The Catching Kind by Catie Quinn

The Basics:
The Catching Kind by Catie Quinn
All Night Reads
Book Three in the Brew Ha Ha series
Contemporary Romance
Published January 13, 2015
Source: Received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Amazon Goodreads

Why I picked up this book:

A shy writer who gets the attention of a playboy baseball player in need of a reputation overhaul? I'm in. Also, I think the cover's really sweet.


Blurb:

Hailey Tate thought she was worth more than a straight flush.

Apparently not.

When camera-shy author Hailey Tate’s agent loses a bet and brokers a deal, it leaves Hailey in the last place she wants to be: backed into the corner of Publicity and Paparazzi. Now, thanks to her girl-next-door image and role as pretend girlfriend to a womanizing short stop, she's getting the attention she always managed to avoid.

Connor Ryan is not only America’s Sexiest Athlete, he’s also the current Bad Boy of Baseball. But when he goes a base too far, management wants to bench him…permanently. One thing he never counted on? Falling for his sweet, fake girlfriend. He’s the guy who can catch anything and now she’s next on his list.

My thoughts:

The only part of The Catching Kind that gave me any moment of hesitation was the set-up: that Hailey's agent 'lost' her in a poker bet that meant Hailey needed to pretend to be a playboy ball player's squeaky clean girlfriend for a few weeks. I liked how the book handled it - the idea that anyone would allow themselves to be traded around in such a way irked me. Fortunately, Hailey's agent provides some very logical reasons for why the arrangement will benefit Hailey.

From that moment on, I was on board with The Catching Kind. 

It's been so long since I've read a romance that didn't flip back and forth between the two leads that it was kind of a pleasure to have to guess what Connor was thinking. When we first meet him and he's such a rude jerk to Hailey, I did wonder how he was going to dig himself out of that hole. Suffice to say, he manages it. Charming, endearing and willing to give great apologies, Connor's dream-boyfriend material through and through.

Normally I get frustrated when jobs such as baseball player are used without actually describing the character training or playing, but I can give The Catching Kind a pass. What we get instead of the physical rigors are the social ones - Connor's time spent with fans, his media awareness and his comprehension of schmoozing the right people are all important components for any job that relies on public support for success. I enjoyed these little insights into life in the spotlight. 

I also appreciated what The Catching Kind has to say about judging people - not only based on their clothing but also their jobs, what the media has to say about them (or the Internet!) and even first impressions. Everyone has bad days and I really appreciated the reminder to keep an open mind.

Hailey and Connor together are adorable. I love the flow of their conversations, and I'd absolutely come back to this series hoping to see them out and about in the background! Hailey's friends are wonderfully protective and delightful - I could easily spend more time hanging out with them.

Bottom line:

The Catching Kind is a sweet contemporary romance that made me smile. I binge-read this one, which is the greatest compliment I can give these days - too many things to do and not enough hours to do it in! Read this one!

5 stars
For fans of baseball players, writers, fake girlfriends

But don't just take my word for it! I grabbed a few links to other blog reviews of The Catching Kind:

Romance & Smut

Jeannie Zelos Book Reviews

E so Sweet