Tag: sports romance

Book Review: One on One by Jamie Harrow

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Rating: ★★★☆
Audience: Contemporary Sports Romance
Length: 400 pages
Author: Jamie Harrow
Publisher: Dutton
Release Date: September 24th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

They call it March Madness for a reason: Anything can happen on the way to a national championship.

Eight years after graduation, Annie Radford is not happy to be back at her alma mater in her old job with the Ardwyn Tigers’ basketball team. Worse, her coworker from back in college, Ben Callahan, is still on the Tigers staff, and he’s annoyingly wholesome, hot, and clinging to a grudge against Annie for abandoning him and the team their senior year.

But as Ardwyn becomes the season’s Cinderella Story, things start heating up between Annie and Ben, too. And while neither of them can deny this could be something special, Annie’s afraid to tell Ben the truth about why she left basketball—the thing she loves most—in the first place. She’ll have to learn to trust him if they have a shot at being together.

In addition to being funny, romantic, and sexy, One on One examines the pressure put on college athletes, challenges the sexism in the world of sports, and exposes the dangers in whole communities idolizing the big men on campus. For readers of The Hating Game and The Ex Talk, a workplace, enemies-to-lovers debut for anyone yearning for a courtside romance, perfect for anyone who can’t get enough sports rom-coms.

WELL…

As a former basketball girlie I am always on the hunt for a good basketball romance (send help, where are they?) so I jumped at the chance to read this book aaaaand, it was fine. There’s plenty of basketball (but neither of them are players) and it feels immersive to that atmosphere at least.

Though I thought the portrayal of March Madness didn’t work. It felt very scripted for the book and honestly that took the fun out of it. I was not inspired by this “miracle” team and think that plot point could have functioned better.

There are some good and important themes and discussions that felt relevant and informative. I wish Annie hadn’t lied and kept secrets from Ben for as long as she did though.

The romance is there, but it didn’t feel all that romantic. I kept waiting to feel the swoon and it wasn’t really there. The rivals to lovers trope worked well and there were tender moments woven throughout.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: moderate
  • Romance: 3ish vague open door/closed door
  • Violence: low
  • Content Warnings: sexual misconduct (recounted), workplace harassment

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Book Review: The Love Playbook (Boys of Ann Arbor U #1) by Gracie Graham

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: NA Sports Romance
Length: 404 pages
Author: Gracie Graham
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: February 28th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A brand new reverse grumpy sunshine, college football romance in a new series of standalone romances.

Charlotte Baker is the grump to my sunshine and the star of all my unrequited fantasies.

She checks all my boxes while all I seem to do is piss her off.

But I’m a wide receiver in the Big Ten. I’m used to winning, and my golden retriever personality is sure to wear her down.

Those cutting looks she gives? Just a cover. Secretly she wants me; she’s just loathed to admit it.

Those snarky comments? They’re simply a way to hide her attraction; she just can’t see it yet.

Oh, and did I mention I just discovered her father is engaged to my mother?

Now she’s saltier than normal.

But I won’t let this forbidden romance get me down. I have a plan, a way to win her over and secure my mother’s engagement to her father at the same time.

On paper, my plan is I’m going to show her what it’s like to be romanced. I’m going to woo her. I’m going to throw the Love Playbook right at her.

Lettie might have made it clear that she’s not interested in me, but I’m nothing if not persistent.

All she needs is a little persuasion.

Right?

I LOVE FOOTBALL.

I love a good Gracie Graham book and I am so happy to have this spin off series! It was incredibly swoony and I love golden retriever MMC’s and black cat FMC’s.

There’s a lot of family drama that’s complicated and brings the contention. I liked how things worked out in the end though and that some good resolutions were found. The found family text chains and group dynamics are so fun and I love the college setting.

Great chemistry and banter. It’s heated and an easy read to fly through. Looking forward to the next one!

Overall audience notes:

  • NA Contemporary Romance
  • Language: high
  • Romance: fade to black
  • Content warnings: divorce, a parent with depression (theme throughout)

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Book Review: Caught Up (Windy City #3) by Liz Tomforde

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Sports Romance
Length: 400 pages
Author: Liz Tomforde
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Release Date: October 10th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Kai.
I’m a single dad and starting pitcher for Chicago’s MLB team.I’m stretched too thin, but I don’t want help raising my son.Each of his previous nannies only lasted a few weeks before I let them go.Now, my coach is putting his foot down by hiring the one person I can’t fire—his daughter.Miller Montgomery is the last woman I should fall for. Too wild, too young, and too unattached. Chicago is just a quick stop for her. I thought I’d be counting down the days until she left, but summer feels too short when I start thinking about forever.
Miller.
As a high-end pastry chef who recently won the most prestigious award in my industry, I’m desperate to prove I deserve it. But with a new title comes new pressure, and I can’t create a fresh and inspiring dessert to save my life.With only two months to get back on track, I should be focusing in the kitchen, but instead, I let my dad talk me into using my time off to nanny for his star player’s kid.Kai Rhodes forgot how to have fun, and I’m eager to jog his memory. But when he and his son start to feel like home, I have to remind us both that my time in Chicago ends with the summer.Besides, I’ve always been a runner, and the last thing I want is to get caught.

