This is a cute story. I have always enjoyed books by this author. Thank you for letting me be a part of this advanced read. this Romeo and Juliet story is really sweet. I can't wait to read more in this series.

What a great start to this new series by this author. From the moment I picked up this book and began reading I had this giant smile on my face that never went away. There was so much chemistry between the main characters. What starts out as mistaken identity turns into so much more. If you are looking for a book that will have you laughing out loud and a book that will steal hours away from you life then look no further this book is for you. I can't wait to see where this series goes next. Thanks NetGalley. I voluntarily reviewed this book in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars

So Elena was hilarious, quirky and super adorable whereas Jack was super broody, closed off and super alpha and they were so perfect together. My heart hurt for Jack and the struggles he went through, but I just loved how Elena really brought him out of his shell. This book loses a half a point because I think Jack needed to grovel a bit more at the end but this is a funny, engaging and super swoony read!

I really enjoyed this book. Elena has had some bad luck with men. Her gay BFF, Topher, has set her up with Greg, a local TV weather guy on Valentines Day. Elena doesn’t watch TV, so she doesn’t know what her date looks like, other than that he is wearing a blue shirt. When she enters the restaurant, she sees only one single guy in a blue shirt, so she assumes it is her date. Jack Hawke is a star quarterback who is having a bad couple of weeks, when Elena sits down at his table, his isn’t sure if she is a crazed fan or a reporter. This is the meet cute that start a delightful romance. I loved both Elena and Jack and all of the other side characters who I assume will be in future books. This is a nice easy summer read. I received an arc of this book from NetGalley for my honest review.

4,5 stars

“I received a free, advance copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for my unbiased review”

‘Not my Romeo’ is sweet, fun, light but still emotional read. It’s the second story that I read of the writer Ilsa Madden-Mills and I’m very happy that I got the chance to read it. I have a few more stories of this writer on my TBR pile. After enjoying this story I will put them a bit higher on my pile.

This story is about Jack Hawke, a professional football player (quarterback) for Nashville and Elena Riley, a librarian who lives in the small-town Daisy. There are both in their twenties. When they first met, Elena didn’t know that the handsome man before her, wasn’t her blind date. Jack is used to strange women coming on to him but this time there was something strange happening because he’s almost certain that the woman before him didn’t know who he was. Could that be true? Or was she just playing him? From their first meeting Elena and Jack were attracted to each other but both had their doubts and fears. Elena lost her ex-boyfriend to her younger sister and Jack’s ex-girlfriend published a book full of lies about their relationship. So it’s totally normal that both are careful with their feelings but there always comes a time where you just have to trust your heart. Can Elena and Jack do that? Or is that too hard to do?

You got both POV’s in the story. The two main characters (Jack and Elena) were wonderful. I love it when a male character is alpha and dominant but I equally love it when the male character is sweet and shy. It all depends on my mood and the story. Here, I would describe Jack as shy, more specific, socially shy (and awkward) . He doesn’t like meeting new people (of course, if you are as famous as he is, a lot of people want to meet you!) and he isn’t good with expressing his feelings. But there is one place where he isn’t shy or awkward and that is in the bedroom! There he totally knows what he is doing. I liked both side of him very much. I can totally understand why Elena felt for him.

Elena has a warm personality. I loved her friendliness, soft heart and her quirks. Where Jack had the eyes of the world on him, Elena had the eyes of her mother and the inhabitants of the small-town on her. Both characters hide parts of themselves for the outside world. The chemistry between Elena and Jack was insta and wonderful. The secondary characters in this story were very entertaining, Jack’s friends and teammates Devon, Aiden and Quinn and Elena’s friends and family brought fun and emotions to the story. And I adored the epilogue!

‘Not my Romeo’ may be about a quarterback but it isn’t really a ‘sports’ book. The focus of the story is mostly on the couple and the positive and negative sides of being famous.

I’m already looking forward to the next story in this new series.

I totally loved this book. A hot, but shy and insecure, football player, Jack Hawke. And sweet librarian, Elena, with her no nonsense attitude and a bit of a wild side.

A blind date on Valentine's Day. What could go wrong? Nothing actually. Everything goes soooooo right! Lol!

Jack.has major trust issues and Elena's been recently hurt. But they have this intense connection that just leaves you wanting more!

Elena's small town charm of Daisy is loved by her and her crazy family! Loved all the characters! And Jack can't help but be taken in with it all. He even agrees to partake in the small town play, Romeo and Juliet. And yep, you guessed it, he's playing Romeo and Elena's playing Juliet.

But he is very guarded and finds it so difficult to express himself and let go. Trust is a major issue for him. And of course there's some drama and miscommunication.

