How can you not love a big, strong, Aussie rugby player who connects with a four year old little energetic boy?? You simply cannot. Cole is this injured man feeling alone and a little unsure about his future. But the moment he meets both Jane and Finn, who quite frankly almost steals the book, there is a powerful connection. He offers to help Jane with Finn, knowing from his own childhood how hard it is for a single mom. He is respectful of her parenting and throws in a lot of fun for Finn as well as bring Finn to make Jane take a break while working. The scenes with the three of them are pure bliss. I loved the walls they both had and yet were still able to overcome. This is definitely the type of book that you want more glimpses of their future.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review from the publisher through Netgalley.

I loved how Cole and Jane were at the opposite ends of their careers, Cole having lived and breathed rugby until an accident so now he has to work out what to do where as Jane is going from strength to strength with her business she has built up. The friction and tension between them at times has you laughing and then when they get to their nightly "performance appraisals" but they are dancing a dangerous game with both of them just being together in the house for a short time. This was such a great read seeing them both learn to open up and let others in as well as find out what they really want in life .... oh and those steamy scenes are just the icing on the cake! 😉

Playing with Trouble is a steamy, sweet, slow-burn romance that will give you all the feels. Loved the role-reversal of Jane being the contractor and Cole the manny. Jane's son Finn was adorable and I loved the addition of Carl the Chameleon. Amy Andrews can always be counted on for a great story.

This book was so much fun to read. Cole Hauser, pro rugby player, has a sports ending injury. Sent to the US to heal while trying to figure out his options. Jane Spencer has a once in a lifetime job that could get her company in a magazine shoot. Both were promised Wade's house and neither knew about it. The kicker is Finn, Jane's 4 year old son was supposed to spend the Summer with his dad, only he bailed. It was so much fun watching Finn and Cole bond. That sparks were flying between Cole and Jane, even better. A phone call from down under has opened up a possibility that wasn't there before. Could her have it all with Jane and Finn? With a little help from the guys at the local watering hole, a plan is formed.

Playing with Trouble by Amy Andrews
Crossover: Sydney Smoke and Credence, Colorado

What fun! I was SO in the mood for an easy read that provided romance, an easy-ish problem to solve and a happily ever after. I was smiling and happy all the way through the book…or at lest most of it ;)

What I liked:
* Cole: super nice, kind, wonderful book boyfriend. He was a good person, good lover, good with women, children, and others. I really liked him!
* Jane: intelligent, talented, businesswoman, mother, interesting, spontaneous, makes it work with her ex for her son’s sake. I liked her.
* Finn: 4-year-old bundle of energy, darling, devoted, so much fun!
* Tad: not great for Jane but a good father even though a bit self-absorbed and irresponsible.
* Credence, Colorado: There are some great people in this town and would love to hear more in the future about some of them.
* The dynamics between Cole, Jane & Finn were healthy, wholesome, human and perfectly delightful to watch.
* That there was not a great deal of angst and drama
* All of it really except…

What I didn’t like:
* Having to say goodbye to Cole, Jane & Finn

Did I enjoy this book? Definitely!
Would I read more by this author? Without a doubt!

Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled-Brazen for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

Cole is a rugby player, injured from a car accident, and leaves his native Australia to escape the media pressure. His American football friend lets him use his place in rural Colorado, so he heads there to heal. Crawling into bed in the first room at the top of the stairs, he collapses from jet lag and pain. Waking up to a scream he finds Jane and her son Finn in the room too. She panics of course, and he struggles to get up and move to another room. She is in the house to work on restoration of one of the rooms, and her 4 year old son, who was suppose to be with his dad, was dropped off too soon. When Cole wakes later, he finds her prickly and the boy over eager to be friendly. Slowly, the three get closer, and love the interaction with the boy and other kids in the football clinic her briefly runs. Wish there would have been more of that. Instead, a lot of, and I mean a lot of, sexual tension and details that were not really needed. I get it, but felt it was overdone, and ended up skimming some of the scenes. Other than that, I really enjoyed this one and would recommend it and the author.

No trouble at all
4 stars

I adore Amy Andrews’ writing. She manages to bring such depth and detail to her stories, characters and worlds, all while keeping a light airiness that makes her words so easy to devour. Added to that, she’s hella funny. She makes me laugh so often in her novels - which I absolutely love.

