Tate Donaghue has it all - his football team is going to the Super Bowl, the team is as close as family and he's a rich and famous quarterback. Except someone is trying to kill him. So when his team hires a bodyguard, he is not thrilled to see his college girlfriend, Lily, to protect him. Especially as she's the one who got away.

I love a sports romance, and so was really excited to review this book, and I loved how it put fresh spins on some of the tropes that you might expect. I've read so many books with a British (or at the moment, Australian. Australians are very in) love interest, and plenty with a male bodyguard. I loved that Lily, our FMC, was the British one, and since the author is British as well, she was able to make that perspective really authentic. I enjoyed that she was the former spy, and the bodyguard. It really kept the book fresh to mix up the plot line and roles a bit.

This book was a really fun, spicy read (well, except for when they mention Tate's dream team is the Giants. Boo. Although I guess they do need a good quarterback.). I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys Elle Kennedy or Grace Reilly books.

Definitely hot with an interesting storyline. Good to see a very strong female lead. A bit predictable at times but good enough to keep pulling you along. A decent read.

First of all, thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a fun and entertaining quick read. A bit of fake dating and a second chance romance. Thought the fake dating where she is his bodyguard was a bit of a fresh take on the trope. The spice was decent.

Unfortunately, and this is a problem I've found with a lot of second chance romances, I didn't find the romance itself to feel that fleshed out. A bit of reliance on them knowing each other before the story, but there just didn't seem to be that much chemistry between them. I also couldn't really tell why they fell in love in the first place? But that could just be a me thing.

The ending seemed a little ridiculous and incomplete. I won't go into too much detail as it will spoil it, but it felt quite unresolved.

While this is an American football romance, the author is British (like me) and admits that she doesn't know a great deal about American football. I personally cannot say what was right or wrong about it as I also have very little idea about the sport, so it didn't bother me at all. I was just having a good time but people who do know the sport found it confusing.

If you're looking for a lighthearted spicy romance, with a bit of (apparently innacurate) American football thrown in, some sexual tension and some miscommunication. This is your thing.

okay honestly this is 2025 and if i’m not feeling it at 60% in… i’m DNFing. i get the storyline, but unfortunately the MCs are so juvenile for people supposedly in their late 20s and it feels so FORCED, no chemistry

all opinions and reviews are my own - arc provided by netgalley and publisher for my honest opinion

I connected with the characters almost immediately, this was so fun to read! The book is fast-paced, and the second chance + enemies to lovers romance happened in a really satisfactory way ❤️

TWs - attempted murder, stalking, bomb threat in a highly crowded area

-- ty to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy!

An entertaining read.

Misunderstandings, a lack of communication, pride and hurt feelings contributed to the demise of state and Lily’s relationship 8 years ago. Their stubbornness has kept them apart until she’s hired by his team owner to provide close protection for him against death threats.

Tate lives for football and is completely resistant to the idea of a bodyguard, even more so when he learns it’s going to be Lily guarding him. Watching him struggle between being frustrated and upset with her and then equally turned on by her warrior-princess mode is so entertaining. He’s turned on by her take charge and competent attitude and frustrated by his attraction. When he realizes someone truly is trying to harm him, he gets bit more serious.

Lily has her own frustrations with attraction. She has been raised to be self dependent and not let anyone knock her off her stride, but watching her struggle to tamp down her attraction and then her feelings of love toward Tate was endearing.

These two had a bumpy journey to a HEA, but it was a fun and entertaining read about.

I received a free ARC from the author; and I am voluntarily leaving an unbiased review.

I love this new take on the fake relationship trope!

The Big Game is a second chance romance between a football player and his new bodyguard. They have to fake an engagement to keep him safe from threats. Of course there's so much tension and angst as they work through their feelings, both old and new.

I flew through this book; it's just that good. I really love the characters and all of their relationships. Fingers crossed we get a sequel with a side character! If you're looking for a quick, fun read, this is it!

Thank you to the publisher for the e-copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Ho letto questo libro dopo aver ricevuto l'arc tramite NetGalley. Gli ho dato ⭐️⭐️⭐️-
La trama mi era sembrata molto interessante, ho iniziato a leggere perchè ero curiosa di sapere di più sui trascorsi tra i due protagonisti e sul motivo per cui Lily si ritrova a dover proteggere Tate come guardia del corpo. È un libro che alla fine ho letto con piacere, è abbastanza scorrevole e dinamico e la chimica tra i due mi è piaciuta molto. Ci sono state però alcune cose che non mi hanno convinto. È principalmente basato su una situazione di misscommunication e zero confronto tra i protagonisti ed è una cosa che va avanti fino alla fine con mille tira e molla.
Nel finale poi è tutto troppo veloce, tante cose non vengono approfondite e rimangono in sospeso. È una storia che aveva tanto potenziale ma che è arrivata solo per metà.

This did give off some Katherine Center vibes with the female bodyguard for a male, etc. but dammit was I entertained! I couldn't flip the pages fast enough and really did enjoy the enemies to lovers 2nd chance aspect, and I love seeing a FIERCE female in action!