Loved how the whole play went down in the end, and the Epilogue was perfect!

Love this author......Fake Fiance being one of my favorites!

Thank you to Amazon Publishing and NetGalley for a gifted copy of this ARC. All opinions are my own.

A sexy librarian and a hot shot football player together made this steamy sports romance an absolute delight! I loved how sassy Elena is - she stands her ground and goes after what she wants, never caring about Jack's fame or money. Jack sounds like my cup of tea - singing and dancing to pop songs, watching k-dramas and even loves to read. It's also set in a small town and those are always cute and fun. The Romeo and Juliet play is hysterical and it will make you laugh out loud just picturing that train wreck in your head. I especially loved all the side characters and I can't wait for the next book!

TW - abuse, death

What can I say? I freaking loved this book. It was just what the doctor prescribed and I needed.
It was so much fun to read Elena and Jack’s story.

From a blind date, trust and commitment issues, to falling in love with a portion of Shakespearean theatre mixed with juicy dirty words, lots of hilarious talks and sizzling rounds in the sack, this story was simply brilliant. And let's not forget his ex, the lies that complicate things enough to have you all excited for the outcome.

I loved every second of their journey and let me tell you....the end....OM Gosh....le sigh.

Jack Hawke is my new book boyfriend. I had heard great things from fellow book friends, but was SO happy to find that their reviews were spot on. Elena and Jack meet accidentally on a blind date mistake. She doesn't know who he is and he loves that about her. Their chemistry is on fire and the side characters and small town charm in this story make me hope that we get more of Daisy, TN really soon. If you love steamy, fun, sports romances - This is your book.

3.5☆
Cute

What I liked:
The writing style
The characters
Dual POVs
Part of a series: The Game Changers
Standalone
HEA
Epilogue

I look forward to reading the next book in this series.

I loved it from the hilarious beginning to the sweet end. I definitely recommend this book and I can't wait for the next one in this series.

4 stars
Characters were quirky and different. Elena Riley shows up on a blind date, thinking it was someone her friend set her up with, ends up on a "day" with hot and famous quarterback, Jack Hawke, Jack plays along, thinking she might be a reporter and he is trying to fix his damaged image.

They have a crazy rollercoaster of a relationship, but you are pulling for them the whole time!

I had so much fun reading this book!! I love how Elena and Jack met and how they kept running it to each other. The banter between the two is great and the town of Daisy sounds so quaint.

I read this book in a day and look forward to the next one in the series.

Thank you @netgalley for a copy of the books.

Elena doesn't have the best of luck with men. They usually love her and leave her and she's had enough. But when her best friend sets her up on a blind date - she agrees. Turns out her date is a hottie and they end up having a one night stand. Turns out the hottie wasn't who said he was and is football quarterback Jack Hawke.

I absolutely LOVED Not My Romeo. I read it over the course of one day and could not put this book down. Elena and Jack had so much great chemistry together and I loved the way they let their guard down with one another. Their little inside jokes and hanging out (watching K-dramas) were my favorite.

I really enjoyed the secondary characters in Not My Romeo as well and that is really hard to do. A lot of times secondary characters are added in, but don't really help with the plot of the book. Definitely not the case with this book and I loved everyone from Elena's mom to Timmy - the little boy who idolizes Jack.

Not My Romeo was my first book my Ilsa Madden-Mills, but will most definitely NOT be my last! I can not wait for the next book in the series (maybe Devon or Aiden?).

If you can suspend disbelief as the plot combines a sports romance with the tropes of a small-town love story, this was a very enjoyable read. The heroine is a sexy librarian who goes on a blind date to help get over with her former boyfriend becoming engaged to her younger sister. After a mix-up, she ends up spending a night with football bad-boy quarterback, Jack Hawke. But neither character fits the stereotypical depictions. She is not some shy librarian, but a ballsy woman who isn’t afraid to say what she thinks even if she has a tendency to babble on when she’s nervous. Jack doesn’t deserve his bad boy reputation. He had a terrible childhood and then his ex wrote a dishonest, supposed tell-all memoir making up stuff about him. However, he’s immediately attracted to the heroine and keeps going to visit her in her small town. He even volunteers to play Romeo in the local production in which she’s playing Juliet. Hence the title.

There is a real culture clash between his world of intrusive media and sports and hers in a small town where everyone knows and gets into everyone else’s business. Being a southern town, there a lot of “bless her hearts’ thrown around on the way to a HEA.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

this was a pretty cute story. I was sort of bothered that the heroine was so unable to understand the hero's need for privacy, but it wasn't like terrible or anything. Competent.

