It’s Christmas season! If you’re looking for a cheesy hallmark type book this is it! Entertaining but not my favorite.

High school sweethearts. Broken hearts. And second chances. I love how once they got past the shocking reunion, they fell right back into their old patterns. I love how faith is included in the book as well as the theme of mending relationships. Really cute and easy read.

This is a sweet second-chance-at-love novella. Bebe and Jay are likable, and Bebe's daughter is adorable. The plot moved quickly to the predictable (but enjoyable) end. I was impressed at how much character development the author squeezed into a novella, particularly Jay's relationship with his dad.
The football--Christmas combo makes for the perfect fall or holiday read.

The Christmas Catch by Toni Shiloh is a sweet stand-alone novella. Bebe Gordon has been in Peachwood Bay recovering from her divorce and taking care of her daughter while living in her parents’ former home. She sees that her neighbor Jahleel Walker is coming back to his childhood home on crutches. She has not seen him in 8 years since they parted unhappily before college. How is she going to make it through Christmas!

I was a pleasure to watch Bebe and Jahleel transform in this dual POV story. I was rooting for them. The sweet small-town setting of Peachwood was complete with wonderful Christmas festivities that warmed my heart. I loved the secondary characters, the humor that flowed through the story, and the theme of forgiveness. A lovely story!

This is a fun quick read that has depth, great characters, and a good message. I would add it to your TBR and Christmas list! I highly recommend The Christmas Catch by Toni Shiloh.

I was given a copy by the publisher and not required to write a positive review.

Nobody writes a Christmas book like Toni Shiloh. Reading this book felt like putting on my favorite sweater and drinking a mug of hot cocoa by the Christmas tree. The comfort and warmth I felt while reading was second only to the emotions I felt while sympathizing with Bebe and Jay. The wonderful atmosphere of Christmas was perfectly captured through the setting and the details, and the characters were so realistic and fun that I felt like they really existed. I appreciated and was encouraged by the emphasis on forgiveness, family, and God’s sovereignty throughout the story. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys sweet holiday stories, and I am looking forward to Shiloh’s next book.
I voluntarily read and reviewed this book for the author and publisher. A positive review was not required, and all opinions expressed are entirely my own.

The Christmas Catch is a cute second chance romance. Jahleel is a big shot football player whose life takes a sudden turn when he is injured. Returning home, he faces his old flame Bebe and her daughter. With another chance to make things work, they start planning a Christmas ball. I did enjoy the story overall, but I felt it could have been more exciting and entertaining. I felt it dragged on even though it was a novella. I was not invested in the characters nor did I love their chemistry. I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley in trade for my honest opinion. My thoughts are my own.

YouTube Handle: KeenCat

he Christmas Catch is a thoroughly enjoyable story that I struggled to put down.

Bebe and Jahleel were high school sweethearts but a college offer to prepare him for the NFL tore them apart. When Jahleel is injured, he heads home to try and save his career, despite a tricky relationship with his pastor father. After her marriage falls apart, Bebe returns to her hometown with her daughter. She begins teaching and rebuilding her life. The last person she expected to see was her ex.

But then the chemistry zings. And all the things Shiloh excels at jump to the fore. High stakes for both – Jahleel’s career AND heart are on the line, Bebe’s heart is also at risk and she can’t let her daughter get attached. Shiloh also writes the best rough parent relationship in all Christian Fiction, I think. Jahleel’s dad, despite being a pastor, is a self-righteous piece of work.

However, this is Toni Shiloh. A master craftswoman. With a strong thread of faith that I adore about all her books (I’ve probably read 80-%), the two work together to benefit their community, and with a little sprinkling for Christmas magic, relationships are healed and given new starts. This lovely story is a quick read and will set your heart up perfectly for Christmas.

I received a copy of The Christmas Catch from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions are all my own.

I love a good Christmas romance and I love Toni Shiloh's books...so put that together and you have a very entertaining read. Jahleel and Bebe were best friends when they were younger, dated as teens, then broke up when he went to college and wanted a football career. Now many years later when they are both back in their home town, they have a second shot at love. Toni's characters are always so real and I loved seeing how they learned to forgive one another and reconcile. Her faith-filled books are encouraging and always a blessing to read!

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review. All opinions are my own.

Publication date: 24 September 2024

I’m not a huge fan of Christian fiction, but I’ve come to realize when it comes to holiday romances, it doesn’t quite matter. I will pick it up and smile about it. And that’s exactly what happened with this one.

I usually stay away from Christian fiction because its hard to be preached at. But when it’s surrounding a holiday, sometimes it doesn’t get too preachy. I read Shiloh’s other Christmas book last year and thought it did a good job separating it, so I decided to give this one a try too. This one worked as well. It focused more on the asking forgiveness for herself and himself. I liked that the preachy part and the moral lessons part was contained within the story. It didn’t seem that she was forcing any lessons on people as they read. It was more so she was teaching the characters. If that makes any sense at all.

