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The Dugout #4
The Troublemaker
A fake marriage deal was never in my life’s plan.
Especially not to Easton Bailey.
Chicago Colts flashy shortstop.
The kind of man built for a good time and allergic to forever.
And the one who just slid a ring on my finger… on paper.
It’s supposed to be simple.
A mutually beneficial arrangement.
I play nanny to his son. He plays husband to my family.
No emotions. No complications. And absolutely no falling for each other.
Turns out pretending to be a family is the fastest way to break every rule we set.
Because he watches me like it was never just a deal.
Because he trusts me with the person who matters most.
Because the more we pretend, the less fake it feels.
And now the man who was never supposed to stay is the one I can't lose.
Especially not to Easton Bailey.
Chicago Colts flashy shortstop.
The kind of man built for a good time and allergic to forever.
And the one who just slid a ring on my finger… on paper.
It’s supposed to be simple.
A mutually beneficial arrangement.
I play nanny to his son. He plays husband to my family.
No emotions. No complications. And absolutely no falling for each other.
Turns out pretending to be a family is the fastest way to break every rule we set.
Because he watches me like it was never just a deal.
Because he trusts me with the person who matters most.
Because the more we pretend, the less fake it feels.
And now the man who was never supposed to stay is the one I can't lose.
388 pages, Paperback
First published June 25, 2026
About the author
Piper Rayne
173 books8,124 followersPiper Rayne is an Amazon Top 50 and USA Today Bestselling Author duo who believes in soft places to land, big laughs, and happily-ever-afters.
Piper’s the one who turns up the heat and humor—spinning tension, spark, and steam into moments that make you blush into your pillow and grin through the next chapter.
Rayne’s the one who tugs on your heartstrings—mixing locker-room laughs, brotherhood banter, and the kind of heart-punch moments that hit when you least expect them.
Together, they create stories that feel like family—sometimes found, sometimes blood—but always the kind that stays with you long after the final word.
At the end of the day, Piper and Rayne write love stories that they hope feel real, funny, with just the right amount of steam… ones that make your heart race and your world a little warmer.
Piper’s the one who turns up the heat and humor—spinning tension, spark, and steam into moments that make you blush into your pillow and grin through the next chapter.
Rayne’s the one who tugs on your heartstrings—mixing locker-room laughs, brotherhood banter, and the kind of heart-punch moments that hit when you least expect them.
Together, they create stories that feel like family—sometimes found, sometimes blood—but always the kind that stays with you long after the final word.
At the end of the day, Piper and Rayne write love stories that they hope feel real, funny, with just the right amount of steam… ones that make your heart race and your world a little warmer.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,307 reviews
July 3, 2026
"I love you too," she says.
There're no sweeter words.
rating: ★★★★ stars.
spicy level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Lately I've been giving romance (rom-coms and now sports romance) a chance thanks to a beautiful friend named Yimmie, and it's one of the best decisions I've ever made.
This was funny, emotional and it caught me from the very beginning. I must admit that I'm usually cautious with romances (this is a me problem, don't worry), but this book was amazing.
Hadley is strong, sassy and she knows what she wants, and she's not afraid to go and take it. Her grandmother passes away and leaves her a bookstore in her will, but Hadley must live in Chicago for a year and get married. Enter Easton Bailey, a playboy who recently found out that he's a father when someone delivers his baby, Tanner, to him with only a note attached to the baby.
Marriage of convenience it's becoming an amazing trope for me because I love that forced proximity, the banter and the slow realization that they're falling in love. The baby is a plus because I'm now getting obsessed with the "single parent" trope.
Easton grows attached to Tanner and their relationship is wonderful.
Hadley needs a husband and Easton needs a nanny.
The last chapters got me clutching my pearls because I really wanted to know who was Tanner's mom, and when I made it to that part I was in shock. I was at work while reading it, lmaoooo, and I didn't have who to tell this news because I was all alone (which is fine by me because no one is distracting me, haha), so I was gasping and tearing up on my own.
I liked the dynamics, the friendships, the relationships and the banters.
I will definitely pick up more books of this duo!
⌗ ── ⚾🍋🟩🐈⬛ᝰ .ᐟ read.
It’s midnight, I just got out of work as I finished this book and omg, this was so cute and funny 😭🥹❤️🩹 RTC
⌗ ── ⚾🍋🟩🐈⬛ᝰ .ᐟ pre-read.
thanks to hambright pr for the arc in exchange of an honest review.
yes, now sports romance has become my thing, lmao. so you can see how dumb i am, i hadn't realized that this was a series, lmaoooooo, but i will definitely read the first 3 books, haha, don't mind me
There're no sweeter words.
rating: ★★★★ stars.
spicy level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Lately I've been giving romance (rom-coms and now sports romance) a chance thanks to a beautiful friend named Yimmie, and it's one of the best decisions I've ever made.
This was funny, emotional and it caught me from the very beginning. I must admit that I'm usually cautious with romances (this is a me problem, don't worry), but this book was amazing.
Hadley is strong, sassy and she knows what she wants, and she's not afraid to go and take it. Her grandmother passes away and leaves her a bookstore in her will, but Hadley must live in Chicago for a year and get married. Enter Easton Bailey, a playboy who recently found out that he's a father when someone delivers his baby, Tanner, to him with only a note attached to the baby.
Marriage of convenience it's becoming an amazing trope for me because I love that forced proximity, the banter and the slow realization that they're falling in love. The baby is a plus because I'm now getting obsessed with the "single parent" trope.
Easton grows attached to Tanner and their relationship is wonderful.
Hadley needs a husband and Easton needs a nanny.
The last chapters got me clutching my pearls because I really wanted to know who was Tanner's mom, and when I made it to that part I was in shock. I was at work while reading it, lmaoooo, and I didn't have who to tell this news because I was all alone (which is fine by me because no one is distracting me, haha), so I was gasping and tearing up on my own.
I liked the dynamics, the friendships, the relationships and the banters.
I will definitely pick up more books of this duo!
⌗ ── ⚾🍋🟩🐈⬛ᝰ .ᐟ read.
It’s midnight, I just got out of work as I finished this book and omg, this was so cute and funny 😭🥹❤️🩹 RTC
⌗ ── ⚾🍋🟩🐈⬛ᝰ .ᐟ pre-read.
thanks to hambright pr for the arc in exchange of an honest review.
yes, now sports romance has become my thing, lmao. so you can see how dumb i am, i hadn't realized that this was a series, lmaoooooo, but i will definitely read the first 3 books, haha, don't mind me
June 26, 2026
3.75 ⭐️🎧
I wasn't convinced at first. Then a tiny baby, a soft-hearted baseball player and an unexpectedly wholesome fake marriage completely wore down my defenses. I was this close to giving it four stars....until the ending reminded me that pacing matters.
This was a huge step up from Foster's book. It wasn't perfect but it was immersive, surprisingly emotional and delivered exactly the kind of soft domestic romance that sneaks up on you when you least expect it.
The duet narration deserves a standing ovation. Christine Lakin and Connor Crais were fantastic and with so many supporting characters voiced by some of my favourite narrators, it often felt like a full-cast production. It elevated the entire experience, carried me through the slower stretches and made this ridiculously easy to binge in one sitting.
What worked for me
(aka: the "fine...you got me emotionally attached" moments)
The emotional progression between Easton and Hadley was easily the biggest strength of this book.
I'll admit it - I wasn't immediately sold on them. For two people with a long-standing casual arrangement, I kept waiting for the chemistry to move beyond "the author says they've been hooking up" into something I could actually feel. Thankfully, once the story leaned into the domestic side of the relationship, everything started clicking.
Watching two commitment-phobes accidentally become a family while raising a baby was ridiculously endearing. The fake marriage was never the real heart of the story - it was watching them slowly build a life together without even realising it.
And then there's Easton.
Soft Dad Easton absolutely carried this book.
The man who never wanted a relationship becoming completely consumed by fatherhood, quietly falling in love through shared routines, bedtime stories, grocery runs and tiny everyday moments? That's my favourite kind of character development. He wasn't perfect but he communicated, he listened, he owned his mistakes and once he committed, he never made me question where his priorities were.
Tanner also deserves his own appreciation post because that tiny human stole every single scene he appeared in.
Where it lost me
(aka: the "why would you do this to me?" moments)
The strongest conflict arrived way too late
My biggest issue isn't what happened.
It's when it happened.
The final conflict is, without question, the richest emotional storyline in the entire book. It completely changes the emotional landscape of the romance and raises the stakes in a way I genuinely didn't see coming.
But introducing something that significant so close to the ending meant the story barely had time to sit in the fallout before it was already trying to wrap everything up.
I didn't need less drama.
I needed more time with it.
The emotional aftermath needed room to breathe
Once the reveal happened, I wanted conversations.
I wanted uncomfortable silences.
I wanted Easton and Hadley processing everything together.
I wanted to watch them actively choose each other again after their world shifted beneath them.
Instead, the emotional healing moved much faster than I could catch up with. The resolution itself wasn't necessarily the problem - I just didn't feel like we'd earned it yet.
I wanted more of this family
By the end of the book, I wasn't craving more romance.
I was craving more aftermath.
The epilogue shifted its attention toward setting up the next couple and while I understand that's part of writing an interconnected series, I wasn't quite ready to leave Easton, Hadley and Tanner behind.
After everything they'd just been through, I wanted one more chapter of them.
Final thoughts
This ended up being a much stronger reading experience than I expected.
The audio production elevated everything, the domestic moments completely won me over and somewhere along the way I went from questioning the chemistry to rooting wholeheartedly for this little family.
The ending frustrated me - not because I disliked where the story went but because I wanted more time to sit with the emotional consequences. That's a good problem for a romance to have.
Final verdict
3.75 ⭐️ - The final 10% tested my patience but Soft Dad Easton Bailey?? I owe you an apology. I wasn't familiar with your game, sir.
Manifestation complete: soft dad moments, accidental yearning and feelings that definitely snuck up on all of us.
Tropes and Vibes:
• Baseball romance
• Fake marriage
• Surprise baby
• Forced proximity / living together
• Friends-with-benefits to lovers
• Soft Dad supremacy
• Accidental family
• Domestic romance
• Accidental yearning
• Emotional growth over grand gestures
• Outstanding duet audiobook (felt almost full cast)
• Tiny human stealing every scene
• Third-act emotional bomb... that needed more page time
☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
Pre-read:
A fake marriage. A baseball star. A tiny human. One house. Give me soft dad moments, accidental yearning and feelings that sneak up on him 🤞🏻🎧✨️
I wasn't convinced at first. Then a tiny baby, a soft-hearted baseball player and an unexpectedly wholesome fake marriage completely wore down my defenses. I was this close to giving it four stars....until the ending reminded me that pacing matters.
This was a huge step up from Foster's book. It wasn't perfect but it was immersive, surprisingly emotional and delivered exactly the kind of soft domestic romance that sneaks up on you when you least expect it.
The duet narration deserves a standing ovation. Christine Lakin and Connor Crais were fantastic and with so many supporting characters voiced by some of my favourite narrators, it often felt like a full-cast production. It elevated the entire experience, carried me through the slower stretches and made this ridiculously easy to binge in one sitting.
What worked for me
(aka: the "fine...you got me emotionally attached" moments)
The emotional progression between Easton and Hadley was easily the biggest strength of this book.
I'll admit it - I wasn't immediately sold on them. For two people with a long-standing casual arrangement, I kept waiting for the chemistry to move beyond "the author says they've been hooking up" into something I could actually feel. Thankfully, once the story leaned into the domestic side of the relationship, everything started clicking.