This particular book brings together two of her popular series’ - Sydney Smoke and Credence, Colorado. I’ve never read any of the Smoke books but have read each and every Credence stories. This story still stands alone even if characters from both series do pop up on occasion - especially the men of Credence, there to delight us with some bromantic banter, teasing and mocking.

With this love story we have big, brawny rugby player, Cole, recuperating in Colorado after a career ending accident back in Australia. He finds himself sharing his holiday home with Prickly Pants Jane and her 4 year old son, Finn.

I loved Cole. He was all laid-back Ozzie while also dealing with the uncertainty of his future and his unexpected feelings towards Jane and her son. He had enough layers to keep me happy - just enough sweet and just enough dirty.

Jane was something more of a grower for me. At first she was cold and standoffish towards Cole and I wasn’t really sure that I liked her. As she softened towards Cole, I softened towards her. I could understand why she had her walls up around Cole, but boy could I identify with her once she threw caution to the wind and acted on her instincts to make a move on Cole.

It took a while to get there, but that just built up anticipation before our couple finally do the deed. I got that delicious feeling in my tummy every time our pair kissed or had sex. It was a delight. I adored their chemistry.

Since this is a single parent story, Finn does have a very large role in it. He was a cutie and although it’s not my favourite trope, in this case, it worked well. Kudos also to Ms Andrews for not making Tad into a pantomime villain. I wouldn’t have minded, to be honest, but making him something of a good guy really did add dimension to burgeoning love story.

I really grappled between giving this 4 or 5 stars. As much as I enjoyed the story and our couple, I plumped for 4 as, because of the single parent trope, the ending had to be slightly slower to make it believable. It was still a super cute, romantic and funny read that I would definitely recommend. I’ll also be heading to find more of the Sydney Smoke books to pick up more hunky Australian rugby boys.

***4 Stars***

I saw “Rugby” and then I saw “manny” and went gimme.
Gimme now.
Because rugby is the bestest sport ever!
And the idea of a rugby lad turning manny...well, I couldn’t resist and I have to say, the book was a lot of fun. It was sweet, frustrating, funny and just an all around quick and fun read that had me rolling my eyes and laughing out loud many times over and also crossing my toes that this isn’t the last time we see the characters we got to meet in Colorado.

I really liked Jane and Cole. Jane is sweet, sassy and determined. I loved her drive and ambition, even when it meant that she had to work her fingers to the bone to accomplish it all. Cole, at first glance, is a bit of a grump, but it was totally understandable with all that was going on in his life, but when he finally got out of his own head, he was a great guy. Charming, caring and had just enough alpha in him to make him all kinds of swoon worthy.

Their journey to their HEA was a lot of fun to witness. Their “meet cute” wasn’t all that cute, but definitely interesting and things just rolled on from there. While there were moments where I felt like I was watching two teenagers like each other, but not want to like each other, I enjoyed getting to experience how they got over themselves and found that they had a lot more in common than they thought. The roadblock in their journey wasn’t a surprise, but I liked how everything worked out for them in the end.

This was a fun, pretty low on the angst, quick read. I loved how the sport of rugby was brought into the story ~ I could totally ‘see’ it all going down in my head ~ and it cracked me up. As for the other characters. Finn was all kinds of precocious, high energy goodness. I definitely wouldn’t mind a book where Ronan gets his own HEA. And while we didn’t get to hang out a lot with the Credence crew, when we did, it was a lot of fun and I’m hoping we’ll get back there because I’d love to know more about Arlo. So, toes crossed!

~ Copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley & voluntarily reviewed ~

Playing with Trouble by Amy Andrews was a fun story to read. It was well written with humor, heartache, and romance. Cole is an Australian athlete recovering from an injury, who has come to America to recover at a friends house. Jane is a business owner rehabbing a room in a large house, with her 4 yr old son Finn. It turns out they are all staying in the same house. This is a story of earning trust, resolving issues, and falling in love. The author makes us come along for the ride and enjoy the story. Little Finn really is a fireball and adds so much to the story. I highly recommend this book.
A big thanks to Netgalley for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

If you need a fun, flirty read then Amy Andrews is an author that you can count on to deliver. Deliver she does with Playing with Trouble about Australian rugby pro Cole Hauser. He is temporarily staying in Colorado at the house that Jane Spencer is rehabbing. If their attraction is not enough to keep you reading (it is enough) there is the added bonus of Jane’s four-year-old son. In fact, he is a major part of the story distracting Cole from looking to closely at the future and filling his time in a positive way.

