DNF - super cute cover but the book just wasn’t my favorite. i loved the idea of the book with the plot and setting but just kinda fell flat for me

Out Of His League is a baseball romance involving a chance encounter with a star player that leads to more than either of them could have imagined. When Gretchen takes a risk and offers a coffee to one of her favorite players who happens to be on her flight to Vegan, she's immediately drawn in by his wry personality and very apparent need for a distraction.

After chatting the whole flight, neither is ready to just let this go and they start down a path where they quickly fall hard for each other.

This wasn't quite up to par with the romance books I usually read - it was heavy on the steam but put any emotional connection to the characters to the side. Without that piece, I couldn't get into their relationship and found myself skimming through large parts of the book.

CONTAINS SPOILERS!

I found the pacing to be a little off with this romance. While I loved the juicy scenes, I felt the initial meeting of the two characters was hard to believe, and moved SO FAST! I also didn't like the scene with Sharla exposing Gretchen's list, and Josh falling for thinking she was some crazy girl. This, for me, should have been a deal breaker for Gretchen. I would've loved to see her say, you know what, I'm done!

1.5⭐️ rounded up to two

This book was meh for me. I didn’t like it that much tbh. I rolled my eyes an excessive amount of times throughout this book. I didn’t like how all the characters were all up in each others business like. DO BETTER. I feel like the only character I like was Kevin. Probs because he was British lmao.

This book so insta lovey on another level. Immediately no. I found most characters annoying but some of them were tolerable.

*spoler-ish?*
When there were miscommunication between them I didn’t feel like they talked about it and just jumped to sex..?

This is the kind of whirlwind romance you can’t help but enjoy. It’s a little far fetched but you know you love it all the same.

"Out of His League" by Caroline Richardson
Release Date: 4.5.2022

Gretchen Harper is predictable and dependable. She keeps to her routines and doesn't take risks. However, she sees her favorite baseball player at the airport, and Gretchen buys him a coffee and asks for his autograph.

Joshua Malvern is having a bad day while at the airport. His injury isn't healing as quickly as it should. He's afraid of being sent to the minors will do to his career. When a gorgeous lady offers to buy him coffee, it lifts him out of his pity party. Joshua invites Gretchen to sit with him in first class. Later, they get more personal while exploring Vegas.

What a cute, light-hearted romance. I love baseball, so I definitely thought this would be the perfect read. Gretchen and Joshua's love as quick; their chemistry is fantastic. I do wish there was a bit more buildup surrounding their relationship, but it wouldn't fit with them meeting on a whim.

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Meh. Nothing really happened and it lacked tension. And it wasn’t romance, just sex.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This was another okay read for me.

The premise was great and the synopsis drew me in but the book fell a little flat from my expectations.

Josh and Gretchen meet in an airport when Josh is feeling his lowest. Gretchen is a fan of baseball and Josh happens to be her favorite baseball player. Gretchen sees josh might be having a bad day and decides to buy him a cup of coffee. The two hit it off and decide to spend some time together.

There is a minimal amount of chemistry between these two individuals.

Some of the subplot was unimportant and it made it feel like the book was dragging on in some parts.

I think this book definitely had great promise initially. I enjoyed the author's writing but felt as if it fell quite short due to its lack of real plot and also character development. While the premise was great, I felt as if there was a lack of pacing in the story and found that it featured a lot of smut. There wasn't a great balance between storyline and smut and I felt as if that definitely took away some of its charm. I enjoyed the conflict in the book but felt as if again, it was quite rushed through and a resolution sought purely as a means to drive the plot while not really adding in anything to the character's development.

All in all though, I enjoyed the read and would recommend it to anyone who wants a short, steamy, somewhat-sports romance.

Aw what a sweet romance, I have been on a romance binge at the moment and this one was up there with the ones I have enjoyed.

This was definitely a super cute enjoyable quick read, perfect for holiday reading.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for kindly gifting me this arc.

I look forward to reading more of Caroline Richardson’s work in the future.

I wanted to love this book from the way they met alone and while it was enjoyable, it lacked substance and there were several sub-plots that were left hanging so it felt unfinished. What was supposed to be a one night stand turned into a weekend flight with both parties feeling way more for the other, but of course they didn't use their words instead miscommunication tore them apart only for them to find their way back. It was an okay read but not one I would read again or recommend.

I like that this sport romance approaches its genre differently than the rest of the books. It was refreshing and as someone who hasn't know much baseball, I loved getting some insight to it.

Gretchen and Josh's love story was cute. I enjoyed myself. However, their feelings come off insta-love and can leave you question, what made them fall for each other? Most of the time they are together, it is in bed or against a wall. There wasn't a fair balance between fluff scenes and the sex scenes. The conflict was meh at best. It was understandable, but I do appreciate the communication that came from it.

