Book: In Her Own League by Liz Tomforde
Reviewed by Michelles_Cosy_Booknook
Rating: 5/5
Well... consider me thoroughly humbled by a sports romance.
In Her Own League is a baseball romance and an interconnected standalone within the Windy City series.
And WAIT! Before you scroll away because you haven't read the rest of the series — neither have I. At no point did I feel as though I was missing important information, characters or plot points, so you can absolutely jump straight in here.
Now for my confession...
Sports romance has never particularly appealed to me. This was my book club's pick, and with my FOMO operating at skyscraper levels, obviously I bought a copy. But if I'm being completely truthful, I started it at the beginning of the month with a definite "let's get this one out of the way" attitude.
The AUDACITY of me.
Because what an absolute disservice I was doing this book.
In Her Own League turned out to be the wake-up call I apparently needed to stop dismissing genres I don't think are "for me."
We follow Reese Remington, the new owner of her grandfather's Major League Baseball team. She's gorgeous, curvy, confident and has a badass attitude I absolutely adored. Reese knows exactly what she brings to the table and refuses to make herself smaller — physically or figuratively — to make anyone else more comfortable.
And she has something to prove.
As the only female owner of an MLB team, Reese is determined to show that she's every bit as capable of taking her team to the top as any man. Unfortunately, one of her first obstacles comes in the form of her arrogant, money-wasting team manager, who she believes has been taking advantage of her grandfather's kindness for far too long.
Enter Emmett Montgomery.
Emmett has plenty to prove himself, not least that he deserves a new contract. But he's equally unimpressed by the team's new "ice princess" owner, who he believes cares more about the bottom line than the people behind it.
Oh, these two.
With the team coming off the back of a terrible season and the pressure mounting from fans, the press and the board, Reese and Emmett are forced to work together — and their interactions are packed with wisecracks, cutting remarks, hilarious clashes and enough simmering tension to make their will-they-won't-they dance absolutely INFURIATING.
And ridiculously addictive.
One of my favourite aspects of this book was Reese herself, particularly her relationship with her body. Seeing a curvy FMC who genuinely likes her body, owns her sexuality and refuses to shrink herself to fit society's idea of what a woman — particularly one in a position of power — "should" look like was bloody refreshing.
But what really got me was the evolution of Reese and Emmett's relationship.
As their initial assumptions about one another begin to fall away, a genuine respect and support develops between them. I particularly loved the way Emmett champions Reese and recognises exactly where she belongs — including helping her quite literally take her rightful place at the head of that boardroom table.
We love a man who isn't threatened by a powerful woman.
What started as a book I intended to "get out of the way" became one I barely put down for more than an hour or two at a time — and only because apparently things like chores and real life insist on interrupting reading.
Rude.
My one tiny niggle? Reese calling Emmett "Em."
I KNOW. It's completely insignificant. But my brain associates "Em" so strongly with names like Emily that every single time she said it, something in my head went, Nope. That's a woman's nickname.
Is that entirely a me problem? Absolutely.
Did it still throw me every time? Also absolutely.
Overall, this was such a fantastic surprise. Funny, sexy, empowering and packed with brilliant banter, chemistry and characters I became completely invested in.
And perhaps most importantly, it reminded me why stepping outside your usual reading comfort zone can be such a good thing.
I went into this convinced sports romance wasn't for me...
...and came out desperate to read the rest of the Windy City series.
Well played.