Poor Giselle has a birthday curse. I mean, it's pretty serious, some of the stories that happened around her birthday are insane! Add to that, she hasn't been lucky in love, and her new brother in law told his teammates to stay away. Ugh. But Devon can't resist her. Oh he tries, sure, while also walking a fine line between friends (yeah right) and more.

Devon's got stuff to work through, too. But like why fight it? He and Giselle are so good together. It's like fate. And their chemistry is so hot, like fire hot. The buildup was awesome in this! And there were some funny moments. But I also liked seeing Giselle figure herself out and gain a backbone. And I got a little worried at one point about her choices but the author wraps things up quite nicely.

Highly anticipated romance between two friends that want nothing more than to be with each other but have hesitations to move forward.

I knew I was going to love this romance novel that took me a little bit by surprise. A surprise that I loved and am looking forward to Ilsa's next book!

I absolutely loved the first book in this series, Not My Romeo, and I knew I was going to thoroughly enjoy Giselle & Devon's story before I ever got my hands on it and I was so right! This may be described and advertised as a sports romance, but it's so much more than that. Giselle is a sweet girl who is hard not to like -- she's so darn smart, doesn't realize she's sexy and a breath of fresh air. And as the title indicates, you would assume that the football jock and the smart, nerdy girl wouldn't be a match, but you would be so very wrong because they're definitely a match -- a match that flames hotter and brighter every time they get close to each other! This is a slow burn, friends-to-lovers romance and a standalone, but do yourself a favor and read both books because they're both very well written and more enjoyable if read together. I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC for NetGalley.

I see Isla Madden-Mills books everywhere and I've wanted to read one for a while. I was so happy to see her stuff pop up on here. I'm a sucker for a sports romance so I jumped at the chance to download it. Devon is a football hero and acquaintance of Giselle's through her sister's husband. Giselle is displaced after a fire to her apartment and when Devon is there to witness it, he brings her to his house to stay. Which starts out as a temporary stay ends up being long term after they impulsively kiss and while they both obviously have the hots for each other, neither is willing to risk the consequences of trying it out. Giselle definitely feels the need to do it all, be a good doctoral candidate, a good teacher, take care of all of her friends and family and also try and win over Devon. Devon, is definitely someone who doesn't think he deserves Giselle, or any woman for that matter, and is also trying to play the hero card.

I felt like the connection was so obvious from the start and the characters were just playing dumb or denying themselves. I also didn't like how much emphasis they put on Giselle's virginity. Like she's this inexperienced, innocent nerd who also is into BDSM was just a little far fetched.

Overall I'd give this book a 3.5 stars. This was the second book in the series and while I don't think not reading the first put me at a disadvantage I think it would have helped to have some background context, especially in the realm of her sister and her husband. I want to go back I'm definitely going to pick up a few more of her books to see more.

I love this series. I wasn't sure about Devon in Not My Romeo, but man was he perfection in this book. I super loved how smart and fun Giselle is and I love that we got more from her after learning about her in the first book. It took a little bit for me to settle into the story, but once the slow burn of Devon and Giselle's relationship got going, I couldn't stop. Perfect for fans of sports romances, of Sophie Sinclair's books and series with overlapping characters. I need more.

You are the best person in all of my universes.

Oh, you guys. Just look at how lovely that line is!! My heart!

I was not expecting to like this book as much as I did. I know that's a weird thing to say, but Ilsa Madden-Mills has been a little hit-or-miss for me lately. I went in feeling a little apprehensive (especially since this is a book 2, and book 1 was a bit of a struggle for me). And then? Then I found myself completely smitten with Giselle and Devon. Smitten in that deliciously addictive way that includes butterflies and the ache in my chest as I fell in love with them falling in love with each other.

This is a slow burn that is sometimes a little too on the nose with its flirtation and chemistry - but it's a slow burn that worked for me nonetheless. I was charmed by the friendship that formed between Giselle and Devon, and bought into the chemistry that sparked with physical attraction and then intensified with the deeper layers that developed as they got to know each other. Their banter was on-point. Giselle was unexpectedly quirky in a way that sometimes felt maybe a smidge over-the-top, but also in a way that made me adore her fiercely. I loved her for being a little extra. And don't even get me started about Devon's whole growly alpha thing -- I can't even tell you why that works for me, but it so works for me, and I found Devon to be positively irresistible. Their opposites attracted in a way that felt so organic and I 100% bought into it.

