Australian Pro footballer Andy has never been keen on the media or journalists. He has it out for them and never trusts anything they say or write for that matter. He would rather not say much and stick to his grumpy tough guy perception with the world.

Arna is an editor with hopes of receiving that promotion of Editor in Chief soon. She works for a literal drag of a boss that uses her dreams to his advantage. Give me a break! Arna, however, is a smart girl, intuitive, and a hard worker. She wants more for herself and doing all she can to get there in life. She truly is a good soul in my eyes.

Both characters are extremely family and friend oriented and I loved this aspect of the book.

A chance encounter between Arna and Andy occurs after a game as she is sent on assignment to interview him when a coworker is out sick. Andy hates the press as mentioned, but I will go out on a limb and tell you he does not hate the fact Arna is a fill in for the day.

This book was cute with witty side characters (Queeny is a dream!) and vocabulary of new words you will come away with. That is what happens when Andy’s wordsmith is hanging around.

The book is presented with dual POV giving the reader a true depiction of what each character is feeling and how they navigate the troubles each face throughout the storyline. There are some spicy parts to get your blood pumping, but I did not feel it was over the top or not enough. The spice was definitely just right as I don’t like when it overshadows the plot of the book.

I felt the plot was well written with Australian characters and enjoyed reading the book.Definitely recommend this if you enjoy sports romance with a side of grumpy/sunshine and a protective MMC.

This book hooked me right from the start with its slow-burn tension between Arna and Andy. Their chemistry was undeniable, and the build-up was so satisfying. At first, Andy rubbed me the wrong way, but he quickly grew on me.

Arna’s social awkwardness was super relatable, and I loved how she navigated her feelings for the charming Andy. The book also explores the darker side of fame, adding depth to his character. And let’s not forget Arna calling her lady parts “Barbara”—iconic and hilarious!

The spice? It went from 0 to 100 real fast, and I was *here* for it. The book wraps up in a happily-ever-after, but I couldn’t stop worrying about Marlee.

The side characters were a blast—Arna’s friendship with Marlee was refreshing, her grandma was a total queen, and her dad’s solution to everything was beer. As for Andy’s friends, most were jerks, but Pup was a standout.

Overall, this book was amazing. The romance was funny, steamy, and realistic, and the characters felt like real people. If you’re still reading this review, stop and get the book—you won’t regret it!

Thank you Vyk and NetGalley for the ARC! Arna is an editor for an online media site. Andrew is the captain of the Sydney Hearts and despises the media. What could go wrong? King of Hearts, Vyk Peter's debut novel, had a great rhythm throughout, with the right amount of spice and drama that any good sports romance needs. While I was thrown off by one side character (Barbara), I freaked out inside (and out loud) about Arna's best friend Marlee. It is not often that I get a character with the same name as me. I am so excited to read her story.

King of Hearts is a sports romance novel that focuses on Arnabelle and Andrew's relationship. Their chemistry isn't as sizzling as I'd like, but it was a decent read.

3.5 stars

I love a good slow burn, sports romance so I was excited to receive an ARC of this book, and there were things I loved and some things I did not. Arnabelle Frost is an editor at urban pulse, and because of her annoying boss she thrown into an awkward situation and has to interview, Andy Gloss, who is the captain of the Hearts, which she knows nothing about. It is an instant connection but because Andy hates the media due to some past issues, he does not want to like or trust Arna. Overtime, they continue to meet up for the article and start to develop feelings for each other and realize they should not judge each other's character due to their job before getting to know them.

Overall, the book was enjoyable. I would say the book did not really start getting good until like 30% of the book as it seemed to drag. But at that point the plot picked up and I could not stop reading. The characters were hilarious and fun to read, and I really liked the second half the book because you got to see Arna and Andy's relationship develop and it really focused on their romance! I liked that the author also included sports scenes, which added to the story. Including Marlee, Arna's friend, in the story also really pulled me in and I cannot wait to read her book. I think the two reasons I did not give it 4 stars was because of the miscommunication trope and some of the childish wording throughout the book. Thank god, it did not last many chapters, but miscommunication really frustrates me in a book. Atleast Andy had some friends to knock some sense into him. And then also I felt some scenes were a little too obnoxious like constantly talking about "Barbara" and in the beginning Andy and Arna's inner dialogue about each other's hotness kind of got repetitive. Overall, I enjoyed the start of the story, and I will prob continue the series!

Sports Romance (AFL)

Dual POV

Sweet & Spicy

Relatable FMC & Fun Female Friendships

Sports Star x Journalist

He falls first



Andy Gloss is the captain of the Hearts Australian football team and has been burnt by the media before. Following this, he doesn't trust them and wants nothing to do with them. 