Finn, Jane’s son is a charm as only innocent, candid children can be. Cole with Finn is wonderfully written even as his attraction to Finn’s mother grows. I also enjoyed watching the adult characters dance around their time sensitive relationship while growing and changing as characters. The chemistry and passion are hot as all the stories written by Ms. Andrews that I have read are. Even if the explicit scenes don’t interest you the plot, dialogue and character development will.

An ARC of the book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley which I voluntarily chose to read and reviewed. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Delightful rom-com with a lot of heart!

Cole is crashing at his friend's house while he reassesses his future, only to find that Jane is already in residence, renovating one of the historic rooms for the owners. And her ex unexpectedly passed off their four-year-old son to her, so she's more than got her hands full.

Their prickly relationship gets off to a rocky start, until Cole looks beyond his own needs and figures out how he can help Jane. Their whirlwind romance is everything all at once, until the rest of the world comes knocking, forcing them to confront their hearts and their plans to see if they can have a future together.

I loved the delicious humor throughout this book, and Finn is one of the most adorable book children I've ever encountered. The story was captivating from start to finish, and I don't think I'll ever look at a pair of needle-nose pliers the same way again!

The swoony HEA was followed by a beautiful epilogue that perfectly wrapped up the whole story. I couldn't love this romance more. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

A romance that'll sweep you off your feet! Cole is looking for an escape from his career-ending accident, but the longer he stays in the US, the more reasons he finds to not leave. Finn absolutely steals the scenes in this story, as well as your heart, with his tender four year-old antics. Jane is just trying to do her best to care for her son, while trying to get her current job finished in time. I adored the interactions between Cole and Jane, knowing that the next day couldn't come soon enough.

Cole Hauser is a rugby player that is recovering from an injury. He borrowed his friend's house to recuperate and be alone, but he never planned on having to share his space. Jane Spencer is a single mom who rehab's houses. She plans to spend a month in Colorado rehabbing a house with her son, but she doesn't plan on a grumpy, hot athlete who just wants to be alone watching tv. And she certainly doesn't expect him to offer to help her with her son. And the more time they spend together, the more the chemistry between them builds. But knowing that anything they could have would be temporary-can she take that risk? And what happens when they both want more than temporary?

This book sucked me in right from the start! Cole may be an athlete but he has this heart about him that I wasn't expecting. And the interactions between him and Finn just melted my heart! Jane is definitely trying to guard her heart and I don't blame her. But when she truly gets to know Cole and knows there is more to him, she actually starts taking the time to truly see him. I loved their interactions and the conversations they had. They have a chemistry that is off the charts! Something about this book just works and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Rugby pro Cole Hauser is spending his future post-injury at a football buddy’s house in America. He just wants a chance for some peace and anonymity. Then he discovers he's roomies with a woman who knows how to wield a nail gun and her kid.

Jane Spencer is supposed to be spending four weeks alone in the wilds of Colorado rehabbing a house. Then her ex backs out of babysitting duty and her four-year-old has to go with her. She gets there to discover that there’s a guest staying at the house who’s only purpose seems to be watching ESPN.

Cole offers to help Jane out with Finn but she’s hesitant. What does he know about raising children? Surprisingly, Cole is great at kid activities and keeping Finn occupied during the day. Soon Jane is fighting her attraction to him because it can only be temporary. Cole lives on the other side of the planet.
A great story with great characters. I recommend it.

ARC for honest review with no compensation 4.5 stars received from NetGalley

Playing with Trouble by Amy Andrews is about Cole Hauser, Australian professional rugby pro who was injured in a car accident and has to determined where is life goes now...so when his friend in America offers his home for recuperating and thinking he jumps at it...

