This is my first book by Elizabeth Hayley and the synopsis sounded so good, I couldn't wait to start it.

Unfortunately I felt like something was missing from this story. I didn't really feel a connection between the main characters and maybe that is why I didn't connect to the story.

I will still look for other books from this author.

achel Adler has been chasing a ghost of a story for years. A secret Club for athletes. In her world as a sportswriter, the rumors of this “Club’s” existence have circulated but no one can confirm the existence of it or who runs it. When she finally gets a bona-fide, legit tip that the club does exist and where it could be located, she heads to Philly to start pounding the pavement. Once in Philly she runs into Gabe Torres, an old college friend and as of a month ago, a one-night stand. To cover the true reason she is there, Rachel offers Gabe an opportunity to be the subject of an article on retired athletes. As she spends time with Gabe, she starts to realize that they are actually pretty compatible, and they decide to give a relationship. When Rachel stumbles upon some information that puts Gabe closer to the real reason she is there. She now has to decide which is more important, her relationship with Gabe, or writing the article that could make her career.

The plot for this story was really good, but unfortunately this book didn’t work for me. It took me quite a bit of time to get through it. It just didn’t grab me the way I thought it would and there were moments that completely lost me. While I liked the characters, I never made and actual connection to this book. There was something that never quite clicked for me.

Rachel and Gabe have known each other since college. They bump into each other at a Superbowl party where Gabe, retired from the sport of baseball, is attending as a guest and Rachel is there as a reporter for All Access Sports. Sparks fly and they spend the night together. Fast forward and Rachel is moving temporarily to Philadelphia to cover a story that she has been investigating for several years. With proof in hand, she hopes to find all the information she needs to publish a story that would put her on the map. Rachel bumps into Gabe again on her first night in the city. They begin to hang out and eventually declare themselves a couple. Rachel and Gabe are having such a good time together, getting to know each other and falling for each other. What they each know and have not mentioned to the other is that they have secrets that must be kept private. These secrets will have an effect on their relationship if they are found out by the other.

Gabe and Rachel must navigate work, friendships, and a relationship in The One-Night Stand.

The One-Night Stand is a beautifully written romance that is a must-read.

Unfortunately things started bad, and didn’t get better. The first few chapters were utterly terrible so I looked it up to see if this was the authors debut. Nope – surprisingly they had another 30 books to their name. I wanted to give up on it, but after consultation with my friend who also uses NetGalley, it can count against you to not finish a book. So here is my book review, The One-Night Stand: She finished it against all odds and wishes she never tried.

The story is about a journalist, Rachel, and a retired baseball player, Gabe. They were once involved back in college but haven’t seen each other since until Rachel’s job sends her to Philly, where Gabe lives, to investigate a *SuPeR SeCrEt SpOrTs CLuB*, a story she’s been trying to crack her entire career. Little does she know, Gabe runs this *SuPeR SeCrEt SpOrTs CLuB*, where players go to unwind, out of the prying eyes of the public.

There’s really nothing redeeming about the book, so here is my list of why I did not enjoy The One-Night Stand:

1. There is no word building
Everything and everyone is flat and one dimensional. It’s like the authors (yes, Elizabeth Hayley is two people writing under one name) forgot that adjectives exist and can be used to spice things up a little. Where as another author might say “She walked into the room, light streaming through the floor to ceiling windows. Her eyes glanced at her old wooden desk, spying a messy pile of papers on its dusty surface.”, Elizabeth Hayley would say “She walked into the room and looked at some papers on her desk.” I am being a bit hyperbolic here but it really feels that wooden and lifeless.

2. The banter (and chemistry) between Rachel and Gabe is lackluster and forced.
Right, so here’s an example of the “banter” that is peppered through this entire book:

“Go big or go home,” Gabe said.
“Did you just make that up?” Rachel teased. “That’s a clever saying.”
“Shut up,” he joked.

That is probably one of the “wittier” attempts in the book.
As for the chemistry, the start of their relationship was basically (please indulge my artistic licence here):

“Hey I like you and I find you attractive.”
“Wow, I also like you and also find you attractive.”
“Will you be my girlfriend?”
“Are you still a HOT SHOT PLAYBOY?”
“No my love, I am reformed for YOU!!1!111!”
“Well okay then. I am your girlfriend.”

