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Wild Baseball Romance #1
Wild Pitch
I’m so bad at the dating game that revenge on my ex seems hopeless, until I make a wild pitch for a hotshot pitcher to become my dating coach.
HOPE “DARLIN’” GARCIA
After my ex boyfriend left me for my now ex best friend, I’ve thrown myself into the online dating circuit to find someone I can get my revenge with on the next Friendsgiving. But between a demanding schedule as a physical therapist for the Orlando Wild baseball team, and the fact that I’m an oddly aggressive but still upturned turtle, it’s been one disaster after the next.
I can’t let my ex(es?) think that I’m a failure, but I need serious help. And the person I know who has the most game with the least amount of effort is the team’s pitcher, a.k.a. the Cowboy. So I have a wild pitch for become my dating coach.
There’s only one he really annoys me, especially when he calls me “darlin’.”
CADE “COWBOY” STARR
According to my agent, this Spring Training is my only shot at showing the team that I have what it takes to become the starter pitcher. But my plan to focus only on baseball gets disrupted the moment I witness Hope Garcia being humiliated during a bad date.
I may be an orphan, but the great state of Texas raised me well enough to never ignore a damsel in distress. Especially not one who says the most amusing things when I call her darlin’. I just have to make sure that she doesn’t distract me from my real goal of becoming a baseball star—pun intended.
Oh, and also, that no one in the staff finds out about our little arrangement. Pretty sure that could be seen as a conflict of interest or worse.
But the problem with wild pitches is that they often get out of control…
Wild Pitch is a dual POV, closed door baseball romance with mild language, and heat without spice. It’s the first book in the Wild Baseball Romance series and can also be read as a standalone.
Slow burn.Dating coach.Athlete x trainer.Found family.Taking care while sick.Mini makeover.He falls harder.No 3rd act breakup.Closed door romance.
HOPE “DARLIN’” GARCIA
After my ex boyfriend left me for my now ex best friend, I’ve thrown myself into the online dating circuit to find someone I can get my revenge with on the next Friendsgiving. But between a demanding schedule as a physical therapist for the Orlando Wild baseball team, and the fact that I’m an oddly aggressive but still upturned turtle, it’s been one disaster after the next.
I can’t let my ex(es?) think that I’m a failure, but I need serious help. And the person I know who has the most game with the least amount of effort is the team’s pitcher, a.k.a. the Cowboy. So I have a wild pitch for become my dating coach.
There’s only one he really annoys me, especially when he calls me “darlin’.”
CADE “COWBOY” STARR
According to my agent, this Spring Training is my only shot at showing the team that I have what it takes to become the starter pitcher. But my plan to focus only on baseball gets disrupted the moment I witness Hope Garcia being humiliated during a bad date.
I may be an orphan, but the great state of Texas raised me well enough to never ignore a damsel in distress. Especially not one who says the most amusing things when I call her darlin’. I just have to make sure that she doesn’t distract me from my real goal of becoming a baseball star—pun intended.
Oh, and also, that no one in the staff finds out about our little arrangement. Pretty sure that could be seen as a conflict of interest or worse.
But the problem with wild pitches is that they often get out of control…
Wild Pitch is a dual POV, closed door baseball romance with mild language, and heat without spice. It’s the first book in the Wild Baseball Romance series and can also be read as a standalone.
Slow burn.Dating coach.Athlete x trainer.Found family.Taking care while sick.Mini makeover.He falls harder.No 3rd act breakup.Closed door romance.
438 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 23, 2025
58 people are currently reading
3478 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 81 reviews
February 10, 2025
Sweet, light and lovely book.
The writing is clean. The Plot, nothing I haven’t read before but it was done really well.
I love it when the MFC is a physiotherapist/ part of medical staff/ strength and endurance coach to a sports team.
It's a long book. Very slow burn. Closed door romance. 🚪
What I didn’t like though is that the MFC has been working with the team for 2 years but there's been no attraction or chemistry between the MCs at all. It's like all of a sudden, they both remove their blindfolds and realise, oh shit! This woman is hot! Yeah.. I didn’t buy that. 🙂↔️
If she at least captured his attention at the beginning but he didn't want to make a move out of respect for her being the only female staff member or simply because fraternization is not encouraged then yeah. But for them to both be very professional and indifferent about each other to suddenly I am over my head! Not believable. ☝️
Also, this is like a copy paste of High Sticking The Heart by Marie M.
And just like I hated the Liberal progressive movement in that book, I contrarily, loved the traditional respectful part of this one.
They both portrayed women empowerment. High Sticking The Heart projected it through a black cat vibe MFC who hates men because her father and brother are oppressive Mexican men and to be in a relationship means to give up your dreams and forever be under the clutches of your husband 🙄 plus the MFC constantly emasculated the MMC.
Wild Pitch on the other hand was done beautifully. Feminism as it should be was portrayed as having a well respected female staff member who according to the club's moral regulations, should be respected and treated like any other coach or trainer, refraining from misogynistic and sexist behaviour and commentary. The MFC demanded the men's reapect without being obnoxious or hateful or proving a point by sleeping around because she is a Strong Independent Woman 🤦♀️
📝 ticking another Bingo square
65) "A new for you author"
Squares Count: 20
25┃🔴┃87┃13┃68┃40┃🔴┃59┃76┃44
10┃86┃04┃45┃47┃98┃50┃🔴┃85┃75
88┃51┃🔴┃02┃42┃🔴┃24┃92┃82┃01
100┃🔴┃17┃96┃43┃49┃64┃70┃15┃38
🔴┃31┃62┃🔴┃21┃73┃28┃🔴┃90┃77
03┃12┃80┃69┃52┃🔴┃54┃🔴┃23┃🔴
18┃95┃22┃🔴┃93┃🔴┃41┃08┃🔴┃58
57┃94┃16┃56┃05┃60┃🔴┃26┃81┃🔴
97┃48┃79┃67┃53┃🔴┃06┃36┃89┃🔴
🔴┃19┃39┃66┃55┃27┃20┃63┃11┃83
The writing is clean. The Plot, nothing I haven’t read before but it was done really well.
I love it when the MFC is a physiotherapist/ part of medical staff/ strength and endurance coach to a sports team.
It's a long book. Very slow burn. Closed door romance. 🚪
What I didn’t like though is that the MFC has been working with the team for 2 years but there's been no attraction or chemistry between the MCs at all. It's like all of a sudden, they both remove their blindfolds and realise, oh shit! This woman is hot! Yeah.. I didn’t buy that. 🙂↔️
If she at least captured his attention at the beginning but he didn't want to make a move out of respect for her being the only female staff member or simply because fraternization is not encouraged then yeah. But for them to both be very professional and indifferent about each other to suddenly I am over my head! Not believable. ☝️
Also, this is like a copy paste of High Sticking The Heart by Marie M.
And just like I hated the Liberal progressive movement in that book, I contrarily, loved the traditional respectful part of this one.
They both portrayed women empowerment. High Sticking The Heart projected it through a black cat vibe MFC who hates men because her father and brother are oppressive Mexican men and to be in a relationship means to give up your dreams and forever be under the clutches of your husband 🙄 plus the MFC constantly emasculated the MMC.
