Nobody does humor and angst like Ilsa Madden-Mills! It’s such a sublime combination, that they happen at almost the same time, so you are amused and touched and totally delighted with the scene you are reading. It’s inevitable to fall in love with her characters, they are so perfectly flawed. I loved Elena, so quirky, creative and given. And I loved the brokenness in Jack that didn’t let him trust anyone.

Elena is a librarian, but also a closet lingerie designer. You see a very proper and prim looking woman and inside is a sexy bomb of undies. Such a contradiction is also seen in her character: she blushes like a champ but during sexy times she likes it hot and dirty. Poor Jack had no chance of evading falling in love with this spitfire!

Jack went through a very violent episode in his childhood. Raised in foster homes, when he first held a football, it became his life and his home. Unfortunately, fame has also isolated him. Everyone who gets near him has a purpose and design and it’s not friendship. Burned by past disasters from a relationship gone sour, he was blasted by the media as an alcoholic and abusive boyfriend, all false, and all geared to give fame and money to the scorned girlfriend. Now Jack is going through a PR scandal, keeping his distance, trying to fix his image. And he doesn’t trust anyone now, except his close friends Devon and Lawrence. Everyone else is kept outside of his private bubble.


With Elena, he feels the yearning for companionship, for having a girlfriend with whom to share his confidences. And he does share some, to an extent. But there is a threshold from where he can’t pass and it frustrates him and disappoints Elena. And he ends up alone... again.

“It must be difficult to live in the limelight constantly. He loves the game but doesn’t enjoy the attention that comes with it, yet he pushes himself, all the while never trusting anyone, keeping his distance, not letting anyone too close.”

Apart from this heart wrenching story, there are wonderful characters that you just love! Devon, one of Jack’s besties, always smiling, always charming, he turns into Elena’s friend too. Topher, Elena’s best friend and roommate, brilliantly gay and best supporting role. Elena’s aunt Clara is zany, caring and pushes her to achieve all her goals, in bed and outside bed. Elena’s mother is the typical Southern mama, pushy and opinionated. And let’s not forget Romeo, the teacup pig, who belongs to Elena but has everyone wrapped around his hooves.

With such a wonderful cast of characters, a beautiful story, and an enthralling couple, this is one of those books you never want to finish reading. I actually started all over again to relish those scenes that I loved best.

Wowee! I LOVED Not My Romeo. I've been an Ilsa Madden-Mills fan for a while and really enjoy her new adult romances. This one was so good and I loved the emotional depth from Jack. The premise was unique and fun, I cannot wait to read the next in this series!

"My hands clench. I wanted nice and nerdy, not this . . . sexy beast!"

5 Blind Date Stars!!! Ilsa can do no wrong in my eyes, and this book is every reason why!!

Jack is a famous football player, but he's super reserved and not one to be in the spotlight. Did I mention he has serious trust issues?? Elena is a sassy librarian and very eccentric, but you can't help but love her for it. These two meet on accident when Elena slides into a booth on Valentine's day mistaking Jack for her weatherman blind date. Jack decides to just go with it and it just takes off from there!

If you know Ilsa, you know she definitely knows how to write a good book with characters that will have you hooked instantly. And this book was no different! I really loved Jack and that he's not your typical book boyfriend, he's not super moody and brooding. He's shy and reserved and I can get behind that! And I just fell head over heels for Elena... I love that she's sassy and different... just go one click this book... I promise you'll love it!

OMG I’m head over heels for this book!! Jack and Elena stole my heart from their hilariously original meet cute through their turbulent relationship. Their chemistry is off the charts hawt, I couldn’t put this one down! Jack is a famous football player and Elena is a feisty librarian, they couldn’t be more different yet someone they’re perfectly matched. I devoured this book, it’s witty, emotional, sexy and full of all the feels. Ilsa’s books continue to be some of my favorites, I never know what to expect. Not My Romeo was definitely unexpected and so much more than a small town sports romance. Don’t miss this one!!

Jack is very much MY romeo!!

After reading a sneak chapter or two of ‘Not My Romeo’ by Ilsa madden-Mills, I knew I was in for a cracking good read.
From the opening pages to the very last word, you’ll be smiling and sniggering, if not plain laughing out loud.
Jack and Elena meet on Valentine’s Day. It’s a mix-up, because Jack’s not the man she was meant to meet, but Elena was looking for a man dressed just like him.
What’s a girl on a blind date meant to do???
Gosh, these two were sooo, so good together, I wanted to be shy, quirky Elena to get some of Mr Jack’s lovin’.
This was a wonderful story that left me feeling… just in that, ‘awww, shucks’, kinda way. Lol. Don’t think about it, just One-Click today, you’ll be so glad you did.

