As the second book in The Darlings series from Ilsa Madden-Mills, I was a little worried I’d get lost since I hadn’t read the first book. Luckily, My Darling Jane gives enough backstory on the characters to make it read OK as a standalone. This story follows Jane Darling, a struggling entrepreneur who can’t seem to get her matchmaking business off the ground and Jasper Jannich, star quarterback and annoyingly frustrating “playboy”. At least, that’s how Jane sees him, but in all actuality, their playful banter has the makings for a connection Jane never could’ve seen coming. Jasper’s one goal? To win Jane’s heart, and he'll stop at nothing to get there. Overall, My Darling Jane is an easy-to-read, sweet sports romance.

3.5 stars rounded up

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for the opportunity to read this digital ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

The second in The Darlings series, this story focuses on Jane Darling (a lot less chaotic than her sister Emma). Jane, a single mom of Londyn, has kicked off her matchmaking business to mixed results. While trying to drum up some potential male clients in her Cupid style toga at the bar, she bumps into Jasper, her sister's husband's friend. I wouldn't term this a enemies to lovers story as it feels like there's a history that brings them pretty quick to the "lovers" point. Honestly, this book wasn't it for me. It was... fine. The characters were... okay. But I didn't feel like there was the same level of character development as what I saw in My Darling Bride. I don't know that I'd recommend this book given the plethora of sports star romances that are out there now. This was a bit of a bummer for me given that I've liked the other books I've read by Ilsa.

dear eva was my first book by this author and i absolutely loved it. i hate to admit that it wasn’t the case with my darling jane. i felt the story was a bit rushed at the beginning and i wanted better introduction to both characters as i haven’t read the previous book in the series. we also didn’t get flashbooks to their first kiss? it was just mentioned in one of jasper’s chapters. he tried to kiss jane and then she slapped him. i would’ve wanted to witness that in detail! also, jane and jasper hooking up that early left much to be desired. i also didn’t like the third act conflict as it involved a trope i dislike in romance… this had the chance to be a phenomenal read but alas…

thank you netgalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review! <3

Jane a single mom who is starting and struggling with her business which is matchmaking she is trying to sign up new clients she can help find love. Enter Jasper is a Quarterback who is sweet and caring and love his family. He wants Jane and is trying to woo her but her life is complicated and doesnt have the time for it. Jasper try to help. there are hilarious moments and sweet with Jane daughter.

this book felt like it was all over the place and it felt rush trying to close the drama the author brought to the story which it seem that it wasnt necessary, especially for an author. it just seem off i felt like it need a redo my opion

4.5/5⭐️

I absolutely loved and devoured this book. It has been taunting on my NetGalley shelf for too long and I couldn’t wait any longer to pick it up. I really enjoyed My Darling Bride but this was even better. The tension and banter between Jasper and Jane was there from the very beginning and it did NOT disappoint. I loved the few times she mentioned Tuck and Francesca. I read this entire book with a smile on my face. You always know Ilsa is going to bring the spice and just an overall great book. Highly recommend.

My Darling Jane is book two in The Darlings series but is able to be read alone as it is an interconnected standalone. Overall this was an okay story, but after the first one, I expected more. The daughter seemed like a plot point rather than a character - there should have been more development there.

Pick this one up if you enjoy:
◽ Sports (football) romance
◽ Single mom
◽ Frenemies to lovers
◽ Lighthearted romance
◽ Matchmaker with a new business
◽ Black cat x golden retriever

This one also has a few TW that should be noted: abandonment, cults, unplanned pregnancy, discussion of plan B use

Thank you to NetGalley & Montlake for the advance copy

I really like Jane when I read My Darling bride. Truly I have a soft spot for all the Darlings siblings. She’s feisty and strong and I love her as a mom.

But there is also more to Jasper than meets the eyes. They both have been hurt in their past and are weary to open up and be vulnerable.

Sparring with each other seems safer than being real with one another and I do love a good banter.

This book touched on heavy subjects but felt sweet and was an easy read. Thank you NetGalley for giving me an ARC, all my opinions are my own.

Ilsa Madden-Mills is back with her newest sports romance – My Darling Jane. Jane Darling is a single mom trying to start a matchmaking business called Cupid’s Arrow. Jasper Jannich is the starting quarterback for the New York Pythons. Jane believes that if she can find Jasper the perfect match, then her business will take off. Jasper wants Jane, and he will use any excuse to spend time with her, including going on dates that she sets up for him.

