Caught Up (Windy City)

“Be my problem.” Swallowing, she tilts her head, testing me. “Then do something to make me your problem.”

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️.5/5 (at least for me, and i loved every single minute of it)

GEEZ. What can I say about this book? It has me laughing, swooning, falling in love, and freaking crying. This must be my favorite one in the series (at least so far).

Miller – My kind of woman. Spunky, wild, free, and has the biggest soft spot for max (the baby). Tattooed and overall wearing free spirit, she has become my one of my favorite characters in the Windy Cindy Series. I love how she’s quick on her toes and a little dirty minded. Trying to get her groove back as being one of the country's top chefs, she takes a small hiatus to find inspiration. She meets the father (Kai) and son (Max) duo, and it's all over. She sets the rules just to be on the verge of breaking them. Towards the end of the book, my heart just broke and then it got pieced up all together again.

Kai Rhodes – KAI MF RHODES. WHEW! This man is a single dad, and just be the description, I'll gladly call him daddy. I don’t know what it is about a single dad that all of a sudden became part of a kink that I never knew I had, and here we are. Him standing in the doorway in just his briefs has got me all panting. And the way he does things for Miller, just sigh. When he admits he has fallen in love with her, my heart just broke into a million pieces.

I absolutely devoured this book. It might have taken me at least a few days only because mom life, but I finished this book this morning at 4:51am, and man, it was definitely a book I could not put down. I’m actually kind of sad that it ended lol. The spice was perfect (like I said, at least for me). The banter was chef’s kiss. And I just wanted more of the little dirty talk back and forth. I can read this book over and over again, and I am 100% sure that I will fall in love, have the hots for baseball daddy, have my heart break slowly, have it mend, and then fall in love all over again.

Liz Tomforde, thank you for this series so far, and for this exact book. I was in a roller coaster of emotions but in a good way, all at 4:00 in the morning. LOL.

I savored this like the absolute treat that it was, and ADORED every second of it. Rarely does a series maintain its quality throughout multiple installments, but each book in this series has gotten better and better. I loved Mile High and The Right Move stole my heart in a major way, so Caught Up had a LOT to live up to. I was worried that it wouldn't. But it only took a few pages to get wrapped up in the story, and it held me captivated every moment after that. The sexual tension is off the charts, the playfulness made it so much fun, and the angstier elements had my stomach in knots. The steady, sweetheart of a hero had me absolutely SWOONING in so many moments, and I loved that the firecracker of a heroine brought out a different side of him. The banter and chemistry between them jumped off the page, and the spice... wow. Intense and scorching. I'm happy to report that this exceeded my VERY high expectations, and is easily one of my favorite books of the year.

The story follows Kai (32), a pro baseball player who unexpectedly became a father last year. The weight of responsibility and shifting priorities have turned him into a serious, reserved man who barely remembers what he used to be like. After Kai fires his son's most recent nanny, his coach finds someone else to fill the role - his daughter. Though Miller (25) has a life and career of her own, she's been feeling restless and burned out recently. She needs a break. So taking care of a sweet little boy for the summer doesn't sound too bad, even if she has to deal with his broody father. The two clash at every turn, but it's impossible to deny that the sparks flying between them are combustible. Opposites attract, and Miller brings out a side of Kai that he forgot was inside him. But Miller has made it clear that she won't be sticking around after the summer, and that's something they both have to keep in mind.

I'm not intimidated by a 500-page book when I know that I'm in for a deliciously well-developed romance, and this is exactly that. Tomforde put me through every emotion, crafting a love story that's comedic one minute and heart-wrenching the next. I loved the found family aspect, and I also loved the tension of knowing that these two were quickly heading towards trouble. Though I found Miller to be an immensely compelling and complex heroine, I was smitten with Kai from the start. He stepped up to be a (fantastic) dad, and the plentiful family moments were adorable. So cute. What I loved the most though was how Miller brought him back to life and pushed him to want more for himself. The tension of knowing Miller would be leaving added so much friction to the story, and you could definitely feel that as the emotional connection grew. The spice was incredibly multi-faceted and intimate, while also being vivid and HOT. Every scene had me hooked in one way or another, and I was teary-eyed and fully focused during the final scenes. A powerhouse of a read, this isn't one that I'll soon forget.

Audio note: Highly recommended! I was SO excited when I saw that Alex Kydd was narrating, he's a personal favorite of mine. He's really honed his skills over the past couple of years, and he embodied Kai perfectly. It's my first experience with Megan Wicks, but she was also fantastic. They both delivered a true performance, infusing so much emotion into the story. It's one of those audiobooks that greatly enhanced an already-excellent story. The runtime (about 15 hours) was too much for a single day, but that's okay because I only wanted to listen when I had time to be completely engaged. I'd consider this to be a hot slow burn, with the spice taking a bit to fully kick in. Definitely not one I'd listen to at work. Interestingly enough, I found that the ebook didn't match the audiobook word for word - I brought up the ebook during important scenes, and there were some clear (mostly minor) differences. Not sure which version is newer, I'm assuming that'll get resolved soon. Just keep that in mind if you're planning to switch between the two versions, as I like to do. If you're new to audiobooks, this would make a great introduction to them though, just saying!

