If there’s one thing I love it’s a sports romance where he’s a reformed playboy!!!!

If you like football, friends to lovers, forced proximity (they’re roommates), and a reformed playboy End Game is for you!!!

This is the first book in Monica’s new series, Kings of Campus! I had such a fun time with Nico and Everleigh and cannot wait to see what the rest of the series has in store!!!

En bref, j'ai adoré Nico et Ever même si leur histoire reste assez simple dans l'ensemble. Ils sont touchants, attachants, nous font vibrer avec eux et j'ai adoré le côté lent de leur romance et la manière dont ils se rapprochent petit à petit. Impossible de le poser avant de l'avoir terminé et j'ai aimé les personnages secondaires qui apportent un plus à l'histoire et dont je suis curieuse de lire les romances. En tout cas cette première est géniale et je ne peux que vous conseiller de tomber amoureux de Nico ! (Ever n'est pas mal dans son genre aussi)

after Everleigh apartment has been rented out to someone else. she is desperate to find a place after hearing a conversation not knowing who they were. Ask if she can rent the room on But Nico being suspicious not knowing she is new in town.
So they agree Ever was going to cook 3 meals. Nico and Ever have an attraction toward each other and they are denying each other feelings because they dont want to feel akward or disrupt the dynamic of there living situation. they keep to themselve until they can and explore their feelings.
Then Ever suffer an accident and she pushes Nico away but he doesnt he helps and support her.

End Game is the first book in the new Kings of Campus series. Everleigh aka Ever is a transfer student and hoping for a real college experience. She doesn’t start out too well though. Her housing gets canceled and her car broken into. Down on her luck she meets a group of guys, football players that have an empty room. She agrees to cook for them and they agree to let her rent their room. Nico was looking forward to an uncomplicated football season, and a gorgeous roommate who is temptation personified living under his roof wasn't part of that plan. I found myself enjoying all the secondary characters way more, I was more invested in them.

If you like football, friends to lovers, forced proximity (they’re roommates), and a reformed playboy End Game is for you.

4.5⭐️ | 2🌶️

What to expect:
• Friends to lovers
• Opposites attract
• Close proximity
• Football player
• Slow burn
• Found family
• Dual pov

Review:
This book kicks off the ‘Kings of Campus’ series by Monica Murphy and let me tell you…you’re going to be obsessed! This slow-burn college romance will bring plenty of giggles and swooning, and also some love x hate emotions towards the side characters.

Everleigh (the FMC), a transfer student, finds herself in a housing pickle, but thanks to some conveniently loud football players, she lands an unexpected spot as their new roommate. Living with a pack of burly footballers? What could possibly go wrong?

The friendship that blossoms between Ever and the guys was one of the highlights for me—especially all of them doing yoga together! Picture a group of football players attempting downward dog! It was just as hilarious as it sounds.

Nico, on the other hand, is the quintessential mix of brooding jock and swoon-worthy romantic. As a senior, he's laser-focused on his football career and the future—basically, he's got tunnel vision, and the last thing he needs is a distraction.

But, in a classic case of "the heart wants what it can't have," Ever waltzes into his life and gets under his skin. The chemistry between them is so electric you could power a city with it, and their tension builds throughout the book. Nico's battle to juggle his high-flying ambitions with his growing feelings for Everleigh adds a whole new level of emotional depth to the story, turning it from a typical sports romance into a rollercoaster of feels.

The side characters brought a lot of life to the story, and I’m especially eager to dive into Gav and Sienna’s storyline. I wanted to smack Gavin on the head several times so I really hope he gets his act together soon! Coop is quite a cutie too and my heart aches for Dollar (P.S. Monica please give us his book which ends with little dollars or cents 😂)

If you're in the mood for a fun, flirty read with just enough drama, ‘End Game’ it pretty much it!

Everleigh is a transfer student who just is having the worst luck and after a pretty crappy string of events, she ends up asking a group of guys (who are actually extremely popular football players) to rent out their spare room.
This story is told in dual POV between Ever & Nico. Being that she moved in with a group of football players, you already know you get some pretty good insight when it comes to the side characters and the potential future books in the Kings of Campus series.

While Nico and Ever wasn't my favorite relationship I have ever read, it was a cute one and I did find my self actually laughing out loud at some points. It was also a very fast paced, quick read. Although it is fast paced, it is a slow burn when it comes to the relationship between Nico and Ever because he is not the type that does serious relationships and she is absolutely set on NOT taking it there with one of her roommates. I believe that I would have enjoyed this book more and maybe appreciated Ever & Nico more if the story was a little bit longer. I just didn't feel connected to the main characters much. It was still a quick, fun read.

