Book Review: “Pitcher Perfect” by Tessa Bailey

I’ve said this about every Tessa Bailey books: her books are such a delight. They’re funny, light-hearted yet still serious when scenes need to be, and spicy. She’s a career romance author. She writes when she has an idea and she writes those ideas into an enjoyable, fun story.

Did I like this one as much as It Happened One Summer or Fix Her Up? Not really. I thought the main characters to be slightly annoying. It might’ve been because of their age — Skylar, the female main character (FMC) was a student athlete and Robbie, the male main character (MMC) was a professional hockey player, but a rookie so I’m guessing both their ages are in their early 20s. I’m not usually adamantly against the insta love trope, because I loved Dream Girl Drama, the previous book in this series and Tessa’s most recent release, but I loved that one because it felt more like love at first sight rather than insta love. If you don’t believe me, read my review explaining why I prefer the love at first sight in that one. This one felt more “I love you and I can’t live my life without you” — literally minutes after the two characters were fighting each other on a baseball field.

But let me introduce what this book is about.

Thank you Avon Books and Netgalley for allowing me the ARC! You can pre-order this book on Amazon or Bookshop.org, out 9/9. Light spoilers ahead!

Synopsis:

Boston Bearcats rookie Robbie Corrigan is living the dream. He’s made it to the NHL, his best friend/teammate and fellow “orgasm donor” is his roomie—and the women of Boston love them both. Life is sweet. That is, until he meets Skylar Paige, division 1 softball pitcher, girl least likely to take anyone’s bull…and the one member of the opposite sex immune to his charms. Robbie might be dazzled by the badass pitcher, but Skylar pegs him as a filthy player and wants nothing to do with him.

When he discovers she’s carrying a serious torch for her brother’s best friend, Robbie knows he should just go back to clubbing and whipped cream bikini parties, but he can’t seem to leave Skylar to flounder on her romantic quest to land another man. Nor can he miss out on the opportunity to spend time with her and hopefully redeem himself. Before Robbie knows it, he’s agreed to be Skylar’s fake boyfriend/love coach at an upcoming family wilderness competition where her crush will be in attendance. What could go wrong?

Through a series of contests that require them to trust each other, Robbie and Skylar grow closer and closer until their fake relationship starts to feel like the realest thing they’ve ever known and the sizzling lessons in sensuality burn out of control.

But it’s all just pretend…right?

My Review:

Robbie was a minor character from the previous two books in the Big Shots series. We (the reader) first meet him in The Au Pair Affair (Book 2), affectionately named as part of the duo “Orgasm Donors.” That’s just silly Tessa Bailey humor for you, but if you find that name cringe, then I don’t recommend this book. Robbie lives up to that name, but when we meet him in “Pitcher Perfect,” he’s still reveling it up as a bachelor rookie hockey player. With pride. Until he meets Skylar, the sister of the baseball player that Robbie and his hockey teammates supposedly hate because of some hockey/baseball rivalry. The banter was enjoyable and interesting for sure, but it felt a tad childish. At least in the beginning. But hey — that’s her writing and I personally like humor in romance books. (When the time is right.) We meet Robbie as this bachelor enjoying his lifestyle, but as soon as he lays his eyes on Skylar, and then agrees to a fake dating plot to make her crush jealous, there’s this radical shift to Robbie only having eyes for one woman the rest of his life. That switch felt like the insta love trope to me, and although it took a while for Robbie to say the word love, I still found myself difficult to believe their instant attraction. However, it was Skylar’s resistance to Robbie’s advances, but the progression of her feelings for the rookie hockey player that kept the romance somewhat of a slow burn. The use of the fake dating trope helped shape the story’s purpose: Skylar and Robbie’s romance.

I didn’t really enjoy the “third act breakup” in the end. I found it to be incredibly pointless. I won’t spoil what happened, but it could’ve been avoided. The resolution and happily ever after ended the story well, but how it led to the resolution was irrelevant. It gave a complete 180 to Skylar and Robbie’s character developments — and their relationship. It threw me for a loop and it made me slightly upset.

I found the conflict to be lacking. What was stopping from them being together? Robbie’s bachelor lifestyle? His sudden feelings for her, and Skylar questioning whether his feelings were true? Robbie’s inability to commit? Skylar’s crush on her brother’s best friend, Madden? I couldn’t decide which it was.

What made the book shine was all the things that Robbie and Skylar did for each other. Robbie passing out Boston University shirts to Skylar’s entire family. Robbie saving Skylar from drowning in a lake. Skylar scheduling in times for Robbie to “teach” her intimate moments, subtly letting Robbie know that she is interested in Robbie. Skylar only having eyes for Robbie, even when Madden was in the room. Skylar ditching her “not date” with Madden to go back to her parents’ house and wait for Robbie. Skylar going to save the kite in the tree from Robbie’s childhood story. All of these parts of the book contributed to the larger plot and purpose of this book: Skylar and Robbie’s happily ever after.

If you told the person I was who just finished The Au Pair Affair that Robbie, one half of the “Orgasm Donors,” was getting his own book, she would’ve laughed in your face. When Tessa first announced this book, I knew I wanted to read it — a baseball/softball and hockey romance? Sign me up. And I did. I liked it — just like with her past books, even books I supposedly didn’t like as much as some of the four and five star books by her, I found this to be enjoyable, hilarious, romantic, and spicy. A classic Tessa Bailey book.

Would I recommend? If you like humor and witty jokes sandwiched in with spicy scenes, then you’ll like this one.

Rating: 3.5/5