The Setup Man

Catching Feelings #3

by Kate Watson

She's fake dating the wrong guy. Enter Mr. Right.

Scottie

I've spent my whole life cleaning up after Jake Rodgers—the bad boy of Major League Baseball. So when his latest PR disaster threatens to send him to the minors, agreeing to fake date him feels noble. Temporary. Manageable.

Then hot young pitcher Lucas Fischer shows up—with coffee I didn’t ask for and a smile that doesn’t quit—and suddenly none of it feels manageable anymore. Especially when I’m assigned to be his handler.

Now I'm pretending to be in love with the guy I've never wanted while trying not to fall for the one I can't have.

Lucas

I've been bringing Scottie Quinn coffee for ten months. I've never once guessed her order wrong–no small feat, considering the woman orders coffee based on vibes.

I've also never once told her that I know she's fake dating Jake Rodgers, that she deserves better, or that I'm in love with her. I'm a patient guy. I can wait. What I can't do is watch her disappear to make everyone else comfortable.

But Jake and I are on the same team now, and our GM has one ironclad rule: no clubhouse drama.

Easy enough. All I have to do is keep showing up until she stops pretending… without blowing up both our careers.

Yeah. Maybe I’m not that patient after all.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Sports Romance, Closed Door Romance, Fiction, He Falls First, Contemporary Romance

366 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 16, 2026

About the author

Kate Watson is a fan of cheeky romantic comedies and delightfully witty banter. Originally from Canada, she attended college in the States and holds a BA in Philosophy from Brigham Young University. A lover of travel, speaking in accents, and experiencing new cultures, she has also lived in Israel, Brazil, the American South, and she now calls Arizona home.

She started writing at six years old and sold her first book, "The Heart People," for $0.25 to her parents. It received rave reviews. Since then, she's written many books, including the acclaimed Off Script, a 2020 Junior Library Guild selection. She writes stories full of heart, humor, and happily-ever-afters.

She is currently living her own happily-ever-after with her super cute husband and their four wild and wonderful kids. She runs on caffeine, swoons, and Jesus.

*Please note that this account does not accept friend requests to prevent conflict with Amazon's review policies.*

Reviews

[Alicia (aliciasalwaysreading)]

I had the privilege of proofreading this one! I LOVE Scottie and Lucas so much. Don’t miss this on April 16th!

[Cherilyn (Cherwhatyouread) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my new favorite book by Kate Watson. It contains all the swoon and funny moments expected for a rom/com while diving into deeper themes that give you allll the feels. (Definitely more than one chapter brought tears to my eyes).

I have been looking forward to Scottie and Lucas' story ever since their plot line was introduced in an earlier book. Plot twist... Scottie is fake dating her brother's best friend and Lucas' potential teammate. Scottie and Lucas navigate falling in love amidst some choas while learning to stand up for what they both truly want- each other.

Favorite Parts
-Lucas always guessing Scottie's favorite flavor of coffee.
-Lucas' relationship with his twin Logan
-Scottie's character growth and all the things that contribute to that (I can't say more cause spoilers!)
-Lucas's mom passed away and some of the moments where grief was discussed were absolutely beautiful

Favorite Quotes:
I see you. I’ve been seeing you for a long time. You’re not invisible to me.

No, with me, she’ll be the one who comes first, the one whose comfort matters most, whose happiness isn’t considered a luxury but a necessity.

I’m starting to think my coffee preference is based less on mood and more on the man. If Lucas brings it, I love it. End of story.

When our eyes connect, something tight snaps into alignment inside me, like I’ve been off-kilter all day and just found my balance.

[Toni Shiloh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Is there anything better than a Kate Watson romance? This book gave me all the slow burn feels and had some of my fave microtropes (he takes care of her when sick). Loved everything about this book.

[Lena · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so good! 4.5 stars for me (rounded down to 4 stars for Goodreads). I loved the characters, and the plot had an untraditional combo of tropes which was clever and unique. I enjoyed all the overlap of characters from Since There’s No Place to Go (book #0 in this series).

I loved getting to know Lucas — and even Logan — deeper in this book. Kate did such an amazing job adding depth to his character by taking a minor goofy twin character in book #0 to a passionate and lovable main character in this one. Scottie is also really likeable, and I enjoyed their chemistry. There’s a lot of deep themes in this book, especially for a romcom (don’t worry, it’s still very sweet and light), and I really enjoyed that. The writing was well done (and so funny!), and Kate covered a lot of interesting topics like complicated family relationships, twin sibling dynamics and pressures, the baseball PR world and much more.

