Happy Ending is a “friends to lovers” and opposites attract slowburn romance featuring themes and topics like family, divorce, mental health and therapy, self worth, parental neglect, custody and co-parenting, friendship, love and heartbreak, loneliness, secrets and lies, and revenge. This is is perfect for fans of romance books like Happy Place by Emily Henry, Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez, Give Me Butterflies by Jillian Meadows, First-Time Caller by B.K. Borison, and The Match by Sarah Adams.

Firstly, the plot of the story with strangers bonding as a result of their exes getting together felt really unique and memorable. I loved how the main character, Thea, is a book lover who works at a bookstore; she even runs her own book club and tends to narrate her life as if she is the main character in her own story. I always find that I connect well with bookish characters like Thea and think that fellow readers will love Thea as well. There were also some amazing bookish quotes that fellow bookworms will enjoy; I highlighted quite a few that will definitely make their way into my reading journal in the near future.

On the downside, Happy Ending was a “friends to lovers” story, which isn’t my favourite trope. I was also disappointed that the book seemed slower to start, with Thea and Alex not even arriving at their beach vacation until the halfway point in the book. Lastly,  all of the flashback chapters were too lengthy and frequent for my liking; I always feel like flashbacks interrupt my reading experience and the flow of the story.

Even though Happy Ending wasn’t my favourite from Chloe Liese, I still really enjoyed this swoony “friends to lovers” story and I think that other romance readers will too. 

Happy Ending is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.

Will you be picking up Happy Ending? Tell us in the comments below!

Synopsis

From USA TODAY bestselling author Chloe Liese, a clever and heartwarming rom-com that is perfect for fans of Christina Lauren and Annabel Monaghan about two best friends who must fake a relationship for their exes.

Thea and Alex have three things in common—they love food, they hate where they live, and they’re both divorced. Otherwise, they couldn’t be more different.

Thea’s never cooked a day in her life. Alex is a world-class chef. Alex resents feeling stuck in his hometown. Thea resents the town for not feeling more like home. Thea and her ex are in a contentious custody battle for their dog. Alex and his ex amicably coparent their daughter. Beyond a few friends in common, a couple small-world connections (welcome to life in a mid-size city), their lives look nothing alike. Fast forward two years, and they’re truly the best of friends. No one would ever know their friendship began as a lie…

Two years ago, their exes got together immediately following their divorces, and somehow, Thea and Alex found themselves spinning a spite-fueled story about being old friends and first loves. Two years later, what began as a ruse has grown into real friendship—just friendship, despite what friends and family seem to think. But when their exes invite them on a two-week, “two family” beach vacation—daughter and dog included—Alex and Thea start to wonder if this story they’ve spun might have gotten away from them, and if it’s led them to the last place they ever thought it could: a happy ending.

The post Review: Happy Ending by Chloe Liese appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Chasing the Fire is a spicy smalltown cowboy romance featuring the accidental pregnancy, morally grey, and forced proximity tropes. It is the final book in the Silver Pines Ranch series of interconnected standalones, and I would recommend reading the series in order for an optimal reading experience. This book explores themes and topics like secrets and lies, crime and punishment, pregnancy, loss of loved ones, adoption, family and found family, facing past trauma, fires, and appearance versus reality. It would be perfect for fans of Heartless by Elsie Silver, No More Secrets by Lucy Score, Breathe with Me by Becka Mack, Wild and Wrangled by Lyla Sage, and Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake by Mazey Eddings.

Asher and Olivia’s spicy chemistry has been hinted at throughout the series, especially in the last book, Freeing the Wild, so I was very excited to finally read their story. Chasing the Fire was different from other cowboy romances that I’ve read, which was refreshing, plus Asher’s morally grey past and redemption arc were definitely unique and memorable. I loved how, even though he’s quieter and has trouble expressing his feelings, Asher shows his love and appreciation for Olivia through acts of service and handmade gifts—I thought that this was super swoony, and I think that other readers will too. Lastly, even though there was a lot of “will they, won’t they” vibes in Olivia and Asher’s story, there wasn’t a big third act break-up, which I really appreciated.

On the flip side, I didn’t really like that the pregnancy took up such a big portion of the book; accidental pregnancy isn’t my favourite trope, and whilst life-changing, I wasn’t expecting it to be the main focus of Olivia and Asher’s story. Also, Chasing the Fire included some more serious or darker topics than the other books in the series, such as crime families, loss of parents and adoption, and deadly fires, which I wasn’t expecting and could be triggering for some readers.

