Tag Archives: Ilsa Madden-Mills

MY DARLING JANE (The Darlings 2) by Ilsa Madden-Mills-review

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MY DARLING JANE (The Darlings 2) by Ilsa Madden-Mills

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date November 5, 2024

On an ordinary day, Jane Darling wouldn’t be caught dead in a sports bar wearing a toga with angel wings. But she’s desperate to launch her matchmaking business to secure her young daughter’s future. Her to attract new clients at any cost.

Her Cupid outfit catches the eye of New York’s beloved star quarterback, Jasper Jannich. She and Jasper have always clashed, but when a pushy admirer goes too far, he steps in as an unexpected knight in shining armor.

He offers a tantalizing to be Cupid’s Arrow’s premier client. Reluctantly, Jane agrees, aware of the business potential despite her reservations about Jasper and his playboy reputation.

As she sets him up on date after date, it grows clear that Jane’s the only woman he wants.

She is his goal, his endgame.

She’s not not interested…but her heart has been burned before. To get anywhere, they’ll need courage and faith, not just sizzling chemistry.

He’s ready to make the pass. Is his darling ready to catch iT?

•••

REVIEW: MY DARLING JANE is the second instalment in Ilsa Madden-Mills’ contemporary, adult THE DARLINGS erotic, romance series. This is thirty-one year old, quarterback Jasper Jannich, and twenty-five year old, former model turned single mother/ matchmaker . book store owner Jane Darling’s story line. MY DARLING JANE can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story line is revealed where necessary,

Told from dual first person perspectives (Jane and Jasper) MY DARLING JANE follows the frenemies to lovers relationship between our story line couple.Jane Darling is too busy to date but runs a matchmaking service for those willing to pay. A single mother, co-owner of a book store, and a woman who finds herself attracted to the man she shouldn’t want but when Jasper Jannich keeps pushing, she offers to set him up on a series of dates, dates that don’t go very well. Jealous of the women in Jasper’s life, Jane is willing to consider giving Jasper a chance, a chance that is about to blow up in both of their faces.

The world building follows the tempestuous relationship between our story line couple. Jane struggles with her attraction to a man she believes could break her heart but having experienced the fall-out of rejection and betrayal, Jane battles between head and heart in the face of repeating the past. Jasper Jannich knows something about rejection having faced it at a very young age but when the past reappears for both Jane and Jasper, they struggle to see through the veil of possible deceit and betrayal.

The relationship between Jasper and Jane is a frenemies to lovers in which Jane struggles to set up Jasper with suitable women, knowing the potential for heart break for herself. Having fallen for Jane, Jasper’s heart isn’t willing to put up with Jane’s matchmaking services but when Jane pushes Jasper out of her life, he suspects there is something more going on. The $ex scenes are provocative and passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

The secondary and supporting characters include Graham and Emma (My Darling Bride 1), as well as Jasper’s extended family, and several mismatches found by Jane herself.

MY DARLING JANE is a story of desperation and determination, family and friendships, acceptance and love. The premise is honest yet familiar; the romance is spirited; the characters are sassy, animated and dynamic.

Click HERE for Sandy’s review of book one MY DARLING BRIDE

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

Follow:Goodreads / Website / Facebook Group / Amazon Author / Twitter /

Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and USA Today best-selling author Ilsa Madden-Mills is best known for her angsty new adult romances and romantic comedies.

Fourteen of her Eighteen novels have placed in the Amazon Top 10 Best-seller List: Dirty English #1; Not My Romeo #1; The Revenge Pact #1; Dear Ava, Fake Fiancée, I Dare You, and I Promise You #2; I Hate You #5; Not My Match, I Bet You, Filthy English, and Very Bad Things #6; Boyfriend Bargain #8; The Last Guy, her collaboration with Tia Louise, #4.

A former high school English teacher, she adores all things Pride and Prejudice, and of course, Mr. Darcy is her ultimate hero.

She’s addicted to frothy coffee beverages, cheesy magnets, and any book featuring unicorns and sword-wielding females.