Watching two commitment-phobes accidentally become a family while raising a baby was ridiculously endearing. The fake marriage was never the real heart of the story - it was watching them slowly build a life together without even realising it.
And then there's Easton.
Soft Dad Easton absolutely carried this book.
The man who never wanted a relationship becoming completely consumed by fatherhood, quietly falling in love through shared routines, bedtime stories, grocery runs and tiny everyday moments? That's my favourite kind of character development. He wasn't perfect but he communicated, he listened, he owned his mistakes and once he committed, he never made me question where his priorities were.
Tanner also deserves his own appreciation post because that tiny human stole every single scene he appeared in.
Where it lost me
(aka: the "why would you do this to me?" moments)
The strongest conflict arrived way too late
My biggest issue isn't what happened.
It's when it happened.
The final conflict is, without question, the richest emotional storyline in the entire book. It completely changes the emotional landscape of the romance and raises the stakes in a way I genuinely didn't see coming.
But introducing something that significant so close to the ending meant the story barely had time to sit in the fallout before it was already trying to wrap everything up.
I didn't need less drama.
I needed more time with it.
The emotional aftermath needed room to breathe
Once the reveal happened, I wanted conversations.
I wanted uncomfortable silences.
I wanted Easton and Hadley processing everything together.
I wanted to watch them actively choose each other again after their world shifted beneath them.
Instead, the emotional healing moved much faster than I could catch up with. The resolution itself wasn't necessarily the problem - I just didn't feel like we'd earned it yet.
I wanted more of this family
By the end of the book, I wasn't craving more romance.
I was craving more aftermath.
The epilogue shifted its attention toward setting up the next couple and while I understand that's part of writing an interconnected series, I wasn't quite ready to leave Easton, Hadley and Tanner behind.
After everything they'd just been through, I wanted one more chapter of them.
Final thoughts
This ended up being a much stronger reading experience than I expected.
The audio production elevated everything, the domestic moments completely won me over and somewhere along the way I went from questioning the chemistry to rooting wholeheartedly for this little family.
The ending frustrated me - not because I disliked where the story went but because I wanted more time to sit with the emotional consequences. That's a good problem for a romance to have.
Final verdict
3.75 ⭐️ - The final 10% tested my patience but Soft Dad Easton Bailey?? I owe you an apology. I wasn't familiar with your game, sir.
Manifestation complete: soft dad moments, accidental yearning and feelings that definitely snuck up on all of us.
Tropes and Vibes:
• Baseball romance
• Fake marriage
• Surprise baby
• Forced proximity / living together
• Friends-with-benefits to lovers
• Soft Dad supremacy
• Accidental family
• Domestic romance
• Accidental yearning
• Emotional growth over grand gestures
• Outstanding duet audiobook (felt almost full cast)
• Tiny human stealing every scene
• Third-act emotional bomb... that needed more page time
☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
Pre-read:
A fake marriage. A baseball star. A tiny human. One house. Give me soft dad moments, accidental yearning and feelings that sneak up on him 🤞🏻🎧✨️
July 8, 2026
This was exactly the kind of book I needed 🥹 It was such an easy read and honestly felt like the perfect palate cleanser. Soft, comforting, low-stress, and just one of those stories that makes you smile more than you realize while you’re reading.
on repeat 𝄞 ࿐♬ 𓍢ִ🎧ྀི ᯓ ♪ˎˊ˗
“ᴀʟʟ ɪ ᴅᴏ ɪꜱ ᴡɪɴ” x ᴅᴊ ᴋʜᴀʟᴇᴅ
0:05 ─♥───────── 3:50
Easton completely won me over. 😭 He was such a genuinely good dad, and that ended up being one of my favorite parts of the entire book. Even though becoming a parent wasn’t something he expected, I loved watching how naturally he stepped into that role. He wasn’t perfect, and he definitely had moments where he struggled, but he always showed up. There was something really special about seeing someone love so intentionally.
I also loved that Hadley and Easton’s relationship didn’t feel forced from the beginning. Their friendship developed so naturally, and getting to watch them slowly become each other’s safe place was honestly my favorite part. Fake relationships are always fun, but watching a friendship quietly turn into something neither of them expected? That’s the kind of romance I eat up every single time.
The ending, though… WHAT. 😳 I genuinely did not see that coming. I slowly started putting the pieces together right before everything unfolded, and I was sitting there thinking, there is absolutely no way. I love when a book manages to catch me off guard like that.
My only complaint is that I really wish we’d had more time with that final conflict. It was such a huge moment that completely shifted everything, and then… it was over almost as quickly as it started. I wanted a few more chapters to really sit with everything that happened because it deserved a little more room to breathe.
I also jumped into this series with book four, and while it was surprisingly easy to follow, there were quite a few names and relationships that were clearly established in the previous books that had me a tad confused at some points. That’s completely on me, though, and it never stopped me from enjoying the story. It just made me realize I’d probably appreciate those moments even more if I’d started from the beginning.
Overall this was such a sweet, cozy romance with lovable characters, a relationship that felt incredibly natural, and one very lovable baseball dad who completely stole the show. 💛
favorite quotes ↓
“I actually like it when people don’t believe in me. I like to surprise them when I succeed. Never let anyone tell you what you can and cannot do.”
things to know about the book ↓
⚾️ baseball MMC
⚾️ single dad x nanny
⚾️ marriage of convenience
⚾️ forced proximity
⚾️ he falls first
⚾️ FWB → lovers
⚾️ found family
⚾️ dual POV
swearing: yes
spice rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
→ chapters: 41, 46, 47, 50
Thank you Valentine PR, publisher & author for this arc in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
─────────
・❥・⁀➷ ⚾️ 𝕡𝕣𝕖-𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕕
june 3rd- she's his son's nanny and he's her fake husband??? 😼😼😼 randomly REALLY liking the nanny trope lately 👀
on repeat 𝄞 ࿐♬ 𓍢ִ🎧ྀི ᯓ ♪ˎˊ˗
“ᴀʟʟ ɪ ᴅᴏ ɪꜱ ᴡɪɴ” x ᴅᴊ ᴋʜᴀʟᴇᴅ
0:05 ─♥───────── 3:50
Easton completely won me over. 😭 He was such a genuinely good dad, and that ended up being one of my favorite parts of the entire book. Even though becoming a parent wasn’t something he expected, I loved watching how naturally he stepped into that role. He wasn’t perfect, and he definitely had moments where he struggled, but he always showed up. There was something really special about seeing someone love so intentionally.
I also loved that Hadley and Easton’s relationship didn’t feel forced from the beginning. Their friendship developed so naturally, and getting to watch them slowly become each other’s safe place was honestly my favorite part. Fake relationships are always fun, but watching a friendship quietly turn into something neither of them expected? That’s the kind of romance I eat up every single time.
The ending, though… WHAT. 😳 I genuinely did not see that coming. I slowly started putting the pieces together right before everything unfolded, and I was sitting there thinking, there is absolutely no way. I love when a book manages to catch me off guard like that.
My only complaint is that I really wish we’d had more time with that final conflict. It was such a huge moment that completely shifted everything, and then… it was over almost as quickly as it started. I wanted a few more chapters to really sit with everything that happened because it deserved a little more room to breathe.
I also jumped into this series with book four, and while it was surprisingly easy to follow, there were quite a few names and relationships that were clearly established in the previous books that had me a tad confused at some points. That’s completely on me, though, and it never stopped me from enjoying the story. It just made me realize I’d probably appreciate those moments even more if I’d started from the beginning.
Overall this was such a sweet, cozy romance with lovable characters, a relationship that felt incredibly natural, and one very lovable baseball dad who completely stole the show. 💛
favorite quotes ↓
“I actually like it when people don’t believe in me. I like to surprise them when I succeed. Never let anyone tell you what you can and cannot do.”
things to know about the book ↓
⚾️ baseball MMC
⚾️ single dad x nanny
⚾️ marriage of convenience
⚾️ forced proximity
⚾️ he falls first
⚾️ FWB → lovers
⚾️ found family
⚾️ dual POV
swearing: yes
spice rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
→ chapters: 41, 46, 47, 50
Thank you Valentine PR, publisher & author for this arc in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
─────────
・❥・⁀➷ ⚾️ 𝕡𝕣𝕖-𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕕
june 3rd- she's his son's nanny and he's her fake husband??? 😼😼😼 randomly REALLY liking the nanny trope lately 👀
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
My favorite author duo is back at it with a binge-worhty conclusion to The Dugout Series that will have you smiling, giggling and screaming into your pillow. Oh, how I will miss this found family!
The Dugout series has had me hooked since book one, well since we were teased at the end of The Nest Series really! And I really had no idea who could pin down Easton Bailey, the loveable playboy, who we all knew really just needed to find the right girl to capture attention and his heart would be locked down immediately. Love the friends with benefits aspects, wish we’d seen more of it through the series, but it was kinda a secret which worked in both Easton and Hadley’s favour. Without their past connection and then the chaos that descended in their lives, there would have been no use for their mutually beneficial deal. Easton was the sweetest dad to Tanner, I love a baby in a romance book. and whatever tropes it comes with. Hadley and her free spirit, who really just seemed to not feel like she belonged anywhere, found her home with the boys, forming a beautiful connection with Tanner, when he called her momma *OH THE HAPPY TEARS*, I love nothing more than out MCs falling not only in love with each other, but the kids that isn’t biologically theirs (cause we all know that love runs thicker than blood).
Speaking of, I’M SHOOK, Tanner’s mum reveal caught me OFF GUARD!! I actually don’t know how to feel.. what the heckie!! Here I thought we might have a future heroine for the next series (maybe we do..), but AHHH I’m a mix of emotions, I feel deep in my chest exactly what Hadley was too, but after a whirlwind of emotions for like two/three chapters, I think it concluded beautifully. Crazy times though ahah!
I can’t believe this series is over, praise the power of the writing duo that is Piper Rayne, the way they can publish a full series within a matter of months - may I say as a very big fan, THANK YOU! I literally count the days between each book, what am I supposed to do in July now? AHAH
—> Tropes
⚾️ Sports Romance, Baseball
⚾️ Surprise baby, but she’s not the mum
⚾️ Fake Marriage, she needs a husband for a year x he needs a babysitter
⚾️ Single Dad x Nanny
⚾️ Forced Proximity, Roommates
⚾️ Reformed Playboy
⚾️ Found Family
Thank you so much to Piper Rayne and Valentine PR Audio for the ALC of The Troublemaker! 😭😭😭 (NOTHING beats the full cast audiobook narration! Superb casting and execution)
ONE LAST THING
So… three chipmunks for the three apartments above Ruby’s bar AND Ruby has a niece… which chipmunk will she end up with 😂 (and why is Simon is my favourite chipmunk so far, I think it’s the deep voice of his narrator AHAH)
ALSO a Ripley x Bianca Banks book PLEASEEE, it's giving age gap, workplace rival teams, secret relationship AHHH I'm so selfish GIMME!! AHAH ok I'll stop
______________________________
Previous thoughts:
May 25th: WOW these tropes.. I'm so intrigued to find out more about Easton and Hadley!! AND PLEASE LET THERE BE LOTS OF BAILEY FAMILY CAMEOS 🙏🏼
Feb 18th: The Troublemaker HAS to be Easton Bailey! Who the girl is, I'm not sure yet, but you can bet once we get the SLIGHTEST hint, I'll be theorising and shipping. Just excited to hopefully get some Bailey (or even Greene) cameos or mention - I forever want second and third gen stories about those fams!
