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Bridgeport Jetties: The Call-Up Years #1
Stealing Forever
“I can’t afford to lose to Shane Michaels. When it comes to baseball or restraint.”
SHANE
This bro got invited to play with the big boys for Spring Training. Hell to the yes! I am so going to show the Jetties they need me on their Triple-A roster this year. Manifest.
Except the Jed Stone Jr. is back. Legend’s son. Permanent scowl. Stands in my way like a wall I’m supposed to climb.
One I really, really want to climb.
He may have stolen my position, but I refuse to be left behind. Not again. The problem? He’s hated me from the start. And I kinda want to prove him wrong. Now that it’s affecting our game, I have to. If I don’t, we both lose.
Call me crazy…but I have a plan I know I shouldn’t.
Time to climb some walls.
JED
I was moments from The Show when my arm blew out.
But I’m back. And this is my year. Quick stint in Triple-A, then I’m getting the call-up. Simple. Controlled. Focused.
Nothing is stopping me. Especially not perpetually smiling, cocky golden boys who think life is a walk in the park.
Shane Michaels is talented. The bane of my existence. And god-damned beautiful.
I shouldn’t want him. I definitely shouldn’t touch him.
Considering he’s straight, that shouldn’t be difficult—until I find out he isn’t.
If I lose control, I lose baseball. And baseball is all I have left.
But Shane might be the one thing I can’t control.
Stealing Forever is a spicy rival teammates-to-lovers MM baseball romance with a grumpy star and his sunshine rival, a soft dom/brat dynamic, superstition-fueled steamy time, found family, emotional hurt/comfort, and one bed that changes everything.
Content warnings are listed on the author’s website.
SHANE
This bro got invited to play with the big boys for Spring Training. Hell to the yes! I am so going to show the Jetties they need me on their Triple-A roster this year. Manifest.
Except the Jed Stone Jr. is back. Legend’s son. Permanent scowl. Stands in my way like a wall I’m supposed to climb.
One I really, really want to climb.
He may have stolen my position, but I refuse to be left behind. Not again. The problem? He’s hated me from the start. And I kinda want to prove him wrong. Now that it’s affecting our game, I have to. If I don’t, we both lose.
Call me crazy…but I have a plan I know I shouldn’t.
Time to climb some walls.
JED
I was moments from The Show when my arm blew out.
But I’m back. And this is my year. Quick stint in Triple-A, then I’m getting the call-up. Simple. Controlled. Focused.
Nothing is stopping me. Especially not perpetually smiling, cocky golden boys who think life is a walk in the park.
Shane Michaels is talented. The bane of my existence. And god-damned beautiful.
I shouldn’t want him. I definitely shouldn’t touch him.
Considering he’s straight, that shouldn’t be difficult—until I find out he isn’t.
If I lose control, I lose baseball. And baseball is all I have left.
But Shane might be the one thing I can’t control.
Stealing Forever is a spicy rival teammates-to-lovers MM baseball romance with a grumpy star and his sunshine rival, a soft dom/brat dynamic, superstition-fueled steamy time, found family, emotional hurt/comfort, and one bed that changes everything.
Content warnings are listed on the author’s website.
446 pages, Paperback
First published May 7, 2026
About the author
Lizzie C. Koz
11 books142 followersLizzie C Koz writes books that challenge stereotypes and cultural expectations. She believes vulnerability is powerful, softness is a strength, and love in all its forms—whether between friends, family, or lovers—is what makes us whole.
Her stories champion feminism, sexual empowerment, LGBTQ+ positivity, neurodivergence, and mental health awareness. Her readers will tell you—She’ll make you laugh, make you cry, and definitely make you fan yourself. And by the end of the journey, your heart will be so dang happy.
She lives in New England in a fixer-upper with her husband, toddler, and Golden Retriever. When she's not writing, she's likely trying to convince her husband to tackle yet another DIY project around the house.
Lizzie loves nothing more than falling into a romance book as an outlet, especially when she was struggling through postpartum with her son. Now, she hopes to provide that same escape and small slice of joy to others.
Her stories champion feminism, sexual empowerment, LGBTQ+ positivity, neurodivergence, and mental health awareness. Her readers will tell you—She’ll make you laugh, make you cry, and definitely make you fan yourself. And by the end of the journey, your heart will be so dang happy.
She lives in New England in a fixer-upper with her husband, toddler, and Golden Retriever. When she's not writing, she's likely trying to convince her husband to tackle yet another DIY project around the house.
Lizzie loves nothing more than falling into a romance book as an outlet, especially when she was struggling through postpartum with her son. Now, she hopes to provide that same escape and small slice of joy to others.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 171 reviews
May 8, 2026
˗ˏˋ ꒰ 𝟓/𝟓 ★ ꒱ ˎˊ˗
Shane & Jed, my new faves, my lil babies😭🥹💓💓💓
idek what i could write in this review, this book was EVERYTHING i wanted & more!!
i laughed & cried, and my heart is so full💓😭🥹
Shane & Jed deserve the very best & all the love💓💓

Lizzie C Koz has a beautiful way with words, her writing style just works so well for me!! & her characters always find a special place in my heart💓 i'm ✨obsessed✨
Shane was a bundle of chaotic joy & sunshine, an eager golden retriever puppy who was simping for his baseball prodigy teammate/rival - despite the fact that he was straight- err, well...👀🤫 i loved Shane so much, i wanted to wrap him up in bubble wrap bc all that sweetness must be protected😭 i'm so happy he had Jed🥹 & Jed had Shane!!😭🤧 these two were absolutely perfect together, exactly what the other needed🥺 Jed was such a sad lonely "black cat", he really needed Shane's sunshine in his life and seeing him open up to Shane was absolutely heartwarming🤧💗 they also had the best nicknames, Sunshine & Storm Could (🌦=🌈!!), plus 'Pebbles'!!!😭😭 (iykyk🤧)
their chemistry was off the charts for sureee🔥🔥 i'm always here for a cheeky brat who's a sucker for praising👏👏 and a dominant top who worship him🫦 but the communication & thoughtfulness between them were impeccable!! like it was a safe space for them to explore, especially for my bby Shane😭🥰 they just felt so free together, they could have laughs during spicy time too, and there was always a level of consideration & support between them! fun moments also included a "it's not gonna fit" 🍆 scene which was one of my faves haha🤭🔥
the baseball parts were engaging too, even tho i know nothing about baseball😆🙈 luckily i wasn't too lost, but i fear i still don't know much about it lmao, however there were some great shenanigans & puns, and overall i loved the atmosphere in the locker room 🥰🔥👀 - well, for the most part, as unfortunately there was some homophobia.. but there were still many supportive teammates/crew so that was really lovely to witness🥹 i must say there was a perfect balance between the fun, lighthearted moments and the heavier subjects that were exlored with so much care & understanding! the writing felt refreshing in a way👏
the MCs's character development was beautiful to see, their journey of acceptance, love, unwavering support from their friends too & for each other!!👏 & fr the whole crew, the supportive system this friend group has is soo heartwarming!! perfection👏 & all the feelss👏🥹💓
i ranted too much ik, but i gotta add that the prequel, Finding Home was absolutely amazing as well & i'd highly rec starting there, even tho this book could be read on its own too! but the previous MCs have a special place in my heart too, we get to see them in this book too, plus Shane appears in the prequel and i fell in love with him right away!!🤭🥰
(p.s. Finding Home is currently free on the author's site 💌)
【 જ⁀➴ 𝓲 𝓪𝓹𝓹𝓻𝓮𝓬𝓲𝓪𝓽𝓮 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓐𝓻𝓬 𝓲 𝓻𝓮𝓬𝓮𝓲𝓿𝓮𝓭 𝓯𝓻𝓸𝓶 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓪𝓾𝓽𝓱𝓸𝓻 𝓿𝓲𝓪 𝓖𝓪𝔂 𝓡𝓸𝓶𝓪𝓷𝓬𝓮 𝓡𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓮𝔀𝓼.ᐟ 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓼𝓮 𝓪𝓻𝓮 𝓶𝔂 𝓸𝔀𝓷, 𝓰𝓮𝓷𝓾𝓲𝓷𝓮 (𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓬𝓱𝓪𝓸𝓽𝓲𝓬) 𝓽𝓱𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱𝓽𝓼 ⊹˙✧ 】
➥ ᴍᴍ { ʙɪ × ʙɪ-ᴀᴡᴀᴋᴇɴɪɴɢ }
➥ ғɪʀsᴛ-ᴘᴇʀsᴏɴ, ᴅᴜᴀʟ ᴘᴏᴠ
⚾︎ ʙᴀsᴇʙᴀʟʟ ʀɪᴠᴀʟ ᴛᴇᴀᴍᴍᴀᴛᴇs
⚾︎ ʙᴀsᴇʙᴀʟʟ ʟᴇɢᴀᴄʏ sᴏɴ/ᴘʀᴏᴅɪɢʏ × ʀᴏᴏᴋɪᴇ
⚾︎ ɢʀᴜᴍᴘʏ × sᴜɴsʜɪɴᴇ
⚾︎ ʙʟᴀᴄᴋ ᴄᴀᴛ × ɢᴏʟᴅᴇɴ ʀᴇᴛʀɪᴇᴠᴇʀ
⚾︎ ʜᴜʀᴛ/ᴄᴏᴍғᴏʀᴛ
⚾︎ ᴏɴʟʏ ᴏɴᴇ ʙᴇᴅ
