Get ready to fall in love with Nova and Ronan who are the Beauty and the Baller. A chance meeting two years ago at a party begins the journey of this tale.
Ronan Smith is a man at the top of his game, has found the love of his life and a tragic night ends it all. Nova is a woman that has beauty, brains, moxie, sass and so much heart. A chance meeting at a party two years before begins the tale of these two characters.
Now fate has reunited them in a small town with a whole boat load of quirky, nosy small-town neighbors.
Nova and Ronan are sweet, funny, have wonderful witty banter, steamy and have so many emotions surrounding them. I wanted to just crawl into their small town and watch this all unfold.
Loved them and their world!
~~Michele McMullen ~~

God I've missed Ilsa's words so much.

When she said she was going to be releasing a new book I was like I don't even need to read the blurb because I know it's going to be amazing and boy oh boy was it just that.

Ilsa just sucks you right into her books and you just have to read them in one sitting because you just need to know more and more. That's what happened to me whilst reading Beauty and the Baller.

The first meeting between Ronan and Nova was brilliant. I wouldn't have the balls to do what Nova did. But what happened later on I was like oh no that's not good.

I felt sorry for Ronan with having the trauma he had and his NFL career ending. Nova had endured loss and then having to look after her younger sister(who I absolutely loved).

The story was just heartwarming. It was filled with all the love, a little angst, some heartache thrown in and the friendships. All the characters were amazing, the writing was beautiful, it had some very steamy parts and the chemistry was wowzers.

Fake relationship romances are a hit or miss with me, but Ilsa Madden-Mills's new standalone from Montlake wasn't just a hit, it was one heck of a spectacular touchdown. Beauty and the Baller is set in the small Texas town of Blue Belle and pairs up a retired football player turned high school football coach with a former homecoming queen. When the time came for Ronan Smith to retire after an illustrious career, going from player to coach seemed like the best option. Of course, the hope was to be a coach of a pro team, but for now, it would do. He's treated like royalty by the town, pinning all their dreams on this former superstar player and champion. His neighbor, however, isn't too keen on him. Nova Morgan has no problem putting him in his place. It's clear she doesn't have a high opinion of him, but her dislike appears to be more deeply rooted. But Ronan would rather be in a fake relationship with Nova than being forced into a real one with any of the women the booster club shoves his way. Surprising them both, Nova agrees. But what happens when it begins to feel all too real between them and Ronan's past reminds him that loss can feel just as real as love?

This book brought me such great joy! I read Nova and Ronan's story in one sitting, and for good reason. Ilsa Madden-Mills has penned a romance that may have a well-worn trope but has added her own wonderfully creative touch to it. This was a lighthearted read, one that elicited silly grins and outright bursts of laughter from me, but it also had a touch of angst to it, particularly due to Ronan's past. The supporting characters were a hoot, and I was glad that there was no one who was notably vile or evil. That isn't to say that the journey to a happy ending for the main characters was free of issues and complications. Sometimes, we need the reminder that while the path we're on may not be the one we saw ourselves on years ago, it could very well be the right one today. From start to finish, I simply sat back and enjoyed the heck out of this book. I became quite attached to Nova and Ronan and the rest of the cast, and if I could give this book more stars, I would. Beauty and the Baller gets five-plus stars and has easily joined my list of top favorite reads for 2022.

4.5 stars

I thoroughly enjoyed this really great second-chance sports romance. It was a little different from the normal sportsman/jock story. As Ronan's professional career was over and he was now a small-town coach. Nova meets Ronan again when she has to move back home. Shock and realization happen, after the second meeting. You'll understand totally when you read it.

From the second they meet again, Nova just knows it was fated but it takes a cautious, broken, and scared Ronan sometime. This book was a joy to read. The characters all of them and not just the main ones were brilliant. All of them bring a special twist to the story. Especially Nova's sister Sabine, she is a brilliant and bright character. The banter and fun in this book are great. The emotions it bought out were just enough to keep this book balanced. With just enough Happy and sadness. What more could a geek ask for but a little Star Wars thrown to spice up some fun and games.

I really recommend this book and author. I've only read a couple of books and I need to rectify that and soon.

Em um momento ruim da vida de Ronan ele se deixou levar em um encontro casual com Nova, que poderia ser uma baita distração para ele, já que a fantasia de Leia Organa fez a mente dele voar longe, só que esse encontro não foi memorável da melhor forma possível.