Arnabelle lives her life in the words of others, editing and perfecting ready for the next publication deadline. She has no clue who the Hearts are apart from the fact her best friend is a superfan. When she has to step up one day and interview Andy, one flirtatious interaction changes it all…



This is the first I've read from this author and the first time I've read about Australian football. It's not often you find books based in Australia. It's nice and refreshing. 

I loved the way the two of them met, with it actually being believable. The story worked perfectly for the two of them, and it came across realistic for two people working through their careers, love, and publicity. I was so glad that there was no miscommunication within this story, I feel this would've destroyed the plot of the book. 

Arna was so understanding of his relationship with the media, and it was nice to see an FMC not to jump to any conclusions (I mean, I'm sure we all would do in real life, though). 


There was plot building for the next included, and now that we know who the maim characters are, I'm so excited to read it.

This book! I cannot say enough good things about this book! My first football romance and I’m ready for more! I will definitely be keeping an eye on this author!

Disclaimer: I was provided this novel by NetGalley in return for my honest review

I felt like this was a bit of a slow start but when we got there my boy Andy was D O W N B A D for Arna. Andy is the best kind of obsessed with Arna, and she shows up for him in the most loving ways. Words could not describe how badly I want to reread this and annotate a physical copy, the banter was so fantastic. This painted such a sweet realistic depiction of two people navigating love and publicity. (And yes, the spice was definitely there 😮‍💨)

Y’all my biggest beef was the third act breakup. I will never be a third act break up girlie, I am far too sensitive, but this one didn’t feel as drawn out as some others.

Seeds for the next book were planted so well that I am absolutely antsy to get my hands on it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Viking Peters for providing me with an eARC of King of Hearts in return for my honest opinion.

King of hearts is a great sports romance debut novel. It is incredibly easy to read rom-com with depth. I have seen quite a few people describe this as a slow burn, but I thought Andy fell rather quickly and it seemed more insta-love to me? Or maybe instead of-attraction would be a better way to put it? This was not a bad thing btw, I really enjoyed Andy and Arna’s romance!

What I really enjoyed about this book (apart from the MMC being an incredibly attractive captain of an AFL team), was some of the deeper topics it covered. I appreciated Peters description of these guys being humans too, and that the media is so quick to look for a ‘big’ story that’ll grab headlines, that they’re not afraid to create or blur truths to get more views. I could also see the direction that Marlee’s story is heading, I was at first disappointed that Arna seemed to be dismissing the signs that her best friend is in a toxic relationship, but I believe this will be further explored in Marlee’s book (King of clubs).

My only ‘ick’ with this book is the fact that the FMC calls her lady parts ‘Barbara’ I just could not get past this haha.

Such a good read!

Loved both main characters!

I loved that Arna was such a strong willed, educated, empowered FMC!

Andy was a dream! Strong and athletic, yet educated and down to earth. He had to overcome some trauma from his past, but it didn’t make the story drag!

3.75 stars // adult, romance, contemporary, sports romance // 🏈

❝𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘪’𝘮 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘪’𝘮 𝘣𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘪 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 ❞


ᡣ𐭩 •｡ꪆৎ ˚⋅

୨⎯ plot ⎯୧

arnabelle frost is a editor at urban pulse, she perfects stories. however, her world is turned upside down when she's assigned to interview the irresistible captain of the hearts football team. andy gloss is captain of the hearts, with the weight of the team on his shoulders. he despises the media due to an incident early in his career that left him unable to trust anyone. he can’t resist her and finds himself wanting to be near her, which causes him to feel wary, sine she works in the media.


ᡣ𐭩 •｡ꪆৎ ˚⋅

୨⎯ my review ⎯୧

this book was enjoyable, loved some parts and others were humorous. this was a slow burn, the characters were pretty likeable, and the plot was interesting. the main character’s were attracted to each other right away, but it took some time to actually turn into something. character development was rlly good. this takes place in sydney, australia. loved the taylor refs. airport confession scene!!


ᡣ𐭩 •｡ꪆৎ ˚⋅

୨⎯ characters ⎯୧

arna - she was pleasantt and likeable. rlly liked her outgoing personality. she was rlly sweet towards andy and i liked reading about her feelings. the ali hazelwood + ana huang mentions >>

andy - he came off as grumpy and cold at the start, which was fair since he had problems with the press. it was nice reading about an athlete with a supportive family, a contrast to most sports romances. he was obsessed with her and he was sweet towards her.

marlee - her and arna’s friendship was so real and refreshing. they were honest and up front with one another and wanted the best for each other. lucas is weird, and i hope she and arna fix their friendship in the next book

queeny - iconic and rlly funny


ᡣ𐭩 •｡ꪆৎ ˚⋅

୨⎯ tropes⎯୧

🏈 sports romance
🩶 boy obsessed
🏈 editor fmc
🩶 dual pov
🏈 opposites attract
🩶 slow burn


Thank you to Vyk Peters and NetGalley for giving me access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

Something about me is I LOVE a sports romance. And one with football is just *chefs kiss* I’ve never read a book by Vyk Peters so this is my first but I’ll definitely be looking for more by her. I normally have to be in a romance mood to read a romance book, this book put me in that mood. And football books always give me fall vibes!