⚾︎ ғᴏᴜɴᴅ ғᴀᴍɪʟʏ
⚾︎ ʜᴇɪɢʜᴛ ᴅɪғғᴇʀᴇɴᴄᴇ
⚾︎ sᴏғᴛ ᴅᴏᴍ × ʙʀᴀᴛ ᴇɴᴇʀɢʏ
⚾︎ ʟᴏᴡᴋᴇʏ sɪᴢᴇ ᴏ̨ᴜᴇᴇɴ ᴠɪʙᴇs/ɴᴇᴇᴅʏ ʙᴏᴛᴛᴏᴍ
⚾︎ ғɪʀsᴛ ᴛɪᴍᴇs, ғʀᴏᴛᴛɪɴɢ, ᴘʀᴀɪsᴇ/"ɢᴏᴏᴅ ʙᴏʏ", ᴄᴏᴍɪɴɢ ɪɴ ᴘᴀɴᴛs, ɴɪᴘᴘʟᴇ ᴘɪᴇʀᴄɪɴɢ, ᴛᴀᴛᴛᴏᴏs, ʟᴏᴡᴋᴇʏ ʟɪɴɢᴇʀɪᴇ
⚾︎ sᴛᴀɴᴅᴀʟᴏɴᴇ (ʜᴇᴀ) ɪɴ ᴀ sᴇʀɪᴇs
➽ ᴛᴡ: ʜᴏᴍᴏᴘʜᴏʙɪᴄ ʟᴀɴɢᴜᴀɢᴇ (ʙʏ sᴄ), ʜᴏᴍᴏᴘʜᴏʙɪᴄ ᴠɪᴏʟᴇɴᴄᴇ (ʙʏ sᴄ), ᴘʜʏsɪᴄᴀʟ ᴀssᴀᴜʟᴛ (ᴏғғ ᴘᴀɢᴇ, ɴᴏᴛ ʙᴇᴛᴡᴇᴇɴ ᴍᴄs), ʟᴏss ᴏғ ᴘᴀʀᴇɴᴛ (ᴘʀɪᴏʀ ᴛᴏ sᴛᴏʀʏ), ɢʀɪᴇғ (ᴄᴇɴᴛʀᴀʟ ᴛᴏ ᴀ ᴍᴄ's ᴇxᴘᴇʀɪᴇɴᴄᴇ), sᴇᴠᴇʀᴇ ᴇᴍᴏᴛɪᴏɴᴀʟ ᴅɪsᴛʀᴇss ᴡɪᴛʜ sᴇʟғ-ᴅᴇsᴛʀᴜᴄᴛɪᴠᴇ ᴄᴏᴘɪɴɢ ʙᴇʜᴀᴠɪᴏʀs (ʙɪɴɢᴇ ᴅʀɪɴᴋɪɴɢ, ɪsᴏʟᴀᴛɪᴏɴ), ᴀɴxɪᴇᴛʏ ᴀᴛᴛᴀᴄᴋs, ᴘᴀʀᴇɴᴛᴀʟ ᴀʙᴀɴᴅᴏɴᴍᴇɴᴛ (ᴘʀɪᴏʀ ᴛᴏ sᴛᴏʀʏ) ᴀɴᴅ ʀᴇᴊᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ (ᴏɴ ᴘᴀɢᴇ), ᴘᴀsᴛ ɪɴᴊᴜʀʏ
Shane & Jed, my new faves, my lil babies😭🥹💓💓💓
idek what i could write in this review, this book was EVERYTHING i wanted & more!!
i laughed & cried, and my heart is so full💓😭🥹
Shane & Jed deserve the very best & all the love💓💓

Lizzie C Koz has a beautiful way with words, her writing style just works so well for me!! & her characters always find a special place in my heart💓 i'm ✨obsessed✨
Shane was a bundle of chaotic joy & sunshine, an eager golden retriever puppy who was simping for his baseball prodigy teammate/rival - despite the fact that he was straight- err, well...👀🤫 i loved Shane so much, i wanted to wrap him up in bubble wrap bc all that sweetness must be protected😭 i'm so happy he had Jed🥹 & Jed had Shane!!😭🤧 these two were absolutely perfect together, exactly what the other needed🥺 Jed was such a sad lonely "black cat", he really needed Shane's sunshine in his life and seeing him open up to Shane was absolutely heartwarming🤧💗 they also had the best nicknames, Sunshine & Storm Could (🌦=🌈!!), plus 'Pebbles'!!!😭😭 (iykyk🤧)
𝑯𝒐𝒘 𝒂𝒎 𝑰 𝒔𝒖𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒎𝒂𝒏? 𝑯𝒆’𝒔 𝒔𝒖𝒏𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒉𝒖𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒎, 𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒎𝒕𝒉 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔. 𝑰 𝒅𝒐𝒏’𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝑰 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒛𝒆𝒅 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒎𝒖𝒄𝒉 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰 𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒌𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒚 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆 𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒍 𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒅 𝒖𝒑.
their chemistry was off the charts for sureee🔥🔥 i'm always here for a cheeky brat who's a sucker for praising👏👏 and a dominant top who worship him🫦 but the communication & thoughtfulness between them were impeccable!! like it was a safe space for them to explore, especially for my bby Shane😭🥰 they just felt so free together, they could have laughs during spicy time too, and there was always a level of consideration & support between them! fun moments also included a "it's not gonna fit" 🍆 scene which was one of my faves haha🤭🔥
𝑰𝒕’𝒔 𝒑𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒆𝒇. 𝑾𝒊𝒄𝒌𝒆𝒅. 𝑩𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒚. 𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝑰 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒂 𝒃𝒓𝒂𝒕.
“𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒃𝒍𝒖𝒔𝒉 𝒔𝒐 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒚.”
𝑴𝒚 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒄𝒉 𝒇𝒍𝒊𝒑𝒔 𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓. “𝑴𝒐𝒓𝒆,” 𝑰 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒓. 𝑯𝒊𝒔 𝒃𝒓𝒐𝒘𝒔 𝒌𝒏𝒊𝒕. “𝑰’𝒎 𝒂 𝒇𝒖𝒄𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒑𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒔𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒐𝒓𝒆, 𝑱𝒆𝒅. 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞.”
𝑯𝒆 𝒈𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒔, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂 𝒃𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒚 𝒍𝒂𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒆𝒔𝒄𝒂𝒑𝒆𝒔 𝒉𝒊𝒎. “𝑨𝒑𝒐𝒍𝒐𝒈𝒊𝒆𝒔. 𝑶𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒐𝒏 𝒎𝒚 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕. 𝑶𝒃𝒗𝒊𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒍𝒚, 𝒚𝒐𝒖’𝒅 𝒃𝒆 𝒂 𝒑𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒔𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒐𝒓𝒆.”
“𝑫𝒂𝒎𝒏 𝒇𝒖𝒄𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕. 𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒚 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝑰 𝒂𝒎.”
the baseball parts were engaging too, even tho i know nothing about baseball😆🙈 luckily i wasn't too lost, but i fear i still don't know much about it lmao, however there were some great shenanigans & puns, and overall i loved the atmosphere in the locker room 🥰🔥👀 - well, for the most part, as unfortunately there was some homophobia.. but there were still many supportive teammates/crew so that was really lovely to witness🥹 i must say there was a perfect balance between the fun, lighthearted moments and the heavier subjects that were exlored with so much care & understanding! the writing felt refreshing in a way👏
𝑰 𝒔𝒌𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒎𝒚 𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒔𝒕, 𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒇𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒐𝒘𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒚 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓𝒔. 𝑰 𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒍𝒚 𝒇𝒍𝒊𝒄𝒌 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒏𝒊𝒑𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒑𝒊𝒆𝒓𝒄𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒃𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒑 𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕. 𝑰 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒂 𝒓𝒖𝒎𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒍𝒆𝒕 𝒎𝒚 𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒍𝒐𝒅𝒆 𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒏. “𝑩𝒐𝒐𝒎.” 𝑰 𝒇𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒔𝒊𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒂 𝒎𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕, 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒓, “𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒕’𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒕’𝒔 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆. 𝑨 𝒕𝒉𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒎 𝒐𝒇 𝒆𝒎𝒐𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒓𝒂𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒎𝒆.” 𝑴𝒚 𝒈𝒂𝒛𝒆 𝒇𝒍𝒊𝒄𝒌𝒔 𝒖𝒑 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒊𝒔. “𝑰’𝒗𝒆 𝒂𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒔.”
the MCs's character development was beautiful to see, their journey of acceptance, love, unwavering support from their friends too & for each other!!👏 & fr the whole crew, the supportive system this friend group has is soo heartwarming!! perfection👏 & all the feelss👏🥹💓
i ranted too much ik, but i gotta add that the prequel, Finding Home was absolutely amazing as well & i'd highly rec starting there, even tho this book could be read on its own too! but the previous MCs have a special place in my heart too, we get to see them in this book too, plus Shane appears in the prequel and i fell in love with him right away!!🤭🥰
(p.s. Finding Home is currently free on the author's site 💌)
𝑴𝒚 𝒇𝒖𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔𝒏’𝒕 𝒖𝒑 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒃𝒔. 𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒔𝒍𝒊𝒅 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒚 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆, 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒔𝒕𝒖𝒑𝒊𝒅𝒍𝒚 𝒔𝒎𝒐𝒐𝒕𝒉 𝒃𝒂𝒔𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒆𝒔… 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒍𝒆 𝒎𝒚 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒊𝒕.”
“𝑰 𝒂𝒎 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒈𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝒂𝒕 𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈. 𝑷𝒍𝒖𝒔… 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒅𝒊𝒅 𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒍 𝒎𝒚 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏. 𝑰𝒕’𝒔 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒇𝒂𝒊𝒓 𝑰 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒍𝒆 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒔.”