The Dugout series has had me hooked since book one, well since we were teased at the end of The Nest Series really! And I really had no idea who could pin down Easton Bailey, the loveable playboy, who we all knew really just needed to find the right girl to capture attention and his heart would be locked down immediately. Love the friends with benefits aspects, wish we’d seen more of it through the series, but it was kinda a secret which worked in both Easton and Hadley’s favour. Without their past connection and then the chaos that descended in their lives, there would have been no use for their mutually beneficial deal. Easton was the sweetest dad to Tanner, I love a baby in a romance book. and whatever tropes it comes with. Hadley and her free spirit, who really just seemed to not feel like she belonged anywhere, found her home with the boys, forming a beautiful connection with Tanner, when he called her momma *OH THE HAPPY TEARS*, I love nothing more than out MCs falling not only in love with each other, but the kids that isn’t biologically theirs (cause we all know that love runs thicker than blood).
Speaking of, I’M SHOOK, Tanner’s mum reveal caught me OFF GUARD!! I actually don’t know how to feel.. what the heckie!! Here I thought we might have a future heroine for the next series (maybe we do..), but AHHH I’m a mix of emotions, I feel deep in my chest exactly what Hadley was too, but after a whirlwind of emotions for like two/three chapters, I think it concluded beautifully. Crazy times though ahah!
I can’t believe this series is over, praise the power of the writing duo that is Piper Rayne, the way they can publish a full series within a matter of months - may I say as a very big fan, THANK YOU! I literally count the days between each book, what am I supposed to do in July now? AHAH
—> Tropes
⚾️ Sports Romance, Baseball
⚾️ Surprise baby, but she’s not the mum
⚾️ Fake Marriage, she needs a husband for a year x he needs a babysitter
⚾️ Single Dad x Nanny
⚾️ Forced Proximity, Roommates
⚾️ Reformed Playboy
⚾️ Found Family
Thank you so much to Piper Rayne and Valentine PR Audio for the ALC of The Troublemaker! 😭😭😭 (NOTHING beats the full cast audiobook narration! Superb casting and execution)
ONE LAST THING
So… three chipmunks for the three apartments above Ruby’s bar AND Ruby has a niece… which chipmunk will she end up with 😂 (and why is Simon is my favourite chipmunk so far, I think it’s the deep voice of his narrator AHAH)
ALSO a Ripley x Bianca Banks book PLEASEEE, it's giving age gap, workplace rival teams, secret relationship AHHH I'm so selfish GIMME!! AHAH ok I'll stop
______________________________
Previous thoughts:
May 25th: WOW these tropes.. I'm so intrigued to find out more about Easton and Hadley!! AND PLEASE LET THERE BE LOTS OF BAILEY FAMILY CAMEOS 🙏🏼
Feb 18th: The Troublemaker HAS to be Easton Bailey! Who the girl is, I'm not sure yet, but you can bet once we get the SLIGHTEST hint, I'll be theorising and shipping. Just excited to hopefully get some Bailey (or even Greene) cameos or mention - I forever want second and third gen stories about those fams!
June 17, 2026
He needed a wife. She needed husband. I needed CPR.
5 ⭐️ | 2.75 🌶️
UUUUUUUGH.
Piper Rayne, I would like to formally submit a complaint because WHAT EXACTLY WAS I SUPPOSED TO DO WITH ALL THESE FEELINGS?!
The Troublemaker is the fourth and final installment in the Dugout series, and somehow this dynamic duo managed to hit a grand slam, steal home, and walk off into the sunset with my entire heart.
Easton Bailey is the Chicago Colts’ flashy shortstop, professional charmer, and certified good-time guy. His life gets flipped upside down when he suddenly discovers he’s the father of a six-month-old baby boy and has absolutely no clue what he’s doing. Enter Hadley.
Our girl Hadley is a beautiful contradiction: free-spirited, adventurous, always chasing the next experience and never staying in one place for too long. But after her grandmother’s passing, she’s pulled back to Chicago and learns she’s inherited her beloved bookshop… with a few very specific strings attached.
One of them involving a husband.
And if you’ve read literally anything in this synopsis, you already know where this is going.
Marriage of convenience? ✔️
Fake marriage? ✔️
Single dad and nanny? ✔️
Mutually beneficial arrangement? ✔️
Me kicking my feet, giggling, crying, and screaming into a pillow? ALSO ✔️
What starts as a practical solution quickly becomes something so much deeper, and that’s where this story absolutely shines. The romance isn’t rushed. It unfolds naturally through late-night conversations, shared responsibilities, stolen glances, growing trust, and the kind of emotional intimacy that sneaks up on you before completely wrecking you.
And Easton? OH, EASTON.
Watching this carefree baseball star step into fatherhood was genuinely beautiful. He doesn’t have all the answers. He makes mistakes. He worries. He learns. He grows. And every single moment felt authentic. The journey into parenthood (both for him and Hadley) was written with so much heart that there were multiple moments where my eyes suspiciously filled with tears.
Totally normal. Totally fine.
What I loved most was how raw and honest their relationship felt. Beneath all the banter, chemistry, and fake-marriage shenanigans is a story about finding a place to belong. About discovering that home isn’t necessarily a location, sometimes it’s a person. Sometimes it’s a tiny family you never saw coming.
The emotional depth caught me off guard in the best way. One minute I was laughing, the next I was clutching my chest, and then somehow I was smiling through tears.
And let’s not forget the chemistry because GOOD LORD. The tension is delicious, the romance is swoony, and when Easton finally starts realizing certain things? Let’s just say I was absolutely thriving.
As a finale to the Dugout series, I genuinely couldn’t have asked for more. It has heart, humour, growth, family, romance, and every single thing that made me fall in love with this series in the first place. Piper Rayne delivered the perfect send-off, and I closed this book with the biggest smile on my face and a very full heart.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be over here suffering from a massive book hangover and missing the Bailey family already.
Thank you to Hambright PR for the eARC, and congratulations to Piper Rayne on another unforgettable release (June 25th).
5 ⭐️ | 2.75 🌶️
UUUUUUUGH.
Piper Rayne, I would like to formally submit a complaint because WHAT EXACTLY WAS I SUPPOSED TO DO WITH ALL THESE FEELINGS?!
The Troublemaker is the fourth and final installment in the Dugout series, and somehow this dynamic duo managed to hit a grand slam, steal home, and walk off into the sunset with my entire heart.
Easton Bailey is the Chicago Colts’ flashy shortstop, professional charmer, and certified good-time guy. His life gets flipped upside down when he suddenly discovers he’s the father of a six-month-old baby boy and has absolutely no clue what he’s doing. Enter Hadley.
Our girl Hadley is a beautiful contradiction: free-spirited, adventurous, always chasing the next experience and never staying in one place for too long. But after her grandmother’s passing, she’s pulled back to Chicago and learns she’s inherited her beloved bookshop… with a few very specific strings attached.
One of them involving a husband.
And if you’ve read literally anything in this synopsis, you already know where this is going.
Marriage of convenience? ✔️
Fake marriage? ✔️
Single dad and nanny? ✔️
Mutually beneficial arrangement? ✔️
Me kicking my feet, giggling, crying, and screaming into a pillow? ALSO ✔️
What starts as a practical solution quickly becomes something so much deeper, and that’s where this story absolutely shines. The romance isn’t rushed. It unfolds naturally through late-night conversations, shared responsibilities, stolen glances, growing trust, and the kind of emotional intimacy that sneaks up on you before completely wrecking you.
And Easton? OH, EASTON.
Watching this carefree baseball star step into fatherhood was genuinely beautiful. He doesn’t have all the answers. He makes mistakes. He worries. He learns. He grows. And every single moment felt authentic. The journey into parenthood (both for him and Hadley) was written with so much heart that there were multiple moments where my eyes suspiciously filled with tears.
Totally normal. Totally fine.
What I loved most was how raw and honest their relationship felt. Beneath all the banter, chemistry, and fake-marriage shenanigans is a story about finding a place to belong. About discovering that home isn’t necessarily a location, sometimes it’s a person. Sometimes it’s a tiny family you never saw coming.
The emotional depth caught me off guard in the best way. One minute I was laughing, the next I was clutching my chest, and then somehow I was smiling through tears.
And let’s not forget the chemistry because GOOD LORD. The tension is delicious, the romance is swoony, and when Easton finally starts realizing certain things? Let’s just say I was absolutely thriving.
As a finale to the Dugout series, I genuinely couldn’t have asked for more. It has heart, humour, growth, family, romance, and every single thing that made me fall in love with this series in the first place. Piper Rayne delivered the perfect send-off, and I closed this book with the biggest smile on my face and a very full heart.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be over here suffering from a massive book hangover and missing the Bailey family already.
Thank you to Hambright PR for the eARC, and congratulations to Piper Rayne on another unforgettable release (June 25th).
June 27, 2026
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This is hands down my favorite book in the entire series! Piper Rayne completely flipped the script with this one, and I loved every minute of it.
A booty call turning into a marriage of convenience and then into a heartfelt love story? Sign me up. And just when I thought I knew where things were going, they threw in a surprise baby…except it wasn’t her surprise baby, which made for such a refreshing twist on the trope.
I loved watching these two show up for each other, especially as they navigated caring for the sweetest little boy. Their relationship developed so naturally, and it was impossible not to root for them every step of the way.
One of my favorite parts of this series continues to be the incredible found family. The baseball team and all of their significant others create such a fun, supportive group, and every scene with them made me smile.
If you’ve been enjoying this series, this one is definitely a standout and my favorite by far.
This is hands down my favorite book in the entire series! Piper Rayne completely flipped the script with this one, and I loved every minute of it.
A booty call turning into a marriage of convenience and then into a heartfelt love story? Sign me up. And just when I thought I knew where things were going, they threw in a surprise baby…except it wasn’t her surprise baby, which made for such a refreshing twist on the trope.
I loved watching these two show up for each other, especially as they navigated caring for the sweetest little boy. Their relationship developed so naturally, and it was impossible not to root for them every step of the way.
One of my favorite parts of this series continues to be the incredible found family. The baseball team and all of their significant others create such a fun, supportive group, and every scene with them made me smile.
If you’ve been enjoying this series, this one is definitely a standout and my favorite by far.
July 17, 2026
Easton and Hadley's story was so beautiful and it was a fun take on the surprise single dad x nanny trope with their background of already being established hookup buddies. Throw in a marriage of convenience and you have most of my favorite things in this book. I loved their individual growth and their growth as a couple and a loving little family of three. The group of characters in this series is also one giant family and I loved Hadley finding her place amongst them. I was truly shocked at the plot twist, seriously did not see it coming. Its not often I'm so thrown by the plot twist, but it was a good one for sure. This series has been so fun and I'm sad to see it coming to an end, but this was the perfect book to end the series.
June 24, 2026
I had the ALC and let me tell you !! Having a full cast of amazing narrators just makes this even better !
The Troublemaker gave me everything I want in a fake‑marriage romance: unhinged tension, accidental tenderness, and two people who swear it’s “just for convenience” while radiating married couple energy.
He needs a nanny and she needs to be married in order to inherit her grandmothers bookstore
And the twist ? I did not see that coming
The banter? Elite.
The chemistry? Immediate.
The denial? Hilarious.
If you love watching two stubborn idiots fall in love while pretending they’re not, this one hits.
The Troublemaker gave me everything I want in a fake‑marriage romance: unhinged tension, accidental tenderness, and two people who swear it’s “just for convenience” while radiating married couple energy.