Jane Spencer, single mom is rehabbing a home that will take her company to the top but when Cole shows up things change drastically...until he offers to help with her son and give her more time to work. What neither expects is to find what has been missing in both their lives...only problem him being in America is temporary. Will they make it work? Only time will tell...

The story between Cole and Jane took awhile for me to get nto, however the story between Cole and Finn grabbed me from the first meeting. There was such a genuine affection that made me keep reading! I am glad I did. The story started to warm up considerably. The characters were well written. The humor of some situations had me laughing out loud. And let's not forget Carl the chameleon whom Jane shares her feelings and concerns with. I enjoyed the storyline. Ms Andrew's is a great writer!

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley for my voluntary,honest review. All opinions are my own.

4.5 Stars
I will read anything Amy Andrews writes, but this book had me at single mom and former rugby player. Oh my gosh little Finn is so adorable. The scenes with Finn and Cole melted my heart and ovaries may have exploded. I wish I could find a Cole for myself. That man is super yummy. I couldn't out this book down. I also enjoyed some cameos from some of my favorite residents of Credence. Jane is super independent and making her mark in a male dominated field. She's pretty inspiring. She has a nun like life, but when Cole enters her life she is sent into a tailspin. Cole and Jane have a ton of chemistry and they just made me happy. The epilogue was just perfect and made my heart happy sigh. I would highly recommend this one.

An Australian in Colorado.

I found this entertaining.
Cole is an Australian recovering in Colorado. In a house being renovated by Jane.
Jane is awesome. She's a single mom working on renovating, but its not helping having her kid about and Cole taking up space.

Good chemistry, the temporary nature and all the pesky quirks.
Recommend.

Amy Andrews brings all the feels, full of angst, laughter, lust, to panty melting heat and a awesome cute, boy named Finn with an escape artist chameleon named Carl. This is going to make you squirm and swoon and probably swear too haha! I had the biggest smile reading this, it just gave me all these feels. I didn’t want it to end because how enticing it was. Once again this author scores a touchdown with this heart tugging, full of feels sports romance...10/10. And a cross over book to boot.

Cole Hauser is physically and mentally exhausted from multiple surgeries, and his long flight to the United States, hoping to finally get his pity party on in solitude. Tired of dealing with the tabloids and innuendo back home in Australia, about his accident and his injuries, that took his career from him. Only to be awaken by a screaming, crazy woman wielding a long nose pliers.

Jane Spenser is utterly exhausted. She had come to Credence to do the most important job of her life that would be showcased in a national magazine on the house restoration she was doing. But two days in to the four weeks her ex had with their son he drops him off with her. Now she had her son and a new pet a chameleon to take care of during the day and had taken to working on the restoration at night. Only to wake up in bed to find a Hot man sleeping in his underwear beside her!

The sparks of attraction fly between these two! Intoxicating and steamy! This will make you feel alive! Like new love always does! And the delicious possibilities between them are endless. These two will quickly have you flipping through the pages as fast as you can. Could this be pure old-fashioned, smack-you-upside-the-head, hit-you-like-a-ton-of-bricks Love? Well you will have to read to find out!

Received an early copy in exchange for honest review.

Playing With Trouble is a cute sports romance by author Amy Andrews. A romance between a single mother and an injured Australian rugby professional whose visiting the US.

This romance was both ridiculously sweet and incredibly steamy at the same time. There are a plethora of heartwarming moments between Cole (whom I loved) and Jane's son Finn, plus cute family moments between the three of them. Then when Cole and Jane are away from little eyes things heat up fast. They go from late night kisses to intimate activity on the porch, during the day at the lake, and shared shower time. Seriously the sex scenes were off the charts!

I think the reason I'm not giving this a higher rating is because honestly Jane took about halfway through the book for me to really like. I understand she had reservations as a single mother, but she was way too hot and cold. I would have felt better with her as a character if she stuck to her decision and then eventually gave in to her physical attraction to Cole rather than the kiss / no kiss back and forth. But aside from that she was a great mom to Finn who was an adorable and kind little boy.

Overall, Playing With Trouble was a well written, well paced steamy sports romance. If you enjoy sexy sweet Australians, independent heroines, and adorable kid characters with a great balance of steam and sweet than this books for you.