Of course, being a librarian myself, I loved that the main character was also a librarian. But Elena was so much quirkier than I am. However she totally personified the whole naughty librarian image when we learned about the different types of lingerie she made. I mean I love those sequins that reverse to make different colors/patterns, but I’d think they might be a bit itchy on undies personally. Just my own opinion. I still loved the idea of all her different sets though.

Then there’s Jack, oh Jack. You gotta love a big tough football star who is also shy! He had a really hard past and it was hard not to feel empathy for him and how he’d been taken advantage of and treated unfairly by the paparazzi. But then when he did things to fix it, like signing up for the play and all the stuff the little boy asked him to do, yeah, it was so easy to fall in love with him.

The story was sweet and fun and hot when you would want it to be. Just as I expect from this author. I also loved the supporting characters, would love to see books for Jack’s football buddies, or even another character that I won’t mention her name so I won’t mess up any plotlines in this. But really, I could barely put down and the only reason I didn’t finish much quicker is because we’re back to school, so I couldn’t just sit and read all day like I wanted.

I absolutely loved this story and it had my smiling and laughing all the way through it! It was the perfect Rom-Com, who doesn't love a football star that's a little bit awkward. I loved Elena and Jack's chance meeting and both of them thinking they were someone else! They really had so much chemistry from the get go! I am now hoping that this is not the last we have seen of these wonderful characters and really hoping for Devon's story next!

I could not put this book down. It was fun, flirty, sexy and I had major swoon over our hero Jack.

We start with Elena going on a blind date and mistakes Jack for her would-be suitor and sparks fly between them, with Jack asking her back to his penthouse for a night she won’t forget.

Jack is a famous quarterback and has had his fair share of scandal and asks his dates to sign an NDA to keep his private life private. Elena does not agree with this and I liked her ability to stand up for herself. She is who she is and if Jacks wants to know more about her, he needs to trust she won’t betray his confidence, something that he struggles with.

However, with Elena, he has never felt so at ease and comfortable around another person and slowly opens up to her. Their relationship isn’t plain sailing with bumps in the road, trust coming into question and a memorable Romeo and Juliet production.

Jack gave me major swoon. I loved how he went after Elena. Showing up everywhere, rescuing her and stepping in to help her at all costs.

Elena, I loved her sass and the way she stood her ground around Jack. She had her morals and regardless of his sexy ways and who he was, she wouldn’t back down, making him work for it.

This is book one in a standalone series and I loved the glimpse of side characters and hope we get something from them soon.

This was such a fun and flirty read with a good amount of angst that had me shouting at my kindle for them to just get it on! Sports romance fans are going to love this read and I highly recommend it, it’s one of those books that will easily take you out of your own world.

j'ai dévoré les pages pour savoir ce qui allait arriver à Jack et Elena, j'ai aimé leur première rencontre, la façon dont ils gèrent ensuite, le côté intense de leur histoire, leurs peurs à tous les deux et inévitablement, on se demande d'où va venir la cata. Rien de dramatique dans ce roman hormis un passé un peu dur pour Jack qui conditionne sa capacité à aimer mais ils vont apprendre ensemble à avancer et prendre les décisions qui s'imposent. J'ai aimé leur manière de nous faire vibrer et j'ai adoré ce final et le sourire qu'il nous tire !

"Not My Romeo" by Ilsa Madden-Mills was a funny, sweet, and emotional story that featured well-developed, endearing, quirky characters and kept me turning the pages long past my bedtime. Main characters Jack and Elena both had a lot of emotional baggage to work through, but it was clear that they belonged together, and I found it very easy to cheer them on to their HEA.

Elena and Jack's chemistry was electric from the first time they met by mistake on Valentine's Day, and even though the last thing Jack needed was to risk a scandal, he couldn't resist bringing her back to his penthouse with him that very same night. He soon learned that Elena was unlike any woman he had ever met before, and nothing about their relationship unfolded as he expected it would. Jack was a very complex character, surprisingly shy given his role as a professional football player, but also very sweet and caring beneath his playboy reputation. I loved that Elena always stood up to Jack and refused to compromise what she believed in, and ultimately, they both ended up better off because of it.

Elena was also a very interesting and complex character. To most people in her small town, she was known as the conservative, bookish librarian who was always willing to take in a stray animal. She owned a pair of glasses for every occasion, including a "fancy" pair with rhinestones, and adored her teacup pig, Romeo. Secretly, however, Elena loved to design creative, sexy lingerie and dreamed of going to work in the fashion industry. She was afraid that her mother would be ashamed of her interest in lingerie, so she kept it to herself, especially after experiencing the disapproval of her ex-boyfriend, who later dumped her and started dating her beautiful younger sister, Giselle.

The secondary characters in this book, including Giselle, were fantastic and added a tremendous amount of depth to Jack and Elena's story. I was prepared to hate Giselle for betraying her sister, but there turned out to be a lot more to the situation than was immediately apparent. Aside from her, Elena's Aunt Clara and her best friend/roommate, Topher, were a lot of fun, as was Jack's best friend/teammate, Devon. I hope that we will see many of these characters return in future stories.

