A Little Irresistible

by Bree Fleming

The only hope for a bad boy with an image problem might just be the good girl who ruined him.

All his life, ace pitcher Whit O’Rourke has played to win. He's spent the past four years rebuilding his reputation after a scandal transformed him from MLB’s hottest rising star to the bad boy of baseball, and now that he’s at the top of his game, nothing is going to keep him from fulfilling his major league destiny—not even the woman who brought it all crashing down in the first place.

Nell McLean never planned to reveal Whit’s darkest secrets to the world. It was an honest mistake, and she’d rather be fired into the sun than apologize for it. But after her sister makes a deal with Whit in a desperate attempt to repair her own image, Nell finds herself hopping a plane to beg the forgiveness of the one man she’d hoped to forget.

Whit wants nothing to do with Nell—or her apologies. He’s determined to keep the days of clickbait headlines and tabloid rumors behind him. But when an innocent encounter leads to a fresh scandal, he whisks Nell off to his hometown and convinces her to pose as his girlfriend. It’s the perfect solution to his PR nightmare—until they discover there's a lot more heat than hatred between them... and realize that playing pretend may just mean playing for keeps.

Genres: Sports

324 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 30, 2024

Reviews

[Kimberley · Rating 4 out of 5]

More of a 4 1/2 🌟 A Little Irresistible is an enemies to lovers fake dating romance with a touch of baseball and a little mystery. Whit and Nell have a past thanks to Nell’s sister and four years later they meet again. We are taken on a journey full of angst, family drama and of course attraction. This was an enjoyable read and I thoroughly enjoyed it and I personally can’t wait for the next book in the series. I received a complementary copy BookSirens.

[Curvy Girl Book Nerd (Jen S) · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Little Irresistible is Book 1 of Making the Play. It's a steamy, opposites-attract, small-town, slow-burn, forced-proximity, enemies-to-lovers, fake-dating with real feelings, girl gets her baseball player rom com. Nell is a sweet, sassy, feisty, and loyal teacher who is having quite the streak of bad luck after she was fired. Whit is a hunky, grumpy, MLB player who used to be the golden boy until Nell (unintentionally) ruined his reputation 4 years ago when he broke up with her sister and she made a snarky comment that was publicly captured.

Now, her sister Paige, who is the face of the family's cosmetic company, is facing a scandal and wants Whit to be her fake boyfriend to deflect from the company issue. Whit agrees if Nell will publicly apologize. She reluctantly agrees for her sister and goes from Chicago to Minnesota. Through a series of events the two end up in another, unintentional, scandal and Whit convinces her to be his fake girlfriend for a week while he goes back to his hometown, in return, he will try to help her get her job back. She reluctantly agrees.

The two may find that they misjudged each other all along and that love and hate walk a very fine line...

I loved this book so much. There were a lot of serious themes but also a lot of laughs. Whit had some past issues he was still dealing with. Both had controlling families concerned about public appearances that shaped them. Nell also had a bit of a hero complex, always fighting for the underdog.

These characters were rich and complex. I laughed and cried. They had some insane chemistry, and after the roller-coaster ride, we got a happy ending. Whit was such a tortured soul, and Nell was a firecracker. It was hard not to love these characters. I can't believe this was a debut novel. It was amazing, a MUST read.

I can't wait for Rory's story next!!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I truly enjoyed this book! Thank You Bree Fleming for the Nell and Whit love story! Seriously, this fake dating/enemies to lovers trope was awesome! I laughed, I cried and I was surprised by many things in the plot! The spice surprised me! I honestly thought it would have been closed door, it is not.

Nell was strong, handled her own, witty and took nothing from no one! She was just what Whit needed. He thought he did not need anyone in his life. He was a serial dater, never fully committing to any woman.

This story made you feel and connect with the characters. The reasons behind each action were explained well and understood.

The reason I took a star away was simple, the beginning was rough for me. I felt confused by the writing dialogue style. I feel this book would have been better understood from Dual POV. That is honestly my only negative remark.

Thank you so much to Booksprout and Bree Fleming for this ARC! I will suggest it to friends!

[Natalie (Novels__&__Needles) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Received as an ARC.

⚾️ Baseball romance
⚾️ Fake dating
⚾️ Enemies to lovers
⚾️ Debut novel

This was a well paced story with a great overarching plot and well thought out characters. There is a lot of family drama that I found a little bit difficult to follow at times but it didn’t ruin the overall picture for me. My main issue was that whilst I enjoyed the majority of the book the last 25% or so felt a bit rushed and disjointed which let it down overall for me. I’d rather a book be an extra 50 pages long and cover things that are necessary to the story than skip forward in time and expect you to fill in the gaps.

