In the third installment of her beloved Windy City series, Caught Up, Liz Tomforde trades the adrenaline of hockey and basketball for the slow, suspenseful rhythms of baseball—yet the emotional stakes have never felt higher. Caught Up is not your typical sports romance. It’s a character-driven story about timing, trust, and the radical act of staying when every instinct tells you to run.
Blending the chaotic charm of a stubborn pastry chef with the steady presence of a devoted single father, this novel feels like the literary equivalent of a warm summer evening at Wrigley Field: full of unexpected magic, high-stakes plays, and a whole lot of heart.
Series Recap: A City of Love Stories
The Windy City series is quickly carving out a legacy for itself within the sports romance genre. With each book spotlighting a different Chicago athlete, Tomforde has created a sprawling yet intimate universe where every sport hides a slow-burn love story:
- Mile High (2022): Hockey bad boy meets no-nonsense flight attendant
- The Right Move (2023): NBA captain fake-dates his sister’s best friend
- Caught Up (2023): A grumpy MLB pitcher falls for his temporary nanny
- Play Along (2024): Soccer and second chances
- Rewind It Back (2025): The final heart-racing play in this emotional series
Though Caught Up by Liz Tomforde can be enjoyed as a standalone, series fans will appreciate returning to familiar faces and team banter that deepen the worldbuilding without distracting from the central romance.
Plot Snapshot
Thirty-two-year-old Kai Rhodes is a veteran pitcher for Chicago’s MLB team and the devoted father to five-year-old Max, a precocious little boy who’s already mastered the art of baseball glove theft and bedtime manipulation. Kai has no interest in romance, chaos, or change—especially after burning through a list of unreliable nannies.
Enter Miller Montgomery: recent James Beard Award recipient, notorious kitchen tornado, and daughter of Kai’s coach. On a creative sabbatical after reaching a career peak too soon, Miller agrees to nanny for Max over the summer while she recalibrates her life. She’s wild, impulsive, and entirely unfiltered—everything Kai isn’t.
What begins as a reluctant arrangement soon spirals into an unexpected connection. Between city road games, baking sessions, and Max’s increasing attachment to Miller, Kai finds himself letting down walls he didn’t realize he still had. But Miller doesn’t do permanent. She’s always been a runner, and her clock in Chicago is ticking.
Characters: Built to Break and Belong
Kai Rhodes: Still Waters Run Deep
On the surface, Kai is a classic grump. He’s stoic, private, and emotionally reserved. But Tomforde wisely gives him more than broody eyebrows and sexy forearms. Kai is tired—not just physically, but emotionally, from years of carrying solo parenting, career pressure, and the trauma of being abandoned by Max’s mother. His vulnerability is subtle but profound, and watching him open up feels earned, not forced.
Miller Montgomery: Chaos in a Chef’s Coat
Miller’s character could’ve easily become a caricature: the quirky woman with no filter and too many tattoos. But Tomforde threads her with unexpected depth. She’s not flippant—she’s frightened. Of failure, of being stuck, of loving people who might leave. Her humor is her armor. Her chaotic energy masks a deeply insecure artist struggling to prove to herself that she hasn’t already peaked.
Together, Kai and Miller are fire and oxygen. They don’t just fall in love—they slowly convince one another that love is safe.
Relationship Dynamics: Not Just a Summer Fling
Tomforde leans into the forced proximity trope with finesse. The setup—live-in nanny meets emotionally unavailable single dad—sets the stage for natural tension. But what elevates the romance is its emotional honesty. The intimacy builds through shared parenting tasks, private confessions, and the tiny, often overlooked rituals of daily life.
Moments like Miller teaching Max to bake, or Kai silently fixing Miller’s broken chef’s knife, hold as much weight as the eventual bedroom scenes. The physical chemistry is electric, but it’s the quiet companionship that really sticks.
Narrative Strengths
- Deeply Character-Driven: Rather than rely on manufactured conflict, Tomforde roots tension in personal growth. The external stakes are minimal—but the emotional risks are massive.
- Romantic Pacing: The slow-burn approach keeps readers invested without ever feeling stagnant. You want the kiss, sure, but more than that, you want the trust.
- Vivid Dialogue: The banter is top-tier. Witty, self-aware, and never forced, the dialogue reads like conversations you wish you were clever enough to have.
- Single Parenthood as Centerpiece: Max isn’t a plot device—he’s a character. His relationship with Miller is as vital as her relationship with Kai. This triangle (father, child, caregiver) is where the real tension lies.
Critical Observations
While Caught Up by Liz Tomforde excels in emotional realism, there are moments where plot expectations aren’t fully satisfied. For example:
- Lack of Resolution with Max’s Mom: The mother’s absence haunts the story but never truly lands. A confrontation—even emotional closure—could have added thematic weight.
- The Climactic Conflict Feels Rushed: The third act introduces a dramatic separation, but the fallout and resolution feel abrupt. For a relationship built slowly, the reunion felt too easy.
- Secondary Plot Threads Are Lightly Sketched: Miller’s professional arc—her pastry burnout and creative block—starts strong but fizzles in favor of romance.
Still, these flaws don’t undercut the overall experience. If anything, they speak to the book’s richness. There’s enough heart here that you want more, not less.
Style & Tone
Liz Tomforde’s writing is confident and clean, with a cadence that mirrors conversation. She understands the modern romance reader: we want wit, we want emotional honesty, and we want romance that respects its characters.
Her authorial voice shines in:
- Internal Monologues: Especially Miller’s, which are full of anxious overthinking, comedic self-deprecation, and unfiltered sincerity.
- Alternating POVs: Both Miller and Kai have distinct voices. Their perspectives offer layered insight rather than repeating the same scenes twice.
- Soft Intimacy: Even the steamiest scenes are rooted in emotion. Tomforde never writes sex for shock value—it always emerges from character growth.
Books You Might Also Enjoy
If Caught Up by Liz Tomforde left you craving more, try:
- From Lukov with Love by Mariana Zapata – For a slow-burn romance with emotionally guarded athletes
- The Wall of Winnipeg and Me by Mariana Zapata – For a deeper dive into grumpy/sunshine workplace dynamics
- Wait for It by Jenn McKinlay – For single dad + reluctant caretaker with heartwarming payoffs
Final Verdict
Caught Up by Liz Tomforde is a thoughtful, emotionally nuanced sports romance that earns every swoon, smile, and sigh. It’s about showing up for people even when it’s hard—and learning that love doesn’t have to be permanent to be meaningful. Yet, if you’re lucky, it can be both.
Tomforde continues her streak of delivering heart-forward romances that never feel formulaic. Caught Up might not be the flashiest entry in the Windy City series, but it’s easily the most emotionally resonant.