【 જ⁀➴ 𝓲 𝓪𝓹𝓹𝓻𝓮𝓬𝓲𝓪𝓽𝓮 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓐𝓻𝓬 𝓲 𝓻𝓮𝓬𝓮𝓲𝓿𝓮𝓭 𝓯𝓻𝓸𝓶 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓪𝓾𝓽𝓱𝓸𝓻 𝓿𝓲𝓪 𝓖𝓪𝔂 𝓡𝓸𝓶𝓪𝓷𝓬𝓮 𝓡𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓮𝔀𝓼.ᐟ 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓼𝓮 𝓪𝓻𝓮 𝓶𝔂 𝓸𝔀𝓷, 𝓰𝓮𝓷𝓾𝓲𝓷𝓮 (𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓬𝓱𝓪𝓸𝓽𝓲𝓬) 𝓽𝓱𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱𝓽𝓼 ⊹˙✧ 】
➥ ᴍᴍ { ʙɪ × ʙɪ-ᴀᴡᴀᴋᴇɴɪɴɢ }
➥ ғɪʀsᴛ-ᴘᴇʀsᴏɴ, ᴅᴜᴀʟ ᴘᴏᴠ
⚾︎ ʙᴀsᴇʙᴀʟʟ ʀɪᴠᴀʟ ᴛᴇᴀᴍᴍᴀᴛᴇs
⚾︎ ʙᴀsᴇʙᴀʟʟ ʟᴇɢᴀᴄʏ sᴏɴ/ᴘʀᴏᴅɪɢʏ × ʀᴏᴏᴋɪᴇ
⚾︎ ɢʀᴜᴍᴘʏ × sᴜɴsʜɪɴᴇ
⚾︎ ʙʟᴀᴄᴋ ᴄᴀᴛ × ɢᴏʟᴅᴇɴ ʀᴇᴛʀɪᴇᴠᴇʀ
⚾︎ ʜᴜʀᴛ/ᴄᴏᴍғᴏʀᴛ
⚾︎ ᴏɴʟʏ ᴏɴᴇ ʙᴇᴅ
⚾︎ ғᴏᴜɴᴅ ғᴀᴍɪʟʏ
⚾︎ ʜᴇɪɢʜᴛ ᴅɪғғᴇʀᴇɴᴄᴇ
⚾︎ sᴏғᴛ ᴅᴏᴍ × ʙʀᴀᴛ ᴇɴᴇʀɢʏ
⚾︎ ʟᴏᴡᴋᴇʏ sɪᴢᴇ ᴏ̨ᴜᴇᴇɴ ᴠɪʙᴇs/ɴᴇᴇᴅʏ ʙᴏᴛᴛᴏᴍ
⚾︎ ғɪʀsᴛ ᴛɪᴍᴇs, ғʀᴏᴛᴛɪɴɢ, ᴘʀᴀɪsᴇ/"ɢᴏᴏᴅ ʙᴏʏ", ᴄᴏᴍɪɴɢ ɪɴ ᴘᴀɴᴛs, ɴɪᴘᴘʟᴇ ᴘɪᴇʀᴄɪɴɢ, ᴛᴀᴛᴛᴏᴏs, ʟᴏᴡᴋᴇʏ ʟɪɴɢᴇʀɪᴇ
⚾︎ sᴛᴀɴᴅᴀʟᴏɴᴇ (ʜᴇᴀ) ɪɴ ᴀ sᴇʀɪᴇs
➽ ᴛᴡ: ʜᴏᴍᴏᴘʜᴏʙɪᴄ ʟᴀɴɢᴜᴀɢᴇ (ʙʏ sᴄ), ʜᴏᴍᴏᴘʜᴏʙɪᴄ ᴠɪᴏʟᴇɴᴄᴇ (ʙʏ sᴄ), ᴘʜʏsɪᴄᴀʟ ᴀssᴀᴜʟᴛ (ᴏғғ ᴘᴀɢᴇ, ɴᴏᴛ ʙᴇᴛᴡᴇᴇɴ ᴍᴄs), ʟᴏss ᴏғ ᴘᴀʀᴇɴᴛ (ᴘʀɪᴏʀ ᴛᴏ sᴛᴏʀʏ), ɢʀɪᴇғ (ᴄᴇɴᴛʀᴀʟ ᴛᴏ ᴀ ᴍᴄ's ᴇxᴘᴇʀɪᴇɴᴄᴇ), sᴇᴠᴇʀᴇ ᴇᴍᴏᴛɪᴏɴᴀʟ ᴅɪsᴛʀᴇss ᴡɪᴛʜ sᴇʟғ-ᴅᴇsᴛʀᴜᴄᴛɪᴠᴇ ᴄᴏᴘɪɴɢ ʙᴇʜᴀᴠɪᴏʀs (ʙɪɴɢᴇ ᴅʀɪɴᴋɪɴɢ, ɪsᴏʟᴀᴛɪᴏɴ), ᴀɴxɪᴇᴛʏ ᴀᴛᴛᴀᴄᴋs, ᴘᴀʀᴇɴᴛᴀʟ ᴀʙᴀɴᴅᴏɴᴍᴇɴᴛ (ᴘʀɪᴏʀ ᴛᴏ sᴛᴏʀʏ) ᴀɴᴅ ʀᴇᴊᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ (ᴏɴ ᴘᴀɢᴇ), ᴘᴀsᴛ ɪɴᴊᴜʀʏ
Did Not Finish
May 4, 2026I would like to thank GRR for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.
DNF @ 33%
I really tried to get into this, but tbh both these MCs made me cringe and I wasn't a fan of the writing style. Worse was me, A SPORTS FAN, confusing the Jetties and the Clippers every time. Not that deep but I'm s t i l l unsure which was triple a and which was the big leagues.
Also,
I
Usually
LOVE a low-income Sunshine Kid x Surly sports-legacy kid
But, unfortunately, Shane and Jed just weren't it for me.
I did loooooove Shane's mum though! She was a darling, and I actually really liked how Koz established a bit of their low income beginnings, and Shane being raised by a single mom. I loved their relationship and I'm sad this didn't work out for me, because I love these kinds of positive, healthy, parent relationships in MM romance.
DNF @ 33%
I really tried to get into this, but tbh both these MCs made me cringe and I wasn't a fan of the writing style. Worse was me, A SPORTS FAN, confusing the Jetties and the Clippers every time. Not that deep but I'm s t i l l unsure which was triple a and which was the big leagues.
Also,
I
Usually
LOVE a low-income Sunshine Kid x Surly sports-legacy kid
But, unfortunately, Shane and Jed just weren't it for me.
I did loooooove Shane's mum though! She was a darling, and I actually really liked how Koz established a bit of their low income beginnings, and Shane being raised by a single mom. I loved their relationship and I'm sad this didn't work out for me, because I love these kinds of positive, healthy, parent relationships in MM romance.
September 18, 2026
This was both such an emotional and funny read 🥰
Since all I know about baseball is that it involves a bat 😬 I couldn’t really relate to that part of the story - not that it affected my reading much anyway 🙃
This book is solid in all the things that matter - we have a strong plot, perfectly written MCs, a bunch of really great side characters, both good and bad, and relationship development that didn't really go the obvious way.
What I loved the most, of course, is Shane 🥹
This adorable ball of chaos went straight to the top of my favourite sunshine characters ☀️
“No hate, though. I didn’t mean to imply there was something wrong with small balls, man. Small balls deserve love too. Plus, they have their advantages. Easier for the ladies to put in their mouths, ya know.”
And Jed had a really amazing journey from a reeeeally grumpy grump to finally letting himself love and be loved ❤🔥
“Not a slip-up, Shane. It’s never been a mistake. You’ve never been a mistake.
I…I can’t stay away from you.”
And of course, both of them were seriously hot together ❤🔥
I’m not even sure why this wasn’t a solid 5 for me, because I even shed tears a couple of times, and that’s usually saying something.
I guess there was just a little too much going on, and it was maybe a tad longer than I’d like. Or it could totally be my crazy not-really-feeling-this-right-now mood 🙃
Either way, I really enjoyed this one, so don’t think twice and just go read 🙌🏻
Since all I know about baseball is that it involves a bat 😬 I couldn’t really relate to that part of the story - not that it affected my reading much anyway 🙃
This book is solid in all the things that matter - we have a strong plot, perfectly written MCs, a bunch of really great side characters, both good and bad, and relationship development that didn't really go the obvious way.
What I loved the most, of course, is Shane 🥹
This adorable ball of chaos went straight to the top of my favourite sunshine characters ☀️
“No hate, though. I didn’t mean to imply there was something wrong with small balls, man. Small balls deserve love too. Plus, they have their advantages. Easier for the ladies to put in their mouths, ya know.”
And Jed had a really amazing journey from a reeeeally grumpy grump to finally letting himself love and be loved ❤🔥
“Not a slip-up, Shane. It’s never been a mistake. You’ve never been a mistake.
I…I can’t stay away from you.”
And of course, both of them were seriously hot together ❤🔥
I’m not even sure why this wasn’t a solid 5 for me, because I even shed tears a couple of times, and that’s usually saying something.
I guess there was just a little too much going on, and it was maybe a tad longer than I’d like. Or it could totally be my crazy not-really-feeling-this-right-now mood 🙃
Either way, I really enjoyed this one, so don’t think twice and just go read 🙌🏻
June 25, 2026
Would gave given this another star, but I'll be truthful: I did not like that we never got the proposal scene nor the Halloween party details, the latter you only get access to if you sign up for a newsletter. Like come on, bruh, really? Just give me the details, I don't want to sigh up for yet another thing to take up space in my email inbox.
*sigh*
Otherwise a solid story, lots of good side charas, medium heat for the smexy times, it's a properly edited book that doesn't prolong the story further than it needs to. Why did I add that last point? Well, there are some books that stretch a thin plot beyond necessary, and thankfully, this author & theit editor understood not to do that.
Jed was just the silent, but devoted guys I like in fiction. I understand Shane is supposed to OTT, but some of the puns, especially during the sex scenes were too much. Really iked that the conflict came from an unexpected party, and not a cliché 3rd-act break-up or something equally obnoxious.
