I loved the characters and the storyline development of this book. It was absolutely one of my favorites so far and I can't wait to delve in to the next one that this author writes. The storyline was simple, enjoyable, and entertaining.

I was first drawn to the cover, it looked so fun and sweet that I just wanted to know what to know what this book was going to be about. And once I read the synopsis, I decided to take a chance on it and I’m glad that I did! I really enjoyed Earning It, it was a lovely little story!

I loved meeting Pepper and Luke, I loved them for their strengths and especially their weaknesses. Both of them are tough and capable, but they each have their own issues that just made my heart ache and made them seem more real. Pepper and Luke are confident, vulnerable, sweet, and fun. I loved them more as time went by and I’m happy that they got their happy ending.

And just like I loved Pepper and Luke more as time passed by, Earning It kept growing on me the more I read. It was light and steamy, but there were heart squeezing, teary-eyed moments too. Earning It put a lot of smiles on my face, I absolutely loved it, and I can’t wait to read more from the Stolen Moments series!

Earning It is the first book in the Stolen Moments series, it’s told from Luke and Pepper’s POV, and they do get their HEA.

~ A Hopeless Romantic’s Booklandia, 4.5 Stars

Earning It is a sexy & sweet story of finding yourself & allowing love to chase away the demons of the past.

This is a feel good romance with some hot sexy time.

I look forward to reading more by Angela Quarles.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

Enjoyed reading Pepper and Luke’s love story. Luke and Pepper have history since high school. A case of mistaken identity reunites them. There’s secrets and insecurities that challenges their relationship. Recommended read

Quick read. Luke and Pepper went to high school together and he was her arch nemesis. Senior year her ruined her science fair project. She remembers him as a scrawny, pimply faced jerk. When they meet up 10 or so years later she does not recognize him. He is now a hot ex navy seal. He recognizes her immediately and a case of mistaken identity results in a rocky start to their reunion. The romance was cute. I didn't find much humor. Both characters have a few self esteem issues and that played a large part in their relationship issues. Interesting story line with a new to me sport. The author gets points for not following the script with the usual, football, hockey or baseball player.

Earning It is a hot, sweet read. Pepper is finally getting the chance to live her new life as she opens up her brand new medical practice. But first she has to get through this blind date her friend set up. When she shows up at Mocha Cabana and the only guy who fits her date's description turns out to be a hottie with black hair and a really fit body, it's all she can do to keep her panties on. They indulge in a hot one night stand, but what is she going to do when her ONS turns out to be her old high school nemesis AND a player on the hurling team she's evaluating?! Well, she tries to keep her cool and not cry. She also tries not to kill Luke. Luke, the boy who destroyed her science fair project. The boy who always liked her but never showed her. The boy who is a man now, all man, a hot former Navy SEAL who doesn't look like the skinny nerd he used to be. And the man who is even more messed up emotionally than she is.

For all its light, flirty overtones, Earning It tackles some serious issues with its two leads. Luke was physically and emotionally abused by his father his entire childhood, and it's made him numb and unfeeling. Unfeeling except when he's in combat or when he's around Pepper. Pepper was so emotionally abused by her parents that she strives for perfection in everything - in herself, in her professional life, in her love life, and in others. She never felt she had a good balance between her love and professional lives and her last relationship just cemented that feeling. Putting Pepper and Luke together shouldn't work, but it really does, they really work, together. But only once they figure out their s*** and talk things out. Before their big talk, though, whew! Hot, holy hot chemistry coming off them.

I really enjoyed Earning It. Luke and Pepper make a fun, sweet, sexy couple. They're both starving for love and the fact that they find something with each other? With another person who can understand just how messed up the other is? That's magic right there!

I absolutely loved this book!

Not being a sports fan, I had serious reservations about reading it, since it appeared to be mostly about hurling – a sport I hadn’t even heard of before this book. Luckily, I read an excerpt somewhere of a scene between Luke and Pepper that just totally sucked me in.

The characters were fresh, believable, insecure, open to change, natural, adorable. The sex scenes were HOT, without being excessive. The interaction and verbal exchanges between the characters – especially between Pepper and Luke, but with the peripheral players as well – was quite entertaining, as were their internal dialogues.

