Hello! I’m back with another book review and this time it’s a contemporary sports romance. Caught Up by Liz Tomforde is book three in the Windy City series. I have read books one (Mile High) and two (The Right Move) in this series and I do hope to be able to backdate some of my book reviews in the future but for now as a quick update, I rated Mile High 3 stars and The Right move 4 stars (find mini reviews over on Goodreads).
What is the plot of Caught Up by Liz Tomforde?
Our MMC Kai Rhodes is a baseball player and has recently found out he is a father to Max. Max’s mother turned up on his doorstep when Max was 6 months old to not only let him know that he was a father but to also let him know that she had no interest in being a mother. So now Kai is a single dad trying to juggle a sports career and being a parent at the same time. He is also very protective of his son and has been going through nannies like nobody’s business. Firing them for any and all reasons! His coach, Monty, is sick of this and tells him that it has to stop, he can’t carry on playing baseball without steady childcare but not to worry because he has a plan. Enter Miller, our FMC who is Monty’s daughter. She’s recently quit a job that she’s struggling with for various reasons and Monty comes up with the idea of her being Max’s nanny. It’s a win win for him as it gives his player has steady childcare and he gets to spend more time with his daughter who is usually always on the road.
What are the main tropes in Caught Up by Liz Tomforde?
Of course the main trope of Caught Up by Liz Tomforde is the Single Daddy/Nanny aspect. I would usually say that this isn’t a favourite trope of mine but the last couple I’ve read I’ve really enjoyed. I think it’s important for me that they end up being the nanny by unusual means. In Caught Up Miller is extremely successful in her career. She is a dessert chef who travels around the country setting up dessert menus for restaurant owners. She’s just won an award and is booked up 3 years in advance. I would like to point out that this isn’t because I don’t respect nannying as a profession! I just don’t like the employer/employee dynamic and if being a nanny is not their main job it dilutes that specific trope for me.
Other tropes included in the book are forced proximity. As a baseball player Kai has to travel a lot and as his Nanny, Miller also has to travel and they have adjoining rooms for Max’s benefit. Without going into too much detail this does give us an opportunity for the one bed trope at one point and this is a favourite micro-trope of mine! Our characters are also very much opposites attract. Kai has become much more reserved since becoming a dad, he’s can’t let loose as much when he feels so much responsibility for his son and it’s made him a little grumpy. The juxtaposition between the new Kai and the random outbursts of the old Kai are one of my favourite things in the book. Then we have Miller who is a free spirit, travels the country and never settles down with anyone, friend or partner. And then finally we have the found family that has slowly built up throughout the series. I love a found family trope and in this we have all of the characters we’ve met in previous books being a support system for Kai and then Miller too.
So do I recommend this book?
Absolutely yes! With each book in this series it just seems to be getting better and better. I’ve given this 5 stars because I just don’t think a contemporary romance can get better than this. I love both the MMC and FMC, to be honest I think I fell in love with Miller a little bit more than Kai! But I also love how we still get to see the characters who were the main characters in the previous books and that we also get to know characters who are going to be the stars of the show further on in the series too. The tension in this was so good and the banter had me kicking my feet! Miller has a filthy mouth on her and Kai gives as good as he gets. I also don’t think there was a spice scene I didn’t enjoy. I very much dislike spice for the sake of spice in a book. I need it to be part of the build up of the story and the tension and I very often skip through spicy scenes that come after they’ve fallen in love because once that’s happened I’m just not interested any more 😂 but I didn’t feel like any of the spice was unnecessary in this book. Even once they had fallen in love it was still relevant. And then finally if you love a man that yearns you won’t be disappointed with Kai Rhodes. The way he yearns for Miller and the way he declares how he feels….perfection!
So have I convinced you to add Caught Up by Liz Tomforde to your TBR? Purchase it on Amazon here. Don’t forget this is book three in a series so be sure to read Mile High and The Right Move first!
If you’re looking for other book reviews you could read my Daggermouth book review. Why not make these Chocolate Marshmallow Crispy Squares to enjoy on your next reading session.
Lianne x
