Sliding Into Love

by Juliet Bridges

Ethan Ford needs to keep his eye on the ball and his demanding coach off his back. His estranged family is legendary in the world of baseball, and Ethan sacrificed everything to make his name on his own terms. This season might finally be his chance to make his mark—until he slides into Ivy Johnson’s life. Meeting Ivy and her kids brings much needed light to his life, but will his new dreams strike out the old ones?

As a former foster kid, Ivy Johnson only wants to give her kids what she rarely had growing up: stability and a loving home. A run-in with Ethan Ford knocks her head over heels, and when he helps bring her foster son out of his shell with a love of baseball, she falls for Ethan’s connection with her kids and his awkward attempts at flirting.

Sparks fly, but life throws curveballs. With Ethan's career on the line and Ivy's future in flux, can the two hit a home run and find the home they’ve been yearning for?

Genres: Romance, Baseball, Sports Romance, Contemporary, Baseball Romance, Sports

366 pages, ebook

Expected publication July 14, 2026

Reviews

[Tawny Waterman · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is for sure the least subtle Reylo fanfiction ever published (like, the MMC has two last names and they’re Ford and Fisher)

[Kimberlyyyreads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awe this was such a cute read!

I freaking love it when grumpy MMC's are only soft for the FMC and her kids. Ethan and Ivy were so incredibly sweet, I loved their entire relationship especially with their little family. They filled my heart so very much.

This definitely a sweet romance but it also touched upon some hard themes involving verbal abuse, manipulation and more which the author talks about prior to the novel beginning. Despite the heavy themes, this novel was so sweet and the romance gave me butterflies.

Ethan had me weak in the knees and to be honest I love how considerate he was toward Ivy and the kids. Like this man shaved his face because he didn't want to intimidate Ivy's foster kids!! I swooned for SURE.

Ivy, Ethan, Janna and Jase are one of the cutest tiny families ever. I wish them nothing but the best because they deserve for sure!

This would have received a higher rating but towards the end I thought to drama was a bit too much given that this was a sports romance LOL and I feel like there was a couple of things that weren't fully wrapped but but I'm not complaining though cause I really liked this book regardless

This is probably one of my fav baseball romance books!

Def recommend checking it out if you love a good single parent romance with the grumpyxsunshine trope + if you enjoy the sports romance genre.

[Alex Chamberlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was super cute! There were some slow parts but they felt necessary for the story! Loved these characters and their HEA

[Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book did not try AT ALL to hide the fact that it's a reylo fic and honestly, good for it.

Was this perfect? no.
Did I eat it up? yup.

[joni ౨ৎ]

this sounds good ig lol and baseball romances have been hitting so summer tbr!!



thank you to ingram books for a free gifted copy!!

[S. Reed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!!

Juliet hits a home run in her debut novel!!

Scintillating story with memorable characters and knee kicking moments!

This one is HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

[Christina Ambrose · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely debut novel from this author. I loved watching Ethan and Ivy fall in love. Ethan and the kids where adorable to watch. Lily and Isaac were chaos gold and I enjoyed their friendships with the main characters. Super sexy too!

[Casey · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to love this, but... I just didn't. I'm not averse to Reylo fanfiction-turned-published novels (some of my favorite books have come from this pipeline), but this was so extremely heavy handed that even I, a Reylo fan and Star Wars lover, felt annoyed. The writing was also not great, and while it wasn't bad enough for me to DNF, I was very disappointed. I think this book had a lot of potential, but it needed more development and editing.

[Ashley Hawthorne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm always going to fall head over heels for a book about a grumpy character finding love (and family!) and this one really delivers! A perfect balance of sweet domestic bliss and blood pressure raising spice. If this book is any indication, I need to start reading more sports romance!

Ethan and Ivy stole my heart and I'm sure they'll steal yours, too!

[Janni (theladysparks) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ethan Ford, a professional baseball player, keeps his distance from others to maintain his focus on the game and appease his demanding coach. Coming from a family with a legendary baseball background, Ethan is determined to make a name for himself this season by proving his worth. However, his life takes an unexpected turn when he meets Ivy Johnson and her two foster children.