Agora eles se reencontram em Blue Belle, em que agora quem está em um momento difícil é a Nova, que perdeu sua mãe e juntou os caquinhos de sua antiga vida em Nova York para criar sua irmã mais nova. Eles são vizinhos, e entram em um acordo de falso relacionamento, que é mais vantajoso para Ronan, já que ele é o solteiro mais cobiçado da cidade e não quer criar raízes por ali.

O livro foi uma onda de me ajustar ao que ele parecia ser, quando peguei a e-arc imaginei que se tratava de uma comédia romântica, mas o início do livro pareceu que ia indicar que seria um drama, daí o resto do livro pesou mais para comédia romântica e me animou para a leitura.

Gostei de como a história tem muito coração, em que boa parte dos personagens são enxeridos na vida dos outros por boa vontade, e a Nova e o Ronan são chave de mudanças positivas na escola que trabalham, Nova fica atenta ao seu aluno que está tendo um luto tão recente quanto o seu, enquanto o Ronan treina seu time de futebol americano de forma leve e positiva.

Não fosse pela presença do plot de rivalidade feminina - a Melinda só aparece para rivalizar e querer a atenção do Ronan -, Beauty and the Baller teria uma avaliação um pouco melhorzinha, outro ponto que desanimou, foi que por mais que eu me divertisse com a Nova e o Ronan e achar que eles funcionam bem, eu não vi faísca alguma pulando pelas páginas, sabe aquela faísca torando na hora dos flertes? Não notei nada!

⭐⭐⭐⭐💫 Southern Belle Stars

🎧 Audiobook Review 🎧

It's been a year since I've read one of Ilsa's books, and I really enjoyed my way back to all the small town vibe that she's good at creating.

There's a few tropes on this one, that I love to entertain myself with every now and then, like second chance, grumpy/sunshine, fake dating, small town, sports romance, and all that cliche around a good and funny rom-com.

Nova and Ronan met when he had hit rock bottom on his personal and professional life.
She came in for him like a blazing star and their connection was instant, until he messed up and she left.

When they meet up again two years later, both of them are in different places of their lives, and even though he doesn't remember her, their sparkle and chemistry are still the same!

I loved how strong, witty, honest and confident Nova was! All their interactions were entertaining and funny, and their little games put a smile on my face at every page turned (listened 😂).

I could understand Ronan's fears and insecurities about planting roots and having a relationship after what he had been through, but it broke my heart nonetheless when he still couldn't let himself fall for the girl that was there for him, with open arms and heart!

Their love story is messy, sweet, funny, hot and definitely worth reading!
Nova and Ronan are 100% swooning material!

All the side characters just added more personality to this book, and I still think of them as something out of a comedy movie, cause their mannerisms are to die for! 😂😂

Highly recommend it for your swoon and funny mood!

🎧 About the Audiobook Narration 🎧

Narrated by Savannah Peachwood and Sebastian York.
Savannah is a favorite, no doubts here! She can go sweety to feisty with or without a southern accent and it's pretty well done!
Sebastian is a great match for a grumpy character like Ronan, cause it fits really well with his gravely voice, but he can't do female voices to save his life! It's not good, even if his interpretation is. 😂😂

This was a super cute, fun, sports romance. It had some of my favourite tropes in it including second chance, enemies to lovers and fake dating.

I loved the comedy in the book it had some laugh out loud moments and I was such a big fan of the side characters, especially Sabine, the footballers, Caleb and Mrs Meadows, they definitely added some fun to the scenes. I found Nova a little annoying at the beginning but she grew on me and I enjoyed the intensity and broodiness of Ronan.

Whilst Beauty and the Baller contained some of my favourite tropes I did think there was something missing from the overall storyline. Like I’m not sure what the point of the fake dating was it didn’t really work and seemed a bit odd. There also wasn’t much of plot to be honest. Obviously stuff happened but at the same time not really. The chemistry between Nova and Ronan also didn’t really click for me but I did enjoy their banter.

I liked that this was a second chance romance and Ronan was able to get past his fears and grief. Ronan and Nova definitely wouldn’t have worked if they had got together after the first night. The tension between the two at the beginning was fun but it didn’t really last.

If you are looking for a fun, easy sports romance read with second chance love then this could be a great book for you. It just didn’t quite blow me away as much as I was hoping!

*Thank you NetGalley & Social Butterfly PR for sending me a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review*

<b>Sometimes you get lost and then found in unexpected places</b>

Let's start with, I LOVE this cover!

