About the Book

All I wanted was a baby. No daddy? No problem. That’s what anonymous donors are for …But when the fertility clinic accidentally sends me a letter addressed to a man whose ID matches my paperwork, I discover my child’s father is none other than world-renowned tennis champion Fabian Catalano—famous for his gorgeous face, chiseled abs, and broody, wildcard reputation. Only everything changes when the clinic calls us in for damage control—and Fabian drops the bombshell of the century. Turns out the intense Adonis wants to get to know his daughter. So I invite him to stay with us—temporarily. Ground rules and all. And our arrangement is simple … until it isn’t. Between 2 AM confessionals and stolen kisses, my sweet little simple life has taken a very complicated left turn. But oh, baby … what happens next—is a game changer.

Review

The Match was a solid read. In summary, this is a secret baby trope with a twist. It’s an enjoyable read with some low points. The circumstances of their meeting aren’t ideal for Rossi and Fabian. They must find a way to make it work. Fabian was a bit unlikable in the beginning, but towards the end, he got a little bit better. He’s still had his moments of being a jerk.

Initially, I was afraid that he would only want to be involved because he was attracted to Rossi and not because he wanted to know Lucia. As few as the moments were between him and Lucia, I think he did grow to love his daughter.

That brings us to another point. At times Lucia felt like a prop. The author didn’t lean into that aspect; instead, she felt too focused on writing this romance between Rossi and Fabian. I understand this is a romance novel; however, the story would have packed a bigger punch if the author had brought Lucia more to the front.

Another low is the last thirty percent of the book. So much unneeded drama was tossed in. The whole situation with Fabian’s ex could have been omitted, and the author could have expanded more upon the twist with Fabian’s family. I found that to be the most interesting aspect of the latter half of the book.

Final Thoughts

The Match is entertaining and short enough to finish. Rossi is a much better character than Fabian. Fabian is unlikeable in the beginning and does redeem himself in the middle. Mostly at the end too. I didn’t like how he expected Rossi to uproot her life in Illinois for him because she could work at home.

Also, the story doesn’t dwell on building Fabian’s relationship with Lucia. Tiny moments are sprinkled in that allow readers to see he’s grown to like his daughter; however, it feels like additional strides need to be taken. The end of this book is littered with unnecessary plot points; though it does have an interesting twist that I didn’t see coming.

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