He needs a nanny and she needs to be married in order to inherit her grandmothers bookstore
And the twist ? I did not see that coming
The banter? Elite.
The chemistry? Immediate.
The denial? Hilarious.
If you love watching two stubborn idiots fall in love while pretending they’re not, this one hits.
July 2, 2026
4.5 stars.
THIS. FREAKING. SERIES! I absolutely *loved* Piper Rayne's The Dugout series, and "The Troublemaker" is another terrific installment. Honestly, I don't know how they keep doing it book after book! This book has a little bit of everything, and I had a blast reading it. It starts going down one road and then BAM!, things happen and change course! And boy, was I in for the ride. Easton and Hadley were everything!! I *love* a fake marriage/marriage of convenience book, and this one does the trope soooo much justice. Hadley needs to live in Chicago and get married for a minimum of one year so she can inherit her beloved grandmother's children's bookstore. Easton needs to find a nanny to help take care of the baby he just discovered he has while he plays baseball for the Chicago Colts. While the two of them have been hookup buddies for a few years, nothing serious has ever happened between them, so they figure, why not help each other out? Easy peasy, no feelings, no drama. The more time they spend together as a family unit, the more their feelings for one another start brewing and bubbling, becoming waaaaay too big for a simple fake relationship. I *loved* this book. The chemistry between Hadley and Easton is electric! I was all in one them as a couple. It was sOoOoO obviously they were msitten from one another, but his perpetual charm/former playboy ways and her inability to settle in one place for very long leave readers sure that they will both be looking for an exit sooner rather than later. The way Easton took to being a father was honestly so sweet and natural despite not knowing about his son in the beginning. His love for Tanner was adorable. And the way Hadley felt connected to Tanner, too, almost like a mother would, that was written so well! Their little family was precious. Each of these books balances the humor, the spice, and the serious very well, and this one is no exception. I honestly did not see the ending coming, so that was a pleasant surprise. This book will make you tear up, giggle, and laugh, sometimes all at once. I am so sad this series is ending, but it was a fabulous one to be sure. All four of the books are totally worth your time, so what are you waiting for?! GET TO READIN'!!!!
Thank you to Piper Rayne, VPR Audio, and Hambright PR for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.
THIS. FREAKING. SERIES! I absolutely *loved* Piper Rayne's The Dugout series, and "The Troublemaker" is another terrific installment. Honestly, I don't know how they keep doing it book after book! This book has a little bit of everything, and I had a blast reading it. It starts going down one road and then BAM!, things happen and change course! And boy, was I in for the ride. Easton and Hadley were everything!! I *love* a fake marriage/marriage of convenience book, and this one does the trope soooo much justice. Hadley needs to live in Chicago and get married for a minimum of one year so she can inherit her beloved grandmother's children's bookstore. Easton needs to find a nanny to help take care of the baby he just discovered he has while he plays baseball for the Chicago Colts. While the two of them have been hookup buddies for a few years, nothing serious has ever happened between them, so they figure, why not help each other out? Easy peasy, no feelings, no drama. The more time they spend together as a family unit, the more their feelings for one another start brewing and bubbling, becoming waaaaay too big for a simple fake relationship. I *loved* this book. The chemistry between Hadley and Easton is electric! I was all in one them as a couple. It was sOoOoO obviously they were msitten from one another, but his perpetual charm/former playboy ways and her inability to settle in one place for very long leave readers sure that they will both be looking for an exit sooner rather than later. The way Easton took to being a father was honestly so sweet and natural despite not knowing about his son in the beginning. His love for Tanner was adorable. And the way Hadley felt connected to Tanner, too, almost like a mother would, that was written so well! Their little family was precious. Each of these books balances the humor, the spice, and the serious very well, and this one is no exception. I honestly did not see the ending coming, so that was a pleasant surprise. This book will make you tear up, giggle, and laugh, sometimes all at once. I am so sad this series is ending, but it was a fabulous one to be sure. All four of the books are totally worth your time, so what are you waiting for?! GET TO READIN'!!!!
Thank you to Piper Rayne, VPR Audio, and Hambright PR for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.
June 30, 2026
4⭐️
I’m gonna be honest (as I always am in my reviews 😂), I wasn’t sure if I want to read this one. I loved the first two books of this series, the third was meh for me and I wasn’t exactly invested in Easton’s story at any point… With that said, I’m so glad I signed up for the ARC/ALC and completed the series! The audio was amazing, as always, but I enjoyed the story itself too.
It was kind of low stakes relationship (the real part), but high stakes reasoning for their fake marriage deal in the first place. But the love - it happened naturally and gradually as they were caring for Easton’s surprise baby, Tanner, living together and all that.
There is a plot twist that I’m not sure I liked. It definitely added shock value to the story but it left me feeling a bit icky, especially how it was then quickly wrapped up. At the same time I can see it fitting the characters. I’m still a bit frustrated though.
Tropes:
⚾️ Baseball romance
👶🏼 Surprise baby
💍 Fake marriage
🧑🧒 Single dad & nanny
🤝 Mutually beneficial deal
💖 fwb to love
Highlights:
THE PROPOSAL WAS SO CUTE
The meddling parents (I’m not sure they knew they were meddling but still, it made me smile)
The whole night out in a hotel segment was cute
“Take the sex out of it for us—where does that leave two people afraid of the word commitment?”
“Tonight might mark something memorable—the day we broke and fucked up this whole thing. The problem is, I’m not sure I want to stop it at this point.”
“Man, you get the green light, and you go from zero to sixty.” I shake my head at him. “Don’t pretend you don’t know the man you married.”
🎧🎧🎧
Duration: 10h 16min (with bonus scenes)
Narrated by: Christine Lakin and Connor Crais
*duet narration with full cast!
What can I say, the audio was amazing, as always. The narration brought the story to life and I think it added to my enjoyment of this book.
*overall I’m going with 4 stars but keep in mins that if you haven’t read previous books, you might be a bit lost during group scenes. I read this whole series in order and I was still a bit lost sometimes cause there are a lot of characters and so, so many children 😅
It didn’t make me frustrated or anything like that but just giving you a heads up 😉
I’m gonna be honest (as I always am in my reviews 😂), I wasn’t sure if I want to read this one. I loved the first two books of this series, the third was meh for me and I wasn’t exactly invested in Easton’s story at any point… With that said, I’m so glad I signed up for the ARC/ALC and completed the series! The audio was amazing, as always, but I enjoyed the story itself too.
It was kind of low stakes relationship (the real part), but high stakes reasoning for their fake marriage deal in the first place. But the love - it happened naturally and gradually as they were caring for Easton’s surprise baby, Tanner, living together and all that.
There is a plot twist that I’m not sure I liked. It definitely added shock value to the story but it left me feeling a bit icky, especially how it was then quickly wrapped up. At the same time I can see it fitting the characters. I’m still a bit frustrated though.
Tropes:
⚾️ Baseball romance
👶🏼 Surprise baby
💍 Fake marriage
🧑🧒 Single dad & nanny
🤝 Mutually beneficial deal
💖 fwb to love
Highlights:
THE PROPOSAL WAS SO CUTE
The meddling parents (I’m not sure they knew they were meddling but still, it made me smile)
The whole night out in a hotel segment was cute
“Take the sex out of it for us—where does that leave two people afraid of the word commitment?”
“Tonight might mark something memorable—the day we broke and fucked up this whole thing. The problem is, I’m not sure I want to stop it at this point.”
“Man, you get the green light, and you go from zero to sixty.” I shake my head at him. “Don’t pretend you don’t know the man you married.”
🎧🎧🎧
Duration: 10h 16min (with bonus scenes)
Narrated by: Christine Lakin and Connor Crais
*duet narration with full cast!
What can I say, the audio was amazing, as always. The narration brought the story to life and I think it added to my enjoyment of this book.
*overall I’m going with 4 stars but keep in mins that if you haven’t read previous books, you might be a bit lost during group scenes. I read this whole series in order and I was still a bit lost sometimes cause there are a lot of characters and so, so many children 😅
It didn’t make me frustrated or anything like that but just giving you a heads up 😉
June 24, 2026
Easton and Hadley might be one of my favorite couples! Easton suddenly becoming a single dad was the wake-up call his playboy, no-relationships lifestyle needed. What starts as occasional hookups and a marriage of convenience turns into something so much more.
Hadley needs to be married for a year to keep her grandma’s bookstore, and Easton needs help raising Tanner, but watching these two build a family together was absolutely beautiful. Hadley loves Tanner like he’s her own, and those moments completely melted my heart.
There was one major shock that I never saw coming, but it all came together perfectly in the end. This story is full of love, growth, and found family goodness. And if you’re listening to this series on audio, do it! The narrators add so much heart and personality to these characters!
Hadley needs to be married for a year to keep her grandma’s bookstore, and Easton needs help raising Tanner, but watching these two build a family together was absolutely beautiful. Hadley loves Tanner like he’s her own, and those moments completely melted my heart.
There was one major shock that I never saw coming, but it all came together perfectly in the end. This story is full of love, growth, and found family goodness. And if you’re listening to this series on audio, do it! The narrators add so much heart and personality to these characters!
July 1, 2026
4.5 stars✨️
I love Easton so much😭😭
This one was such a fun time! Surprise, baby and fake marriage in one book?? Oh, this book was made for me.
I'm genuinely so sad that this series has come to an end. I've enjoyed every second of it.
I love Easton so much😭😭
This one was such a fun time! Surprise, baby and fake marriage in one book?? Oh, this book was made for me.
I'm genuinely so sad that this series has come to an end. I've enjoyed every second of it.
July 2, 2026
4.25🌟, 3🌶️
ARC Review 📖
If you enjoy watching a reformed playboy discover his soft side, you are going to fall hard for this book.
Watching Easton transform from a fun-loving bachelor into a truly devoted dad for baby Tanner was pure magic. The domestic intimacy they built those quiet, honest moments of shared responsibility felt incredibly grounded and sincere, making it impossible not to root for them as they realized they had found a home in each other.
The only slight drawback was the final act, where a massive plot twist arrived with such intensity that the resolution felt a bit rushed. The emotional fallout was rich and compelling, but I genuinely wanted more space to watch them process that hurdle together. I was so deeply invested in their growth that I simply wasn't ready to let them go, and I would have loved just one more chapter to linger in their newfound stability before the story closed.
Overall, this was an immensely satisfying and heartfelt reading experience that felt like a huge success. The emotional arc was beautiful, the chemistry grew into something genuinely tender, and the found family dynamic was as charming as ever. It was a lovely, warm send-off for these characters, and I closed the book with a full heart and a lingering smile, completely hooked by the sweet, authentic way they built their life together.
I adored every bit of this book and cannot wait to see what comes next from this author duo!
~~~~
ALC Review (Audiobook) 🎧
The audiobook production quality was absolutely stellar, truly feeling more like a full-cast performance than a standard audiobook. Connor Crais and Christine Lakin are absolutely fantastic as Easton and Hadley, capturing every nuance of their evolving relationship with such warmth that they kept me hooked through every single chapter. If you are a fan of audio, this version is an absolute must-listen that brings the emotional depth of the story to life in a way that feels deeply charismatic and unforgettable.
~~~~
I was lucky enough to receive both an ARC and an ALC, and being able to immersive read and listen to this story made the whole experience even more special.
~~~~
Huge thank you to Piper Rayne and Valentine PR for the ARC & ALC! 😍 All my bookish thoughts are completely my own. ✨
ARC Review 📖
If you enjoy watching a reformed playboy discover his soft side, you are going to fall hard for this book.