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My Darling Bride by Ilsa Madden-Mills-review

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My Darling Bride by Ilsa Madden-Mills-review

ebook only $1.99 Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk / Amazon.au / B&N Paper /

Don’t own a Kindle? Download the FREE Amazon Kindle App for your mobile device or pc

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date December 5, 2023

In a sizzling romance that sparkles with wit and depth, two wounded souls meet by chance in the desert and agree to get married, and their lives will never be the same.

On a normal day, Emmaline Darling isn’t a car thief. She’s just a simple girl who runs a bookstore and adores cats. But when she’s stranded in the desert and needs to get away from her dangerous ex-boyfriend, she picks her only option: swiping the keys to a famous football player’s Lamborghini and speeding away.

Football star Graham Harlan is in chaos. First he took a hit on the field that left him with a near-death experience, and now he’s promised his brother he’ll get married to secure the family inheritance. Trouble is he isn’t even seeing anyone.

Then a mystery woman steals his car. With his usual stubbornness, he tracks her all the way to Manhattan and gives her an ultimatum: marry me or I’ll press charges.

Her choice is obvious, only neither of them expect the sparks that ignite between them.

As the end of their arrangement looms, will Graham take a chance on love or let his darling walk away forever?

•••••

REVIEW: MY DARLING BRIDE by Ilsa Madden Mills is a stand alone, contemporary adult, story line focusing on twenty-nine year old football star, tight end Graham Harlan, and twenty-eight year old, book store manager Emmaline ‘Emma’ Darling.

NOTE: Due to the nature of the story line premise including domestic abuse and issues of CTE, there may be triggers for more sensitive readers.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Emma and Graham) MY DARLING BRIDE follows the fake marriage/marriage of convenience between our story line couple. Emma Darling is on the run from an abusive boyfriend, a professional football player who wanted control but Emma never expected to come face to face with another professional football player at the same dive motel where she was in hiding. Enter Graham Harlan, the man with whom Emma will fall in love but all does not go according to plan when Emma’s ex tracks her down, and her only recourse is to steal Graham’s Lamborghini, an action that is met with a lifetime of consequences. Graham needs a wife to appease the contents of his grandmother’s will, and Emma is ripe for the picking. What ensues is the building but fractured relationship between Emma and Graham, and the fall-out as Graham refuses to commit to a happily ever after.

Graham Harlan is desperate to help his brother but the dysfunctional family dynamics have pushed Graham to propose a fake marriage to a woman he doesn’t know. Having suffered a possible career ending head injury, Graham is struggling with his future and his career but one thing Graham doesn’t want is to fall in love-been there, done that, has the heart break to prove it. His relationship and marriage proposal to Emma is purely a business arrangement, an arrangement for a short period of time. Emma never saw herself falling for another football player but something about Graham pulled her like a moth to a flame, a flame that was going to hurt when she got too close. Emma knew the pain of physical abuse but the emotional trauma and rejection will hurt the most.

The relationship between Emma and Graham is a business arrangement with strict rules and guidelines to which Emma must adhere. Emma believes she is falling for a man with little emotions and a broken heart, a man who is about to destroy the woman whose own heart is in need of repair. As to the relationship, I felt little to no palpable sexual attraction between our story line couple until about 80-90% of the story, and most of this is to blame on Graham’s attitude and off-putting behavior. Graham wants nothing to do with love, believing himself still in love with a ghost from the past, and in this, Emma is often left alone including her wedding night, and when Graham is needed the most. The $ex scenes are limited but passionate and intense.

There is a large ensemble cast of secondary and supporting characters including family and friends, exes and teammates. Both Emma and Graham come from broken and dysfunctional families; there is a history of abuse, infidelity and abandonment from all sides.

MY DARLING BRIDE is a story of power and control, desperation and determination, mistrust and miscommunication, family and friendships, forgiveness and love. The slow building premise is heart breaking ; the characters are broken and stubborn; the romance is limited and disappointing. Not my favorite Madden-Mills story-I struggled with the hero’s mindset and perspective.

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

 

Follow:Goodreads / Website / Facebook Group / Amazon Author / Twitter /

Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and USA Today best-selling author Ilsa Madden-Mills is best known for her angsty new adult romances and romantic comedies.