This is my 4th football book this month and my favorite. The book starts with a bang of a night for Nova and Ronan, but where Ronan is trying to hold on to a life he no longer has, Nova thought she was finding her person.

We skip ahead a couple of years, these two happen to be new neighbors and the hostility between them is downright comical. I fell in love with their banter and the care they had for those around them. The connection between Nova and Ronan is entertaining and delicious. The fake relationship is one of my favorite tropes and Ilsa did it right, a perfect addition to her catalog.

Can I just say I LOVED that River Tate was mentioned in this book because The Revenge Pact is one of my absolute favs!

This was an entertaining read. Im usually either all in or not at all when it comes to fake relationship reads. This one had me somewhere in the middle of both. Im a tad bit sad as I’m usually a BIG Ilsa fan but this one took me a while to grasp my attention. I think it has to do with Ronan’s past, usually a character that is jaded for traumatic past like Ronan’s is very hard to like or read in my opinion.

Regardless the read was entertaining at most. Some quirky moments and sexy times. Cant complain about either or.

Nova was a good average female lead, what I liked the most is how she uprooted her life to become her sister’s guardian and moving back to a place she swore off of.

Nova and Ronan where Good together, even if there first meeting was somewhat questionable. My biggest takeaway was that Ronan was a huge Star Wars fan like myself.

I feel like living in a town of 10,000 in Texas makes me the expert on if this book is worth the read and I would say it’s as good as a Dr. Pepper and Homemade Vanilla Blue Bell float. Ilsa Madden-Mills is an automatic read for me every time and this book delivered a perfect blend of humor, heat and heart. Nova and Ronan connecting and healing over their grief and getting a perfect HEA in the epilogue was everything. I appreciated the ASD/ND representation with Sabine’s character because that is near to my heart and would love to see more authors do the same.

I adore Ilsa’s books. I always go into them knowing I’m going to get pulled into the pages. This one didn’t disappoint. Ronan and Nova gave me all the feels. A broken-down quarterback who had the world at his fingertips and lost it all and a former beauty queen down in life come together to give this story its magic. A small town, sports, second-chance romance all rolled in one. Now a Ilsa book would not be complete without a few chuckles and some belly laughs and she nailed the pass on that one. Star Wars, goats, lice…. (Commences chuckle). This is a heartwarming, feel-good romance, one that pulls you away from the real world for awhile and leaves you with a smile on your face. Can’t wait to see what she comes up with next!

I loved this book. I loved that Ronan is such a great coach. He wants his team to win but he also cares that they do the right thing and make the right decisions. And he also cares that they learn.
I loved the relationship between Nova and her sister. Her sister isn’t like everyone but Nova doesn’t resent that she’s left to take care of her sister. She cares and wants to make the right decisions by her.
Ronan has been through a lot. He’s had some big loses in his life and its understandable why he is the way he is.
I really enjoyed the teachers sneaking off to closets. I thought it was funny. They act like teenagers.
This had all the feels and emotions.
I highly recommend this book.

So many feelings explode off the pages of this book and embed themselves into your heart. My heart is bursting after reading this. It has the perfect balance of sweetness, hilarity, and sizzling hot chemistry. There are also heartbreaking, heartwarming, and emotional moments. It is about a disastrous one-night stand and a twist of fate that lands them in the same small town and next-door neighbors, no less.

There's a sinfully sexy and talented NFL player turned high school coach with a Star Wars obsession, and Nova, a former beauty queen who is down on her luck and looking for a job. The hero has experienced an unimaginable tragedy that has left him broken, both physically and emotionally. The heroine has experienced loss and a bad break-up as well that has left scars. After the loss of her mother, she quits her job, is broke, and is forced to return to her hometown and care for her autistic sister, Sabine, and their strange cat who acts more like a dog. Imagine her shock when she finds out that her former one-night stand, Ronan is now her next-door neighbor. Throw in Lois, their meddling neighbor, who is trying to get Ronan married to one of the local beauties. What ensues is a fake relationship, lots of laughs, sexy times, and witty banter. The road to their HEA is a heartbreaking and bumpy one but they do get there and it is a beautiful HEA! I loved it from beginning to end. I couldn't get enough of these unique, quirky characters and their inspirational story. I highly recommend reading this book! It is one of my top favorites this year!

4.5 stars
I love slow burn romances. They give the relationship room to grow and evolve. The way this story was written just held my attention the entire time! This is one of the best romances written by Ilsa Madden-Mills.