*sigh*
Otherwise a solid story, lots of good side charas, medium heat for the smexy times, it's a properly edited book that doesn't prolong the story further than it needs to. Why did I add that last point? Well, there are some books that stretch a thin plot beyond necessary, and thankfully, this author & theit editor understood not to do that.
Jed was just the silent, but devoted guys I like in fiction. I understand Shane is supposed to OTT, but some of the puns, especially during the sex scenes were too much. Really iked that the conflict came from an unexpected party, and not a cliché 3rd-act break-up or something equally obnoxious.
April 15, 2026
Thanks grr for the arc, aaaaaall thoughts are mine .
Listen, I know NOTHING about baseball, literally nothing. And yet I couldn’t put this book down, ive been reading it almost as soon as I got off from work and I couldn’t put it down.
Jed and Shane are just so good for each other.
Jed was everything I like in a main character: broken by grief and focused on one thing AND YET GETTING SIDETRACKED BY SHANE. Damn this premise will always work for me.
Jed, was so sad and seeing him opening himself up to Shane and his group of friend. It’s like catnip for me, give me broken men in touch with their emotions pretty please. I almost cried multiple times while reading his chapters.
Shane, SUNSHINE PERSONIFIED. LIKE I LOVE HIM. HE’S PERFECT. And please leave me alone with his fuckking dad, I need to fight him. He’s kind, funny, sweet and just so loveable. (Does he remind me of my crush MAYBE)
And he’s so so so so loved by his friends and his mom and by Jeeeed.
It’s a lengthy book, but I honestly wanted more, like give me even more fluff please ???
Damn those two made me feel so soft. I cooed OUT LOUD SO MANY TIMES.
And I will be sat for book 2.
Listen, I know NOTHING about baseball, literally nothing. And yet I couldn’t put this book down, ive been reading it almost as soon as I got off from work and I couldn’t put it down.
Jed and Shane are just so good for each other.
Jed was everything I like in a main character: broken by grief and focused on one thing AND YET GETTING SIDETRACKED BY SHANE. Damn this premise will always work for me.
Jed, was so sad and seeing him opening himself up to Shane and his group of friend. It’s like catnip for me, give me broken men in touch with their emotions pretty please. I almost cried multiple times while reading his chapters.
Shane, SUNSHINE PERSONIFIED. LIKE I LOVE HIM. HE’S PERFECT. And please leave me alone with his fuckking dad, I need to fight him. He’s kind, funny, sweet and just so loveable. (Does he remind me of my crush MAYBE)
And he’s so so so so loved by his friends and his mom and by Jeeeed.
It’s a lengthy book, but I honestly wanted more, like give me even more fluff please ???
Damn those two made me feel so soft. I cooed OUT LOUD SO MANY TIMES.
And I will be sat for book 2.
August 28, 2026
Shane + Jed
-mm baseball romance
-rival teammates
-grumpy x sunshine
-bi awakening
-hurt/comfort
-found family
stilllll obsessed!! literally the way this author writes not only the journey but the characters & their personalities is MAGNETIC!! like the tension? the yearning?? COME ONNNNNNNN!!!
-mm baseball romance
-rival teammates
-grumpy x sunshine
-bi awakening
-hurt/comfort
-found family
stilllll obsessed!! literally the way this author writes not only the journey but the characters & their personalities is MAGNETIC!! like the tension? the yearning?? COME ONNNNNNNN!!!
September 18, 2026
OMGGG, I finished this in ONE SITTING 😭💗
The plot, MCs, side characters, and relationship development were all so good!
But SHANE 😭☀️ This adorable little ball of chaos completely stole my heart. He’s officially one of my favourite sunshine characters ever! 💛
The plot, MCs, side characters, and relationship development were all so good!
But SHANE 😭☀️ This adorable little ball of chaos completely stole my heart. He’s officially one of my favourite sunshine characters ever! 💛
August 12, 2026
This was such a cute book. The writing was so good, and you could really feel the emotions along side the characters. I am so excited for the next book.
August 27, 2026
Another great book by Lizzie C. Koz! I really love the found family she writes into her books. Paulie, Easton, Maddox, Shelby, and Frankie are really there for Shane and then Jed as the story progresses, and it feels like their support allows the love story to unfold the way it does.
And of course Shane and Jed are a cute couple. Shane is the embodiment of sunshine, despite having some traumatic experiences as he was growing up. Jed is more stoic, but I loved watching him come out of his shell as their relationship progresses.
I also need to mention how much I enjoy the author’s writing style. So clean and concise while still packing in a lot of emotion, storytelling, and spice. And kudos to her editor! Reading a well-edited book enhances the reading experience, and the editor did an excellent job on this book.
And of course Shane and Jed are a cute couple. Shane is the embodiment of sunshine, despite having some traumatic experiences as he was growing up. Jed is more stoic, but I loved watching him come out of his shell as their relationship progresses.
I also need to mention how much I enjoy the author’s writing style. So clean and concise while still packing in a lot of emotion, storytelling, and spice. And kudos to her editor! Reading a well-edited book enhances the reading experience, and the editor did an excellent job on this book.
May 8, 2026
5⭐️ 3🌶️
Thank you for this early copy. All parts of this review are of my honest opinion.
I loved the prequel for this book so I was so excited to read this book. laughed, loved and cried from this book. Im a long time lover of MM sports romances but new to baseball romances… now Im a huge fan!! I loved this series so far.
I really love the characters and their chemistry. I also loved their own individual stories. They were really touching. It was such a sweet and spicy romance. I definitely recommend it!!
Thank you for this early copy. All parts of this review are of my honest opinion.
I loved the prequel for this book so I was so excited to read this book. laughed, loved and cried from this book. Im a long time lover of MM sports romances but new to baseball romances… now Im a huge fan!! I loved this series so far.
I really love the characters and their chemistry. I also loved their own individual stories. They were really touching. It was such a sweet and spicy romance. I definitely recommend it!!
July 5, 2026
that book was so adorable and addictive i don’t get it. first of all, i am a total sucker for the grumpy sunshine trope, its so bad. second: the writing was SO GOOD!! i feel like a lot of the time, romance books have just the worst writing ever but it makes up for it when the characters. this writing was so descriptive and fun i felt like i was watching a baseball game. lastly, characters were AMAZING. they were fun and flirty but also had their flawed moments. 10/10 book i will be reading that again
April 15, 2026
I really enjoyed this book. I loved Shane's personality in the prequel novella and was so happy to see him get a full book. He was such an adorable character, and went up against Jed's grumpiness wonderfully. The friendships that Shane has were handled very well too. I loved that while it was a "forbidden" relationship between Shane and Jed, they didn't have any issues within their team because of their relationship.
I received this ARC from the author in return for an honest review. I can't wait to read the next book in this series.
I received this ARC from the author in return for an honest review. I can't wait to read the next book in this series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 8, 2026
It was so good! It was so so good! Like kick you're feet kind of good. Shane and Jed gave me all the warm fuzzies! I love their dynamic and the NICKNAMES 💜 ugh seriously. I loved this book. I already added it to my wish list for a physical copy. 5 ⭐️ no notes
May 12, 2026
Thank you Foreword PR for the Arc!
A new favorite author to add to my list! I really enjoyed this one!
Not gonna lie I had some issues trying to understand baseball but I had that same issue when I started reading hockey romance. There is a lot of baseball slang that I have to get to know and I felt that I at least know the basics now I finished this book.
Shane was just the right amount of puppy/himbo energy and Jed balanced him out perfectly. Shane had so much dept to his character so he wasn't just another dumb jock! From the friendship bracelets to loving his found family and showing up for one another, I really can't wait to read the next book in this series!
And extra points to weaving other books and authors into the story, I love you all supporting each other!
A new favorite author to add to my list! I really enjoyed this one!
Not gonna lie I had some issues trying to understand baseball but I had that same issue when I started reading hockey romance. There is a lot of baseball slang that I have to get to know and I felt that I at least know the basics now I finished this book.
Shane was just the right amount of puppy/himbo energy and Jed balanced him out perfectly. Shane had so much dept to his character so he wasn't just another dumb jock! From the friendship bracelets to loving his found family and showing up for one another, I really can't wait to read the next book in this series!
And extra points to weaving other books and authors into the story, I love you all supporting each other!
September 3, 2026
Damn, just as good as the rest of the series! oh, and Shane still is my cutie pie, ugh!
August 20, 2026
4.5 stars Loved both Shane and Jed they showed up for each other Really felt the emotion but also funny and sexy
May 20, 2026
i loved Shane in the prequel so i knew i was going to love his book. i was not disappointed!
Shane is kind, funny (i love his sense of humor so much), sweet, and so loved by everyone around him. the way he loves jed though.. SWOON!
Jed though.. my heart. He was everything to me. the way his emotions are portrayed in this.. he was still grieving and quietly broken. there were parts where it made me emotional. the way he was undone by Shane, watching him slowly open up, let himself feel, and lean into Shane and his friends made me so happy.
i honestly wanted more of them and i can’t wait to hopefully see some cameos of them in the next book!
Shane is kind, funny (i love his sense of humor so much), sweet, and so loved by everyone around him. the way he loves jed though.. SWOON!
Jed though.. my heart. He was everything to me. the way his emotions are portrayed in this.. he was still grieving and quietly broken. there were parts where it made me emotional. the way he was undone by Shane, watching him slowly open up, let himself feel, and lean into Shane and his friends made me so happy.
i honestly wanted more of them and i can’t wait to hopefully see some cameos of them in the next book!
May 11, 2026
Wow...just WOW!!
Let me tell you...these characters were EVERTHING!
Shane is HILARIOUS! I was literally laughing out loud on the bus to work reading.
The banter between him and Jed is perfect, and the way they open up to one another has me wanting to hug them both.
If you love to read grumpy/sunshine, found family, hurt/comfort and banter, this is the book for you.