Wild Pitch on the other hand was done beautifully. Feminism as it should be was portrayed as having a well respected female staff member who according to the club's moral regulations, should be respected and treated like any other coach or trainer, refraining from misogynistic and sexist behaviour and commentary. The MFC demanded the men's reapect without being obnoxious or hateful or proving a point by sleeping around because she is a Strong Independent Woman 🤦♀️
📝 ticking another Bingo square
65) "A new for you author"
Squares Count: 20
25┃🔴┃87┃13┃68┃40┃🔴┃59┃76┃44
10┃86┃04┃45┃47┃98┃50┃🔴┃85┃75
88┃51┃🔴┃02┃42┃🔴┃24┃92┃82┃01
100┃🔴┃17┃96┃43┃49┃64┃70┃15┃38
🔴┃31┃62┃🔴┃21┃73┃28┃🔴┃90┃77
03┃12┃80┃69┃52┃🔴┃54┃🔴┃23┃🔴
18┃95┃22┃🔴┃93┃🔴┃41┃08┃🔴┃58
57┃94┃16┃56┃05┃60┃🔴┃26┃81┃🔴
97┃48┃79┃67┃53┃🔴┃06┃36┃89┃🔴
🔴┃19┃39┃66┃55┃27┃20┃63┃11┃83
January 25, 2025
Hope Garcia has been dumped by her boyfriend for her (ex) best friend. She's determined to find a new boyfriend, but so far her online dating is a disaster. Something has to be done, but her work as a physical therapist for the Orlando Wild baseball team is keeping her busy. The team's pitcher, Cade Starr, doesn't seem to have any trouble getting dates, so she swallows her pride and asks him for help.
We follow a woman - Hope - in a very male-dominated world. She's athletic and usually wears sporty outfits, which appears to be a problem for her potential dates. Then it's very refreshing when Cade starts dreaming of her muscular tighs and show us that not everyone needs to look and dress like a super model.
The chemistry between Hope and Cade is spot on and I love their banter! I actually like the side characters just as much; they bring both humor and found family vibes to the story. I'm happy there will be more books in the series!
Baseball isn't a big sport in Sweden, but I have watched some games and I know the rules somewhat. You don't have to know, or even like, baseball to read Wild Pitch, but it brings a little extra if you do. The games contribute with some excitement no matter what!
You also get dual POV and a slow burn romance with heat, but no spice. Oh, and no 3rd act breakup! Highly recommend if you enjoy these ingredients!
* I received an ARC from the author and I'm giving my honest review. *
We follow a woman - Hope - in a very male-dominated world. She's athletic and usually wears sporty outfits, which appears to be a problem for her potential dates. Then it's very refreshing when Cade starts dreaming of her muscular tighs and show us that not everyone needs to look and dress like a super model.
The chemistry between Hope and Cade is spot on and I love their banter! I actually like the side characters just as much; they bring both humor and found family vibes to the story. I'm happy there will be more books in the series!
Baseball isn't a big sport in Sweden, but I have watched some games and I know the rules somewhat. You don't have to know, or even like, baseball to read Wild Pitch, but it brings a little extra if you do. The games contribute with some excitement no matter what!
You also get dual POV and a slow burn romance with heat, but no spice. Oh, and no 3rd act breakup! Highly recommend if you enjoy these ingredients!
* I received an ARC from the author and I'm giving my honest review. *
January 13, 2025
3.5⭐️
•𝐀𝐑𝐂 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰•
{𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐁𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞: Book 1}
⚾️ Release Date: January 23, 2025 ⚾️
.
.
.
What do you do when your ex-boyfriend starts dating your now ex-best friend? You quickly try to secure a boyfriend of your own so that you don’t have to attend the next Friendsgiving alone! Or at least that’s what Hope did…or should I say tried to do. Things did not go as she had planned and time after time her dates ended badly. And that’s when Cade Starr, the pitcher for the Orlando Wild baseball team, entered the picture…as her dating coach 🤭
Hope was NOT a fan of Cade from the get-go, even though he cut a rather striking figure on the pitcher’s mound and sported the swooniest Texan drawl. After having rather rudely accused Cade of outing a bad date of hers to his teammates, Hope was forced to eat a piece of humble pie and ask for his assistance with her dating life. All of the moments between the two of them were heightened with their denial of personal feelings for one another. Hope had zero chance of not falling for all of the southern charm that makes up Cade, aka the Cowboy 😏 I mean who wouldn’t love being called darlin’ on a regular basis?! And Cade…well, he certainly didn’t stand a chance either because before he knew it, Hope had gone and stolen his heart ♥️
Mari Loyal was a new-to-me author and so it took me a bit to get used to her writing style. Because of this, the story didn’t flow quite as easily as I would have liked it to.
Tropes:
⚾️ Slow burn
⚾️ Athlete X Trainer
⚾️ Dating coach
⚾️ Found family
⚾️ Mini makeover
⚾️ He falls harder
⚾️ No 3rd act breakup
This book is considered closed door, but it contains a decent amount of innuendo and quite a bit of mild language. I would find it comparable to a Katie Bailey book.
.
.
.
Thank you so much, Mari, for the opportunity to read this arc of your new book 💜
•𝐀𝐑𝐂 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰•
{𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐁𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞: Book 1}
⚾️ Release Date: January 23, 2025 ⚾️
.
.
.
What do you do when your ex-boyfriend starts dating your now ex-best friend? You quickly try to secure a boyfriend of your own so that you don’t have to attend the next Friendsgiving alone! Or at least that’s what Hope did…or should I say tried to do. Things did not go as she had planned and time after time her dates ended badly. And that’s when Cade Starr, the pitcher for the Orlando Wild baseball team, entered the picture…as her dating coach 🤭
Hope was NOT a fan of Cade from the get-go, even though he cut a rather striking figure on the pitcher’s mound and sported the swooniest Texan drawl. After having rather rudely accused Cade of outing a bad date of hers to his teammates, Hope was forced to eat a piece of humble pie and ask for his assistance with her dating life. All of the moments between the two of them were heightened with their denial of personal feelings for one another. Hope had zero chance of not falling for all of the southern charm that makes up Cade, aka the Cowboy 😏 I mean who wouldn’t love being called darlin’ on a regular basis?! And Cade…well, he certainly didn’t stand a chance either because before he knew it, Hope had gone and stolen his heart ♥️
Mari Loyal was a new-to-me author and so it took me a bit to get used to her writing style. Because of this, the story didn’t flow quite as easily as I would have liked it to.
Tropes:
⚾️ Slow burn
⚾️ Athlete X Trainer
⚾️ Dating coach
⚾️ Found family
⚾️ Mini makeover
⚾️ He falls harder
⚾️ No 3rd act breakup
This book is considered closed door, but it contains a decent amount of innuendo and quite a bit of mild language. I would find it comparable to a Katie Bailey book.
.
.
.
Thank you so much, Mari, for the opportunity to read this arc of your new book 💜
January 21, 2025
ARC Reader ✨✨✨
First of all I want to say that I’m officially in love with Cade Starr (baseball star, pitcher). He is genuine, kind and with a lot of love to give. It’s sad what happened as a child but made him who he is today.
Hope (junior trainer of the baseball team) is a tough, athlethic girl who is misunderstood and only seeks to be lovers and accepted just as she is. They together are perfect.
Logan, Rivera, Rose, Audrey and Kelly are the best friends for our protagonists. What Dawson and Amy did is the worst. But she specially. They are made for each other and they deserve each other.
I really enjoyed this book and was smilling in many parts. I empathize a lot with Hope but in fact with Cade. Rivera and I are Puerto Ricans so I like seeing phrases and mentioning my beautiful Puerto Rico.