[Bonnie Cuthill · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a fun read. I'm a sucker for a baseball romance.
Two people that couldn't stand each other more end up being perfect for each other. Whit, a star baseball player with a playboy past, was trying to write his reputation. Nell, who outed Whit's secrets four years ago, is trying to apologize to help her sister. They end up in a fake relationship that will be their undoing. Or their coming together. 😉.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Cath · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nell McLean finds herself having to fly across the country to make an apology to her sister’s ex-boyfriend Whit (Whitney) O’Rourke, to fulfil a sister bond they came up with as kids together. Her stepsister Paige Forrester has worked for her grandmother’s company as its public face for years, but the company is facing a huge scandal. Nell had cut her own path as soon as she turned eighteen, becoming an elementary school teacher, but has been fired from her job after an argument with a parent and her use of bad language wasn’t deemed suitable for her role! Paige offers to help out and in return, wants Nell to apologise to Whit, who she hasn’t even been with for four years, but wants to pretend to be back in a relationship with, to boost her public image, whilst she is on yet another break from her girlfriend. Nell’s journey goes from bad to worse and she goes into a bar to use the restroom, and unfortunately spots Whit at the bar with a woman practically drooling on his lap. Hoping he hadn’t seen her bedraggled state is ruined when she walks straight into him when she finally leaves the restroom. Whit had told Paige he would only accept an in-person apology from Nell, after she ruined his career all those years ago by talking to the press about something he had revealed to her sister in private and shouldn’t have been using to recover from an injury.

He has spent years working to transform his bad boy image after that revelation, to get back to the star standing he thinks he is due. Coming across Nell so unexpectedly, he insists she do a proper job of her apology, so she gets down on her knees, not knowing someone is recording them! This brings up a fresh scandal he needs to quash asap, just as he was due to return to his hometown and a special baseball event his father was holding. His father has heard all about his latest scandal and tells him not to bother coming! To counter his PR scandal, he gets Nell to agree to come home with him and pretend to be his girlfriend, something she definitely can’t tell Paige about. She can’t stand Whit, believing him to be exactly as he has been portrayed in the press, but if she agrees to go with him, he will help get her a meeting with the person who might be able to get her back her job! It is her only chance to get back to the job she loves, as this person has so much influence, she could be blacklisted all over from being able to teach again. His father isn’t happy to see him, but with Nell alongside him, he has to act somewhat welcoming! Nell soon gets to see a different side of Whit and the heat starts to build between them, however much she tries to ignore it. They have to act as if they are a couple in his hometown and he has a lot of demons to face. His relationship with his father is also problematic, with him being a famous baseball player in his day, who Whit has always tried to live up to in his career, if not his bad record with relationships.

He has a lot to deal with and a lot of secrets he is holding in, taking the blame for events when he was just a teen, and having his father’s indiscretions rule his own love life years later. He and Nell have chemistry, and it doesn’t take much to ignite it, especially after he opens up about a few issues. They only have a few more days and it looks like Nell wants this to be done and over, but Whit thinks it could be more. He knows how hard keeping a relationship can be when he would be away for months on end, but it seems like Nell might be just the woman he might want to try it with! Add in some other trouble trying to shatter his peace and love for Nell, makes everything just that much harder. A great enemies to lovers romance, with lots of past and family issues to deal with along the way. I received an ARC copy of this book from BookSprout, and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.

[The Sewist's Bookshelf · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75⭐
2🌶️

Tropes: small town, enemies to lovers, sports romance, slow burn, fake dating

4 years ago Nell let slip a secret about Whit, her sister's ex boyfriend that damages his baseball career. Now, in an effort to help her sister Paige recover from a scandal with her company, Nell flies out to MN to apologize to Whit and ask for help. Except Nell pulls him into their own scandal and now it's up to her to right the wrong with his family by pretending to be his girlfriend.

It took me a bit to get into this story. I don't mind sports romances, and it makes sense that since it's Whit's career and one of the main storylines that baseball would be a big chunk of the story, but it was more than I'm used to. Since I'm personally not a fan of sports it didn't really interest me.

