Cute story that was easy to read. I jumped right in and didn’t let up till the end. Super enjoyable and not one you have to think to hard about.

I think this may be my favorite book by Ilsa Madden Mills, and I don’t say that lightly. This book had absolutely everything I look for in a romance. I devoured it in one sitting and now I can’t wait to see what’s next! Fantastic RomCom with all the feels!

Beauty and the Baller encompasses all the best things about a small town sports romance. Ronan and Nova have a chance encounter that leads to an awkward one night stand. Flash forward a few years, Nova is moving back home to Blue Belle to take care of her teenage sister after her mother's unexpected death. Her new next door neighbor is famous ex football player turned high school coach, Ronan. In order to keep all the townspeople from throwing their single daughters at him, he proposes that Nova fake date him. Of course, they catch feelings pretty quickly.
I absolutely love a small town high school football romance and this is one of the best that I've read. This book had such a fun characters. The author made the secondary characters just as entertaining and interesting. I loved the autism representation in Nova's sister. The witty banter and heckling between Nova and Ronan felt like such a real relationship. Plenty of steamy scenes and lots of chemistry. I can't wait to try some of Ilsa Madden-Mills other books.

Tropes include: small town, sports, second chance, fake dating, forced proximity
Thank you to NetGalley, MontLake, and Ilsa Madden-Mills for giving me and ARC in exchange for my honest review.

What I liked about “Beauty and the Baller”, by Ilsa Madden-Mills (Montlake):
The main characters, including a brooding, wounded hero. The side characters, too.
The love story.
The autism representation.
The sports and the Texas small town universes.
The family and friendship bonds.

What I disliked:
The sometimes boring dialogue.
The glorification of the perfect body.
The clichés and excessive drama.

I felt a bit frustrated because the ”I’ve loved you for years” trope felt a bit thin.

Beauty and the Baller, first off this cover definitely caught my eye and I do enjoy reads from this author. Then I saw the tropes and had to read it immediately! Contemporary, sports romance, small town, fake dating, second chance (one night stand 2.5 years prior).

Ronan Smith is a former NFL quarterback superstar who got into a car accident which lead to the end of his career and the death of his fiancée a year ago when the story starts. He is downing some drinks at a NY bar when in walks a gorgeous blonde dressed up as Princess Leia, complete with gold bikini. They share one hot night together but Ronan is a mess and when he wakes up the next morning she’s gone and he never got her name. He decides that next morning that it’s about time he gets his life together.

2 and a half years later, the story cuts to Nova. Former homecoming queen, Nova has moved back to her hometown of Blue Belle, Texas after her mother passed away. Nova is now looking after her 15-year-old sister Sabine, a hairless cat named Sparky, and trying to find a job. She meets her neighbor, the highschool football coach who happens to be Ronan, her one-night-stand who doesn’t even recognize her at first! Nova ends up getting a job at the highschool teaching English part time and then the other half of her time working as the personal assistant to Coach Ronan. He’s desperate for help in his office and his personal life, the local booster club (and entire town) has been throwing women at him in hopes of keeping their beloved football coach around longer. He suggests he and Nova fake date to help him and also help her since her ex from highschool is also working at the school.

This definitely had some fun moments, lots of Star Wars references (Ronan is a major fan wish lots of memorabilia around his house, while Nova has never seen a movie). They play a lot games together that turn steamy, darts and pool and sneaking around in closets around the school together. Their fake dating leads to real dating pretty quickly but the whole time the chance of Ronan leaving for bigger and better looms over them. I do enjoy small town romances and seeing all the side characters who play a big part in their lives, the neighbors, coworkers, Nova’s old highschool friends, her sister, his football team, the students. I did at times feel like there was a lot going on and wished we had more time focused on just Nova and Ronan together. It had its charming moments but it also had moments where I wasn’t as into (teachers sneaking around/hiding out in school closets to vape, the lice, her highschool ex, the women going so hard for the hero all the time). While not my favorite by this author I think if you enjoy small town, sports, fake dating with a second chance romance, then this book will definitely hit the spot!

Thank you to the publisher (Montlake) for an e-ARC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest thoughts & review. Beauty and the Baller has a publish date of March 29, 2022.

Nova Morgan is back in her home town of Blue Belle, Texas. After living in New York for a number of years, the death of her mother brings her back to town to help take care of her teenage sister. When Nova moves back, she definitely did not expect her one night stand and former NFL quarterback Roan Smith to be her neighbor.