Overall, I loved this series and would highly recommend it to fans of spicy interconnected cowboy romances!

Chasing The Fire is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of April 14th 2026.

Will you be picking up Chasing The Fire? Tell us in the comments below!

Synopsis

Laurel Creek’s fire chief is good at putting out fires and keeping secrets, but the town sweetheart is determined to burn through his defenses in the blazing-hot finale to the Silver Pines Ranch series.

She’s as wild as fire. He’s ready to burn for her.

The owner of a popular boutique, Olivia Sutton is the darling of Laurel Creek. While Olivia may be as sweet as the baked treats she loves to create, beneath her good girl exterior, she harbors a secret desire: a man who can take control.

Enter Asher Reed, the town’s fire chief. Asher keeps everything in his life carefully controlled . . . except when it comes to Olivia, the copper-haired beauty who has captured his attention in ways he can’t ignore.

When a moment of weakness leads to two pink lines, Olivia and Asher agree to spend more time together, determined to be friends.

But when Olivia realizes the smoldering firefighter might be the key to the future she’s always dreamed of, will their spark ignite—or be extinguished by the weight of his secrets?

The post Review: Chasing the Fire by Paisley Hope appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

The Escape Game is a YA mystery thriller with themes and topics like parental abandonment, greed, fame, child predators, teamwork, appearance versus reality, gender identity, truth and lies, and show business. The Escape Game would be perfect for fans of Margot Mertz Takes It Down by Carrie McCrossen and Ian McWethy, The Grandest Game by Jennifer Lynn Barnes, The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson, and Death at Morning House by Maureen Johnson.

Having completed a few escape rooms over the years, I loved the escape room-themed game show setting and all of the puzzles! It was also cool that not only were the main characters working to solve the escape room puzzles to move onto the next round, but they were also investigating the death of Sierra’s sister so this made the book seem really fast-paced and action-packed. I also appreciated that the book was broken up into sections for each of the rounds of the game show as this helped the book to flow really nicely. 

The book alternated between the perspectives of the four teammates—Carter, Beck, Adi, and Sierra—and the changing perspectives were a little hard to follow, especially at the beginning of the book. Perhaps if the book was told from the perspective of only one or maybe two of the main characters (like Carter and/or Sierra), I would have enjoyed the book more. There were also a few short interviews from the previous season with Alicia Angelos interspersed throughout the book that didn’t seem to be all that relevant.

That said, I think that the budding friendship and camaraderie between Carter, Beck, Adi, and Sierra (a.k.a. Team Helsing) was the best part of the novel.  I’ve read quite a few YA mystery thrillers recently and in comparison, I felt like The Escape Game wasn’t as unpredictable or shocking as other books I’ve read. The book does end in a bit of a cliffhanger, but sets the main characters up nicely for another adventure, so I’m excited to see what’s up next for Team Helsing!

If you’re looking for an action-packed teen mystery thriller full of puzzles and a fun cast of characters, then I highly recommend checking out The Escape Game!

The Escape Game is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of April 7th 2026.

Will you be picking up The Escape Game? Tell us in the comments below!

Synopsis

An unforgettable young adult murder mystery set in an escape-room themed game show filled with sabotage, betrayal, and puzzles to die for.

It’s all fun and games until someone ends up dead.

Six months ago, season four of The Escape Game ended in horror when contestant Alicia Angelos was found murdered on set.

Now season five is underway, and new contestants are ready to put their skills to the test solving the show’s trickiest escape rooms. There’s Adi, the cryptographer; Carter, the math whiz; Beck, the wannabe game master; and . . . Sierra Angelos, the girl who got away with her sister’s murder. Or so everyone believes.

But Sierra’s not just here to win. She’s here for justice.

When the contestants begin uncovering clues that hint at the identity of Alicia’s true killer, it becomes clear that the stakes aren’t high just in this competition—they’re deadly. If these teens want to win—and survive—the game, they must solve the biggest mystery of all: who killed Alicia Angelos?

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Marissa Meyer and rising star Tamara Moss comes a twisty thrill-ride that will take readers on an exhilarating hunt to uncover secrets, conspiracy, and cold-blooded murder.

