I hiss when I see that it’s two in the afternoon, and I’ve missed lunch with Whitney’s parents in C onnecticut. Cursing under my breath, I yank my pants off the floor, fish out my phone, and then fire off a text apologizing.

Nova is hilarious and hardworking and so damn likable. I adored her character! And Ronan is so swoony. A true cinnamon roll hero who is dealing with grief and job pressure and a small town who is all up in his business. I loved Nova and Ronan together so much! And their steamy scenes are H-O-T. I am still blushing! I don't remember if I've mentioned this, but POOL TABLE SEX. Beauty and the Baller was entertaining, sexy, and sweet. It had fun, playful banter throughout the story that had me grinning and rooting for Nova and Ronan to get together. I had a fantastic time reading it. Beauty and the Baller by Ilsa Madden-Mills is a standalone, small town, neighbors, fake relationship, second chance, sports romance full of emotion, humor, chemistry, passion and plenty of swoon. It’s about family, change, fresh starts and beautiful connections. I loved this story and couldn’t get enough of this sexy ex-footballer and his quirky Texas beauty queen! <333 She’s not the right girl, the other side of my head shouts, even as my index finger strokes her cheek. She turns her head into the touch, sighing softly, and my chest seizes at her automatic response.Two and a half years ago Ronan didn't have a good night at his football team's party. He was still grieving his fiancée and his professional football career - both of which he lost in a car accident the year before. While the “meet cute” (at least the first time around) was a heart-punching cringe for me, the second time around gave me a side of Nova that I found completely irresistible. She was the perfect match for Ronan. I loved her big heart, her loyalty, and her “take no crap” attitude when it came to Ronan. I loved the way they slowly warmed to each other. Their banter was 100% on point and there were moments that made me laugh out loud. They were wonderful! Ronan now coaches football at the local high school. He’s looking to move up his career ladder, but everyone in town is trying to wife him up so that he'll stay at the school. Meanwhile, Nova has to face her ex-boyfriend, Andrew, who she still has unresolved feelings for. How do these two decide to solve their problems? By fake dating!

This is definitely a sweet romance with an interesting meet-cute, and some hot steamy bits, but honestly the meaningful non-romantic relationships and self reflection from both Nova and Ronan really sealed my love for this one. These characters are not in the exact place in life that they planned to be, but they are figuring out that maybe they are right where they need to be anyway. There are some ups and downs between the main couple, but honestly they make sense to the characters and anything else would have been too easy. Ronan messes up a handful of times, but he wins Nova and me over every single time afterward. I felt so many things while reading this book. I cried, I smiled, I got mad, and I laughed my butt off at some parts. I think this was such a well written and well rounded story. It had a little bit of everything and was a definite reminder of why I love Ilsa’s books so much! for one thing, nova was still not over her ex which put a real damper on things. i don't know if she needed better closure or what, but all the andrew talk annoyed me. add to that ronan's dead fiancé thing? Then 2 and a half years later they meet again with both of them living in the same town of blue belle (hart of dixie anyone? zoewade 4ever😭) and nova moves in to take care of her sister after their mother's death. She meets the elusive football coach who turns out to be the guy who she had an unforgettable night with. I liked that the plotline of the side characters was developed as well, I loved what was going on with Skeeter and Sonia. This is a two POV book with chapters switching between Novas and Ronans point of view.

Because you’re a burst of light,” he says softly. “Because you believe in people. Because I can’t look up at the night sky without thinking about you. You’re a star." I’m not mad about reading this, but I enjoyed very little of it. However, maybe it just wasn’t the book for me. Other reviewers seem to have really enjoyed this, so if it’s something you’ve been eyeing it might still be worth the read for you. You can always play a drinking game to help with the reading experience! Take a sip whenever the author uses an exclamation point! You’ll be out dead by halftime! The same is true of stuff the hero says. There’s one part in the book where the hero uses a slightly less common word and the heroine is all “woooow you’re so smart, who uses words like that when they speak??” But like, it wasn’t that uncommon of a word. And he “spoke smart” ONCE in the entire book. 🙄 I shove down the pain in my knee and cage her in underneath me. She looks fragile and vulnerable, and my blood heats, the alpha in me rearing up to protect her. I capture her sapphire eyes, and something there is eerily familiar. Shadows of pain.