A wild rollercoaster occurs when you open the pages of this novel. The romance between Isla and Liam and adorable. Isla's relationship with her family, not so much so. Liam is really the only person in her corner when her grandfather leaves her his baseball team in his will. I love the journey she took to accept who she is, what she has become, and to find her own strength. Having Liam on the sidelines helped navigate her there. A very heartwarming novel.

Talk about a wild day... As if being summoned to the deathbed of a grandfather she didn’t know existed wasn’t enough—Isla Bennett meets the man of her dreams. Spends an amazing day playing tourist around Nashville with him. And then finds out she’s inherited the Nashville Slammers major league baseball team. Oh, and her new dream man? He’s the Slammers’ star power hitter. Isla just went from amazing first date to holy heck I’m your boss in the span of a day.
This was a cute story that I just enjoyed. It was quick and I really liked the main characters. I recommend.
**I voluntarily read and reviewed this book

"Covering all the Bases" is the first book I've read by Jody Holford, but it won't be the last. This story was cute and sweet, featuring likeable, well-developed main characters who seemed like an excellent match for each other. I'm not usually a fan of stories in which the main characters seem to fall in love at first sight, but this one really worked for me. Liam and Isla were able to get to know each other very well, very quickly. They met coincidentally, but it seemed natural for them to continue spending time together after that due to their connection through the Nashville Slammers baseball team. For this reason, the evolution of their relationship felt believable to me even though it took place over a relatively short period of time.

I also appreciated how mature both Isla and Liam were. They trusted in their feelings, communicated with each other instead of bottling things up inside, and didn't allow petty jealousies to complicate their growing relationship. There was a bit of mild jealousy on Liam's part over Isla's friendship with her contact from Conroy Hotels, but they actually talked about it and were able to keep it from blowing up into a huge problem for them. As for Isla, she embraced the women in Liam's fan club and decided to use them in her marketing campaign for the team, which was a very clever idea. I really liked how well Liam and Isla were able to communicate and work together, which bodes well for their future as both business partners and spouses.

Finally, the book's secondary characters added a lot of interest and fun to this story, and there are several I hope will be featured in future books. As a result, I am very much looking forward to reading the next installment in this series.

*ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I received an e-arc of Covering All The Bases by Jody Holford from Entangled: Bliss in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about the book. I wasn’t expecting much from this book honestly.

I hadn’t really heard anything about Covering All The Bases before I picked it up. But the synopsis sounded really interesting. I love sports romance, it’s one of my romance weakness so I couldn’t really say no to it. And while I didn’t fall in love with the book, I did really enjoy it and will most likely read more in the series when they come out.

Covering All The Bases follows Isla Bennett as she embarks on a journey she never imagined. When a grandfather that she never knew existed wishes to see her before he dies, Isla rushes to a Nashville. Then she has an amazing day being shown around Nashville, by the man of her dreams Liam Cruz. Then everything changes because Isla inherited the Nashville Slammers major league baseball team. And Liam just so happens to be their star player. It was just another night for Liam Cruz, but then he meets Isla and something changes. It’s been a long time since someone didn’t know who he was – and he likes that. But now Isla is his boss and everything changes.

I really enjoyed the concept of this book. The plot was so intriguing and grabbed me from the get-go. Not only was it about women in power, but about women in power in sport. I also loved the concept that Isla inherited the team from her grandfather, meets the man of her dream and now she is her boss. It’s so ridiculous but also so perfect.

I really enjoyed Isla as a protagonist. She was really easy to get along with from the start and I wanted to keep knowing more about her. Isla didn’t have a great way of growing up and her father really isn’t the best person out there. But I think Isla did pretty well for herself. The reader gets to really know Isla throughout Covering All The Bases. And as Isla finds out more about herself and grows, the reader grows with her. One of the things that really made me like Isla was that she felt honest. It’s a strange thing to say, but she felt real. I also loved that she had no clue about baseball – made everything that little more interesting.

Liam was also a really easy character to get along in Covering All The Bases. He was charming and just a really nice male protagonist. I loved that he was this big baseball start, but also seemed really down to earth. I liked that the reader got to know more about Liam as the novel goes on and as Isla gets to know him.

