Ilsa Madden-Mills writes an amazing book, again!

Beauty and the baller is a funny, sexy and witty fake dating and second chance romance excellence. They met once and years later they meet again except now they are neighbors and he is the town coach and she is broke, the new guardian to her little sister and having to start over. Their dynamic starts off with a bang, its fiery, a little hate and lots of tension and of course when they decide to fake date to help each other out, the more time they spend together, the less they hate each other. I loved how she took care of her sister and was so ready to face things head on and do the best she could with what she was given, their romance between them is more of an emotional slow burn which i love and he is a former NFL player which just made it all the more better. I think it was the small town, found family vibes that i got from this book that made it so sweet and I loved how they formed their own despite all the things against them and found a way to make it work and goes to show its okay if you dont get it right the first time. I think this book was so sweet and fun! I know sport romance fans are going to love this book because it is truly a book you will want to read.

Beauty and the Baller was excellent!!!! Ronan has been through a lot, and he has a run in with Nova. It’s a brief encounter. Years later they end up seeing each other again, but Ronan doesn’t recognize Nova at first. Ronan is the local football coach who every local single woman is after. Nova is taking care of her sister after their mother dies. She’s forced to come home and face everyone she went to school with. Lot’s of interesting things happen throughout this story. We get a some hilarious scenes between Nova and Ronan. Definitely worth the read!

Looking at other reviews I feel I am definitely in the minority here…

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. Three-ish years later, Nova moves back home to Texas and learns that Ronan is her obnoxious new neighbor.

Ronan now coaches football at the local high school. He’s looking to move up his career ladder, but everyone in town is trying to wife him up so that he'll stay at the school. Meanwhile, Nova has to face her ex-boyfriend, Andrew, who she still has unresolved feelings for. How do these two decide to solve their problems? By fake dating!

Fake dating is supposed to be fun and suspenseful, but this just felt forced. I didn’t grasp how the fake dating helped either of them, since girls were still trying to get with Ronan and Andrew was still trying to get with Nova. No one respected their fake dating and it’s because it didn’t even make sense to do it in the first place.

Nova was also a very unlikable character for me. Her personality is just obnoxious, attention-seeking, “I’m not like other girls”... just a big fat NOPE. She would crack eye-roll worthy whips all the time, but then say something basic like “Find your glow” or “Do you believe in possibilities?” and then Ronan would be all “OMG I have never met such a deep person before. How does she think of all these amazing things to say???”

Normally, my favorite aspect of romance tropes like enemies-to-lovers is the banter. While Nova and Ronan aren’t necessarily enemies, they do get off on the wrong foot being neighbors and they have this sort of teasing relationship with one another. However, their banter was just awful. It made me appreciate how good banter is in other novels.

Finally, the side storyline with Skeeter and Sonia also didn’t do it for me! Skeeter was such a clueless ditz who had to be told what to do with Sonia the entire time. Seriously, Sonia deserves so much better she just doesn’t see her own self worth. Those two will definitely not last.

I’m not mad about reading this, but I enjoyed very little of it. However, maybe it just wasn’t the book for me. Other reviewers seem to have really enjoyed this, so if it’s something you’ve been eyeing it might still be worth the read for you. You can always play a drinking game to help with the reading experience! Take a sip whenever the author uses an exclamation point! You’ll be out dead by halftime!

Thank you NetGalley and Montlake for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was not what I excepted.
I have read other books by llsa and enjoyed them. But for some reason this book was just not for me

I think Nova is my spirit animal for real. This entire book was fantastic, and I truly think Nova is one of my all-time favorite Ilsa heroines! She’s sassy and so stinking funny, she has a heart of gold, and she truly has a way of seeing the best in situations.

Ronan…hello hottie!! He is so sweet, but also has a growly, alpha side to him as well. He’s the total package! The chemistry between him and Nova is seriously out of this world! They are seriously the perfect match.

I loved every part of this book, it has some heavy moments, and the first time the two meet is less than ideal, but it’s a fun read that had me laughing out loud at moments. The secondary characters added so much to this story! I read this in one sitting. That's how great this book is!!