The book is also a sports romance. He is injured in the very beginning and tears something in his knee. He is sent back to his old home to recover since they were there at the time. That’s really where the sports part ends. They do talk about his knee other times throughout the story, but it’s only to talk about how he’s recovering, so I guess it depends on how you define sports romance.

The romance was cute tho. This is Christian Fiction, so there is no spice, if anyone is wondering. But they do have a great relationship with their God and they do pray for each other and they prey for other things in their life as well. Both together and apart.

The only thing I didn’t love was the way everything lined up so completely perfect. It was like one thing after the other. I just thought there should have been some kind of conflict. It was just too easy for them. And yeah I get it, it’s fiction, but in all books there’s a main conflict in them. This one didn’t and that’s what made it weird.

This could most definitely be described as one of those Hallmark movies. But dare I say this one was better? The diversity makes it 100x’s better than those movies lol Going back to a small town and can’t remember why you ever left. And now you’re in love and can’t think about going back. The ending changes this a bit, but still, very on point. And I’d still prefer this one over the the same ones we see on Hallmark. I promise, if you pick this one up, you will too.

This was enjoyable. I thought it was a nice story. I’m not much into football so that was kind of not my thing. But the plot was good and the characters were good as well.

#BookReview: THE CHRISTMAS CATCH by Toni Shiloh

I thoroughly enjoyed this holiday read. It's a delightful blend of sweetness and fun, while also offering valuable lessons about forgiveness and trusting God. As a fan of second chance romances, I found it endearing to see Bebe give Jay another opportunity to prove his love for her. I particularly enjoyed the baking scene with Bebe, Jay, and Hope. It was a heartwarming and enjoyable moment, filled with hope. This would make a fantastic Hallmark movie.

Rating: 4 ⭐
Pub date: Sep 24 2024

Thank you Bethany House Publishers and #netgalley for the complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

Toni does it again with this sweet and swoony novella!
This was my first sports romance, and I am here for it. This Christmas read was a perfect way to cool down and beat the summer heat. I love the way Toni weaves faith into her stories, and this was no different. Can't wait to see what she writes next!
Thank you NetGalley, Toni Shiloh as well as Bethany House for the opportunity to read and review this advanced copy.

Toni Shiloh is a great author whose books I’ve enjoyed for quite a while now. We blogged together at Inspy Romance (now shuttered) for several years, and I’m happy to call her a friend!

That means I’ve read most? all? of her indie books as well as her more recent traditionally published books. And somehow I’d missed the fact that her new publisher had picked up some of her previous stories, had them re-edited and re-covered, then re-released them with a new title.

As I began to read The Christmas Catch, I thought… this sounds familiar. And it was, because I’d read it before. I wish that had been clear in the book description. Still a great story, and I can’t tell you how many changes there had been, since it’s been a while since I first read it, and my memory is a sieve.

I don’t tend to seek out sports romances. I don’t follow any sports in Real Life, either, so reading about training and games and fans and championships doesn’t hold a lot of appeal to me.

This story follows Jahleel after a career-ending injury, so while sports is very important to the story, it’s mostly in the background.

One of the things that fascinated me most was Jahleel’s tenuous relationship with his preacher father. His father had been extremely against his football career, and they’ve been estranged ever since. Through the course of the story they begin to understand each other, and their relationship begins to mend.

Bebe is a fascinating character, too. I enjoyed her and her daughter. I loved the way she and Jahleel were pushed together for the church’s Christmas festivities (that his father has a hard time relinquishing his grip on).

If you’re looking for just a splash of sports and a whole lot of Christmas cheer, check out The Christmas Catch (formerly A Sidelined Christmas, 2018)!