This story is told in dual perspective, alternating between Pepper and Luke. I don’t usually like this style, but the author did an excellent job of differentiating the characters, making sure you could tell from the tone and content which character you were hearing from. It certainly worked well for the narrative.

Even the sections of explanation about the sport of hurling weren't too long or boring, and were simplistic enough that I could (almost) make sense of the game.

Definitely a book that I recommend! I understand that additional volumes in the series will also be stand-alone stories, but will be centered on different couples among Luke’s fellow hurling team members. I can hardly wait to read them and return to this delightful world.

Call me crazy, but I didn't care for this book. I didn't feel any chemistry between the characters and could not believe that she didn't recognize someone she hated so much. Just didn't work for me.

Pepper shows up at a coffee shop for a blind date looking for a lawyer named Rick. She immediately is attracted to the man she sees sitting by himself, and when she asks if he is Rick he agrees. He is not he is former Navy Seal Luke who also has known Pepper since high school and has liked since then as well. Now playing the part it goes all the way to his apartment. A few days later before he can come clean she finds out from her friend that Rick never showed up and she is sorry. Finding out that this is Luke from high school which they have some not so good history does not make her feel any better. Now Luke must use all of his people skills none and really make her understand that he really has liked her and he really is serious about wanting to date her. Now it is up to her to decide. A fun story about two people and when I got to the end I wanted the story to continue. A very good book.

This was a quick read, but also a fun, flirty, steamy read! A great premise of mistaken identity that lead to a well developed storyline. If you love a Navy Seal alpha with lots of sweetness as well as steam, you'll love this one!

What can I say, this was remarkably funny and very, very sexy, i've read Angela's time travel series and I like them so imagine my delight in finding out she wrote this excellent story, which by the way, is a short so you can read it whilst having a coffee or glass of wine, whichever takes your fancy.

I received an ARC from Netgalley and voluntarily leave my own opinion

This was just an okay read for me.

Earning It by Angela Quarles is the first book in her Stolen Moments series. It offers the unique sport of hurling and a second chance connection. However, the thread of the story wasn’t enough to keep me invested.

I’m a sucker for a mistaken identity and what’s more mistaken than thinking someone’s your blind date only to find out it’s your childhood nemesis? This is Pepper’s conundrum, and not only that, but the man in question turns out to be her patient too.

The quick-witted dialogue reeled me in right from the start. I felt like I was with my best friend who was relating all this juicy gossip. You can’t help but fall in love with Pepper who’s cute and bubbly, but also has this fierce personality.

I loved learning about hurling too. I had to look up some videos to get in on the action. This is Luke’s game, but Pepper comes out of nowhere and has him crossing and re-crossing lines and boundaries. The chemistry is just hot and heavy from the get-go! Boy, does this author excel at writing chili-pepper level heat.

It’s a fun & flirty ride with plenty of humor.

All that said? The second half of the story lost its way for me. Some strands of the plot were almost completely glossed over while others that felt unnecessary took up most of the page time. There was too much extra drama added to fluff out the story, and all it did was distract me from Luke and Pepper’s connection. Because of that it was missing the essential ingredients to keep me engaged to the end.

If you don't mind a more angsty, hefty plot, you'll probably find this one to your tastes. It delivers an unusual sports romance with plenty of heat.

3 stars!

I found “Earning It” because I adore Angela Quarles and am always eager to read her works. I first learned about this story when it was a part of the anthology “Some Like it Geek” and was super excited for a chance to reread it when it was made into a stand alone! I received an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review and I can honestly say I loved it!

This story focuses on Pepper and Luke, high school acquaintances that reconnect as adults 15+ years later. I love that their adult meet cute moment is a case of mistaken identity. He remembers her, but she thinks he’s someone else. Things progress quickly *ahem* and you end up with a tangle of body parts, lies of omission, assumptions, and an agreement that this whole thing is a one day only experience. Yeah, like that will go according to plan! Once she learns who he is through a work experience, the knot begins to untangle and makes for a fantastic reading experience.