The post Review: The Escape Game by Marissa Meyer and Tamara Moss appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Finlay Donovan Crosses the Line is the sixth book in the Finlay Donovan series and picks up right where book five leaves off, so this series definitely needs to be read in order. Finlay Donovan Crosses the Line includes themes and topics like family and found family, parenting, secrets and lies, appearance versus reality, right versus wrong, race, economic class, gambling, money, threats, the legal system, and sorority life. The Finlay Donovan series to fans of cosy and comical mysteries like The Maid by Nita Prose, The Ex-Girlfriend Murder Club by Gloria Chao, Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q Sutanto, and Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies by Catherine Mack.

I love how all of the Finlay Donovan books feature a gripping yet cosy mystery as well as romantic moments and laugh-out-loud shenanigans. Furthermore, the Finlay Donovan books are always engaging, fast-paced, and seemingly quick reads. The false accusations and warrant against Vero have been discussed in previous books, so I’m glad that this case was finally addressed, even though it maybe wasn’t as thrilling as some of Finlay and Vero’s other adventures. Without giving anything away, Finlay and Vero seem to be facing some major life changes at the end of Finlay Donovan Crosses the Line, so excited to see what new mischief this iconic duo gets up to in book seven!

On the downside, we didn’t get to see a lot of swoony Detective Nick or Finlay’s hilariously cute kids in this book since they stay in Virginia while Finlay and Vero are in Maryland, but hopefully we will get to see them more in book seven. I also thought that, in comparison to other books in the Finlay Donovan series, the plot in this book was a little more predictable and tamer, but still enjoyable.

The Finlay Donovan series remains my all-time favourite mystery series, and I can’t wait to see what Vero and Finlay get up to in the next installment. I highly recommend this series to fans of cosy yet suspenseful mysteries with hints of romance and hilarity (again, if you are new to this series, you should start with book one, Finlay Donovan Is Killing It).

Finlay Donovan Crosses the Line is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of March 17th 2026.

Will you be picking up Finlay Donovan Crosses the Line? Tell us in the comments below!

Synopsis

From New York Times bestseller Elle Cosimano comes Finlay Donovan Crosses the Line―the highly anticipated next installment in the beloved Finlay Donovan series.

Life hasn’t been easy for Finlay Donovan lately, but it just got a whole lot harder. Her nanny and partner-in-crime, Vero, has been extradited from Virginia to Maryland, where she’s facing criminal charges for a theft she swears she didn’t commit. A prisoner to an ankle bracelet as she awaits her trial, Vero is forced to live with her overbearing mother and nosy aunt. Threatening messages keep arriving on her mother’s door, demanding Vero “turn over the money . . . or else.” And if she doesn’t figure out who really stole her former sorority’s treasury funds, her next home might be a prison cell.

But proving her innocence might be an impossible feat. Vero was the treasurer of her sorority when the money went missing―one of the only people who had access to the cash. And her alibi is a date who ghosted her. With her court date quickly approaching, and her mysterious stalker on her tail, Vero needs to clear her name fast.

Finlay decides a trip to Maryland is in order. After all, Vero stood by her through her darkest moments, and Finlay will be damned if she lets her best friend and children’s nanny be convicted for something she didn’t do. She sets off on a mission to suss out the real thief and bring Vero home.

The post Review: Finlay Donovan Crosses the Line by Elle Cosimano appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Toe to Toe is a spicy dancer romance featuring the forced proximity trope and deals with themes and topics like sexual harassment and assault, reputation, appearance versus reality, body image and strict diets, self love and self worth, family, sexuality, love and heartbreak, and mental health. Toe to Toe is perfect for fans of dance romances like The Striker by Ana Huang, I’ll Always Be With You by Monica Murphy, Play with Me by Becka Mack, The Dixon Rule by Elle Kennedy, and The Sweetest Fix by Tessa Bailey.

I actually took ballet lessons growing up and continue to dance to this day, so I always love picking up a dancer romance! The dancing in this book was a lot spicier than I was expecting and was reminiscent of Magic Mike mixed with Dirty Dancing and Step Up, but I still enjoyed it, especially Cord’s tap dance as that is my favourite style of dance and you don’t see tap a lot in anything! I also loved how, throughout their lessons, Cord encouraged Allegra to embrace joy by doing more things that bring her happiness and not just because they will help with her dancing. Even though it was a slowburn romance, with Cord and Allegra constantly doubting that a romantic relationship would be worth pursuing, the book still had a ton of spicy chemistry and swoon-worthy moments throughout.

