First off, thank you so much for granting me an ARC of this book! This story was a very good closed door romance. I loved the man Griffin is. I enjoyed the inside look into Danae adopting Jason and the trials and tribulations they had to go through as Jason adjusted to being with Danae. I did find Danae a little annoying later on but I instood it why though. I plan to read more of Tracy Bacck's books ♡!

Home Safe was such a sweet, cozy hug of a romance. If you’re looking for something that’s full of heart, slow-burn chemistry, and just the right amount of swoon without the spice, this one’s for you. 💛

Danae and Griffin are total opposites — she’s steady and grounded, and he’s famous and under pressure — but the connection between them felt so real and genuine. I loved how thoughtful their relationship was, and how much depth there was beneath the surface. Add in an adorable kid, a baseball camp, and some emotional healing? Perfection.

This one leans soft and meaningful, with a romance that builds through small moments, sweet glances, and the kind of safety that feels like home.

If you love:
✔️ Closed-door romance with alllll the feels
✔️ Opposites attract (and actually work)
✔️ Single parent/guardian storylines
✔️ Sports romances with emotional depth

…then Home Safe will totally win you over. ⚾📚💕

He is a pro-baseball player who doesn’t like to read. She is a librarian who hates baseball. Let the sparks fly!

⚾️ Home Safe ⚾️ by Tracy Baack

Expect:
💖 Opposites attract
💖 MMC- plays pro-baseball, doesn’t like reading
💖 FMC - school librarian, hates baseball
💖 No 3rd act break-up! 👏
💖 The best side characters ever 🥰
💖 Happy ending

💋 Kisses only
🚫 No profanity
📚content: Childhood trauma, sports injury

Looking for the biggest green flag MMC of all time?
Meet Griffin. His family calls him as a “human can opener”, because he is so genuinely interested in others and such a safe person emotionally - that people open up to him. 😍

I really connected with Danae, the FMC, is a school librarian who cares deeply about doing the right thing. She has a big dose of anxiety, an even bigger passion for books, and the biggest heart full of love. The more I got to know her character, the more I deeply respected her. ❤️

I LOVED how Griffin pursued and wooed Danae. He actively worked to build a healthy relationship with her. It was seriously the sweetest. 🥰

💖If you love clean, swoony romance- this book is for you.

⚾️Even you completely hate baseball, this book is for you too.

PERSONAL NOTE:
What initially drew me to this book is that Danae is adopting a boy from foster care. I’m a researcher at a non-profit focused on helping children in foster care. BUT I’m also a mom who adopted a child whose brain has been altered by trauma. And I’m a human who is still healing from childhood trauma herself.

@authortracybaack ‘s accuracy about trauma & the brain was spot-on. AND she addressed it in the most sensitive and compassionate way. 💕The way the science is naturally woven into a compelling and unforgettable story just makes it more meaningful and understandable.

Honestly, I wish I could give this book to every adult who cares for a child who has experienced trauma. (Which if you work with kids at all, statistically you are working with at least one kid who has experienced trauma).

Warning: This book may change your life. 🥰

I enjoyed this! I’m a pretty prolific romance book reader and I know how well-done a closed-door romance can be. As a baseball fan (from around the same area as the setting of this book), I didn’t feel overly catered to nor did I feel that the author didn’t know much about baseball. The characters were written well overall, and it was easy to connect with the plot. I cannot speak to the realities of fostering/adopting a child, so I’ll leave that to other readers, but I did appreciate the author giving the trauma that does come with adoption (for all involved) light. I gave this three stars mostly because I felt like Danae’s main problem with Griffin’s occupation was drawn out too long and honestly a bit unfair, but that really could just be the baseball fan in me!

Absolutely Beautiful!

Honestly anything Tracy writes is amazing! I loved everything about this. It made me laugh, cry and swoon. It is not just a meet cute and fall in love story it has depth and tough topics to navigate but she does it beautifully!

Plus no spice, no cussing ! Perfection!

I loved everything about how this book focused on home, creating a home, making a home feel like home, and who is home to you.