Overall, I loved "Not My Romeo" and highly recommend it for all fans of contemporary romance and romantic comedy. I look forward to the next book in the series.

*ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

Gosh, I really enjoyed this story. 4.5 stars.
I love the beginning when they meet. Elena thinks that Jack is her blind date. And I was laughing so hard at the two of them. For a shy type of girl, she is an absolute ball buster. I loved everything about Elena. Quirky heroines are my favorite thing ever.
It was pretty clear from the beginning that Jack has a complicated past and he's closed off. Elena waltzes right into his world and turns it upside down and I was so here for it.
Add in a bunch of crazy secondary characters, a mini potbelly pig and the most unique lingerie you've ever heard of and this story was an adventure.

I can’t believe this has been my first book by Ilsa and will not be my last! I enjoyed this so much!

Jack is the superstar quarterback for his team in Tennessee and Elena is the librarian in a small town near Nashville.
They meet by chance and the introduction is too funny to be true.

Jack has finally met someone who seems to be original, sincere, and possibly trustworthy but jack has so many trust issues that he may ruin what he has with Elena.

Elena has fallen head over heels for Jack, not her typical go-to guy but none the less she goes for it. Deep down it’s all too good to be true and she knows Jack will eventually break her heart but maybe just this one time she gets to keep the guy.

Jack is so swooning, broken with extreme commitment issues and have a good reason why. You just want to reach into the book and give him some love.

The chemistry between these two is sizzling 🔥. A very enjoyable read!

I can't put in words how much I loved this book, but I'll definitely try.

I've thought that after Dear Ava, I couldn't enjoy this author as much as I did back there.
Ohhh silly me...
This book is just perfect!
I can't think in not even one negative point to tell you!

I've to start by saying that <b><i>JACK IS MINE, SO BACK OFF LADIES</i></b> !!

With that out of the way, I can just tell you that my man is perfect.

Jack Hawke is a hot famous, but very reserved, quarterback for the Nashville Tigers. His social skills are the lowest and he really doesn't trust nobody. Obviously he's right to have his trust issues, but everything in his life start to change at the moment that Elena wrongly sits across from him, in his lonely Valentine's day dinner.

Elena is a sassy, smart, completely out of the box, sexy librarian. She's that kinda of person who just adopt a baby pig instead of a dog, and lives with her gay best friend, in a very full of gossip small town.
She's so different from every other women who had crossed his way, that he can't resist to know her. To touch her... And to pretend that he's actually, her blind date.

Their chemistry is out of the charts since the first moment, and their growing feelings are so well described, so raw and pure, that I just couldn't put it down.

She lives in a small town near Nashville, and after a few troubles with the media, Jack is out there to play Romeo and Juliet, and clean his image with the media sharks. Their encounter were just meant to be.

I'm not going to make a huge review, because this book is amazing, romantic, breathtaking, funny, heartbreaking and so different, that I'll not ruin it dropping some spoiler.

You just have to read!
It's a must read!
One of my favorites books ever!
Can't wait to read about the other boys!

Ilsa Madden-Mills strikes again! What a story! ❤️
Elena and Jack has me right from their first words and held me captive until the end.

It’s sweet, dirty, funny and had me swooning hard. I love me a good small town romance story. Their love story felt real and boy did it give me the feels. Their first meeting had me chuckling. Mistaken identity that changes the course of two lives like a snap of fingers. You won’t want to put this down.

<b>You can’t keep living life on the sidelines. Sometimes you have to go out and take what you want.</b>

Elena is so feisty and quirky. I absolutely adored her and her full on sass. She isn’t afraid to speak her mind except to her mama. Elena has her insecurities, but she’s also a girl who isn’t afraid to be herself and go for things she wants. When it comes to Jack she is almost powerless to him. He just reached in and grabbed her heart, but she’s still a little hesitant because of her past relationships. She doesn’t want to get hurt again, but she knows it’s inevitable.

Jack had so many sides to him. He’s a cocky, NFL Star with a wild past, yet he’s super shy. If it comes to football he dominates, but real life he is almost tormented by his past. Being through so much at a young age and then having someone he cared about break his trust, he doesn’t let people in easily. But there is something about Elena. She calms his storm. She pushes, but pushes with care and concern for him. Not someone to make a quick buck off him, and yet he’s not sure he can trust her or if what he feels is love. Is she too good to be true?


<b>Love means making yourself vulnerable; it means giving power to someone to hurt you. Who needs that?</b>

These two had full on combustible chemistry. It definitely will steam up your kindle so be prepared. I could go on and on about these two. I haven’t giggled like this in a long time reading a book. But it also has some angst too it that had me tear up a few times. I loved them!

