An emotional, slow-burn, grumpy/sunshine, queer mid-century romance for fans of Evvie Drake Starts Over, about grief and found family, between the new star shortstop stuck in a batting slump and the reporter assigned to (reluctantly) cover his first season—set in the same universe as We Could Be So Good.
The 1960 baseball season is shaping up to be the worst year of Eddie O’Leary’s life. He can’t manage to hit the ball, his new teammates hate him, he’s living out of a suitcase, and he’s homesick. When the team’s owner orders him to give a bunch of interviews to some snobby reporter, he’s ready to call it quits. He can barely manage to behave himself for the length of a game, let alone an entire season. But he’s already on thin ice, so he has no choice but to agree.
Mark Bailey is not a sports reporter. He writes for the arts page, and these days he’s barely even managing to do that much. He’s had a rough year and just wants to be left alone in his too-empty apartment, mourning a partner he’d never been able to be public about. The last thing he needs is to spend a season writing about New York’s obnoxious new shortstop in a stunt to get the struggling newspaper more readers.
Isolated together within the crush of an anonymous city, these two lonely souls orbit each other as they slowly give in to the inevitable gravity of their attraction. But Mark has vowed that he’ll never be someone’s secret ever again, and Eddie can’t be out as a professional athlete. It’s just them against the world, and they’ll both have to decide if that’s enough.
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4 books in catalog
Queer historical romance brings diverse LGBTQ+ characters to historical settings ranging from Regency England to mid-twentieth-century midtown Manhattan. Cat Sebastian entered the genre with her 2016 debut novel The Soldier's Scoundrel and has built a celebrated catalog of novels and novellas centered on happy endings for gay, bisexual, and nonbinary protagonists. Her 1950s-set newspaper romance We Could Be So Good received a 2024 Lambda Literary Award, highlighting her reputation for combining rich historical atmosphere with emotional intimacy.
Before becoming a full-time novelist, Cat Sebastian worked as a lawyer and a teacher alongside several other occupations. Born in New Jersey, she lived in New York and Arizona before settling in the American South. Sebastian transitioned into full-time fiction writing after debuting her first book in 2016, launching popular historical romance series such as the Turners series and Seducing the Sedgwicks. Her fiction has earned starred reviews from major literary trade publications, including Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, and Booklist.
Throughout her writing career, Sebastian has expanded her scope beyond traditional Regency settings into mid-century American historical fiction and speculative romance. Her catalog includes mid-century titles such as You Should Be So Lucky as well as sci-fi romance releases like Star Shipped, demonstrating a broad storytelling range across various subgenres.
Sebastian's writing is distinguished by its focus on complex, deeply human characters navigating social constraints, personal vulnerabilities, and queer identity. Rather than dwelling on tragedy, her books prioritize hope and domestic warmth while remaining grounded in authentic historical detail. She blends elements of small-town mystery, domestic intimacy, and sharp interpersonal dialogue to build realistic character dynamics.
Recurring themes across her bibliography include found family, social justice, class differences, and emotional healing. Whether depicting nineteenth-century aristocrats in The Ruin of a Rake or mid-century newspaper reporters in New York City, her stories emphasize mutual respect and community support.
Midcentury NYC