Let me tell you...these characters were EVERTHING!
Shane is HILARIOUS! I was literally laughing out loud on the bus to work reading.
The banter between him and Jed is perfect, and the way they open up to one another has me wanting to hug them both.
If you love to read grumpy/sunshine, found family, hurt/comfort and banter, this is the book for you.
June 1, 2026
DNF @ 18%
Jed's first chapter was fine, if a little too internal. It told us about how he was trying to prove to himself and his team that he was still a good player.
Shane's first chapter felt uselessly indulgent. I suppose it showed us that he was a very positive and upbeat person BUT it went in for too long and had side characters that didn't feel like they mattered. I literally didn't care for his little reminiscing scene with his friends. It also got confusing when he would switch between calling people by their nicknames and real names (Cowboy/Winters, Nebs/Paulie).
I wasn't a big fan of having so much of Shane's early chapters focus so heavily on his dynamic with Easton. I swear I feel like Shane and Easton got almost as much screen time as Shane and Jed.
I DNFed when I got really bored because Shane and Jed barely spent any time together. 79 pages, 10 chapters in, nearly a fifth of the book, and it felt like the main MCs of the romance had less than 10 scenes focused on showing us an actual romance developing between them. Why was this book so insistent on telling us about Easton and Maddox or Shane and his dashed baseball dreams when Jed and Shane's relationship hadn't even actually developed beyond two strangers that interact just because they're on the same team?
TL;DR: Too much focus on random crap that wasn't the romance. 1.5 stars rounded down.
Jed's first chapter was fine, if a little too internal. It told us about how he was trying to prove to himself and his team that he was still a good player.
Shane's first chapter felt uselessly indulgent. I suppose it showed us that he was a very positive and upbeat person BUT it went in for too long and had side characters that didn't feel like they mattered. I literally didn't care for his little reminiscing scene with his friends. It also got confusing when he would switch between calling people by their nicknames and real names (Cowboy/Winters, Nebs/Paulie).
I wasn't a big fan of having so much of Shane's early chapters focus so heavily on his dynamic with Easton. I swear I feel like Shane and Easton got almost as much screen time as Shane and Jed.
I DNFed when I got really bored because Shane and Jed barely spent any time together. 79 pages, 10 chapters in, nearly a fifth of the book, and it felt like the main MCs of the romance had less than 10 scenes focused on showing us an actual romance developing between them. Why was this book so insistent on telling us about Easton and Maddox or Shane and his dashed baseball dreams when Jed and Shane's relationship hadn't even actually developed beyond two strangers that interact just because they're on the same team?
TL;DR: Too much focus on random crap that wasn't the romance. 1.5 stars rounded down.
July 16, 2026
It wasn’t a bad book but at the end to flirt with someone else because you can’t handle what your feeling no that’s weird I mean I get he was going through a lot but if your partner can’t be the one that you talk to when you’re struggling, how are you gonna be together when things get hard between you guys or life gets hard I get he apologized and he didn’t cheat but that’s emotionally cheating in my opinion and that’s not what I like my books so that’s why I gave it 1 star and I honestly felt bored and didn’t feel the chemistry between them
August 8, 2026
I Came for the Baseball, Stayed for the Found Family
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½
🌶️🌶️
Okay, first things first: READ THE PREQUEL FIRST. Seriously. I had Stealing Forever sitting on my TBR, then discovered there was a prequel and decided to read that first. THANK GOD I DID. It was so freaking good, and it made me even more excited to get into this book.
This was my first Lizzie Koz book, so I really had no idea what to expect going in, but I am VERY happy to report that I had a great time. I’m giving this one 4.5 stars overall and 2/5 for spice. What we got was GOOD. 👀🔥 There just wasn’t a whole lot of it. So if you’re here specifically for spice, adjust expectations accordingly. If you’re here for the story, romance, found family, and characters you want to adopt? COME ON IN.
Because honestly, the found family was my favorite part of this book.
Don’t get me wrong, the romance was great. I liked the love story a lot. Shane and Jed are such a fun and loving couple. But the FRIENDSHIP with this entire group?! GOALS. I love when a book manages to make me care about the people surrounding the main couple just as much as I care about the couple themselves, and this one absolutely did that.
I fell in love with Maddy and Easton in the prequel, so getting a whole lot more of them in this book made me ridiculously happy. 🥹 I was basically sitting there like, “YES. GIVE ME MY PEOPLE.”
And FRANKIE.
I adore him. I am already ridiculously excited for his book next, and I’m just going to say it now: I KNEW IT. From the very beginning I was like, “Ohhhhhh, THAT’S who he’s going to fall for.” 👀 So now I’m just sitting here waiting impatiently for that book to prove me right.
BUT THEN.
BROMANTIC PUCKBOY.
EXCUSE ME???
For anyone who doesn’t know, Bromantic Puckboy was mentioned, and a little nod to Damon and Maddox (Fake Out)which of course meant we got a little Sadenverse mention, and I swear to God I SQUEALED.
Because Bromantic Puckboy is one of my absolute favorites in the Puckboy series, tied with Egotistical Puckboy, so seeing that little connection pop up had me DELIGHTED. I love when authors casually connect their books/universes like that. You can just drop a little reference and suddenly I’m sitting there with the Leonardo DiCaprio pointing meme like:
THAT’S MY BOOK. I KNOW THAT BOOK. I LOVE THAT BOOK.
😂😂😂
And while we’re on the subject of sports romances, I have to agree with one thing Maddy: this baseball romance was fantastic.
HOWEVER.
Hockey romance is still superior. I don’t make the rules.
Nothing beats hockey romance. 🏒
But I love sports romance in general, so Lizzie, by all means, BRING ON THE BASEBALL. I will happily consume all of it.
And finally, I have one small suggestion/request/thought that I am simply going to leave here for the author to do with as she pleases:
MILES + GRAHAM.
Listen. I don’t know why.
I have no evidence.
I have no explanation.
I simply ship it.
Something about them has my brain going, “Yep. Those two. Put them together.” 😂
So, Lizzie… just throwing that out there. 😊
No pressure.
(There is absolutely pressure.)
Overall, I had such a fun time with this book. The romance was sweet, the characters were lovable, the found-family dynamic was EVERYTHING, and now I’m fully invested in this little universe and all these people.
And apparently I am also now emotionally invested in a hypothetical Miles/Graham romance that may or may not exist.
YOU’RE WELCOME, LIZZIE. I’VE DONE THE WORK FOR YOU. 😂
Now give me Frankie’s book. Immediately.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½
🌶️🌶️
Okay, first things first: READ THE PREQUEL FIRST. Seriously. I had Stealing Forever sitting on my TBR, then discovered there was a prequel and decided to read that first. THANK GOD I DID. It was so freaking good, and it made me even more excited to get into this book.
This was my first Lizzie Koz book, so I really had no idea what to expect going in, but I am VERY happy to report that I had a great time. I’m giving this one 4.5 stars overall and 2/5 for spice. What we got was GOOD. 👀🔥 There just wasn’t a whole lot of it. So if you’re here specifically for spice, adjust expectations accordingly. If you’re here for the story, romance, found family, and characters you want to adopt? COME ON IN.
Because honestly, the found family was my favorite part of this book.
Don’t get me wrong, the romance was great. I liked the love story a lot. Shane and Jed are such a fun and loving couple. But the FRIENDSHIP with this entire group?! GOALS. I love when a book manages to make me care about the people surrounding the main couple just as much as I care about the couple themselves, and this one absolutely did that.
I fell in love with Maddy and Easton in the prequel, so getting a whole lot more of them in this book made me ridiculously happy. 🥹 I was basically sitting there like, “YES. GIVE ME MY PEOPLE.”
And FRANKIE.
I adore him. I am already ridiculously excited for his book next, and I’m just going to say it now: I KNEW IT. From the very beginning I was like, “Ohhhhhh, THAT’S who he’s going to fall for.” 👀 So now I’m just sitting here waiting impatiently for that book to prove me right.
BUT THEN.
BROMANTIC PUCKBOY.
EXCUSE ME???
For anyone who doesn’t know, Bromantic Puckboy was mentioned, and a little nod to Damon and Maddox (Fake Out)which of course meant we got a little Sadenverse mention, and I swear to God I SQUEALED.
Because Bromantic Puckboy is one of my absolute favorites in the Puckboy series, tied with Egotistical Puckboy, so seeing that little connection pop up had me DELIGHTED. I love when authors casually connect their books/universes like that. You can just drop a little reference and suddenly I’m sitting there with the Leonardo DiCaprio pointing meme like:
THAT’S MY BOOK. I KNOW THAT BOOK. I LOVE THAT BOOK.
😂😂😂
And while we’re on the subject of sports romances, I have to agree with one thing Maddy: this baseball romance was fantastic.
HOWEVER.
Hockey romance is still superior. I don’t make the rules.
Nothing beats hockey romance. 🏒
But I love sports romance in general, so Lizzie, by all means, BRING ON THE BASEBALL. I will happily consume all of it.
And finally, I have one small suggestion/request/thought that I am simply going to leave here for the author to do with as she pleases:
MILES + GRAHAM.
Listen. I don’t know why.
I have no evidence.
I have no explanation.
I simply ship it.
Something about them has my brain going, “Yep. Those two. Put them together.” 😂
So, Lizzie… just throwing that out there. 😊
No pressure.
(There is absolutely pressure.)
Overall, I had such a fun time with this book. The romance was sweet, the characters were lovable, the found-family dynamic was EVERYTHING, and now I’m fully invested in this little universe and all these people.
And apparently I am also now emotionally invested in a hypothetical Miles/Graham romance that may or may not exist.
YOU’RE WELCOME, LIZZIE. I’VE DONE THE WORK FOR YOU. 😂
Now give me Frankie’s book. Immediately.