I am a big fan of Ilsa Madden-Mills. Her books are fun and easy to read (minus her darker novels). And I like Jane and Jasper as characters. I just couldn’t get invested in them as a couple. They were boring and the storyline felt trite. Enemies to lovers is a common romance trope but usually the characters have enough chemistry to pull it off. In this case, they do not. It’s an okay read, but Madden-Mills has a lot better stories that you should check out instead.

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for sharing this advanced review copy with me in exchange for my honest feedback!

A cute romance of he falls first and she is so not interested

It’s a nice dynamic especially when her resistance fails and great banter between the characters

A perfect romance to settle down and enjoy

I really liked My Darling Bride when I read it last year and was excited to get Jane's story. While I enjoyed some parts of this book, I couldn't really connect with the characters.

I liked the grumpy/sunshine, enemies to lovers relationship between them. Those are two of my favorite tropes and I always love when the grumpy one starts opening up. I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would in My Darling Jane. I wish the characters and relationships were more fleshed out. It was hard to connect with them.

Overall, this book wasn't for me. I really enjoyed my Darling Bride and I wish I could've connected more with the characters in My Darling Jane.

I M-M does not miss. She’s an author that you discover and spend ages wondering why it took you so long to get here. She is the queen of broody men, with charisma, charm for the one they want, and female leads who exude what it is to be a modern woman. I won’t spoil this but man I loved it

i had read the previous books but this works perfectly as a standalone as well!

even though we had met our main characters in previous books and this usually makes me really care for them, i really struggled to connect with them in this. jasper was sweet but i didn’t love jane - i liked them together but didn’t really fall in love with them the way i like to with a romance book.

i thought the ending was really sweet though and am excited to read more from this author! i think if you’re looking for a lighter romance to read this will be perfect for you.

thank you so much to netgalley, the publisher and the author for the arc 🫶🏻

"Sometimes the people who push our buttons the most can end up being the ones we need. They challenge us."

After finishing My Darling Bride I was really looking forward to getting the sister's story. And look what Ms Madden-Mills gave us! A Jane Darling story that was cute and fun. If you like a frenemy to lovers story with a misunderstood hero, My Darling Jane may be for you.

Jane is a single mom running a book store in the middle of New York City. She likes seeing people happy in love. To make ends meet, she starts a matchmaking service. While love is on the board for everyone, it's not really for Jane since her life is kind of complicated. But surprises can happen to the best laid plans.

Jasper may seem like a playboy, good-looking, starting QB of the local NFL team, but there's more to him, right? I mean, he had his twin nieces staying with him for the summer, so I knew there was hope there. He had a caring heart. But he also was living to push all of Jane's buttons and mess with her. He even eluded to all he wanted was S-E-X and superficial things. But when it came to Jane, there was some sort of magic between them. They had that frenemy sort of situation, but they were also so comfortable with one another. And boy, did they push their friend limits hard.

I liked the charming Jasper and getting to see who he truly was. What his family was like and how that molded him into the man he was. He was the star of the story for me. As for Jane, she was a harder nut to crack, but with everything she had gone through with her daughter's father and her own mother, it was easier to understand. These two had obvious chemistry and I liked their form of jealousy. They were protective of one another without admitting it.

"I'll protect you if you'll let me."

When that line was said (or rather texted) I knew these two could break their pasts hurts and make a future that was beautiful.

Overall, this was a decent story with good characters. I wish we saw more of the past characters, but I liked getting the ones we got. I liked Jasper's family and the support they gave him. The pacing was ok, but there did seem to be a couple things that fell flat and didn't have enough follow through. While this book didn't wow me, I did enjoy it. I liked the characters. I liked their journey. I liked how they evolved for one another. It just didn't have that wow factor for me in particular. Still enjoyed it.
**But PS, why doesn't the cover match the description of the character in the story?! so frustrating when that happens!

I have to admit, it took me longer to read this story than I usually take with this author's books. I thought Jane was a little too sharp, even to people who are not mean to her and while I know that the author set her up with a difficult background, it does take a little out of her likability. Jasper was great. He was a likable all around character, especially since the author gave him some background and family to play off of (his nieces were adorable). That made Jane's prickliness even more obvious and slowed down the story for me. That said, as the story progressed, I liked how Jane grew and I adored the ending so I'm happy about the story overall. Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for an early read.

***4 Stars***

Great read. Great characters throughout, but man was the frustration with Jane and Jasper real…understandable when you find out why, but still frustrating when you can see how good they are together but won’t admit it outloud.