The romance in Covering All The Bases was very sweet. It was one of those romance that is easy to read and isn’t filled with angst. While Isla and Liam have a lot holding them back from being together. It wasn’t anything to do with communication or issues that would easily be resolved. The banter between Isla and Liam was really spot on and I loved reading it. It was really cool seeing women in power and Liam understanding why Isla had her worries. I loved that there was a little tension between the two. In saying all that I didn’t like how quick their relationship did move. I am a slow burn romance kind of girl and everything moved far too quickly for my liking. While Liam and Isla did know a good amount about each other, something just didn’t sit right with me, regarding time.

There are some crazy things that go on over the course of Covering All The Bases. Isla relationship with her father for one. Some of the things that happened between the two were really hard to read. He just made me so angry. And it wasn’t just him. I really hate how Isla was treated by some of the male figures throughout the novel.

Overall, I enjoyed reading Covering All The Bases by Jodi Holford. It’s a great easy, quick, romance read that put a smile on my face. I loved that it explored female empowerment and being a powerhouse boss. Isla and Liam were really cute together and I liked getting to know them. While I didn’t love Covering All The Bases, it was a great, simple read and I do want to read more books in this series. If you are looking for a sports romance that is a little different, then this is for you.

Sorry but I did not enjoy this book. It started out very fun and interesting but got boring as I continued to read.

Ahhhhhhh Covering All the Bases was just such a wonderful book and I just thoroughly enjoyed myself. I didn’t want to put this book down. I just fell in love with this wonderful story and it’s wonderful characters. I will most definitely be reading more stories from this wonderful author.

This was an ok book to read, I honestly do not have to continue the series. Liam is a baseball player who is on the verge of retirement but has finally got the chance to play for his hometown team something he has always wanted to do his whole life. Working for his families bar he meets Isla who has no clue who he is since she knows nothing about baseball and that instantly attracts Liam. Isla is heartbroken, she has just found out that not only does find out that she still had a grandfather but that she didn't make it in time to meet him and he has left his beloved baseball team to her. Isla and Liam are instantly in love but now they can not be together since she is now his boss and to top it off her father is a horrible person who is doing his best to take the team away from her since he feels it is due to him and she is not good enough for it,. Boy is he going to get a surprise.

Such an adorable read!

I really enjoyed Liam and Isla's story. I'm not a huge fan of baseball--neither is Isla, before she inherits a baseball team!--but of course you don't have to be to enjoy a baseball romance :) Isla and Liam have incredible chemistry together, and even when they know and you know that they really shouldn't be together it's hard to argue with exactly how good they are together. Even when you know it's all going to blow up at some point...

And blow up it does, of course. The black moment is really, really black, and for a while there it does look like all is going to be lost. But Ms. Holford has a few things up her sleeve and manages to pull an HEA out of the depths of despair, giving us an absolutely adorable ending and epilogue.

I can't wait to see where the rest of this series is going!

Rating: 4 stars / A-

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

A really great read! While you have to suspend just a little reality to believe that Isla had no idea about her grandfather, or really even her father, it doesn't take away too much from the delightfulness of the plot. I thought that Isla came across as a sweet, but strong woman who could manage her life well while it was spinning in chaos and confusion. The romance between Isla and Liam was fun to watch blossom and grow. A great summer beach read. Great author and look forward to reading more from her.

*I received a free copy of this ebook from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*

I'm not sure what it is, but I've got a thing for baseball books--or sports books (and movies) in general, I suppose. I don't even like sports.

This book was fun to read--easy and light with a cute love story. Isla and Liam were likable characters, and I wanted things to work out for them. (This isn't the type of book you read because you're going to fret over the ending--it's just enjoyable to see how it happens.) All I could glean about their ages was that Isla was almost 30; Liam is one of the older guys on the team, nearing retirement, which Google says is usually somewhere between 33 and 40. I'm going to assume that he's in the lower part of that range. Anyway. I like that they're both generally good people. Perfect? Of course not, but who is?

So I really enjoyed the story. The writing was just okay, and that's what brought the rating down for me. For me, that's a weakness a lot of romance novels have, though I can't quite put my finger on what specifically it is. Something always feels slightly . . . cheesy. Antagonists are exaggerated in their villainy. (For example, I have difficulty imagining that the last press conference would actually play out as it did in regards to Bruce and Hank.)

Although this is a romance novel, I appreciated that any sex happened off the page. Strange how there was less steamy content in this adult romance novel than there is in a lot of young adult novels. Hmmmm. I'm not complaining about the lack; I am annoyed by the abundance in YA lit.

Note: Some swearing. Off-page sex.