Infinity stars for one of the best books I've ever read.

Every time I read a Liz Tomforde book, I'm totally captivated by the world and characters she creates as if I'm there myself. I forget about all else that is going on without so much as a thought to glance at my phone or the time that has passed while immersing myself in her amazing writing.

Kai and Miller have officially made it on the list as one of my favorite fictional couples of all time. And Miller? She might just hold top spot for favorite FMC of all time. Brave, determined, brilliant, a perfectionist, and selfless as heck, Miller is one BA FMC. Add in the almost instant bond she shares with Max, Kai's 15 month old son, and you have the perfect woman in my books because when a kid instantly trusts someone, you just know that the person is genuinely good to their core.

And don't even get me started on "Baseball Daddy" Kai. The man is fictional book boyfriend perfection. Always putting himself last and others first, him and Miller are perfect together. Their banter is top tier, Miller's dirty sense of humor is laugh out loud funny, and Kai's stubborn attitude towards letting himself fall for the nanny is endearing. I don't think I've ever wanted a HEA more for a couple than I did for Kai and Miller.

I practically highlighted the whole book because Liz's writing is pure gold. Not only were the sweet and spicy moments incredible, Liz had me full body SOBBING in chapters 35 and 36.

This book will live rent free in my head for eternity, and I have no regrets saying that even if it seems dramatic. It's one of those books you wish you could read again for the very first time just to experience the emotions all over again.

I don't think my review even does this book justice. Just know that if you haven't picked up this series yet, I HIGHLY encourage you to do so.

"Miller, if you ever decide to stop running and make a home...Make it with me." Instantly starts crying again

📚𝐁𝐎𝐎𝐊 𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐄𝐖📚

Caught Up by: Liz Tomforde 𝘞𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘺 𝘊𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘬 3

10⭐️ (𝘐 𝘨𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 5⭐️, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘮𝘺 𝘧𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦, 𝘴𝘰 10⭐️ 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵.)

I knew I'd love this one- if you know me IRL, you know I am a sucker for baseball players. The pants. The slick slides into home. The double & triple plays. The home runs. I LOVE IT. But Kai and Miller exceeded every expectation I had for this book.

Kai is unbelievably protective of his son but agrees to let Miller (the coach's daughter) be his son's nanny for the summer. Miller is young, wild and free. She never stays in one place and it's never been a problem. Until, somehow, against all her carefully placed rules, she falls in love with two Rhodes boys- Kai and his son, Max.

Often times in romance novels, we see a man come swooping in to finally make the FMC feel seen, heard, understood and taken care of. In Caught Up, we see the reverse. Kai has taken care of his brother and everyone around him for as long as he can remember, and he's proud of being that person, but there really isn't anyone to truly take care of him- untill Miller. I LOVED seeing Kai admit that it had been a long, long time since he had felt like someone was attracted to him, like someone desired him and wanted to take care of him for a change.

Another thing I loved was how naturally their relationship progressed. They start to trust each other a little at a time, revealing secrets and truths along the way. Kai tries to nurture Miller's passion for baking in so many sweet ways, only ever encouraging her. Miller keeps every promise to Kai about helping him be present for Max's big milestones. And, not-so-spoiler, they fall in love.

As a parent, this one was really heartbreaking. Between Kai & Max and Miller & Monty, this book had me sobbing. The sacrifices you make for your kids are not always easy, but I think every parent will tell you they'd make them over and over again if it made our kids happy and gave them a better life. The bond shared between Monty & Miller was so beautifully written.

I loved Isaiah. He was so funny and I mean HILARIOUS. The author gave him the perfect introduction to his book which is coming next year. His and Kai's relationship was so enjoyable to see. They had each other's backs no matter what.

LISTEN. Just go read it. You'll love it.

—𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝: ⚾️baseball star x award winning chef 👩🏻‍🍳age gap ⚾️single dads (yep, plural) 👩🏻‍🍳found family ⚾️he falls harder 👩🏻‍🍳"forget your rules"

The single dad trope always has me hooked … but even better when it’s the coaches daughter, Miller, that is the FMC. Miller came home for the summer, and Kai (MMC) has a son who needs a nanny, being that he is the only one taking care of his son who is his top priority. The tropes in this book were perfection, but will Miller not wanting to get attached since she is leaving at the end of the summer, I could see the third act break up coming from a mile away. Despite this, the story was still so great and had me on my toes the entire book. Miller is head strong, goes after what she wants, and was a character full of personality. Kai is just a great dad who is responsible, respectful, so sweet, and just the perfect dad and man. The banter between these two throughout the entire book was top tier, the tension was unreal, and they were both so good to each other. I loved the supporting characters in this book and can’t wait for future books featuring them