I'm really glad this finally made it to the top of my TBR (aka mood reading). I haven't read many baseball romances, I tend to lean more toward the hockey romances. But this one was really fun and the chemistry felt natural and perfectly in place. I'm just sorry it took me so long!

This is the first book I have read from this author and it did not disappoint. This story has engaging, likable characters that you just want to get to know better. I loved the meet cute when Addie all but kidnaps Sawyer and how there relationship grows from there. This is a definite page turner that I could not put down. I am looking forward to more books from this author.

I just really enjoyed this book. It was just really easy to get lost in this book. I just couldn’t get enough of it and didn’t want it to end. I will definitely be reading more by this author.

Addie Carlisle is presenting herself as driver at airport for Sawyer McBain Addie knows she could get jailtime for this. Addie really works for a business that connects athletes with organizations.Addie wants Sawyer to go to a charity event with her. I lost interest in the events.

America’s favorite past time leads to love in Catching Her Heart by Jody Holford, a new standalone baseball romance with plenty of heart and humor.

Addie and Sawyer is a couple you can root, root, root for. (Sorry, not sorry. Can’t resist a baseball pun!) Okay, but really, these two are so charming. I loved that Sawyer was grumpy, but never an outright jerk. He wasn’t an arrogant bad boy who needed to be tamed, or prove his softer side. He has a reputation, but it’s largely unfounded, and he’s immediately swept up by Addie’s brazenness and the fact that she’s so unselfishly giving of both herself and her time. And he’s not afraid to be open with her … at least, about most things.

Both of these heroes are dealing with their own insecurities and complications, but they compliment each other oh-so-well. I liked seeing them try (and fail) to keep things platonic, and then the inevitable tumble into romance land. The way the various complications arose in their relationship felt organic, and I liked seeing how they worked through them.

I love a baseball romance, and the sporty aspect of this one was pretty subtle (not heavy sports at all), but used very smartly. The side-plot that I probably most enjoyed was Sawyer dealing with his knee injury and facing the possibility of having to retire soon from one of the only things he loves. So many sports romances focus on how ripped and athletic these guys are, and Sawyer is still in great shape, but I loved that this story also dealt with the reality of injuries and getting older, and what that means to an athlete’s career.

The sexier stuff is a fade-to-black, so if you prefer your romances on the cleaner side, this one definitely fits the bill. (I’m cool with the smutty stuff, but I never felt like this one was lacking for it’s use of the fade-to-black.)

Catching Her Heart is a sweet and charming sports romance, filled with lots of humorous moments.

when addie carlisle kind of kidnaps sawyer mcbain into being her plus one at a charity event at the start of catching her heart, she's surprised by how little he actually complains about it. sawyer is known around the baseball team as being a grumpy loner. but there's something about addie that brings him out of his shell.

her warmth, her kindness and caring, give sawyer something to look forward to. even as the stress of his waning career, the fact that he knows his knees won't hold him up forever, and that as the team's veteran catcher he'll have to cede his roster spot to someone younger eventually.

that addie works for the team management and happens to be the owner's best friend/assistant is also a bit of a stumbling block. sawyer wants to believe that he can trust addie, but he's been burned before. his mother and brother have abused his trust one time too many. but addie isn't like anyone else in his life. she might actually be the one person willing to stand by him through everything as long as he doesn't mess things up.

**catching her heart will publish on september 9, 2019. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/entangled publishing (bliss) in exchange for my honest review.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It took me forever to read, though. I wouldn’t blame the book for that. I was enjoying it while reading it, I was just really slumpy. That being said, I didn’t connect with this romance the same I did with the first couple. But I was still rooting for both of them and was excited to watch their romance progress. I foresee a future romance in the works from this book, so I’m interested to see if it will continue.

Fun, Easy Read!!

This was a fun, easy, quick read. Recommended!

I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely.

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

3.5+ stars.

I was lucky enough to be able to read & review the first book in the series (Covering All the Bases) a couple months ago, and that led me to request this one when I saw it. The first book was cute, but I honestly liked this one even more. I think the writing was better, for one thing. Although Sawyer has awful family expectations and drama to deal with, I found his more believable than Isla's from the first book. And something about this story just caught me (haha) more than the other. They're both cute and fun to read--don't get me wrong!

Addie (almost 30) and Sawyer (32-34; the book said, but I can't remember) are just so perfect for each other, and I enjoyed their back-and-forth banter about owing each other for things. Plus their strengths complement each other's weaknesses, and they make each other better. And Sawyer is just a grouchy teddy bear.

Random note: I always chuckle when characters who are roughly the same age as my parents are portrayed as beyond ancient. Sawyer's grandmother is 76; my parents are in their early 70s. I'm not that much older than Sawyer. So it was amusing to see his frail (but feisty) grandmother and her thinning white hair in a nursing home. Yes, I know everyone ages differently. I liked her a lot, by the way.

