Book Review: The Setup Man (Catching Feelings #3) by Kate Watson

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Sports Romance
Length: 366 pages
Author: Kate Watson
Publisher: Little Blks Creative
Release Date: April 16th, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

She’s fake dating the wrong guy. Enter Mr. Right.

Scottie

I’ve spent my whole life cleaning up after Jake Rodgers—the bad boy of Major League Baseball. So when his latest PR disaster threatens to send him to the minors, agreeing to fake date him feels noble. Temporary. Manageable.

Then hot young pitcher Lucas Fischer shows up—with coffee I didn’t ask for and a smile that doesn’t quit—and suddenly none of it feels manageable anymore. Especially when I’m assigned to be his handler.

Now I’m pretending to be in love with the guy I’ve never wanted while trying not to fall for the one I can’t have.

Lucas

I’ve been bringing Scottie Quinn coffee for ten months. I’ve never once guessed her order wrong–no small feat, considering the woman orders coffee based on vibes.

I’ve also never once told her that I know she’s fake dating Jake Rodgers, that she deserves better, or that I’m in love with her. I’m a patient guy. I can wait. What I can’t do is watch her disappear to make everyone else comfortable.

But Jake and I are on the same team now, and our GM has one ironclad rule: no clubhouse drama.

Easy enough. All I have to do is keep showing up until she stops pretending… without blowing up both our careers.

Yeah. Maybe I’m not that patient after all.

OKAY THE YEARNING?

I do consider this a soft five stars, but it did make me tear up in the last few chapters and that pretty much signals that I loved the book so here we are!! Easily my favorite book from Kate Watson. I honestly wasn’t sure this plot set up was going to work for me but I loved the way it was handled and the right kind of lines were kept so I’m a happy little soul soaking in this baseball romance.

The way my man Lucas YEARNED. And learned. He was tender hearted and flirty and genuine all while realizing he could be more firm in his decisions and taking the next step forward with strength rather than letting things happen to him. I loved watching his relationship with Scottie but I also loved watching his dynamic with Logan and Coop too.

Scottie was someone I could easily see myself in and that made her story frustrating to read, but also entirely relatable. I love a fierce sports girlie and Scottie is a pro. I could have jumped for joy when she started making decisions for herself and holding to what she wanted out of life and her relationships. And how everyone showed up for her??? CUE THE EMOTIONS.

It was just all around a great baseball romance. I ate this one right up and you must get on it to reading it too.

Overall audience notes:

  • Sports romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: low
  • Content warnings: loss of a parent (recounted)

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Book Review: Problematic Summer Romance (Not in Love #2) by Ali Hazelwood

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 416 pages
Author: Ali Hazelwood
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: May 27th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

What is wrong meets what feels right in this romance set in Italy by the New York Times bestselling author of Deep End.

Maya Killgore is twenty-three and still in the process of figuring out her life.

Conor Harkness is thirty-eight, and Maya cannot stop thinking about him.

It’s such a cliché, it almost makes her heart implode: older man and younger woman; successful biotech guy and struggling grad student; brother’s best friend and the girl he never even knew existed. As Conor loves to remind her, the power dynamic is too imbalanced. Any relationship between them would be problematic in too many ways to count, and Maya should just get over him. After all, he has made it clear that he wants her gone from his life.

But not everything is as it seems—and clichés sometimes become plot twists.

When Maya’s brother decides to get married in Taormina, she and Conor end up stuck together in a romantic Sicilian villa for over a week. There, on the beautiful Ionian coast, between ancient ruins, delicious foods, and natural caves, Maya realizes that Conor might be hiding something from her. And as the destination wedding begins to erupt out of control, she decides that a summer fling might be just what she needs—even if it’s a problematic one.

OKAY THIS WAS FUN.

This really did whisk my away to wanting a summer holiday. The set up and setting were fantastic and brought me all of the poolside reading vibes that I could want.

I forgot how much I love Ali Hazelwood’s quirky FMC’s. They are so funny and relatable to me. I loved Maya and her ability to say whatever she was thinking and going after what she wanted. Two fools in love worked so well here. I thought Conor was amazing too. They truly had great chemistry and made the age gap make sense. Though I will say that was beaten over my head one too many times. I get it, they are 15 years apart. I GET IT OKAY.

Anyways, it’s swoony and hot and I loved all of the side characters, wedding shenanigans and cute moments. The whole book was a delight.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: moderate
  • Romance: 5+ open door
  • Violence: mild
  • Content warnings: loss of parents (recounted)

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ARC Book Review: Prince of Swords (Arcana Academy #2) by Elise Kova

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 560 pages
Author: Elise Kova
Publisher: Del Rey
Release Date: July 21st, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Welcome back to Arcana Academy. Tarot magic, forbidden desire, battle, and betrayal collide for the power to change the world in the thrilling second book of this New York Times bestselling fantasy romance series.