I devoured this story. It was a quick, easy and super satisfying read. My heart flipped and fluttered and loved every moment it got to spent in this sexy, sweet love story.

GAH! I am SUCH a sucker for damsel in distress stories. I remember Giselle and Devon from the first book in this series and was definitely intrigued on how Madden-Mills would pair them together as they seemed so different at first glance. But like most stories I've come to read from this author: I.Am.Obsessed! The sexy manwhore jock and the virginal braniac were addicting!!! This opposites attract/roommates to lovers story had me hooked and obsessed. This is another win from this author!!

Umm so Ilsa Madden-Mills completely pulled the wool over my eyes and then some with this book! I had no idea how amazing Giselle would be in her own book. We saw a different side to her in the first book but after reading Not My Match I loved her so much! She was an adorable nerd that needed a temporary place to live and a coach to help her cut loose and find her inner vixen. Enter the deliciously sexy player extraordinaire Devon Walsh, her brother in law's best friend, who is down to help her with all three tasks. But when close quarters lead to even closer moments between them....it is on!!!

Sigh! I loved this story. Giselle and Devon had sexy banter and a slow burn tension that kept me on the edge of my seat. She was fun and engaging. Likewise, Devon was my favorite! Moody and broody with a heart of gold. I loved seeing his burgeoning feelings for Giselle and the growing connection between them. I loved this story even more than the first in this series and can't wait for more books from Madden-Mills in the future! 5 stars! ~Ratula

Thank you to the publisher and @netgalley for a copy of this book. I loved the first book of this series and getting glimpse of Giselle' s there and now her story. This is a great slow burn and then it really heats up. Love Devon and how sweet he is. I hope we get more to this series.

TOUCHDOWN!!!! This is another hit for Ilsa! Devon and Giselle are freaking out of this world amazing!


I love that we got Giselle’s story bit more than anything I love her with Devon! They’re so beautiful! You got to experience their romance grow! I love the depth of these two! There was so much more to both of them than I ever could’ve imagined and I just loved every single word!

I also have to say that I loved seeing some familiar characters and I hope there are many more books in this series because I can not get enough!

I liked Devon and Giselle's dynamic, they had a lot of chemistry and there was so much angst between the two of them. However, like the previous installment, I wasn't fully invested in the story, especially when Devon and Giselle weren't together. Other than that, I liked Aiden's character so much more in this book and I hope he'll have his own because he's really funny. The epilogue was so cute and I loved it so much, epilogues like that really are my weakness!!!

This is a cute (don't let that fool you) story with plenty of sexual tension. It does feature that broken boy who is afraid to let himself fall in love. You may have met the characters in Not My Romeo, but have no fear, you don't need to read that book to follow this. though most of the characters are in both books, so if you do/have read them, it's a little bonus. He is a NFL star about to head into Pre-Season training. She is in school for her doctorate. She's a little nerdy when it comes to all things science and physics. She's also a bit quirky. Her sister is in a relationship with his best friend and teammate, so the two aren't really strangers, though they aren't necessarily friends. He is set with the task of watching over her while her sister and his buddy are out of state. Little does he know, he has his work cut out for him when he learns her secret. There are a lot of fun moments, some angst, some more emotional ones as well. This isn't really a friends to lovers romance, since they are barely friends, but she has had a crush on him ever since she saw one of his games years ago, long before she even knew his name. Most of the book is him pushing her away whenever he feels they are getting too close and her trying to come to terms that they will never be more than friends. There is some sexual content that may be deemed suitable for mature readers. It alternates POVs. It's easy to read and the story flows smoothly.

*I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley.

➳ Rate: 5/ 5 stars
Not My Match was just as good as Not My Romeo. Ilsa is really killing it with this series. I am loving both the heroines and heroes so much.

