Tag: baseball romance

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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Off Base by Haley Warren

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Rating: ★★★.75
Audience: Contemporary Sports Romance
Length: 324 pages
Author: Haley Warren
Publisher: Simon Maverick
Release Date: June 2nd, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

He’s trying to find a way out.

She’s trying to find herself.

Miller Colson-Burke has only ever been good at three things: flirting his way out of anything, being the best shortstop in the league, and playing baseball side by side with his best friend, Matt.

Until an accident takes Matt from him forever, leaving him haunted by a memorial banner and a sport he used to love. The only things he’s really interested in being good at now are avoiding the press and figuring out how to run away from a rumour he can’t seem to escape.

Ren Jacobs has spent the last four years building a new life and trying to remember all the reasons to love the person she used to be. But when someone from her past comes along and steals her dream job, she finds it hard to love anything about herself at all.

Thank you to Simon Audio for the gifted audiobook.

IT GREW ON ME?

I immediately had to have this book because *dinosaurs*. Little did I know there was almost too much dinosaur content? As if the author was trying to make sure I knew that Ren was paleontologist. DON’T WORRY. I got it. She loves dinosaurs. The museum content was good though and I loved how the musuem and baseball team were working together.

Matt, I adored. He was a man broken by grief trying to find pockets of joy. There’s a soft fake dating angle to this that kept sending Matt and Ren into each other’s orbit and I think that worked well. I did like that banter and converations between them too. They were definitely a match.

Buuuut. The third act made me cranky. Which wouldn’t surprise anyone that has read this too. Not to mention there was way too much ex related content. I hate when the ex takes up too much time and overshadows the main romance. Just go away.

This was my first book from Haley Warren and I would read another!

Overall audience notes:

  • Sports romance
  • Language: mild – moderate
  • Romance: 3ish open door
  • Violence: low
  • Content warnings: loss of a friend, grief depiction, absent parent, gaslighting ex

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Book Review: Meet Me Under the Lights by Cassie Miller

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: YA Sports Romance
Length: 384 pages
Author: Cassie Miller
Publisher: Viking Books
Release Date: March 3rd, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

My Life with the Walter Boys meets The Notebook in this small town baseball romance perfect for fans of Kasie West and Carley Fortune.

High school junior Eliza Crowley is known as the Princess of Fairfield, a farm town in North Carolina that loves two things—tradition and baseball. Although Eliza loves “the game,” her life goal is to become a lighting designer on Broadway. Shaking off her reputation as the rich girl and focusing on her town’s community theater production are what she’s set her sights on this summer, and nothing will stand in her way. That is until Reed Fulton, the grandson of a struggling Fairfield farmer, and ace pitcher of the Fulton Hawks, returns to town. Reed dreams of putting the catastrophe of last season behind him and leading the Hawks to a championship victory against the Crowley Cardinals. When his childhood friend turned stranger, Eliza, strolls back into his life, she makes his heart accelerate quicker than his fastball, and he’s not sure he can stay away from the girl he’s supposed to despise. Small-town summers and baseball draw Reed and Eliza together, even though the Crowleys and the Fultons are determined to run each other out of town. When the families make a deal to settle their thirty-year-long dispute once and for all, Eliza and Reed are stuck in the middle during the most important summer of their lives.

PROGRESSIVELY BETTER.

I was a bit mixed when this started and worried it just wasn’t going to work for me but by the second half I really fell into the story and the character arcs for Eliza and Reed. I appreciated that this felt [mostly] true to the young adult genre. There is some under age drinking but the language was low and the romance was kisses only.

I’m not a theater girlie so those pieces didn’t hit as hard for me but the parallels to Romeo and Juliet were well done. I enjoyed this style of retelling. I liked the audiobook narrators too and wish there had been more chapters from Reed’s POV. It felt a little imbalanced.

I loved the baseball content and the back and forth between families. And I especially loved seeing Eliza’s Dad grow and acknowledge his faults too. It’s a reminder that parents aren’t perfect either and I loved seeing those bridges mended and genuine effort in reestablishing relationships.

I’m still just really obsessing over the colors on this cover too.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Baseball romance
  • Language: low
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: mild
  • Content warnings: arson, underage drinking

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Book Review: In Her Own League by Liz Tomforde

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Sports Romance
Length: 416 pages
Author: Liz Tomforde
Publisher: Golden Boy Publishing
Release Date: March 3rd, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

As the first female team owner in Major League Baseball, Reese Remington has spent her entire life preparing for this role. With a sharp mind and years of experience working behind the scenes, she’s more than qualified. But the public only sees a woman in a man’s world — not the person who’s earned their place on the field. Under constant scrutiny and pressure to prove herself, Reese can’t afford distractions.

Especially one that comes in the form of the team’s tempting field manager who questions her every decision.

Emmett Montgomery is a former All-Star turned coach who treats his players like family and the field like home. After years of running the team his way, the last thing he wants is a new boss, let alone one who seems ice-cold and laser-focused on business. But forced to spend long hours – and too many away games – side by side, he begins to see the fire beneath Reese’s control, the heart behind her ambition, and the unwavering determination to prove herself.

When heated banter turns into sizzling chemistry, professional boundaries blur and the spark between them becomes impossible to resist. But Reese is constantly reminded of how many people are waiting for her to fail, and the safest move is to keep Emmett at arm’s length – for the sake of the team, the season, and her career.

But keeping their distance is one game neither of them can seem to win.

ONE OF THE BEST EVERRRRR.

I will be thinking about this book for probably the rest of my life. IT WAS IMMACULATE Y’ALL. I was obsessed and down bad from chapter one. I LOOOOVE the fiery chemistry between Emmett and Reese. The delightful banter and sass was *chef’s kiss*. I loved having both POV’s and watching both of them FALL SO HARD.

Reese is a boss babe who took no crap and I loved the way she handled many situations. Of course it wasn’t always perfect but you could see the resilience and motivation she had to succeed. Adding Emmett into her corner was everythingggg. An elite support system.

And getting to see many of my favorite Windy City characters was exactly what my soul needed. I love the way they all love and take care of each other. The way everyone fiercely believes that family doesn’t have to be blood related. AND I AM HERE FOR IT.

I could ramble on all day about just about every dang dang scene in here. The quiet moments, the hot moments, the angry moments, it was the perfect emotionally balanced story that had me teary eye the last few chapters. What an incredible romance and I’m so happy Emmett got a story y’all!!!

AND THE FACT THAT they kept saying don’t tell me what to do, when that is an often used phrase between my husband and I??? Stop it right now.

Overall audience notes:

  • Sports romance
  • Language: high
  • Romance: 4-5ish open door
  • Violence: mild
  • Content warnings:

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