On the downside, there were some more serious topics discussed that could potentially be triggering for some readers. For example, due to Cord’s past negative experiences in the ballet world, there is a lot of talk about the poor body image and unhealthy dieting that is often associated with professional ballet. Also, there is a big focus on a past sexual assault (off page) and Allegra feeling uncomfortable with unwanted advances from her male ballet director. Lastly, there was a lot of conflict in this book between the main characters, which isn’t my favourite.

If you enjoy all types of dancing and are looking for a spicy read, then I highly recommend picking up a copy of Toe to Toe!

Toe to Toe is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of

Will you be picking up Toe to Toe? Tell us in the comments below!

Synopsis

It takes two to tango.

Allegra Hart has been working her whole life to achieve one goal: become a principal ballerina. When her director starts holding auditions for the lead role in the company’s latest production, Allegra sees this as her chance—maybe her last chance.

The catch? The director wants someone with sex appeal, and he doesn’t think she’s up to the task. Determined to prove him wrong, Allegra enlists the help of the lead dancer of an all-male revue, Cord Donovan, a classically trained dancer who is also the sexiest man she’s ever met. In exchange for lessons on how to ramp up her sex appeal, she promises to help Cord choreograph a new partner piece for his show.

As they practice their moves on and off the stage, Allegra and Cord find themselves battling a growing attraction. Except Allegra is determined not to let a man derail her career . . . but what if she could have both love and success? Or will her involvement with Cord jeopardize everything she’s worked for?

The post Review: Toe to Toe by Falon Ballard appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Mistakes Were Made is a spicy opposites attract, forced proximity, smalltown romance and it is the second book in Lucy Score’s Story Lake series of interconnected standalones. I would highly recommend reading Story of My Life first as it introduces readers to the smalltown of Story Lake and it nicely sets up Zoey and Gage’s story.

Mistakes Were Made features themes and topics like ADHD and neurodiversity, adoption, abuse, strained relationships with parents, self worth, perfectionism, fear of failure, loss and grief, divorce, disability, and infertility. I also want to mention that a past car accident resulting in death and permanent disability, as well as the sentencing of the driver, is mentioned quite a bit in this novel and could be triggering for some readers. 

“‘Why do you wear a disco ball around your neck?’ ‘Because I like broken, sparkly things.’”

First off, I enjoyed the imagery of the disco ball that is used throughout the novel and on the cover art. The book talks a lot about mistakes, and I love how the disco ball almost symbolises how mistakes (or broken things) can sometimes be beautiful and not always a negative thing. Furthermore, not only is the word “disco” used as a way for the main characters to be honest with each other, but physical disco balls are also used by Gage to woo Zoey, which I thought was super cute. As with book 1, I loved reading about the hilarious laugh-out-loud shenanigans that go on in the quirky yet closeknit smalltown of Story Lake; it definitely reminded me of Pawnee from Parks and Recreation so if you love that show, you’ll probably also love Story Lake! I especially loved the smalltown shenanigans involving the cute yet mischievous animals in town (like how Gage’s dog Nana puts her paws on the horn when she is left alone in a vehicle for too long). Also, as a reader, the Reader Weekend that the town puts on to celebrate the release of Zoey’s best friend Hazel’s romance book (which is based on her own love story in Story Lake) was so fun.

On the downside, the court case regarding the driver who killed Gage’s brother-in-law and permanently injured Gage’s sister was definitely more emotional and not as enjoyable to read about. Additionally, it was hard to read about Zoey constantly putting herself down (and being put down by others at times) throughout the book, usually in regard to her tendencies to make mistakes. But I appreciated that Zoey sought a diagnosis to understand herself better and I felt like her self worth was improving by the end of the novel.

I’m definitely excited to see what (and who) the next book in the Story Lake series will be about! If you enjoy spicy romances with forced proximity, opposites attract, and quaint small towns, then I highly recommend picking up a copy of Mistakes Were Made (and book 1 in the series, Story of My Life). This book is perfect fans of spicy smalltown romances like If It Makes You Happy by Julie Olivia, In Your Dreams by Sarah Adams, Freeing the Wild by Paisley Hope, Wild Eyes by Elsie Silver, and Seven Year Itch by Amy Daws.

Mistakes Were Made is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of March 10th 2026.

Will you be picking up Mistakes Were Made? Tell us in the comments below!

