This book was my first read of Tracy’s but it will not be my last. Baseball and reading have both played a bit part in my life, so finding a book that combines them both was a win/win.

Tracy tackles the question - what do you do if the person you love has a passion you don’t care for? I love how Danae and Griffin try to learn about each other’s passion, but understand that those passions don’t have to be theirs as well.

The relationship between Danae and Jason is so sweet and blooms throughout the book. I applaud Danae’s willingness to upheaval her life to take care of Jason.

I appreciated how Tracy is upfront about trigger warnings at the beginning of the book. While the book is a sweet story, it does tackle some heavy topics at the same time. Be sure to read the author’s note at the end to learn more about Tracy’s process.

This book is more than a sports romance. It is a story of found family as well.

Thanks to @authortracybaack for the advanced reader copy.

4.5*
First book by this author and will definitely be reading more by her.

• Dual POVs
• Baseball player + Elementary school librarian
• Foster/kinship care
• Single mom
• Opposites attract
• Reading Harry Potter
• Great friendships
• Sibling banter

The depth of these characters is incredible. the storyline, the rollercoaster of emotions, the peek into adoption life; all left this book in high regards. I'll definitely be recommending people read this.

Quick takes
-Dual POV
-Low spice
-baseball player and a librarian
-Single parent with foster care
-No third act breakup

This is a very charming story with deep themes (foster care, childhood trauma). If you’re looking for lots of spice though, this isn’t it. This is a very clean romance.

It’s super cute and quick read.

I enjoyed this book a lot! This is a sweet and emotional sports romance with themes of foster care and adoption.

Elementary school librarian Danae has her life turned upside-down when she becomes a kinship foster placement for one of her students with the intention to adopt him. Elementary schooler Jason is a sweet kid who loves sharing facts about anything and everything; what he needs most is a consistent and loving environment, and Danae is prepared to go to great lengths to provide that. When Danae and Jason cross paths with professional baseball player Griffin West at Jason's baseball camp, Griffin and Danae share instant attraction. Danae worries that dating a public figure will add too much complication to her new life with Jason, but Griffin is determined to show that a relationship between him and Danae will work out.

I loved how all the adults in this book were very intentional and mature with their feelings, and how they considered Jason's feelings and wellbeing in every decision. Danae is careful to ensure that Jason knows she loves him and will always prioritize him, and she is an excellent representation of a foster and adoptive parent who puts in the work to be the best she can be for her child. Griffin is always clear and direct with his feelings and intentions towards Danae, which made me absolutely love and root for him!

This book depicts and discusses trauma and difficult home environments for children, as well as the foster care system. All of these topics are handled with care and sensitivity.

Read this book if you like:
- baseball/sports romance
- single mom romance
- emotionally mature communication

Thank you so much to Tracy Baack for the free ebook in exchange for an honest review!

*4.5 stars*

This book was so wholesome and lovely!

The characters and their struggles felt very realistic which made the whole story that much more impactful emotionally. The level of communication and vulnerability between Danae and Griffin made me so happy too. Miscommunication is one of my least favorite things in a book and I feel like it is so commonly used as a plot device, so this was a refreshing change of pace!

And the side characters were all awesome too! I LOVE JASON SO MUCH ❤️ He loves Legos, baseball, and reading?? And Harry Potter? ME TOO. The way that he interacted with Sam and Griffin throughout was so cute and I need more!

I know I am rambling on, but I am absolutely obsessed with the bonus epilogue too!!! That is all I will say to keep this spoiler free, but it was the sweetest most adorable thing ever!

The only slight issue I had was that sometimes the baseball “lingo” as they called it felt off or forced even if technically the correct terms were used. I played softball for many years, so the phrasing just stuck out to me a little more than it would to most readers. It happens all the time in other sports romances I have read so I am sort of used to it at this point.

Overall though, this was a super quick and wonderful read! I will definitely be going back and checking out all of Tracy’s other books!

**Final Note: Please make sure to read the author’s note at the beginning for some content considerations surrounding foster care and childhood trauma**

This was such a charming, emotional, beautiful story.

Danae Collins is a school librarian in the process of adopting one of her students out of foster care. Becoming a single parent to a child with trauma turns out to be the most challenging thing she’s ever done (unsurprisingly). But between her to-do lists and anxiously chipped nail polish, Danae can’t help but fear her love won’t be enough to help her little guy thrive. Until baseball camp.

