Slick's review posted on Guilty Pleasures Book Reviews 
 4.5 Stars 
 This is one of those books that I saw the publisher's blurb on Facebook and I raced to buy it. I'm a sucker for any book with a baseball theme, I can't help it. I know there are readers out there that are huge football, hockey, and basketball followers but for me, it's always been baseball. This is a new to me author so I wasn't sure what to expect, but after reading The Practice Proposal I know for a fact I'll be checking out the other offerings of Tracy March because this book is a homerun on a stick swirled in chocolate! 
 Liza Sutherland has endured what most people never want to face, her fiance was gunned down in the line of duty and she hasn't dated since. She's fine with her life but her mother thinks otherwise and buys her a charity auction date with her teenage crush and now staring player for the Washington Nationals, Cole Collins. Cole has his own set of problems, his bad boy player reputation has caught up with him and he's in danger of not being picked up for next season. His agent sees the charity date as a chance for Cole to clean up his act, but Cole has his own reasons for not wanting to rekindle a friendship or anything else with Liza. Too bad fate jumps in and hands them both something they don't think they are ready for or want. 
 From start to finish this book had me enthralled and yes, while there was some baseball involved including a pennant race and World Series, baseball was not really the main focus. These characters just jumped off the page and into my heart. They both have dealt with some pretty big blows in their lifetime and despite that they are pretty normal well adjusted people. That's not to say they don't have their insecurities or hang ups, but they really work towards not letting them get in their own way. I love how from their first date, they hop right back to the closeness they shared as teenagers. Liza has a way of keeping Cole's ego in check and calling him out and it was cute and fun to watch. I like that she sees him just as a guy not the superstar athlete he is. I like her even more for the way she gets him to open up and share his past and the way she accepts all of him. When Cole realizes something is holding Liza back, he confronts her and then sets out to help her deal with her grief. I love that he doesn't pressure her and that he understands she needs to sort out her conflicting feelings. While he has some stellar and very romantic moments in this book, there is one scene that left me crying my eyes out and convinced me that he is one hell of a guy. 
 While this is a romance there is a lot of other things going on that make this book completely intriguing. There is past deceit, secret deals, returning bad influences, not to mention a pennant race between two rival teams with the hero and heroine on opposite sides. However, I can't deny that watching these two work their way through everything wasn't beyond satisfying. If ever two people deserved happiness, it is Cole and Liza. I also enjoyed all the supporting characters and their role in helping them find their happily ever after. 
 I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good romance, regardless if you like baseball or not. The Practice Proposal is one of those books that will have you laughing, crying, and cheering sometimes all in the same scene. It will most definitely touch your heartstrings and give you the same feeling you get when your team heads to the World Series two years in a row...yes, it's really is that amazing!