Beauty and the Baller (Strangers in Love)

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The feelings that started back all those years ago pretty much come back to life now that they’re in each others’ lives again. Nova and ex-NFL QB Ronan have a one-night encounter (essentially prostitution, but let’s not think about it) that ends with Ronan passing out drunk and Nova leaving before the morning.

I agree both Ronan and Nova experienced changes as their relationship took root and grew, and it was a great journey. Then she finds out her next door neighbour is none other than Ronan Smith, and that on top of the humiliation he caused her the year before, he doesn't even remember her! There’s a lot of good stuff going on in the story – a fake dating scheme, a small town feel, discussion of grief and healing, playfulness – but that sense of disconnect never abated and I found myself skimming. I mostly read romance and SFF though I love to dabble in other genres but tend to stay away from horror and ghosty things because I'm The Ultimate Chicken™️.Ronan is this hot, shredded, athletic nerd (so kind of like Henry Cavill) who constantly makes Star Wars references and really geeks over them, it is, as Nova would say, adorable. When he awakens from the night he met Princess Leia, Nova, he realizes he said something awful to her and vows to himself to change! years later, Nova’s (29) forced to move back to the town that she grew up in because her mother just passed away and now she has to take care of her teenage sister.

I just want to say I screamed noooooo out loud over something that went down, so I got why Nova bailed afterwards…. Armentrout Jessica Sorensen Karina Halle Katy Evans Kristen Ashley Monica Murphy Nalini Singh new adult paranormal Penelope Douglas Rachel Van Dyken release day review review romance Sawyer Bennett Spotlight St. But there were too many times I was asked to “go with it” when situations were just a bit ridiculous.Nova’s younger sister Sabine, one of Ronan’s football players, Toby, Ronan’s best friend and fellow NFL player, Tuck. Wall Street Journal, New York Times and USA Today best-selling author Ilsa Madden-Mills is best known for her angsty new adult romances and romantic comedies. Enemies-to-Lovers, fake relationship, ex pro-sports player with a hot body, strong female lead, autism representation, snort-laughs, love, loss, healing, family, small town. While still struggling a year later, Ronan found himself having a one night stand with someone he actually felt a connection to.

This is definitely a sweet romance with an interesting meet-cute, and some hot steamy bits, but honestly the meaningful non-romantic relationships and self reflection from both Nova and Ronan really sealed my love for this one. Nova and Ronan fake date in their small town to get some people off their back, and they were simply adorable together. I wasn't as drawn in by the male, I've heard him before but he sounded unconvincing in this book, unfortunately! Change country: -Select- Afghanistan Albania Algeria American Samoa Andorra Angola Anguilla Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Republic Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil British Virgin Islands Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Islands Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Colombia Comoros Cook Islands Costa Rica Cyprus Czech Republic Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) Democratic Republic of the Congo Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) Fiji Finland France Gabon Republic Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guam Guatemala Guernsey Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iraq Ireland Italy Jamaica Japan Jersey Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macau Macedonia Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands Netherlands Antilles New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue Norway Oman Pakistan Palau Paraguay Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Republic of Croatia Republic of the Congo Romania Rwanda Saint Helena Saint Kitts-Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Vincent and the Grenadines San Marino Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Korea Spain Sri Lanka Suriname Swaziland Sweden Switzerland Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Togo Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Vatican City State Vietnam Virgin Islands (U. The hero does a lot of pushing away because he’s SO AFRAID OF HURTING SOMEONE like he hurt his dead fiancée.

Maybe I'm just tired of the trope, but it was a bit much that the entire town tried to throw their sisters / cousins / daughters to him as if they had no agency and all mindlessly wanted the MMC because he was a hot former baller. It also has the "evil other woman" trope which I personally dislike - pitting women against each other who fall all over themselves for the MMC. And when Ronan started to show us little bits of himself, I just knew he was so much more than meets the eye.

He’s still just as beautiful as she remembers, and they share a history that could complicate life in a small town since he’s the new high school football coach the town adores. It was a while since i've read the fake dating trope and combined with second chance romance and grumpy/sunshine set in a small town i loved it. I switched to the audio in an attempt to connect to the story better, but it didn’t help and I ended up going back to the text version. Three-ish years later, Nova moves back home to Texas and learns that Ronan is her obnoxious new neighbor.If you’re looking for a book about moving on from the past with a touch of sports and a whole lotta southern and romance, this book is for you! It’s a good choice for a workday listen – there’s a hint of steam at the start, then a slow burn romance.