3. The spicy bits (no fade to black here but it may as well have been).
There are a few sex scenes dotted throughout the book, and while I would give the author(s) a bronze “I guess you tried” star, they were much in the same vein as the rest of the book. Let’s just say it left you feeling akin to having a tryst with a very unsatisfying lover.

Further investigation..
After a bit of googling, I realised that this book is actually just a re-released copy of an older story of theirs – now with a much nicer cover. It was also the third book in a series, which maybe explains why some things felt like they were something that should have been explained already. It doesn’t seem like they’ve released this version as part of that series. I don’t know if they changed anything in the book or tried to polish it up a little, but if they did I would hate to think what it was like originally.

Conclusion?
This gets a big ol’ kiwi yeah NAH from me. It would take a lot of convincing for me to read anything else from their authors in future, but I do wish them all the best and hope they find their stride. However, after 30 books published so far, I don’t think it’s gonna happen.

Another fun, sexy romance by Elizabeth Hayley. The two romantic interests had chemistry from the beginning. I loved Gabe and Rebecca. They both were complex and flawed, as well as hot together!



*I received a copy of The One-Night Stand from NetGalley and Waterhouse Press, in exchange for my honest opinion.

3.5 stars. Holding a grudge.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Second chance at romance are a fun genre to read. You get to see the characters in the past and today. We get to watch them evolve and truly come to understand who they are and what went wrong with the romance the first time.

The author to has a great plot here and one that was highly engaging and swept me along with the story. But there were some character issues with them really put a damper on my overall feeling about the story.

I truly loved the character of Gabe. He is sweet and fun and is completely head over heels for his long lost friend who just came back into the picture. I love his friends and the whole sports theme surrounding him and why he had to leave the game.

Rachel is a reporter and has come back to town looking for a secret. What bothers me the most is the lie and how the author chose to allow it to perpetuate throughout the entire story. Personally I think that’s a character flaw in Rachel and it bothered me a lot as a reader.

The author made a choice on building a romance on a character flaw that could make it a tough read. Once you get tangled up in the bad choice it’s hard to dig yourself out and that’s exactly what happened in the story for me.

The story is a beautiful romance that otherwise would been a total win for me. However, I’m holding a grudge, I guess. For me it would be hard to trust someone that started a relationship on a big fat lie.

I love the overall theme and the supporting characters were fresh and fun. The author tells a fun beautiful second-chance romance that has ups and downs with plenty of emotions running through it. There’s also some great supporting characters and a wonderful ending. But I had a really hard time with the female lead and for me it made me sad.

I really liked the story! the author was a new one to me and I actually read the book in one sitting!

<b> The ARC of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. </b>

3/5 stars

Right. Reading this gave me the feeling I was reading a Wattpad fanfiction. This is not necessarily a bad thing! It actually made me feel a tad nostalgic, it is that feel of quick, too quick for my liking, unrealistic romance where the chapters feel super short and so many things happen that it's a lot to keep up with. I felt like sometimes the romance seemed to go a bit from intimate scene to intimate scene, which I don't read romance for.

On the other hand, it's sometimes nice to escape in the fluff romance with someone you remember from college who now is quite famous. Add in a twinkle of drama and boom, you are easily captivated by it. I think there are a lot more romances with fluff I feel more captivated by, but it was overall a decent read!

Pro's: The chapters from both characters' perspectives, easy read, love the cover
Cons: I prefer more realistic romance, more fleshed out characters. Also some jokes about LGBTQ characters just kinda fell flat for me

Recommendation review: Need a book to get lost in with some fluff and drama? This is the book for you. Want a book that reminds you of the Wattpad romances you read as a teen? Read it.

I found this book to be fairly good. I mean I wasn't hooked on the story but it was entertaining.

It's not something I personally would read again but I do recommend it.

DNF @7% unfortunately. The line “Why didn’t you bring my lesbian best friend,” reduced the character down to their sexuality but that line wasn’t even that bad. It got worse when he said, “She’s about two more months from going straight for me, you just watch.” I know this is supposed to be a joke but there’s no such thing as “going straight” for someone you can’t change your sexuality so this rubbed me the wrong way. I also just couldn’t get into the writing style. I loved the premise, just could not get into the book. Thank you to the publisher for sending me this regardless.