I am terrified. Yet my heart skips a beat. This man might be a monster, but he is my monster.

Clara Graysword is Oricalis’s most wanted. Hunted and cornered, not even her mastery of tarot can save her this time . . . until the mysterious Worldkeepers appear. This secretive order may hold the key to changing Clara’s fate. If she dares to trust them.

But the most dangerous alliance of all is one she’s already deeply ensnared Prince Kaelis.

Kaelis, second-born prince of Oricalis and headmaster of Arcana Academy, is the one man she can’t escape—maybe she doesn’t want to escape. Ruthless, dangerous, and bound to Clara by destiny and desire, Kaelis tests her heart as much as her loyalty. Together, they grow closer to the most powerful secrets of the tarot . . . and to the truths they both hide that could destroy the passion that they no longer deny.

Hidden in plain sight within Arcana Academy, Clara walks the dagger’s edge. Revelations about Oricalis threaten everything she thought she knew, and every choice she makes is the difference between salvation and ruin.

To change the world, Clara must risk everything—her power, her beliefs, and her heart.

Thank you to Del Rey for the gifted eARC.

BRUTAL CLIFFHANGER.

And I love a brutal cliffhanger. Leave me grasping for more and begging for the next book because that is absolutely the case here. WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO NOW.

This did start off a bit slow and I was worried for the progression of the story. But never fear, Elise Kova delivers again. There is something about morally gray characters that I just love. Clare and Kaelis flaunt this line beautifully. I loved the deceptions and twists. Spending my time trying to figure out what new secret was going to unveil and honestly WHO WAS GOING TO SURVIVE.

I became obsessed with Kaelis and his romantic notions. For all of his dark void-ness and deeds, he was SO DOWN BAD for Claire. I loved that EK gave us soft smiles and genuine laughter and the boyish looks. It added all sorts of layers to his character and I can’t wait to see how that works out in the conclusion.

There were a couple other things I loved that would be spoiler adjacent if you haven’t read the first book so I won’t say more on that other than the other relationships in Clare’s life were good to see too. How she slowly learned to let people in and find those she could be honest with.

Insane ending that I have all of the questions about and need answers desperately!!

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy Romance
  • Language: moderate
  • Romance: 3-4 open door
  • Violence: high
  • Content warnings: recounted torture, loss of life, PTSD

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Book Review: The Americana Playbook by Cathryn Carter

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Rating: ★★★★.5
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 412 pages
Author: Cathryn Carter
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: April 21st, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Parker Montgomery was once America’s sweetheart. She took her first steps in the Capitol when her father was a congressman, and starred in his senatorial campaign ads. But in high school, during his first bid for the White House, she disappeared from the political limelight, leaving her home and best friend, Fitz, behind.

Known for his grit and unwavering determination, Fitzgerald Rhodes is a seasoned quarterback who has just led his team to the Super Bowl. But the bigger win is a chance reunion with his childhood partner in crime, the now sitting-President’s daughter, and–unknowingly to Parker–Fitz’s greatest love.

Reunited, Parker turns to Fitz when a question of inheritance involves not only a wedding, but a return to the spotlight she had been banished from. Seeing this as an opportunity to come clean about his feelings, Fitz agrees to help. But their mutually beneficial relationship grows less convenient as he begins to do just that.

In prime election season, Parker’s revenge on the political dynasty that harmed her unearths not just unrequited love, but secrets and scandal leaving Fitz and his career as collateral damage.

——

The Americana Playbook does include information some readers might find sensitive including: struggles with OCD, highlighting the troubled-teen industry, emotional abuse, details (though not graphic) of physical and emotional abuse as well as sexual harassment.

OH THIS HAD ME.

The things I get for not reading the summary and getting to enjoy all of the tropes and turns this book took (!!). It had me in a chokehold from the first chapter and I haven’t binge read an ebook like this in a long time. IT WAS GLORIOUS.

Fitz and Parker represented my favorite version of childhood friends to lovers. I LOVED that Fitz has been down bad for years and the angst was ramped up every time they were on page together. This was heated and tense and a bit on the heavy side but it worked really well. This was my first book by this author and I highly doubt it will be my last. There’s even football content?? BLESS.

Parker was a tad too oblivious about Fitz for me (and now that I’m thinking about it, the same goes for Fitz about a few other things). I spent most of my time wanting to shake her and I wish that had been resolved sooner. I was at least obsessed with the protective and control vibes that Fitz continually presented. It’s an easy book to fall head over heels for. I could not get enough.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Sports Romance
  • Language: moderate
  • Romance: 3-4ish open door
  • Violence: moderate – high
  • Content warnings: child abuse, false imprisonment in an institution, sexual assault, loss of life, abusive coach (verbal/emotional), abusive parents

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