Watching Easton transform from a fun-loving bachelor into a truly devoted dad for baby Tanner was pure magic. The domestic intimacy they built those quiet, honest moments of shared responsibility felt incredibly grounded and sincere, making it impossible not to root for them as they realized they had found a home in each other.
The only slight drawback was the final act, where a massive plot twist arrived with such intensity that the resolution felt a bit rushed. The emotional fallout was rich and compelling, but I genuinely wanted more space to watch them process that hurdle together. I was so deeply invested in their growth that I simply wasn't ready to let them go, and I would have loved just one more chapter to linger in their newfound stability before the story closed.
Overall, this was an immensely satisfying and heartfelt reading experience that felt like a huge success. The emotional arc was beautiful, the chemistry grew into something genuinely tender, and the found family dynamic was as charming as ever. It was a lovely, warm send-off for these characters, and I closed the book with a full heart and a lingering smile, completely hooked by the sweet, authentic way they built their life together.
I adored every bit of this book and cannot wait to see what comes next from this author duo!
~~~~
ALC Review (Audiobook) 🎧
The audiobook production quality was absolutely stellar, truly feeling more like a full-cast performance than a standard audiobook. Connor Crais and Christine Lakin are absolutely fantastic as Easton and Hadley, capturing every nuance of their evolving relationship with such warmth that they kept me hooked through every single chapter. If you are a fan of audio, this version is an absolute must-listen that brings the emotional depth of the story to life in a way that feels deeply charismatic and unforgettable.
~~~~
I was lucky enough to receive both an ARC and an ALC, and being able to immersive read and listen to this story made the whole experience even more special.
~~~~
Huge thank you to Piper Rayne and Valentine PR for the ARC & ALC! 😍 All my bookish thoughts are completely my own. ✨
June 24, 2026
4.5/5 ⭐️
Piper Rayne has done it again, and this might just be my new favorite from them!!!
I went into this one completely blind, and I absolutely devoured every twist and turn. The tropes were executed so well, and the chemistry between the main characters practically leapt off the page. Every interaction felt effortless, and I couldn't get enough of them together.
But what really stole my heart was their connection with Tanner. It added so much warmth and emotion to the story and had me smiling from start to finish.
I absolutely adored this book and this series. If you're looking for a romance series to binge this summer, this is it!
Piper Rayne has done it again, and this might just be my new favorite from them!!!
I went into this one completely blind, and I absolutely devoured every twist and turn. The tropes were executed so well, and the chemistry between the main characters practically leapt off the page. Every interaction felt effortless, and I couldn't get enough of them together.
But what really stole my heart was their connection with Tanner. It added so much warmth and emotion to the story and had me smiling from start to finish.
I absolutely adored this book and this series. If you're looking for a romance series to binge this summer, this is it!
June 25, 2026
4.5 ⭐️
Not sure how these two authors did it.
A baby on the doorstep and a will stipulation trope. Together. And at first I kind of groaned. Oh cliche.
But dear god piper rayne made it work.
Our last Chicago bolt.
Short Stop Easton Bailey
Perpetually good time bachelor
Turned surprise single dad
Needing a nanny
Enter our little Hadley
Who also needs a favor.
And bam. Fake marriage.
Also that plot twist.
I had a hunch.
And I wasn’t going to like it.
But it worked out, and I did not throw my kindle at the wall.
Overall this has been such a solid baseball romance series.
Now I need to go back and meet the Baileys.
Arc review ✨
Not sure how these two authors did it.
A baby on the doorstep and a will stipulation trope. Together. And at first I kind of groaned. Oh cliche.
But dear god piper rayne made it work.
Our last Chicago bolt.
Short Stop Easton Bailey
Perpetually good time bachelor
Turned surprise single dad
Needing a nanny
Enter our little Hadley
Who also needs a favor.
And bam. Fake marriage.
Also that plot twist.
I had a hunch.
And I wasn’t going to like it.
But it worked out, and I did not throw my kindle at the wall.
Overall this has been such a solid baseball romance series.
Now I need to go back and meet the Baileys.
Arc review ✨
July 2, 2026
WHAT A GREAT ENDING TO THE DUGOUT SERIES. Thanks to Hambright PR for the ALC!
I just... initially did not care about playboy Easton Bailey's book. He was a flashy, troublemaking playboy, who felt like a sad little puppy when all of his friends were pairing off. But jumping into his book REALLY changed my mind!
Enter: Tanner. Easton's surprise baby who is left on the doorstep (essentially). And what he needs? A nanny. Enter: Hadley. The girl he keeps coming back to. His "repeat" hookup. And what convenient timing. She needs him, too.
When these three become an instant family, so much changes at once. And while their lives are hard, it's easy when they are together. They figure out and get to know each other, and things just feel... right. Easton HATES lying to his family. He had such a stellar example of love and marriage growing up, but that's one of the things I loved about his character. He didn't WANT his marriage to just be convenient. He wanted it for real. And though he didn't get to pick the timing, he still wants to make it work. And every day, he's reminded why he kept going back to Hadley.
On the flip side, Hadley DIDN'T have the loving example of family and marriage that Easton did. But the person she loved the most? Her grandma, who left her the bookstore, under the condition that she gets and stays married for one year. And through her marriage to Easton, she discovers so many things about herself and her jaded perspective changes to one of joy and hope and love.
READ IF YOU LOVE:
- marriage of convenience
- baseball romance
- surprise baby (mmc; is not the fmc's baby)
- single dad x nanny
- bookstore owner
- themes of grief
- found family
- forced proximity
- spicy chemistry
- meddling family (both the good kind + the bad kind)
- ongoing fling before the ring
- only one bed
THE AUDIOBOOK: Read in duet narration by Connor Crais and Christine Lakin, I cruised right through this audiobook with a full cast of narrators from the previous books joining in. This was such a fun series to listen to on audio, I can't recommend another way to consume it! I think Easton ended up being my favorite Chicago Colts player, and that's saying something because there were things to love in every story. I liked having the full cast along for the ride. Five stars!
I just... initially did not care about playboy Easton Bailey's book. He was a flashy, troublemaking playboy, who felt like a sad little puppy when all of his friends were pairing off. But jumping into his book REALLY changed my mind!
Enter: Tanner. Easton's surprise baby who is left on the doorstep (essentially). And what he needs? A nanny. Enter: Hadley. The girl he keeps coming back to. His "repeat" hookup. And what convenient timing. She needs him, too.
When these three become an instant family, so much changes at once. And while their lives are hard, it's easy when they are together. They figure out and get to know each other, and things just feel... right. Easton HATES lying to his family. He had such a stellar example of love and marriage growing up, but that's one of the things I loved about his character. He didn't WANT his marriage to just be convenient. He wanted it for real. And though he didn't get to pick the timing, he still wants to make it work. And every day, he's reminded why he kept going back to Hadley.
On the flip side, Hadley DIDN'T have the loving example of family and marriage that Easton did. But the person she loved the most? Her grandma, who left her the bookstore, under the condition that she gets and stays married for one year. And through her marriage to Easton, she discovers so many things about herself and her jaded perspective changes to one of joy and hope and love.
READ IF YOU LOVE:
- marriage of convenience
- baseball romance
- surprise baby (mmc; is not the fmc's baby)
- single dad x nanny
- bookstore owner
- themes of grief
- found family
- forced proximity
- spicy chemistry
- meddling family (both the good kind + the bad kind)
- ongoing fling before the ring
- only one bed
THE AUDIOBOOK: Read in duet narration by Connor Crais and Christine Lakin, I cruised right through this audiobook with a full cast of narrators from the previous books joining in. This was such a fun series to listen to on audio, I can't recommend another way to consume it! I think Easton ended up being my favorite Chicago Colts player, and that's saying something because there were things to love in every story. I liked having the full cast along for the ride. Five stars!
June 26, 2026
I’ve enjoyed reading this book. I loved the characters. I’m so excited for what is next to come.
Stars:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice:🌶️🌶️🌶️
Stars:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice:🌶️🌶️🌶️
June 22, 2026
One of my favorite things about The Troublemaker was how well Hadley and Easton expressed themselves, which helped strengthen their connection and avoid miscommunication. I loved watching them fall in love and finally embrace the growing feelings they tried to ignore. It was obvious from the start there was more to their relationship than attraction; they just needed the right circumstances to keep them in close proximity, and a marriage of convenience did just that.
Easton Bailey’s known as the fun one, easy-going, great with kids, and everyone's favorite honorary uncle. Long ago, at the start of his baseball career, he decided that relationships and love could wait until after retirement; until then, one-night stands would do. That is until he finds himself with a baby to care for and the need for a nanny to help out during the grueling season.
Hadley Hargrove left Chicago and her critical family to travel the world, keeping in touch with her beloved grandma through postcards. With no plans to settle down, she starts casually hooking up with Easton after they share an Uber. When her grandma passes and leaves her the bookstore they both cherish, she’s at a crossroads. She always hoped to inherit it one day, but what she didn’t expect were her grandma’s stipulations, which require her to marry and reside in Chicago for a year. While racking her brain for potential husband candidates, only one comes to mind—Easton Bailey.
Hadley proposes a mutually beneficial agreement where she’ll nanny for Easton if he agrees to marry her for a year. It’s a win-win solution as long as they can keep their distance and ignore the feelings growing between them.
𝑆𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑠 𝑦𝑜𝑢 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑙𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤 𝑖𝑡’𝑠 𝑔𝑜𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜 𝑐𝑜𝑠𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟.
Who knew that deep down, Easton’s a romantic and a family man at heart? I, for one, suspected it, and he played the role perfectly, from the planned surprise proposal to wandering the city to zoo visits, and more. The transition from casual hookup to friends to more than lovers was well done! Easton Bailey melted mine and Hadley’s hearts.
Piper Rayne thrives at writing found family, and The Troublemaker is no exception.
Decker is an amazing friend, always having Easton’s back, providing support and advice, and giving tough love when needed. It was heartwarming to see their friendship continue to evolve when Easton needed it most.
In the beginning, Hadley’s envious of Easton’s friend group, and she wonders if she’ll always be the one outside looking in. What she doesn’t expect is for them to accept her without hesitation, pulling her into their circle and making her one of their own.
“𝐴𝑛𝑦𝑤𝑎𝑦, 𝑚𝑎𝑦𝑏𝑒 𝐸𝑎𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑛 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑏𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑠𝑡 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑜𝑢𝑡. 𝐸𝑎𝑔𝑒𝑟 𝑡𝑜 𝑠𝑒𝑒 ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑛𝑒𝑤 𝑤𝑖𝑓𝑒.” 𝑃𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑝𝑒 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑐𝑘𝑠 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑒𝑙𝑏𝑜𝑤 𝑎𝑔𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑠𝑡 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑒.
“𝐵𝑢𝑡 𝑤𝑒’𝑟𝑒 𝑤𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 ℎ𝑜𝑤 𝑖𝑡 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑦 𝑜𝑢𝑡.” 𝑃𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑝𝑒 𝑠𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑒𝑠.
“𝑊𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑘 𝑦𝑜𝑢’𝑟𝑒 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑡𝑜 ℎ𝑖𝑚.” 𝐿𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑜𝑛 𝑏𝑖𝑡𝑒𝑠 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑙𝑖𝑝.