Danae loathes baseball, so she doesn’t realize the man running the camp is the local sports team hero- and her sons idol. But although Danae loathes the game, she can’t help but be drawn to the man who plays it. And as she gets to know Griffin, she finds herself wanting to slide into the safety of his arms.

What to expect:
-Dual POV
-Closed door, clean romance
-Baseball player x librarian
-Single parent with foster care
-No third act breakup

This book was so dang wholesome. My favorite thing was the wonderful communication between our MCs. It was honestly a great example of the type of honesty and openness everyone should strive for in a relationship.

The topics the book addressed could get heavy at times, but they were all handled so well that I found myself tearing up at the care. But definitely check your TWs before diving in.

The only reason this book doesn’t get a 5 stars for me is for some of the pacing and flow in the story. At times the writing felt a little clinical? I don’t know how else I’d describe it. It wasn’t bad, but it made it harder to get lost in the story. Maybe the best way to describe it was that the characters all conversed with each other in a way that didn’t feel real. At least not any way I’ve ever talked with people. Anyways.

I can’t wait to read more from this author. And I can’t thank her enough for the ARC of her book. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own and honest.

Happy reading!

Tracy Baack did it again - she once again wrote a Romance I couldn’t help but devour within an absurdly short amount of hours

We meet Danae, who is a school librarian, new foster mom and absolutely not a baseball fan. But then she runs into Griffin, who is perfect - except for him being a professional baseball player. And if you think this might be a slight problem, you don’t even know the half of it…

I loved the two main characters. Danae was so mature, caring, smart and an overthinker in all the good and bad ways. Griffin is so loving, determined and has the softest heart you can imagine.
The way the two of them communicate and try to work through things was so inspiring.

There were two main themes:
How vastly different the supposedly defining interests of our two mcs are and fostering/adopting a kid that had gone through a lot of challenging things.
Both themes are explored throughly, discussed, worked through, sometimes joked about. I as a reader feel like I really learned a few things and I appreciate that ♥️

If you like a romance with not a ton of fabricated drama, but between two adults who are different and have struggles in life, but try to work through it together, this is it!

Will from now on always recommend this 😍

PS: I am truly not a baseball fan. But the author managed to write about it in a way that I understood what was happening and didn’t feel bored, even when she described a baseball game ⚾️

Instagram review publication: June 18th

This was sweet and clean; I adore the MMC Griffin (reminded me of my husband) and award 10 points to Gryffindor for the high level of communication that takes place between the two adult leads as they navigate their differences and needs. It's just my bad timing to read this cute romance, featuring a lot of therapy, on the heels of a nonfiction book about the shortcomings of therapy. I ultimately wanted more for the characters than an assumption that they could never be fully healed from their trauma, but at least would have coping mechanisms to help them throughout their life.

My Quick Takes:
- 5/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Language 🤐 none
- Spice ❤️‍🔥 kisses only
- Content 🤔 childhood trauma, foster care/adoption, single parent, toxic family relationship

Tracy Baack hits the ball out of the park (pun intended) with this sweet baseball romance!! She continues time and time again to write real and relatable characters.

Second guessing if you’re doing everything right or wrong in parenting was very relatable for me, even if I can’t relate on the adoption/single parenting front. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Danae and Griffin, but even more so Jason and Sam. I loved the character dynamics, especially of the side characters, they really brought another level to the plot.

Not a fan of baseball? Neither is the female main character, allowing readers with any stance on baseball to enjoy the read. I’m personally not a big baseball fan myself but that didn’t keep me from loving the plot, storylines, and characters!

Beautiful sports romance but this one is a bit more serious than the typical spicy sports romance books and I loved that. I loved the awareness of the foster care system and the compassion showed by our main characters. It brought a tear to my eye and I highly enjoyed and recommend this one.

If there's one thing that I can count on when reading a book by Tracy Baack it's that I'm going to cry at some point! Her books all have a dose of reality in them, and sometimes (frequently) that reality hits me hard.

Home Safe is no different, and seeing the trauma, and the healing that slowly follows is so emotional. Jason is the sweetest kid who has gone through so much and Danae is there to help as much as she can, which of course, leads to meeting Griffin - star baseball player. I loved how this is a book where the two main characters are so opposite of each other, but they don't shy away from communicating with each other and managing their differences.

I loved every second of reading this book, and didn't want to be finished when I reached the end. I can't wait to see what Tracy comes up with next, and I'll be one of the first in line for it!