When the author used the words in Spanish it was the best because it was in the perfect moment. I give this book my 5⭐️ and want to read more from Mari Loyal 👏
⚾️Slowburn 🔥
⚾️Dating Coaching
⚾️Sport Romance (baseball ⚾️)
⚾️Coworkers
First of all I want to say that I’m officially in love with Cade Starr (baseball star, pitcher). He is genuine, kind and with a lot of love to give. It’s sad what happened as a child but made him who he is today.
Hope (junior trainer of the baseball team) is a tough, athlethic girl who is misunderstood and only seeks to be lovers and accepted just as she is. They together are perfect.
Logan, Rivera, Rose, Audrey and Kelly are the best friends for our protagonists. What Dawson and Amy did is the worst. But she specially. They are made for each other and they deserve each other.
I really enjoyed this book and was smilling in many parts. I empathize a lot with Hope but in fact with Cade. Rivera and I are Puerto Ricans so I like seeing phrases and mentioning my beautiful Puerto Rico.
When the author used the words in Spanish it was the best because it was in the perfect moment. I give this book my 5⭐️ and want to read more from Mari Loyal 👏
⚾️Slowburn 🔥
⚾️Dating Coaching
⚾️Sport Romance (baseball ⚾️)
⚾️Coworkers
May 30, 2025
bro talked way too much about her thighs for this to be a closed door romance
January 20, 2025
Simply put, I absolutely adored this book! Baseball player + trainer, dating coaching and a perfectly delicious slow burn... what's not to love about that? At the start of the story, Hope isn't the biggest fan of Cade, but when he saves her from a bad date, she realizes she could use his help as a dating coach. Once they're spending more time together, it doesn't take long for the chemistry to explode... and I LOVED it. Mari Loyal truly does know how to bring the heat without the spice--- the chemistry between these two was absolutely fantastic and when they finally kiss!? So, so good! I really couldn't get enough of these two together. Beyond them though, I loved seeing the other guys on the team--- they all had great banter and definitely had that found family vibe too. It certainly has me looking forward to seeing more from them as the series goes on and I cannot wait!
Wild Pitch is a closed-door romance with kisses only, though the kisses are a bit more detailed. There is also quite a bit of mild language and some innuendo throughout the story as well.
**ARC received for consideration. All opinions are my own.
Wild Pitch is a closed-door romance with kisses only, though the kisses are a bit more detailed. There is also quite a bit of mild language and some innuendo throughout the story as well.
**ARC received for consideration. All opinions are my own.
January 29, 2025
ARC Review:
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Mari Loyal’s Wild Pitch marks the first book in her new and upcoming baseball series. The series is set in Florida and follows a diverse group of players on the professional baseball team, The Orlando Wilds. While all of the books included in the series will be interconnected and feature character crossover, they can be read and enjoyed as standalone stories.
I am a bit conflicted when it comes to this review. On one hand, I feel the story was fine as is. On the other, I see it in need of polish and refinement.
Being the first book in any series is a lot of pressure. It is essential that the author sets the stage for what is to come. Characters, backstories, and above all else, settings need to be properly flushed out.
While I felt Loyal did an okay job accomplish this goal, I wish the book had limited the number of micro tropes it featured (dual POVs, athlete/ trainer, dating coach, makeover, stocker/ sexual harassment, and found family). It was just too much to fit within 430 pages.
Special thanks to Mari Loyal for allowing me to review this book in exchange for my honest review.
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Mari Loyal’s Wild Pitch marks the first book in her new and upcoming baseball series. The series is set in Florida and follows a diverse group of players on the professional baseball team, The Orlando Wilds. While all of the books included in the series will be interconnected and feature character crossover, they can be read and enjoyed as standalone stories.
I am a bit conflicted when it comes to this review. On one hand, I feel the story was fine as is. On the other, I see it in need of polish and refinement.
Being the first book in any series is a lot of pressure. It is essential that the author sets the stage for what is to come. Characters, backstories, and above all else, settings need to be properly flushed out.
While I felt Loyal did an okay job accomplish this goal, I wish the book had limited the number of micro tropes it featured (dual POVs, athlete/ trainer, dating coach, makeover, stocker/ sexual harassment, and found family). It was just too much to fit within 430 pages.
Special thanks to Mari Loyal for allowing me to review this book in exchange for my honest review.
January 24, 2025
⚾️Wild Pitch by Mari Loyal💖
“Actually, there’s one more thing. I, uh…I have something of a wild pitch for you.”
“Are you a local? I’m looking for some recommendations.”… “oh I’m not. I’m just here on business.” And back to his phone he goes. “Kay, thanks. No worries. Bye.”
Mari Loyal’s Wild Pitch is a sweet, heartwarming romance that perfectly blends sports, personal growth, and the complexity of modern relationships (and online dating). Absolutely loved this read and definitely cannot wait to see where it goes 🫶
Here’s the gist: Hope Garcia wants sweet revenge on her ex after a surprise at the friendsgiving that they get together for every year but alas the dating scene is not working out for the best. Online dating sucks! That is until she launches a wild pitch to the hottie pitcher Cade Starr to be her dating coach. This surely won’t end badly right? Nothing could go wrong 😅
Tropes:
⚾️Baseball MMC
💖Dating Coach
⚾️Athlete x Trainer
💖Found Family
⚾️Taking care while sick
💖Closed Door Romance
⚾️Cute Nickname
Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️.75/out of 5
🌶️/out of 5
“Actually, there’s one more thing. I, uh…I have something of a wild pitch for you.”
“Are you a local? I’m looking for some recommendations.”… “oh I’m not. I’m just here on business.” And back to his phone he goes. “Kay, thanks. No worries. Bye.”
Mari Loyal’s Wild Pitch is a sweet, heartwarming romance that perfectly blends sports, personal growth, and the complexity of modern relationships (and online dating). Absolutely loved this read and definitely cannot wait to see where it goes 🫶
Here’s the gist: Hope Garcia wants sweet revenge on her ex after a surprise at the friendsgiving that they get together for every year but alas the dating scene is not working out for the best. Online dating sucks! That is until she launches a wild pitch to the hottie pitcher Cade Starr to be her dating coach. This surely won’t end badly right? Nothing could go wrong 😅
Tropes:
⚾️Baseball MMC
💖Dating Coach
⚾️Athlete x Trainer
💖Found Family
⚾️Taking care while sick
💖Closed Door Romance
⚾️Cute Nickname
Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️.75/out of 5
🌶️/out of 5
January 25, 2025
Wild Pitch by Mari Loyal
5 🌟
Hope Garcia really needs to find a boyfriend by the next Friendsgiving, but going through the apps is not bringing any luck - men, right? Or could it be her? When she starts getting desperate, she turns to Cade Starr, a pitcher on the Orlando Wild baseball team and certified lady's man. When he agrees to be her dating coach, she finally has some hope that her plan might work. Could Cade be the answer to all her prayers, possibly more than she could have thought?
This book was fantastic! Baseball isn't typically a sport you see in a sports romance, but Mari smashed it out of the park (pun intended 😉). Hope and her roommates were such role models for women in general, but especially for women in male-dominated fields. And don't get me started on Cade, damn, that man is swoon-worthy 😍 The slow burn is wonderfully written, and when they finally give in to their feelings, it is just perfection!! I received an arc for this book, and it absolutely did not disappoint! This book is out now, and I highly recommend you check it out 💜
5 🌟
Hope Garcia really needs to find a boyfriend by the next Friendsgiving, but going through the apps is not bringing any luck - men, right? Or could it be her? When she starts getting desperate, she turns to Cade Starr, a pitcher on the Orlando Wild baseball team and certified lady's man. When he agrees to be her dating coach, she finally has some hope that her plan might work. Could Cade be the answer to all her prayers, possibly more than she could have thought?
