Review – Princess and the Player by Ilsa Madden-Mills

Princess and the Player; Strangers in Love #2
(standalone within an interconnected series)

Publication Date: November 8, 2022

Genre/Tropes: Surprise pregnancy/Sports Romance

Author: Ilsa Madden-Mills

Review Rating: 5 Gold Stars

Review/Synopsis:

Review:
Princess and the Player is full of quirky characters, steamy chemistry, emotional backstories, and a romance that was undeniable. Princess and the Player is swoonworthy reading at its best.

Tuck Avery is reaching the end of his NFL career, although he may not want to admit it, yet. It’s been his life…well, forever. Celebrating another birthday is just another reminder that he’s the oldest wide receiver currently playing, along with other horrible memories that surround his birthday, but Jasper, the current QB, and his current roommate, Jasper takes it upon himself to take him out. Instead of a nice quiet dinner that he normally prefers, yes he knows how old that makes him sound, Jasper takes him to a club…yes…a seggesy club and for one night he indulges in a beautiful woman…his Princess. Is it possible that he sees her again, living in his building? Was their night even happenstance or a total setup?

Francesca Lane is a beautiful mix of strong woman and silent strength. On the day she was supposed to be married, which didn’t happen due to a cheating ex, she decided to celebrate her freedom at a masquerade party. She spends one fantastic night, no names, no strings with a stranger and feels completely refreshed…except weeks later she’s feeling run down and can’t seem to shake a bug, but is it?  Then when she figures out who her masked stranger was, well, that is when she runs into him again, and again, and again…well, fate sure has a sense of humor because this is also when she realizes she might not actually be sick.

The secondary characters are so quirky and they added a ton of flavor to the story which brought out the fun and sassy to both Francesca and Tuck. There were lots of LOL moments between everyone, but at the heart they were a found family, which was beautiful, more than anything.

This is a book that once you pick it up you will not set it back down until you reach The End, I know I didn’t. I was completely engrossed in the story of Francesca and Tucker that I had no idea I’d stayed up until 2am…whoops…I loved every second it of it…no regrets!!

Synopsis:
A masquerade ball brings together an NFL player and a penniless princess in this smart and sexy romance from Wall Street Journal bestselling author Ilsa Madden-Mills.

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?

Princess and the Player is a complete stand-alone romance with nuanced characters and a swoony happily ever after.

Pre-order your copy today!
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3KWVJJ6
Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/PrincessPlayer
Amazon Paperback: https://amzn.to/3jXSR2s

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Cover Reveal – Once Upon a Sexy Scrooge by Ella Frank and Brooke Blaine

Ella Frank & Brooke Blaine have revealed the gorgeous cover for Once Upon a Sexy Scrooge!

Releasing: November 29, 2022

Cover Design: Hang Le Designs

Ah, Christmas. The most magical time of the year. A time when the snow is falling, cider is flowing, and couples are kissing under the mistletoe. 

Too bad all that makes me want to gag.

Look, it isn’t that I’m a hater, it’s just that I have a job to do, and this particular holiday is getting in the way of that. And I know what you’ll say, that Micah Noble’s Christmas Tree Farm is a beloved tradition for many of the families of Merrihill, but you have to see the bigger picture here: a five-star luxury resort where overworked Manhattanites can escape to, a serene place of spas and shopping and watching sexy lumberjacks chopping wood…

Oh, wait, scratch that last one. Lumberjacks aren’t my thing. Anymore. Micah Noble cured me of that, which tends to happen when you’re trying to buy someone’s family land to bulldoze to the ground.

He can call me a Scrooge all he wants, but business is business, and pleasure is…well, not something I can afford to think about. Even if it does come packaged in those tight jeans and flannel shirts that make me want to rip them off with my teeth–

No. This is not happening. I will not think of Micah as anything other than an obstacle to getting what I want. A really, really sexy obstacle.

Ugh. Screw Christmas and the sleigh it rode in on. 

Pre-order your copy today!

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3Cm4ESz

Amazon Worldwide: https://mybook.to/sexyscrooge

Add to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3CP5pTc

Meet Ella   

Ella Frank is the USA Today Bestselling Author of the Temptation series, including Try, Take, and Trust and is the co-author of the fan-favorite Preslocke series. Her Prime Time series has been praised as “highly entertaining!” and “sexy as hell!”

A life-long fan of the romance genre, Ella writes contemporary and erotic fiction.