Review of advance copy
Sunshine and Storm Cloud ❤️🩹
Gosh, I loved this book. Was I daunted by the high page count for a sports romance? Yes. Did I end up minding? No, I could have read more!
This was so well written! This was my first Lizzie C Koz book and though other books exist in this world, it was completely readable as a stand alone and I didn't once feel like I was missing anything.
The parents, the found family, the team, we really did get to know everyone to a level of just enough and leaving us wanting more. I want Frankie's story and to know more about O and D. I will be looking up the couples mentioned and getting my read on, and I'm keeping an eye out for ARCs as I love this author's style.
This is low angst, though heartfelt. Super family orientated, with lots of friend support and 'soulbros' (plus Shelby) - found family for the win (plus mama, because awww, the head on the lap 💗💗💗).
Grumpy sunshine is probably my favourite trope, and there's some one bed, forbidden relationship, and hurt comfort going on too. There's a smidge of brat, though it's totally natural, rather than staged for trope's sake, which I appreciate, as this story really suited the natural, easy read flow of the author.
There is some drama - though it's stimulated by factors exterior to our couple, and I was grateful that the couple maintained the honesty that they'd established from the start throughout what could have instigated a third act breakup. The honesty and communication earlier in their relationship allowed them to overcome their troubles and if it wasn't for the resurfacing of that, I would have been broken hearted and potentially lost the love of one of these characters in a later part of the story. Thankfully redemption was possible and there was of course a happy ever after.
The couple is gorgeous, but what actually made this story for me was the supporting characters. There weren't too many and they had very defined personalities and roles within the group. The relatives (mum and dad respectively) were loved and loving, and seemed so real and genuine, it was heart warming to read and really left you with chest aches. And the friends were those unshakeable kind that have seen you at your worst and still hoist you up and tell you you're amazing and that they love you.
I loved the world Lizzie created and it's been a long time since I've wanted a book to suck me in so I could visit and be a part of it.
Gosh, I loved this book. Was I daunted by the high page count for a sports romance? Yes. Did I end up minding? No, I could have read more!
This was so well written! This was my first Lizzie C Koz book and though other books exist in this world, it was completely readable as a stand alone and I didn't once feel like I was missing anything.
The parents, the found family, the team, we really did get to know everyone to a level of just enough and leaving us wanting more. I want Frankie's story and to know more about O and D. I will be looking up the couples mentioned and getting my read on, and I'm keeping an eye out for ARCs as I love this author's style.
This is low angst, though heartfelt. Super family orientated, with lots of friend support and 'soulbros' (plus Shelby) - found family for the win (plus mama, because awww, the head on the lap 💗💗💗).
Grumpy sunshine is probably my favourite trope, and there's some one bed, forbidden relationship, and hurt comfort going on too. There's a smidge of brat, though it's totally natural, rather than staged for trope's sake, which I appreciate, as this story really suited the natural, easy read flow of the author.
There is some drama - though it's stimulated by factors exterior to our couple, and I was grateful that the couple maintained the honesty that they'd established from the start throughout what could have instigated a third act breakup. The honesty and communication earlier in their relationship allowed them to overcome their troubles and if it wasn't for the resurfacing of that, I would have been broken hearted and potentially lost the love of one of these characters in a later part of the story. Thankfully redemption was possible and there was of course a happy ever after.
The couple is gorgeous, but what actually made this story for me was the supporting characters. There weren't too many and they had very defined personalities and roles within the group. The relatives (mum and dad respectively) were loved and loving, and seemed so real and genuine, it was heart warming to read and really left you with chest aches. And the friends were those unshakeable kind that have seen you at your worst and still hoist you up and tell you you're amazing and that they love you.
I loved the world Lizzie created and it's been a long time since I've wanted a book to suck me in so I could visit and be a part of it.
Review of advance copy
Omg… this book!!! 🤯💙 I don’t even know where to begin because I’m still sitting here processing everything Lizzie did to my heart.
After reading Finding Home and instantly falling in love with Lizzie C Koz’s writing, I already knew I was in trouble… but Stealing Forever??? This book grabbed me from page ONE and did. not. let. go. It absolutely slapped and I am still reeling from the emotional rollercoaster 😩✨
Shane 🥹☀️ my sweet sunshine boy. He has the biggest golden retriever energy — warm, kind, always giving… but underneath all that? Oof. That deep ache of never feeling like he’s enough, never being the one chosen? Yeah, that hit HARD. I saw so much of myself in him and it honestly hurt in the best way. I was rooting for him the entire damn time 💔➡️❤️
And then there’s Jed 🌧️😤 aka Mr. Grumpy Personified. This man is a whole storm cloud in human form. Closed off, distant, carrying so much pain from the past… and the way it shaped him? My heart. Broke. I just wanted to wrap him up and tell him he didn’t have to carry it all alone. Watching him slowly let Shane (and others) in?? That healing??? EVERYTHING. 😭
Their connection… wow. It starts off rocky, tense, a little distant — but the way it builds??? The way they see each other, stand by each other through every high and low… I swear my heart couldn’t cope. Watching their love grow into something steady and safe was just 🥹💞
But can we talk about the FOUND FAMILY?!?! 🫶🔥 Because wow — this group?? Top tier. Ride-or-die energy. The kind of people who show up no matter what. The banter had me laughing out loud so many times and I loved every single one of them. This is how you do found family RIGHT 👏
This world is quickly becoming one of my absolute favourites and I am already desperate for more. Like Lizzie… respectfully… I need the next book yesterday 😩📚
I definitely recommend reading Finding Home first before diving into this one! 💙
If you love a grumpy x sunshine dynamic, emotional healing, chaotic found family, and a love story that really puts your heart through it before piecing it back together, then this is 100% your next read — no question. ✨📚
*I received a complimentary copy of this book but this is my honest and voluntary review!*
After reading Finding Home and instantly falling in love with Lizzie C Koz’s writing, I already knew I was in trouble… but Stealing Forever??? This book grabbed me from page ONE and did. not. let. go. It absolutely slapped and I am still reeling from the emotional rollercoaster 😩✨
Shane 🥹☀️ my sweet sunshine boy. He has the biggest golden retriever energy — warm, kind, always giving… but underneath all that? Oof. That deep ache of never feeling like he’s enough, never being the one chosen? Yeah, that hit HARD. I saw so much of myself in him and it honestly hurt in the best way. I was rooting for him the entire damn time 💔➡️❤️
And then there’s Jed 🌧️😤 aka Mr. Grumpy Personified. This man is a whole storm cloud in human form. Closed off, distant, carrying so much pain from the past… and the way it shaped him? My heart. Broke. I just wanted to wrap him up and tell him he didn’t have to carry it all alone. Watching him slowly let Shane (and others) in?? That healing??? EVERYTHING. 😭
Their connection… wow. It starts off rocky, tense, a little distant — but the way it builds??? The way they see each other, stand by each other through every high and low… I swear my heart couldn’t cope. Watching their love grow into something steady and safe was just 🥹💞
But can we talk about the FOUND FAMILY?!?! 🫶🔥 Because wow — this group?? Top tier. Ride-or-die energy. The kind of people who show up no matter what. The banter had me laughing out loud so many times and I loved every single one of them. This is how you do found family RIGHT 👏
This world is quickly becoming one of my absolute favourites and I am already desperate for more. Like Lizzie… respectfully… I need the next book yesterday 😩📚
I definitely recommend reading Finding Home first before diving into this one! 💙
If you love a grumpy x sunshine dynamic, emotional healing, chaotic found family, and a love story that really puts your heart through it before piecing it back together, then this is 100% your next read — no question. ✨📚
*I received a complimentary copy of this book but this is my honest and voluntary review!*
May 14, 2026
What a rollercoaster of emotions. This book had me laughing hysterically then pissed then crying and finally swooning. All in the span of minutes.
Shane was the perfect example of the happiest people are always the ones hurting the most. Shane was a walking ray of sunshine for everyone who knew him. But nobody saw how much pain he was hiding.
From being abandoned by his father to being told all his life he was worthless for being poor. How he managed to always have a smile on his face was beyond me. I don’t think I would have been so positive if I was in his shoes.
Jed was the complete opposite. He was a walking dark cloud who forgot what it was like to smile after losing his father. He had lost the only person in the world who loved and cared about him. The one with whom he shared a dream that would never come true.
But no matter how gloomy Jed wanted to be, he had no chance. Shane’s light was too bright for him to ignore. He tried so hard to keep Shane at arms length but Shane managed to warm himself into Jed’s life. He gave him back that smile he lost years ago.
𝓗𝓸𝔀 𝓪𝓶 𝓘 𝓼𝓾𝓹𝓹𝓸𝓼𝓮𝓭 𝓽𝓸 𝓻𝓮𝓼𝓲𝓼𝓽 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓶𝓪𝓷? 𝓗𝓮’𝓼 𝓼𝓾𝓷𝓼𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓮 𝓲𝓷 𝓱𝓾𝓶𝓪𝓷 𝓯𝓸𝓻𝓶, 𝔀𝓪𝓻𝓶𝓽𝓱 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓬𝓸𝓶𝓯𝓸𝓻𝓽 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓱𝓪𝓹𝓹𝓲𝓷𝓮𝓼𝓼. 𝓘 𝓭𝓸𝓷’𝓽 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓴 𝓘 𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓵𝓲𝔃𝓮𝓭 𝓱𝓸𝔀 𝓶𝓾𝓬𝓱 𝓸𝓯 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓘 𝓵𝓪𝓬𝓴𝓮𝓭 𝓲𝓷 𝓶𝔂 𝓵𝓲𝓯𝓮 𝓾𝓷𝓽𝓲𝓵 𝓱𝓮 𝓼𝓱𝓸𝔀𝓮𝓭 𝓾𝓹.