Covering All the Bases is the first book in the For the Love of the Game series by Jody Holford. The main characters are Liam the power hitter for Nashville Slammers and owner of the bar Isla goes to when she first arrives in the city. Isla has just lost the grandfather she didn't know she had because he and her father had a feud. When they first met they weren't aware of the connection, so they are just Isla and Liam. The chemistry was there from the very first moment and I just wanted them to be together forever. From the very first few pages, I could feel their connection and that they were meant to be. When they found that Isla inherited the team he was a player in they tried to be apart and act professionally, but Liam was the perfect support for Isla (and her friend of course). She needed a shoulder to lean on and someone to be on her team and he was that for her.

And that's what I loved the most. Liam and Isla's relationship from the moment they met 'till they got their happy ending. The only thing that I wasn't a big fan of was how little we saw Isla working on her new role as an owner. She had press conferences, but that was the extent of it. The rest happened off stage. I hope we will see her having a more active role in the second book which will be about another couple. Liam and Isla got their happy ending in this one and it can be read as stand-alone. It's a very solid start for the series and I look forward to the upcoming books.

when isla bennett finds herself in nashville after her estranged grandfather passes away in covering all the bases, she is in dire need of a friend. at a crossroads, she walks into a bar called salvation. and well, it's life-changing. the instant connection that she feels with liam cruz, the bartender/bar owner/secret baseball superstar, is too hard to resist. especially since he is intent on being a perfect gentleman and helping her out and also completely willing to do anything to get in her pants.

but let's rewind a second, and go back to the secret baseball superstar thing. because little does isla know, she'd on the verge of inheriting a baseball team and liam happens to be one of her players. and things are going to be super complicated, but letting go of the spark of what could be between them proves to be impossible. and also worth fighting for.

**covering all the bases will publish on june 10, 2019. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/entangled publishing (bliss) in exchange for my honest review.

Covering All the Bases is a well written romance. I enjoyed the plot and the author’s writing. Recommend to romance readers. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my digital arc. This is my unbiased review.

I loved Isla, she was such a strong yet kind female character despite a lonely upbringing. The love story was so sweet but so enjoyable. I really enjoyed how it was a sort of suspenseful story that kept me reading until the end. I really hope to read more about the sort of side characters such as Addie.

Oh, man, I loved this book a ridiculous amount. To be fair, I adore baseball, which helps. But there's not much about the actual game in the book, so you don't have to know or understand it. Liam and Isla had an instant connection, and I loved watching them navigate their relationship.

Holford's crisp, clean writing make this an easy, fun read. I liked that she doesn't get bogged down in too much description or overly flowerly language. Will definitely read other books by her.

I loved Isla and Liam. Baseball romances are so fun! Great job!

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

Isla and Liam are a wonderful couple.
They meet and sparks fly. It’s like they both know they have found there person. Awe!
But then it gets complicated.
Isla is his new boss.
Players can’t date there boss!
Or can they?
He’s not sure.
Neither is she.
Hmmm....

I really enjoyed this one! Not sure why I didn’t read it the day it showed up on my kindle.
This is book one in this new series. It has a HEA and can be read on its own.
I hope Talia get her own love story next.

So glad to read a clean romance. Cute love story. I loved that the heroine stayed strong despite her many tears. I would definitely read this author again.

I really liked this sports romance. Most books in this genre have a hero who is a stud sports dude who humbles himself to be with the woman who takes him down a peg or two. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. But this story was different because Liam Cruz was a sweetheart from the very beginning. It was so nice to see a guy who was comfortable being a nice guy in spite of his sports stature. I liked the chemistry between Liam and Isla, and I really liked Talia – I hope there is a story for her coming up next. I also enjoyed the plot; I thought it was unique. And frankly, I’m a sucker for a baseball story. Since we are heading into the heart of baseball season, I’d definitely recommend the book. Thank you to Entangled Publishing (via NetGalley) for a complimentary pre-release digital ARC.

Covering All The Bases!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I was drawn in from the beginning to the end. I loved the plot line of this story, and I enjoyed the fact that Isla navigated being a new owner of the Nashville Dodgers baseball team while feeling the chemistry with Liam, to whom she shouldn’t be drawn. A female owner of baseball is a rarity in the business. Another thing Isla has to deal with.

This is a light sports read. The heroine is strong in her own way, but it did bother me that she sold half of her shares to Liam. Otherwise, I enjoyed this book and look forward to more.

I received an ARC of this book courtesy of Net Galley and the Entangled Publishing. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely.