I am going to be honest - I am not a baseball person. I find the sport incredibly boring with the time between plays and innings being entirely too long. And while I am well aware the MLB has worked on cutting down these times, it still doesn't speak to me in the way other sports do. However, I do love sports romances. It gives just enough of the sports where I don't get bored, using it as a backdrop in the setting and plot to add tension and flavor. So whether you are like me and need something to do while the rest of your household is watching The World Series, or you want to read something that's thematically appropriate to this major sports event, these baseball romances are for you!
1. Speak Now by Stella Fletcher
Stella Fletcher's Swiftly in Love series are romances inspired by Taylor Swift - and as she's attended one of the World Series games, it felt appropriate to put this at the top of the list. This book is full of tropey fun - including a fake marriage, staged dates, and a very attractive and cocky single dad. It also takes place in my hometown of Phoenix and features the Arizona Diamondbacks - the team I have been told by my Dad and brother I support. It's a super fun and quick read and will have you swooning over them realizing their fake relationship might end up being something real.
Speak Now is available on Amazon
2. The Dugout by Meghan Quinn
Meghan Quinn is one of my favorite romance authors at the moment, and she writes everything from reality TV romances to sports romances. And she's amazing at almost all of them. This is the second book in her standalone baseball romance series - but it is also where you should start! In fact, pretend the first book doesn't exist and you'll be much happier. I love the tension that comes with Carson and Milly's original misunderstanding when he needs her help to get his baseball career back, that adds to the sport in a much more accessible way than just watching the players play. And if you like it, this series has eight books, all of which seem to get better than the last.
The Dugout is available on Amazon
3. The Art of Catching Feelings by Alicia Thompson
Imagine you are coming off a terrible divorce, end up at a baseball game, heckle one of the players - and he ends up having an emotional breakdown. And then when you DM him to apologize, you forget to tell him it was your fault. That's the basis for this book, and as our two fall more in love the secret haunts Daphne. I love that it's a good look into mental health while also showing the power of texting and online relationships in our world - something I truly love seeing in books.
The Art of Catching Feelings is available through Penguin Random House