Sports romance is one of my very favorite romance genres, and I am also a big Jody Holford fan.  It took just one peek at the synopsis on this book, and I knew I was going to need to read it!

I completely adored this premise and Ms. Holford nailed the meet-cute.  I was sucked in immediately and charmed by the chemistry between Isla and Liam.  Their connection was a bit fast and furious, but it was also incredibly sweet and there were moments between them that took my "awww" to the next level.  That is, they set my heart to fluttering and kept a smile glued to my face.

There's quite a bit going on in this story, between Isla's tenuous (at best) relationship with her family, and the challenges she faces as the new (and decidedly inexperienced) owner of the Nashville Dodgers baseball team - there's a lot on Isla's plate.  Not the least of which - her feelings for the charming and irresistible Liam - who is technically forbidden, but, well...irresistible.  

I loved how this played out.  I loved the strength Isla showed as she navigated what seemed like an impossible situation, and I loved how she turned that into her own happily ever after.  Heartwarming, sweet, and completely satisfying, Covering All the Bases is a light and lovely sports romance, and I can't wait for more!

My thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The romance between Isla Bennett and Liam Cruz was heartwarming.  Isla's relationship with her father and brother leave a lot to be desired - they don't respect her business abilities, and this is very apparent when her estranged grandfather leaves her a baseball team in his will.
Suddenly, Liam is the only person in her corner as she fights to prove to everyone that she can successfully manage a baseball team.  Her journey to self- acceptance and love makes for enjoyable reading.

I really liked the premise of this book: a woman, Isla Bennett, discovers that she has a grandfather she didn’t know anything about.  He has just died and left her a professional baseball team.  She knows zilch about baseball and her father is trying to pressure her to sell the team to him.  She’s facing a skeptical press and an antagonistic GM of the team.  I wanted to read about how Isla figured things out and came to master the challenge.

Instead of having the story being about that, it was about her growing romance with Liam Cruz,  the star player on the team.  She met him the night before she found out that she had inherited the team and didn’t know he was a professional baseball player.  They’d been attracted to each other, but now fear that they can’t explore that attraction since she is now his boss.  I can understand that such a romance would get a lot of public attention and maybe cause problems in the clubhouse.  

Liam and Isla try to resist their attraction for about...20 minutes.  Then they start seeing each other and kissing on the baseball field.  No reader would be surprised that their romance stays hidden.  I found the resolution of that problem unsatisfying and ended the book wishing that the author had spent more time on Isla, the novice team owner, rather than the ditzy woman who lets her growing romance distract her from that job.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

Isla went to Nashville to visit a grandfather she had never met o his deathbed. Unfortunately, she arrived too late. Then she finds out that her grandfather had left her his Major League Baseball team. 

Cruz recently returned to his hometown of Nashville to play professional baseball for the home team. While bar tending at a club he owned with his sister, he met a young woman who was grieving the death of her grandfather. Isla and Cruz are immediately attracted to each other, but soon realize that isla is now Cruz’s boss.

A diverse cast of characters, including isla’s cruel and selfish father, bring depth to the story. Can 
Isla and Cruz win out against all odds?

I received an advanced reader's copy of Covering All the Bases by Jody Holford from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was the first novel that I had read by Jody Holford, but after reading, she is an author I would look for in the future.

Overall, I enjoyed this novel and I found it to be engaging. The primary characters' romantic start seemed a little awkward (not believable), but it improved quickly. Where I do think the novel struggled was pacing, but it was well written and engaging.

I always enjoy Jody Holford's writing and this book was a homerun!

Isla Bennett is a strong and admirable heroine with the unfortunate lot in life to have a jerk as a father. Manipulative and secretive, and chauvinistic, Isla's father has shaped and manipulated her life. The big whammy was not knowing that she had a grandfather, that he wanted to be a part of her life and that she finds out all too late and doesn't get to say hi or bye.  Headed to Nashville to meet with his attorney, Isla meets the endearing and sexy Liam Cruz and his sweet sister Talia. They offer Isla more hospitality and friendship in a few moments than she has experienced in her entire life. 