There was a significant amount of backstory, mainly for Whit that was a pleasant surprise though. I really enjoyed learning the depth of his character through the sins of his youth. Nell was a little more flat to me. I struggled with Whit's dad, but I think that's the point. You get the sense that he's very one dimensional, self centered and selfish but by the end he becomes more sympathetic.

Overall, I enjoyed reading the book- it was well written and complex. The pacing was a little slow at times but I think it would be perfect for sports fans who also enjoy contemporary romance books.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Katie Lavoie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The summary read like a lot was going on in this plot and I wasn’t sure how it would make sense. However, all the pieces came together in this small town, enemies to lovers, sports romcom. In fact, I appreciated all the various plot points since it kept the book moving forward at a good pace. It did read a little more serious than what I anticipate as a romantic comedy (an observation, not a problem nor a complaint).

The end brought most of the plot points together, but it felt a bit rushed (e.g., don’t get much detail, just left to assume things worked out as he story jumps a week or two ahead). Also I struggle to believe someone is flying in love in a week. And while I appreciated Whit having a similar philosophy, I found myself not buying into nor liking the last 20% nearly as much as I liked the rest of the book. This is ultimately what brought my rating down.

I would happily read tumors books by Bree Fleming, though I wish book two was following a character we meet in this book (just so I had some continuity, already started to care about the characters)

I received a free copy of this book; I was not paid to leave a review.

[Nate · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was Whit and Nell’s story. Ace pitcher Whit O’Rourke has always played to win. He's spent the past four years rebuilding his reputation after a scandal transformed him from MLB’s hottest rising star to the bad boy of baseball, and now that he’s at the top of his game, nothing is going to keep him from fulfilling his major league destiny—not even the woman who brought it all crashing down in the first place. Nell McLean never planned to reveal Whit’s darkest secrets to the world. It was an honest mistake, and she’d rather be fired into the sun than apologize. But after her sister makes a deal with Whit in a desperate attempt to repair her own image, Nell finds herself hopping a plane to beg the forgiveness of the one man she’d hoped to forget. Whit wants nothing to do with Nell—or her apologies. He’s determined to keep those days of clickbait headlines and tabloid rumors behind him. But when an innocent encounter leads to a fresh scandal, he whisks Nell off to his hometown and convinces her to pose as his girlfriend.it was an entertaining read. And voluntarily leaving this review.

[Natalie Intihar · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Little Irresistible was an absolute treat to read. From the very first moment Nell is introduced, it’s clear that she’s a FMC worth rooting for- especially amidst all her terrible luck. The enemies to lovers arc is so satisfying, and the tension between Nell and Whit is incredible. They’re clearly meant to be together, but it was a delight to go along for the ride while they figured that out.

I enjoyed reading a story that featured sports but wasn’t centered around the sports romance aspect. It was fascinating to dive into the underbelly of what being a sports star does to a character, and it gave Whit an extra dimension of depth and complexity.

Ultimately, this book made me feel all the good happy feels and had the sweet HEA we all love. Nell and Whit completely stole my heart and I enjoyed every moment. I am beyond excited for the next book and am so ready for more of Bree Fleming’s writing!

I voluntarily reviewed a free advance copy of this book provided by BookSirens. The opinions expressed are my own.

[Janine · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5* - Rounded up to 5...

Whit and Nell have a lot of history to work through as they navigate their fake-dating scenario. Some heavy topics are addressed (divorce of parents due to cheating, performance enhancing drug usage, alcohol abuse, etc) so be aware of this going into the book.

That said, I loved these characters, and I enjoyed watching them go through their journeys of self-discovery and acceptance to reach a place where they could find their HEA. Some fun, good banter, and intense connections.

A fabulous story by Bree Fleming, and I'm looking forward to more of her work in the future...

Just a quick share of a quote I loved 😍 :

"What about your realistic outlook about long-term relationships?"
"That was before I fell in love with you."
Her heart did an erratic little skip. "I thought normal people didn't fall in love in a week."
"Neither of us is exactly normal."

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Laura Caswell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Little Irresistible by Bree Fleming is the first book in the Making the Play series and Bree's debut novel!

Nell and Whit's story is a great enemies-to-lovers story, but it also includes fake dating and dating your sister's "ex". I love Bree's writing style. This book made me laugh and the story seemed to flow right off the pages.

Nell's sister has called in the Sister Card and now Nell has to do the unthinkable - apologize to Whit for trying to ruin his professional baseball career. Little does Nell know that her apology is going to turn into fake dating someone she thinks she despises. Her week with Whit brings out the old feelings that she has tried so hard to deny. Along their journey, Whit has to forgive himself and his father in order to have the relationship he thought he would never have.