I loved that Shane not only brought sunshine into Jed’s life, but he also gave him friends. A support system so he wouldn’t have to deal with things on his own.
My heart broke for Shane when his father showed up. The things that man said to him were absolutely disgusting and something a father should never say to his children. That man doesn’t deserve a son like Shane. Thank God he had the best mother ever. She’s an inspiration.
I loved them so much. I loved that Jed always made Shane feel treasured and loved. And that Shane made sure that Jed always smiled. They just balanced each other out so perfectly.
“𝓨𝓸𝓾 𝔀𝓮𝓻𝓮 𝓫𝓸𝓻𝓷 𝓽𝓸 𝓼𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓮. 𝓐 𝓵𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓽 𝓵𝓲𝓴𝓮 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻𝓼 𝓬𝓪𝓷’𝓽 𝓫𝓮 𝓱𝓲𝓭𝓭𝓮𝓷, 𝓬𝓪𝓷’𝓽 𝓫𝓮 𝓼𝓽𝓲𝓯𝓵𝓮𝓭.”
I really loved this story. I can’t wait for the next book!
Shane was the perfect example of the happiest people are always the ones hurting the most. Shane was a walking ray of sunshine for everyone who knew him. But nobody saw how much pain he was hiding.
From being abandoned by his father to being told all his life he was worthless for being poor. How he managed to always have a smile on his face was beyond me. I don’t think I would have been so positive if I was in his shoes.
Jed was the complete opposite. He was a walking dark cloud who forgot what it was like to smile after losing his father. He had lost the only person in the world who loved and cared about him. The one with whom he shared a dream that would never come true.
But no matter how gloomy Jed wanted to be, he had no chance. Shane’s light was too bright for him to ignore. He tried so hard to keep Shane at arms length but Shane managed to warm himself into Jed’s life. He gave him back that smile he lost years ago.
𝓗𝓸𝔀 𝓪𝓶 𝓘 𝓼𝓾𝓹𝓹𝓸𝓼𝓮𝓭 𝓽𝓸 𝓻𝓮𝓼𝓲𝓼𝓽 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓶𝓪𝓷? 𝓗𝓮’𝓼 𝓼𝓾𝓷𝓼𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓮 𝓲𝓷 𝓱𝓾𝓶𝓪𝓷 𝓯𝓸𝓻𝓶, 𝔀𝓪𝓻𝓶𝓽𝓱 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓬𝓸𝓶𝓯𝓸𝓻𝓽 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓱𝓪𝓹𝓹𝓲𝓷𝓮𝓼𝓼. 𝓘 𝓭𝓸𝓷’𝓽 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓴 𝓘 𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓵𝓲𝔃𝓮𝓭 𝓱𝓸𝔀 𝓶𝓾𝓬𝓱 𝓸𝓯 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓘 𝓵𝓪𝓬𝓴𝓮𝓭 𝓲𝓷 𝓶𝔂 𝓵𝓲𝓯𝓮 𝓾𝓷𝓽𝓲𝓵 𝓱𝓮 𝓼𝓱𝓸𝔀𝓮𝓭 𝓾𝓹.
I loved that Shane not only brought sunshine into Jed’s life, but he also gave him friends. A support system so he wouldn’t have to deal with things on his own.
My heart broke for Shane when his father showed up. The things that man said to him were absolutely disgusting and something a father should never say to his children. That man doesn’t deserve a son like Shane. Thank God he had the best mother ever. She’s an inspiration.
I loved them so much. I loved that Jed always made Shane feel treasured and loved. And that Shane made sure that Jed always smiled. They just balanced each other out so perfectly.
“𝓨𝓸𝓾 𝔀𝓮𝓻𝓮 𝓫𝓸𝓻𝓷 𝓽𝓸 𝓼𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓮. 𝓐 𝓵𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓽 𝓵𝓲𝓴𝓮 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻𝓼 𝓬𝓪𝓷’𝓽 𝓫𝓮 𝓱𝓲𝓭𝓭𝓮𝓷, 𝓬𝓪𝓷’𝓽 𝓫𝓮 𝓼𝓽𝓲𝓯𝓵𝓮𝓭.”
I really loved this story. I can’t wait for the next book!
May 13, 2026
*Overall Book Rating: 4 / 5
*Tropes:
-MM Romance
-Sports Romance (Baseball)
-Grumpy x Sunshine
-Bi-Awakening
-Rivals Teammates to Lovers
-Forced Proximity
-Hurt / Comfort
-Found Family
*Spiciness: 3 / 5
Stealing Forever was my first book by Lizzie C Koz and I enjoyed the story and all the characters. I loved both the main characters - Shane and Jed. Shane is a beautiful and gentle soul who will go above and beyond for people he cares for and loves. He is a ray of sunshine, sweet, caring and supportive. Jed is grumpy but is also very caring, kind, protective and understanding. Jed’s life takes a turn for the worse during his college years which throws him in depression and struggling to playing baseball. With therapy he manages to pull himself together enough to play baseball professionally but in his personal life, he is just existing until he meets Shane. Shane has his own insecurities and struggles but he has built a wall around his heart that keeps him safe and lets him be his golden retriever self. Being with Shane brings true joy, happiness, warmth and companionship to Jed’s dark and lonely life. Jed on the other hand understands Shane’s insecurities and struggles and does everything in his power to show how important Shane is to him, what value Shane brings in his life and how happy Shane makes him. Shane and Jed’s journey from being rivals (as they played same position) to lovers is heartwarming as we see them slowly find genuine connection and unconditional love with one another. They do have some rocky moments as do all couples but they get through it and come out stronger as a couple. I thoroughly enjoyed easy bantering and teasing, emotional conversations, sweet moments and hawt spicy scenes throughout the book. If you’re in the mood for a sports romance featuring baseball players, this book is a must-read.
*Tropes:
-MM Romance
-Sports Romance (Baseball)
-Grumpy x Sunshine
-Bi-Awakening
-Rivals Teammates to Lovers
-Forced Proximity
-Hurt / Comfort
-Found Family
*Spiciness: 3 / 5
Stealing Forever was my first book by Lizzie C Koz and I enjoyed the story and all the characters. I loved both the main characters - Shane and Jed. Shane is a beautiful and gentle soul who will go above and beyond for people he cares for and loves. He is a ray of sunshine, sweet, caring and supportive. Jed is grumpy but is also very caring, kind, protective and understanding. Jed’s life takes a turn for the worse during his college years which throws him in depression and struggling to playing baseball. With therapy he manages to pull himself together enough to play baseball professionally but in his personal life, he is just existing until he meets Shane. Shane has his own insecurities and struggles but he has built a wall around his heart that keeps him safe and lets him be his golden retriever self. Being with Shane brings true joy, happiness, warmth and companionship to Jed’s dark and lonely life. Jed on the other hand understands Shane’s insecurities and struggles and does everything in his power to show how important Shane is to him, what value Shane brings in his life and how happy Shane makes him. Shane and Jed’s journey from being rivals (as they played same position) to lovers is heartwarming as we see them slowly find genuine connection and unconditional love with one another. They do have some rocky moments as do all couples but they get through it and come out stronger as a couple. I thoroughly enjoyed easy bantering and teasing, emotional conversations, sweet moments and hawt spicy scenes throughout the book. If you’re in the mood for a sports romance featuring baseball players, this book is a must-read.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Losing his father before they could play professional baseball together devastated Jed, and he’s become a sad, stoic player since. He’s recovering from an injury so he’s playing triple A until he can heal fully.
Shane is over the moon to be in triple A with his two best friends since growing up he was on his own with his Mom. They struggled financially after his Dad left them and had a new family he wanted.
The two men are both wanting the same position, but Shane works hard to adapt when he’s moved to second base. The conflict interferes with their playing so the coach tells them to work it out, leading Jed to take Shane to a gay bar in an attempt to make him uncomfortable.
Instead Shane embraces the experience as he’s just starting to figure out his bisexuality. He and Jed hook up and their playing smooths out so they agree to continue.
They also talk about their experiences and Shane sees the pain for Jed in losing his Dad. For his part, Jed can’t believe what a terrible Dad Shane had and how hard he’s had to work to get where he is.
Jed is accepted into Shane’s friend group, his family, which helps him feel more connected. Then Shane’s half brother and then his Dad show up, one seeking to know him, the other continuing his neglect.
It rocks Shane and he has doubts about being able to handle a relationship with Jed, but he gets a chance to look after him and realizes he can deal with anything if they’re together.
This was an enjoyable read, I love Shane’s optimism and the fact his Dad is shown to be the terrible person he is instead of being an unknown entity, leaving Shane to wonder about him.
There’s a hilarious outtake about reading hockey romances, very apropos with the current frenzy about the Rachel Reid series.
I received this ARC for free and am pleased to provide my honest review with my appreciation.
Shane is over the moon to be in triple A with his two best friends since growing up he was on his own with his Mom. They struggled financially after his Dad left them and had a new family he wanted.
The two men are both wanting the same position, but Shane works hard to adapt when he’s moved to second base. The conflict interferes with their playing so the coach tells them to work it out, leading Jed to take Shane to a gay bar in an attempt to make him uncomfortable.
Instead Shane embraces the experience as he’s just starting to figure out his bisexuality. He and Jed hook up and their playing smooths out so they agree to continue.
They also talk about their experiences and Shane sees the pain for Jed in losing his Dad. For his part, Jed can’t believe what a terrible Dad Shane had and how hard he’s had to work to get where he is.
Jed is accepted into Shane’s friend group, his family, which helps him feel more connected. Then Shane’s half brother and then his Dad show up, one seeking to know him, the other continuing his neglect.
It rocks Shane and he has doubts about being able to handle a relationship with Jed, but he gets a chance to look after him and realizes he can deal with anything if they’re together.