Synopsis

#1 New York Times bestselling author Lucy Score, whose smash hit Things We Never Got Over captured millions of hearts, invites you back to Story Lake for a swoon-worthy new small town romantic comedy.

He’s looking for the perfect wife. She’s looking for the perfect one-night stand.

Literary agent Zoey Moody doesn’t like small town life, but here she is: exiled from Manhattan’s publishing scene and trapped in a tiny Pennsylvania town with her BFF and only remaining client, Hazel. The problem? She’s totally broke.

All she needs is for Hazel’s next romance novel to become a gigantic hit, and Zoey will be back in New York. Nothing will stand in her way. Nothing except her six-foot-two-inch landlord, Gage Bishop. He’s smart, serious, and sexy. Worst of all, he’s ready to settle down.

Zoey might be the most beautiful woman Gage has ever met, but it’s clear they’re all wrong for each other. She’s allergic to commitment and can’t work a calendar app; he’s looking for a wife and has the next five years all planned out. She’s afraid of animals. He lives in a literal barn. But when Gage’s world is rocked by a devastating family secret, he turns to Zoey for one night to forget everything. That one night just might change everything…or ruin it.

Perfect for fans of the heart, humor, and hope found in Things We Never Got Over and Things We Left Behind, Mistakes Were Made is a steamy escape to small town romance―full of emotional twists, slow-burn tension, and Lucy Score’s trademark charm.

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A Girl Like Her is the first book in the Ravenswood series of interconnected smalltown romances. It deals with themes and topics like autism, racism, reputation, abuse and harassment, family, parental illness, friendship, secrets and lies, trust, loneliness and isolation, social standing, guilt, self worth, appearance versus reality, gossip, infidelity, and military life. A Girl Like Her is perfect for fans of forced proximity romances like Give Me Butterflies by Jillian Meadows, Into the Woods by Jenny Holiday, No More Secrets by Lucy Score, In Your Dreams by Sarah Adams, and Fall I Want by Lyra Parish.

A Girl Like Her has been on my TBR list for a while now and I’m so glad that it is being rereleased as a deluxe edition as it gave me an excuse to finally pick it up. The book took a while to get going, but once it did, it became much more engaging to read. Ruth’s ASD and quirky, comic book-loving personality were super relatable; Evan and Ruth’s “friends/neighbours to lovers” relationship was super swoony and spicy. I loved how Evan was super patient and sweet with Ruth and that he formed his own opinions, instead of believing the town’s horrible false impressions of Ruth. I also appreciated that A Girl Like Her introduced a few of the other main characters in future Ravenswood books, as I feel like that will make the series flow nicely as a whole.   

I’ve read quite a few of Talia Hibbert’s books in the past and, even though I enjoyed A Girl Like Her, some of her other books, such as her Brown Sisters trilogy, were a better read. Furthermore, much of the plot in A Girl Like Her revolved around Ruth’s toxic ex and the bullying that Ruth endures, which was challenging to read in tandem with Ruth and Evan’s budding relationship.

A Girl Like Her is perfect for fans of spicy smalltown and forced proximity romances. I’m excited to see what’s up next for Talia Hibbert—I previously enjoyed her romantasy book Mating the Huntress and I’ve heard that she’s been working on another fantasy book, so I’m definitely watching out for that one!

A Girl Like Her is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of March 3rd 2026.

Will you be picking up A Girl Like Her? Tell us in the comments below!

Synopsis

She’s hard to hold onto, but he’s good with his hands…

Prickly, autistic, and shadowed by a scandalous past, Ruth Kabbah will always be Ravenswood’s black sheep. It’s a lonely life, but at least it’s safe… until Evan Miller comes to town.

Calm, confident, and instantly accepted by their small English town, Evan is Ruth’s opposite in every way―yet he meets her suspicion with a smile, handles her awkwardness with ease, and watches her with a hunger that threatens to tear down her all her defenses.

The gossips want to know how she’s bewitched him. Ruth just wants to know when he’ll get bored and leave. Because if there’s one thing she’s learned, it’s that girls like her don’t get happily ever afters.

But when a monster from Ruth’s past comes back to haunt her, she’s forced to make a choice: should she trust Evan completely? Or is her heart safest alone?

The post Review: A Girl Like Her by Talia Hibbert appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Hi Tessa, thank you for joining us again! What have you been up to since we last spoke for Fangirl Down?