Prior to reading this series, I was prepared to give up requesting romance novels, to be honest. I know a lot of people read them because they like things to be steamy and, well, descriptive. I'm not one of those people. I absolutely love a good love story, and I'm not opposed to kissing in the slightest. But I'm more of a fade-to-black type of girl. In college, my roommates and I decided that the movie Life or Something Like It had the best sex scene in any movie. Why? Because all we see is a sweatshirt being unzipped, and then the scene cuts out. We all knew what happened, but we didn't need to see it in order fo the story to progress. I don't watch rom-coms for the exposed skin, and I don't read love stories for graphic sex. (For the record, I'm a married mother of four, so it's not like I'm embarrassed.) I just don't see the necessity, and it bothers me that something I view as special gets displayed everywhere. Anyway. In both of these books, any sex that occurs happens off the page. There's kissing, and there's romance, and there's love. But there weren't any parts I had to skip. Thank you, Jody Holford. I'm going to look into some more of your books, and I hope they follow the same trend.

Side note, however: I realize it's "how the world is today" and all, but it does drive me crazy that characters have sex before they even admit they love each other. In a perfect world, people would fall in love, get married, and then enjoy all the benefits of married life. ;)

But enough with my social commentary. I really did enjoy this book. It had just the right amount of cuteness, frustration, and happy ending (you know it does, so why hide it?). Super cute ending.

And although this was an uncorrected proof, so there's a chance it changed between my ARC and the final printing, I love this quote: "I'm a professional catcher, babe. Go ahead and fall. I've got you." Because hello, Sawyer's a catcher. It was just a perfect line for him.

Note: Some swearing. Off-page sex.

Jody Holford's "Catching Her Heart" was a cute, sweet story and a lovely follow up to the first book in this series. It is a complete stand-alone, but characters from the first book do make cameo appearances. It's not necessary to read the books in order because the author does a good job of providing background for readers new to the series, but I'm glad I read the previous book first. I think it helped me understand Addie, the female main character, a bit better since she was such an important secondary character in the first book.

Addie came across as very outgoing and confident in the previous book, which is one of the reasons I liked her so much. However, in the early part of this story, she seemed much less confident and spent a lot of time second guessing herself, especially in regards to how she convinced Sawyer, the male lead character, to help with her charity event in the first chapter. Fortunately, Addie seemed to regain her confidence fairly quickly, and her passion for helping people was clear. On the whole, I found Addie to be a very genuine, likeable character, and it was easy to root for her to find happiness whether it was with Sawyer or on her own.

As for Sawyer, I found him to be somewhat difficult to figure out at first, but it turned out that he was just a very private person, and for good reason. He had lived in the public eye for many years by that point and accustomed himself to keeping things close to the vest in order to keep his private life out of the press. He had also developed some trust issues because of the way his mother and brother took advantage of his wealth and fame, while at the same time struggling with a difficult decision about the future of his career. Given those circumstances, I could understand why it took some time for Sawyer to learn that he could trust Addie and share his thoughts and feelings with her. When he finally did let Addie in, I liked the way their relationship grew from an "exchange of favors" into a real romance. It was nice to see how supportive Addie and Sawyer were of each other as their romance blossomed.

Overall, I very much enjoyed this book and hope that the author plans to continue writing more books in this series. I would really like to see Liam's sister Talia get a story of her own.

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

This book was from the get go was heated, you could see the wheels turning in Addie’s head from what she was going to do. From the start Addie needed a big favor from Sawyer and even though he was kinda cruel he did as she requested in return for an IOU. It strings you along to want to read more. It was straight forward and very intriguing.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Entangled Publishing via NetGalley and I am voluntarily reviewing it.

This was a good story. I enjoyed get to see Isla and Liam from the first story making multiple appearances here. Addison (Addy) and Sawyer both work for the Nashville Slammers baseball franchise. Sawyer is the catcher with a knee injury and Addy works behind the scene working both PR and wellness for the entire franchise. Sawyer is a very private person who knows his days are numbered due to his age. His injury though may just move up the retirement date. He is afraid to let others know the extent of the injury as the team is going into the playoffs. The team has worked hard for this and Sawyer wants to be a part of it. Addy on the other hand is very out going and just a positive person. She wants to be on the local MS board. To help her in her endeavor, she kidnaps Sawyer at the airport and takes him to a charity event to be auctioned off to raise money for MS. They soon are trading favors and some of them are hilarious, like Sawyer wants Addy to go with him to play poker with him and his Grams at her assisted living facility to help “protect” him from the older women’s grabby hands!!!!

Both characters has several issues to work through on their journey to a HEA. It was a fun read to see them struggling to overcome their dilemmas. I adore the dual POV that the story is written in. Getting into the characters’ thought process to understand their actions really helps me to connect with them.

This is a wonderful story and I highly recommend it.

How I loved Addison throughout this whole book! She was so genuine, always wanting to help others, looking for the good in people, and trying to do a good job for the Slammers. She is honest to a fault and cannot handle thinking she may use someone for personal gain. Definitely someone you want to be friends with. Then there is Sawyer, so completely guarded and untrusting, wanting to play the game he has loved all his life. When you read how he is treated, you understand his walls. But I love how he learns Addison and her true nature, and allows her into his world. They were so cute together, with their flirting banter and the deals they made. I loved their ending and could want more of them in the future.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review from the publisher through Netgalley.