Ivy, a foster mom with a tragic past, is committed to providing her children with a stable and loving home. Despite a rocky first encounter, Ivy is won over when Ethan connects with her baseball-obsessed foster son. As their relationship blossoms, they are faced with unexpected challenges that threaten to derail their happiness.

"You've taken my breath away a million times since the moment I met you."

I round up my reviews since I can't give half-star ratings on here, this is a 4.5 for me!

To sum up my feelings in a quick manner, Sliding Into Love felt like a warm embrace or like being tucked into a cozy bed with a forehead kiss goodnight. It was full of so much cute domestic living with the found family trope engrained into every single chapter (which is one of my all-time favorite things to read about). This book is so cute. Like so freaking stinking cute. If you're looking for something lighthearted and full of love, I highly recommend picking this one up.

I'll start off by talking about Ivy, a woman after my own heart for her love of food and how deeply she cares for the people in her corner. When she loves, she loves hard and is willing to do whatever she can for them. There were a couple of scenes in this book where she stood her ground or spoke her mind that I really loved because of the healthy boundaries that she set for not only herself but to the people she was interacting with. She's a cutie and I literally adore her okay?

ETHAN. My man. The love of my life. Grumpy little softy. Juliet Bridges knew what she was doing when she conjured this man up. He's the perfect amount of broody hiding literally such a good guy. I loved his character development throughout and I think some of my favorite interactions were between him and Jase or Janna. I would risk it all for this man.

Their relationship was just so soft and I love them and I think this book is just so freaking cute! Cannot wait to read more books by Juliet Bridges in the future!

- baseball romance
- found family
- mutual pining
- grumpy x sunshine
- no third act breakup
- open door spice
- lots of cute domestic life vibes
- dirty talk
- reylo coded

[Bailey Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sliding Into Love is an emotional, charming, heartwarming, humorous, delightful, and swoony-worthy romantic comedy! This book is best suited for adults and older teens between the steamy heat and the abuses characters experienced in the past.  However, because the main female character is a foster mom with her own challenging past, this was very needed. The author did a phenomenal job of integrating these elements into an otherwise lighthearted fun story! The main characters are incredibly loveable and so are all the foster kids. There is a wonderful mix of wholesome and steamy content. The romance starts slow, but it is so good! Each character has a lot going on between Ethan working hard to prove himself during his first year on a professional baseball team and Ivy working hard to create the life for her foster children she didn't have herself. The ups and downs are worth it! I loved this book!

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

:: Thanks to Lake City for the ARC ::

This was good, but probably not for me. If you want a sweet, easy-going, sports romance, then this is for you.

I loved Ivy, Ethan, Jase and Janna. It was refreshing to read a romance novel that had a FMC with foster children. Ivy is bubbly and sunny, while Ethan is grumpy but so sweet. The character growth that Ethan went through in the book was well done, believable and satisfying to see. Some of the other characters felt a little flat (if you didn't know who they were based off). As someone who knows pretty much nothing about baseball, I wasn't put off by any of the baseball stuff/terms/scenes.

I found that a lot was going on in the final third of the book, and felt it a bit overwhelming at times - a lot of characters coming and going, and events happening.

[Ruth Bookish Angel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sliding Into Love…

A wonderfully soft, romantic and tooth rottingly sweet treat. A perfect combination of sweetness and spice.
I loved the characters from the get go. Both simply complex adorable characters that you cannot help but falling in love with throughout this stories journey.

I adored the Star Wars references (Easter eggs) throughout the story line.

A fantastic read for any romance fans.

The softest read so far this year! Absolutely brilliant read.

Thank you to the author and Lake City Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Jolie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This debut was so freaking cute and spicy and wholesome!! I loved the characters and how everyone seemed to click together throughout the book. The plot was refreshing and I think one of the first baseball sports romances I’ve read??? and I’m lowkey obsessed!

No Spoiler Review!

Ethan is our hot, grumpy baseball player who needs to be reminded of what a Life outside of baseball looks like. If you love a man who looks good in baseball pants and is secretly a softie-this Is your next book boyfriend.

Ivy is the purest foster mom with loyalty and an appetite like no other. I loved how her character was developed and how open she was with her feelings and how she handled all of the obstacles thrown her way.

Lots of things happened in this book, many which I had me giggling over how cute it was. Ethan and Ivy are fkn cute and wholesome and I love how well they fit together.