I really know very little about baseball, so I didn’t totally know what most of the baseball jargon meant, but I was surprised by how much I learned about the sport and am more interested in it than I was before. My husband is hopeful that maybe I’ll be willing to watch it with him now 😆.

❗️Content considerations: low spice (descriptive kissing/making out only), no swearing but reference to it occurring. Author content warnings: spiked drink resolved on page, themes of grief, ALS, codependency, anxiety, and unintentional neglect.
💭 Age range: Adult

Thank you to Kate Watson for the e-ARC and for allowing me to be part of the ARC team! All opinions are my own.

[Marissa | storiesinthemeadow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Content: no language or violence, closed door (kissing only)

Genre/Tropes: Contemporary RomCom, forbidden romance, sports romance

My thoughts: Kate Watson has done it again! I mean, Lucas is 🔥🔥🔥🔥 and pure green flags. Love him so much. I had been looking forward to this story since meeting Scottie in Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend, and this book did not disappoint. I love how this book plays with fake dating and love triangles, without really being about either of those things as far as tropes go.

I love the balance that Kate strikes in swoony moments and the ones that rip your heart out in the best of ways. (Chapter 26, have tissues at the ready—you’ve been warned.)

Some favorite moments:
⚾️ Lucas taking care of Scottie when she’s sick
⚾️ Sneaking around, hand holding under the table
⚾️ When they finally kiss!!
⚾️ The conversation between Lucas, Logan, and Coop at the end of the book
⚾️ Watching Scottie be a beast at her job
⚾️ How Lucas always makes sure Scottie has a coffee
⚾️ The moment Scottie decides she has had enough and finally sends a text with her real feelings

[The Squeaky Clean Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Yearning 😍

It's like Kate Watson took the word yearning and defined it over the course of a whole novel.
Yearning = Scottie and Lucas

Takes notes.

Wow.

Scottie and Lucas were the best. My heart was in my throat wondering how everything would resolve. The ending... Totally worth it.

Oh and of course we cannot forget the absolutely perfect emotional healing and growth each character went through on this adventure.
I cried.

But when do I not cry when reading a Kate Watson book. Oh yeah, NEVER, because she writes absolute perfection. I will take no objections to this statement.

Another winner, and now I must go get my shelf trophy copy so I can pull it out whenever I need a good cry and swoon.

[Jessie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fake Dating That’s Actually Fake (gasp!)

It was actually refreshing and sometimes hilarious to see a fake dating book where the relationship stays entirely platonic! The horror at kissing each other was priceless.

Scottie is stuck in a fake relationship with her brother’s best friend, the bad boy of baseball, to help improve his image. What Jake and her family don’t realize is that it’s killing her inside, especially since she has a crush on Lucas Fischer.

While the fake relationship with Jake made her growing feelings for Lucas forbidden, I loved Lucas and Scottie! I loved how he saw her and relieved her burdens without her needing to ask. If you like clean romance, witty banter, and strong family ties, this is the book for you!

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
🫑: kisses only
🤬: none


SWOON… Lucas is such a green flag book boyfriend! Loved this book so much. Such a great addition to the series and I am so excited for Logan and his Book Babe coming up! & dare I say…. I would LOVE for Jake to get a book in the future? That man deserves a redemption story.

[Jenna Killpack · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t always expect a romcom to wreck me and then put me back together but this one did exactly that! Maybe it’s because I can identify with Scottie but man this one made me cry my eyes out. 😅 It also made me laugh and swoon and man that first kiss 🫠 So basically it was the whole package and just made me hungry for Fischer Bro #2 to get his story!

If you have read the other books in this series you know Lucas has it bad for Scottie and he is willing to do anything to get her to give him the time of day- but in a totally cute not creepy way at all. He feels like he is finally making some leeway when Scottie all the sudden starts dating her brothers best friend who is a MLB star with some major red flags 🚩 and he just can’t wrap his head around it.

Scottie has been fixing Jake’s problems for years, a long time family friend who is basically an adopted brother who has a lot of history and struggles and it shows with all of his poor decisions. When Jake asks Scottie to fake date him to save his image she reluctantly agrees after lots of pressure from her family to help him out.

