Wild Pitch by Mari Loyal: Book Review

 **ARC received for consideration. All opinions are my own. 

The Book

I’m so bad at the dating game that revenge on my ex seems hopeless, until I make a wild pitch for a hotshot pitcher to become my dating coach.

HOPE “DARLIN’” GARCIA

After my ex boyfriend left me for my now ex best friend, I’ve thrown myself into the online dating circuit to find someone I can get my revenge with on the next Friendsgiving. But between a demanding schedule as a physical therapist for the Orlando Wild baseball team, and the fact that I’m an oddly aggressive but still upturned turtle, it’s been one disaster after the next.

I can’t let my ex(es?) think that I’m a failure, but I need serious help. And the person I know who has the most game with the least amount of effort is the team’s pitcher, a.k.a. the Cowboy. So I have a wild pitch for him: become my dating coach.

There’s only one problem: he really annoys me, especially when he calls me “darlin’.”

CADE “COWBOY” STARR

According to my agent, this Spring Training is my only shot at showing the team that I have what it takes to become the starter pitcher. But my plan to focus only on baseball gets disrupted the moment I witness Hope Garcia being humiliated during a bad date.

I may be an orphan, but the great state of Texas raised me well enough to never ignore a damsel in distress. Especially not one who says the most amusing things when I call her darlin’. I just have to make sure that she doesn’t distract me from my real goal of becoming a baseball star—pun intended.

Oh, and also, that no one in the staff finds out about our little arrangement. Pretty sure that could be seen as a conflict of interest or worse.

But the problem with wild pitches is that they often get out of control…

Wild Pitch is a dual POV, closed door baseball romance with mild language, and heat without spice. It’s the first book in the Wild Baseball Romance series and can also be read as a standalone.

The Author 

Mari Loyal was born and raised in Venezuela, a baseball country that only cared about another sport, football soccer, every four years. As such, she decided to make hockey her whole personality because she had to make a point of being different. These days she no longer suffers from Not Like Other Girls syndrome and is very happy to be in the sports romance fandom. She writes closed door romance with a Latin American flair and an abundance of cinnamon rolls heroes. She also enjoys eating cinnamon rolls (the confections), in her spare time.

Book Review

Simply put, I absolutely adored this book! Baseball player + trainer, dating coaching and a perfectly delicious slow burn... what's not to love about that? At the start of the story, Hope isn't the biggest fan of Cade, but when he saves her from a bad date, she realizes she could use his help as a dating coach. Once they're spending more time together, it doesn't take long for the chemistry to explode... and I LOVED it. Mari Loyal truly does know how to bring the heat without the spice--- the chemistry between these two was absolutely fantastic and when they finally kiss!? So, so good! I really couldn't get enough of these two together. Beyond them though, I loved seeing the other guys on the team--- they all had great banter and definitely had that found family vibe too. It certainly has me looking forward to seeing more from them as the series goes on and I cannot wait! 

Wild Pitch is a closed-door romance with kisses only, though the kisses are a bit more detailed. There is also quite a bit of mild language and some innuendo throughout the story as well. 


You can purchase your copy here: https://amzn.to/42mL5aa