Fourteen of her Eighteen novels have placed in the Amazon Top 10 Best-seller List: Dirty English #1; Not My Romeo #1; The Revenge Pact #1; Dear Ava, Fake Fiancée, I Dare You, and I Promise You #2; I Hate You #5; Not My Match, I Bet You, Filthy English, and Very Bad Things #6; Boyfriend Bargain #8; The Last Guy, her collaboration with Tia Louise, #4.

A former high school English teacher, she adores all things Pride and Prejudice, and of course, Mr. Darcy is her ultimate hero.

She’s addicted to frothy coffee beverages, cheesy magnets, and any book featuring unicorns and sword-wielding females.

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CHRISTMAS CUPID by Ilsa Madden-Mills-review tour

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CHRISTMAS CUPID by Ilsa Madden-Mills-review tour

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk / Amazon.au /

Don’t own a Kindle? Download the FREE Amazon Kindle App for your mobile device or pc

ABOUT THE BOOK : Release Date November 2, 2023

Dear Sneaky Santa,

I’d like to have a word about your sense of humor. Was it really necessary to stick me, a professional hockey player nursing an injury and avoiding the media, in an isolated cabin with a bratty, boot-designing princess who seems to have made it her mission to despise me? I mean, come on, what did I ever do to you?

And let’s talk about our first encounter. Was it your intention for her to barge in on me while I was enjoying a soak in the tub? It wasn’t exactly my finest moment, and I’m sure she didn’t appreciate the view of my massive body floundering around as I tried to grab a towel.

Now, I’m stuck with her, thanks to a mutual acquaintance, in the middle of a snow blizzard, navigating through bear attacks, sketchy neighbors, and whole lot of tension. I had plans, Santa, plans to escape to Cabo and forget about the world, not to be trapped with a woman who thinks I’m unworthy of her time just because she can’t stand hockey players.

Oh, and speaking of our delightful Iris, she’s stingier with her food than Scrooge was with his pennies! I’m not asking for a feast, but a guy’s got to eat! And could you possibly turn her yippy dog into a reindeer or something? It would certainly add to the Christmas spirit and save my eardrums.

I’m trying to rediscover the meaning of Christmas, and you throw me into this chaos? Is this some kind of test, or are you just having a jolly laugh up there in the North Pole?

So here’s my Christmas wish, Santa: sprinkle a bit of your magic and either get me out of here or be a Cupid and ignite a fiery, undeniable passion between us, because right now, this scenario is frostier than a snowman.

Slapshotting Through the Snow, Kyler Blanchette

••••••••••••

REVIEW: CHRISTMAS CUPID by Ilsa Madden Mills is a stand alone, contemporary, adult, erotic, romance novella focusing on twenty-eight year olds, Nashville Predators’ winger Kyler Blanchette, and custom boot designer Iris Miller.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Iris and Kyler) CHRISTMAS CUPID follows the building but acrimonious relationship between our leading couple. Kyler Blanchette has suffered a possible career ending injury, and while the team is looking championship bound, Kyler is struggling with a decision going forward. When his teammate Will Miller offers the rental of a cabin in the days leading to Christmas, Kyler never expected to come face to face with Will’s sister Iris, a spoiled fashion princess who wants nothing to do with our story line hero.A lack of food, plenty of booze, a snow storm, and a chip on Iris’ shoulder means a several unhappy days until their mutual attraction pulls them together but Iris is about to struggle with the ‘morning after regrets’, pushing Kyler Blanchette out of her life.

The world building focuses on the tempestuous relationship between our leading couple. Iris wants nothing to do with hockey players or the life, and Kyler suspects his season is over before it began. The relationship between Kyler and Iris is turbulent and intense. Iris struggles with everything Kyler represents, and Kyler only wanted a few days away to think about his future, going forward.Knowing his teammate had set him up, Kyler tries to make the best of an increasingly difficult situation. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

The secondary and supporting characters are colorful and dynamic. We are introduced to Iris’s brother Will ‘Slappy’ Miller,several teammates, questionable neighbors, and a yippy dog who doesn’t answer to his name.