I’ve never read a book before with fake dating in this way and it was so well done and made for a lot of struggles the two MC’s had to overcome to finally get together. I loved this one so much! It was a beautiful story of fighting for yourself and also those you love and I recommend it wholeheartedly!

[Amanda Campbell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Scottie and Lucas have great chemistry, but they are trying to sneak around like teenagers with raging hormones. It felt like they should be mature enough to know when things are appropriate or not… Also Jake is the absolute worst and I can’t even understand why Scottie keeps helping him.

There was enough good in this book that I’m still happy with it, but enough annoying that I could only give it 3 stars.

No swearing
Swoon, no spice.

[Sarah Shelton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I seriously don’t think there is any Kate Watson read I won’t enjoy at this point. The Setup Man was as quick-witted as it was poignant, and I’m grateful I was given the privilege of ARC reading for it.

Scottie has spent so much time prioritizing everyone else that she doesn’t know what it’s like to have someone choose her. Lucas wants to be that person for her, especially when he learns that she’s begrudgingly fake dating Jake. As they grow closer, they have to choose if a future together is worth the risking their careers for!

I felt so deeply for Scottie and her predicament. She didn’t know how to advocate for herself because she was unintentionally overlooked by her family & felt too entrenched in her choices to change. Lucas noticing her rerouted the trajectory of their relationship in the best way.

Lucas cared for Scottie so well. He was such a sweet golden retriever with a sneaky perceptive side that got me as I read along. He wanted what was best for her, and he learned that sometimes, you have to step outside the lines and act in order to make your dreams a reality.

The mutual pining and tension in this book was sooooo good. 😊 🔥💃🏼 They are both into each other from the beginning & watching them fall in love was tender and felt really authentic. I truly adored this them together. They weren’t perfect, but they complemented each other so well and had such good chemistry. I believed in their love and rooted for them the entire way. I couldn’t ask for anything better in a romcom!

If you’re a fan of forbidden, sportsball romance, this one is for you!! Kate really dove into the baseball terminology for this book, so if you’re a baseball fan, you’ll super enjoy this read! 👏🏻

Things I loved:
- [ ] Lucas’s perceptiveness🤭
- [ ] Scottie’s take-charge personality💪🏻
- [ ] The Fischer twin dynamic😆
- [ ] Cooper, Kayla, Fletch, & other side character appearances👏🏻
- [ ] Delirious Scottie😬🫠💃🏼
- [ ] The punch & Lucas’s protectiveness😻
- [ ] Scottie’s parents showing up for her🥹
- [ ] Scottie choosing herself in the end🫶🏻
- [ ] The tension and pining🔥
- [ ] Foreshadowing for Logan’s story👀🤩

Songs
- [ ] “Treat You Better” by Shawn Mendes
- [ ] “There’s Nothing Holding Me Back” by Shawn Mendes
- [ ] “I Know Places” by Taylor Swift
- [ ] “Risk” by Gracie Abrams

[Kim Golding · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Tell me where the line is, Quinn.” His voice is low, rougher than I���ve heard it. “I’ll crawl to it. I’ll live on it. Just tell me where the line is.”

I need you to stop what you’re doing right now and go get yourself a copy of this book! I love everything Kate Watson writes. I adore this entire series. And now, this book has my whole heart wrapped around its perfectly imperfect characters!

Scottie is fake dating the absolute wrong guy, a guy who is like a brother to her, who needs an image makeover, and who kisses like a squid. 😆She’s also the player coordinator for TikTok Boy aka Lucas Fischer a setup man pitcher for the Mudflaps minor league baseball team. Lucas has been crushing on Scottie (and getting her daily coffee) for a while and they can both feel the sparks between them. But, Scottie would never put herself first and Lucas would never ask her to cheat on her boyfriend. So, just where do they draw the line?

Oh. My. Heart! These two are so, so cute! Their characters have so many layers and their story has alll the things you want and love in a RomCom. I laughed, I cried (more than once!), I smirked, I grinned, and I happy sighed—clearly this book gave me allll the feels!

Scottie aka Quinn aka Quinnie the Pooh and Lucas aka Luke aka TikTok Boy aka Fischer FOREVER!!

Favorite quotes:

“This is the part I wish I could explain to Logan: the way she fits against me like the space was carved for her, like I’m not whole when she’s not there.”

“When I’m on my deathbed, I’m not going to be wishing I’d played one more inning, Logan! I’m going to wish I’d made one more memory! I don’t care about baseball if I can’t have Scottie.”