A lot! I wrote more sports books, in addition to a time travel romance (coming out late 2026). I travelled to Italy. I procrastinated. Cancelled plans. Logged 400 hours of true crime podcasts. Perfected my homemade taco shells. Got obsessed with word puzzles.

If you could describe Catch Her If You Can in only five words, what would they be?

Reputation, pining, hope, exhibitionism, sacrifice.  

What was the inspiration for Eve and Madden’s story?

They wrote themselves into the previous series book and I found their intense, yearning dynamic really compelling. I couldn’t look away! I knew there was a story there and I always love secondary characters with loose threads coming in to surprise me.

What sets Catch Her If You Can apart from other marriage of convenience stories?

Madden and Eve are in love. They are very aware of their mutual attraction and feelings. Neither of them are in denial at any point. There is even great communication between them! But they legitimately have something keeping them apart and they have to solve it together.

Did you have a favourite scene or chapter in Catch Her If You Can that you really enjoyed writing?

For some reason, I am such a junkie for one character rushing to be by their love interest’s bedside in the hospital. I would write it into every book, if I could!

Are you a fan of baseball? Did you have to do any baseball research while writing about Madden’s career?

My father was an enormous Yankees fan when I was growing up and the rules are just something deeply ingrained in my brain, so there wasn’t a lot of research required. I like watching baseball when there are high stakes involved, like the World Series. Or live in a stadium.

What’s one thing that you want readers to take away from Eve and Madden’s story?

You have to lean on people sometimes. Even when you’re an independent badass who has been fighting to stay afloat your whole life. Let someone help you!

Will there be any more books in the Big Shots series? (Please say Elton or Mailer!)

I would never say never, but I’m going to move on from the Big Shots world for now. I’m just being pulled in another direction and I have to feed the muse or it gets cranky! 

What’s next for you? Can you tease any information about one of your future or upcoming releases?

In October 2026, I’m releasing something that is a total departure for me. A time travel romance with high stakes called Broken Rival. It’s going to surprise people!

Last, what are some 2026 book releases that you’re looking forward to?

I am excited for the next Abby Jimenez and B.K. Borison books. They’re auto-buys for me.

Will you be picking up Catch Her If You Can? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Q&A: Tessa Bailey, Author of ‘Catch Her If You Can’ appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Catch Her If You Can is a spicy baseball romance featuring the marriage of convenience and boy obsessed tropes. Catch Her If You Can explores themes and topics like sexuality, reputation, abuse and harassment, wealth, familial estrangement, addiction, friendship, identity, loneliness and isolation, and kidney disease.

This is the perfect read for fans of steamy romances like Game Changer by Rachel Reid, The Mating Game by Lana Ferguson, Good Spirits by B.K. Borison, Deep End by Ali Hazelwood, or Wild Side by Elsie Silver. As the fifth book in Tessa Bailey’s Big Shots series, Catch Her If You Can could be read as a standalone, but Eve and Madden’s story is introduced in Pitcher Perfect (book 4), so I would recommend reading that book first for an optimal reading experience.

Tessa Bailey is one of my auto-buy authors and I have especially been enjoying her Big Shots series of steamy sports romances! Eve and Madden’s story was one of my favourites in the series as all of their secret mutual pining and their spicy tension was phenomenal. Since Eve and Madden’s story was set-up in the last book, Pitcher Perfect, I felt like the plot of Catch Her If You Can was really fast-paced and engaging, so you’ll find it hard to put this one down! There were a few flashback chapters in Catch Her If You Can, which I’m usually not a big fan of, but they were well done in that they were short, interspersed, and relevant to Eve and Madden’s story.

The only downsides were that I personally found that some of the burlesque club scenes to be a little raunchy for my taste and, even though we get a few brief cameos, I would have loved to see more of Skylar and Robbie in this book as I adored them in Pitcher Perfect.

If you’re a fan of spicy yet swoony marriage of convenience romances, then I highly recommend picking up a copy of Catch Her If You Can. My copy of Pitcher Perfect had a bonus epilogue that hinted at a potential romance for Mailer (Robbie’s teammate) and Catch Her If You Can sets up a potential romance for Elton (Skylar’s brother), so I definitely hope that we get one (or preferably both) of these books in the future!

Catch Her If You Can is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of January 202th 2026.

Will you be picking up Catch Her If You Can? Tell us in the comments below!

Synopsis

#1 New York Times bestselling author Tessa Bailey is back with an all-new marriage of convenience, friends-to-lovers sports romance about a baseball catcher and the burlesque club owner he can’t get out of his head.