This book was fantastic! Baseball isn't typically a sport you see in a sports romance, but Mari smashed it out of the park (pun intended 😉). Hope and her roommates were such role models for women in general, but especially for women in male-dominated fields. And don't get me started on Cade, damn, that man is swoon-worthy 😍 The slow burn is wonderfully written, and when they finally give in to their feelings, it is just perfection!! I received an arc for this book, and it absolutely did not disappoint! This book is out now, and I highly recommend you check it out 💜
January 22, 2025
I received this as an arc in exchange for an honest review
I have read her previous series so I was very excited to see when this was a baseball romance and it did not disappoint. From the start I was so invested because of everything but I was also not expecting this book to make me cry. I was not expecting everything that was happening with Cade and being in his head made me cry. I absolutely loved Hope and the fact that she’s muscly and she is strong I absolutely loved. I did not want this book to end ever. I could’ve read another 500 pages of this book. It was so good. I can’t wait for book 2 in this series because we’re gonna get Logan‘s book.
I have read her previous series so I was very excited to see when this was a baseball romance and it did not disappoint. From the start I was so invested because of everything but I was also not expecting this book to make me cry. I was not expecting everything that was happening with Cade and being in his head made me cry. I absolutely loved Hope and the fact that she’s muscly and she is strong I absolutely loved. I did not want this book to end ever. I could’ve read another 500 pages of this book. It was so good. I can’t wait for book 2 in this series because we’re gonna get Logan‘s book.
Read
March 16, 2025This was a fluffy, fun time! I was recommended this book since the girl is an athletic trainer, which I also went to college for. Super fun and unique to see the ATC rep, even if there were some little things that felt a bit inaccurate from my experience and knowledge of the profession. I LOVED how the baseball and world of athletics were such a huge part of this one! The romance was cute too. I also liked the inclusion of some Spanish words and phrases, and that the girl was muscled and strong and a tomboy. I would have loved to see some more thorough editing, but it was still perfect to keep me entertained on a long road trip.
January 23, 2025
4 stars
I got this at midnight, and I was like... let's read one chapter, and I'll finish it tomorrow and joke's on me because it was a one sitting read.
I love it! These two were adorable and hilarious. Their banter was great. Their cute times were even better. The found family elements were fantastic. Can't wait for book 2.
I love Mari's writing style, and this book just cemented my love for it.
I got this at midnight, and I was like... let's read one chapter, and I'll finish it tomorrow and joke's on me because it was a one sitting read.
I love it! These two were adorable and hilarious. Their banter was great. Their cute times were even better. The found family elements were fantastic. Can't wait for book 2.
I love Mari's writing style, and this book just cemented my love for it.
January 23, 2025
Why be upset at your ex boyfriend and ex bestie betraying you when you could have a gorgeous baseball player instead?
I cannot get enough of baseball romance and this was the perfect fix. I love Mari Loyal’s writing and this baseball player and trainer romance was everything and there’s dating lessons/coaching? I ate it up. Hope doesn’t exactly adore Cade but after he saves her from a bad date, she realizes that maybe she could use some help from him and their chemistry, banter and tension? Undeniable. I love a good slow burn where you are begging them to realize it and fall in love and this hit all the marks and the Latin rep in sports romance, I loved! There’s so much Latin culture in sports, and baseball and seeing it being represented through Hope and her Venezuelan roots was done so well and relatable. I loved the banter; the side characters and despite it being a close door romance, I thought their chemistry, dialogue and dynamic was more than enough to have me grinning when they kissed. A must read for sport romance fans!
Thank you again to Mari Loyal for the ARC.
I cannot get enough of baseball romance and this was the perfect fix. I love Mari Loyal’s writing and this baseball player and trainer romance was everything and there’s dating lessons/coaching? I ate it up. Hope doesn’t exactly adore Cade but after he saves her from a bad date, she realizes that maybe she could use some help from him and their chemistry, banter and tension? Undeniable. I love a good slow burn where you are begging them to realize it and fall in love and this hit all the marks and the Latin rep in sports romance, I loved! There’s so much Latin culture in sports, and baseball and seeing it being represented through Hope and her Venezuelan roots was done so well and relatable. I loved the banter; the side characters and despite it being a close door romance, I thought their chemistry, dialogue and dynamic was more than enough to have me grinning when they kissed. A must read for sport romance fans!
Thank you again to Mari Loyal for the ARC.
December 6, 2025
Wasn’t my fav - no spice - pass
January 15, 2025
I received Wild Pitch as an ARC read but my review is my own.
Oh my goodness! I seriously loved this book so much!! I honestly don't know if any other book is going to be able to live up to this one! This book pushed right up to the edge of being closed door without pushing through to being open door. But the steam was needed to get the readers to know how bad Cade and Hope had it for each other. But seriously! Mari Loyal is an awesome author and does an awesome job of telling the story!
Thank you so much to Mari Loyal for allowing me to be an ARC reader! This book definitely changed my life for the better!
Oh my goodness! I seriously loved this book so much!! I honestly don't know if any other book is going to be able to live up to this one! This book pushed right up to the edge of being closed door without pushing through to being open door. But the steam was needed to get the readers to know how bad Cade and Hope had it for each other. But seriously! Mari Loyal is an awesome author and does an awesome job of telling the story!
Thank you so much to Mari Loyal for allowing me to be an ARC reader! This book definitely changed my life for the better!
June 19, 2025
literally soooo cute and nice. 0 spice but like such a cute little story
January 22, 2025
Rating 4.7 ✨
Genre: Romance
Trope: Dating Coach? Friends to more?
Clean level: level 3 🫧 ( check content at the bottom)
Review to come….
Genre: Romance
Trope: Dating Coach? Friends to more?
Clean level: level 3 🫧 ( check content at the bottom)
Review to come….
January 30, 2025
ARC Review🫶🏽
✨Wild Pitch by Mari Loyal knocked it out of the park! This story is the perfect mix of sizzling romance, heartfelt emotion, and self-discovery. 💜Reading this book it felt realistic!
💕I absolutely loved Cade and Hope! When they are together there was undeniable chemistry and tension🔥, and the way their relationship feels authentic and deeply satisfying. Each had their own charm that made them original and different.🥺They were beautifully amazing together, they make you want to root for them from start to finish.🫶🏽The side characters are incredible each adding more humorous fun to the pages!
⚾️I was so much fun reading this book. Whether you’re a fan of sports romance or just love a compelling love story, this book will keep you hooked. I can’t wait for the 2nd book in the series! Highly recommend!🙌🏽
Thank you to the Author Mari Loyal for the opportunity to read such a fun and immersive ARC!💜
✨Wild Pitch by Mari Loyal knocked it out of the park! This story is the perfect mix of sizzling romance, heartfelt emotion, and self-discovery. 💜Reading this book it felt realistic!
💕I absolutely loved Cade and Hope! When they are together there was undeniable chemistry and tension🔥, and the way their relationship feels authentic and deeply satisfying. Each had their own charm that made them original and different.🥺They were beautifully amazing together, they make you want to root for them from start to finish.🫶🏽The side characters are incredible each adding more humorous fun to the pages!
