A beautifully written romance that is both tender and captivating. 'King of Hearts' will pull you in with its heartwarming characters and emotional depth, making it a perfect read for romance fans.

This book is a masterclass in tension, intrigue, and unexpected twists.

From the first page, I was pulled into a world where nothing is quite what it seems, and every character is layered with complexity. The pacing is spot-on, with moments that made me hold my breath, and others that hit me right in the feels. If you’re a fan of gripping, smart thrillers that keep you guessing until the end, this one is definitely worth your time

Many thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for providing me with an ARC and allowing me to provide my honest review

Arnabelle Frost lives her life lost in the words of others – editing and perfecting – ready for the next publication deadline. However, her entire world shifts when she is tasked with interviewing the smouldering hot captain of the Hearts football team. Arna must become a super fan – and fast, or risk missing the promotion she has worked so hard to achieve.

While navigating the delicious predicament, Arna discovers this assignment is so much more than she ever could have anticipated, forcing her to question what she truly finds important.

♥

Andrew Gloss is the captain, the leader, the benchmark and with the weight of the team resting solely on his shoulders there is no room for distractions.

But the media – they’re the real opposition. Always lurking, invading his privacy and reminding him exactly why he loathes them. That is, until he meets the formidable journalist assigned to conduct his major interview for the year. On paper, Arna is everything he despises, however, with her refreshing wit and tempting curves, she challenges his defences, forcing him to reconsider his preconceived notions.

In the words that Queeny would appreciate (ifkyk). I absolutely SMASHED this book hard!

Vyk Peters is an Australian indie author and poured her heart and soul into this book. If you follow her, you would know.

Arna was the perfect combination of kindness and humour. It was refreshing to read a FMC with a great sense of humour. I will admit, Queeny was funnier 🤭

Andy has a reason to dislike the media, and I really can't blame him. But Arna throws him a curve football, that not even the captain of the "heart/s" could catch. He is a hot mess, let's be honest. But a hot muscular mess that is good to look at.

I love the banter between Arna and her family. They really represent a lot of Aussie families. I truly wish my Nan was that funny 😁

Even though the book is about Arna and Andy, the whole time I was thinking about Marlee in the back of my mind. There were tell tale signs from the beginning I recognised and I hope someone else does too before it's too late.

I'm giving this a 5 star rating because it was just magical and heartwarming.

I'm so excited for the next 2 books.

Thank you @NetGalley and @VictoryEditng for the ARC. I ate this book up. The chemistry between Arna and Andy is so hot. Arna is a editor who gets the assignment to interview Andy, a Football God, for an article. She learns quick that Andy hates all reporters and media. Arna is not one to give up easily on something she wants and Andy is caught in her line of vision. I loved the writing by Vyk Peters and can not wait to read the second book in this series.

This book was more than I hoped for! It was exactly what I needed and more. This books made me laugh out loud, giggle, smirk, and feel so much anger it was great!

Andy, I adore you even though I was swearing you quite a bit at a point in the storyline. But his character is just so real and raw, you truly understand his feelings and feel for him.

Arna, your quips made me laugh and she made me feel like Andy because she had me reaching for a dictionary sometimes! I truly appreciated her values and her love for COMMUNICATION!

Queeny was my favorite part of the book! She's just so fiesty and bold, that I adore her!

And of course I can't forget Barbara. Barbara who made me laugh at every mention on the page and who ruined the name Barbara for me because now when I hear it all I do is laugh! Just the other day I was watching a movie and a character was named Barbara, and I burst out laughing I think everyone else thought I was crazy.

Overall, I really related to the emotions the characters felt and I cannot wait for the next books to be released!

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 ❞


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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.


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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!!


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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


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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.