I loved that Danae was so willing to take on fostering and adopting a boy she was able to teach and connect with. I loved hearing Jason call her mom and what that must have felt like. This experience is full of so much more love and patience.

I love how Griffin weaves his way into both of their hearts. How he feels like his upbringing helped prepare him to meet them. I love how sweet and understanding he is with Danae. And how he wants to be there to create new experiences and memories with Jason.

This book was truly about created a forever home, and making it home safe. The quote that stood out to me was, “One hundred percent, forever.”

There were the getting to know you texts. And her anxiety, that he helped to pull her from her thoughts. The little gestures. It was all just beautiful.

Thank you for creating something with such heart.

This was a sweet and heartfelt book following the story of a young woman who becomes an adoptive parent and falls in love with a local baseball star. I’m not a massive sports romance fan, but I still found this enjoyable with the baseball parts easy enough to follow.

I liked the protagonist Danae for her strength and resilience despite her constant doubts about her capabilities. I definitely found this character as something myself and many others aspire to. While Griffin, the MMC, wasn’t really my type, I still found myself rooting for his relationship with Danae. I appreciated how the ups and downs of the character’s lives and romantic relationship felt realistic and genuine rather than sugarcoated.

I would definitely recommend this to fans of sports romance with the following elements:
- Sweet & clean content
- Realistic relationships

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book!

Thank you to Victory Editing Netgalley Co-op, Author, & NetGalley for the e-arc.

I really like this book, which was my first Tracy Baack book. The book's inability to sugarcoat the emotional realities of foster care was what truly caught my attention. the portrayal of secondhand trauma, the value of therapy for foster families and the kids under their supervision, and the sense of hope that results from recovery. It was a beautifully crafted romance. Being a bookworm who prefers a quiet, predictable existence, I could really relate to Danae. I'm looking forward to reading more from this author.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | Sweet enough to give me a cavity—proceed with caution (and maybe a glass of water)

I'd like to start with a big thank you to Victory Editing Netgalley Co-op for the ARC of "Home Safe" in exchange for honest review.

Okay, "Home Safe" by Tracy Baack is like the literary equivalent of a warm hugand I say that as someone who had just crawled out of a dark romance series where everyone had at least one emotional support knife. So diving into this soft, closed-door, emotionally intelligent baseball romance was…a bit of a whiplash.

Danae, our anxious, overthinking librarian-turned-foster-mom, is the kind of FMC you root for even when you want to shake her a little. She’s relatable, yes. Sweet, yes. But sometimes, I needed her to take a breath and maybe stop spiraling for two seconds. Griffin, on the other hand, is a golden retriever disguised as a baseball player wholesome, grounded, and honestly too real-world for my usual tastes. But I can’t lie his heart? 10/10.

The romance is soft. Like marshmallow fluff soft. I kicked my feet a few times, sure, but I also had moments where I rolled my eyes and had to pace because this much wholesomeness after back-to-back morally gray love interests? Whew.

Still, there’s no denying that this book has heart. The foster/adoption storyline was handled with care, and the way Danae and Griffin showed up for each other even while not sharing the same passions (books vs. baseball) was genuinely touching. No fake drama, no miscommunication trope, just two adults trying their best.

Final thoughts:

Cute? Overwhelmingly.
Real? Very.
Will I recommend it? Definitely, especially if you need a break from brooding billionaires and dangerous ex-assassins.

Quick Stats:
🤐 Language: None
❤️‍🔥 Spice: Just kisses
🤯 Content: Adoption, childhood trauma, anxiety, toxic family
⚖️ Vibe: Clean, emotional, character-driven

A solid 4 stars from me sweet, sincere, and maybe just a little too sugary for my current taste buds. But honestly? I’m still glad I read it.

This was a delightful read from start to finish! The plot was well-paced and the characters were charming and witty. This is definitely one I'll read again! Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of the book.

This was my first Tracy Baack book, and I truly adored it. It was so refreshing to read a contemporary romance with characters that felt genuinely real—and best of all, absolutely zero spice. Sometimes, a soft, grounded love story is exactly what the heart needs.