I thoroughly enjoyed A Little Irresistible and can't wait for more from Bree Fleming!

[Ana · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent sports romance. I really liked Whit and appreciated his depth. I think his character demonstrates well how even good-hearted people can make mistakes. I also really liked Nell and the chemistry between the two of them.

The supporting characters were also very well done. I'm glad Whit was able to mend certain relationships. I would have liked to see a bit more of his sisters' lives, but I understand they will likely get their own books since this is a series. Whit's grandpa definitely wins as my favorite supporting character.

I also enjoyed the author's humor. The writing style is very nice, although I generally prefer first-person POV.

Why not five stars? I'm not entirely sure. I thought it would be five until the last few chapters slightly dampened my impression, so I give it 4.8.

All in all, a very good romance that I highly recommend.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very entertaining book. I enjoyed it. A professional baseball player, his ex-girlfriend’s sister (aka his nemesis), and a series of events that led to them fake dating. Fake dating but really feeling. The main characters’ history, antagonism, interactions, and banter were great. And Whit’s family was a dysfunctional train wreck, but a very entertaining dysfunctional train wreck. There was also a hearty dose of dramatic personal history, particularly for Whit. The small town dynamics played a big part in that. This story includes elements that involve athletes using performance enhancing drugs, parental death, divorce, infidelity, stalking, and car accident. This is an open door romance with innuendo and strong harsh language.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Olivia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was so cute and very easy to get into! A ton of my favorite tropes were incorporated such as enemies to lovers, a bit of a slow burn, and a bit of forced proximity. I felt like the plot had a very nice pace and overall I really enjoyed what I was reading. A four-star for me does not mean the story was lacking, it is just very rare for me to find something that I feel is a five-star book. I was giggling, kicking my feet, and getting angry which are all emotions I like to feel when reading a book. While I was reading, I really was wishing for another book to look into the one character and how her story plays out so I was very excited to see at the end that the next book will be following her!

I received an ARC of this book for free and am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Firstly, thank you to Bree Fleming and the BookSirens team for allowing me the opportunity to be an ARC team member for this release! I actually really enjoyed this book! It’s my first by this author and I really loved her writing style. I’m not usually a fan of third person POV, but the way the chapters were laid out, it didn’t feel like third person. The banter was spectacular, and the chemistry between the two MCs was spot on!! I really enjoyed the underlining story line and the relationship building/repairs between the MMC and side characters. I loved that it’s based in the Midwest rather than a coastal city! I highly recommend this book for readers that love banter, fake dating, and enemies to lovers! Grab your copy on release day, July 30th!!

[Lena · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed Whit and Nell's story. I was entertained from beginning to end. The chemistry between them is ablaze from the beginning, but it's the banter back and forth that had me constantly laughing. It's obvious they're attracted to each other, but they would rather deny it and get on each other's nerves. I liked that theatrics of Whit's family too. While some of it was petty and the rest hilarious, it brought interesting and fun moments to the plot. There are some serious elements in the story as well that are a little heartbreaking. They are tastefully done and gives context to why Whit feels the way he does about his hometown and father. Overall, this was a really good read I'd recommend.

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nell has to apologise to the one person she really doesn't want to, but she'll do anything to help her sister. Whit is just about getting over the scandal tha Nell had caused and now she's walked back into his life. Yet again causing another viral Internet story. Why why why does she hate him so much. This is a brilliant read forcing together two characters who on the surface really don't like each other. Can they overcome their differences when thrown together in a fake relationship. Or will it end badly for both. If you enjoy an easy to read story on a sunny afternoon this ticks all the boxes.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Berta Greenleaf Richardson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book as it was such a cute love story with lots of funny quips. It also has lots of steam and misunderstandings. Whit had a fast and hard rule of not being in any long term relationships. Nell somehow got around his rule and he fell in love. They also had to deal with an overprotective older sister, on her part, and a very dysfunctional family on his part. His past pulled at him with a whole lot of guilt. He felt that what he and Nell had was worth fighting for. They get their HEA. I highly recommend this book to all rom-com romance readers.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Ana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nell and Whit have a common past, and when they meet again they stumble into a week trip where they'll discover many things about each other.

Nell tries to be a normal woman in a rich family. She's really loyal.

