The Double Play is a tender, character-driven romance, that quietly steals your heart. It follows Hazel, a kind, grounded woman hired to nanny Emmett Foster’s young daughter, June. Emmett is a professional football player navigating single fatherhood after a painful divorce, and he’s emotionally shut off, grumpy and set in his ways. What begins as a job for Hazel turns into a slow, emotional unravelling of two people learning how to trust again.

The dynamic between Hazel and Emmett is beautifully done. The chemistry isn’t built on grand gestures or spicy steamy tension, it’s built on quiet moments, mutual respect and genuine care. Hazel’s warmth slowly chips away Emmett’s walls and you see him become more vulnerable and open. Hazel, in turn grows into her strength as she realises she defenders more than temporary affection.

June is a standout, sweet, spunky and the emotional glue of the story. Her presence adds a heartfelt layer that makes this book feel like a love story not just between two people but a family forming.

If you love show burn, found family and soft romance this book is quite a comforting gem.

I have previously listened to the first three audiobooks in the More Than a Game series. Each book can be read alone but bring in characters from the past stories. In this case, the couple from an earlier book attended a hockey game and went out to dinner with them. For this reason, reading the books out of order would result in spoilers. Although since all the books are HEA maybe it's not such a spoiler that a couple is happy after the book ends.

Emmett is a divorced father looking for a nanny when his parents (the grandparents) decide it's time to enjoy retirement and can't babysit anymore. Hazel is a nanny who's previous family moved out of state so Hazel needed a new job. Oh, and Emmett is a professional baseball player.

I thought the romance in the story felt very organic. Yes, Emmett was Hazel's boss, but it was the close proximety that brought them together. One thing I felt didn't play well was the lack of conflict. There were a few different parts that could have infused some drama: an ex-wife, an alcoholic monter and raising her sister, the press.... but all of these conflicts where introduced and quickly "solved" producing no drama.

The double play is a bubble gum romance. This is a fairy tale type book. Do you need to read a book to forget the reality of life. Then this is a book for you

The Double Play is the fourth book in Annah Conwell’s More Than a Game series, which takes place in Nashville, Tennessee. It can absolutely be read or listened to as a stand-alone. The Double Play is a closed-door single dad, age-gap romantic comedy. The story is told in alternating POV from Hazel and Emmett.
25-year-old Hazel James has been a nanny for three years for a professional football player’s twin daughters. When her employer is transferred to a new team in Alabama, they offer for her to go with them, but Hazel wants to stay in the area because of her teen-age sister, Raven. Hazel’s parents are financially irresponsible, have addictions, and don’t take care of Raven, so Hazel often steps in to ensure that she’s cared for. Her employer talks to his sports agent, Brock, who recommends her to another client.
35-year-old Emmett Foster is a professional baseball pitcher in Nashville, who is a devoted dad to his five-year-old daughter, June. His wife abandoned them when June was a newborn, so Emmett purchased a large property and built homes for himself and his parents. They watched June when he worked, but now they are ready to travel the world. His mom hired Hazel as June’s nanny, with some definite matchmaking vibes.
Emmett has two priorities: baseball and June. He has a small friend group who he occasionally socializes with, and he’s the only athlete who’s not in a romantic relationship. Slowly Hazels’ gentleness with June and kindness wear down his hardened heart, but he still has to get over his relationship phobia and concerns about their age gap. Of course others interfere in their budding relationship, so hard decisions have to be made and boundary lines drawn.
The storyline of The Double Play is predictable, but readers will adore Emmett’s love for June and Hazel’s patience with him. Her affection for Emmett is like raindrops wearing down granite rock. I’m looking forward to reading Brock’s story next.
The audiobook is skillfully narrated by Charlotte North and Tim Paige, who do an outstanding job bringing life to the characters. They don’t use southern accents, but overall their narration is excellent.
I received an Advance Review Copy (ARC) of the audiobook from NetGalley and DreamScape Media for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

A lovely, well written book full of love, laughs, and learning. I loved how tender hearted Hazel is. She’s such a lovely, caring person. I loved seeing Emmett and his daughter navigate single patrenthood like champs. There are no swears or alcohol and level 3 steamy kisses only. Present tense, Dual POV.

Dual narrators were superb and easy to listen to.

Who doesn’t love a great sports romance where the MMC is a single dad! Me that’s who! I love a good single dad trope but add a nanny to the mix and that makes it even better. A baseball player desperate to find a new nanny to care for his 5 year old, finds more than a caring nanny but also a new love. I really enjoyed this book it was heartwarming and enjoyable and such a fun time. If you enjoy a great sports romance this is such a fun one to read.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the Advance Listeners copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The Double Play is sweet and fun, with some really heartfelt moments. There's some tough family dynamics, so definitely check the TWs for that but they're handled well. I absolutely adored June, and even though nanny romances can be a hard sell for me (I'm a former nanny) but this was absolutely lovely and didn't feel like there were any iffy power dynamic issues.
It's a lovely, no-spice read and I am definitely looking forward to reading more from Annah Conwell. I also really liked both narrators.