OMG!!! Not My Romeo by Ilsa Madden-Mills is a swoony sports romance. Jack and Elena stole my heart. I loved this book so much. I am so sad that it's over. I love sports romances, but this was so much more.
What started out as a case of mistaken identity turns into an instant connection and holy hotness of football player Jack Hawke. Elena is supposed to be meeting her blind date and thinks the guy in the blue shirt is him. Who doesn't know Nashville's top quarterback? Elena is a librarian and is trying to start a design company for lingerie. She is quirky, spunky and has been hurt from a prior relationship. Jack doesn't trust easily, tries to avoid living in the public eye and is not looking for a relationship. When he meets Elena, he can't stop thinking about her. Not used to having to chase girls, Elena is not your average girl and doesn't care who he is on the outside but wants the real Jack.
These two will warm your heart, and keep you up reading until you finish as it's so good! This story and these characters were amazing. Their attraction and chemistry were off the charts.
This is a must read sports romance as its so much more and will leave you with all the feels.

Do you have any friends with similar reading tastes who get you so excited to read a book? Not My Romeo was on my radar but not at the top of the list until two trusted friends shared how much they enjoyed it. And when one texted about the heroine saying: “librarian, used to edit romance novels, makes her own quirky clothing and lingerie” quickly followed by “there’s a teacup potbellied pig in a sweater” I was SOLD! I was starting this book immediately!!

It kicks off with Elena going on a blind date - and assuming the man alone in a blue shirt must be her date. He was not. I am a sucker for a solid mistaken identity start! Turns out the man she sat with just happens to be Jack - the quarterback for the local football team who never gets to just be himself because people always think they already know him. Except the beautiful woman who just sat at his table and thinks he’s a local weatherman.

I loved most of this book. There were some parts toward the end that weren’t my favorite - poor communication and a romance trope that doesn’t work for me - but I would still really recommend this. It was a great break from the real world and had me grinning at many points.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the advance reading copy.

CW: hero remembering abuse by stepfather and witnessing murder of his mother

I want to know if the Daisy Lady Gang would consider a petition for non-Daisy residents. I feel that in today's society it just seems fair. I would absolutely be devoted. I can hold the satellite meetings at my house. But we have the right to declare visitation. As a satellite branch, the OGs would need to visit several times a year. Oh and lingerie privileges!

If you are lost, it's only because you haven't read it yet. Not My Romeo is a ball busting good time. Also I may have peed myself laughing....(allegedly!)

Elena is absolutely fantastic. She is quirky and real but I am so enamored by her quick wit and her tongue. She had me in love with her just reading her interactions with the football "gods." From then on, I was Team Elena no questions asked, just point me to the body we need to bury.

Not My Romeo is sexy, sweet, and small town with the feel of a magical wonderland. This fairytale comes complete with flirty panties (lots of panties!), an abundance of gorgeous man candy, and swoony version of Romeo and Juliet that can not be forgotten.

Don't take my word for it, ask Timmy!

Thank you Montlake Romance for the eARC of Not My Romeo!

I just finished Not My Romeo and I loved it so freaking much! I went into the ARC of this totally blind, I’ve never read any books from Ilsa Madden Mills before and this totally blew me away.

I’ll have a more coherent review up closer to pub date, I’m still in the swoony “I can’t believe how good that was” phase. But I’m the times of COVID, I just have to immediately share when I find a contemporary book that I loved as much as this one. It takes a lot to hold my attention and this book made me laugh, swoon, and feel alllll the things. I highly recommend adding this one to your TBR or preordering it (it’s definitely preorder worthy!)

Elena is a librarian and secret lingerie designer who thinks she’s being set up on a blind date with a weatherman, ON Valentine’s Day. Instead she sits at the table of Jake Hawke, a shy NFL quarterback with a lot of secrets. After a hot night together, Elena wakes up to a note clarifying that she did not just sleep with the weatherman.

This was the type of unexpected forced proximity romance I live for! Jake and Elena keep finding themselves in the same places and it’s impossible to deny their chemistry together. I mean, they end up preforming Romeo and Juliet together for the community theater! #perfection! Jake has a pretty dark backstory that surprised me when I first started the book (CW below) but I found his character to be so swoon worthy. I’m a sucker for shy heroes! ⁣
⁣
I laughed so many times while reading this one, I mean how can you not when the book has a sassy pig wearing a sweater?! I love love loved the small town of Daisy where Elena lives, give me all the meddling family members! I’m so happy this will be a series because I NEED more from all of these characters! ⁣

Not My Romeo deserves alllll the stars! Highly highly recommend!

CW: hero abused by mothers BF, witnessed her murder.