Framing the Pitch by Ashley Funk: Book Review

 **ARC received for consideration. All opinions are my own. 

The Book

Making everyone believe will be as easy as framing a pitch.

Softball is my passion—my dream—and, luckily, my job, and I'm ready for another season as the starting catcher for the San Antonio Storm. But before the season can begin, my best friend Trace Davenport—pro football safety and social media’s Dallas Dreamboat—runs into a sticky situation, and his agent seems to think fake dating me will be the answer to all his problems.

Which is utterly ridiculous.

Until the owner of the Storm tells the team to do everything we can to bring in bigger numbers for the team and the league as a whole. New expansion franchises for the Women’s Fastpitch League are on the line, and I’d do just about anything to bring more fans and players to the sport I love.

Including pretending to date my best friend for the season.

Between spending time with Trace, attending a wedding, and competing in front of thousands of fans, pretending to be in love with Trace will be as easy as framing a pitch…right?

Or will our fake relationship blur the lines between friendship and romance?

The Author

Ashley grew up near the mountains, where she dreamed of being a fantasy author from a very young age. Imagine how surprised she was when she fell in love with and began writing romantic comedies. When she's not writing or wrangling her kids, she loves going on long-ish runs, avoiding the laundry, and drinking Dr. Pepper. She now lives in a small mountain town in Utah with her husband and five children.

Book Review

Sports romances are always some of my favorites, and as such, I've read a lot of them. In most of these books (at least the ones I've read), it seems to be more likely that that MMC is the athlete, so seeing a female athlete was a fun change. Okay, so, Trace IS also a football player, but Naomi's softball career definitely takes center stage here. Admittedly, I have no interest in softball myself, but one of the things that I really appreciated about this story is that the author's love of the game clearly shines through! I definitely found myself learning a few things! More importantly though, I'm here for the romance... and Trace and Naomi's was the sweetest. Best friends + fake dating? What could be better than that? When she needs more eyes on the league and he needs to get a stalkerish ex off his back, it seems like a great solution... but those feelings don't seem fake for long. While I usually prefer dual POV in a romance, I didn't mind not seeing Trace's in this one--- I think his actions and how he showed up and supported her truly just spoke for themselves! I truly just adored these two together! 

Framing the Pitch is a closed-door romance with kisses only. It does have minimal minor language. 


You can purchase your copy here: https://amzn.to/44UZgEa