Neptune's subplot? I love Neptune. However, I feel that him being arrested, especially for coke and the topic of racism of police felt out of place. As a black woman, it rubs me wrong to read about a Dominican man being arrested allegedly for possession of drugs. Specifically when both main characters are white and one is a blonde with blue eyes. Sure, it ended up well for him (thank goodness), but I just feel like it shouldn't have been included. I think if it doesn't truly add anything into the book and my opinion would be different if it were executed better.

As for her best friend's (Sharla) relationship with the Earl, it was interesting. Definitely feel like it is setting up to be another book. I'd love to see a book on them. I actually wanted one when they were first hinted to be something more.

Overall, this is a pretty good debut novel. I do look forward to the next book Richardson writes..

Thank you to NetGalley for an eArc in exchange for an honest review.

I love a good sports romance!

I saw the cover of this book and fell head over heels!! I'm a sucker for a cute cover and that title just hooked me! As a sports romance lover, I was very intrigued and excited for what was in store! And holy steam!! I love steam as much as the next person and this book had that in abundance! If you're a steam lover that's a fan of falling fast and hard romances then you'll enjoy this one!

Thank you to NetGalley and Wattpad books for the earc in return for an honest review.

Ummmm holy steam! If you want a lot of steam, look no further (I’m serious guys) 😂 This book gets straight to the point with these two, which I was a little shocked by. I thought this was interesting premise, a fantasy that I’m sure a lot of people have. Because this such a fast-paced story, there isn’t a lot of character development/background given or relationship building going on.

If you want a light and quick read with a lot of steam, this is your book!

I found Out of His League repetitive.

If you want love at first sight, head over heels, can't live without you - but then we'll continue to muck it up and not communicate properly, but have lots of sex, but then feel overwhelmed and confused - because it's all based on a free coffee, plane ride and a hookup - then it's for you.

But I found it far fetched and a little exhausting.

Not to spoil it, but it's basically a book about bonking with some talking and decisions having to be made thrown in.

That being said, thanks for the opportunity to read it NetGalley in exchange for my honest feedback.

This was such a cute book! I'm not the biggest fan of Baseball, but I love sports romances, so this one did it for me.

I also thought Gretchen and Josh were likable and funny. I'm interested to read more from this author in the future!

This book took me a very long time to get through. And honestly everything in it felt very rushed. They met and instantly fell in love there wasn’t much else to it really. There is definitely no lack of spicy scenes and I felt like that’s all I was reading. I would have love more to the story and character development. Thank you NetGalley for giving me the to opportunity to read this and honestly review it.

Out of His League by Caroline Richardson

Genre: Rom-Com
Rating: 3 stars

This book was a sweet & spicy quick read. It didn't WOW me by any means, but it was a easy read to get me out of a slump.

Things I liked:
-Dual POV
-Sports Romance
-Writing Style + Easy to read
-Spice!

I didn't love how Gretchen and Josh initially met. It was a bit creepy, but other than that the book was fine. No fireworks here, but I enjoyed it alright!

Out of His League by Caroline Richardson
⚾️⚾️⚾️

QOTD: Have you been to Las Vegas?
AOTD: I have been to Las Vegas more times than I could count. Even got married there in May.

Book Description (from Amazon): Sometimes you've got to leave your heart on the field

Gretchen Harper has always been practical. Dependable, solid, predictable. She’s never taken risks, and she’s especially never bought coffee for gorgeous professional athletes in airports. That is, until she meets her favorite baseball player on the worst day of his career.

Being sent to the minor league is just the first of Joshua Malvern’s many worries―he’s got an injury that won’t heal and his entire career and future are on the line. When a beautiful woman offers him coffee, that simple kindness is exactly what he needs to lift him out of his funk. He asks her to join him in first class, not expecting to end up joining her in bed.

What starts as a one night stand ends up holding the promise for so much more. And while stepping out of her comfort zone has never been Gretchen’s style, for a chance at true love she’ll have to decide whether she’ll swing for the fences, even if it means striking out.

📚Review: I went into this book with a clear mind, knew nothing about it. I thought it was a quirky read, super cute. I felt the character’s connection with each other. This book is a good reminder to us all to get out of our comfort zone from time to time, you never know what’s on the other side of it. I think Out of his League checks off all the top things we look for in a romance novel.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶🌶🌶
Thank you Net Galley for the advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

#2022readingchallenge #romcombooks #sportsromancebooks #contemporaryromance #OutofHisLeague #netgalley

DNF

I expected to liked this book because of the synopsis. However, as the book progressed I have a hard time to connect with both of the main characters. The writing didn't help either.
Stop reading at 55%.