Devon was so protective and cute with Giselle. The way he tried to fight his attraction towards her because she's Jack's sister-in-law but got so jealous when she was going on dates with other guys and how he just forgot about all that when she was in danger, swoon. Devon just might have been even more swoon-worthy than Jack, I swear.

Giselle was super cute. I loved her quirkiness and how geeky but cool she was. She had just been through so much and then when her building burned down she took Devon's offer and she worked all angles. I love how she took advantage of a bad thing and turned it around, fighting to get her guy and take down his walls. It was obvious these two shared an incredible attraction towards one another and the sexual tension oh lord *fans self*.

I just really adored this book and how their relationship developed. It was a bit of a slow burn but filled with so much tension and sexual chemistry, the build-up was perfect for these characters and the history they had. It was definitely another amazing read by Miss Ilsa. It's impossible not to fall in love with her characters, she writes some of the best ones and these two were just adorable.

“If you want to be happy, do what makes your heart fly. Every breath you inhale must be meaningful.”

Not My Match is another fantastic book by Ilsa Madden-Mills. She creates such layered stories with the perfect amounts of humor, love, and angst which alternately tear my heart out and make me smile. I have absolutely LOVED her last four books and this one is no exception.

In Not My Match, Devon and Giselle are two opposites who find that they have more in common than they think. Giselle feels sparks when she’s around Devon, but she doesn’t believe that Devon could ever be interested in her. When her apartment burns down, Devon offers to let her stay with him and their attraction becomes harder to resist.

“What do you want most in the world? Devon. You. Always you.”

I wasn’t sure I could like Giselle after Not My Romeo, but she really comes into her own in this book. She’s a lost soul trying to find her place in the world. She carries tremendous guilt for her role in hurting Elena and it’s hard for her to forgive herself. Spending time with Devon helps her come out of her shell and she begins to figure out what she really wants out of her life.

“Out of the hurricane of my life, out of everyone I know, she’s become a true constant, a calm breeze that eases me.”

Devon has been hurt in the past and he’s determined to not let anyone into his life again. He thinks everyone leaves so he pushes people away before they can get close, but the relationship that he develops with Giselle is different. With Giselle, he finds himself opening up, but he’s so scared that she will be another in a long list of people who leaves him.

“Oh, Devon. You are the best person in all my universes.”

“My crossroads? I’m going right, straight to her.”

I loved everything about these two. They just seemed to bring out the best in each other. They were funny, sexy, and had so much love between them. Devon was so protective of Giselle and he wanted to make all her dreams come true. Giselle just wanted to be the one that stayed, but what if her dreams won’t allow her to be that person?

Not My Match was beautiful love story with humor and a bit of heartbreak. Watching Giselle and Devon evolve and grow was perfection. I truly hope that Aiden’s story is next.

Giselle blew into his life and made him question absolutely everything. He tried to remain strong but every time he was near her it became a little harder and his need to consume her every thought grew. Pushing her away was the only thing that made sense but he could no longer remain strong. Something had to give and he was absolutely ready. Definitely another winner from Ilsa! A must read story that you’ll read long into the night desperate for the next word. .

Not My Match is the second book in The Game Changers series and Ilsa Madden-Mills does not disappoint with this installment.

Giselle Riley is a student and writer who finds herself homeless after a fire breaks out in the house where she lives. With her sister and brother-in-law on their honeymoon, her brother-in-law's best friend and teammate, Devon Walsh, comes to her rescue by offering her a place to stay - at his penthouse!

Giselle and Devon couldn't be more different. She's a physicist and he's a professional football player. She's a virgin and he's anything but. As these two begin to spend more and more time together, the sparks and the tension between them jumps off the page at you. Will they be able to admit to one another what they are feeling or will past hurts and outside forces end up breaking them up before they truly get going?

Giselle was not only brilliant, but she had a very good sense of humor, which I don't think we saw in Not My Romeo. By the time we really got to know her in this book, I was pulling for her to get her HEA. Devon was awesome. He was so caring, not only for Giselle, but for others in his life, including his Dad.

