Tag: baseball

Book Review: The Art of Catching Feelings by Alicia Thompson

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Rating: ★★★☆
Audience: Contemporary Sports Romance
Length: 384 pages
Author: Alicia Thompson
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: June 18th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A professional baseball player and his heckler prove that true love is worth going to bat for.

Daphne Brink doesn’t follow baseball, but watching “America’s Snoozefest” certainly beats sitting at home in the days after she signs her divorce papers. After one too many ballpark beers, she heckles Carolina Battery player Chris Kepler, who quickly proves there might actually be a little crying in baseball. Horrified, Daphne reaches out to Chris on social media to apologize . . . but forgets to identify herself as his heckler in her message.

Chris doesn’t usually respond to random fans on social media, but he’s grieving and fragile after an emotionally turbulent few months. When a DM from “Duckie” catches his eye, he impulsively messages back. Duckie is sweet, funny, and seems to understand him in a way no one else does.

Daphne isn’t sure how much longer she can keep lying to Chris, especially as she starts working with the team in real life and their feelings for each other deepen. When he finds out the truth, will it be three strikes, she’s out?

WELL.

I’m on a quest to find some good baseball romances and this one came up a few times so here we are.

Why in the world is this whole book based off of a catfishing miscommunication? I think if this plot point had been resolved sooner the book would have sat better with me. I hate seeing MULTIPLE opportunities to come clean about everything and being dismissed.

The rest of the book is good though. I liked the chemistry between Chris and Daphne. It’s kind of a benefits situation but the feelings are so clearly there that a lot of sweet moments are included too. Plenty of baseball content too! Definitely a sports romance, just had some resolution issues.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary sports romance
  • Language: moderate
  • Romance: multiple open door
  • Content warnings: loss of a loved one (suicide), divorce

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ARC Book Review: Love Catch (The Love Playbook) by Laura Langa

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Sports Romance
Length: 253 pages
Author: Laura Langa
Publisher: West East Publishing
Release Date: February 13th, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Jilted at the game. Roommates by chance. Catching feelings by accident.

Humiliated after my MLB fiancé called off our engagement—in the middle of a baseball game, I did what any rational, rule-following girl would I climbed on top of the dugout to give him a piece of my mind.

I just didn’t expect to slip—or fall straight into the arms of Trevor Chapman.

Awkward? Totally. Except the team’s veteran catcher also happens to be my roommate. Trevor’s protective, patient, and ten years my senior—but I’m the one sharing custody of his rescue calico and handling the personal taxes for half of the Waves lineup.

To shake off my post-breakup funk, I make a list of adventures—and rope Trevor in. With every item we cross off, it’s harder to ignore that I’m catching feelings faster than Trevor snags fastballs.

I’ve already been burned by a Waves player, so letting myself fall again feels risky—even when Trevor has always been there to catch me.

Love Catch is a closed-door sports romcom featuring a jilted bride, her protective MLB roommate, and one very sweet calico rescue cat.
It’s perfect for readers who love playful banter and sizzling kisses with no third act breakup!

The Love Playbook series—where swoony athletes, laugh-out-loud romance, and happily-ever-afters meet adorable rescue animals who steal the show. Each book is a standalone, full-length, closed-door romcom featuring a different sport and an adorable pet! Books can be read in any order.

Thank you to the author for an eARC.

THIS WAS CUTE.

Your girl is always after a good baseball romance because I feel like there’s not enough floating around out there. I would add this to the list if you enjoy a closed door romance with friends to lovers, two cute cats and a man who is INCREDIBLY down bad.

I loved all of the soft and quiet moments between Travis and Kenzie. Helping with animals, going to a wedding, attending games, all add up to the flirtatious pull between them. They are both sweet characters that are easy to love on and this book is only about 230 pages so it’s a perfect quick read to put a smile on your face.

I wish there had been less of the ex content because that overshadowed a large portion of the plot. I did love Kenzie finding a new strong female friendship at least.