Loved Sawyer and Addie!
Perfect couple!
He’s a star baseball catcher and she works in the front office for the same team. What starts off as a kidnapping quickly becomes friendly and then something more. Great chemistry between these two characters! I also enjoyed seeing the couple from the previous book.

I highly recommend this one!
Yes, it is book 2 in the series, but both can be read on there own with no issues.

"If you keep being all sweet on top of the sexy, I'm going to have no choice but to completely fall for you." . . ."I'm a professional catcher, babe,. go on and fall, I've got you."

The story sounds fun from the blurb - a little "kidnapping" meet-cute - but the cheesy lines , superficial character development, make-everyone-happy, optimistic, do-gooder plus a reclusive ball player felt cloyingly sweet. It has it's moments but I was so disengaged from the story it was a chore to finish.

Objectively the story is probably three stars, but plays like a Hallmark movie. And you have to be in the mood for a Hallmark movie to take in the overabundance of unconditional happiness and enduring love, superficial characters and a plot line with little to no conflict.

It was a miss for me but if you want a clean, Hallmark-like sports romance pick up Catching Her Heart.

Sawyer is a catcher for Nashville Slammers, and Addison is the executive for the same team. Though they work for the same team, they have never met till Addie kidnaps him.
Addie is in a bind, she needs a celebrity for a charity event, and Sawyer is perfect for it.
Sawyer though not happy about it, seeing her enthusiasm agrees on the condition that now she owes him.
Somewhere between IOUs their relationship progresses from friends to more. But Sawyer is not someone who lets his guard down easily, and Addie is an all or nothing person.
Catching her Heart is an easy read and the romance sweet. I enjoyed the way their relationship developed, it was very cute and sweet.
I have enjoyed this and the previous book in the series, and hope there is more to come.

Jody Holford Love of the Game series always leaves me with a high smile on my face. Her books are the perfect mixture of humour, sexy times, baseball and romance....oh...and the hero’s and heroines will melt your kindle app which all the sweet and sexy romance. All the feels for a perfect afternoon read in the house, or in the garden or on the beach or anywhere you fancy reading. Can’t wait for the next book in the Love of the Game series! Happy reading!!

It's a sweet romantic story. I enjoyed reading it a lot. It started in a very intriguing way and ended beautifully.
Addie is trying not to panic because this is her only way. So, she asks Sawyer for a favor and unexpectedly he agrees. But now she owes him too. They are both going to be working together so she hopes that it doesn't turn out to be a big problem.
Sawyer couldn't believe this woman. She practically kidnapped him but oddly enough instead of getting angry or frustrated he actually wants to help her. There is something about her that he really likes. Perhaps it is the fact that she is the most genuine person he has met in a long time. Most people are nice to him only because they want something from him. Even his own family only contacts him when they want money. Addie is different and he likes that. Soon, he begins to be more than her friends. But is happily ever after really something he can have?
I think that this story is very well-written. I enjoyed it and loved the characters. I'd definitely recommend it to contemporary romance fans.

Addie is making the best of her life now that she has a new job and is living away from her parents. When she promises to produce a big name for a charity auction, in the hopes of becoming a board member, she decides to 'kidnap' Sawyer, the catcher for the local baseball team. The only problem, he doesn't know that she needs him to help her out. Sawyer doesn't trust easily, he has a good reason: his mom and family use him as their personal atm and his ex left him for his brother. Even though he is drawn to her, because he can't figure her out, he denies it for awhile.
As they both keep asking for favors and owing the other favor after favor, they both start realizing that a lot of what people see isn't true. He isn't the person the media makes him out to be and she is truly as nice as she seems to be. When parents, exes, and the job get in the way, they have to decide if they want to fight to try to find and keep their happiness.
The relationship between Addie and Sawyer was different than most books. Even though they found the other attractive and intriguing, they didn't like each other at first. Little by little they chipped away at the other's walls until they realized they loved each other. He screws up and has to find a way to make it up to her. Both characters were strong on their own, but stronger together. A wonderful book that hits home the message not to judge a book by it's cover, or a person by what you read. His family were pieces of work and I was so happy when he finally told them how they made him feel. I couldn't believe how his mom reacted.
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest, voluntary review.

I adored this book! Catching Her Heart. This is the second book in the For the Love of the Game series and is a definite winner.

The relationship between Addison, an exec with the Nashville Slammers, and Sawyer, the team's star catcher, starts out a bit rocky. Eventually the two become friends and are constantly trading favors. When their friendship turns into something more they must decide whether they should let their guard down or walk away from something special.

We met Addison in the first book (Covering All the Bases) and I loved what we saw of her so I was super excited to get her story. Jody did not disappoint! Sawyer was rough around the edges but Holford did a great job showing us why he is that way and made me love him as the hero.

I definitely recommend this one! Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.