I instantly connected with Danae. She felt like someone I could actually be friends with—authentic, flawed, and full of heart. Seeing the behind-the-scenes of what foster parents go through and the emotional and legal process leading up to adoption was incredibly insightful. It gave me a deeper appreciation for those who open their homes—and hearts—to children in need. Foster care and adoption are not small undertakings, and this story honored that truth so well.

This was also my first baseball romance, and I have to say—I’m a fan! While Danae and Tracy might not share my love of the game, I couldn’t get enough. Griff was absolutely swoon-worthy. His support for Danae, his love for Jason, their effortless chemistry—it was a 10/10. Their story felt like a home run in every way.

What really stood out was how the book didn’t shy away from the emotional reality of foster care. The depiction of secondhand trauma, the importance of therapy for both foster families and the children in their care, and the hope that comes from healing—it was all so thoughtfully done.

I have close family members who walk this path every day, and this book made me even more grateful for their hearts and their faith. The message of making your home a safe place—physically, emotionally, and spiritually—was a beautiful, quiet thread woven throughout this story.

Tropes:
• Single foster mom
• Sports romance (baseball!)
• Found family
• Opposites Attract
• Slow burn, closed-door romance

Spice Rating:
🌶️ None – completely clean, sweet, and heartfelt

Content Warnings:
• Foster care/adoption trauma
• Secondhand trauma/PTSD
• References to past child neglect/abuse (non-graphic)
• Emotional healing through therapy

If you’re looking for a clean contemporary romance with substance, Home Safe is such a rewarding, emotional read. I’ll absolutely be picking up more from Tracy Baack!

“How did I get here? So completely gone for a woman I’ve known less than three months? I’m not sure how it happened, but I’m definitely gone. And I don’t want to be found.” 🩷💙📚⚾️🏡🪄

Thank you NetGalley for the approval! This was my third book by Tracy Baack, and they seriously just keep on getting better 😭😭 Thank you so much Tracy for this ARC, and for writing yet another delightful, meaningful story 🩷

First off, the COMMUNICATION in this book. 😍 Phenomenal. Danae struggles with intense anxiety, and Griffin quickly catches on and adjusts his texting habits—the “nothings wrong…” would solve soooo many miscommunication/anxiety moments in this world if more people used it. 🤣 His “human can opener” personality complements Danae so well, as he is not only a good communicator, but an amazing listener.

I was only a couple chapters into this book when I realized JUST how perfect the title is 🥹 Jason, Danae’s soon-to-be adoptive son, has experienced deep emotional trauma, and we see some of his triggers and reactions to those difficult feelings. But regardless of how he “acts out,” Danae is quick to remind him that she is with him forever, and that HE is her first priority. And while love can’t heal trauma, Danae does all she can to give him the safe home he so desperately needs. 🏡

AND THEN. Tracy takes it a step farther and we see how Danae and Griffin are each others’ safe places 😭😭 The romance is just utterly tender and emotional, but equally flirtatious and hilarious. Even if the two hate each others’ favorite hobbies 🤣 I appreciated that the book ended without either one “converting” to the others’ interests. She still finds baseball incredibly boring. He’d rather listen to sports podcasts than a Harry Potter audiobook. And yet they’re still stupidly in love with each other 😂😍

Cannot wait for whatever comes next, Tracy!! 😘

I unfortunately had to DNF this book at 23% due to how ‘proper’ the characters spoke. This is a very minor thing but it just didn’t feel personal. I felt the attraction was too fast paced and the MFC was just very boring.

“Liquefying into his embrace, I feel all of my hesitations melt away. He’s safe. I’m safe. We’re safe. We can be safe.”

5/5 stars, this was one of my first sports romance and the first book I’ve read from this author and I was blown away. The depth of relationships in this book made it so easy to care for and love the characters. Reading how Danae becomes a mother, and falls in love with Griffin had me completely hooked and I didn’t want it to stop. I found Danae’s character extremely relatable (even about not liking baseball) and she was just so easy to root for! I also really enjoyed that this was a closed door romance, it definitely still made me blush at times!

Thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing for providing me with this ARC!

I've been so excited for this book and oh my goodness it was amazing. I now NEED to read Tracy’s backlist 📚

Danae. Her character was perfection ♥️ like truly. The love she had overflowed to everyone 💗 the way anxiety was represented through her was beautiful 💙 and the raw feeling she experienced through the adoption process 🤍 as well as learning to ❤️ was amazing

Griffin. Struggling to see himself past his baseball career ⚾️ Griffin falls hard and fast for a woman who could care less about his job, and sees him straight to his core. This man 👏🏻 PURSUES 👏🏻 talk about a man on a mission. And the connection he had with Jason was everything 🥹

Jason, AKA fireball 🔥 He absolutely gets his own section 🧡 I loved how prominent Jason was. He was such a joy to read about and had me laughing 🤣 one moment and then crying the next 😭 This little boy stole my heart ❤️ as well as his mom and Griffins.

This book has so many feelings and it was amazing 🥹 The romance was beautifully written 💘 and I loved how it focused more on them learning how to mesh their lives rather than avoiding their feelings 💕 Seriously such an amazing book 📕 and the Harry Potter references ⚯͛ so good⚡️

⚠️ CW: adoption plays a major role in this book and there are on page trauma responses, anxiety, depression. The beginning of the book has great CW ⚠️

Home Safe by Tracy Baack is an opposites attract, sweet and swoony baseball romance. Danae is an elementary school librarian who is in the process of fostering one of her students with plans for permanent adoption. Griffen is the star player for the Kansas City baseball team, attempting to make a comeback after a season-ending injury. This book was absolutely sweet and thoughtful with amazing chemistry between characters. I loved how real the characters were and the author was not afraid to tackle difficult topics, such as navigation of the foster system, death of a parent, and trauma responses/triggers. While these were challenging topics, the author handled them with care and sensitivity.

Thank you to NetGalley, Victory Editing, and the author for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

ARC Review!

This was an incredibly sweet read! Tracy Baack continually amazes me how she paints realistic characters and addresses heavy topics in a holistic way. As someone who has seen adoption up close, I can relate to so many of the joys and challenges this book talks about.

If you're looking for a sweet summer (or anytime) read, I highly recommend Home Safe. If you're not a baseball fan, this book might just convince you to give it another shot :)

Thank you NetGalley and Tracy for this book in exchange for an honest review!

Content Warnings: kisses only, foster care/adoption conversations, discussion of child abuse/neglect

ARC REVIEW:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Home Safe by Tracy Baack is a contemporary romance centered around the world of professional baseball. This novel is filled with tried and true tropes (single parent/ opposites attract) that have proven popular with the masses as well as some less utilized (foster care representation/ guardianship) in the writing community.

I was shocked to discover that Home Safe is only the fourth title on Baack’s resume. While she has written a previous sports romance (Love and Other Goals), this book posed a unique problem; she strongly dislikes the game of baseball. Despite her knowing relatively nothing about the game, Baack managed to educated me on basic rules, key terminology, and fun facts regarding the sport.

Although baseball plays a large role, the heart of the story is rooted in family. Unfortunately, being born into a stable home is a luxury not afforded to everyone. For those who have faced abandonment or displacement, they must seek family via other avenues. Most commonly in the friendships they form (adults) and outside sources such as foster homes, adoption, etc. (minors).

Witnessing Danae (FMC), Jason, and Griffin (MMC) go from acquaintances to a fully functioning family is guaranteed to soften even the hardest of hearts. Their journey was full of high highs and low lows. Not only did it provided an honest look into how trauma rears its ugly head; it offered healthy coping skills for leading a fulfilling life.

I cannot praise Tracy Baack enough. She has proven herself to be a gifted storyteller, penning a remarkable love story. Her talent shines through for many reasons, but the largest one being the subject matter.