“𝑌𝑒𝑠. 𝑌𝑜𝑢’𝑟𝑒 𝑚𝑎𝑟𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑎𝑠𝑡 𝑏𝑎𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑟 𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑔𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑝. 𝐴𝑛𝑑 𝑤𝑒 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢, 𝑠𝑜 𝑜𝑓 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠𝑒 𝑤𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑘𝑒𝑒𝑝 𝑦𝑜𝑢.” 𝐶𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑒’𝑠 𝑠𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑏𝑖𝑔 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑔𝑖𝑜𝑢𝑠.
Finally, Hadley finds what she’s always longed for: a place to belong, surrounded by friends who care about her and a love that cherishes her for who she is.
• 𝙱𝚊𝚜𝚎𝚋𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚛𝚘𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎
• 𝙼𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚊𝚐𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚟𝚎𝚗𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎
• 𝚂𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚕𝚎 𝚍𝚊𝚍
• 𝙱𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛
• 𝙵𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚏𝚊𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚢
This was a fun immersive read, and Connor Crais and Christine Lakin shone as Easton and Hadley. I always enjoy their narration.
Easton Bailey’s known as the fun one, easy-going, great with kids, and everyone's favorite honorary uncle. Long ago, at the start of his baseball career, he decided that relationships and love could wait until after retirement; until then, one-night stands would do. That is until he finds himself with a baby to care for and the need for a nanny to help out during the grueling season.
Hadley Hargrove left Chicago and her critical family to travel the world, keeping in touch with her beloved grandma through postcards. With no plans to settle down, she starts casually hooking up with Easton after they share an Uber. When her grandma passes and leaves her the bookstore they both cherish, she’s at a crossroads. She always hoped to inherit it one day, but what she didn’t expect were her grandma’s stipulations, which require her to marry and reside in Chicago for a year. While racking her brain for potential husband candidates, only one comes to mind—Easton Bailey.
Hadley proposes a mutually beneficial agreement where she’ll nanny for Easton if he agrees to marry her for a year. It’s a win-win solution as long as they can keep their distance and ignore the feelings growing between them.
𝑆𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑠 𝑦𝑜𝑢 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑙𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤 𝑖𝑡’𝑠 𝑔𝑜𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜 𝑐𝑜𝑠𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟.
Who knew that deep down, Easton’s a romantic and a family man at heart? I, for one, suspected it, and he played the role perfectly, from the planned surprise proposal to wandering the city to zoo visits, and more. The transition from casual hookup to friends to more than lovers was well done! Easton Bailey melted mine and Hadley’s hearts.
Piper Rayne thrives at writing found family, and The Troublemaker is no exception.
Decker is an amazing friend, always having Easton’s back, providing support and advice, and giving tough love when needed. It was heartwarming to see their friendship continue to evolve when Easton needed it most.
In the beginning, Hadley’s envious of Easton’s friend group, and she wonders if she’ll always be the one outside looking in. What she doesn’t expect is for them to accept her without hesitation, pulling her into their circle and making her one of their own.
“𝐴𝑛𝑦𝑤𝑎𝑦, 𝑚𝑎𝑦𝑏𝑒 𝐸𝑎𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑛 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑏𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑠𝑡 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑜𝑢𝑡. 𝐸𝑎𝑔𝑒𝑟 𝑡𝑜 𝑠𝑒𝑒 ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑛𝑒𝑤 𝑤𝑖𝑓𝑒.” 𝑃𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑝𝑒 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑐𝑘𝑠 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑒𝑙𝑏𝑜𝑤 𝑎𝑔𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑠𝑡 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑒.
“𝐵𝑢𝑡 𝑤𝑒’𝑟𝑒 𝑤𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 ℎ𝑜𝑤 𝑖𝑡 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑦 𝑜𝑢𝑡.” 𝑃𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑝𝑒 𝑠𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑒𝑠.
“𝑊𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑘 𝑦𝑜𝑢’𝑟𝑒 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑡𝑜 ℎ𝑖𝑚.” 𝐿𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑜𝑛 𝑏𝑖𝑡𝑒𝑠 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑙𝑖𝑝.
“𝑌𝑒𝑠. 𝑌𝑜𝑢’𝑟𝑒 𝑚𝑎𝑟𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑎𝑠𝑡 𝑏𝑎𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑟 𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑔𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑝. 𝐴𝑛𝑑 𝑤𝑒 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢, 𝑠𝑜 𝑜𝑓 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠𝑒 𝑤𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑘𝑒𝑒𝑝 𝑦𝑜𝑢.” 𝐶𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑒’𝑠 𝑠𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑏𝑖𝑔 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑔𝑖𝑜𝑢𝑠.
Finally, Hadley finds what she’s always longed for: a place to belong, surrounded by friends who care about her and a love that cherishes her for who she is.
• 𝙱𝚊𝚜𝚎𝚋𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚛𝚘𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎
• 𝙼𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚊𝚐𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚟𝚎𝚗𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎
• 𝚂𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚕𝚎 𝚍𝚊𝚍
• 𝙱𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛
• 𝙵𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚏𝚊𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚢
This was a fun immersive read, and Connor Crais and Christine Lakin shone as Easton and Hadley. I always enjoy their narration.
July 3, 2026
✨ALC provided by Valentine PR for an honest review✨
The Troublemaker is the final book in The Dugout series and they saved the best for last! Playboy Easton Bailey lives his life playing baseball and being with a different girl every night. He’s focused on his career and doesn’t have time for an actual relationship, but everything changes when a baby is left on his doorstep with a note saying he’s the father 👀 Now the “fun uncle” is a dad that is in way over his head! Hadley is a rolling stone traveling the world and living her best life away from her condescending family, but comes home when her grandmother dies. At the will reading, she is left with her grandmother’s bookstore with a catch, she has to establish a residence in Chicago and be married for a year. Hadley is a repeat girl for Easton every time she’s in town, so she visits him with the intent on talking him into a fake marriage and is totally caught off guard when he answers the door with a baby! They both decide on an arrangement to benefit both of them. Hadley gets a husband and Easton gets a nanny! But both weren’t expecting to catch feelings in the end 🥰
This book was absolutely adorable! Easton and Hadley have always been a little more than a booty call, and over the years they’ve become friends with benefits. But keeping feelings out of their newly formed relationship was something they couldn’t fight! The slow burn in this book was intense and the payoff was everything! I loved watching this couple become the perfect little family 🥰 And like the other books in this series, the brotherly friendship between the players was a shining star in the story. Watching them all come together with their wives to help Easton navigate being a father just made my heart melt 😍 This book also had a shocking twist at the end that I wasn’t expecting!
The stars of this audiobook were Connor Crais and Christine Laken along with a full cast of some of my favorite narrators ❤️ The ensemble cast blend so well together and it makes you feel like you’re part of this group going through this story together. I absolutely loved this whole series and each book was a 5 star listen for me! I definitely recommend a listen and I know you won’t be disappointed ❤️
The Troublemaker is the final book in The Dugout series and they saved the best for last! Playboy Easton Bailey lives his life playing baseball and being with a different girl every night. He’s focused on his career and doesn’t have time for an actual relationship, but everything changes when a baby is left on his doorstep with a note saying he’s the father 👀 Now the “fun uncle” is a dad that is in way over his head! Hadley is a rolling stone traveling the world and living her best life away from her condescending family, but comes home when her grandmother dies. At the will reading, she is left with her grandmother’s bookstore with a catch, she has to establish a residence in Chicago and be married for a year. Hadley is a repeat girl for Easton every time she’s in town, so she visits him with the intent on talking him into a fake marriage and is totally caught off guard when he answers the door with a baby! They both decide on an arrangement to benefit both of them. Hadley gets a husband and Easton gets a nanny! But both weren’t expecting to catch feelings in the end 🥰
This book was absolutely adorable! Easton and Hadley have always been a little more than a booty call, and over the years they’ve become friends with benefits. But keeping feelings out of their newly formed relationship was something they couldn’t fight! The slow burn in this book was intense and the payoff was everything! I loved watching this couple become the perfect little family 🥰 And like the other books in this series, the brotherly friendship between the players was a shining star in the story. Watching them all come together with their wives to help Easton navigate being a father just made my heart melt 😍 This book also had a shocking twist at the end that I wasn’t expecting!
The stars of this audiobook were Connor Crais and Christine Laken along with a full cast of some of my favorite narrators ❤️ The ensemble cast blend so well together and it makes you feel like you’re part of this group going through this story together. I absolutely loved this whole series and each book was a 5 star listen for me! I definitely recommend a listen and I know you won’t be disappointed ❤️
June 24, 2026
Hadley & Easton have only ever been hookup buddies on and off over the past 2 years. But when Hadley finds herself needing a husband so that she can inherit her grandmother's bookstore, Easton is the first person she thinks of. Meanwhile, Easton finds himself as a new dad after a baby was dropped off on his doorstep with no mom in sight. Sounds like this marriage of convenience will work out for the both of them.
Helloooo, forced proximity. I loved watching their relationship develop into something more. Both of them were anti-commitment but they had such a genuine connection. There was so much trust & support between the two of them. Easton unexpectedly become a dad was a big change for him but Hadley was there for him through all of it. They were seriously the CUTEST family.
I definitely figured out the plot twist almost 60% in. It was definitely a shocking one though and I'm honestly still not quite sure how I feel about it. But overall, I really loved this one. It's definitely in the top 2 of my favorites in the series.
🎧Audio:🎧
This is a full cast narration with Connor Crais as Easton and Christine Lakin as Hadley. We also have Teddy Hamilton, Sean Masters, JF Harding, Austin Stone, CJ Bloom, Erin Mallon, Willa Jaymes & Meg Sylvan. I think Connor and Christine are a powerhouse narrator duo and I need more of them together. They fully embodied these characters and brought every bit of it to life. I've really enjoyed this cast throughout the entire series. A full cast narration just makes it such a different experience and it's been great.
Overall, 4.5/5 stars!
Thank you to Piper Rayne & Valentine PR for this ALC. All opinions are my own.
Helloooo, forced proximity. I loved watching their relationship develop into something more. Both of them were anti-commitment but they had such a genuine connection. There was so much trust & support between the two of them. Easton unexpectedly become a dad was a big change for him but Hadley was there for him through all of it. They were seriously the CUTEST family.
I definitely figured out the plot twist almost 60% in. It was definitely a shocking one though and I'm honestly still not quite sure how I feel about it. But overall, I really loved this one. It's definitely in the top 2 of my favorites in the series.
🎧Audio:🎧
This is a full cast narration with Connor Crais as Easton and Christine Lakin as Hadley. We also have Teddy Hamilton, Sean Masters, JF Harding, Austin Stone, CJ Bloom, Erin Mallon, Willa Jaymes & Meg Sylvan. I think Connor and Christine are a powerhouse narrator duo and I need more of them together. They fully embodied these characters and brought every bit of it to life. I've really enjoyed this cast throughout the entire series. A full cast narration just makes it such a different experience and it's been great.
Overall, 4.5/5 stars!
Thank you to Piper Rayne & Valentine PR for this ALC. All opinions are my own.
June 29, 2026
Thank you to Hambright PR and Valentine PR for sending me the ARC/ALC of this book before release day! 💛
The Troublemaker releases TOMORROW in all formats, and if you're an audiobook lover like me, you do not want to miss this one. I was able to do an immersive read, and wow, the full cast narration was incredible. The audiobooks for this series have been consistently amazing, and this one was no exception. As someone who loves audiobooks, this is exactly the kind of production I want more of, so thank you to everyone involved in bringing these characters to life. 🎧✨
This is the final book in the series, and I can honestly say it's been such a fun ride. One thing I've loved about this series is that we don't get nearly enough baseball romances, and Piper Rayne delivered with a team full of memorable players who were all fantastic MMCs in their own stories.