“Calling her “my person” isn’t quite right, because he’s always been that and always will be. But he’s right that with Scottie, it’s different. She’s not my other half—or my other third. She’s my whole heart.”

[Ash · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to be honest that I almost dnf'd this one in the first 30%, but I have loved this series and everything I've read by Watson so I stuck with it. I'm glad I did!

These are characters we've been waiting to see, and it was so fun to get to know them center stage! I found the drama believable though it sounds far-fetched in the synopsis.

I also about LOST MY MIND when I realized most of the book is set in Phoenix for spring training!!!!!! Loved it! Though I'm really curious if there was enough detail explaining spring training that people who don't know what it is understood what was happening?

But my criticism for this book is that it could have been maybe even a full 50 pages shorter due to redundant descriptions. She would describe what a character was thinking or feeling, but then have the dialogue repeat the sentiment. I think this could have been much more dialogue driven and that introspection removed and it would be *tight*.

And the teaser at the end for the next book?!?!!?? AGHHHH!!!

[Tanmeet Samra · Rating 3 out of 5]

This isn’t my first book by this author but it’s not my favorite. It was just okay and not bad - I believe this is the third book in this series and it’s my second favorite (the first being my favorite). There was something missing from this story - I can’t quite figure out what it was but it feels like something was missed. Perhaps it was a lack of “dating” between the characters? I’m not sure - but again, not terrible. It was a quick, sweet and clean read and I always love the mention of characters from other stories! Still excited to read the next book in the series!

[Briana Petrarca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scottie and Lucas… GAH! I’ve loved them since their debut in Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend, and their story did not disappoint. This was the best kind of forbidden love story, but also mixed with fake dating (the wrong guy). Forbidden love, workplace dating, baseball romance?! It doesn’t get better than that. This book had me smiling, giggling, blushing and even tearing up. Another fabulous story by Kate Watson!

[Heidi Gorecki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really heartfelt and unique twist on fake dating and a forbidden relationship. It had me tearing up in one but but chuckling in another.

I loved and often related to Scottie and her complicated feelings that she has to fix everything for people and not be the one to need anything from anyone. And then Lucas seeing her even tho no one else does, and giving what she didn’t even voice. Also loved the whole fighting-for concept too. I think every woman gets that. ;)

Well done, as always in the series. I loved the banter, the swoon, the depth, and the complicated-ness of it all.

[Tatum - nuggetybooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Book 3 of Catching Feelings Series
- Closed door romcom
- Dual POV
- Baseball player MMC
- Player coordinator FMC
- navigating family dynamics
- Fake dating her brother’s best friend AND it’s horrible
- Learning how to ask for help and accept help
- Learning to not play it safe

✨ a few of my favorite things:
- the coffees
- Scottie’s epic attitude
- The easy comfort they have with one another
- “Tell me where the line is”
- Scottie learning to stick up for herself
- Logan & Lucas’s heart to heart
- 🥹 her being worth being found

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
UGH. I love Lucas and Scottie together so much. But this whole situation is SO MESSY. I was highly entertained, but I felt so bad for Lucas the whole time. The characters had a lot of growth to do with setting boundaries and being brave enough to go after what they want. Both MCs notice all the little ways the other person hides (through humor, self deprecation, sarcasm, redirection) and encourage each other to be fully honest.

They got a beautiful ending where everything came back together after falling to pieces. They are literally the sweetest and I love how obsessed they are with each other.

This is a closed door romcom with no cursing and just kissing.

**Thank you so much to Kate and Happily Ever Readers for letting me read this gifted ARC. No positive review was required. All thoughts are my own.**

Songs:
Kingdom of fear by Cameron Whitcomb
Take it from me by Jordan Davis
There she goes by Benson Boone
Glad you Exist by Dan + Shay
Ghost town by Benson Boone
Something bout a woman by Thomas Rhett
Pierre by Ryn Weaver
Bottom of your boots by Ella Langley

[Tiffany Noelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another Homerun for Kate Watson

Kate Watson just keeps getting better. This series might be my favorite. The tension, the banter, the yearning, the almost-kisses. I’m obsessed. It’s a rom-com but it goes deeper. I love the family dynamics in this book. I rarely write reviews but this one forced me to. If you’re debating reading this book or this series, stop debating and just start reading. You can thank me later. ;)

[Rebecca Curtis · Rating 5 out of 5]

When you think this might be a fluffy romcom feel good read…well, think again.

