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.

Spicy, male female, dual point of view, contemporary, sports (Australian football!), romanctic comedy. I enjoyed all of the characters - main and secondary. Both leads were engaging and they had fantastic chemistry. This is a slow burn with a decent amount of steam. Humourous and well written with great banter, and the perfect length story. I'll be looking for the next book in the series!

It is 3 o'clock in the afternoon, and I'm still wearing my PJ. I should have taken a shower by then, but every time I was about to go, I told myself just one more chapter, and then I ended up finishing the book way faster than I initially thought I would. The reason is, I just couldn't wait for the two characters to finally make out. I stopped counting the amount of time I screamed JUST DO IT in my living room, hoping my husband would not think I'm this crazy nut. I also screamed a couple of times it's ASShole not ARSEhole, but it must be an Australian thing. This book was everything. Slow burner, a little bit too slow for my taste because I'm a very impatient and i like my smut. Just the amount of humor that got me giggled like a little girl in high school. I really fell invested in the story. Great description, great character development, it was perfect. A little bit mouthy at times, but quickky forgiven. Even though I knew nothing about Australian football, whatever that is, something that looks like maybe rugby or football or soccer, anyhow, didn't matter. I fell in the story. I love every single moment of it. Highly recommend if you like sports romance. Or slow burner. Or plainly just romance.

Thank you NetGalley for letting me read and review this book.

I enjoyed this book, it was well written and it was so lovely to see the characters open up and navigate fame and being a journalist. The reason I give 4 stars is mostly because I can’t stand the name Arnabelle. I really want to hate that she named her downstairs pal Barbara but I found myself cackling everything time it was brought up!
I really enjoyed it and I liked seeing where the next books will go, marls and her relationship with Lucas coming to an end and Marls getting the love she deserves (I think with pup) , felicity and jay. The author said there is a third and I assume it will be Dylan!

Readers looking for a good sports romance story will not be disappointed with King of Hearts. I absolutely loved it. This slow burn romance story
a certain charm and had me laughing out loud. I absolutely enjoyed Arna and Andy characters a lot, and the connection and chemistry between the two of them was undeniable and explosive. When they finally decided to give in to what they were feeling I loved them even more and couldn't get enough of them. I even enjoyed the side characters in the story, especially Marlee and Andy's teammates. I cannot wait to read the next book in this series, after reading this one there is no way that the next one can disappoint and I'm looking forward to reading Marlee's story. I think readers that enjoy romance books with a touch of sports will enjoy this story, and it's a story I will be recommending to my friends.

Loved this story of how the two main characters come together over an interview assignment! The banter was enjoyable and I think the book was well-paced. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

King of hearts
Author Vyk Peters
Release date 3rd September 2024
Rating 4.5 stars CAWPILE 9.5

This book came up on NetGalley and I was looking for a book at the time that I could sink my teeth into which I could escape a reality with and this book did that. I feel in love with Andy and Arna as soon as they appeared on the page. As both were so into each other you could practically feel the fire from the page sizzling. I was down bad and I needed more. I read this book in one sitting. To the point my kindle almost died but I did not want to put it down. I needed to know what was going to happen to these two. I felt each moment as they came together and each heartbreak as they cracked apart.

It says a lot about the book when I sit at the end and say I wish it was longer because I wanted to stay with these two forever. I am also so interested where the other stories goes because the next book I feel I am going to need to tissues to weep when it comes.

This book is a steamy sports romance with a girl who is a book nerd and a journalist what more can I ask for? I don’t think much. I really enjoyed this book I am sure that others here would too.

Go and pick this book because it is delicious in more ways than one.


Review going up on insta today

King of Hearts by Vyk Peters is a new to me type of sports romance featuring the AFL (Australian Football League) aka Rugby! I'm not gonna lie, I Googled a lot while reading to learn more about the sport, and it made me enjoy this book that much more.

Arna is an editor who is forced by her not very nice boss to interview the Captain of the Hearts AFL team, Andy. She knows nothing about the sport and does a crash course in the basics, only to be rudely treated by Andy at first because he assumes that she's just another reporter out to cause trouble.

Full of smarts and sass, Arna isn't afraid to call him out on it and he realizes she isn't what every other reporter seems to be. They have to navigate the above mentioned jerky boss holding Arna's promotion over her head and other people's interference while trying to navigate falling for each other.

I loved the wit and banter between Arna and Andy and that Arna is a take no crap kind of gal. The secondary characters are also a hoot and a lot to the story.

I really enjoyed this book, learning about the AFL, and can't wait for the 2nd in the series!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

While I did not particularly like this book, I do see the potential in it and many aspects other readers may like, which led to my 3 star rating.

In this novel we follow Arna and Andy. Andy is an Australian Football player and Arna is a member of the press. Andy hates the press but has to deal with them from time to time. From the moment he sees Arna, he is intrigued…but is still able to be a jerk to her. This begins their slow burn journey to love.

The reason I didn’t like this book was the following:
1. The slow burn was just a bit too slow to me.
2. It took forever for the characters to have a personality I liked. For the first half of the book Andy came across as interesting as a brick wall.
3. Arna mentioned her lady bits too often to be normal and it just kind of grossed me out.
4. Andy just wasn’t attractive to me. He was a bit too grumpy at the start.

Now, here are some of the reasons readers may like this book (but I wasn’t too much a fan of):
1. The FMC is full of energy and has a spunky attitude that readers find fun
2. The typical football romance trope is always a great go-to; especially when the MMC has some great football player friends
3. Some readers love a slow burn where you really have to work for it to see the characters fall in love.

I loved the author’s bio in here. I absolutely adore that her husband encouraged her to finally write her own book after years of being an avid reader. I really want to support this author and hope she finds the fan-base she deserves.

*An ARC was received in exchange for an honest review.

This is a slooooow burn. Arna knows nothing about football and even less about the Hearts team captain Andrew. But she has to learn and learn quick since he’s the new subject of an article she has to write and publish for her job or face losing out on an important promotion. Andrew has a hate-hate relationship with the press….that is until Arna comes along. As they grow closer, people around them are clearly set on sabotage of sorts.

This is a romantic yet SLOW burn sports romance. I enjoyed it for what it is on the surface.
Thank you NetGalley and publishers for the opportunity to review this.