Special thanks to Netgalley and Tracy Baack for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

* I hope my time with the Kansas City Crowns isn’t over. I am keeping my fingers crossed that this book spurs an entire series featuring some of the side characters we met in this book.

✨ARC Book Review✨

Book: Home Safe
Author: Tracy Baack
Pub: Indie Published
Genre: Clean & Wholesome Sports Romance

Wow. What an incredible story of love, trust, starting over, getting through the good and the bad, loving each other even through differences. I could go on and on about this book. Tracy really knows how to write depth and rattle characters. This book is heavy and light all at the same time. This one is going to love in my head for a while. So much to think on: foster care, trauma, adoption, communication, and yes even baseball. (Which I’m on Danae’s side, book lover not baseball lover 😆) But even not being a baseball fan, I loved the baseball parts of this book.

I learned so much about how to respond and talk to kids, how to be a better listener to other people, even adults, and to be more interested in them and not myself. I need to be a better “human can opener” like Griffin. Griffin is so sweet. He listens, apologizes, and is super thoughtful and observant. I also really appreciated the italic font for when the character was having inner dialogue with themselves. And the OpenDyslexic font for the chapter titles was perfection in the details. **Highly recommend this book! Especially for anyone who has been in the foster care / adoption scene.

❓𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞-𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐬𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞, 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐢𝐭 𝐛𝐞❓

FMC: Danae - elementary school librarian
MMC: Griffin - pro baseball player

What you’ll find:
⚾️ Dual POV
⚾️ Opposites attract
⚾️ Green flag MMC 💚
⚾️ He falls first
⚾️ Celebrity
⚾️ School librarian 📚
⚾️ Pro baseball player / She hates baseball
⚾️ She loves reading / he hates reading
⚾️ Single Foster mom / Adoption
⚾️ Pros & Cons lists
⚾️ Sledding, snowmen, baking cookies
⚾️ Dyslexia rep
⚾️ Therapy
⚾️ Conversation skills - “Human Can Opener”
⚾️ Question a day❔

INFO:
📚: Standalone Novel
📖: 347 pages

CONTENT:
🌶️: sweet kisses only (and lots of it 😆 but in a sweet way). They accidentally fall asleep on the couch together cuddling but nothing happens. Very wholesome
🤬: None
⚠️: death of a parent (past), parent in prison, foster care, emotions of a foster child, childhood trauma (past), therapy, strained parental relations

"𝘐 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬. 𝘖𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯."

𝘋𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘰…
1. 𝘚𝘈𝘝𝘌 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳
2. 𝘍𝘖𝘓𝘓𝘖𝘞 𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘴

The first word that comes to mind to describe this book is “sweet.” Some might see this closed-door romance as sickeningly sweet—and they might be right. But if the story makes me smile and giggle like a silly schoolgirl the entire time I picked up my iPad to read it, then I want more sickeningly sweet romances please. 🙏🏼

Danae and Griffin couldn’t be more different from one another yet they were so freaking cute together! I related to Danae a lot since she likes to live a quiet, predicable life with her books. Griffin was such a sweet, understanding, and caring guy, who sees people not as strangers but as friends he hasn’t gotten to know yet. And although I was frustrated at times with Danae (maybe because I’m so much like her 😂), both characters grew as individuals and as a couple, which was so nice to read. Add Jason to the picture and, holy cow, they’re one cute family. ❤️

The plot was predictable, but most romances are. The journey to the happily ever after isn’t always so predictable, however. Were there curveballs that kept me on my toes? No, not really. But it was fun, nonetheless, especially the whole baseball theme. I wasn’t a fan of baseball until a few years ago when the Dodgers made it to the World Series and won. My little brother and I were hitting baseballs into our neighbor's yard for a good while during that time. 😂 But gosh, that is a favorite memory of mine. ☺️❤️ I wish I could turn back the time.

Anyway, the highs and lows of this story made the ending so worth it. It’s such a cute book and I highly recommend it if you are into closed-door sports romances, opposites attract, and no cussing stories. I assure you, you won’t regret it. 💞