5 New Baseball Romance Novels to Read After All-Star Week: Cat Sebastian, Grace Reilly and More

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Jul 18, 2024 / 9757 Views

5 New Baseball Romances to Read After All-Star Week: Cat Sebastian, Grace Reilly and More — Avon(2);‎ Berkley; 8th Note Press

MLB All-Star Week is over, but there’s still plenty of baseball to come this summer — and several new baseball-focused romance books to tide you over between Games.

Cat Sebastian’s latest novel, You Should Be So Lucky, is set in 1960 and tells the story of Eddie, a major league baseball player in the midst of a serious slump. When a handsome arts reporter is sent to cover his season, Eddie has to decide how much he’s willing to put on the line as his career starts to recover.

“It is a book that’s about finding comfort in someone else and finding comfort in the experience of someone caring for you, and that’s a theme I like a lot,” Sebastian told Scary Mommy earlier this month. “I keep going back to that theme. One day I’m going to have to find another theme. But right now I like looking at that from different angles. It’s really very soothing, and I think that’s one of the reasons why romance novels can be really appealing.”

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Sebastian has previously written tons of books set in the 18th and 19th centuries, so tackling the 20th century and the world of baseball was a new challenge. “I need to chase after the new shiny thing,” the author explained. “And so it really was very refreshing to write something in a brand new setting.”

If a brand new setting — the dugout and the baseball diamond — sounds appealing, then keep scrolling for a roundup of several new baseball romances that knock it out of the park:

‘You Should Be So Lucky’ by Cat Sebastian

The second book in Sebastian’s Midcentury NYC series follows Eddie O’Leary, a closeted baseball player facing the worst slump of his career following a trade to New York’s (fictional) Robins team. Mark Bailey, meanwhile, is an arts reporter assigned to write about Eddie, though he’s still coping with the sudden death of his boyfriend. Mark is hesitant about sparking a romance with someone new — especially someone who’s not out — but as he follows the Robins, it becomes increasingly difficult to resist Eddie’s golden retriever charm.

‘The Art of Catching Feelings’ by Alicia Thompson

In Thompson’s latest romance, Daphne Brink finds herself at the center of a viral scandal when she heckles baseball player Chris Kepler at one of his games (shortly after signing her divorce papers). Daphne decides to apologize via social media, but she forgets to use her real name, meaning that Chris has no idea he’s DMing with his heckler. When Daphne starts working for the team in real life, her feelings for Chris only get deeper, but will he feel the same when he finds out who she really is?

‘The Prospects’ by KT Hoffman

Hoffman’s debut novel follows Gene, a minor league player who happens to be the first openly trans player in pro baseball. When his former teammate and rival Luis gets traded to his team, the carefully balanced life Gene has created for himself starts to come unraveled. The tension between Gene and Luis, meanwhile, becomes so palpable that it’s impossible to ignore on or off the field.

‘Stealing Home’ by Grace Reilly

The third entry in Reilly’s Beyond the Play series, Stealing Home centers on roommates Sebastian and Mia, who find themselves living together after a casual fling. Sebastian is trying to stay focused on baseball as he gears up for the MLB Draft, but Mia’s presence threatens to become a distraction — and their previous feelings start to come back with a vengeance.

‘First Base’ by Ally Wiegand

Wiegand’s debut novel tells the story of Maggie, a Chicago baseball photographer who’s focused on her career rather than her dating life. When the team she works for signs a new player named Tommy, however, she soon finds herself in a compromising position with him — and their PR reps decide the best course of action is to fake a romance. But as they keep pretending to like each other, their feelings start to become real, and they have to decide whether they can commit to something serious.