Sigh! This was a sweet, endearing, relatable and inspirational Christmas novella! Christmas stories is one of my favorite genre! There are suppose to highlight the spirit of Christmas: Jesus is the reason for the Season. And Jesus brought us joy and salvation, through sacrifice. This book is perfect in that way! It’s sweet, enjoyable, with relatable and endearing characters, and a faith inspired message! Bebe Gordon, now divorced, and raising her daughter as a single mother, feels a bit lost in what the future holds for her and Hope. One day, she unexpectedly reconnects with Jahleel Walker, his high school sweetheart and former love. The one who left her because his career in the NFL was more important than anything. Now Jahleel in back to his hometown after a serious injury while trying to lead his team to victory, which he did. But now, his future is uncertain. If he can’t play football anymore, what will he do? His dreams seem shattered. Plus, he’s now living again with his parents, and his relationship with his father is strained as he threw him out of the house because he never approved his choice of career. He reconnects con Bebe, being her neighbor again, and sooner than later, they realize that their feelings haven’t changed. But heir lives are so different. Can they find a way to a happily ever after? It was a delightful story! I enjoyed the Christmas details and traditions, it made me wish so much that Christmas was closer enough. Those holidays are the happiest of the year. The writing style is so good, it flows and you can read the book pretty quickly. The details make the book more vivid and helps you feel family of the main characters and root for their chance at a second and ultimate love. In spite of being a novella, the characters are well developed and they both had a journey of personal growth, spiritual growth, and forgiveness. The romance is so sweet and clean, it made me sigh at times. Love the meet-cute. Love that there’s humor in the story. The secondary characters are lovable as well: my favorite is Hope and her interactions with Jay and Bebe. She made me laugh at times. The faith thread is inspiring and thought provoking. I especially loved the theme of forgiveness, knowing one self better so that you can fight to be what God is calling your to do, and yes, trust in God, knowing that everything we have is because God gave it to us, undeservedly, and because his unconditional love for us’o. All in all, a wonderful Christmas story that will keep you reading until the end! Toni Shiloh rocks it once more with her charming yet realistic stories! I highly recommend this book. Even today! There no need to wait for the Christmas season. It’s the perfect way to prepare for the coming of our Savior. Get your jacket on and dive into this enjoyable Christian Romance of second chances. I received a complimentary copy of this book from the Publisher and was under no obligation to post a positive review. This is my honest and unbiased opinion.

This second chance romance has all the elements of a great Hallmark Christmas movie. There's the heroine who is fine on her own, but wouldn't mind someone who loves her. There's the sweet little girl who has spunk and charm. And there's the slightly brooding hero who needs to fix his past. They all come together over Christmas in the sweetest, hot chocolate infused way. A delightful read that is faith-infused in every way.

The Christmas Catch by award-winning author Toni Shiloh is a delightful holiday treat. Shiloh’s story of a second chance romance between Jay and Bebe is the perfect read to get you in the mood for the Christmas season. After reading this book in August, I was ready to get out my decorations and go shopping.
Both Bebe and Jay experience familial relationship problems and tensions are high. Shiloh expertly deals with each of these issues and brings the entire story to a satisfying conclusion.
I enjoyed this book very much and will put it on my “Reread each Christmas” list.

I was given a copy by the publisher and was not required to give a positive review. All opinions are my own.

This was a perfect Christmas romance- adorable, faith-filled, and sweet. I loved the main characters, their struggles, and how their faith played a role in each decision that was made.
I love that the story incorporates single-motherhood and second-chance romance! Highly recommended!

I really enjoyed this second chance at love sports romance. I liked how unexpected circumstances brought Bebe and Jahleel back together. I liked how they got to see each other as mature adults and were able to deal with their past. I liked how they saw who each other was now and got to love that person. I also liked to see the faith journey that they each went on throughout this story to find healing and to be together as a couple. I would recommend this book.

I received a complimentary book from publishers, publicists, and or authors.  A review was not required and all opinions and ideas expressed are my own.

“If someone is gracious enough to give me a second chance, I won’t need a third.” - Pete Rose

Jahleel's mindset towards his high school sweetheart, Bebe, was perfectly captured in the above quote. After a season-ending injury, Jahleel returned home only to find his former best friend back as well. With the help of God, he was determined to make amends and win her back for good.

This book is just perfect for anyone in search of a heartwarming second-chance romance to curl up with over the weekend.

This book is just like a nice warm hug on a cold day. Please just give me all the seasonal books. I just can’t get enough of them. I know it’s still a little early for most of you to read Christmas books, but I’m reading them for you so you know what to read when it really counts…and this is one of them!

There was so much I enjoyed about this book. The setting was fun, the importance of family and faith woven throughout, the main characters Bebe and Jay and of course Hope! It is a novella, which only adds to the list of reasons to read this. I admire authors who can write a good novella, it is so much harder to get everyone to fall in love with the characters and the story in a much shorter book. Toni Shiloh accomplished just that. Also, just look at this cover. It is just too good!

🏈 Sports Romance
🎅 Kisses only
🏈 Dual POV
🎅 Second chance/reunion
🏈 Uplifting Faith
🎅 Single mom

💚 Quote:
"Bebe Willabee."
The use of her maiden name brought her eyes back to his mouth, perfectly framed by his neatly edged beard and mustache.
The better to catch your eyes.
A goofy smile appeared on his face, "Don't you look like a fine Georgia peach."

❤️ Thank you to the author Toni Shiloh, NetGalley and Bethany House Fiction for the eARC and gifted physical copy of the book.