REVIEW: Lucky 22 by Ashley Eckstein, Samantha Chase
Lucky 22 by Ashley Eckstein, Samantha Chase: Ella Rose is an aspiring actress in Los Angeles when a chance encounter brings her together with professional baseball 
player Christian Lucas. What begins with friendship and a little help from fate eventually becomes a relationship that has to survive demanding careers, distance, marriage, sacrifice, and the realities of building a life together.
LUCKY 22 was a sweet, sports romance inspired by Ashley Eckstein’s real-life relationship with former MLB player David Eckstein. I’m always curious when an author takes something from their own life and turns it into fiction, and the whole idea of a lucky number connecting two people was such a cute setup.
This was definitely a sweet romance. The time jumps also give the story more of a life-story quality, taking us through different stages of their relationship.
Ella and Christian connection develops from that first unexpected meeting into friendship and then something deeper, and I liked seeing them navigate the reality of being together while both are pursuing demanding careers. There are plenty of moments where their relationship has to compete with travel, schedules, career opportunities, and the sacrifices that come with both of their worlds. That gave their story a different rhythm than the typical romance where everything ends once the couple gets HEA.
LUCKY 22 was a sweet, optimistic take on a sports romance and a relationship that continues well beyond the initial falling-in-love stage. I liked the significance of 22 throughout the story and the chance to see Ella and Christian navigate careers, distance, marriage, and all the compromises that come with building a life together. Add in the real-life inspiration, Hollywood and baseball backdrop, and that little bit of magic surrounding the number 22, and this was a charming, feel-good romance.
TROPES & VIBES:
⚾️ Sports romance
🎬 Actress FMC
⚾️ Professional baseball player MMC
💕 Friends to lovers
💘 Meet-cute
🍀 Fate / destiny
🫶 Career-driven couple
🌟 Celebrity romance vibes
✨ Building a life together
🚫 Closed-door
Book Info:
Publication: September 8, 2026 | Blue Box Press |
Twenty-two was just a lucky number.
Until it wasn’t.
Ella Rose Holt believes in magic. Not always the fairy-tale kind, but the quiet kind that shows up when you least expect it. On the brink of her golden birthday, chasing acting dreams in Los Angeles, Ella’s life feels full of possibility…and just a little unfinished.
Christian Lucas has built his world on discipline, dedication, and the game he loves. As a professional baseball player, his life is carefully scheduled, a bit guarded, and rarely spontaneous.
When a chance encounter, a lucky number, and a not-so-blind blind date bring them together, neither is prepared for the connection that follows.
What starts as an unexpected meeting quickly becomes something deeper—an easy friendship, a steady trust, and a romance that grows quietly but undeniably. As their worlds collide under bright stadium lights and red-carpet flashes, Ella and Christian must decide whether love has a place in lives already full of ambition, sacrifice, and dreams in motion.
Because sometimes, the most extraordinary love stories aren’t loud or dramatic.
They’re built on faith.
On timing.
On believing that when the moment comes, you’ll be brave enough to say yes.
And a little bit of luck.