CHRISTMAS CUPID is a cute, entertaining and engaging story line. The premise is impassioned; the characters are energetic and charismatic but the heroine is quite unpleasant and hostile at the beginning of the story. The romance is seductive and spirited.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

Follow:Goodreads / Website / Facebook Group / Amazon Author / Twitter /

Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and USA Today best-selling author Ilsa Madden-Mills is best known for her angsty new adult romances and romantic comedies.

Fourteen of her Eighteen novels have placed in the Amazon Top 10 Best-seller List: Dirty English #1; Not My Romeo #1; The Revenge Pact #1; Dear Ava, Fake Fiancée, I Dare You, and I Promise You #2; I Hate You #5; Not My Match, I Bet You, Filthy English, and Very Bad Things #6; Boyfriend Bargain #8; The Last Guy, her collaboration with Tia Louise, #4.

A former high school English teacher, she adores all things Pride and Prejudice, and of course, Mr. Darcy is her ultimate hero.

She’s addicted to frothy coffee beverages, cheesy magnets, and any book featuring unicorns and sword-wielding females.

Share

Princess and the Player by Ilsa Madden-Mills-review tour

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Princess and the Player (Strangers in Love 2) by Ilsa Madden-Mills-review tour

 

 

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Add to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/392Sim1

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date November 8, 2022

Level-headed Francesca Lane never thought she’d miss her own wedding. But when her fiancé betrays her, she puts on her wedding dress and ditches the altar for a masquerade ball—at a sex club.

There, she meets NFL star Tuck Avery, dressed as a prince and hiding behind a mask as he celebrates his birthday. For one night, Francesca and Tuck indulge in a wickedly incognito affair. No names. No strings. And the masks don’t come off.

Unfortunately, Francesca soon realizes her prince is the wealthy jock who lives in the penthouse of her apartment building. His hobbies include parties and supermodels—or so the tabloids say. Another shallow jerk is the last thing Francesca needs, so she vows to keep Tuck from recognizing her, not that she’s his type anyway.

But fate has a teeny-tiny trick up her sleeve… a plus sign on a pregnancy test. Can this tormented prince accept love, or will he push his princess away forever?

•••••

REVIEW: PRINCESS AND THE PLAYER is the second instalment in Ilsa Madden-Mills’ contemporary, adult STRANGERS IN LOVE erotic, romance series. This is thirty-five year old, NFL running back Tuck Avery, and thirty year old, tattooist/artist Francesca Lane’s story line. PRINCESS AND THE PLAYER can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story line is revealed where necessary.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Tuck and Francesca) PRINCESS AND THE PLAYER follows the building romance and relationship between thirty-five year old, NFL running back Tuck Avery, and thirty year old, tattooist/artist Francesca Lane. After catching her fiance with another woman, Francesca found herself without a direction in life. At her best friend Cecelia’s insistence , Francesca visits an exclusive $ex club where her one-night stand ends with a surprise pregnancy but more surprising is the identity of the father, the man with whom Francesca will fall in love. Enter NFL running back Tuck Avery, an embittered man who struggles with the demons from the past.The loss of her job, the news of her pregnancy, and Tuck’s pronouncement about never wanting to be a father, sends Francesca into a spiral where uncovering her own broken past reveals the heart breaking truth about the parents she never knew. What ensues is the building romance and relationship between Tuck and Francesca, and the potential fall-out when Tuck’s demons continue to control his life going forward.

Francesca Lane grew up in the foster care system, and life wasn’t always easy but our heroine has made a family of her own, with the friends that have supported her with kindness and love.Tuck Avery struggles to move on from his past, and it is his past that continues to haunt and control every action in his life. With issues of trust, Tuck manages to keep everyone at a distance including the woman with whom he will fall in love.

The relationship between Tuck and Francesca begins as a one-night stand at an exclusive $ex club where anonymity is always assured but a surprise pregnancy, and an unsure future threatens our heroine’s sense of security, and any possibility of her own happily ever after. Tuck Avery’s football career is struggling, and his own future unsure but the announcement of a baby reinforces his issues of trust, and his struggle with family and love. The $ex scenes are passionate and intense without the use of over the top sexually graphic language and text.

