This is my first book by Tessa Bailey and now I’m wondering what took me so long! It’s a very fun lighthearted marriage of convenience story with excellent spice. The timeline went back and forth enough that I was ready for it to stay in the present but, overall, I enjoyed the romance and camaraderie between friends.

Eve and Madden met when they were in high school. Eve was a freshman and Madden a junior. Madden was attracted to Eve but felt she was too young and was waiting until she was older to make his move. Eve tried not to fall for him because her best friend, Skylar, was into him, but Madden only had eyes for Eve. When he found out she was being bullied in high school because her father ran a strip club, Madden became her protector. Madden was an athlete at school, then was diagnosed with kidney disease and ended up getting a kidney transplant. Eve helped look out for him (he lived with his aunt) but they were strictly in the friend zone.

Seven years later, Madden is a catcher for the Yankees and Eve has taken over her father’s club and turned it into a burlesque club. The townspeople haven’t warmed up to it and the business is struggling. Then her sister asks her to care for her young niece and nephew while she goes to rehab. When the children get sick, Eve is struggling financially and Madden comes to the rescue and asks Eve to marry him. If they are married, he can provide health insurance for all of them. Eve’s friend, Skylar is now with Robbie (Pitcher Perfect) and so Eve feels like she can be with Madden without hurting Skylar’s feelings. Eve wants to keep their marriage a temporary secret because she doesn’t want her reputation to hurt Madden’s career (because she owns the burlesque club). They’ve wanted each other forever and finally they can be together and it gets steamy!

Madden is the best. He is from Ireland and has an accent and he will do anything for Eve and wants to convince her that they are meant for each other forever. I enjoyed the humor and the camaraderie between all of their friends, especially Elton (Skylar’s brother) and Veda (Eve’s snarky friend), who I hope will star in the next book.

The story bounces around between high school, college and the present and it felt a little clumsy as it switched around. I liked the present time best, especially when it focused on Madden and Eve. I also would have liked to see more baseball.

This is the fifth book in the Big Shots series and I thought it stood well alone. The modern marriage of convenience trope was a delight after the slow burn yearning. Their friend group is lively and I look forward to reading more about this crowd in the future.