After being star quarterback for the New York Python's, an injury left Ronan unable to play. Not only did he lose his football career, but also the love of his life and fiancee in a harrowing car accident. After too much drinking and partying, Ronan is loving coaching high school football. What he's not loving so much is the meddling townsfolk who think if they get Ronan to settle down and marry then he won't leave them for green pastures.

When Ronan's spunky new neighbor gives him sass, he can't help but think he remembers her. But from where? And when did they meet? Ronan and Nova's chemistry is off the charts, and they end up getting even closer when Nova lands a job as his assistant and English teacher at the high school. For the best interest in all parties involved (heh), Ronan proposes the idea of fake dating. This way the boosters will leave Ronan alone and Nova can show her ex-boyfriend that she's moved on. Will this plan backfire when they start to develop real feelings?

Beauty and the Baller had everything I love in a romance. It had: fake dating, forced proximity, a second chance romance with plenty of humor and enough angst to make my heart catch. I love Ilsa Madden-Mill's writing and this was no exception.

Nova and Ronan were such well rounded characters and I immediately felt their connection to one another. The meddling townsfolk, the secondary characters - everyone added something special to this plot and I loved Beauty and the Baller even more for it! I can't wait to read this book again!

CW: death of a loved one (off page), themes of grief and loss, cheating (secondary character).

Feedback: DNF

Unfortunately this romance didn't work for me, so I did not finish it. My review will explain in detail what didn't work for me.


Mein Leseerlebnis

Da ich in den letzten Monaten bereits Bücher der Autorin gelesen habe, habe ich vor dem Lesen von “Beauty and the baller” auf eine Leseprobe verzichtet. Denn ich war davon überzeugt, dass mich der Schreibstil der Autorin und der Aufbau der Geschichte nicht negativ überraschen würden. Rückblickend war es definitiv ein Fehler, auf eine Leseprobe zu verzichten. Lasst euch das bitte eine Lehre sein.

Gleich das erste Kapitel des Buches fand ich befremdlich und wenig einladend. Das Buch startet mit dem Kennenlernen der beiden Hauptcharaktere und die Art und Weise des ersten Treffens war so gar nicht mein Fall (Leseprobe!!!!).

Das zweite Kapitel setzt rund zweieinhalb Jahre später ein. Mittlerweile hat sich im Leben der Hauptcharaktere so einiges getan, meine Probleme mit der Geschichte hat das leider nicht gemindert. Der Schreibstil konnte mich nicht einfangen und das Leben der Charaktere hat mich nicht interessiert.

Das sich das auch im Verlauf der nächsten Kapitel nicht geändert hat und die Geschichte komplett an mir vorbeigelaufen ist, habe ich das Buch nach sieben Kapiteln abgebrochen

- keine Bewertung -

Für wen?

Schaut vor dem Kauf unbedingt in eine Leseprobe rein. Findet ihr den Einstieg ins Buch gelungen, dann könnte der Roman für euch besser geeignet sein als für mich.

Generell sollte man von den Büchern der Autorin eher eine leichte, kurzweilige Unterhaltung und nicht mehr erwarten.

I'm honestly torn. I did like this book for the most part, but there were a few things that really bothered me.

First off, I really enjoyed the relationship between the two leads: Ronan and Nova. Especially the time frame in which Nova knows that Ronan and her have a past and Ronan is trying to put the pieces together. Plus the fake dating to stop Small-Town, TX from matchmaking was fun!

The "Bless This Book's Heart" moment comes when the high school becomes a setting. Most of the main adult cast is somehow involved in the high school, which could've been fun. But, the teachers often end up feeling more like high school students breaking rules than actual teachers. Especially when they are constantly using school storage closets to vape and make out during school hours (which is against most school policies). Unfortunately, this really detracted from the book for me. But if this won't bother you, you'll probably really like this one!

All in all, this was a cute rom-com! Many thanks to Netgalley and Montlake for the eARC!

4.75 Stars

Nova and Ronan.

Two and a half years ago Ronan didn't have a good night at his football team's party. He was still grieving his fiancée and his professional football career - both of which he lost in a car accident the year before.
But that night he was dared to have some fun by his best friend Tuck ... and so he spent an amazing night with this mysterious stranger. She was gone the next morning and he was so drunk that he didn't ask her name ... he didn't even remember her face. He might've even called her by his ex-fiancée's name. Whoops.

Now he's living in a small texan town coaching the highschool football team.

Nova is back in her little hometown to take care of her teenaged sister after their mom died. She's also coincidentally living next door to the new highschool football coach - who still doesn't remember her!

