Jeeves Reads Romance's Reviews > The Ninth Inning

I struggled with this one. A lot. The author is a talented writer and there was so much potential in the story, but I never connected with either of the main characters and the never-ending DRAMA made it difficult to feel the love. And their backstory... yeah, I really misinterpreted that blurb. I went into this expecting more of a friends to lovers vibe, with the girl who has always been in the hero's peripheral vision. Instead, these two have had numerous casual hookups over the course of the last few years, but they've also slept with other people and have never been on a date. Call me crazy, but I don't love it when the main characters are hooking up with other people while falling for each other. That started this story off on the wrong note, and it wasn't a strong enough read to overcome the rocky start.

Essentially, the story follows Cole and Christina, two college students who have gravitated towards each other throughout their college years. Though they connect in private, Cole's sole focus is baseball and he's been unwilling to take things public. He's got a reputation as a player on and off the field, but he waivers on his interest in Christina. Seven months ago, Cole called things off for good, and it's not until they see each other again that either one realize how deep their feelings run. Seeing Christina with another guy is enough to set Cole off, and now he's the one determined to take things up a notch.

It's a sweet yet angsty read with a lot of push/pull interactions and drama throughout. It's much more about the struggle than the actual relationship (we see VERY little of the good times). Seemingly these two already have strong feelings for each other at the start of the book, though I wonder why Cole was never bothered by the fact that they weren't exclusive before. Jealously is definitely the primary motivation for him, so that seemed odd to me. I also don't love the depiction of women in this - honestly, I thought Christina would hold her ground more because of how poorly Cole has treated her in the past, and basically every other woman was made to look like a fake, catty jock chaser who doesn't care if Cole is single. That paired with an ending I found all sorts of problematic, and this new adult romance lost its charm for me. There's plenty that I liked, but those things were overshadowed by the problems. I appreciated receiving an ARC (and am voluntarily leaving a review), but this sweet sports romance soured for me pretty quickly.