Hot nanny x grumpy baseball dad??? Say less. I was already sold by the trope and then Emmett Foster walked in all broody and emotionally unavailable and I said, yep, that's my roman empire.
This book gave me exactly what I wanted: tension, a slow burn that actually burns, and a single dad who shows love in quiet little ways that make your heart ache. And the grumpy x sunshine dynamic? Immaculate. She's all warmth and chaos, and he's just trying not to fall in love with the woman who's making his life brighter (and a little messier).
I lived for the little glances, the shared silences, and the way Emmett kept showing up for her without needing to say much. And little June? Scene stealer 10/10 would babysit.
Now... the reason I knocked off a star? One of the side characters annoyed the absolute hell out of me but to be fair, she's a hormonal teenager so maybe that was the point. Also, some of the nicknames gave me the ick. Like I get the vibe was "cute and flirty" but my brain said absolutely not.
Second buddy read with my bb Rei!

I finished this in one sitting because I couldn't put it down.
I loved this cute little story.
Great sports romance.
Loved the relationships.
June was the cutest 5-year-old and stole my heart immediately.
Hazel resonated with me. If you are the oldest daughter, she is going to be a great character for you.
Emmett - grumpy, teddy bear, and a lovie. I couldn't get enough of this hard exterior man, but a gooey soft center.
I love nanny romances, I don't know why, but I do.
This was a beautiful Grumpy-Sunshine romance between a pro baseball player and the nanny. I don't want to give too much away, so I am stopping here with details.
The characters are well-developed and relatable.
The plot is well structured, and the pacing is perfect.
In the audiobook, the narrators were perfectly matched.
Tropes: pro baseball, sports romance, single Dad, Nanny FMC, grumpy sunshine, found family, age gap.
Trigger warning: alcohol/rehab, parental neglect, and divorce.
This was my first book by Annah Conwell and I will be reading more of her work ASAP!
This is perfect for your summer TBR. Quick Poolside or beach read!
Thank you to NetGalley, Annah Conwell, and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.
Happy Reading!

Contains an audiobook review.

This is book 4 in the sweet romcom series by Annah Conwell. Each book in this series is about a friend group where the males each play a different sport and play video games together. They can be read in any order and contain standalone stories.

The Double Play features baseball as the sport highlighted. It is a fun kisses only, age gap romance. It is a dual POV story that has both a male and female narrator for the corresponding chapters. I though both narrators did an excellent job and was really impressed with the voices used for June.

I was given the opportunity to listen to a copy of this book by Dreamscape Media via Netgalley. I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

This book was ok but not spicy like im use to. It was a light hearted love story easy to read. I would recommend to people that like romance with little spice.

I have read 3 out of the 4 books in this series.
I felt like this book was missing chapters like one minute everything is going as normal and the next were in love. It just went to zero to 100 and I wasn't buying the romance like that. So this just did not work for me. It was a very low 3 star for me.

Thank you NetGalley for this Audio-Arc in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Top notch listening right here!!

GAHHHHHHHH!! I have been OBSESSED with the More Than a Game series by Annah Conwell and BEYOND EXCITED for Emmett's story because hello grumpy baseball bearded hottie!

So pumped to receive an audiobook ARC and it exceeded my hopes and dreams for this story. At first I was nervous that the male narrator (Tim Paige) might not be the "perfect fit" because in the other audiobooks Emmett was always so deep and broody and Tim's voice has a rich masculine softness to it that immediately stood out to me. 

I can now safely say that Tim was PERFECTION for Emmett!! Emmett is such a soft soul who has been deeply hurt and Tim was able to bring that soft side to life while also giving that masculine, over protective side to life as well. I am still a mix of melting/swooning over the performance. 

Charlotte North WAS Hazel!!! Absolutely incredible! I was able to completely lose myself in the story largely in part due to her narration of this character. Quite a mix of girl voice, little girl voice, and man voice and none of them made me squirm - BRAVO! Oh my gosh, the last two chapters of the story, Charlotte's narration brought the PERFECT ENDING to life and actually made me cry.