Even with my eyes hurting from the rolling they did while reading this, I loved Jane and Jasper. Jane is all kinds of determined when it comes to her family, her daughter and her job. She has no problem putting herself out there, but when it comes to her heart ~ that baby is all kinds of walled off. Jasper is charming, protective and sweet but he has his own demons that mess with his head and makes opening up to anyone but his chosen family difficult. Their journey to their HEA is a rocky one in all kinds of ways, but when they let their guard down and just go with the flow, they definitely had a strong connection then add in Londyn and it was all kinds of goodness.

While my eyes would have liked a little rolling, this was a great read. There are situations that pop up that may be triggering, but it all goes into understanding why Jane and Jasper are who they are. I loved Jasper’s & Jane’s family and friends and I’m crossing my toes we’ll get to see more of them down the road ~ especially Andrew.

~ Copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley & voluntarily reviewed ~

please note that the trigger warnings and topes/themes may contain spoilers
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
HEA: HEA
POV: dual 1st person
spice: a few open-door spicy scenes
TWs: abandonment, allergic reaction, childhood trauma. mentions of cults, mentions of murder (recounted), parental abandonment, mentions of spousal abuse (recounted)
Kinky Content:
standalone: book 2 in The Darlings series
final thoughts: there seemed to be a lot of big triggers that I assume carried form book 1 but came out of nowhere and there was no TW page so keep the triggers in mind as they were main points of the MCs personalities.
Jasper’s nieces (the twins) saved this book for me with their antics and the side of Jasper they brough out. I liked Jasper just fine as an MMC, but I didn’t connect or believe the character of Jane at all unfortunately. I kept wanting MORE from her. And, as with ANY single parent book, I want the kids to be a big part of the story- like RIGHT THERE as main characters and I didn’t feel like Jane’s daughter was part of the story and was instead just a convenient plot point at random times throughout the story.
The ending happened so fast with lots of time jumps and no talking about how much time has passed and I was confused… but the ending/epilogues were cute.
Overall this book was good, but it was missing character development of the FMC and the interactions with the daughter

read this book if you love
🤰 accidental pregnancy
🔢 age gap (25/31)
😬 angst
😆 banter
🐈‍⬛ black cat (to him) FMC
😳 forbidden lovers
🏝️ forced proximity
🤜 frenemies -to-lovers
👦 he falls first
🩹 hurt/comfort
🥰 nicknames
🔀 opposites attract
🙏 praise
👩‍👦 single parent
🏈 sports romance (football)
💼 workplace romance

Fun
Jane has started a new matchmaking service and needs some new clients, especially high profile ones, to give her business more exposure. Enter Jasper, a football player, who saves her from an awkward experience in a bar
I liked both Jane and Jasper, they both had very human traits that helped bring them alive for me but at the same time they repeatedly did things that really annoyed me and made me struggle with this book at times. I did enjoy the writing style with chapters written from Jane and Jaspers points of view as it helped bring me closer to them and understand more about them as people, what motivated them and also what vulnerabilities they had which defiantly helped me feel closer to them
I think one of my favourite parts of this book was the supporting characters, they were fun, at times eccentric and their own people who made the story come alive. There were so many times that I laughed because of things they did and it’s through them that I was able to bond more with Jane and Jasper
I would recommend this book to those enjoy enjoy a romance with a bit of a difference and a cast of characters who you will adore

My Darling Jane by Ilsa Madden-Mills is a fun, lighthearted romance that hits all the right notes. Jane Darling, a single mom trying to launch her matchmaking business, ends up in a playful tug-of-war with Jasper Jannich, New York’s star quarterback. He’s only got one goal in mind—winning Jane’s heart.

Jasper’s determination to woo Jane is super charming, and his scenes with his nieces are hilarious. He’s definitely the star of the show. The chemistry between Jane and Jasper is strong, making their banter and connection so enjoyable to read.

If you’re in the mood for a straightforward, feel-good sports romance, My Darling Jane is a great pick!

A frothy, snarky, wildly emotional ride that features a single mom and player who really find their soulmate in the other! Madden-Mills, really balances wit with deep emotional journeys that make for a super satisfying read!

My Darling Jane is the second book in The Darlings series but can be read as a standalone. Jane is the owner of a matchmaking business and a single mom to an adorable little girl and she is fiercely independent because life has taught her she needs to be. Jasper is a pro quarterback and she has made it her mission to find him a match. Too bad Jasper wants to be her match and she is fighting it with everything she has.

Overall, while I usually love Ilsa's books, this one wasn't for me. I will definitely continue to read this author's books and look forward to the next one in the Darling siblings series.