Roman and Nova were both suffering from loss and found refuge in each other. I love a good small town romance, and Ilsa’s writing is so excellent!! I have been waiting all too impatiently for this book and it did not disappoint. Just enough emotion without being overly sappy and overall a wonderful romance.

• r e v i e w || BEAUTY AND THE BALLER [thank you to @ for the free book] •

“An NFL quarterback turned small-town coach gets sacked by a Texas beauty queen in this swoony, passionate romance from Wall Street Journal bestselling author Ilsa Madden-Mills.”

This was a really great rom com with the small football town vibes. I really loved the chemistry and romance between the two and how quickly fake dating became the real thing. I did think there was a bit of a disconnect from the scene where they first meet to the present day; some issues that happened weren’t addressed the way I expected them to be and it just felt almost like there wasn’t really a purpose. Once I moved past that, I really enjoyed the story and the fresh feelings that developed.

🥰really liked || 🔥descriptive
🤟fake dating, football coach, small town meddling
📺Friday Night Lights
🎶Little Bit of You by Chase Bryant

Ronan was a very deep and complex character who doesn't fit the jock mold at all!! Nova was also a breath of fresh air when it comes to female main characters! There was none of the childish miscommunication or keeping everything hidden from each other. Loved this book and really want Sabine's story as well as several other side characters as well!!

I truly loved this book; it was full of emotions that you could feel coming from all the characters. Nova was an amazing woman, she was kind, sweet and knew what she wanted. Ronan was a great man; he was full of such raw emotions stemming from his tragic past. I really thought these two were the perfect pair, but would they make it? One afraid to open up and the other willing to give it a chance. This was a great book, I loved it.

“Listen. Find your glow. Discover all the possibilities. Reach for the stars. No one deserves this more.

Beauty and the Baller was one of my most anticipated reads of March, I’m a huge ilsa Madden-Mills fan.

Nova & Ronan have an interesting meet cute, that stays with them both but not for the right reasons. Two years later & what I like to think is fate, brings them back together in Blue Belle. This was such a great story about second chances, and healing. There journey was filled with obstacles & it wasn’t always easy, but it was definitely worth it.

I really liked Nova she was sassy & feisty, but at the same time she was a little bit broken. She had been hurt in the past, and part of her wanted to protect her heart from more heartache, but the stars had other ideas. Oh boy I absolutely LOVED Ronan who doesn’t have a soft spot for a broken hero, that man had lost a lot in his life, and he carried a lot of guilt, which meant he didn’t feel like he deserved Nova.

I really loved this story, I laughed & I felt sad & I wanted it to never end. It had some great secondary characters that I would love to see get their own stories, especially Sabine (Nova’s younger sister)

Ronan and Nova had once a one-night-stand. Fast forward 2 years, and Nova moving back home into her small town. And finding out, her new neighbor is the hottie one night stand.
Interesting, funny, sizzling story which took me a bit to get into, but than ended up reading in one sitting!

Ronan and Nova meet at the end of his NFL football career due to his injuries from a vehicle accident that took the life of his fiancée. Ronan was not in the right place or frame of mind when they met. A few years later they meet in Nova’s hometown of all places. In fact they are next door neighbors. Ronan had plans, but like most plans things changed when he starts a relationship with Nova and falls in love with her. What he didn’t realize was that he could have more then one love in his life when an opportunity of a life time comes a knocking.

This was such a fun read! I really got connected to the characters and enjoyed their story. I loved the small town vibes and witty banter between the characters. It gave me Friday Night Lights vibes which only made me love it more. Light, easy and fun read!

4.5-star read!

After being in an tragic accident that also took his fiancee's life, Ronan Smith left the NFL and became a high school football coach in a small town, carrying with him both physical and emotional scars.

Returning to her childhood home to be with her sister after their mother's passing, Nova Morgan found out her new neighbor was none other than the famous quarterback Ronan Smith, with whom she had a one-night stand in New York two years earlier. Their initial attraction rekindled and they decided to fake date for their mutual benefits.

This book has a great combination of tropes: small town romance, fake dating and office romance, second chance after a one-night stand, next door neighbors, sports romance... It's steamy and the sexual tension is delicious! It also deals with grief and Ronan's journey to open his heart to love again. I enjoyed the small town setting with the high school football team at the center. While some of the scenes seemed to be a bit immature, and I almost wanted to shake Ronan a couples times for his stubbornness, it's still a very enjoyable read that kept me on flipping the pages.

