Playing House is the story of Bodie, a rugby player and Eleanor (Nell), Ryder’s younger quirky sister who loves all things Victorian.
They meet at Ryder’s engagement party and get to know each other well into the wee hours.
Next morning Bodie is shocked to learn that they sexy siren he spent the night with is his best friend/ teammates sister. And even more shocked when 2 months later she tells him she’s pregnant.
Playing house was a cute and quick read with emotions and sizzling chemistry. I loved Eleanor, the heroine and her fixation with all things Victorian. It has a bit of drama that kept me hooked.
An enjoyable addition to the Sydney Smoke Rugby series.

This is the first Amy Andrews book I've read but I was just so intrigued by the blurb. Best friends's little sister is one of my favorite tropes, and also the fact the fact that the heroine was kind of like the "weird" sister, I just couldn't resist and this story did not disappoint me, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Now I know this is book number 5 in a series but I totally think it can be read as a standalone and after this one might feel like reading the previous books, I know I do.

Like I said our heroine Eleanor, is the weird sister in her family; she has a fascination for Jane Austen, the Victorian era, vintage clothing... you get the idea, and she's content with who she is and with her life but she would like to get rid of her V-card, although she thinks achieving that would be nearly impossible. That's why she is so surprised that one of her brother's team mates is actually hitting on her.
Bodie is smitten when he sees Eleanor, she's so different from anyone he's ever met but he has no idea of her true identity, until after they spend the night together and he's shocked by that reveal. However that won't be the only revelation she has for him when she sees him two months after their night together.

Playing House is a very entertaining read. Since this is is from Entangled's Brazen books you can expect some very steamy and sexy scenes but besides that I think it has good characters. I liked Eleanor's quirky side and I loved how Bodie also liked that side of her. They're different but they compliment each other and have great chemistry. If I could have asked for something more is maybe a bit more romance and more from Bodie, but that's just me.

I'd sure recommend this book and as for me, I need to catch up on the other books in the series.

Bodie knows when to take a hint, "she grabbed him by the tie and yanked him inside. He didn’t need any more encouragement..." Bodie is a very descriptive man, “Christ, Eleanor.” His laughed sounded more than a little strangled. “I want to have *** with you on every surface in every position in every room of my apartment. I want it to be so plastered with our DNA, my whole place will glow like a effing Christmas tree under one of those black lights those forensic dudes use..." I really liked this book, Bodie was sweet and funny and I loved him.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC from Netgalley.

This book was actually delightful once I got over the Victorian sayings and descriptors in a current time period. It might've helped that they seemed to become less and less as the novel went on....or maybe I just got used to them.

I found Eleanor to be eccentric, but I liked that about her. Yes, I'm a sucker for the non normal, non beautiful, awkward, etc etc....you get the picture. She was certainly those things and therefore her hobbies/work were understandable. She was awesome!

Bodie was an interesting hero and I enjoyed that he unintentally broke the bro code and then did it again with reservations... Yup, had to be feelings there. You go Bodie!

A good story and I would certainly recommend.

Oh the best friends little sister... we know she's off limits, but when he doesn't know can you really blame him? Eleanor is the odd duck in the family, completely entranced by 18th century customs and clothing. No surprise that she's a 26 year old virgin. But when she finds herself in a unique situation to rid herself of the pesky v card she's completely on board.
Bodie is a smoking hot elite rugby player. Not to mention wealthy in his own right. He's not looking for a relationship or a one night stand, but Eleanor calls to him from the first moment he sets eyes on her. Captivated by her charm and idiocracies he can't get her out of his mind. Little does he know how life will change.

This was a sweet read with no major angst and although there is a heartbreaking part to the story, conflict in the story is minimal. I enjoyed the steamy romance between Bodie and Eleanor. I really liked how sweet Bodie was with Eleanor; he takes the time to learn about her interests and appreciates her quirkiness. I would have liked an epilogue added to the story, though. Overall, I enjoyed this read and would definitely try out the next book in the series.

I love Eleanor! She loves the fashion and mores of Regency and Victorian England and lives her current life influenced by that. She is not afraid to be her own self. Bodie is a professional athlete who comes from old money. The two of them are great together...I really enjoyed the developing relationship although I wanted to thump Bodie on the head many times! He finally realizes what he has to do at the the conclusion of the book to win Eleanor's heart. Great book! I received an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

She wears Victorian underwear? I love her already.