Some of her favorite authors include Tiffany Reisz, Kresley Cole, Riley Hart, J.R. Ward, Erika Wilde, Gena Showalter, and Carly Philips.

Connect with Ella

Website: www.ellafrank.com

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3GXTNig

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ella.frank.31/

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheBrellas

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Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/ellafrank

Newsletter signup: https://ellafrank.com/newsletter/

Meet Brooke

Brooke Blaine is a USA Today Bestselling Author best known for writing romantic comedy and M/M romance. Her novels lead with humor and heart, but Brooke never shies away from throwing in something extra naughty that will scandalize her conservative Southern family for life (bless their hearts).

She’s a choc-o-holic, lives for eighties bands (which means she thinks guyliner is totally underrated), believes it’s always wine o’clock, and lives with the coolest cat on the planet—her Ragdoll/Maine Coon mix, Jackson Agador Spartacus. 

Connect with Brooke

Website: http://www.brookeblaine.com/

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1i2g15S

Facebook: www.facebook.com/BrookeBlaine.Writer

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheBrellas

Instagram: www.instagram.com/brookeblaine1

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@brookeblaine

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/brooke-blaine

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/brookeblaine11

Verve: https://ververomance.com/app/brookeblaine

Excerpt Reveal – Hidden Scars by Andi Jaxon

🏒 EXCERPT REVEAL 🏒

HIDDEN SCARS by Andi Jaxon releases on November 3rd! Check out this excerpt!!  

PRE-ORDER NOW to get the special $2.99 price!!!!

  ➜ https://mybook.to/hiddenscarsandijaxon

Excerpt: 

Preston’s POV

In our room with the door closed, I shove the garment bag at Jeremy.

“Change.” The word is a command.

Jeremy straightens, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Excuse me?”

I step closer to him, into his personal space. “Change.”

“Why? What I’m wearing is fine.”

I drag in a deep breath, inhaling his cologne, which goes straight to my head.

“You are going to my father’s house. You have to be as perfect as humanly possible.” Now he’s confused. This isn’t fucking fair to him, I know that, but I can’t stop it. I need him to just go with it and not argue.

Grabbing his shirt in both my hands, I jerk him toward me until we’re face to face. He’s up on his toes to make him equal in height to me. For a second, his arms flail, trying to keep his balance. I prepare to flinch when his hands touch my body but they don’t. He’s watching me watch him.

Jeremy grabs onto my wrists. This is the second time today he’s purposefully avoided touching my body. What does that mean?

“Change your fucking clothes.” My body shakes with the nerves trying so hard to consume me. It would be so easy to fall headfirst into the fear and anxiety of this fucking dinner. I don’t know what to expect and that’s terrifying. I squeeze my eyes shut tightly until little specks of light dance behind my eyelids. “Please.”

“Tell me why.” The stubbornness of just a few minutes ago is gone.

My eyes open to find Jeremy watching me. The unevenness of his irises is impossible to look away from. So fucking different from anyone else I’ve ever met.

“Why does it matter so much to you?”

I rest my forehead on his, wanting so desperately to find comfort in this man while knowing I can’t afford to. “I don’t know.”

We stand there for another moment, our exhales mixing between us. Jeremy gives my wrist a gentle squeeze before he quietly says, “Okay.”

BLURB

Charles Preston Carmichael is the most infuriating man I’ve ever met. 

I want to sock the golden boy of college hockey right in the mouth. 

He enjoys telling me everything I’m messing up. Publicly.

And since he’s my roommate for the next year, I can’t avoid him. 

Yet there’s something about him that makes me watch him. 

Something dark. 

A secret I want to uncover. 

When he returns from a weekend away, broken and haunted, I can’t keep my distance anymore. 

He needs someone and I’ll be damned if it’s not me. 

Soon my life no longer revolves around hockey, but the nightmares he’s living with. 

Desperately I want to save him but I can’t, not yet. The timing has to be just right. 

Can I watch him destroy himself as he tries to hold tight to the things that matter or will I be the final hit in the destruction of his life?

ADD TO YOUR TBR: 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62342935-hidden-scars

 

ABOUT ANDI JAXON

From Dyslexic kid with a love of Algebra to a published author, no one expected me to become an author. I love to write about tortured pasts and hot sex, a happily ever after that has to be worked for. My stories tend to be contemporary with a few little dark elements and some comic relief, typically in the form of sarcasm. 

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