This was an enjoyable read, I love Shane’s optimism and the fact his Dad is shown to be the terrible person he is instead of being an unknown entity, leaving Shane to wonder about him.
There’s a hilarious outtake about reading hockey romances, very apropos with the current frenzy about the Rachel Reid series.
I received this ARC for free and am pleased to provide my honest review with my appreciation.
September 24, 2026
I will admit, I loved the first book of this series so much I was a little worried that this book and the rest of the series wouldn’t live up to it but this book definitely didn’t disappoint. I absolutely loved pretty much every second of it!!! I absolutely love Shane’s characters…he really is a little ray of sunshine and med me smile throughout this whole book but also broke my heart when everything with his dad went down. I totally understand how he feels and can relate to him thinking that he is never enough for people and maybe that’s why I love his character so much but I think it’s also why I love Jed just as much because Jed noticed the fake smile that Shane uses and realizes that Shane needs someone to be there for him in the good and the bad! I love the way that Jed supports him, but I also love the way that Shane learns to support Jed even though he thought that he would never be enough for him!! I also love Shane’s mom and the way that she talks him out of his slump even though Jed and Shane’s friends had started to break the ice. I really love the entire couple scenes that follow Shane getting extremely drunk and being hung over, in fact even though I hated what led up to it those few scenes might be my favorite part of the book! I also really really really love the friendship that Shane has with the other characters in this book and I love the way that they were all protective of Shane but also accepted Jed into their group really easily like that is where he always belonged! Overall I think that it is really clear that I absolutely loved this book and I cannot wait to read the next book in this series even if I’m not ready for this series to be over! However, I do have to take a short break from this series to prepare for something else!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from Author
We met Shane Michaels, sunshiney shortstop, in Maddox and East's book, and now we catch up with him at spring training. He's in the big leagues now, excited to be playing alongside some major baseball stars...including Jed Stone, Jr., a fellow shortstop who is back from injury and the devastating loss of his father, a baseball legend.
As much as Shane looks up to Jed, they don't get along at first. Jed sees him as a threat, but Shane can't help but be enamored by the older man...and even develops a crush on him. So when their coach tells them to get to know each other to help their chemistry on the field, Shane is willing to do whatever he needs to get closer to Jed.
I knew I would love meeting Shane but I didn't expect the depth. The feelings. The insecurities and the fears and the doubts. Shane is an incredible person but he's always felt less than. He and his mom had no money, Shane's dad left them, and he's always tried to make himself useful and happy so people keep him around.
Jed, on the other hand, is drowning. The loss of his father has gutted him, and now this sunshine man is everywhere. Smiling at him, winking at him, playing unbelievable baseball...and making Jed want him. But more than that, Shane actually makes Jed feel something GOOD again. For the first time in years.
The spice? 🥵 I love when spice scenes take up chapters because they're so breathtaking and visceral and transformative. The found family? Amazing. They're all such different people but they would die for each other and I love that dynamic in books.
This is one of those books where you never want it to be over but you can't stop devouring it. I cried, I laughed, I swooned, over and over. There's something about Lizzie's writing style that just pulls me in completely and I have no choice but to just let her words do whatever they're going to do. I'm powerless to stop it.
As much as Shane looks up to Jed, they don't get along at first. Jed sees him as a threat, but Shane can't help but be enamored by the older man...and even develops a crush on him. So when their coach tells them to get to know each other to help their chemistry on the field, Shane is willing to do whatever he needs to get closer to Jed.
I knew I would love meeting Shane but I didn't expect the depth. The feelings. The insecurities and the fears and the doubts. Shane is an incredible person but he's always felt less than. He and his mom had no money, Shane's dad left them, and he's always tried to make himself useful and happy so people keep him around.
Jed, on the other hand, is drowning. The loss of his father has gutted him, and now this sunshine man is everywhere. Smiling at him, winking at him, playing unbelievable baseball...and making Jed want him. But more than that, Shane actually makes Jed feel something GOOD again. For the first time in years.
The spice? 🥵 I love when spice scenes take up chapters because they're so breathtaking and visceral and transformative. The found family? Amazing. They're all such different people but they would die for each other and I love that dynamic in books.
This is one of those books where you never want it to be over but you can't stop devouring it. I cried, I laughed, I swooned, over and over. There's something about Lizzie's writing style that just pulls me in completely and I have no choice but to just let her words do whatever they're going to do. I'm powerless to stop it.
April 12, 2026
4.5 stars
Stealing Forever is the first book in the Bridgeport Jetties: The Call-Up Year series and can be read as a standalone.
Hot, heartfelt and hilarious! The relationship between Shane and Jed is realistic and believable. They have some serious chemistry between them and complement each other extremely well. Shane is sweet, supportive and sunshiny. Jed is protective, growly and thoughtful.
The friendship group was strong, loyal and delightful. This quote (that I laughed out loud at) perfectly sums them up: “Operation save a surfboard and ride a Surfer Boy in action”.
The grief, exploration and self-doubt added a deeper layer to this story that took it to another level. The epilogues (yes plural) made me cry. I honestly loved this story and definitely could have read another few chapters about Jed and Shane.
This book contains sensitive material such as homophobic language and violence (physical assault off page), previous loss of parent and ongoing grief,
emotional distress with self-destructive coping behaviours, anxiety attacks, previous parental abandonment and rejection (on page).
⚾ MM Baseball Romance
❤️🔥 Rival teammates to lovers
🌤️ Grumpy/ sunshine
🌈 Bi-awakening
❤️🩹 Hurt/ comfort
👀 Superstitious hookups
🥰 Found family
🛏️ Forced proximity
🫶 Friendship bracelets as a love language
Plot: 📚📚📚📚
Character rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Sexiness: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Feels: 🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤
Writing style: 🖊🖊🖊🖊🖊
QOTD: Do you prefer series or standalone books?
AOTD: I prefer series, I just love the anticipation waiting for the next book and returning to a particular world and/or characters.
Stealing Forever is the first book in the Bridgeport Jetties: The Call-Up Year series and can be read as a standalone.
Hot, heartfelt and hilarious! The relationship between Shane and Jed is realistic and believable. They have some serious chemistry between them and complement each other extremely well. Shane is sweet, supportive and sunshiny. Jed is protective, growly and thoughtful.
The friendship group was strong, loyal and delightful. This quote (that I laughed out loud at) perfectly sums them up: “Operation save a surfboard and ride a Surfer Boy in action”.
The grief, exploration and self-doubt added a deeper layer to this story that took it to another level. The epilogues (yes plural) made me cry. I honestly loved this story and definitely could have read another few chapters about Jed and Shane.
This book contains sensitive material such as homophobic language and violence (physical assault off page), previous loss of parent and ongoing grief,
emotional distress with self-destructive coping behaviours, anxiety attacks, previous parental abandonment and rejection (on page).
⚾ MM Baseball Romance
❤️🔥 Rival teammates to lovers
🌤️ Grumpy/ sunshine
🌈 Bi-awakening
❤️🩹 Hurt/ comfort
👀 Superstitious hookups
🥰 Found family
🛏️ Forced proximity
🫶 Friendship bracelets as a love language
Plot: 📚📚📚📚
Character rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Sexiness: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Feels: 🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤
Writing style: 🖊🖊🖊🖊🖊
QOTD: Do you prefer series or standalone books?
AOTD: I prefer series, I just love the anticipation waiting for the next book and returning to a particular world and/or characters.
April 17, 2026
A story that will tug at your heartstrings and root for the underdog.
Jed has had string of bad luck and when things turn around for him professionally, life throws him a curve ball...one with blue eyes, blonde curls and a smile that lights up the darkest parts of his heart. Dealing with grief, he is not ready to let people in, but just like sunshine, it can peek through the darkest clouds, radiating warmth that feels like coming home.
Shane is not afraid to work hard and go after what he wants. And what he wants is a spot in the 40 man roster and there is nothing that can stop him, except maybe a grumpy short stop who is a legend in his own making. Shane finds himself trying to befriend his lone teammate and discovers some truths that will change his life forever.
Lizzie sprinkles magic in her writing, pulling your emotions in different directions all while moving the story along. Immersing you fully into her world and characters while taking on heavy themes, handling them with compassion and care.
I laughed, cried and cheered while reading this story. You don't have to be a sports fan to appreciate this book. It speaks of the human struggles to find a safe place in today's society while dealing with bigotry and hate. It speaks of found families that are thicker than blood. It speaks of grief and loss, hope and acceptance.
I can't recommend this book enough, please be mindful of the TW as there is language and off page scenarios that can be triggering for some. I can't wait for the next book in this amazing series...
Go Jetties!
Jed has had string of bad luck and when things turn around for him professionally, life throws him a curve ball...one with blue eyes, blonde curls and a smile that lights up the darkest parts of his heart. Dealing with grief, he is not ready to let people in, but just like sunshine, it can peek through the darkest clouds, radiating warmth that feels like coming home.
Shane is not afraid to work hard and go after what he wants. And what he wants is a spot in the 40 man roster and there is nothing that can stop him, except maybe a grumpy short stop who is a legend in his own making. Shane finds himself trying to befriend his lone teammate and discovers some truths that will change his life forever.
Lizzie sprinkles magic in her writing, pulling your emotions in different directions all while moving the story along. Immersing you fully into her world and characters while taking on heavy themes, handling them with compassion and care.
I laughed, cried and cheered while reading this story. You don't have to be a sports fan to appreciate this book. It speaks of the human struggles to find a safe place in today's society while dealing with bigotry and hate. It speaks of found families that are thicker than blood. It speaks of grief and loss, hope and acceptance.
I can't recommend this book enough, please be mindful of the TW as there is language and off page scenarios that can be triggering for some. I can't wait for the next book in this amazing series...
Go Jetties!
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