*Special thanks to the publisher for gifting me this ARC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Such a sweet small town romance. It’s a quick read, sweet but emotional, with plenty of cute and funny moments. Ronan and Nova are a perfect match and all the quirky characters in the book are great. I love that Ronan is taking care of the town in different ways. I love how Nova doesn’t care who he is and treats him like any other person and not a celebrity. I love when she speaks her mind. I just love them.

There are not enough words to describe how much I loved this book! I have been anxiously awaiting this book, and Ronan and Nova were everything! My heart ached for the two of them, but their chemistry was off the charts from page one! I loved this small town and could read endless books set here! Amazing side characters, and so much love sprinkled in this book with everyone in it. Love, family, healing...it was such a heartfelt read that sucks you in and doesn't let go!
Everything you love about an Ilsa Madden-Mills book is in this gem, and I could not have loved it more!

Oh man I was so excited for this book to come out. I went down a Ilsa Madden-Mills rabbit hole last year after finding and falling in love with the revenge pact. I was itching for a new read once I go through all of her stuff and then she announced another football romance and just knew I needed to get my hands on it.

The beauty and the baller was everything I wanted it to be and more. Ronan and Nova were absolutely perfect for each other. I loved how open Nova was with Ronan about her feelings for him instead of shying away from them. And I appreciated Ronan being just as open and honest with Nova about his feelings and where he expected his future to lead him. Ilsa does such a good job of making creating characters that her readers can actually relate to, characters with real emotions who are not always perfect and it’s something that draws me to her books again and again. And the side characters oh my gosh they had me itching for more of their stories and that epilogue cue the tears!!!

If you’re on the fence about beauty and the baller or haven’t tried a book by Ilsa before this is your sign!! With the perfect amount of silly jokes, dirty talk and lice discussions you won’t be able to put this book down.

And lastly a huge thank you to NetGalley and Ilsa Madden-Mills for the arc 🥰

Ilsa Madden-Mills once again brings her A-game, delivering another perfect sports romance rom-com that readers will fall head over heels for. Beauty and the Baller is laugh-out-loud funny, sexy, and emotional and it will completely enamor readers from the very first page. The characters are loveable and eclectic and the small-town setting is delightfully fun.

I ADORED Nova! This woman has serious balls and I loved how she always owned her actions and feelings. She's beautiful, feisty, and is an absolute hoot. She is bold and brave and so much fun. Ronan is broody, sexy and a little bit lost. Before Nova comes into his life he's just going through the motions but she opens up a whole new world to him. Nova is able to peel away Ronan's walls one by one and get right down the heart of him. I loved how she brought out the vulnerability in this hot hunk of a former star football player. Together they were hilarious. Their chemistry was strong and I adored their witty back and forth banter. These two had me laughing out loud repeatedly.

Blue Belle was the perfect setting for this story. Its small town, Texas charm was big and bold. I loved every single character that the author introduced and I really hope that perhaps one day we'll see more of them. They are an unforgettable bunch for sure. Madden-Mills delivered a perfect story that I wish didn't have to end. I loved everything about it. 5 stars

Beauty and the Baller is chocked full of all the Southern charm that Madden-Mills books are known for. It is hilariously funny to the point of laughing out loud at times, but also sweet and entertaining. And, as always, the side characters this author writes do not disappoint. If you enjoy all things Rom-Com, Contemporary or Sports Romance, the perfect amount of spice, smartly written characters, or quirky, Southern sass, nab this one, sit down with a glass of sweet tea, and enjoy! 5 Stars!

4.8 lovely stars

This is a happy, feel good book. I thoroughly enjoyed the journey from their first meeting to the end. Ronan, having lost his fiance and career in a car wreck, was closed off and considered football his life and only anchor. In walks Nova...a force all on her own. She's lovely, fun, confident and a beautiful person. Watching her heal his heart was lovely. The side characters were amazing and hopefully will get a book of their own. I loved her sister Sabine and her first crush Tuck. Tuck would make such an amazing main male character, even if he and Sabine don't remain together. They are very young afterall but wow, he was all sorts of swoony sweet!