Whit has quite a troubled past, with a difficult family dynamics, he's a good guy.

The beginning was a bit awkward, It felt slighly embarrasing because I'm not keen of those type of situations. After their bumpy start their relationship is interesting to follow.

Both family dynamics were quite strange, some of them I enjoyed, but some I didn't as much.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Ulli Zaiss · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading the story of Nell and Whit who started out hating each other (while still secretly being attracted to each other) and then being forced to spend time together and fake-dating. Of course the fake-dating doesn't stay fake for long but there a several obstacles to overcome before those two figure out their relationship. The book is really entertaining and fast-paced. It has relatable characters and the story was mostly believable. I had fun reading it.
I received an ARC via booksirens.com and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an entertaining, fun read. Whit and Nell are complex, intriguing, relatable, wounded, interesting, entertaining characters. I enjoyed them as individuals and a couple. Their exchanges were entertaining to read. The path to their HEA was not easy but entertaining to read. The secondary characters added to the fabric of the story and my enjoyment. I enjoyed the family aspect of the story and how it played out. The story is easy to read and get into.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Niky · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book as an ARC for free for my review.

This was okay. One of the good not great books. I personally didnt like the writing style. It flipped between their personal thoughts and someone narrating. The plot was a little cliche with some added shocks but didn't do it for me. I think the characters needed a little more background for me to believe it. Maybe a flashback of a previous encounter that could convince me of unrequited love. It was cute and an easy read but I almost didn't finish it in the start

[…Welcome to My World &#x1f30e.. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story was a wild ride of laughs, bitterness, truth and forgiveness. Whit and Nell had history from Whit dating Nell’s sister Paige. These two were on a wild adventure of fake dating and keeping up with each other’s images. I liked how fierce Whit was as well as how devoted he was to Nell. I feel like this story could’ve been shorter but it was still nice and steamy and sweet as well as funny.

I received an arc copy and I’m voluntarily leaving my review.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Little Irresistible by Bree Fleming is a good, and enjoyable baseball enemies to lovers romantic comedy read. The story has a good entertaining world building story line. The characters are good, and they have good chemistry. This story is an entertaining funny slow burn romance read with a happily ever after ending. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[MyBookNest7 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a swoony journey from the halfway point when both our idiots finally begin realising what’s happening! Whit’s character development is so subtle and I’m beyond glad that he got to keep his competitive streak till the end.

Speaking of the end, it is guaranteed to force you to smile which heavily and obviously implies that this has been fun and it was great knowing these knuckleheads!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is book 1 in Making the Play and a good start to a new series that can be read as a standalone. A sports themed romance read, the sport of choice?!? baseball. Whit and Nell are our main characters and author Fleming does a great job with family dynamics and angst as well as all the feels, laughs and loved the steamy bits too! A really well done read that I'm definitely looking forward to more!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Ineta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this funny and entertaining book. All of it - The Piss Off Dad Contest, 3 generations of O'Rourke, bad luck, stalking and many other episodes.
The whole "Enemies to lovers" thing with Nell and Whit, teacher and baseball bad boy, and how they go "from scandal to scandal".
Easy to read and very funny. Hope to read other books of this Author soon.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nell is school teacher and her sister Paige is having some trouble in the press they decide that Paige must fake a relationship with her ex. Her ex is baseball player Whit is struggling with some bad press himself. The book is a fun sports romance with a very slow burn and fake dating. It also had lots of twist and turns of interesting things happening to each character in the small town.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Florida Girl Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

A baseball sports romance is a first for me but the blurb pulled me in and the characters cemented my interest. It is an enemies to lovers, fake dating trope between characters that knew each other briefly. Whit O'Rourke, star pitcher, was quite the surprise ! He has all the cocky assurance of a successful, good looking baseball star who took a hit to his career four years ago due to Nell McLean, the sister of his girlfriend. They meet up to clear the air and a innocent moment turns into a tabloid feast! He had a depth that I didn't expect and the heart inside man is just as appealing as the physical specimen who wears the uniform! Nell is a firecracker who has blown her teaching career with her temper. She has a driving need to help others, a unshakeable loyalty to her older sister and a stubborn streak that tends to get her into troublesome situations.
I like Bree Fleming's writing style with her the strong supporting characters and unexpected twists in the story's plot. I know I would enjoy reading more of her titles and look forward to Whit's sister, Rory, story coming next!
I received an advanced readers copy and am leaving a voluntary review based solely on my reading experience.