Book Review: Double Fault by Ella Wren

Official Synopsis:

Sabrina

I’m twenty-two, buried in student loans, and soon to be homeless.

I need a job that pays decently—stat.

When my best friend suggests interviewing for a traveling nanny position with some tennis star I think she’s joking. It’s too good to be true. The pay is more than I could dream of. I’d get to travel the world. There don’t seem to be any cons.

Not until I meet my potential boss.

Noah Baker.

Hot as hell, but with a massive chip on his shoulder.

He seems to hate me from the start, but lucky for me—or maybe unluckily depending on how you think about it—his daughter loves me. Since I’m the only person she’s connected with he reluctantly offers me the position.

Noah

I was at the top of my game until my wife died.

I didn’t anticipate how much grief would affect my ability to play the sport I love, let alone parent my daughter.

With the tour starting up in January I have no choice but to take her with me, which means I need a nanny to keep an eye on her.

When Sabrina Howard walks through my door to interview; I instantly hate her.

She’s the first woman who’s made my heart race since my wife passed away.

Unfortunately for me, my daughter likes Sabrina, making it a no brainer to hire her.

Eleven months. Seventy-one tournaments. Five continents.

And one nanny who’s entirely too tempting.

For starters, I thought the tennis in this book was well done. Noah is struggling to come back after a big loss, which is hard. Hell it's hard to come back after taking one week off from matches. Noah is trying to keep in shape, return to a game he loves, and deal with being a single dad after losing his wife. Noah has a lot happening, and there are a lot of moving pieces in his life, including him and his daughter. Maddie is an absolutely adorable character, bringing Noah and Sabrina together in more than one way throughout the story. Maddie only being eight is really impressive too, she is wise behind her years while also going through some really terrible events and getting moved all over the place.

Sabrina is a fun character as well, trying to pull herself together and walking into a job she never would have thought of. Becoming a nanny, and teacher, for a professional tennis player was never in the cards, but it helps that it pays well and Noah seems pretty desperate to spend money on her to keep her close.

Noah and Sabrina both struggle with their feelings for different reasons, Noah feels bad because his wife has passed and Sabrina knows she is falling for her boss. As they work through their mutual attraction, they are also fighting with what the rest of the world and their own friends may think. Both of them have a lot to lose if things go badly, and they both know it.

I wish there were sports romances that didn't involve having an age gap, but at least this one is only 5 years and I can handle that. I also wish there were some where it wasn't 'choose the sport or me' but they moved through that stage OK. Overall, I didn't hate the tennis or even how the relationship worked. The way the family came together in the story was really sweet. The one part that got me was during the spicier scenes Noah seemed...different, like he had to be different with Sabrina in that way than he was with his wife, which is fine, but at times felt like a lot. I do like that some of those moments led to Noah realizing he may be being selfish and he should seek out therapy.

All in all, I really did enjoy this book. I thought the story was sweet, the tennis was good, and the side characters were fantastic.

I rated it 3.5 out of 5 stars!

Double Fault comes out February 20, 2025!

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