I obviously enjoyed this book more than most readers. I felt it was a unique take on a second chance love story and I read it in one sitting. If you are expecting a lot of football in this book, you aren't going to get it and not only that, what you get isn't really accurate, so expect nothing regarding the football aspect of this story. It does get 4 stars from me because I was entertained and it kept my interest except for the football game. Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy.

This wasn't really my cup of tea. Lily and Tate's characters felt underdeveloped and came across very juvenile for people in their late 20s/early 30s. Plus the plot was a bit OTT lol

Overall it wasn't the worst, but it could have been better.

The entire concept with a female bodyguard was new to me and the blurb with a second chance plot sounded so good. So I really had some high expectations from this book. But the plot was a bit absurd and the push and pull between Tate & Lily was just too much to handle. There was definitely chemistry between both of them but there was no actual emotional connection, atleast I didn't feel it. Still, the plot was engaging and I liked how Lily was so capable but since this was a football romance, I expected some details about the game yet I didn't feel like I was even reading a sports romance tbh. So, this book unfortunately fell flat for me.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review

2.5⭐️



Lily y Tate fueron novios en la universidad. Ella pensaba que él la amaba hasta que escuchó una conversación entre él y su padre, lo que le rompió el corazón. Decidió no enfrentarlo y regresó al Reino Unido con su padre. Ocho años después, Lily es una de las mejores guardaespaldas y Tate un famoso jugador de fútbol americano. Por causas del destino, ella tiene que protegerlo porque está recibiendo amenazas. Para que nadie sospeche que ella es su guardaespaldas, deciden fingir que están comprometidos, lo que le permite seguirlo sin levantar sospechas.
Pasarán tiempo juntos y podrán aclarar malos entendidos.




El libro tenía buenos elementos para ser una buena historia, pero no hay un desarrollo adecuado. Capítulo tras capítulo, todo termina en el mismo punto. En la parte final, cuando se revela quién es el villano, la trama se corta abruptamente y no se explica la razón detrás de sus acciones. Se supone que se sospechaba de un cómplice, pero al final no se menciona si era cierto o no. Hay varios temas que no tienen un cierre.



Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book.

You'll enjoy this if you go into it with zero expectations. It's a light, quick, fun read - I really enjoy the author's writing style, and loved her previous books - but if you're a football fan, don't expect a "football" romance. I hope the editors get to work before publication, because clearly there was no research into American football. It doesn't take place on a "pitch" and it isn't a "match" and what position was the MMC supposed to be playing?? The premise was great - a bodyguard for a pro athlete getting death threats - but not executed well, the ending was beyond ridiculous, and yet I had fun and it only took a few hours to read, so 3 stars instead of the 2 I initially thought to give. I highly recommend her other books.

I have to admit, this wasn’t my favorite book. Everything felt so rushed in the present tense, i couldn’t quite connect with the characters. There was a lot of push/pull with both characters.the plot kept me drawn in, i just didn’t enjoy the characters very much.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for honest feedback.

There’s not much to say on this one except the book was a bit of a disappointment. There aren’t a ton of football romances out there and I really liked the bodyguard angle but this one just didn’t work. The characters were way too hot/cold for anything believable to blossom between them. By the books midpoint I so annoyed by all the back and forth that I had to push myself to read it.

2 stars. Great concept but the execution was lacking.

4 🌟

I was SO pleasantly surprised by this. Tate and Lily were college sweethearts. After not speaking for 8 years, Tate is a successful NFL player, and Lily has just been assigned as his security detail. Queue drama, tension and chaos.

This book had me gripped from the prologue, it was such a unique take on a sports romance, with some added mystery and danger. I was not expecting it to take the dramatic turn it did, but I loved it. It was such a fun read, I read the whole thing in one sitting!

"The Big Game" is a fun and spicy sports romance, at times a bit chaotic and dramatic, but overall, a great palate cleanser! I love that it's the fmc who is the bodyguard, rather than the mmc, as is common in so many other books. This book features many popular tropes such as forced proximity, second chance, opposites attract, and enemies to lovers. I had a great time reading it! If you're looking for a sports romance with spice and Miss Congeniality vibes, read this book! Even if you don't know anything about american football or the super bowl (like me), you'll still be able to follow the plot perfectly.

Thank you netgalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley, Grace Edwards from HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter, and Cassie Connor for the early access copy of The Big Game.

The Big Game follows the story of Lily and Tate. It’s been years since Lily and Tate have seen each other after they broke each other's hearts in college. Tate is now a high-profile NFL player, and unfortunately for Lily, her latest security assignment.

The Big Game is an enemies-to-lovers, second chance romance, with a twist of danger and mystery. It felt like reading an action movie along side a steamy romance.

If you are a fan of:
Forced Proximity
Enemies to lovers
Second chance romance
Fake dating
Spicy Romance
This would be a great fit.

This wasn't my favorite- I've read better sports romances. It was the enemies to lovers trope, which I typically like, but this one fell flat for me. This book was a fast read and it was entertaining to say the least. I just didn't feel like there was much of a plot. I did really like Tate. 3 stars