I enjoyed this one and I'm looking forward to whatever is planned next for this series!

**I voluntarily read an early copy of this title courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review**

I appreciate when an author takes a morally ambiguous character in an earlier book and redeems them and that's what happened here. I was pissed with the FL in the first book in the series but she own me over here. I was completely on Giselle's side by first quarter of book and Devon! Devon was so cool. And hot! I mean this is a contemporary romance so it has very familiar beats but where it shone was how Ilsa developed the friendship between the leads, I adored seeing them acknowledge and be a firm unit. Even the epilogue further solidified this and made me so happy.
The side characters were also so fun and I am looking forward to Aiden's story!

Not My Match by Ilsa Madden-Mills is book two in The Game Changers series. It is a wonderfully, sweet book with some great characters. The book focuses on the nerdy Giselle and football player, Devon. Giselle is a wonderful character, trying to make her way in a world which can be quite hard for those who are passionate and a little different. I loved that she didn’t get how wonderful she was and just thought that she was quirky. When a fire breaks out in her apartment, Devon comes to the rescue and allows her to stay with him, even though he has some reservations to begin with.

Devon has been warned to stay away from Giselle as she is too sweet and not worldly wise, but she just has a connection to Devon which was great to read about. Devon is a soft, caring man who just wants the best for his family as well as Giselle. Even though they are good friends, you see them slowly becoming more throughout the book.

There are some wonderful parts in this story. It is at times hilarious and passionate but full of quiet understanding as both characters want to be the best in their profession and don’t always know how to balance out the work/life balance. I also enjoyed the secondary characters and their camaraderie with both Devon and Giselle.

All in all, a wonderfully sweet friends to lovers read with a great story and great characters.

ARC received for a fair, honest and sometimes long review. All opinions are my own. 😊

More of my reviews can be found on my blog: http://thehotmesslibrary.blogspot.com

Oh, how I enjoyed this book! I had just read another book with basically the same tropes–sports romance, best friend’s (wife’s) little sister–and yet it was very different. The mood wasn’t the same at all.

Here, let’s face it, we have some drama, some angst. Nothing too depressive, but Devon has a few burdens on his mind, and they make it difficult for him to open up to Giselle, even though he has strong feelings for her.

There’s a good balance, in my opinion, between Devon’s dark side, and Giselle’s quirky behavior. They complete each other, Devon bringing some levity while Giselle has mostly a positive attitude, even when the cards she’s been dealt suck.

I loved the passion between them. I haven’t seen that much chemistry in a while. The result is a few steamy scenes that’ll melt your brain–and your heart. Though Devon is a sexy beast, an alpha male with a tender side who’ll make you swoon, Giselle is the one who stole my heart. Pretty, smart, funny, she builds her own path in life and doesn’t care for the boxes people are trying to put her in.

Quickie

- Series: Game changers #2 (can be read as a standalone)
- Hashtags: #football romance #best friend’s wife’s little sister #opposites attract #playboy #virgin
- Triggers: mention of cheating
- Main couple: Giselle Riley & Devon Walsh
- Hotness: 5/5
- Romance: 4/5
- + Giselle is a fascinating character
- – those people have a problem with secrets…

So let me start off by saying I loved Devon and Giselle. She’s the beautiful virgin with a brain. He’s the handsome pro-football player. Tale as old as time, right?

This story was a little different than others because Devon was definitely the more sensitive of the two. He had his heart broken in the past, so he was terrified to be hurt again and Giselle was the one “gung-ho” about getting together in the beginning.

To be honest, I wish we would have heard and experienced more of both of their backstories. As far as I know, this book is a standalone, but I’m assuming with as much as they were mentioned, Elen and Jack have their own story out there and maybe some of Giselle’s background was shown in their story? I’m not sure. But I also felt like to understand why he was so hesitant, I would have really liked more to Devon’s backstory.

The story was good. I loved the characters, especially the crazy “dates” Giselle had throughout the book. It definitely took me back to the horrors of online dating lol!

WOW WOW WOW! Not My Romeo was amazing and Not My Match absolutely did not disappoint either. Devon and Giselle were such an perfect match.