I hate a love triangle…like, come on! Make a choice already…the beauty of this book is that what might appear as a triangle…is actually just a pair of hearts. 💕

[Meagan Thacker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kate Watson hit it out of the park again (see what I did there?)

I love Lucas and Scottie together! I can’t wait to read Logan’s story next! Also loved getting little glimpses of Liesel & Coop and Kayla & Sean.

[books (samaira's version) · Rating 4 out of 5]

KNEW IT WOULD BE GOOD

[Reanne - (Faith, Fiction, Fact and Fluff) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love a good Kate Watson romcom. This one was a fun take on the fake dating/forbidden romance tropes.

[Chloe Shearer · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 81% not good do not recommend 😞

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was totally good. Love triangles are tricky, and they can feel kind of icky, but she does this in a way that removes most of the ick and keeps it sweet. I always love that Kate Watson's chargers have depth and that she didn't shy away from writing complex characters.

[Book Bits With Britt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book! 4.5 stars! Being dyslexic and having the brothers names so similar tripped me up a few times so i had to go back and reread to make sure I got it right 🤣

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS ISN’T A LOVE TRIANGLE; SHE IS FAKE DATING THE WRONG MAN. Okay, now that that’s out of the way, what another delightful romcom from Kate Watson! I thought the fake dating trope was done in a super unique way. Did it frustrate me? You betcha. But when Scottie and Lucas finally connect I was all the more satisfied. Scottie was extremely relatable to me, and I loved how Lucas showed up for her in meaningful ways. The secondary characters were just as vibrant and important, making the story even more well rounded. Perfect for fans of baseball, slow burns, and heartfelt stories. Definitely recommend this one!

[Lara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Kate Watson books and her writing. Love the characters and their connections and stories. I was actually gifted an ARC - and feel really bad that I didn’t finish it. This one got me though (stop reading if you don’t like spoilers).
The characters spend 65% of the book yearrrning for each other but holding to the ‘no cheating’ thing and then after one confrontation with Jake - they throw it all to the wind and they are sneakily making out in every corner.
My daughter said I was being too sensitive. Maybe so. That’s okay. Not everyone loves every book.
She was ‘fake’ dating. Jake assumed they were already ‘together’ and kissing etc. Jake wasn’t interested. I get all of that. But the fact they put such emphasis on the ‘no cheating’ thing and then just tossed it bugged me and I couldn’t finish it. 🤷🏻‍♀️ I love her other books and will definitely read others that come out. Just didn’t like the direction this one went. Honestly, they probably worked through it at some point and I just didn’t have the patience to push through.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

*interesting twist on fake dating
*green flag mmc who falls first
*forbidden romance
*dual pov
*incredible banter and slow burn
i LOVED this twist on the fake dating trope. i think it was so clever to have the fmc be fake dating someone she didn't like instead of someone she did. the mmc was genuinely such a good guy and seeing him be patient and try to show her his feelings through actions was incredible. i liked that there was a bit of a journey of self discovery for the fmc and figuring out that she can put herself first. i loved them together and how they brought out the best in one another. would recommend!

[Jessica Harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fun book, a faking-dating-(the-wrong-guy), forbidden-love sports rom-com. It’s light and sweet, humorous and heartwarming. The FMC is a self-sacrificing fixer who allows her family to pressure her into fake-dating her brother’s best friend to help improve his image. The MMC is a cinnamon-roll golden retriever who’s been crushing on her for a year. It might not have the most complex plot in the world, but hey, it’s a rom-com. And it’s also a thoroughly enjoyable read.

The writing is exactly what I’ve come to expect from Kate Watson, flowing and engaging. I definitely plan on reading Logan’s story next and am eager for its release.

Content:
There is no foul language, sex, or violence. The romance is limited to embracing and mildly descriptive, heated kisses. There is no mention of faith or God.

[Tricia Anson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I stayed up until 1:30am reading because holy cow, ALL THE FEELS. I was full-on crying more than once, laughing at the banter and sibling antics, and dying at all the tension and chemistry. This was such an incredibly unique twist on fake dating, a beautiful story of growth in so many ways, and was just amazing. I related to Scottie a little too much in some aspects, so there was like a dash of healing snuck in there too. Like I said—allll the feels!

TW: Codependency & Unintentional Neglect