GOOD.

This is the first baseball romance I can recollect recently reading and genuinely enjoying. I loved Kai so dang much and he was the sweetest Dad. I loved the level of baseball content throughout and getting to see teammates and Isiah. All of the friendships were some of my favorite aspects. I love seeing strong bonds. Oh!! And Miller and Monty’s relationship made my heat squeeze multiple times. They had a special bond I was endeared to from the beginning.

I enjoyed most of the romance. I didn’t love the summer fling aspects as it came to be a fairly repetitive dynamic, especially for Miller. After a medium-ish burn and some good angst I thought the needed relationship conversations would happen and I felt like those kept getting dragged out. I was tired of Miller repeating herself.

So while not my favorite of the series (The Right Move maintains all supremacy), I am still liking this series plenty. There were some fantastic scenes in here and I found the spice to be pretty easy to skip. Looking forward to book four!!

Overall audience notes:

  • Sports Romance
  • Language: high
  • Romance: 3-4 open door
  • Violence: low
  • Content Warnings: parental abandonment mentioned, sexual assault (on-page), death of a parent mentioned

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Book Review: Rewind it Back (Windy City #5) by Liz Tomforde

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Sports Romance
Length: 491 pages
Author: Liz Tomforde
Publisher: Entangled/Self Published
Release Date: May 20th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

HALLIE

When I was eleven, my family moved next door to his.
When I was thirteen, he was my first crush.
When I was sixteen, we fell for each other.

And when I was nineteen, we broke each other’s hearts.

Six years later, I’ve landed an internship with a big-name interior designer in a new city. Unfortunately, that city just so happens to be the one he plays hockey for.

I thought Chicago was big enough to avoid him, until I get the surprise of a lifetime and unknowingly move in right next door. Even worse? The renovation project I’m assigned to in hopes of turning that internship into my full-time dream job…

It’s his house.

But how am I supposed to update his bachelor pad into a family home when we can’t even stand to be in the same room?

I may have loved Rio DeLuca once, but I’m not that same girl anymore.

RIO

I never thought I’d be the only single one left in my friend group. But after years of trying to find love, I’ve concluded it may not exist for me anymore.

That is, until I accidentally hire Hallie Hart to renovate my house and our jaded history has me rewinding memories I’ve kept secret for years.

You see, there’s something that my friends don’t know.

That connection I’ve been looking for since I moved to Chicago, that one person some search their entire lives to find . . . I had already found her when I was twelve years old.

And now the only girl I’ve ever loved is moving into the house next door.

Again.

Rewind It Back is the fifth and FINAL book in the sensational Windy City series which has gripped over a million readers across the world. But don’t worry if you’re new round here, you’ll still love it as a standalone!

MY LOVE KNOWS NO BOUNDS.

This book was everything I could have hoped for AND MORE. I love that we got Rio’s book and that he got one of the most romantic second chance stories ever. And childhood friends to lovers? ELITE.

One of my favorite subtle things was about Rio’s character. There were some nuanced aspects to him that I was obsessed with and would love to see in more romances too. He’s one of the most down bad men I’ve ever read and I am here for it all.

And another moment I loved with my whole being was the COMMUNICATION. Hallie hit it out of the park and I could not be more in love with her character. There were some key scenes that had me cheering. This is how you write romance. Swoony, relatable, and with actual adult conversation.

The banter and heat was amazing. I loved the soft slow burn between Hallie and Rio. They are the definition of soul mates and the flashback chapters only added to that charm. I’m not usually a fan of flashbacks so I loved how these played a part. There were important and nuanced scenes that only added to my love for these two.

Absolutely in my feels over seeing all ten of these characters together one last time. The family scenes were everything and I will miss everyone so dang much.

BRB gotta go reread and highlight my book [again].

Overall audience notes:

  • Hockey Romance
  • Language: moderate
  • Romance: 3-4 open door
  • Violence: low
  • Content warnings: infidelity (side characters), a parent with cancer (does not die)

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