I will say that I am very excited for Gavin and Sienna's story (because who doesn't love a brothers best friend- am I right?).

TROPES:
Forced Proximity (roommates)
College Football
Slow Burn
Found Family

❤~🌟~❤ 4.5 CAPTIVATING STARS! ❤~🌟~❤

“You always want what you can’t have. And right now, I want my roommate.”

Monica Murphy scores a mega touchdown with END GAME, the first rousing romance in her Kings of Campus series!

This is my first read by this author but it most certainly won’t be my last! I love me a spirited college football romance and END GAME definitely checked off all my boxes. Clearly Ms. Murphy has a gift for writing NA because the authenticity of her writing blew me away. She really encapsulated the college experience and the cool Gen Z vibe so well that it made me nostalgic for the good ol’ days of drunken hookups, jampacked football stadiums, late night study sessions and wild and crazy keggers!

END GAME truly sucked me in from the start and is chock full of witty banter, love and laughter, steamy sexual tension …and warm gooey feels! The setup of sweet, bashful college transplant, Everleigh Olmstead, rooming with three big, burly football players and falling for one housemate in particular—roguishly handsome star defensive player Nico Valente--was all kinds of fun! And the shenanigans that ensue between Ever and her rowdy roomies was hysterical and heartwarming all rolled into one delectable page turner !

While the romance between Nico and Everleigh does kind of unfold at a snail’s pace, honestly I didn’t really mind because they had oodles of chemistry, and I rooted for them every step of the way. And as far as book boyfriends go… at six feet plus, and packing two hundred pounds of rock-solid muscle, Nico is sooo hot and sexy, even when he’s being a bit of an alphahole in need of an attitude adjustment! But if this gorgeous baller with the panty melting smile could make ME combust by barely batting an eye, is it any wonder he had a whole entourage panting over him? But there was one exception. Everleigh. While she was hardly immune to his smooth-talking charm, she was no vapid fan girl and guess what? He kind of liked it that way,

And sure, his sweet, timid housemate was admittedly flustered in his presence, but she still manages to held her own against this big man on campus. Everleigh might have had a bit of misfortune lately, but she’s smart and resilient and incredibly kindhearted — and looks hot AF in her skintight yoga pants to boot. Which doesn’t go unnoticed by Nico. But she can’t afford to fall for her hunky roommate with the bad rep and surprise, surprise Nico’s not looking for a girlfriend either. Especially a gal who lives under his roof and shares a freaking bathroom with him. But then again, he’s always been tempted by the forbidden...

You can’t have a winsome college romance without a kick butt friend group and we get that in spades with this crew! I loved the camaraderie between Nico, Dollar, Coop and Gavin who might be huge and tough on the outside but are big softies down deep inside. I also adored how taken the teammates are with Everleigh, unabashedly welcoming her into their inner circle, and also dug the fast friendship that develops between Ever and Coop’s baby sis, Sienna as well.

As the story unfolds, I found it especially touching how Nico (and his bros) show a sweet, shy, achingly lonely Everleigh the true meaning of family, and how in turn, the pretty brunette instills a heathier lifestyle in the guys, all the while bringing a certain commitment phobe’s jealous possessive and uber protective streak to the fore. But of course, she and Nico both know that hooking up when they live together is playing with fire but YOWZA watching these two trying to douse their burning attraction was oh so electrifying!

But steamy sexual tension aside, I also really relished how real and relatable these two MCs are. Because the truth is both of them are far from perfect, especially Nico, who despite his charm and charisma acknowledges that he can be a bit of a hotheaded,, self-absorbed jerk at times . But Everleigh sees the real man underneath the hard muscled, Adonis exterior and falls for him anyway, flaws and all, especially since she knows he’s trying to redeem himself and be a better man…for her.

That said, I did get a little frustrated with the heroine at times. I felt that Everleigh holds Nico at arm’s length for a tad too long —due to her insecurities and self-doubt—and her constantly trying to friend zone him got a bit old after a while. I mean a hottie like Nico can only take so much rejection right?! But once these two both get past their hangups, and follow their hearts, the payoff is PURE BLISS.

BOTTOM LINE:
END GAME is fun, sexy, swoony football romance that had me cheering like a love crazed groupie! And now that Everleigh and Nico have finally found happiness together, I seriously can’t wait for all the other Kings of Campus to meet their perfect matches too.

A MUST read!

