Review: The Thirteenth Chance by Amy Matayo

I finally found one I can get behind. This book falls into the clean and wholesome category but doesn't feel cheesy. Also, it's free right now if you're an Amazon Prime Member. (But if you have KU, you should read it there. Authors don't make a ton of money for being included in the Prime Reading program. But she'll still get paid for KU pages.) I enjoyed the book enough that I stayed up all night finishing it. GET IT HERE

Summary: Baseball star Will Vandergriff knows any number of women who would happily pretend to be his girlfriend. In a last-ditch effort to restore his good standing with his team’s higher-ups, he enlists the help of his neurotic, goody-goody neighbor. Schoolteacher Olivia Pratt might be a bit quirky and a bit of a loner, but she’s a lot more inviting than she knows. Will hopes that bringing her to his next game might revamp his reckless reputation and help get his career back on track. The only problem? The plan works a little too well. Not only do the higher-ups love Olivia, but Will plays his best game yet. Suddenly his losing streak is a thing of the past, and Olivia is his new good-luck charm. Will feels anything but lucky.

After years of keeping the world at bay, Olivia Pratt is pulling off the ultimate performance—not only reluctantly posing as Will’s girlfriend but also insisting that she’s oblivious to his major-league appeal. But she can only lie to herself for so long. Being by Will’s side feels good. Really good. Maybe it’s finally time to make a pitch for everything she really wants—and to find out just how exhilarating love can be.

What I Liked: I liked the heroine. I can't always say that. The guy was pretty great too, but I loved that the female lead was super quirky. Almost to the point that in the first chapter I worried I wouldn't like the book. She's literally the crazy cat lady. But she chills out after a few chapters. The male lead is a professional baseball player, but he's not a jerk. A reforming party boy for sure, but believably sweet. I like that the author didn't get detailed about his bad boy ways. It made him feel like a nice guy but not too nice. Olivia and Will are next door neighbors so it makes the frequent interaction plausible without having to make them roommates. The conflict wasn't over angsty, so props for that. And while baseball was a heavy theme, it didn't feel like a sports book. There weren't any play-by-plays, no overemphasis on the game. It was all about the romance. If you like a sweet romance that isn't corny, this is a good pick.

Appropriate For: Anyone. Kissing only, and it's not even steamy. If there were swears, I don't remember. Maybe two or three and nothing explicit.