As a debut novel, this is the perfect read to head into spring/summer and I’m so excited for anyone who picks it up and meets such wholesome characters🥹🤍

Idk what else to say without spoiling but def add to your shelf if you like any of the following:

⚾️Sports Romance
🦋 Reylo Coded
🌶️Spicy
👨‍👩‍👦‍👦Found Family
🫦Dirty Talk (and swear jars)
🗣️OPEN COMMUNICATION (no miscommunication tropes here friends!)
🌭Baseball
💋Idiots in Love

[Mimi | blossom_binds · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️
Ah what a sweet home run of a baseball romcom! This book has one of my favorite tropes of grumpy x sunshine, but there is also found family, soft for her / soft for kids, mutual pining, and sweet spice! There’s a good balance of romance and each main character’s struggles. Overall it’s a sweet and cheesy (like those nachos!) sports romance read.

I know some books throw in a tragic / traumatic backstory to their characters to give them some depth but Juliet integrates that into the development of her characters beautifully and continues to build on that relevant to the story. I adored Ivy’s character. She manages to pull through every obstacle thrown at her since her childhood growing up. Ethan is just so awkward of a man, yet he is also sweet and thoughtful. His grumpy character facade did NOT last at all but I’m honestly not mad about that. I love how his character was, especially when it came to the kids.

Thank you Juliet Bridges and Lake Country Press for the aARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

My lil rat heart is so happy. Definitely one of the most obvious Reylo-to-novel stories I’ve ever read! I enjoyed the blending of baseball with Ivy and Ethan’s building love story, and, of course, Janna and Jase were just too sweet with the relationships with the couple and other side characters. I breezed through this story without many stops, and definitely had a grin on my face in more than one moment.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book and its characters and watching them grow. From their adorkable selves to some serious situations and lots of fluffy (and some steamy) goodness in-between. I highly recommend this book even if you're not a sports fan. Definitely should read with snacks on hand. 😄 I kept getting the munchies anytime nachos were mentioned.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy sports romances, and if you do you would do good to try this one. I liked the evolution of Ethan as a moody ballplayer attempting to step out of family shadows into a compassionate person encouraging a young fan. Ethan's feeling for the boy's foster mother seem to help him become a better person all around.

[Hasti Amiri · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was my first time reading a baseball romance and this book DID NOT disappoint. It had a lot of things that were new to me and I didn't expect to like them but now that I read it all... I absolutely love it. I think this is gonna be one of my favorite baseball romances EVER. Ethan and Ivy are amazing their love is so so pure. Thank you Juliet for creating these lovely characters.

[Zoey · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s release day! This book was incredibly cute and heartfelt. Thank you Lake Country Press and Juliet for the arc! I can’t wait to read more of your work.

You follow Ethan, a baseball player with a harsh past. As well as Ivy, who grew up in a foster home and currently fosters two children who are adorable. This book was truly so so good!

-Baseball romance
-Found family
-Foster homes
-He cooks for her
-Calls her children his own
-Awkwardness at first (awkwardly trying to talk but not knowing what to say)
-He falls first, and harder

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Had so much fun fun with this book. It had a mix of my favorites… baseball, spice, kids all in one book! I definitely recommend, especially if you a baseball lover. I love that the game is actually part of the story, not just he’s a baseball player but the game is worked in as well.

[Chloe Pope · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual rating 3.5 stars

I really enjoyed this book.

I just felt like they got together too quickly for my tastes, I would have preferred for the romance to be stretched out longer.

[Blaire · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF’d at 60%. Unrealistic, lamely adapted (without effort) from Star Wars, and problematic.

Not worth the read.

[Emily Grumbine · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars.

[Jessica Rodriguez-Outman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was super fluffy and sweet! It made me feel all warm and fuzzy, definitely a nice read when I want to be cheered up.

[Megan Giles · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good one! Loved all the baseball aspects and the main characters were relatable.

[Amacina · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Ophelia]

DNF - cute idea, fabulous cover, execution is not what it could have been

[Ashley]

Not even thinly veiled Reylo fanfiction (and poorly written too). DNF at 57% after much struggling.

[Morgan Moldenhauer · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 only downside was written in 3rd person which isn’t my fav, but otherwise cute baseball romance!