This is such a cute, funny, sexy sports romcom.
They meet at a super bowl party and he immediately remembers her. He had an attraction to her while in college. She on the other hand .....wants one thing and one thing only... the secrets surrounding the players club, which is an underground secret society . Ooohhhh.... dah- duh- dah!!!
Thus was a good book. I’m now just learning it’s book number 3 so I gave some back tracking to do....

This book had the recipe for a fun and quick romantic read. I enjoyed the characters Gabe and Rachel and their storyline. To be honest though this was not my favorite book. I just had a hard time getting into the story.

I have enjoyed other books by Elizabeth Hayley but unfortunately this book was not my favorite. I do recommend giving it a read if like a quick love story.

“I’ll just read a few chapters “ I said. Big Mistake. Every story I read from this duo is like a burst of fresh air. This book took three episodes of VIKINGS to read and now I must watch those 3 again.

One Night Stand is everything sports romance fans could wish for: hot bodied athletes, bro code antics, romance, fearless and driven female lead – and a mischievous dog name Torque in this funny, romantic, and sexy story.

When Gabe bumps into Rachel at a Super Bowl party, he is transported back in time to his attraction for her in college and immediately captivated by her. Rachel is attending the party to find the scoop on the uber- secretive and exclusive THE PLAYERS CLUB, an underground club she has spent years trying to expose.
The sensual love scenes add heat to this thoroughly entertaining read. Plus, a strong sense of ambition draws the reader deeper into an irresistible and emotional love story.

I enjoyed this book very much although a couple of things bothered me a little.

I loved the flow of the relationship and the explosive chemistry between the Gabe and Rachel. From the very start the attraction and dialogue was believable and I couldn't stop turning the pages like crazy. Although they already knew each other, it was obvious they had certain spark holding. It was easy for me to believe they were comfortable with each other. I laughed multiple times with their hilarious banter and the interactions with the rest of the cast.

I loved Gabe but I have to say I just "liked" Rachel. Gabe was a very insecure guy disguised by a the cocky baseball player façade and maybe that's why it was very heartbreaking for me to read what Rachel was doing to him, even if she didn't know. He was trying so hard for her to like him, he only wanted to impress her.

Even with everything Rachel did to him, I do believe she cared for him and I do think her feelings for her were true, although I think she could've made different decisions in the last part of the book, but I understand, without it, the ending wouldn't have been as beautiful as it was.

I do recommend this book and I do want to read the rest of the series. Thank you, NetGalley for the free copy of this book.

Loved this cute little love story. The characters are well thought out, I loved both friend groups (would love to see future spin offs) it was so fun to get lost in The characters world's within this crazy industry.

This reminded me of a classic romcom movie that I would love to watch... Both characters with a massive secret to hide.

My only critique, was how cheesy the character's thoughts were sometimes. No one thinks that sentimental in the moment when talking with their friends or girlfriend.

Overall, loved this book and can't wait to read more from this author

Oh my word. I totally loved Rachel and Gabes'story.. I not only laughed but cried reading this. Meeting by chance after going to college together they found what they both never thought they would have.. Threw mistruths and mistakes they made it and for that am truly happy..

Although I know nothing about sports or baseball this book was adorable. I think that even if you don't care for sports that this cute story will be hit with you. This was very light romance story that is great for this time. I think readers will love this for Feb.

If you like fun sports romance books, then The One Night Stand is for you. It was fun, light hearted and enjoyable to read. I liked it.

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Since quarantine, I have been reading more romance novels. This one is for fans of contemporary romances, especially books from Sally Thorne and Tessa Bailey. I enjoyed the plot and liked that it was from a different perspective!

Such a lovely and funny story! It really is a book for a Christina Lauren fan.

I loved Gabe being a bit cocky but all soft inside. Rachel is a marvelous heroine too. Their flirting left me with a smile on my face. The steaming scenes were really hot and kinda sensible at the sime time. Can't wait to read another story from the authors!

Thanks Netgalley for the opportunity!