This story about 2 college aged students was a cute fast read but not really that exciting. What I liked the most was the dynamics between the main and secondary characters. I sincerely hope there are follow up stories with Frank, Coop, Sienna and Gavin.

The slow burn relationship between Everleigh and Nico was quite angsty since both have to navigate from a successful roommate situation to the unknown ramifications of an intimate relationship. But the pacing was REALLY slow in some parts. Unfortunately, both Ever and Nico were quite immature since neither were able to communicate their feelings and Ever’s insecurity did get tiresome. I would have liked more background on Everleigh which might have better explained her insecurity. Nico had a lot of growing up to do! He did show some emotional growth but I also think Everleigh and his friends let Nico get away with his apology too easily.

4.5⭐⁣
2 🌶️⁣
⁣
I LOVE Nico!!! I swooned and blushed a few times! Lol definitely at times, I want to shake Everleigh. Don't deny your feelings Everleigh!!! LOL End Game is definitely a slow burn. They have a hot few make out sessions, but I'd say this one is not spicy like her other football books. But I still really enjoyed it!! Totally recommend it!!!⁣
⁣
Everleigh moved to a different city for college and needed a place to rent. She overheard three good looking men talking about looking for a roommate, and she asked if she can rent the place. She was willing to cook for them to lower the payment. Lol totally adore her. She has guts to ask them. Lol I'd be eavesdropping and then be too scared to ask. Lol Nico and Everleigh were totally attracted to each other but because they're roommates, they're off limits. What happens when they can no longer keep their hands off one another? 😏

Ever and Nico are a cute couple. Although it took them a minute to figure that out. This is a friends/roommates to lovers, college, sports, romance. It’s the beginning of a new series. Book was slow in parts and then felt rushed in others. But in all, it was still a good book. But you really can’t go wrong with a Monica Murphy book. I am looking forward to the next book in the series. Which jock falls next?

📚 ARC Review 📚
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️

What wasn’t there to love about this book? Nico is a reformed playboy. They are roommates? And he plays football! I totally loved this book. The two main characters couldn’t be any better.

Just when Everleigh thinks things can’t get any worse. They find a way. She is now homeless, jobless, and her car has been broken into.

Nico and his roommates need one more roommate. Finding a legit and not a stalker or super fan can be tough.

Everleigh hears them talking and follows them. Pushing her luck she asks them to let her move in with them.

I am totally looking forward to reading the rest of this series!

This is book one of the Kings of Campus series.

Thank you Monica Murphy and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced readers copy of this book!

I ARC read this book and while I really loved the concept ( sports romance, roommates to lovers, reformed playboy) it sort of fell flat for me. The characters felt a little underdeveloped and the pacing was so fast. I personally prefer more detail and depth to the characters and their friendships and relationships. I love a good friend group with the jokey banter and getting to see the main characters interact with their friends and just be people. While Everleigh did become friends with Sienna, the few convos we see were either very short interactions about clothing while shopping, or a super brief surface conversation about the guys in their lives. The chemistry between the Nico and Everleigh just didn’t hit for me the way I wanted it too either but I think again that has more to do with me preferring a longer book with more detail. If you enjoy a fast paced romance then you’ll enjoy this one!

The playboy and shy sweetheart become roommates. What's the worst thing that could happen when you're sharing a bathroom with the star wide receiver and one of the kings on the campus?

This book was very cute and an easy read. Low angst/drama with a dash of spice.

End Game by Monica Murphy is the first book in her new Kings of Campus series. This is a college football romance between Nico Valente and Everleigh Olmstead. An easy to read story which moves along nicely as their relationship develops and new friendships are formed. We are also introduced to his teammates and the women they may or may not be interested in. Will Ever get the loving boyfriend and a found family she has always wanted? Can a man change for the right woman?

Ever has transferred to UC Santa Mira as a junior and has just found out her room has been rented out to someone else. Luckily while drowning her sorrows in coffee, she hears a group of guys discussing needing a new roommate. It doesn’t help that they are all good looking and one in particular stands out. She has no idea who they are and although nervous and scared, she follows them determined to convince them to let her stay.

The guys are teammates on the college Dolphins football team, loved and adored by everyone on campus. Nico aka Mr Handsome, is the bad boy of the team, growly and arrogant. He is a player who constantly flirts, uses his dazzling smile to get what he wants and only does hook ups. Frank Dollar aka Muffin Man, is currently injured but is desperate for a steady girlfriend. Cooper is the quite one, likes being single and has a sister Sienna, who is in love with their QB Gavin. They are all heartbreakers so having a girl living with them is a crazy idea. Nico is anti her staying but the other two persuade him on condition she cooks for them. All three are amazed she doesn’t know who they are.

