Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Bestseller Bailey's sparkling fourth Big Shots romance (after Dream Girl Drama) pairs a playboy hockey player with a prickly softball pitcher. Boston Bearcats rookie Robbie Corrigan is smitten from the moment he meets college senior and Division 1 softball star Skylar Page. Unfortunately for him, she just overheard Robbie boasting about his sexual exploits and writes him off as a pig. She also has a major crush on her brother's best friend, catcher Madden Donahue, who won't give her the time of day. In a scheme to spend time with Skylar, Robbie offers to be her fake boyfriend to make Madden jealous. The stakes rise on this deception when Skylar brings Robbie as her partner to her parents' annual weeklong backyard sports tournament, which Madden will also attend. Attraction on both sides soon leads the fake relationship to heat up, while plentiful competition and interpersonal drama keep the pages flying. Bailey brings characteristic wit and spice to the fake dating trope and crafts a central couple readers will root for. It's especially satisfying when Robbie reveals the big heart beneath his horniness as he steps up to become a supportive partner to Skylar both on and off the field. This is another home run for Bailey. (Sept.)
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
Rookie NHL player and notorious playboy Robbie Corrigan has his world turned upside down when he meets Skylar Paige, a no-nonsense Division I softball pitcher who calls him out on his behavior. Robbie is dazzled by the beautiful Skylar, but she wants nothing to do with him. Then Robbie learns that Skylar has a long-held crush on a man named Madden (her brother's best friend). Robbie concocts a scheme to spend time with Skylar by offering to pretend to be her boyfriend to make Madden jealous. Skylar and Robbie also team up to compete in Skylar's family's intense annual wilderness competition. As they tackle outdoorsy challenges that force them to trust each other, the lines between fake dating and real emotions are blurred. Can Robbie put his playboy ways behind him to win Skylar's heart? Will Skylar decide that her feelings for Robbie are more important than the future she thought she wanted with Madden? VERDICT Bailey's sequel to Dream Girl Drama is a must-read sports romance full of heat and banter. Watching Robbie, a series fan favorite, fall for Skylar is pure fun.--Rachel Hedderman
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Two ambitious athletes plus one fake-dating arrangement--what could go wrong? Though it's only his first season for the Boston Bearcats hockey team, Robbie Corrigan has a well-established reputation as a playboy. He's got major skills on the ice, and he's also much more likely to love 'em and leave 'em than he is to build any long, meaningful relationships. Naturally, he's just met the one woman who seems completely resistant to his charm: Skylar Page, a Boston University softball pitcher. When they meet over a friendly Saturday morning baseball game, Robbie instantly makes a poor impression by bragging to his teammates about his latest conquest within Skylar's hearing. He thinks she's gorgeous, though, and when he sets his sights on her, he's surprised that she doesn't seem to know it. Despite her initial distaste for Robbie, Skylar grudgingly confesses that she could use his help. If they pretend to date, maybe her current crush--her brother's best friend--will finally sit up and take notice of her in a romantic way. The timing is less than ideal, since Robbie will have to team up with Skylar in the Page family's latest wilderness competition, but it turns out that Robbie's willingness to play fake boyfriend stems from some very real feelings. He wants to prove to her that he's a changed man, and redeeming himself in her eyes starts with making sure she knows that she can really trust him. The latest addition to Bailey's Big Shots series is a sexy, feel-good romance brimming over with the author's trademark humor and dirty talk. While Skylar and Robbie's dynamic doesn't quite reach the level of enemies-to-lovers--he's so head-over-heels for her that there's no room for any real mean-spiritedness--their playful snark doubles as a welcome dash of foreplay in the lead-up to some seriously steamy scenes. Robbie's efforts to show Skylar that he's turned over a new leaf also result in some of the book's best moments, emphasizing his commitment to becoming the type of man he knows she deserves. Bailey hits it out of the park with her latest spicy romance. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