⚾️I was so much fun reading this book. Whether you’re a fan of sports romance or just love a compelling love story, this book will keep you hooked. I can’t wait for the 2nd book in the series! Highly recommend!🙌🏽
Thank you to the Author Mari Loyal for the opportunity to read such a fun and immersive ARC!💜
February 10, 2025
A fun lighthearted book that was a good easy read. The story did focus on a few dark subjects but mainly it was a good old fashioned romance.
I really liked the characters and especially the banter between Starr, Kim and Rivera! As a trio coaching Hope there were some really funny chapters.
A really enjoyable book to read in January when it's cold and dull outside.
I was given an advanced readers copy of this book and I'm giving this review voluntarily.
I really liked the characters and especially the banter between Starr, Kim and Rivera! As a trio coaching Hope there were some really funny chapters.
A really enjoyable book to read in January when it's cold and dull outside.
I was given an advanced readers copy of this book and I'm giving this review voluntarily.
January 27, 2025
I loved Cade and Hope so much! They both had to overcome so much insecurity, even when they seem so confident and put together on the outside.
Hope isn’t a girly girl, preferring t-shirts and leggings over dresses and high heels. She's an athletic trainer for a professional baseball team and looks the part. She finds dating difficult, which I can totally relate to. When her only ex-boyfriend brings a familiar face to their Friendsgiving, she is determined to find a new boyfriend before their friend group gathers again. Cade is the hot shot, up and coming baseball pitcher for the Orlando Wild, the team Hope works for. Hope sees how women throw themselves at Cade, and several online dates gone wrong, she decides to ask him to be her dating coach. What neither expects is to fall for each other, OR that the other would ever fall for them.
I love how Cade had a soft spot for Hope from the very beginning. When he could have been cruel, he was kind, and it made all the difference. Hope knows she’s different and has always seen it as a bad thing, being led to believe that she needed to change herself to be dateable. Cade helps her see past that, all while coming to see himself in a different light, too. Where he thought he was all alone in life, he finds so many supportive people, and comes to create a found family like the family he never had.
This is a slow burn, athlete-trainer romance with found family, a dating coach, and even a mini makeover. Although closed-door, there are a few descriptive makeout scenes, some innuendo, and moderate swearing - no f-bombs but plenty of other language. They’re professional athletes and talk like stereotypical professional athletes on and off the field.
I can’t wait to read the rest of the Wild Baseball Romance series. We’re off to such a good start with Hope and Cade!
Hope isn’t a girly girl, preferring t-shirts and leggings over dresses and high heels. She's an athletic trainer for a professional baseball team and looks the part. She finds dating difficult, which I can totally relate to. When her only ex-boyfriend brings a familiar face to their Friendsgiving, she is determined to find a new boyfriend before their friend group gathers again. Cade is the hot shot, up and coming baseball pitcher for the Orlando Wild, the team Hope works for. Hope sees how women throw themselves at Cade, and several online dates gone wrong, she decides to ask him to be her dating coach. What neither expects is to fall for each other, OR that the other would ever fall for them.
I love how Cade had a soft spot for Hope from the very beginning. When he could have been cruel, he was kind, and it made all the difference. Hope knows she’s different and has always seen it as a bad thing, being led to believe that she needed to change herself to be dateable. Cade helps her see past that, all while coming to see himself in a different light, too. Where he thought he was all alone in life, he finds so many supportive people, and comes to create a found family like the family he never had.
This is a slow burn, athlete-trainer romance with found family, a dating coach, and even a mini makeover. Although closed-door, there are a few descriptive makeout scenes, some innuendo, and moderate swearing - no f-bombs but plenty of other language. They’re professional athletes and talk like stereotypical professional athletes on and off the field.
I can’t wait to read the rest of the Wild Baseball Romance series. We’re off to such a good start with Hope and Cade!
March 15, 2025
Thank you for an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review!
I want to start off this review by saying that I do not think I was the target audience for this book, so others may enjoy the things I disliked about it. I gave it an extra half "starr" because it was somewhat enjoyable to me, but only in a guilty-pleasure kind of way.
First issue I had: All of the characters were extremely cringy. Hope was a huge pick me, constantly going on about how no man would ever want her because she's 'too masculine'. It's okay that she was insecure, but it was ridiculously overused. Every man in this book was above 6 foot, muscled, and hot beyond reason. And of course, that's all anyone ever talked about. Cade's entire personality was that he is from Texas, and he would not stop using Gen Z and Gen Alpha slang. No Cade, you did not "make the W".
Second issue: Did Hope and Cade even love each other or did Cade just love Hope's thighs and Hope just love Cade's abs? It was especially annoying that every time Cade so much as looked at Hope he had the exact same internal dialogue of: I'm not a pervert so I shouldn't look at her like this but she's so hot". Please just shut up.
Third issue: None of the characters had outside conflicts. Sure, Hope was hung up on her ex-- but she didn't actually seem to care all that much. Cade was an orphan-- which Hope acted SO WEIRDLY about-- and that was supposed to be his point of conflict, but it felt very forced and disingenuous. There was no detail in relationships outside the main characters, making it very difficult to have real conflict there, either.
I did enjoy Logan Kim, though, he was the only mildly interesting character in the story and actually seemed to have some development. He was not just two-dimensional.
Maybe this book would be good for some people, but it was not for me.
I want to start off this review by saying that I do not think I was the target audience for this book, so others may enjoy the things I disliked about it. I gave it an extra half "starr" because it was somewhat enjoyable to me, but only in a guilty-pleasure kind of way.
First issue I had: All of the characters were extremely cringy. Hope was a huge pick me, constantly going on about how no man would ever want her because she's 'too masculine'. It's okay that she was insecure, but it was ridiculously overused. Every man in this book was above 6 foot, muscled, and hot beyond reason. And of course, that's all anyone ever talked about. Cade's entire personality was that he is from Texas, and he would not stop using Gen Z and Gen Alpha slang. No Cade, you did not "make the W".
Second issue: Did Hope and Cade even love each other or did Cade just love Hope's thighs and Hope just love Cade's abs? It was especially annoying that every time Cade so much as looked at Hope he had the exact same internal dialogue of: I'm not a pervert so I shouldn't look at her like this but she's so hot". Please just shut up.
Third issue: None of the characters had outside conflicts. Sure, Hope was hung up on her ex-- but she didn't actually seem to care all that much. Cade was an orphan-- which Hope acted SO WEIRDLY about-- and that was supposed to be his point of conflict, but it felt very forced and disingenuous. There was no detail in relationships outside the main characters, making it very difficult to have real conflict there, either.
I did enjoy Logan Kim, though, he was the only mildly interesting character in the story and actually seemed to have some development. He was not just two-dimensional.
Maybe this book would be good for some people, but it was not for me.
January 22, 2025
3.5* rounded up
I found this to be a fun, light sports romance with enjoyable characters. Though Loyal does touch on some darker issues around celebrity stalking and sexism in sport, these are quite brief and the overall feeling of the book remains light. I think I would have liked a bit more exploration of these topics, but I understand that would have led the book in quite a different direction tonally.
This book sits firmly in the genre of light and fun romance, I respect Loyal's choice to keep it closed door but I think it would have been helpful to the reader to know when their sexual relationship actually began, especially in the context of the repercussions at work and the development of their feelings for one another. I don't think anything explicit is needed on that front, just maybe a comment about staying over at each others houses or waking up next to each other. I think that sex is inherent to this genre, regardless of whether you're open door or closed door, so to have a book that focuses on sexual attraction essentially remove any mention of sex itself felt a bit odd.