Overall audience notes:

  • Baseball romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: low
  • Content warnings: physical altercation

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Book Review: Last Night Was Fun by Holly James

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 368 pages
Author: Holly James
Publisher: Avon
Release Date: June 10th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

You’ve Got Mail meets The Hating Game! Vying for a promotion against a bitter rival as the only female data analyst for a professional baseball team, Emmy finds solace in the text-flirting relationship that started as a wrong number exchange—unaware that the man she’s texting is the one she’s fighting for the promotion.

Emmy Jameson lives by three no dating, no sharing personal news at work, and baseball above everything. As the only female data analyst for a professional baseball team, Emmy is constantly trying to prove herself.

Especially when she’s put up for a senior analyst position against her arrogant, infuriating coworker Gabe Olson. Sure, he’s gorgeous and smart and he was a baseball star in college who knows the sport inside and out, but so does Emmy. She is not going to lose to him again. There will be no distractions this summer. Not even her sister’s pending destination wedding in Mexico for which she needs to find a plus one.

But then she receives a text from an unknown number with a simple  “Last night was fun.” When she strikes up a conversation with the mystery texter, they realize that he was given a fake phone number after a bad date that just so happened to be Emmy’s. Despite her rules, Emmy can’t deny the instant connection she feels and soon finds herself falling for the stranger on the other side of the screen…and inviting him to her sister’s wedding.

Thank you to Avon Books for the gifted copy.

IT WAS FUN.

This was a new to me author and I did like it y’all!!! Random book mail success story here.

I thought most of it was super cute. I loved the texting conversations and banter and the way that the reader knows what’s happening but the characters haven’t clued in yet. It’s got an overall sweet quality to the story line.

BUUUUUT. Y’all know I will rant about a ridiculous third act and here we are. I haaaaate the let me interrupt you ten times rather than just letting you finish one sentence so I can understand what’s happening trope. Gabe deserved ONE SENTENCE. Meh.

Anyways, I think I would read another book from this author. It was a quick read that was overall on the lighter side and hit the spot.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: mild+
  • Romance: 2ish open door
  • Content warnings: loss of a brother (recounted, addiction)

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Book Review: The Changeup (The Vegas Kings #1) by Emily Childs

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Rating: ★★
Audience: Contemporary Sports Romance
Length: 320 pages
Author: Emily Childs
Publisher: Victorious
Release Date: April 26th, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

He’s baseball’s biggest heartbreaker. Now…he’s stealing mine.

Parker Knight is a smooth-talking pitcher with a smile for days and a roster of broken hearts behind him. Those are only a few reasons why a guy like him is never getting near my heart.

After making a cross-country move to prove I deserve a place within my dad’s baseball empire, the last thing on my mind is a play boy pitcher.

But when we randomly meet off the field, it’s clear Parker has no idea I’m the team owner’s daughter. He thought I was going to be his next conquest. I didn’t mean to shut the guy down so hard, and I certainly didn’t expect to oversee his foundation on my first day at the office.

No one has ever seen the real guy behind the bad boy of baseball, but the more I get to know Parker, the harder it is to ignore the feelings I’m catching.

I’ve had my heart broken too many times before. How can I trust it with the biggest heartbreaker of them all?

NOT IT Y’ALL.

Well. I shall continue my quest for the ultimate baseball romance. This ain’t it folks.

Things started off fine, I can’t say I was sold initially but I gave it a chance.

Everything was a bit insta-love. I thought the banter started off well, then by halfway there’s major pronouncements of love and other things that just didn’t click.

I also never liked the female main character. She was weirdly obsessed with things like the Titanic? And she had all sorts of self loathing that I don’t love reading about and need to be addressed personally without the love interest’s involvement.

Mostly I think this book was trying too hard. And it’s hard to keep explaining that one major point, but that’s what it boiled down to for me. Trying to create emotions for me that I wasn’t feeling whatsoever.

On to the next.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Sports Romance
  • Language: very little
  • Romance: make-outs
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: discussions of traumatic brain injury from car wreck, bullying, harassment, blackmailing, absentee parents, loss of parents (off-page)

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