And this new neighbor kinda asks her to be his fake girlfriend - because the whole town is trying to find him a wife to make him stay!

LET THE FUN TIMES BEGIN ...

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ADORABLE
This was a sweet and funny and adorable footbally small town love story with some very sad & emotional parts thrown in. I really loved reading this.

I think that I've read a million sexy and funny & heartbreaking sports romances. BUT - I love those books! I love football and small town romances. And this one was just adorable!

I could've done without the dead fiancée - those things are always a bit too sad and silly for my tastes. But it wasn't too bad here - it's been over three years since she died and they only knew each other nine months before she died - she wasn't his highschool sweetheart or anything like that. But still - they loved each other and it's always weird to root for the new girl.

BUT - I really loved this story. It was so sweet and sunshiney-texasy-smalltownish. I loved the sister and the kids at school and the friends and the pets ...

I need Tuck's story next please!

► BEAUTY AND THE BALLER was such a funny + adorable + sexy + heartbreaking small town Texas football romance! I loved it! Run to your nearest amazon for your own RONAN - this one is MINE!

Beauty and the Baller by Ilsa Madden-Mills a five-star read that will knock your socks off. I adored this story, much like I also adore Yellow Roses (I love them so much they were my wedding flowers). But I digress this story is about Nova and Ronan, they both shine in different ways, and together they create a blinding light. There are so many characters in this story that I simply adored and would love to hear more from, Sabine was one that made me chuckle and made me smile, her openness was done so well. This was such a great and encompassing story it had me wanting to dig out old family jam recipes and also role around in the closet!! Do not miss this amazing story, it’s got some sports, some passion, but most of all its got heart.

I love when a small-town romance is done right and this is one of them. These two met for one night of fun and then reconnect two years later when they become neighbors in a small town. Their story is steamy, and the pretend dating trope adds to their banter. I’ve never read a book with a former beauty queen, tie that with a former NFL quarterback, and you’ve got a really special dynamic!

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!

Easily a favorite for 2021! There's always a draw for me when it comes to Ilsa's books and this one was a book that I absolutely loved. Hands down, zero arguments from me.

I've been seeing this one circulate and when I finally picked it up, I went in blind. And that was he best decision for me.

This packed in more emotion than I thought it would and it definitely had me crying a little bit.

We have two people that were on two different emotion lengths when they first met. Ronan was still very much grieving what he lost, but seeing the beauty that was Nova caused a spark in him that he didn't get to explore more during their passionate yet slightly sad meeting.

Fast forward 2.5 years later and these two are thrown into each other's life. The electricity still buzzing from the both of them, but definitely plenty to work through before more was to come.

I honestly wasn't expecting the fake relationship trope in which they both benefited from to ward off some people that simply wouldn't stay away. I was just in awe of how effortless things were between them to pretend. And I knew it wouldn't take long before things started to blur and I was quite eager for it.

In their efforts to keep up the relationship facade, a quick friendship was forming and I loved that just as much. They were soooo fun together and I loved hearing about all the shenanigans that Nova got into when she was a kid.

Beauty and the Baller was very much a book that my heart needed at the time. From the story to the characters, and the comical banter, it was an instant love for me.

He was top NFL quarterback but after a car accident he lost his fiance and his ability to play again . He meets her in a club will she is dressed as Princess Leia , they spent the night together and then she disappear . After two years he is a coach in a highschool in her home town and she is his neighboor . The booster club want to find him a wife so he ask her to pretend they are dating . For how long will they play hide and seek with their feelings ?
I received this book from net galley and the publisher as an ARC. Thank you! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing for a free ARC of Beauty and the Baller in exchange for an honest review. This book comes out on March 29, 2022.

Rating: 4 star
Genre: Steamy Romance

This was a steamy romance read. I enjoyed the story and the characters in this one. I also liked the small-town setting. If you like steamy romance, you will enjoy this one! It is available with Kindle Unlimited too!

Great book! This is the kind of book that I've always read,but lately I'll only read mystery thriller! When I saw this authors book I said well ill have to read this one! Lol normally I can't even get through the first chapter! Not sure why but I can't do the ROM coms! But this one changed my mind! Maybe now I can go back?! Not sure but this book had it all! It was funny yet heartfelt! The storyline was so very interesting! I highly recommend reading this book! Its well worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me! And a big thank you to Ilsa Madden-Mills for your amazing words! And for bringing back romcoms to me lol