Overall though I did enjoy the story, I thought the characters were generally very lovable, the workplace 'villains' were maybe a little 2-D but they weren't really the focus of this story. I enjoyed the inclusion of Hope's Latina heritage and the description of her childhood home was really nice. Definitely one to keep for when you just need a good fun light read.
Thank you to Mari Loyal and her team for the free e-book ARC.
I found this to be a fun, light sports romance with enjoyable characters. Though Loyal does touch on some darker issues around celebrity stalking and sexism in sport, these are quite brief and the overall feeling of the book remains light. I think I would have liked a bit more exploration of these topics, but I understand that would have led the book in quite a different direction tonally.
This book sits firmly in the genre of light and fun romance, I respect Loyal's choice to keep it closed door but I think it would have been helpful to the reader to know when their sexual relationship actually began, especially in the context of the repercussions at work and the development of their feelings for one another. I don't think anything explicit is needed on that front, just maybe a comment about staying over at each others houses or waking up next to each other. I think that sex is inherent to this genre, regardless of whether you're open door or closed door, so to have a book that focuses on sexual attraction essentially remove any mention of sex itself felt a bit odd.
Overall though I did enjoy the story, I thought the characters were generally very lovable, the workplace 'villains' were maybe a little 2-D but they weren't really the focus of this story. I enjoyed the inclusion of Hope's Latina heritage and the description of her childhood home was really nice. Definitely one to keep for when you just need a good fun light read.
Thank you to Mari Loyal and her team for the free e-book ARC.
February 27, 2025
Synopsis:
Hope needs a new boyfriend to show her friends the next Friendsgiving, now that her ex is dating one of her ex-best friends. That’s why she asks the baseball team heartthrob for dating lessons.
Includes:
✨Dating Lessons
✨Baseball Romance
✨Athlete x Trainer
✨He falls Harder
✨Found Family
✨Take Care When Sick
✨No Third Act Break-Up
🌶️Heat Levels:
Kissing Only
Make Out Sessions/PDA
Mild Language
Innuendo
Attraction/Tension:🔥🔥🔥🔥
My Opinion:
This one was so much fun! Mari did it again! The characters have the perfect chemistry, amazing banter, great character development and fun side characters. I don’t know anything about baseball, but it still was fun to read about it. I love how Mari always manages to point out relatable characteristics in the story that make us feel seen and puts difficult subjects without making the story heavy. I love how their dynamic showed how protective they are to each other and how they care for each other's feelings, even before they became a couple. I think it is more realistic than the usual narrative of the ‘Knight in shining armor’ trope. Their interactions are so cute, that made me giggle and kick my feet like a teenager. Now, as usual, let’s talk about the FIRE chemistry! Mari has a gift of writing romances with amazing heat without spicy scenes, and this book shows how she’s only getting better and better. Starr and Hope don’t shy away from their attraction towards each other, and every time they’re together, the tension is on the roof. I love them so much and can’t wait to read the rest of the series.
TW:
*𝐈 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐜𝐨𝐩𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫. 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰. 𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐨𝐰𝐧.*
Hope needs a new boyfriend to show her friends the next Friendsgiving, now that her ex is dating one of her ex-best friends. That’s why she asks the baseball team heartthrob for dating lessons.
Includes:
✨Dating Lessons
✨Baseball Romance
✨Athlete x Trainer
✨He falls Harder
✨Found Family
✨Take Care When Sick
✨No Third Act Break-Up
🌶️Heat Levels:
Kissing Only
Make Out Sessions/PDA
Mild Language
Innuendo
Attraction/Tension:🔥🔥🔥🔥
My Opinion:
This one was so much fun! Mari did it again! The characters have the perfect chemistry, amazing banter, great character development and fun side characters. I don’t know anything about baseball, but it still was fun to read about it. I love how Mari always manages to point out relatable characteristics in the story that make us feel seen and puts difficult subjects without making the story heavy. I love how their dynamic showed how protective they are to each other and how they care for each other's feelings, even before they became a couple. I think it is more realistic than the usual narrative of the ‘Knight in shining armor’ trope. Their interactions are so cute, that made me giggle and kick my feet like a teenager. Now, as usual, let’s talk about the FIRE chemistry! Mari has a gift of writing romances with amazing heat without spicy scenes, and this book shows how she’s only getting better and better. Starr and Hope don’t shy away from their attraction towards each other, and every time they’re together, the tension is on the roof. I love them so much and can’t wait to read the rest of the series.
TW:
*𝐈 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐜𝐨𝐩𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫. 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰. 𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐨𝐰𝐧.*
February 24, 2025
"Wild Pitch" by Mari Loyal kicks off what promises to be a fun and engaging series, focusing on Hope, a determined physical therapist, and Cade, a charismatic starter pitcher. The initial premise revolves around Hope's desire to get revenge on her ex-boyfriend, who recently dumped her for a friend. While I'm not typically a fan of revenge plots, Loyal handles the setup in a way that immediately grabbed my attention. Hope's bold move of asking Cade to be her dating coach is both intriguing and humorous, setting the stage for a compelling dynamic between the two leads.
Beyond the central romance, I was particularly drawn to the vibrant side characters. They add depth and humor to the story, and I'm genuinely excited to see their stories explored in future books. The romance between Hope and Cade unfolds at a satisfyingly slow burn, allowing their connection to develop naturally and avoid any rushed or forced moments. This pacing was a definite highlight for me.
As someone with limited knowledge of baseball, I appreciated the insights into the sport that "Wild Pitch" provided. It sparked my curiosity and made the story feel even more immersive. The book is an excellent choice for readers who enjoy slow-burn romances, witty dialogue, a cast of fun and engaging characters, and the classic trope of forced proximity. It's a delightful and entertaining read that left me eager to dive into the next installment of the series.
Content Warning: The book contains some mild language (including words like sh*t) and some innuendo.
Beyond the central romance, I was particularly drawn to the vibrant side characters. They add depth and humor to the story, and I'm genuinely excited to see their stories explored in future books. The romance between Hope and Cade unfolds at a satisfyingly slow burn, allowing their connection to develop naturally and avoid any rushed or forced moments. This pacing was a definite highlight for me.
As someone with limited knowledge of baseball, I appreciated the insights into the sport that "Wild Pitch" provided. It sparked my curiosity and made the story feel even more immersive. The book is an excellent choice for readers who enjoy slow-burn romances, witty dialogue, a cast of fun and engaging characters, and the classic trope of forced proximity. It's a delightful and entertaining read that left me eager to dive into the next installment of the series.
Content Warning: The book contains some mild language (including words like sh*t) and some innuendo.