This audiobook is a MUST! Whether you have audible or can request your library to get a copy - I can't recommend this enough

Thanks, Dreamscape Media for the ALC.
Emmett is a baseball player and a single dad of an adorable five-year-old. His life has been dedicated to his little girl and baseball. He's helped by his parents, who babysit for him. When his parents decide to enjoy retirement by backpacking around the world, he sees himself in need of a nanny. Enter Hazel, who has just lost her job because the family she worked for has their dad, who's also an athlete, traded to another city and she can't move with them. She has a teenage sister who can't count on their parents and she needs to be there for her. She's interviewed by Emmett's mom (who I'm sure saw more potential in Hazel than just nanny) and is hired on the spot. 

Soon, Hazel falls in love with June and June absolutely adores her. Emmett, whose heart has been guarded since his divorce, falls for her right along with his daughter. 

The audiobook is narrated dual style by Charlotte North and Tim Paige and both do an amazing job. 

The story is sweet (and the spice level is zero - which is usually not a problem for me)... but maybe it's "too" sweet. If we had a drinking game for the amount of times hazel "tears up" or plain cries, we'd be on the floor drunk...

The book has a whole "wholesome" vibe to it that I'm sure it will be appreciated by many listeners. Though I enjoyed listening, I felt characters could be less cookie cutter "single dad" and "Mary Poppins nanny". But I had fun. Those two narrators always deliver.

Content notes: child abandonment, alcoholism

3.5⭐️ rounded up

Although this is 4th in a series it does well as a stand alone as they are all different stories.

This is a slow burn but an enjoyable lighthearted cozy rom-com. It draws you in and really makes you want things to work out for them all from the beginning it was well written and beautifully narrated.

Hazel is leaving a job she loves nannying 2 children and finds herself working for Emmet the baseball player father of June as his live in nanny. He is a protective dedicated dad to his daughter after his wife left and doesn’t have much contact with their daughter so for him getting the right person for the job is reallly important. Things begin to change from employer and employee to friendship fairly quickly and Hazel questions herself but quickly puts it away as not appropriate.

Hazel also has family issues with her own mother and sister that come into the mix adding to the situation and of course she is absolutely dedicated to her job and June so as things unfold will she manage to keep her job? Will she and Emmet stay friends, become more or part ways?

With thanks to NetGalley & Dreamscape Media for the opportunity to listen to this ELC in return for an open honest review 🙏🏽📚🎧❤️ With best wishes for publication on 24th June 2025

I liked this, and it was very cute. This is my first audiobook, and it flew by. I did laugh at the voicing of little June from the male narrator cause of how he sounded.

This one felt like it went from 0 to 100 in the matter of like 2 chapters. It was cute and cheesy like all good rom coms but it just felt like it was missing something. And the transition from “not being together” to “being together” just suddenly happened with almost 0 communication or transition.

What a great grumpy/sunshine swoony sweet romance! I loved this audiobook! The narration was excellent and really added to the story! I was able to listen at a faster speed without any issues.

I didn't want the book to end, I mean I love a happy ending, but I enjoyed it so much I didn't want to be done with it. Pick this book up even if you don't like baseball as it doesn't take a leading role in the book. I will definitely be reading more books by Annah Conwell!

The Double Play hits a sweet spot for fans of clean sports romance, and the audio version knocks it right out of the park. With its charming mix of grumpy single dad and sunshine nanny, the story brings heartfelt emotion, subtle tension, and a slow burn that’s all the more satisfying for its restraint.

Narration-wise, the voice actors do a wonderful job differentiating the perspectives of the two leads. The heroine’s bright and warm delivery perfectly reflects her hopeful, nurturing personality, while the hero’s deeper, slightly guarded tone matches his emotional baggage and protectiveness over his daughter. The narrator’s pacing is gentle and consistent, making it a great listen for both commutes and cozy evenings.

What truly stands out in audio format is the emotional undercurrent—especially in scenes with the daughter, June. The little laughs, sighs, and softer moments feel more intimate when heard, and they add layers to the character development that readers might breeze past on the page. There’s also a sweetness to the story’s silences, a quiet honesty that doesn’t require steam to feel romantic.

Whether you're in it for the sports setting, the found-family dynamic, or just a feel-good love story, this audiobook delivers a clean and compelling listen that lingers long after the final inning.

🔸️single dad x nanny
🔸️age gap
🔸️gurdian to sibling FMC
🔸️friend group
🔸️grumpy x sunshine
🔸️clean romance
🔸️he nicknames her "wildflower"

Cute, quick, clean romance. Emmett is a single dad and baseball player. Hazel is hired as the nanny for Emmett's daughter June. Hazel is helping to raise her teenage sister, Raven. When Raven needs a stable place to stay, Emmett invites Hazel and Raven to move in with him and June.

Narrated by Tim Paige & Charlotte North. They both have soothing voices, perfect for their characters.