Crew
Baseball has always been the easy part for me.
Life? Not so much. Between playing center field for the Atlanta Strikers, running a restaurant, raising my fiercely imaginative daughter, and a recent injury, I’m barely keeping it together. The last thing I need is another obstacle especially one that looks like my daughter’s pediatrician.
Dr. Juniper Wilde. My friends love her. My daughter lights up for her. And me? I think I loved her from the start. So, I keep her at a distance. Keep things safe. Keep her firmly in the friend zone. Because the last thing Juniper needs is the chaos that comes with me.
Now she’s dating other men, building a life that doesn’t include me, and I’m stuck on the sidelines, watching her slip away. The worst part is, she has no idea she’s always been mine.
Juniper
Atlanta was supposed to be my fresh start—new job, new life, and no complications. Then a fiery six-year-old and her ridiculously handsome father walk into my office and turn everything upside down.
Crew Briggs is charming, guarded, and completely off-limits. But somewhere between check-ups and lingering looks, I start wanting more than a friendship.
The problem? Crew already has too much on his plate. So, I do the sensible thing. I take a step back and remind myself of my end goal and decide to date other men. Because I want my own love story. Too bad the only man I want is the one who refuses to admit he wants me too.
(ARC Read)
Draft Pick snuck up on me in ways I wasn’t expecting. I knew I was going to find a fun baseball romance with gorgeous men, but what I got was something so much more emotional, tender, and honestly? One of the sweetest portrayals of parenthood I’ve read in a long time.
“I’m weak for you, Junie.”
Crew Briggs absolutely wrecked me. This man is exhausted, overwhelmed, juggling baseball, a business, and raising his daughter, but every single thing he does comes back to Addie. The devotion he has to that little girl was everything. Before baseball, before sleep, before himself… Addie always came first. And Addie? She completely stole the show. She was funny, thoughtful, imaginative, and brought so much heart to this story. Watching Crew fight so hard to make sure she felt supported and understood after her ADHD diagnosis made me love him even more.
And then there’s Dr. Juniper Wilde. Listen… I got the hype. Pediatrician by day in colorful playful scrubs, emo black-clad goddess by night? I was obsessed with her immediately. Juniper was sunshine wrapped in tattoos, glasses, and black cat energy, and I loved how genuinely kind and patient she was with Addie from the very beginning. There was never any hesitation from her when it came to loving that little girl exactly as she was. The relationship between Juniper and Addie felt so pure and natural, and honestly, some of my favorite moments in the book were just the two of them together.
The slow burn in this book? Agonizing in the absolute best way. Indy Valentine dragged that tension out until I thought I might actually combust, but it worked so perfectly for Crew and Juniper’s story. Their relationship was built on friendship first—on trust, vulnerability, understanding, and two lonely people slowly becoming each other’s safe place. Every lingering glance, every moment of restraint, every “we shouldn’t” made the chemistry even more intense.
There’s pain in wanting someone you can never have so badly. And then I’m learning quickly that when you finally have them, nothing will ever compare to that feeling.
Their banter was EVERYTHING too. The way Juniper constantly calls him “suburban daddy” and this giant baseball player gets all blushy and flustered over it? PLEASE. He acts like he hates it, but you can tell he secretly loves every second of her attention, and it made their chemistry feel even more natural and playful.
“Alright, Suburban Daddy. Get over here so I can show you how a Wilde woman makes pancakes.” Wilde woman or wild woman? I think I’ll take the second option, please and thank you.
And when the spice finally hits? OH. MY. GOD. Crew Briggs being completely gone for Juniper was the hottest thing imaginable. This man was down horrendous and didn’t even try to hide it. The way he handed over control so willingly, followed her lead without hesitation, and literally crawled for her? Yeah. I needed to be fanned. The contrast between their professional restraint in public and the absolute desperation between them in private made every scene feel even more charged.
“Get on your knees and crawl to me, Crew. And don’t stop until you’re inches away from my cunt. No touching or tasting until I say so.”
What I loved most, though, was how grounded this story felt underneath all the tension and spice. This wasn’t just about romance. It was about loneliness, timing, healing, parenthood, and learning that maybe there’s still room for love even when life already feels completely full. Watching Juniper slowly find a place where she belonged after such a difficult upbringing hit me hard, and seeing Crew realize he deserved happiness too was equally emotional.
She’s the one I chose. There was never an ultimatum of having her or nothing. Not when she’s my draft pick.
And that ending? INDY. Girl. Emotional damage.
This book was heartfelt, sexy, funny, comforting, and full of so much love. Between the found family vibes, the emotional depth, the baseball atmosphere, the tension-filled friendship, and suburban daddy Crew Briggs completely folding for the woman he loves? I ate up every single page.
Release Date: May 21st, 2026
Thank you to Indy Valentine for the ARC Read!