Easton may have a reputation as the team's playboy, but there was so much more to him beneath the surface. I loved watching his relationship with Hadley develop. Hadley has spent her life avoiding putting down roots, convinced she never wanted to stay in one place, but seeing her realize that home wasn't a place—it was Easton and Tanner—was beautiful. 🥹
The chemistry, banter, emotional connection, and character growth were all so well done. And can we talk about that reveal involving Tanner's mom? Because I definitely didn't see that coming! I love when a book manages to genuinely surprise me.
What I loved most was watching Easton and Hadley go from to realizing there was something much deeper between them than physical attraction. Their journey felt authentic, emotional, and rewarding. ❤️
And just like the rest of the series, the found family element shines throughout. Seeing these characters continue to show up for each other has been one of my favorite parts of this entire world.
The Troublemaker releases TOMORROW in all formats, and if you're an audiobook lover like me, you do not want to miss this one. I was able to do an immersive read, and wow, the full cast narration was incredible. The audiobooks for this series have been consistently amazing, and this one was no exception. As someone who loves audiobooks, this is exactly the kind of production I want more of, so thank you to everyone involved in bringing these characters to life. 🎧✨
This is the final book in the series, and I can honestly say it's been such a fun ride. One thing I've loved about this series is that we don't get nearly enough baseball romances, and Piper Rayne delivered with a team full of memorable players who were all fantastic MMCs in their own stories.
Easton may have a reputation as the team's playboy, but there was so much more to him beneath the surface. I loved watching his relationship with Hadley develop. Hadley has spent her life avoiding putting down roots, convinced she never wanted to stay in one place, but seeing her realize that home wasn't a place—it was Easton and Tanner—was beautiful. 🥹
The chemistry, banter, emotional connection, and character growth were all so well done. And can we talk about that reveal involving Tanner's mom? Because I definitely didn't see that coming! I love when a book manages to genuinely surprise me.
What I loved most was watching Easton and Hadley go from to realizing there was something much deeper between them than physical attraction. Their journey felt authentic, emotional, and rewarding. ❤️
And just like the rest of the series, the found family element shines throughout. Seeing these characters continue to show up for each other has been one of my favorite parts of this entire world.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 26, 2026
“He makes life fun… and most of all, he sees me.”
⚾️🎀🤍🎀⚾️
Piper Rayne delivering again with a story that immediately hooked me. I couldn’t put it down!
Easton & Hadley were the perfect story to end the Dugout Series. I felt a connection with Hadley and her strained relationship with her mother. It’s my dream to own a bookstore and I love that she’s willing to go to any lengths to help it survive.
On the other hand, Easton stole my heart! He’s determined to do right by his unexpected addition. There’s also something so human and heartwarming to see Easton take the chance at happiness with the woman that could become his everything.
Thank you so much @authorpiperrayne & @valentine_pr_ for the gifted ARC & ALC.
🎧: This was the first time I’ve listened to Christine Lakin and she was the perfect Hadley!!!
⚾️🎀🤍🎀⚾️
Piper Rayne delivering again with a story that immediately hooked me. I couldn’t put it down!
Easton & Hadley were the perfect story to end the Dugout Series. I felt a connection with Hadley and her strained relationship with her mother. It’s my dream to own a bookstore and I love that she’s willing to go to any lengths to help it survive.
On the other hand, Easton stole my heart! He’s determined to do right by his unexpected addition. There’s also something so human and heartwarming to see Easton take the chance at happiness with the woman that could become his everything.
Thank you so much @authorpiperrayne & @valentine_pr_ for the gifted ARC & ALC.
🎧: This was the first time I’ve listened to Christine Lakin and she was the perfect Hadley!!!
June 25, 2026
I swear each book in this series gets better and better!!! I keep saying this one is my favorite in the series, but seriously this one is my favorite! Single dad, Marriage of convenience, professional baseball player, and she is the new owner of a bookstore that she inherited from her grandmother.
Easton, a newly single dad. Who doesn’t knew who the baby mama is. Is trying to figure out being a new farther and juggling being a professional baseball player.
Hadley, just found that she inherited her grandmothers bookstore. But there is one condition, she needs to be married. She decides she will ask her good friend with benefits Easton. Easton agrees, he needs someone to watch his baby while he is on the road and playing games.
Easton, a newly single dad. Who doesn’t knew who the baby mama is. Is trying to figure out being a new farther and juggling being a professional baseball player.
Hadley, just found that she inherited her grandmothers bookstore. But there is one condition, she needs to be married. She decides she will ask her good friend with benefits Easton. Easton agrees, he needs someone to watch his baby while he is on the road and playing games.
July 12, 2026
my favorite in the series BUT i am wondering how i am supposed to forgive a certain someone for being an absolute creep...its giving "i wanna wear your skin"...and then we are supposed to just forgive and forget...NOPE
June 25, 2026
4.5 stars
My favorite book of the series, and I am not sure what I am going to do next. I love Hadley & Easton, and all of this found family.
Hadley needs to be married to keep her grandmother’s bookstore, Easton needs to turn his playboy way into single dad status and fast. A marriage of convenience works for both. But the two do the work, communication, finding the connection, and eventually catching feelings. Neither counted on finding a little more than they counted on, the denial is so good.
But it is “THE TWIST” that ties up everything with a nice bow. I did not see this coming.
Thank you to the Author for the advanced copy; this is my voluntary review.
My favorite book of the series, and I am not sure what I am going to do next. I love Hadley & Easton, and all of this found family.
Hadley needs to be married to keep her grandmother’s bookstore, Easton needs to turn his playboy way into single dad status and fast. A marriage of convenience works for both. But the two do the work, communication, finding the connection, and eventually catching feelings. Neither counted on finding a little more than they counted on, the denial is so good.
But it is “THE TWIST” that ties up everything with a nice bow. I did not see this coming.
Thank you to the Author for the advanced copy; this is my voluntary review.
July 3, 2026
Read this solely as a palette cleanser before starting a heavier novel. If I could unread it, I would. Was it the worst book I’ve ever read? Not at all. It was a simple, straight forward romance novel. Not winning any awards, but not bad. UNTIL THE FUCKING TWIST.
As soon as I realized who the baby’s mother was I immediately wanted to DNF. I could suspend my disbelief about the mystery birth mom/lack of public records plot, but throwing a huge betrayal into the mix and then just…glossing over it? Her childhood best friend betrays her on multiple levels and abandons her baby IN A BAR with a near stranger and she thanks her???? Idk maybe I’m just not adult enough to understand. But that’s definitely not how I (or anyone irl) would’ve reacted in that situation and it completely ruined the story for me.
As soon as I realized who the baby’s mother was I immediately wanted to DNF. I could suspend my disbelief about the mystery birth mom/lack of public records plot, but throwing a huge betrayal into the mix and then just…glossing over it? Her childhood best friend betrays her on multiple levels and abandons her baby IN A BAR with a near stranger and she thanks her???? Idk maybe I’m just not adult enough to understand. But that’s definitely not how I (or anyone irl) would’ve reacted in that situation and it completely ruined the story for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 29, 2026
⭐⭐⭐⭐
As the final book in The Dugout series, The Troublemaker had a lot to live up to, and while it wasn't my favorite of the series, I still had a great time with it. Piper Rayne once again delivered a heartfelt sports romance filled with humor, family, and plenty of emotional moments.
Tropes:
⚾ Baseball Romance
👶 Surprise Baby (She's Not the Biological Mother)
💍 Marriage of Convenience (Inheritance Clause)
👨👦 Single Dad x Nanny
🤝 Mutually Beneficial Arrangement
😏 Reformed Playboy
❤️ Friends with Benefits to Lovers
🏠 Forced Proximity (Roommates)
👨👩👦 Found Family
Microtropes:
🔥 Ongoing Fling
👶 Baby Left at the Bar
🛏️ Only One Bed
💍 "I Do" Before "I Love You"
⚾ He Loves Having Someone in the Stands for Him
The biggest strength of this book was watching Easton and Hadley's relationship evolve. At first, I wasn't completely sold on them. For two people who had supposedly been casually hooking up for quite some time, I struggled to feel that underlying chemistry (beyond the physical). I knew they had history because I was told they did, but it took a little while before I truly believed in their connection. Watching two people who had spent years avoiding commitment suddenly find themselves raising a baby together and accidentally building a family was incredibly rewarding. The marriage of convenience may have been what brought them together on paper, but the real love story was found in the quiet, everyday moments—bedtime routines, grocery shopping, shared responsibilities, and slowly realizing they had become each other's home without even noticing.
Easton was another highlight for me. I'm usually not the biggest fan of the playboy trope, and I definitely wasn't thrilled by the fact that he didn't even know who Tanner's biological mother was (truly how many people can you sleep with within such a short timespan). That initially made it difficult for me to connect with his character. Thankfully, Piper Rayne gave him one of my favorite kinds of character arcs. Daddy Easton completely won me over. Watching the man who never wanted a relationship become utterly devoted to his son was everything. He wasn't perfect, but he communicated with Hadley, listened to her and owned up to his mistakes. Once he committed to Hadley and Tanner, there was never any doubt about where his priorities lay. Seeing him embrace fatherhood so wholeheartedly completely redeemed him in my eyes.
Baby Tanner stole every single scene he appeared in. I adored watching Hadley's relationship with him grow throughout the story. Their dynamic felt incredibly refreshing, and I loved how naturally she became such an important part of his life. Watching her slowly fall in love with this little boy—almost before she even realized it herself—was one of the sweetest parts of the entire book. I also loved Hadley herself. Her determination to save her grandmother's bookstore and her willingness to do whatever it took to honor her made her incredibly easy to root for. She had such a big heart, and seeing her find the family she didn't even know she was looking for was incredibly satisfying.
As always, one of my favorite parts of this series is the found family. Getting to catch up with couples from the previous books made this feel like the perfect conclusion to the series.
The biggest thing that kept this from being a five-star read for me was the final act.
Spoilers below.
The reveal that Tanner's biological mother was Honor completely blindsided me. While I appreciate a plot twist every now and then, this wasn't one I particularly enjoyed. Rather than feeling like a natural progression of the story, it came across as a twist added more for shock value than because it genuinely benefited the characters or the romance. By that point, Easton and Hadley had already reached the conclusion that Tanner's biological mother didn't matter anymore. They had stopped searching, fully embraced their little family, and were happy with the life they'd built together. Introducing such a major reveal after they'd already found that emotional closure felt unnecessary and ended up taking away from an ending that was already fulfilling.
The revelation also completely changed the way I viewed this character, and not for the better. At first, I genuinely liked Honor. She came across as a supportive best friend, and I felt so much sympathy for everything she was going through while caring for her grandmother. By the end of the book, though, I honestly couldn't reconcile her actions with the person we'd been introduced to. Knowing that she chose to sleep with Easton despite knowing he was Hadley's long-term friends-with-benefits arrangement already felt like a betrayal. The pregnancy itself was an accident, and that part I can understand. What I struggled with was everything that happened afterward. She kept the pregnancy a secret. She abandoned Tanner. She knew Easton and Hadley were desperately trying to figure out who Tanner's mother was, yet she stayed silent. Even more difficult to understand was the fact that she continued listening to Hadley talk about Easton, Tanner, and eventually falling in love with both of them without ever admitting the truth. Considering Honor herself grew up feeling abandoned by her own mother, I found it especially difficult to understand why she ultimately chose to repeat that same cycle with Tanner.
