Beauty and the Baller by Ilsa Madden-Mills: After losing both his fiancé and his NFL career all in one horrific car 
accident all Ronan Smith wants is to forget which is what he planned on doing one night at a New York bar, that is until a total knock dressed in a gold Princess Leia costume walks in and completely rocks his world, to bad the next morning she is nowhere to be found and in his drunken state Ronan failed to get the name of his mystery lady!
Fast forward two and a half years and Ronan has finally pulled himself together. Now he is living is small town Belle, Texas coaching the local high school team while fending off a very eager booster club that is intent on helping him settle down.
The last place Nova saw herself being was back home in Belle but after the death of her mother the former beauty queen is needed back home to care for her younger sister Sabine and their hairless cat Sparky. However the last thing Nova could have expected was for her new broody neighbour to be none other than her one night stand Ronan, to bad he has no idea who she is… if this wasn’t awkward enough Nova soon finds herself working part time as Ronan’s assistant only to have him suggest that they fake date to help get the booster club of his back and stick it to her ex who also works with them at the school. Well things are about to get interesting in little ole Belle…
Hell yes! Beauty And The Baller was everything and more that I could have asked for in a sports romance, this book was pure perfection from start to finish. Firstly lets take a moment to appreciate this amazing cover, this in itself was enough to get me to pick up this book and let me just tell you it only got better from here! Im a huge sucker for a hottie footballer romance, add in the fact there was a fake dating trope and this book was already well on its way to being a hit for me.
Both main characters were amazing and their journey to happily ever after was one of the cutest that I have read, that said they did have their share of ups and downs which only made their ending all the more perfect. I absolutely adored Nova, not only was she a genuinely nice person but I loved the relationship that she had with her sister. One of the things that made Nova such a great character was because of how relatable she was, I loved that she had such big boss girl energy but she also had her insecurities. I really enjoyed getting to see her come into her own and really thrive.
Oh my sweet Ronan, how my heart broke for him but boy does he make a come back. I loved getting to see this new and improved version of Ronan that largely came to life thanks to all that sass and banter Nova sent his way. I absolutely ate up their story, together they were hilarious. Their connection was just so perfectly light and steamy all at the same time. I loved getting to see his walls slowly come down as he interacted with his students and Nova.
This was a fun read from start to finish, if you are looking for a light feel good small town, fake turned real romcom then The Beauty And The Baller is the book for you!
Book Info:
Publication: March 29, 2022 | Montlake |
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?
