Welcome to the Blog + Review Tour for Love & Baseball by Jaime Jo Wright (with Chloe Joanne) AND The Cinderella Plot by Pepper Basham, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!
About the Books
Title: Love and Baseball
Author: Jaime Jo Wright with Chloe JoAnne
Publisher: MadLit Publishing
Release Date: February 10, 2026
Genre: Young Adult Romantic Comedy
She needed a boyfriend. AI came to her rescue. But then her fake boyfriend showed up at school.
Brielle has never wanted a boyfriend. She's happy with her book boyfriends--purely fictional, right? Easy to maintain. She's also not a huge fan of sports, except baseball. Not playing it. No. Again, books and cozy afternoons are her thing. But Brielle can get into baseball with the best of them when it comes to watching, repeating stats, and wearing her favorite jerseys. But apparently, that's not enough in life. At least according to her four nosy aunts, who all think she needs a boyfriend, people at school who are convinced Brielle is a closet serial killer because she's happier with her books, and yeah. Valentine’s Day is on the calendar.
There is a purpose for AI, and Brielle decides the genius thing to do is make a fake boyfriend. Complete with deepfake photos, Brielle creates the perfect boyfriend, and no one needs to know he's entirely fictional. They just need to believe she met him over summer vacation, and he lives somewhere in North Carolina. Only he doesn't. When baseball catcher, Brooks Mason shows up at high school, a lookalike to Brielle's AI boyfriend, her entire world becomes a dog-eared, bent pages book nightmare.
Brooks is getting sick of all the girls at school wanting to date him. He wants to play ball and hang out. So, yeah. It makes sense to help Brielle out. Fake date? Why not? But once together, dating for show becomes an act that both Brielle and Brooks aren't quite prepared for, and dealing with unexpected attraction, complicated situations, and interfering aunts and bffs?
It's a grand slam of problems just waiting to happen, plus a game-changing shot at a championship home run at love.
** CLEAN YA Rom-Com Fiction you can read without skipping a page **
PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | BookBub
Title: The Cinderella Plot
Author: Pepper Basham
Publisher: independently published
Release Date: March 19, 2026
Genre: Young Adult Romantic Comedy
Paisley Harper is invisible.
Not in a superpower way. More like the people-look-right-through-you-in-the-hallway kind of way.
She’s the girl with the oversized cardigan, random book knowledge, and the uncanny ability to tutor the school’s star quarterback without actually being seen as anything more than helpful. Meanwhile, her aunt and uncle’s beloved small-town bookstore is under threat from a shiny corporate chain, her best friend keeps giving her looks that feel suspiciously loaded, and Homecoming is looming like a glittery reminder that senior year is running out…and she’s never been kissed.
Enter The Cinderella Plot—a wildly popular self-help book promising total transformation in five easy steps. New hair. New confidence. New life. Maybe even… a date.
With nothing to lose (except her dignity), Paisley decides to follow the plan. Because if fairy tales have taught her anything, it’s that invisible girls don’t get happy endings unless they change something first.
But as Paisley starts stepping into the spotlight, she has to ask herself an important question:
What if being seen comes at the cost of being herself?
Full of heart, humor, bookish charm, and small-town magic, The Cinderella Plot is a romcom about friendship, first love, faith, and discovering that sometimes the greatest transformation isn’t becoming someone new—it’s realizing you were worthy all along.
** CLEAN YA Rom-Com Fiction you can read without skipping a page **
PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon
About the Authors
Jaime Jo Wright is a multi-award-winning author of gothic historical mystery novels that weave suspense through dual timelines. Her debut novel, The House on Foster Hill (2017), won both the prestigious Christy Award and the Daphne du Maurier Award, establishing her as a compelling voice in inspirational fiction. An ECPA and Publisher's Weekly bestselling author, Wright specializes in chilling mysteries stained with history's secrets, drawing readers into haunting tales set primarily in turn-of-the-century Wisconsin. Her work has earned praise from Publishers Weekly for skillfully wrapping intricate mysteries around dual timelines with enough surprises to captivate lovers of gothic fiction. When she isn’t writing mysteries, she co-authors YA RomCom with her teenage daughter, Chloe JoAnne, with a passion to provide sweet and witty romance for teenagers with no apologies needed. Residing in Wisconsin's rural woodlands with her husband and their two children, Wright is a self-proclaimed coffee enthusiast and lover of all of her rescued felines.
Connect with Jaime Jo by visiting jaimewrightbooks.com to follow her on social media and subscribe to email updates.
Pepper Basham is an award-winning author who writes romance “peppered” with grace and humor. Writing both historical and contemporary novels, she loves to incorporate her native Appalachian culture and/or her unabashed adoration of the UK into her stories. She currently resides in the lovely mountains of southwestern VA, where she is the wife, mom to five great kids, a speech-language pathologist, and a lover of chocolate, jazz, hats, and Jesus.
Connect with Pepper by visiting pepperdbasham.com to follow her on social media and subscribe to email updates.
Author Interviews
Jaime Jo Wright
Can you share 5 random facts about Love & Baseball?
-We name-drop one of Chloe’s favorite MLB players from the Milwaukee Brewers. It’s an Easter egg, so I won’t spoil it.
-Chloe is a total One Direction fan, and so we reference the band often
-I included a reference to “The Princess Bride” which Chloe stated, “I have no idea what that is”. I left it in for us “older” readers.