In this one, we meet a very likable heroine, except she had a very specific type - athletes! Nova always went for ball players. Nova seemed uninterested in long term relationships but it is because she expected them to leave her at some point. That’s until she met her favorite football player Ronan and she just couldn’t kick her feelings for him. Ronan on the other hand was clear that he never wants to be in love again. So they embark on a “let’s just kick it for now. Those never end well Nova and Ronan had to decide if they could overcome their fears and go all in.

Ronan and Nova were both likable characters and their insecurities came from a traumatic loss. So their hesitancy was understandable. Ronan was such a good guy and I just felt for his pain. It explained his reluctance to fully commit to anyone. You couldn’t help but root for them though. And their supporting casts really added flavor to this story. The secondary characters added a fullness to the main characters life and their love story too.

I felt like the school community formed a make shift family and so there are opportunities for personal and professional growth in the midst of a romance. I was very happy with the ending because this book was just as beautiful as the cover.

A set up to bring a man on the brink of oblivion back to life. Dressed as his biggest fantasy come to life Nova meets Ronan for a night neither one will ever forget, that is until she wishes she could. Years later, she comes back home where her one one night is now her neighbor and he truly doesn’t remember what she wishes she could forget.
A romance that will have you in stitches, while you read how this brilliant woman not only shows him how to live again but he brings her back to life in return. A romance to rival all romanc

I really enjoyed this book, I couldn't stop smiling while reading. Besides, all the tropes that the book has made me so happy.
Sports romance
Grumpy=sunshine
Second Chance
Fake Dating
Small town

4.5 STARS!

"Who are you gorgeous?"
Silence, thick and sweet, stretches between us. "Yours."

Well, well, well, I do love a book that hits the ground running and this one HELLA does!

Nova waltzes into Ronan's party one night dressed head to toe as Princess Leia, while he is a HUGE Star Wars buff. Coincidence? Well, you'll have to read to find out. But they share an instant connection and I was so here for it. I'm not usually a fan of the couple hooking up at the start of the book but it SOOOO worked here. In fact, I don't see how this story would've worked without it!

It is major love and chemistry and HOTNESS at first sight. However, Ronan, who at the time is still grieving his late fiancée, pulls a major faux pas that abruptly ends the evening and the short-lived relationship.

It's two and a half years later and Nova lands herself back home after the death of her mother to her small town to care for her sister where none other than Ronan is her neighbor and soon, colleague at school too.

This book had all the components I love:

- Sexiness
- Small town
- Banter
- Hilarious secondary characters with dimension
- Second chance
- Friday night lights -- He's a high school football coach!

They definitely had their share of obstacles, but there was no stupid drama or misunderstandings. Just all around sweetness and fun. This was my first read by this author, but it will most certainly not be my last. (I picked up the paperback of Dear Ava immediately after finishing this.)

While the story centers around the romance, I loved the added message of self discovery and how, at the start, neither one of them wanted to be in Blue Belle, but how that evolves by the end...be still my heart!!

"I knew exactly which road to take, and it was back to you."

Would recommend this book to fans of:

Penny Reid's Homecoming King
Tessa Bailey's Too Hard to Forget
Friday Night Lights the NBC TV show

En bref, j'avais beaucoup aimé les précédents romans de l'autrice que j'avais pu découvrir et celui-ci ne m'a pas fait défaut. Ronan et Nova sont tous les deux touchants et attachants, ils vont nous faire vibrer avec eux, nous faire rire et parfois avoir les larmes aux yeux, j'ai aimé les voir se battre pour ce qui compte pour eux et vouloir aller au bout de leurs rêves. Ils vont devoir faire face à des décisions qui pourraient changer leurs vies et forcément, le tout n'est pas évident à négocier après les drames qu'ils ont vécu. Ils apprennent à faire confiance et à apprécier l'autre, j'ai aimé l'intrigue et ses rebondissements et le final qui est vraiment très chouette ! Deux personnages attachants et vibrants qui nous donnent le sourire !!

This was such a wonderful book. I immediately loved Ronan, and Nova was the exact bright light he needed in his life. Their chemistry and the way they cared for each other was so sweet. Another touch down from Ilsa.

This was a really sweet grumpy and sunshine romance. Once I started reading, I wasn’t able to stop! This is a really steamy and fun read! The characters are great and I loved their connection. This book was so great and had a little bit of everything in it. I highly recommend checking it out!