prestige and money? Would an occupation that helps people be better? Kris's busy job search and angst keep her a little distant, which disturbs Tatya, who's already insecure about 'getting older.'



Trying to occupy herself while Kris is busy, Tatya socializes with other friends. One of my favorite characters is Cristal, a lively Latina volleyball player who liberally sprinkles her sentences with Spanish words and phrases. Cristal introduces Tatya to Friday night beach parties that include campfires, improv games, skinny dipping, and spicy s'mores.



At one party, Tatya meets Andre - a PTSD counselor for residents of violent communities - who becomes a helpful friend.

Other interesting characters include Tatya's fellow massage therapist Felicity and their boss Rossalyn;



Tatya's brawny Samoan roommate Brett;



beverage-inventing barista Sean;



and Francisco, a physical therapist with a connection to the Miami Heat.



I liked the scenes of vigorous volleyball practice sprinkled through the story. I also enjoyed the descriptions of the athletes' homemade meals, like injera with lentils;



pumpkin pancakes;



fruit smoothies;



ersatz paella, and more - all of which sounded very tasty.



The book is largely a romance, and there's plenty of sizzling sex between Tatya and Kris - in bed, on the couch, on the papasan, and in the car (where Kris's adorable cat Itchy gets an eyeful...ha ha ha).

I enjoyed the humor in the story (why can't baristas get customers' names right?) and the philosophical musings about life, love, and honesty. I look forward to reading more about these intriguing women as the series continues.

The book can be read as a standalone but readers familiar with the background will probably enjoy it more.

Rating: 4 stars