There is a large ensemble cast of colorful and charismatic secondary and supporting characters. We are introduced to Francesca’s best friend Cece, and their friends Brogan and Darden, as well as her ex fiance Edward, former boss Danny, and former foster brother Levi; Tuck’s teammate and friend Jasper, as well as several women that come in and out of the players lives.

PRINCESS AND THE PLAYER is a story of family, friendships, and relationships; trust and understanding; betrayal and acceptance; love and happily ever after. The premise is captivating and emotional; the romance is seductive and heart breaking; the characters are broken but struggling to move on.

Click HERE for Sandy’s review of book one BEAUTY AND THE BALLER

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

 

Follow:Goodreads / Website / Facebook Group / Amazon Author / Twitter /

Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and USA Today best-selling author Ilsa Madden-Mills is best known for her angsty new adult romances and romantic comedies.

Fourteen of her Eighteen novels have placed in the Amazon Top 10 Best-seller List: Dirty English #1; Not My Romeo #1; The Revenge Pact #1; Dear Ava, Fake Fiancée, I Dare You, and I Promise You #2; I Hate You #5; Not My Match, I Bet You, Filthy English, and Very Bad Things #6; Boyfriend Bargain #8; The Last Guy, her collaboration with Tia Louise, #4.

A former high school English teacher, she adores all things Pride and Prejudice, and of course, Mr. Darcy is her ultimate hero.

She’s addicted to frothy coffee beverages, cheesy magnets, and any book featuring unicorns and sword-wielding females.

Share

Beauty and the Baller by Ilsa Madden-Mills-Review Tour

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Beauty and the Baller by Ilsa Madden-Mills-Review Tour

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk / Amazon.au /

Don’t own a Kindle? Download the FREE Amazon Kindle App for your mobile device or pc

Add Beauty and the Baller to Goodreads→ https://bit.ly/3uhUb4F

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date March 29, 2022.

Gorgeous, talented, and brilliant, NFL quarterback Ronan Smith has the world in his hands. But after losing his career and his fiancée in a car accident, he falls into a pit of grief and bad choices. When a mysterious girl shows up to his party, he feels drawn to her and makes her his…for one night.

Former beauty queen Nova Morgan is on a mission. Scantily clad as a princess from a galaxy far, far away, she sneaks into a high-profile party to capture the attention of her favorite quarterback. But her hopes crash after an awful one-night stand.

Fast-forward two years. Broke and desperate, Nova returns home to Blue Belle, Texas, where, by a cosmic twist of fate, her broody neighbor is none other than Ronan, the shiny new football coach everyone adores. But he has no idea who she is.

The booster club keeps shoving women at Ronan to keep him in town. His solution? He proposes fake dating to Nova. But things heat up for real under these Friday-night lights when he realizes she’s the one who slipped away.

Has this jaded beauty found her forever baller, or will his past keep them apart?

•••••

REVIEW:  THE BEAUTY AND THE BALLER by Ilsa Madden Mills is a stand alone, contemporary, adult, erotic, romance story line focusing on twenty-nine year old, art teacher and former beauty queen Nova Morgan, and thirty-two year old, injured NFL quarterback Ronan Smith.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Nova and Rona) BEAUTY AND THE BALLER follows the building romance and relationship between art teacher and former beauty queen Nova Morgan, and thirty-two year old, injured NFL quarterback Ronan Smith. Three years earlier NFL quarterback Ronan Smith lost the love of his life and his career on the same night. One year later, a drunken one night stand with a stranger in New York left Ronan questioning his choices in life, having reached rock bottom before his upward climb back to the living. Fast forward two years, Ronan Smith, now teaching history and coaching football in Blue Belle, Texas will come face to face with his one-night stand, his new neighbor, Blue Belle alumni, and the woman with whom Ronan will fall in love. Hired as the high school’s new part time English teacher, and Coach Ronan’s PA, Nova Morgan struggles with what was, and what will never be. To keep the ‘predators’ at bay, Ronan and Nova agree to a fake relationship, a relationship that will quickly turn into something more. What ensues is the building romance and relationship between Ronan and Nova, and the potential fall-out when Ronan is offered another chance in the big leagues, leaving Blue Belle and Nova behind.