As the four settle into a routine, Nico becomes obsessed with Ever but knows he always wants the one he can’t have. He’s confused how she doesn’t bow down to him and just treats him the same as the other two. Even though he’s cross at how she affects him, he quickly gets possessive of her, then wonders if she’s into him or only just friends. His reputation and behaviour precedes him and puts her off. She’s sure he is only going to cause her problems and heartache if they become more than friends.

Will yoga classes and nightly dinners reform our playboy? Will these roommates become lovers?
I loved how these guys take her under their wing and look after her. Nico and Ever get very frustrated over their feelings for each other and find it gets harder to keep up the pretence of being just friends? Everything comes to a head when he can’t keep his feelings under control any longer. Enjoy the will they or won’t they, the banter and the camaraderie of this group. A good start to a new series and I am looking forward to finding out about Gavin and Sienna. Can Dollar find a girl willing to give him a go and look after his heart and will anyone change Cooper’s mind?

End Game by Monica Murphy is first book in the new Kings of Campus series and it was so much fun. It's a sexy, fun football romance that you will love. I Liked it from the beginning.

A Five Star read and I Cannot wait tor read the next book in the series.

This book had a huge potential at the beginning I liked how the story started and that we get to see more than just two characters crushing on each other but as the story went the plot went down and it all started to get really boring especially because I’ve seen no development in characters at all. I wanted to finished it but by 80% I just had to stop because I didn’t care about any character or what will happen with them.

When Everleigh finds out her room has already been rented, after transferring schools, she's desperate to find a new place to live. She overhears 3 guys at a local coffee shop talking about needing to find a new roommate and instantly perks up. With the rent being more than she was expecting, she offers to cook and clean for the guys as well. They agree, and she moves in. Nico is one of the guys and doesn't know how to feel about the new girl moving in with them. They are both drawn to each other, but know it's not a good idea to start anything.
I really enjoyed this story. The chemistry between Everleigh and Nico was so strong from the start, and I loved seeing it build until there was no fighting it anymore. I'm hoping Coop, Dollar, and Gavin all get stories after reading this.

Wow! I mean yeah I totally expected that this book was going to be amazing but I didn’t expect it to blow my mind. Nico, our hero was just everything! When I say everything I mean this is a guy used to getting what he wants, without so much effort. Everleigh is the exception to his rule because she is friend zoning him left and right making his head spin. She becomes his exception to every scenario he ever envisioned for himself.
The dynamic of everyone in this book was perfection! I want more of them, what happens with Sienna and Gavin? How about Coop does he find his HEA and OMG Dollar… I need him to have his special someone!
Again this book was a total pleasure to read and Monica Murphy blew my mind yet again!

Glad to see Monica back in her football era! This book was fast-paced with a delicious slow burn. If you’re looking for your next coming of age, college football, roommates to lovers, forced proximity romance, then I definitely suggest adding this to your TBR.

After moving to town to attend college Everleigh’s housing situation falls through, and now she has nowhere to live. Overhearing a conversation between a group of guys in need of a roommate, she jumps at the opportunity and makes a deal to secure the room. But what happens when she starts falling for one of her roommates?

Watching Nico and Everleigh’s chemistry develop with the push and pull banter was perfect. Their stolen glances, their private moments, their jealous moments, and their secret obsession with each other solidified what young love and relationships can feel like in college. After some back and forth of trying to figure out their own feelings individually, they wind up finding love, understanding, and a safe place in each other.

And the relationships Everleigh developed with her roommates and Sienna were the perfect backdrop of this found family. I'm so excited for all of their own books!

Sports 🏈
College
Roommates
Grumpy sunshine

Everleigh wanted to leave her small town and explore college life. She left with the bare minimum. Her first experience was less than stellar after losing her place to live. Being in the right place at the right time lands her in a house with 3 gorgeous football players. One in particular, catches her eye, Nico.

At UCSM- football is everything. The players need security guards. They are treated like kings. Nico takes full advantage.
He is very confident in his abilities on and off the field. He knows he is handsome and het knows he is a great football player. As a senior, he wants to focus more so that he can play well enough to get drafted into the NFL. No distractions. Everleigh is a distraction.

He tries to fight his feelings and so does she. We all know how that goes. This is a highly entertaining story with great characters. The 4 roommates work well together in the story. They added humor and a sense of community. They’d friendship was encouraging. The other characters outside of the roommates were great too.

Great start to the series!