Considering the long-novella-esque length, I felt that we got a lot of character development for Pepper and Luke, as well as the secondary characters. We learned what made them tick, as well as how their minds worked. Lots of introspection and thinking about their feelings for the other person. Plus a few hawt bedroom scenes. That thing in the car? HECK YEAH! Anyway, after the last two scenes, I have no doubt that these two will find their happily ever after.

The story also heavily features the sport Irish Hurling and, after watching a few youtube videos, I am a huge fan. It is a mash up of field hockey, lacrosse, volleyball, rugby and pretty much every other contact sport you can think of. This sport, much like Angela Quarles writing style, is guaranteed to take you on a fun adventure. So, go give this book a read. You’re going to love it!

Overall I found the story to be well-written with a few flaws. Good

I thought this was a cute, sweet romance. Enjoyed the characters and loved how Luke and Pepper came back into each other's lives due to a case of mistaken identity. They couldn't fight the overwhelming chemistry between them. And despite their backgrounds, doubts and insecurities, together they take a chance to find out what being in love is. I look forward to reading more in this series and hopefully more about Luke and Pepper.

Earning It is the first book I have read by Angela Quarles but it won’t be my last. Pepper and Luke are relatable characters and their interaction and banter makes for a great love story. I look forward to reading more by this author and will recommend this to readers

4.5stars
Earning it is a great love story. So Pepper thinks she is on a blind date with a super hot layer. But no she is with her former high school enemy Luke who is has changed over in the years, but he didn't forget Peper and when the opportunity falls in his lap literary he grabs it with both hands. But of course, it doesn't end well when Peper finds out who he really is. It is really a sweet funny steamy story with great characters and heartbreaking story. They are so good together and I love how was written the last chapter. Pepper is funny, witty unsecured but also strong. Luke is interesting funny hot and determined, but also caring and ready to own his mistake and ask for forgiveness. And their attraction arrrrr hoooot! Realy great story.
I volunteered to review an ARC of this book for Netgelly

This was a quick read and I liked how easily the characters related to each other. It was really easy to read and I enjoyed it. It was only after that I started thinking more about the logistics of the story. In retrospect, there are almost too many things happening here - it's a high school crush story, but it's also a mistaken identity story, but it's also a workplace drama (she's the boss since she has to sign off for the sponsorship), but it's also a sports romance (for a sport that seemed super obscure - can't they just be an amateur soccer team?). It just seems like a lot. I really liked the author's writing style and I would absolutely read more, but there were just too many tropes in one story. The most interesting one is the high school crush who pretends to be her blind date - which is what I thought I was getting into. What if he had continued to pretend to be that other guy and it exploded in his face? What if he told her who he was and she got mad and left, but then ran into him everywhere around town? I could see a lot of ways that story could go, and I'd read all of them.

You had me from the opening when we have a case of mistaken identity and the overly paranoid Luke and how everything would work out in the end. I just needed to read this book in one sitting because curiousity almost killed me as to how things would end up. Pepper is so complicated and cute that i am rooting for her throughout the book. "Holy yummy presence, Batman" favorite line in the book, anytime you can reference Batman in a romance book especially by a leading lady you know it's going to be a good book. I can say that I have used that line a time or two since reading this book, Thanks for that! I love the way the author describes the game of Hurling. It sounds so rough and only really tough guys would even consider playing this game. So it beefs up my image of Luke and makes him even more rugged and manly in my mind as I read this book. Overall great writing and fun characters.

Not having read anything by Ms Quarles prior to this book, I have to ask myself, "why not?" Her writing has created characters that are easy to relate to. She did a great job of bringing two broken people who have history, albeit not necessarily a good one when they were teenagers. Through a case of mistaken identity, the stage was for instant and explosive chemistry.

Between Pepper's need to prove herself to maintain her job as a sports doctor, and Luke's fears of needing to prove himself for acceptance, these two have the perfect opportunity to help each other (though subliminally) by coming together to prove to each other they are more then their pasts.

With humor and sexual charge, the author brought personality and dimension to the entire story. The supporting characters added to the core of the story in a soft yet important way. I hope that we haven't seen the end of these characters, there's a whole team that needs love interests, essentially Connor.

This ARC book was complimentary, provided by the Publisher and NetGalley. I am voluntarily providing my honest review.