Yeah, time travel sounds so cool until you realize they didn't have showers.

She really is my home girl.

It sounds like all his other girlfriends were constantly hungry.

Ew, manscaping. I'm with Monica on that one.

Sounds like his mother is a crappy one.

These guys go to drag shows?

It makes you wonder how people ever had sex, if they first had to unbutton a hundred buttons.

She's got game, that's for sure.

He took that really well, as he should.

I feel bad for Ryder, finding out like this, but Eleanor has a point. What's good for the gander should be good for the goose.

Having sex instead of talking won't help anything.

She was hoping for a miscarriage?

Of course she needed her mother. Not everyone's mom is a cold fish.

Richard Armitage narrated a book? Awrrr.

I had no idea that Queen Victoria had a snake ring.

There is nothing wrong with this book, I think it's just not for me. I couldn't get in to it.

With some of my favorite tropes, how could I resist this book? Eleanor loves the 19th century and made her hobby into a small business. She is into Jane Austen (O, Mr Darcy!) and Georgette Heyer and thinks she has been born too late. Even when she loves modern hygiene and the right to vote.

At 26 she is still a virgin and when she attends her brother's engagement party (Ryder from the last book) she is approached by Bodie, her brother's best friend. They have a hot night together after which Eleanor leaves him a note and leaves for home. Until she finds she is pregnant. Even when Bodie and Eleanor decide to give a relationship a try, will Eleanor have to give up all her old-fashioned dreams of a mr Darcy of her own?

This is a very entertaining read. I really liked both Bodie and Eleanor. I did think the story could have used a little bit more ... something extra. The sex was hot but I wish there was a bit more romance to convince me of their love. Sometimes Eleanor was too meek for my liking.
Loved the big gesture at the end though!

3,5 stars.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a very quick, very surface read. It still manages to be satisfying. I liked both characters and they definitely had some steamy interactions. There were a couple of moments that fell really flat for me (I don;t want to give anything away that someone might consider a spoiler even though I really don't). I wish it had been longer to give the story more depth but taken as a whole I had a good time reading this one and would read another.

Loved this!

Eleanor Davis's brother Ryder plays for the Sydney Smoke rugby team, she is hiding behind a plant at his engagement party when one of his super-hot team-mates, Bodie Webb catches her eye and tries to seduce her.

Eleanor (Nell to her family) is a 26 year old virgin, someone who loves Victoriana more than modern day clothes and manners, but she has decided that virginity is a pesky thing and she wants rid - if only she can pluck up the courage. Of course she knows that Brodie would run a mile in the opposite direction if he knew she was Ryder's little sister (and a virgin) so she keeps her identity a secret.

All my favourite tropes combined. Best friend's little sister? Check. V-card? Check. Accidental pregnancy? Check. Hot sporting hero? Check. Kooky heroine? Check.

Knowing that this was an Entangled Brazen imprint in advance prepared me for all the smexy times (and boy do they have a lot of hot raunchy sex, when Eleanor finally gives up that V-card she does it with a bang, phnarr phnarr) but honestly it felt right in the context of the story, two people who have a raunchy one-night stand and can't stop thinking about one another, even though they know it's a bad idea.

I loved Eleanor and her quirky, kinky dress sense, I love that Brodie is turned on by Victorian clothing and thinks Eleanor is beautiful when she and her sisters think she is not. I loved everything about this hot, sexy read.

So, I thought there was a pattern of liking/disliking these books, like I only like the even-numbered or odd-numbered but nope, I've now loved three out of five, roll on number six!

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Loved, loved, loved this story. I loved how when she was nervous she would talk about random facts from the nineteenth century. All of the events leading up to Eleanor telling Brody about being pregnant was just great! I loved that she didn't try to keep this from him but that she went and told him early on so he could be apart of everything. The most epic part in the whole book was after she lost the pregnancy and Bodie says it was my baby too. I just want to lay here with you and hold you and feel sorry for us. Breaking my heart with this raw emotion Bodie is expressing. We don't often get to feel or read the males point of view on this subject, it was epic to read his words and the pain he was feeling over this loss too. Might have cried a few tears at this point in the book. Such amazing characters and what a creative way to share such a well written story! I love all the quirky things about Eleanor!