The sparks are there for Liam and Isla and undeniable. Just as they come to grips with their attraction they are thrown for a loop when they discover Isla is now Liam's new boss. The tension that ensues is fun and dramatic, yet sweet and sexy. The strength Isla exhibits in the clubhouse opens make the core of the team sit up and take notice. With that follows jealousy and competition and the desire to see Isla fail, especially by dear old dad.

Liam and Isla must maneuver softly with their personal relationship as there is much at stake to lose for them both. But once the enemy discovers their secret- it's up to Isla and Liam to handle the backlash. Will the be on the same team?

This is the first book I have read by Jody Holford and I really enjoyed it! Covering All the Bases is about Liam Cruz, a star hitter for the Nashville Slammers, and Isla Bennett, a woman who inherited the Slammers from her estranged grandfather. Liam and Isla meet and start getting to know each other before Isla finds out about the team and before Liam reveals that he's a baseball player. Once Isla becomes the team owner things become a lot more complicated. It is definitely frowned upon for a player to date his boss! The author really does a good job of building Isla and Liam's relationship. I really enjoyed the secondary characters as well. There was also some family drama that inserted some angst into the story. 

I am really looking forward to the rest of the series.. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Isla meets Liam one night when she goes to the bar where he is working. They have an immediate connection, but circumstances get in the way. Liam likes the fact that Isla doesn't know who he is, but once she finds out it will make all the difference to their lives.
Despite knowing nothing about baseball it was easy to keep up with what was happening.

There is quite a lot of goodness packed into this story...from well crafted, believable, and realistic characters, to cutthroat business dealings, it’s easy to find yourself slipping into each character’s mindset the author has propagated through her writing. The dialog is quick witted and sharp, the banter effortless, and with Isla’s emotional and mental  fortitude the driving force of Liam’s falling for her so quickly and thoroughly...this couple has easy become a favorite of mine. 

This ARC book was complimentary, provided by the Publisher and NetGalley. I am voluntarily providing my honest review.

Jody Holford's Covering All the Bases is a wonderful romance story . The characters are well developed and give you an incite into the world of baseball ownership. You'll love the strong women characters.

This is Jody Holford at her best....Covering all the bases is brilliant, I’ve loved all her books but this one was just exceptional. I think I fell in love with Liam by the first paragraph and I loved  the heroine Isla, she was so strong yet so vulnerable at the same time, there was so many good characters and I’m praying we get to read more about them, especially talia! 

Not knowing anything bout baseball, I was worried I might get a bit lost, but I think I might have known more than Isla lol, but the main draw of this book is the characters, they are written so well, with so much depth and clarity

I devoured this book in one sitting even though I knew I had the school run to do lol but the author knocked this one out the park (pun intended 🤣) congratulations 

****ARC provided by the publisher for an honest review****

This is Isla and Liam book, Isla inherits the Nashville slammers major league baseball team from her grandfather she didn’t even know exist. She also meets the man of her dreams, she spends an amazing day playing tourist around Nashville with him then after inheriting the team she finds out the new man of her dreams is the slammers new star power hitter!! She went from an amazing first date to OMG I’m your boss all in the same day! Liam has been around the major league baseball for quite a long time and he’s the new power hitter for the Nashville slammers! Now he’s met an amazing woman and everything’s on track! He was so excited to meet a woman who didn’t know who he was and wasn’t after his money and fame unfortunately now she’s his new boss! This book was definitely an OK read but it was a little too Insta everything for me! LOL like I said it’s worth reading but not my all-time favorite it was just too much too soon! Thank you net galley and the publishers for sharing this book with me!

4.5☆
I liked it!

What I liked:
The writing style 
The characters 
Part of a series: For the Love of the Game
Standalone 
HEA 
Epilogue 

I look forward to reading the next book in this series.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC from NetGalley.