What also frustrated me was how little emotional fallout there seemed to be once everything came to light. Hadley forgave Honor much more quickly than I expected, and I never felt like we truly explored the betrayal from either Hadley's or Easton's perspective. Given how significant the reveal was, I wanted to see much more time devoted to the emotional consequences instead of wrapping everything up so quickly.
Even though the ending wasn't my favorite, it doesn't erase everything I loved about the rest of the book. Easton, Hadley, Tanner, and the beautiful family they built together completely carried this story for me, and I still found myself smiling through so many of their quieter moments.
While The Troublemaker wasn't my favorite book in The Dugout series, it's still one I'd happily recommend to sports romance readers—especially if you love found family, sports romance, and heroes who unexpectedly become the softest dads imaginable.
I'm definitely looking forward to seeing what Piper Rayne writes next.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 6, 2026
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ALC review
The Troublemaker by Piper Rayne completely stole my heart. I already knew Easton Bailey was going to be one of my favorites after meeting him in the earlier books, but this story absolutely sealed the deal. I am *obsessed* with Easton and Hadley. They are the kind of couple that just makes sense in every possible way, and watching their relationship grow had me so emotional from beginning to end.
This book gave me so many of my favorite tropes; sports romance, surprise baby, fake marriage, mutually beneficial agreement, single dad x nanny, close proximity, and found family, but what made it really special was the heart behind all of it. Easton and Hadley had such a beautiful connection. Their chemistry was there, obviously, but it was the softness between them, the trust, the way they showed up for each other, and how naturally they fit into each other’s lives that really got me. They felt like a team in the best way, and I loved every second of watching them fall into something so much deeper than either of them expected.
And Felix?? Stop it right now. His obsession with the baby was the cutest thing ever. He was giving peak perfect-uncle energy, and every scene with him made me smile. I loved how much warmth and family this book had, because it made all of the emotional moments hit even harder.
But can we talk about that twist with the baby’s mom?? My jaw was on the floor. I was SO angry for Hadley, and honestly, I still am. The way that situation unfolded had me completely stressed, heartbroken, and ready to fight for her. What impressed me most, though, was how Easton and Hadley handled everything with so much maturity and grace, because I can promise you I would not have been nearly as calm.
The bonus scenes absolutely destroyed me in the best way. I had tears in my eyes the entire time. Seeing Easton and Hadley happy, settled, and so full of love made my heart feel so full it honestly grew three sizes. It was one of those endings that leaves you emotional because you’re just so happy for them.
Piper Rayne absolutely delivered with this one. The Troublemaker was emotional, swoony, messy in the best way, and full of so much love. Easton and Hadley are easily one of my favorite Piper Rayne couples, and this book was everything I wanted and more.
The Troublemaker by Piper Rayne completely stole my heart. I already knew Easton Bailey was going to be one of my favorites after meeting him in the earlier books, but this story absolutely sealed the deal. I am *obsessed* with Easton and Hadley. They are the kind of couple that just makes sense in every possible way, and watching their relationship grow had me so emotional from beginning to end.
This book gave me so many of my favorite tropes; sports romance, surprise baby, fake marriage, mutually beneficial agreement, single dad x nanny, close proximity, and found family, but what made it really special was the heart behind all of it. Easton and Hadley had such a beautiful connection. Their chemistry was there, obviously, but it was the softness between them, the trust, the way they showed up for each other, and how naturally they fit into each other’s lives that really got me. They felt like a team in the best way, and I loved every second of watching them fall into something so much deeper than either of them expected.
And Felix?? Stop it right now. His obsession with the baby was the cutest thing ever. He was giving peak perfect-uncle energy, and every scene with him made me smile. I loved how much warmth and family this book had, because it made all of the emotional moments hit even harder.
But can we talk about that twist with the baby’s mom?? My jaw was on the floor. I was SO angry for Hadley, and honestly, I still am. The way that situation unfolded had me completely stressed, heartbroken, and ready to fight for her. What impressed me most, though, was how Easton and Hadley handled everything with so much maturity and grace, because I can promise you I would not have been nearly as calm.
The bonus scenes absolutely destroyed me in the best way. I had tears in my eyes the entire time. Seeing Easton and Hadley happy, settled, and so full of love made my heart feel so full it honestly grew three sizes. It was one of those endings that leaves you emotional because you’re just so happy for them.
Piper Rayne absolutely delivered with this one. The Troublemaker was emotional, swoony, messy in the best way, and full of so much love. Easton and Hadley are easily one of my favorite Piper Rayne couples, and this book was everything I wanted and more.
July 2, 2026
#Review: *The Troublemaker* - Piper Rayne - ARC/ALC [18+]
4.9/5✨
3/5🌶️
Hadley Hargrove just needed someone to be her fake husband. Baseball player Easton Bailey was the first who came in her mind, but what she haven't expected was for him to have a newborn on his hands. He accepted the deal, but Hadley had to be his baby's nanny. Pretending to be a family should be an easy thing, but what happens when they were constantly in each other's presence? Well, of course that things might get complicated and make them question what was real and was still fake. But was there anything fake left?
Ohhh my Gosh!!! I had the bestest time with these two! Or may I say three🤭. Easton, Hadley and baby Tanner were the CUTEST!! Also, the narrator's, Connor Crais and Christine Larkin did an INCREDIBLE job with bringing them to life!! I simply adored them and all their interactions from the beginning until the very end. They were so much fun, but also I liked how they supported each other, even if everything supposed to be fake. They made it look that it was so easy for them and I truly loved that. Of course that I adoored the other members of the cast, who were also part of the other three books of this series.🥰 They brought again the fun vibes and made me enjoy this book so, so much! I liked how Hadley and Easton were both learning to be in a committed relationship, both of them having some issues when it came to this type of bound. That's why I found it even more endearing and cute to see them together and how easy was to be in each other's presence. Super, super sweet!
This was the bestest way to end this series, having such a great time with the guys from "The Dugout"🥰. It's hard to say goodbye to them, but something tells me that it won't be the last time seeing them in Piper Rayne's stories 🤭. Truly excited about their next era and about what they have prepared for us!😍
Super grateful for being accepted by Valentine Pr and the authors to receive this e-ARC and ALC.💕 I really enjoyed the immersive reading, as always!🩵
✨Tropes
▫️Fake Marriage
▫️Nanny
▫️Roommates To Lovers
▫️Single Dad
▫️Slow Burn
▫️Forced Proximity
▫️Sports Romance
▫️Baseball Player
4.9/5✨
3/5🌶️
Hadley Hargrove just needed someone to be her fake husband. Baseball player Easton Bailey was the first who came in her mind, but what she haven't expected was for him to have a newborn on his hands. He accepted the deal, but Hadley had to be his baby's nanny. Pretending to be a family should be an easy thing, but what happens when they were constantly in each other's presence? Well, of course that things might get complicated and make them question what was real and was still fake. But was there anything fake left?
Ohhh my Gosh!!! I had the bestest time with these two! Or may I say three🤭. Easton, Hadley and baby Tanner were the CUTEST!! Also, the narrator's, Connor Crais and Christine Larkin did an INCREDIBLE job with bringing them to life!! I simply adored them and all their interactions from the beginning until the very end. They were so much fun, but also I liked how they supported each other, even if everything supposed to be fake. They made it look that it was so easy for them and I truly loved that. Of course that I adoored the other members of the cast, who were also part of the other three books of this series.🥰 They brought again the fun vibes and made me enjoy this book so, so much! I liked how Hadley and Easton were both learning to be in a committed relationship, both of them having some issues when it came to this type of bound. That's why I found it even more endearing and cute to see them together and how easy was to be in each other's presence. Super, super sweet!
This was the bestest way to end this series, having such a great time with the guys from "The Dugout"🥰. It's hard to say goodbye to them, but something tells me that it won't be the last time seeing them in Piper Rayne's stories 🤭. Truly excited about their next era and about what they have prepared for us!😍
Super grateful for being accepted by Valentine Pr and the authors to receive this e-ARC and ALC.💕 I really enjoyed the immersive reading, as always!🩵
✨Tropes
▫️Fake Marriage
▫️Nanny
▫️Roommates To Lovers
▫️Single Dad
▫️Slow Burn
▫️Forced Proximity
▫️Sports Romance
▫️Baseball Player
June 25, 2026
The Troublemaker by Piper Rayne
🎧Duet by Connor Crais and Cristine Lakin, also featuring: Teddy Hamilton, Sean Masters, JF Harding, Austin Stone, CJ Bloom, Erin Mallon, Willa Jaymes & Meg Sylvan
📚The Dugout, Book 4
✏️Interconnected Standalone
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
♾️Jun. Favorite
Adult • Sports Romance
📖390 Pages
🗓️June 25
⚾️baseball romance
⚾️single dad
⚾️marriage of convenience
⚾️forced proximity
⚾️regular ONS to love
⚾️found family
⚾️one bed
⚾️he falls first and harder
Them: What’s your favorite series and what’s it about?
Me: So, hear me out... It’s about a building with a bar at the bottom floor that belongs to a woman named Ruby. And each apartment has an athlete living there and when they leave, others come in and the sport changes. And the building’s name changes but it’s always the same building. And women leave these notes at the gate but what matters is how you see these characters grow and overcome so much...
Them: Wait, your favorite series is about a... building?!
Me: I guess so. Yes, it is.
🔎”I guess my son takes after me. When he finds the one he wants to keep, he makes sure to lock her down.”
This book finished me. But what a way to go!
20/10. No notes.
Just a guy who cared too much about finding the right person, he kept pretending what they could have was something else.
And a girl who was running and could never grow roots but somehow always kept finding herself with him.
And a baby, a bookstore and one hell of a twist that still has me shaking, with a racing heart.
Audiobook: If you’ve been here for a bit, you’re probably tired of me saying my favorites are Connor Crais and JF Harding, with Teddy Hamilton rounding out the top three. But it’s not my fault if they are flawless AND keep bringing my favorite books to life.
🎧Duet by Connor Crais and Cristine Lakin, also featuring: Teddy Hamilton, Sean Masters, JF Harding, Austin Stone, CJ Bloom, Erin Mallon, Willa Jaymes & Meg Sylvan
📚The Dugout, Book 4
✏️Interconnected Standalone
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
♾️Jun. Favorite
Adult • Sports Romance
📖390 Pages
🗓️June 25
⚾️baseball romance
⚾️single dad
⚾️marriage of convenience
⚾️forced proximity
⚾️regular ONS to love
⚾️found family
⚾️one bed
⚾️he falls first and harder
Them: What’s your favorite series and what’s it about?
Me: So, hear me out... It’s about a building with a bar at the bottom floor that belongs to a woman named Ruby. And each apartment has an athlete living there and when they leave, others come in and the sport changes. And the building’s name changes but it’s always the same building. And women leave these notes at the gate but what matters is how you see these characters grow and overcome so much...
Them: Wait, your favorite series is about a... building?!
Me: I guess so. Yes, it is.
🔎”I guess my son takes after me. When he finds the one he wants to keep, he makes sure to lock her down.”
This book finished me. But what a way to go!
20/10. No notes.
Just a guy who cared too much about finding the right person, he kept pretending what they could have was something else.
And a girl who was running and could never grow roots but somehow always kept finding herself with him.
And a baby, a bookstore and one hell of a twist that still has me shaking, with a racing heart.
Audiobook: If you’ve been here for a bit, you’re probably tired of me saying my favorites are Connor Crais and JF Harding, with Teddy Hamilton rounding out the top three. But it’s not my fault if they are flawless AND keep bringing my favorite books to life.
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