The secondary characters had me in stitches especially Aunt Clara. I want to move to Daisy and be a part of this family and the DLG! Ever seen the Divine Secrets of the YaYa Sisterhood? Yeah this is what I pictured for these ladies!

Ilsa you got me! Honestly this might be my favorite book of yours. It had some deep underlying emotions with the characters that you made me feel and need to know more about. It wasn’t too angst-filled, yet it had just enough. Now the humor was on point! Add in the steam and holy cow this book takes it too another level.

Not my Romeo is a captivating romantic comedy that will leave you with a smile. It will definitely be a couple you will be happy you picked up. I devoured this and you will too!

I loved Elena and the things she said and spelled when she was nervous. She tends to spell words when she gets nervous. I loved Romeo. I loved her friend Topher. Her ex is a jerk of huge proportions. I couldn’t believe what he did to her.
Elena is funny how she’s headed on a blind date and mixes things up. I like this side of her that jack brings out. I love that she makes her own things. She’s a librarian but also a fashion designer.
I can see why Jack has trust issues. He didn’t have it good growing up and when he dates someone she’s not the best person to date or trust with anything.
I loved this book. It has its steamy sexy moments, funny ones and those heart breaking ones. I loved all of the emotions this book makes you feel.
This is the second book by this author I have read and I loved it. I highly recommend this book.

Elena is not sure what to do when meeting her blind date on Valentine's Day. He is sitting alone in a corner, and he is hotter than she had anticipated. If she does not go through with it, however, her family will only make her more miserable.

Jack is sick of everyone talking about him. Life has already been hard up to this point. Making eyes at a sexy librarian for one dinner won't hurt. Then when he gets to know her, will he be able to let her go?

This was such a sexy look into such a wasted holiday. I found myself laughing, crying, and unable to put the story down. Such a sultry atmosphere with the sparks so loud between the main characters I almost didn't hear what they said! Really good read. Cannot wait for the next installment of The Game Changers series.


***This early copy was given by Netgalley and its publishers in exchange for an honest review only.

THIS BOOK Y'ALL!!! OMG it was EXCELLENT!!!

Jack and Elena, from the moment they meet (Which is hilarious) and every moment in between - they will take you on a rollercoaster ride from laughter to tears. This will definitely be on my TOP READS for 2020.

Set in Tennesee, it plays to my southern loving heart - small towns, intrusive family, and sports!!

Jack is a football player with a reputation that he really doesn't deserve. Eleana is a small-town girl who has no clue who the handsome footballer is and loves her family (even as infuriating as they are) and could care less about the life in the limelight or what people think of Jack.

These two tugged and ripped at my heart and I loved every single minute of it.

Go read this book! LOVE LOVE LOVE!!

Loved this book, especially the dialogue between Jack and Elena.

It starts with a case of mistaken identity, when Elena thinks she is on a blind date with a TV weatherman. when Jack realises her mistake and that she doesn't recognise him, he doesn't want to admit it. He is shy but everyone thinks he is just rude - will he let Elena in?

Great that it is told from both of their points of view, so you understand how they are feeling. The sections about Jack's childhood were so sad.

If I could, I'd give it more than 5 stars!

Looking forward to the next book in this series.

As with all of Ilsa Madden-Mills books, not my Romeo is a total 5 swooning start read. I was hooked from the very first first page. All the feels, loved the characters! The paperback will be going on my favorites shelf! Do yourself a favor and pick this up. Ilsa never lets you down. Highly recommend.

Oh my gosh! This book!

As soon as I read the description for this book I knew I had to read it. Its exactly my favourite kind to read.

One mistaken identity leads to an unexpected future, that’s what Jack and Elena are soon about to find out.

Oh Jack, as much as I loved him I also wanted to shake the stupid out of him I understood where his wariness came from but the way he wouldn’t listen to anything irked me so bad but other than that, that man is brave, so so brave. He’s had to endure a devastating past that’s left him being the way he is. He’s a fighter and I loved him so much.

Elena is the kind of woman to fight for what she knows she wants. She won’t give up unless it’s completely necessary. shes beautiful and talented and filled with so much love.

Oh oh oh and the star of the show, Romeo, a beautiful piggy hehe I loved him.

I won’t go into too much detail about the storyline but I will say parts of it are hard to read, your heart is left aching and other parts hit you straight in the gut. It makes you feel like you’re going through exactly what they are and has the tears forming in the eyes, madness.

I’ve been a fan of this authors writing for a while now and every new one I read just gets better and better. This beauty was well written and plays with your emotions, it’s the perfect kind of book.

I sincerely hope we get books from Jack’s teammates in the future because they’re intriguing.

Not My Romeo is a sports romance, with a case of mistaken identity and a dash of second chances. It’s heartbreaking and beautiful all wrapped into one big rollercoaster ride of emotions, I loved it.