January 22, 2025
Mari Loyal just doesn’t miss. I think I’ve read all her books, ever since she started and I can honestly say this has been my favorite so far
I love this cover the most too. It has my colors and it’s just so soft and appealing. If I didn’t know the author and I saw that cover, I’d definitely read the book
My two favorite tropes in this whole thing are: the found family trope and the slow burn trope
- The found family trope - I really liked how the whole team and the roomies all felt like one big happy family. At first it was kind of awkward and new but then the more they started getting to know each other better, things started falling into place. They had each other’s backs and supported each other none stop
- The slow burn trope - I really liked how it wasn’t a rushed story. Everything happened at the right time. The book followed its own pace. Even when Cade set her up on that date and everything that came after, it was just very endearing
I also liked how they were both not interested in each other. The way Cade was so adamant on not wanting anything to do with anyone and bravely letting the world know and how Hope just wanted him to exist for the reunion; not more not less. With all that happening, they formed a beautiful friendship and I adored the whole unfolding of events
The way this woman writes is just impeccable. Her expressions and her wording and her style is just WOW. I loved every second of this and I recommend it to everyone. Please and thank you💜
I love this cover the most too. It has my colors and it’s just so soft and appealing. If I didn’t know the author and I saw that cover, I’d definitely read the book
My two favorite tropes in this whole thing are: the found family trope and the slow burn trope
- The found family trope - I really liked how the whole team and the roomies all felt like one big happy family. At first it was kind of awkward and new but then the more they started getting to know each other better, things started falling into place. They had each other’s backs and supported each other none stop
- The slow burn trope - I really liked how it wasn’t a rushed story. Everything happened at the right time. The book followed its own pace. Even when Cade set her up on that date and everything that came after, it was just very endearing
I also liked how they were both not interested in each other. The way Cade was so adamant on not wanting anything to do with anyone and bravely letting the world know and how Hope just wanted him to exist for the reunion; not more not less. With all that happening, they formed a beautiful friendship and I adored the whole unfolding of events
The way this woman writes is just impeccable. Her expressions and her wording and her style is just WOW. I loved every second of this and I recommend it to everyone. Please and thank you💜
February 2, 2025
𝑰’𝒎 𝒔𝒐 𝒃𝒂𝒅 𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒈𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒈𝒆 𝒐𝒏 𝒎𝒚 𝒆𝒙 𝒔𝒆𝒆𝒎𝒔 𝒉𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒔𝒔, 𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒍 𝑰 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒂 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒅 𝒑𝒊𝒕𝒄𝒉 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒂 𝒉𝒐𝒕𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒕 𝒑𝒊𝒕𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒎𝒚 𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒄𝒐𝒂𝒄𝒉.
Hope, the Orlando Wild's physical trainer, suffers her latest dating disaster right in front of Cade, one of the team's most famous players. Humiliated but determined, she seizes the moment and convinces him to help her navigate the dating game. At first, Cade is reluctant. But after witnessing just how hopeless Hope’s flirting attempts are, he agrees, only to find himself wishing he wasn’t coaching her to date someone else.
Cade may be adored by fans, but deep down, he struggles with a past that’s left him without a true family. Meanwhile, Hope sees herself as plain and unattractive, though to Cade, she’s anything but. The more time they spend together, the stronger their connection grows. But taking a chance on each other could mean risking everything, including their careers.
A heartfelt, slow-burn romance with plenty of chemistry. It is a closed-door read with no off-page implications, though expect plenty of sizzling tension, steamy kisses, and quite a bit of innuendo.
✅ Slow burn
💘 Dating coach
🏋️♂️ Athlete x trainer
👨👩👧👦 Found family
🤒 Taking care while sick
💄 Mini makeover
😍 He falls harder
🚫 No 3rd act breakup
🚪 Closed-door romance
I received a complimentary copy of this book, and this review reflects my honest opinion.
Hope, the Orlando Wild's physical trainer, suffers her latest dating disaster right in front of Cade, one of the team's most famous players. Humiliated but determined, she seizes the moment and convinces him to help her navigate the dating game. At first, Cade is reluctant. But after witnessing just how hopeless Hope’s flirting attempts are, he agrees, only to find himself wishing he wasn’t coaching her to date someone else.
Cade may be adored by fans, but deep down, he struggles with a past that’s left him without a true family. Meanwhile, Hope sees herself as plain and unattractive, though to Cade, she’s anything but. The more time they spend together, the stronger their connection grows. But taking a chance on each other could mean risking everything, including their careers.
A heartfelt, slow-burn romance with plenty of chemistry. It is a closed-door read with no off-page implications, though expect plenty of sizzling tension, steamy kisses, and quite a bit of innuendo.
✅ Slow burn
💘 Dating coach
🏋️♂️ Athlete x trainer
👨👩👧👦 Found family
🤒 Taking care while sick
💄 Mini makeover
😍 He falls harder
🚫 No 3rd act breakup
🚪 Closed-door romance
I received a complimentary copy of this book, and this review reflects my honest opinion.
January 24, 2025
"For the pizza!"
Hope is a trainer for the Orlando Wild baseball team and found out her ex-boyfriend is dating her former best friend. To save face at their friend group's next Friendsgiving, Hope sets to work scouring the dating apps for a new boyfriend. Things do not go well, so she reluctantly recruits the team's swoony yet annoying pitcher, Cade, as her dating coach.
This is a sizzling sports romance that has a good mix of tension, chemistry, authenticity, and even technicality. I actually feel like I learned a lot about baseball and have a greater appreciation for the sport! And of course I enjoyed watching the relationship slowly blossom. The mutual pining. 🤌🏼
The book itself felt a bit long at times, but that also allowed for a full story with a more realistic timeline to be told. There are some Spanish phrases sprinkled throughout the story, and I didn't realize until I finished that there is a helpful guide at the end of the book. I was able to get most with context or the help of Google translate though!
There is a lot to love in this story, from the found family to taking care of each other while sick, and from the playful banter to THAT FIRST KISS! 😘💕
Huge thank you to the author for a copy of the book! It is available now - January 23!
💕: kissing, innuendo, steamy but not spicy
⚠️: language, past loss of parent, past suspicion of cheating
Hope is a trainer for the Orlando Wild baseball team and found out her ex-boyfriend is dating her former best friend. To save face at their friend group's next Friendsgiving, Hope sets to work scouring the dating apps for a new boyfriend. Things do not go well, so she reluctantly recruits the team's swoony yet annoying pitcher, Cade, as her dating coach.
This is a sizzling sports romance that has a good mix of tension, chemistry, authenticity, and even technicality. I actually feel like I learned a lot about baseball and have a greater appreciation for the sport! And of course I enjoyed watching the relationship slowly blossom. The mutual pining. 🤌🏼
The book itself felt a bit long at times, but that also allowed for a full story with a more realistic timeline to be told. There are some Spanish phrases sprinkled throughout the story, and I didn't realize until I finished that there is a helpful guide at the end of the book. I was able to get most with context or the help of Google translate though!
There is a lot to love in this story, from the found family to taking care of each other while sick, and from the playful banter to THAT FIRST KISS! 😘💕
Huge thank you to the author for a copy of the book! It is available now - January 23!
💕: kissing, innuendo, steamy but not spicy
⚠️: language, past loss of parent, past suspicion of cheating
February 21, 2025
I really liked this book. I’ve been reading more closed door romances and it’s been a nice break from the open door romance books. I get to enjoy the story more rather than anticipating when the next steamy scene will happen.
I love Hope, the strong FMC. I definitely relate to her in feeling like I don’t look like what’s considered the “typical attractive” woman. I love Cade, but I’m probably biased being from Texas and loving cowboys. Cade mentions different attire is like putting on armor and not really changing the real person under it and I loved that! I rarely wear heels but when I do, I do feel a little sexier (as long as I can still walk comfortably in them)!
Cade and Hope grew up differently, but also with some similarities. I felt like this gave a common ground for them to connect on other than baseball. I like how Cade’s character was written to have this vulnerable backstory that was touched on throughout the book. They both felt like they weren’t worthy of a partner, but then helped each other see the truth.