I love this author and I love this series.

Bodie and Eleanor have a one night stand at an engagement party for Ryder, Bodie's best friend & Eleanor's brother. She ends up pregnant and they get together to see whether or not they should make their situation permanent.

I honestly don't know how to write a review of this book without spoiling the hell out of it, so I'll just leave it at that for now. A great read in a great series.

Best friend's little sister is my very favorite trope, so I was very excited to read this one. I've really enjoyed this whole series so far.

Bodie "Spidey" Webb is a pro rugby player for the Sydney Smoke. He grew up in a very wealthy family, and his dad wants him to enter the family business at some point. Bodie has no plans to ever do that. He loves the game too much, and he loves his team. In fact, his best friend Ryder Davis is one of his teammates, and that's what brings him to the middle of nowhere, Australia, where Ryder grew up, for his engagement party. Bodie had a bad breakup about a year ago, and he's been sewing his wild oats ever since. So, he doesn't expect to be laid flat by one look at a wallflower of a woman at Ryder's party. He just knows he has to talk to her.

Eleanor "Nell" Davis is Ryder's youngest sister. Her other sisters are all classic beauties, each already married off. She's always been an odd duck, born in the wrong century. She's obsessed with everything Victorian era: the clothes, the manners, the courting. Everything. It's why she's still a virgin at 26. She's been waiting for THE ONE. But, when she sees Bodie at her brother's party she's drawn to him like she's never been to another man. She decides to shake off her virginity once and for all, which can only happen if she doesn't mention to him the small fact that she's Ryder's sister. Her brother calls her Nell, so when she uses her full name to introduce herself, he's none the wiser, and she's not actually lying. They have an amazing night together, but it has unintended consequences, for both of them.

Bodie and Eleanor have amazing chemistry and I loved watching them interact. He actually showed interest in the things she loved (especially her Victorian undergarments!), and he makes her feel beautiful and wanted for the first time ever. Bodie loves her quirky personality, and her unusual hobbies, and he's endlessly intrigued by her. I really appreciated the way they were together, and even the reveal to her brother didn't go exactly as I expected, which I liked as well. Though they were different, they were entirely compatible, and I loved watching them both realize how perfect they were together.

I always enjoy revisiting all of the other characters from the previous books, as well as the other side characters who've yet to have their own stories. I'm looking forward to Donovan, the single dad's story, as well as the coach's daughter. And Coach Griff too, for that matter! I really hope we get all of their stories before the series comes to a close.

This was a very emotional book in many ways, much more so than the others have been. The main characters deal with some tough issues, and while everyone doesn't always handle things perfectly, they find a way to figure it out. I really loved Eleanor as a heroine. She was so unique and I just really enjoyed her outlook. Bodie was also so much more than I gave him credit for. He really didn't shy away from love, though he'd been burned before. They were truly perfect together.

I definitely recommend this book, and this series. It's so much more than your typical sports romance series, and I love that. The Aussie-isms are hilariously fun, and I truly appreciate the glossary of terms in the back of the book. I look forward to more stories in this awesome world.

Be still my thudding heart <3. I adored Eleanor and Bodie’s characters in Ms Andrews latest instalment in the Sydney Smoke Rugby series, Playing House. Lots of heart, emotion and scorching attraction between the characters with a bit of drama thrown in to the story, just to keep the reader breathing that little bit heavier. From the start I was glued to the pages and could not put the book down. My fave read in the series yet and a story I did not want to finish for all the right reasons :D.
Review copy received from Entangled Publishing via Netgalley

This is a sweet and sexy romance that fans of the genre will love. In it, Nell is a throwback from another era, right down to making (and wearing) vintage clothing from the Victorian era. She marches to the beat of a different drummer and feels as though she's disconnected from most people and living during the wrong time period.

Brodie is an elite athlete playing with the Sydney Smoke rugby team when he meets Nell. Her brother is Brodie's teammate, but Nell conceals that from him, creating all kinds of problems for Brodie....along with a few surprises.

I loved both Brodie's and Nell's heart and the way it motivated them throughout this story. While somewhat predictable, I thoroughly enjoyed the telling of this tale. This is a wonderful series that should be at the top of the TBR list of every romance fan. The author is on my must read authors' list.

Playing House, is as close to a modern day fairy tale as any. The love that Bodie has for Eleanor shows.