Madden Donahue, the newest catcher for the Yankees, has been in love with Eve Mitchell since high school, but for some mysterious reason, the burlesque club owner always turns him down. That never stopped him from being her self-appointed protector. Case in point, now that Eve’s sister has left Eve with her two children indefinitely, Madden steps in with a proposition—marry him for the much needed health benefits.

Eve has secretly harbored feelings for Madden all along, but there’s one problem—her best friend Skylar called dibs on him when they were fourteen. Eve has always put their friendship above all else, and she’s not willing to risk losing Skylar over a man. Raised by the local strip club owner, Eve is woefully short on friends and treasures the ones she has. But with Skylar happily paired off, Eve finds herself accepting Madden’s proposal—on the condition that their marriage remains strictly private. She’s not about to let her unique profession and maligned reputation destroy Madden’s shiny new career.

Madden won’t let Eve get away that easily, though. What starts as a marriage of convenience soon ignites into something much hotter, and now it’s up to Madden to convince Eve that their connection is far more than a business arrangement. As the passion builds, can their fake marriage become the real deal?

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In Your Dreams is a slow burn smalltown romance featuring the forced proximity, brother’s best friend, and he falls first tropes. I would recommend In Your Dreams and the entire When in Rome series to fans of the Lovelight series by B.K. Borison, the Blue Moon series by Lucy Score, the Silver Pines Ranch series by Paisley Hope, and the Bromance Book Club series by Lyssa Kay Adams. In Your Dreams features themes and topics like appearance versus reality, finances, anxiety and trauma, mental health, high blood pressure and heart attacks, family and found family, grief, change versus tradition, self worth, as well as loneliness and isolation. In Your Dreams is the fourth and final book in the When in Rome series; it can be read as a standalone but for an optimal reading experience, I’d recommend reading the series in order.

There was a ton of slow burn swoon and secret mutual yearning in Madison and James’ story, which I loved. One of my favourite parts was when James gently supported a struggling Madison when she faced her fears and stepped back into an industrial kitchen after all of the trauma she endured in culinary school. Additionally, I was very pleased to see that there was no third act break-up in Madison and James’ story! The greenhouse restaurant setting, as well as Madison’s nearby cottage (which James built for her), sounded so cosy and inviting, and I loved getting to hear about all of Madison’s culinary creations. We also got to see more of the town’s signature good-natured meddling, and I appreciated that all of the Walker siblings (and their partners) were very present in this book.

On the downside, I felt like this book was a little slow to start; I think this is because Madison is mostly in New York during the other When in Rome books, so we don’t know her as well as the rest of the Walker siblings. Also, after reading about all of the delicious recipes that Madison works on throughout the book, it felt like a missed opportunity that there weren’t any recipes included at the end of the book (although maybe there will be in the final print version or a special edition of the book).

Overall, I enjoyed this book and the entire When in Rome series. I’m excited to see what’s up next for Sarah Adams!

In Your Dreams is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of December 30th 2025.

Will you be picking up In Your Dreams? Tell us in the comments below!

Synopsis

A homecoming to Rome, Kentucky, sparks a new romance—and lots of drama—between two old family friends, from the New York Times bestselling author of When in Rome, Practice Makes Perfect, and Beg, Borrow, or Steal.

Madison Walker left Rome, Kentucky, determined to make it in the culinary world. But after years of chasing success in New York, all she has to show for it is her shattered confidence and a desperate need for a fresh start. Coming home isn’t part of the plan—until an unexpected job offer lands in her lap: the head chef position at a new farm-to-table restaurant in her hometown. The only catch? It comes from James Huxley, owner of Huxley Farm, her brother’s best friend.

James has always played it safe, keeping his head down and running the family business. But when Madison’s happiness is on the line, he’s willing to take up his estranged brother’s offer to launch a restaurant. James has loved her quietly for years, knowing she’s never seen him as more than an annoyance, but now that she’s back, he’s determined to change that.

Madison and James are tasked with launching the dreamy restaurant in record time, but keeping things strictly professional soon becomes impossible, and the town can’t help but meddle in their relationship. As opening night looms closer, Madison’s fears threaten to hold her back.

When an unexpected disaster collides with a long-simmering sibling feud, both Madison and James will have to face their biggest insecurities—and decide if love is worth the risk or if some dreams are safer left untouched.

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