I even fell in love with Cade’s teammates Logan Kim and Rivera. They were also great support team for Hope in the dating coaching experiment.
Very enjoyable read and will read more by Mari!
-Closed door, but still with some sexy kissing and innuendo.
-Sports (Baseball)
-Workplace
-strong FMC
-he falls first
I love Hope, the strong FMC. I definitely relate to her in feeling like I don’t look like what’s considered the “typical attractive” woman. I love Cade, but I’m probably biased being from Texas and loving cowboys. Cade mentions different attire is like putting on armor and not really changing the real person under it and I loved that! I rarely wear heels but when I do, I do feel a little sexier (as long as I can still walk comfortably in them)!
Cade and Hope grew up differently, but also with some similarities. I felt like this gave a common ground for them to connect on other than baseball. I like how Cade’s character was written to have this vulnerable backstory that was touched on throughout the book. They both felt like they weren’t worthy of a partner, but then helped each other see the truth.
I even fell in love with Cade’s teammates Logan Kim and Rivera. They were also great support team for Hope in the dating coaching experiment.
Very enjoyable read and will read more by Mari!
-Closed door, but still with some sexy kissing and innuendo.
-Sports (Baseball)
-Workplace
-strong FMC
-he falls first
January 27, 2025
“Isn’t it obvious?” His nose brushes with mine again, and my heart hammers even harder as he speaks against my lips. “Can’t you see you’re making me wild, Hope?” ⚾️🧊🏋️♀️👗💪🔥💜
4.5 stars!!
Thank you so much @mariloyalauthor for the ARC!! This is my second book by Mari(if you need a feisty/sweet Christmas story, I HIGHLY recommend Mistlefoe), and this one did not disappoint!! 💜
When Hope Garcia discovers her ex-boyfriend and ex-best-friend are dating, she throws herself into online dating to find someone she can show off at her friends’ next Friendsgiving. The problem? Dating and/or flirting with the opposite sex does NOT come naturally to her. Somehow, this doesn’t affect her job as an athletic trainer, surrounded by the gorgeous, fit men of the Orlando Wild baseball team.
After Cade Starr, aspiring starter pitcher, witnesses a particularly humiliating date of Hope’s, she asks him to become her dating coach. But life—like baseball—has a way of throwing curveballs. And Cade, an orphan who’s lived a life devoid of meaningful, lasting relationships, will discover that all he needed in his life was a little ✨Hope✨😉
This was such a fun story!! I loved that Hope isn’t your typical romance heroine; she’s a muscled, intelligent, dedicated woman who has a hard time talking to most guys. Cade is all charm, but hidden behind his easygoing mannerisms is a child just wanting to be loved for who he is.
I also appreciated all the baseball details! Lots of sports romances only mention the actual sport vaguely, but this one included a lot more. I also cackled at Hope’s ogling of specific muscles, as she knows the scientific names for them 😂
But OHMYGOLLY the part when he’s sick and she takes care of him?!?! I could just die 😭🥹😍
There were admittedly several spelling/grammar errors that I came across while reading this ARC, but I’m hoping those got fixed before the final product!
Content: some innuendo, closed-door romance. Moderate language.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
#mariloyal #wildpitch #aloverekindled #sportsromance #romance #romancebooks #bookstagram #books #bookreview #bookstagrammer #arc #arcreader #aloverekindled
4.5 stars!!
Thank you so much @mariloyalauthor for the ARC!! This is my second book by Mari(if you need a feisty/sweet Christmas story, I HIGHLY recommend Mistlefoe), and this one did not disappoint!! 💜
When Hope Garcia discovers her ex-boyfriend and ex-best-friend are dating, she throws herself into online dating to find someone she can show off at her friends’ next Friendsgiving. The problem? Dating and/or flirting with the opposite sex does NOT come naturally to her. Somehow, this doesn’t affect her job as an athletic trainer, surrounded by the gorgeous, fit men of the Orlando Wild baseball team.
After Cade Starr, aspiring starter pitcher, witnesses a particularly humiliating date of Hope’s, she asks him to become her dating coach. But life—like baseball—has a way of throwing curveballs. And Cade, an orphan who’s lived a life devoid of meaningful, lasting relationships, will discover that all he needed in his life was a little ✨Hope✨😉
This was such a fun story!! I loved that Hope isn’t your typical romance heroine; she’s a muscled, intelligent, dedicated woman who has a hard time talking to most guys. Cade is all charm, but hidden behind his easygoing mannerisms is a child just wanting to be loved for who he is.
I also appreciated all the baseball details! Lots of sports romances only mention the actual sport vaguely, but this one included a lot more. I also cackled at Hope’s ogling of specific muscles, as she knows the scientific names for them 😂
But OHMYGOLLY the part when he’s sick and she takes care of him?!?! I could just die 😭🥹😍
There were admittedly several spelling/grammar errors that I came across while reading this ARC, but I’m hoping those got fixed before the final product!
Content: some innuendo, closed-door romance. Moderate language.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
#mariloyal #wildpitch #aloverekindled #sportsromance #romance #romancebooks #bookstagram #books #bookreview #bookstagrammer #arc #arcreader #aloverekindled
February 10, 2025
HIGH HEAT (so spice) BASEBALL ROMANCE RELEASE ❤️
What a way to enter my baseball romance era! I loved how the tension builds, they don't deny initial attraction to one another, but they also don't get straight into "full like" right away and it truly makes for the most delicious build up.
So many things to fangirl over, like....
👥 friendships!! Whether it's the "three stooges" group of Lucky, Logan, and Cade or the "main squad" of Audrey, Rose, and Hope all the friendships in this book are as heartwarming as they are hilarious!!
💪 musclessssss!! Drooling over Cade's muscles is a main theme of the book that I don't think (or want) to skip over 🤣 but Hope inspires me in so many ways to find more ways to work on my own strength!!
💋 steamy kisses and all without any open door spice!
🙉 HILARIOUS dating coach moments!! I love how they came up with their own "pitching codes" for the blind dates - this was one of my favorite scenes
🤢 She takes care of him... then he attempts to return the favor 🤪 LOVED IT!
😱 A little bit of suspense to keep you on the edge of the seat (as if the heating up romance on page won't already keep you there!)
I truly cannot wait for the rest of the series to come out! Highly recommend this NEW RELEASE 🎉
What a way to enter my baseball romance era! I loved how the tension builds, they don't deny initial attraction to one another, but they also don't get straight into "full like" right away and it truly makes for the most delicious build up.
So many things to fangirl over, like....
👥 friendships!! Whether it's the "three stooges" group of Lucky, Logan, and Cade or the "main squad" of Audrey, Rose, and Hope all the friendships in this book are as heartwarming as they are hilarious!!
💪 musclessssss!! Drooling over Cade's muscles is a main theme of the book that I don't think (or want) to skip over 🤣 but Hope inspires me in so many ways to find more ways to work on my own strength!!
💋 steamy kisses and all without any open door spice!
🙉 HILARIOUS dating coach moments!! I love how they came up with their own "pitching codes" for the blind dates - this was one of my favorite scenes
🤢 She takes care of him... then he attempts to return the favor 🤪 LOVED IT!
😱 A little bit of suspense to keep you on the edge of the seat (as if the heating up romance on page won't already keep you there!)
I truly cannot wait for the rest of the series to come out! Highly recommend this NEW RELEASE 🎉
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