-Yes, there are some typos. It’s every author’s nightmare trying to find them all before publishing. Le sigh.
-A sequel is in the works for later this year!
As the mother to a young reader, I was very excited to see an author I already trust putting out a YA novel, what inspired you to do so?
Really, the need for trustworthy YA romances that aren’t portraying love as jealous or obsessive, or immoral. We wanted to write a romance that girls who are just entering middle school can read safely, but also a romance that would resonate with high-school young women.
You cowrote this one with your daughter; what was that experience like?
It was super fun. We had a lot of brainstorming moments in the car, some giddy laughter, yes, some arguments, but overall, it was a great experience.
Many of us readers are used to your much spookier reads, and this one is quite a departure from that. Was it challenging to adjust to writing in a completely different genre?
LOL! You’re absolutely right! In fact, I got several concerned looks from people in my industry and reminders that it’s difficult for authors to cross into other genres and actually succeed. Whether I succeed or not is up to the readers (lol!), but I actually found writing the YA rom com to be remarkably more natural than I expected. I’m not into ooey-gooey romance, but seeing as I have 30+ years of experience in youth ministry, I’m well-versed in the mindset of a young adult. And, the goal of this book was romance, yes, but healthy teen interaction and not all ooey-gooey. So in reality, this became a fun comedic book, and since I’m quite quirky and comedic, it worked.
What do you hope readers will take away from this book?
Character and principles that are God-honoring and (shhh- don’t tell the young adults) old-fashioned. We have youth who don’t understand the basic traits of respecting each other and their authorities, integrity over selfishness, sacrifice for others over self-interest, and so on. So we want to bring back these foundation values in a way that is organic and not preachy, and makes them appealing to young adult readers. We also wanted to write a book that was pure entertainment without the worry of smut or spice, four-letter words or cursing, and toxic substance free!
Pepper Basham
Can you share 5 random facts about The Cinderella Plot?
There is a glass slipper moment :), A loopy-soup scene is one of my favorite scenes, A Mr. Knightley scene is definitely near the top too, my youngest daughter helped me brainstorm this book, Spirit Week Days are very important! (note the Mr. Knightley comment) :)
As the mother to a young reader, I was very excited to see an author I already trust putting out a YA novel, what inspired you to do so?
Well, I've loved working with teen girls and young women in my church as well as in my profession as a college instructor. Teens/College students are some of my favorite people. I've had some YA ideas for about 10 years, but never pursued any of them because my writing brand didn't really fit them (I didn't think) and...time, but then I noticed I had a huge readership in the 13 year to early 20s range for my romcoms!! When Jaime Jo announced her idea to write a YA book and THEN nudged me to do the same, I thought I'd take one of those ideas and see if I could write a successful YA! We'll see how it hits with the readers, but it was a real joy! (My own teen gave her thumbs up too).
Readers know what to expect in your adult books, but beyond the intended audience, what similarities or differences can we expect?
As far as similarities? I hope they'll see the same character-care I take to write believable and dimensional characters, the same humor (sarcasm is one of my love languages. It's why Jaime Jo and I get along so well), similarly loveable heroes, and varied family dynamics. As far as differences? I definitely wrote lighter romance descriptions, but still kept a rewarding amount. I also tried to make the concerns and interests match the age-group I was writing. Another thing that I realized (that my daughter, Phoebe, reminded me of) was that teens are going to play into the miscommunication trope a little more because that's pretty much high school drama at its peak! :) So I probably played into that trope more than I would have in a more adult book. Otherwise, I hope my adult readers will enjoy this slice of YA world as much as the younger readers :)
You're no stranger to writing across different genres (and doing so brilliantly), but were there any challenges in writing specifically with a YA audience in mind?
(Thank you for that :)) Oh YES!! Insecurity was my WORST! I was nervous about not "writing down" to my readers. Teen readers are insightful, smart, and authentic in many ways, and I wanted to make sure that, even though I was writing for a younger audience, I kept the vocabulary, characters, and storyline at a high level without making it feel too adult-ish. I also worked to make sure my teens spoke like teens. Nerdy teens, albeit, but teens nonetheless.
What do you hope readers will take away from this book?
Two things specifically:
1. That their identities are secure and beautiful in Christ, regardless of their inner feelings or what the world says. He has called us His beloved, and we can rest in that love, even when social media or others tear us down or promote a false/shallow reality. At the deepest part of our souls, the forever-part, we are held, treasured, adored, and beautiful. And though God loves us AS we are, He is in the business of making us even better...His way! To become more like Jesus.
2. The RIGHT romance is worth the wait because that other person will be someone to lift you up, not tear you down. They should also be the ones who try to encourage you in the right direction (God's way) (whether romantic interests or friends).
Tour Giveaway
(1) winner will receive a prize pack of Brielle's Faves (an signed copy of Love & Baseball, a copy of Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen, a Milwaukee Brewers lanyard, and a Brewers Christian Yelich baseball card) and Paisley's Faves (a signed copy of The Cinderella Plot, a Cinderella carriage jewelry holder, and a beautiful copy of Emma by Jane Austen)!
Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight March 2, 2026 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on March 9, 2026. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.
Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.
Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!
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"Pleasant words are as a honeycomb: sweet to the soul and health to the bones." Proverbs 16:24