Nova Morgan returned to Blue Belle, Texas to look after her younger sister in the wake of their mother’s death. Never expecting to return to her hometown, Nova must now face the ghosts of her past, ghosts that are continuous reminders of love found and lost. Scarred both inside and out, Ronan Smith battles between head and heart with his attraction to, and need for our story line heroine but Ronan is unable to get past the death of his first love, and the loss of his career as a quarterback in the NFL.

The relationship between Ronan and Nova begins as a one-night stand wherein Ronan has no idea as to the who and why. Ronan is a Star Wars fan; a geek collector of everything from the galaxy far, far away, but the moment Nova descended into his life dressed as Princess Leia, Ronan knew his life would never be the same. In an effort to stop the local busy-bodies from trying to set him up with every single mother in Blue Belle, Ronan offers up a fake-relationship, a relationship that becomes all too real in a very short time. The $ex scenes are intimate, erotic and passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

The secondary and supporting characters are frenetic, flirty and energetic. We are introduced to Ronan’s best friends and fellow football player Tuck; Nova’s sister Sabine; fellow teachers and exes, high school students and a championship football team.

BEAUTY AND THE BALLER is a story of loss and grief; friendships and family; acceptance and love. The character driven premise is emotional, entertaining and impassioned; the characters are sassy and spirited; the romance is captivating, tender and sensual.

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

Follow:Goodreads / Website / Facebook Group / Amazon Author / Twitter /

Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and USA Today best-selling author Ilsa Madden-Mills is best known for her angsty new adult romances and romantic comedies.

Fourteen of her Eighteen novels have placed in the Amazon Top 10 Best-seller List: Dirty English #1; Not My Romeo #1; The Revenge Pact #1; Dear Ava, Fake Fiancée, I Dare You, and I Promise You #2; I Hate You #5; Not My Match, I Bet You, Filthy English, and Very Bad Things #6; Boyfriend Bargain #8; The Last Guy, her collaboration with Tia Louise, #4.

A former high school English teacher, she adores all things Pride and Prejudice, and of course, Mr. Darcy is her ultimate hero.

She’s addicted to frothy coffee beverages, cheesy magnets, and any book featuring unicorns and sword-wielding females.

Share

Not My Romeo by Ilsa Madden Mills-dual review

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Not My Romeo (The Game Changers #1) by Ilsa Madden Mills-dual review

 

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk / Amazon.au / B&N (paper) /

Don’t own a Kindle? Download the FREE Amazon Kindle App for your mobile device or pc

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date August 18, 2020

We start off with a lie on Valentine’s Day.

My blind date isn’t the studious guy I expected: he’s a drop-dead gorgeous player with sinful amber eyes. Somehow we end up at his penthouse. I blame the gin and tonic.

The next day I learn he’s Jack Hawke—bad-boy professional quarterback with a murky past. The NDA he has me sign should be a warning that he isn’t a regular person. Please. I sign it Juliet Capulet, so goodbye, famous football player with abs of steel, and good luck tracking down this small-town librarian.

But Jack keeps showing up in places I least expect him. Just when I’m sure he’s gone, he waltzes into my community theater and wins the part of Romeo to my Juliet. How’s a plain, mostly innocent girl like me supposed to resist a man like him?

Is Jack my real Romeo… or will this gorgeous football player only break my heart?

••••••••

Sandy’s REVIEW: NOT MY ROMEO is the first instalment in Ilsa Madden-Mills contemporary, adult THE GAME CHANGERS erotic, romance series. This is twenty-eight year old, professional football quarterback Jack Hawke, and twenty-six year old librarian/lingerie designer Elena Riley.

old from dual first person perspectives (Elena and Jack) NOT MY ROMEO follows the building romance and relationship between twenty-eight year old, professional football quarterback Jack Hawke, and twenty-six year old librarian/lingerie designer Elena Riley. A Valentine blind date, and a one night stand finds our heroine battling between head and heart when she discovers that her blind date wasn’t her blind date after all but professional football player Jack Hawke. Our heroine had mistakenly believed Jack was her date, and Jack, being the gentleman that he isn’t, played along but our hero’s current reputation both on and off the field is in tatters, and quickly finds himself getting attached to a woman who wants something more. Unable to offer Elena forever or a happily ever after, Jack continues to find himself drawn to our heroine, a draw that is about to spiral out of control. What ensues is the building romance and relationship between Jack and Elena, and the potential fall-out as Jack’s issues of trust find our heroine on the outside looking in when Jack accuses her of manipulation and lies.