2 ⭐️ This was riddled with pick-me subtext, from start to finish...
Thank you, Net Galley, for the eARC!

I might have gone into a more in depth review otherwise, but I can tell you with my whole heart that a woman who uses "tangential misandrist" as if it was the ultimate insult you can be called as a woman, is an author that I will never encourage nor recommend to anyone, ever.

With love,
A tangential misandrist xx

I really struggled to read The King of Hearts, for some reason I found it lacking, it just wasn’t for me.

3 stars

This is one of the slowest burning stories ever. The characters were interesting and there was some humor and sweetness.

I voluntarily read an advanced copy.

This story had me hooked from the start with its fun, slow-burn tension. Arna and Andy’s attraction was clear, even if it took a bit to unfold, making the build-up all the more satisfying. Andy took some warming up to, but he quickly grew on me, especially as fame brought its own set of challenges for him.

Arna’s social awkwardness around someone as charming as Andy was relatable, and her naming her lady parts “Barbara”? Iconic! The spice hit hard and fast, taking me by surprise in the best way.

The friendships were spot-on—Arna and Marlee’s banter was refreshingly real, and Arna’s grandma was a gem. As for Andy’s friends, Pup was a standout, while others…not so much. It all wraps up in a sweet happily-ever-after, and I genuinely hope Marlee finds her way too.

I love a sports romance! It's definitely more of a slow burn so if you're into the build up then BANG this is definitely for you. I loved their relationship since about 6% in and had me struggling to put this down. I need a physical copy to add to my collection asap.

(Review also shared on Goodreads)

A slow burn sports romance with plenty of steam and spice, the chemistry between characters was fantastic and I appreciated the witty banter and dual POVs, loved the setting and the pacing of plot only complaint is I wanted more, but that's on me I didn't wanna finish and leave these characters!

This book is set in Sydney, Australia and centres around Aussie Rules Football, mainly the captain of the Sydney Hearts team - Andrew (Andy) Gloss. He hates the media and journalists as a whole after the years of lies and exaggerations of truth they've told about him. But then he meets Arnabelle (Arna), an editor at Urban Pulse, when she was sent to interview him in place of the original interviewer. They didn't get off to the best start when Andy hardly spoke a word before walking away but he was captivated by Arna so when it came time to give his annual interview, he would only speak to her.

Arna isn't a typical journalist, mainly because she's an editor and not actually a journalist but she believes in journalistic integrity and doesn't agree with the way most in the field seem to act. Especially when she's spotted spending time with Andy and she's suddenly dragged into the media circus that surrounds him as well.

As their relationship grows, we hear a little more about some of the background characters who I'm fairly sure will be in the next books in the series. Marlee is one in particular I'm interested in following - she's Arna's best friend but then she meets Lucas and it seems like he is isolating her from her friends and family, could be controlling and possibly physically abusive. I'm hoping her book is the next one in the series and I also suspect she'll somehow end up with someone in Andy's circle.

I enjoyed the story, it's a dual POV but it was too long. Especially the first half, and then we get to about 2/3 the way through and the pace speeds up considerably. There was a lot that could have been cut out and it seemed like it was really only there to prove the author has a large vocabulary. I also found some moments didn't really flow properly and it would jump from one point in time to another to then come back to that original point in time, but from the POV of the other person.

Also, the spice is good without being too over the top and while I cringed initially at Arna calling her lady bits, Barbara, it actually grew on me and became quite entertaining by the end.

I'm looking forward to seeing what comes next in the King series!

Thanks to NetGalley and Amazon for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

Thank you to Vyk Peters, the publisher and NetGalley for giving me access to this book.

This book was absolutely amazing. It was a deep slow burns sport book. I relished every moment of it. This book is charming and when you pick it up you do not want to put it down. Also the little touches in the book such as a playlist make it feel well rounded.

The book is about Anrabelle a fiery editor who knows nothing about the AFL.
Forced to interview the hot shot and stone-cold captain of the Hearts. Passion immediately flares between them. Both unknowingly falling deeper and deeper in love.
The absolute love between Arna, Marlee, Queeny and her dad is so beautiful. The friendship with Marlee is so realistic and indicative of a close bond. Also, Queeny is my absolute hero! What a woman. All the side characters in general had a lot of depth and personality.
What I did not quite enjoy was Andy his friendships as much. They were there for him but tended to kick him when he was already down.
I love Andy and Arna their love. It is so sweet and passionate it warms my heart.
Also, the spice between them was incredibly hot and beautifully written.

This book solidifies my believe in true love. 5 stars.