Jack Hawke grew up in the foster care system having lived much of his life angry and abused. Betrayal at the hands of his ex force Jack to keep one eye open including having Elena sign an NDA, an agreement Elena refuses to accept. Elena Riley had no idea the who or the what of quarterback Jack Hawke. Falling for Jack, Elena knew she was about to have her heart broken, having been forewarned by our story line hero. Been burned in the past, Elena knows she has to move on but there is always a constant reminder wherever she goes.

The relationship between Jack and Elena starts as a case of mistaken identity , one in which Jack carries over into a one-night stand. Jack doesn’t do relationships having been betrayed by his ex, and in this Jack struggles with issues of trust, issues that will directly affect his relationship with our story line heroine. Elena continues to battle her attraction to Jack knowing Jack wants nothing to do with a happily ever after but Jack’s constant presence in her life give our heroine pause as to perhaps there may be hope for something more. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

There is a large ensemble cast of colorful and energetic secondary and supporting characters including Elena’s ex boyfriend Preston, her roommate Topher, and her sister Giselle, as well as their mother, Aunt Clare who owns and runs a local salon. We are introduced to Jack’s head of security Quinn, a young man who is more or less our hero’s gopher; fellow teammate and friend Devon, quarterback Aiden Woods, PR agent Lawrence, Town stage director Laura and her son Timmy, and Jack’s ex girlfriend Sophia.

NOT MY ROMEO is a story of family, friendships, betrayal, trust and love; a story of one man’s struggle to move on from the past, and one woman’s heart break when said man refuses to acknowledge her love. The character driven premise is captivating and seductive; the romance is fun and flirty; the characters are lively, dynamic and charming. A wonderful and impassioned story.

 

Barb’s REVIEW:
Not My Romeo by Ilsa Madden-Mills is the first book in her new The Game Changers series. We meet our heroine, Elena Riley, as she goes to a restaurant to meet a blind date on Valentine’s Day,  that her roommate set up for her.  After waiting a bit, not seeing the date supposedly wearing a blue shirt, she texts her date, with no response; she notices far in the corner a hot hunk wearing a blue shirt and sitting alone.  She walks to his table and says “are you the guy”.

Jack Hawke, our hero, and famous pro quarterback, is sitting quietly waiting for his dinner to be served.  He is surprised when this beautiful young lady sits down at his table; he then realizes she thinks he is her blind date, who is a weatherman. Jack also noticed that she was one of the rare people who did not recognize him, and goes along with pretending to be her date. It was a pretty funny dinner between them, and they both end up the evening with a wild sexy one-night stand.

Jack and Elena are total opposites.  Jack is shy and private, and does not like the limelight; especially after an ex-girlfriend wrote a book about her affair with him, filled with lies, causing Jack to have major trust issues.  Elena is a librarian and designs sexy lingerie; she is also very outgoing, sassy and a bit wild.  The following day, with Jack already gone before she awoke, she learns that he is not who she thought he was.  When Jack saves a young boy, who asks him for favors, he agrees to perform at the school play, Romeo and Juliet. To his surprise, Elena is playing the part of Juliet, and a wild, sexy, sizzling romance begins to heat up.  Elena finds her self falling hard for Jack, and he feels the same, but his trust issues and fear of anything permanent stands in the way. Will Jack get past his issues to stay with Elena?

I did enjoy the wonderful secondary characters; friends and family of Elena, as well as Jack’s football buddies (especially Devon).   They were all fun.  But most of all, Jack and Elena were so great together, with so much scorching chemistry between them, as well as their romance being terrific and fun. 

Not My Romeo was a fun, lighthearted, sexy, sweet, hot romance, with a fantastic couple.  There were lots of laughter, and sexy scenes.  Ilsa Madden-Mills wrote a wonderful fun romantic story that was just simply fun from start to finish. I also loved the epilogue.  I suggest you read Not My Romeo.

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