4.5 star

I was pulled right into this story. The story has laughs, secrets, and heartbreak.

This is Nova and Ronan’s story. Ronan had it all until he lost it. While still in his grieving process he had a one-night stand with a girl that he was drawn to. Nova snuck into a party to capture the attention of her very favorite quarterback. But ends up with an awful one-night stand. Years later they meet again. He has no idea who she is. But after talking and fake dating he figures out who she is and wonders if he can build a future with her. Will the past make him hold back and possibly lose a chance to build something with Nova?

I highly recommend this book.

Once again, Ilsa Madden-Mills has reminded me why I love to read romance, particularly when the story is so well executed as it is in Beauty and the Baller. Ronan and Nova are brought to life with the wonderfully written details of their personalities, and their heartbreaking truths make them relatable and oh so lovely.

Ronan is worthy of book husband status. His trauma will break your heart. His defense mechanisms to try to keep himself far from that kind of pain again will make you want to yell and cry and hug him hard. Nova is just the woman to burst through the sadness. She is the heroine we wish to be. Though she's struggling to find herself a bit, she's fiercely loyal and loving, and she's an inspiration.

The supporting cast of characters as well as the setting make me feel like I'm watching a perfectly sweet, perfectly spicy, perfectly gut-punchy romance on the big screen. All in all, fantastic story and characters. 5++ superNOVA stars for Beauty and the Baller. 💛

The blurb pretty much explains the plot of this book, but what it makes it so special is the unique writing style of this author. Fake relationship is not an uncommon trope, I can’t even say is a favorite of mine, yet I devoured this book in a day. Ronan and Nova were refreshing characters. While they were both hurt in the past, it wasn’t expressed in an over dramatic way, the present was fun and interesting. A small town, fake relationship with meddling elders, strange pets and loving side characters, what more do you need? If you are her reader, you know what I’m talking about, if she’s a new author to you, I highly recommend you change that. I first picked up a book of hers last summer, and I found a new favorite author.

An absolute touchdown! A romance that will make your heart swoon and fall in love with second chances.

4.5 stars

I missed words from Ilsa Madden Mills.
Beauty and the Baller was a little bit of a mixed bag. We get to experience loss, a one night stand, banter, fake dating and more.

I enjoyed getting to know Ronan and Nova. Ronan learning to live with his loss has built walls around his heart that when he connects with Nova he’s resistant to his feelings.

Nova has her own family responsibilities that keep her hands full but she knows what she wants and its Ronan.

They definitely had chemistry and their banter was endearing. I was pulling for these two and was not disappointed. A wonderful and welcome read from Isla.

Beauty and the Baller is Ilsa Madden-Mills’ latest epic romance. I have read most of Ilsa’s novels and this one is one of my favorites! The story. The characters. The fun. I was so close to finishing it in one day! I was seriously addicted.

Ronan lost everything a year ago. His career. His fiancée. He was in a black hole then he saw her. His Princess Leia. He had to save her and then he had to have her. It was the first time he saw the light in a year then she was gone when he woke up. That night changed him. She changed him and he didn’t even know her name or even remember most of her features. He wasn’t exactly sober but he was now. Two years later, he was in Blue Belle, Texas as a HS football coach who has been set on a pedestal he didn’t ask to be on…

Nova was home. Broke and taking care of her teenage sister, and she was in no mood for a party. Her neighbor, apparently the high school football coach was celebrating a win and his birthday. She didn’t care. She also didn’t care if she looked a hot mess. Then she sees him. Her one-night stand from two years ago. The one she both couldn’t forget and wanted to forget and apparently, he did. He didn’t even recognize her. The arrogant jerk. Fate was a total bitch.

Ronan and Nova’s twist of fate is epic, y’all. She knew it would be a bad idea to fake date him. He didn’t want entanglements. This wasn’t his home, it was a stepping stone and everyone knew it. It was why the whole town was trying to find him a woman to tie him down. Well, it wouldn’t be her even though she knew Ronan tying her down would be the best night of sex. Ever. Nope. She couldn’t go there until…

I can’t really get into the story anymore than that but I can say I absolutely loved this couple! The meet-cute. The banter. The connection. The heat. The passion for the game. The emotions. It was everything I expected and more. If you follow my reviews then you know I don’t read blurbs so all I knew was it had to do with a beauty and a football player. I am obsessed with the cover. I love Nova, she is a true badass. I love Ronan, he is an alpha with a romantic side. These two are fire! I also fell for the side characters too, Tuck is hilarious and the rest are too.

Quotes:

“You like to eavesdrop?”
“It’s a lesson all Southern women learn early.” She shrugs an elegant shoulder. “We don’t care if we get caught.”

“Come over to the dark side, Princess.”

“I love kissing you. Each time is different,” I murmur as our breaths mingle.

Dear Books Lovers,

do you remember when a few months ago I talked about Dear Ava by Ilsa Madden-Mills, well, I liked that story and that method of writing so much that I could not resist reading the brand new book by this author entitled Beauty and the baller.

Beauty and the baller, as you can also guess from the cover, is a sport romance. The real beauty of this book is that it is funny, despite the fact that many issues and problems are addressed within it and more that, if you have read Dear Ava, you can guess from the author's style of writing beautiful romances with much more inside.

I try to convince you to read this book with the following two statements. Ronan Smith is a phenomenal NFL quarterback, with the world at his feet, but there comes a time when he loses his girlfriend in a car accident and loses everything, including his career. Nova Morgan is instead a former beauty queen on a mission and her mission is to attract the attention of her favorite quarterback.

If I still haven't convinced you, I would add that the writing in Beauty and the Baller is among the lightest and most fluent I've ever read. The chapters, divided between his and hers points of view, are short and always ready to intrigue the reader with new anecdotes and curiosities.

I have read this book in an arc version that is not correct - and I thank the publisher infinitely for this - despite the fact that it was not correct, it was one of the most beautiful and exciting reads of this year. What I really liked was the way the characters were created. They have very clear personalities, with strengths and weaknesses. They are human, they make mistakes, but in the end they make everything more real and consequently more interesting to read.

Small addition to everything I've already told you? Fake relationship, a cat and you have all the components that make an adult sport romance beautiful.

Although Ronan is no longer a player, he is now a football coach in a small town. The real weird part is, two years after his night with Nova, she moves to his own neighborhood in the same small town. They will be neighbors and only a lot of interesting things can happen. I said before it's a lot of fun because there are a lot of scenes, especially the ones where Nova tries to impress Ronan that will make you smile and sometimes even laugh.

“Everything will be fine. We’re different flowers from the same garden, but we’re perfect together. Mama always said so.”

Ronan is at a party with his team when his friends points out a beautiful woman. Nova was a bartender when Ronan’s friend asked her to be the woman of Ronan’s dreams. When they meet the connection is immediate but the next morning she’s gone. He tries to move on with his life until his past is in his present. Can this be a second chance or are they better off leaving it alone?

I’ve heard so many good things about this author, so when I saw this pop up, I figured what the heck, I might as well try it! I’m so happy I did. This was such a good story.

Beauty and the Baller is Ilsa Madden-Mills' newest epic, second chance, fake relationship romance and I loved every second of it. It has heart, heat, humor, fun, sexiness, Star Wars, football, southern charm and a cast of relatable and loveable characters. Ronan is floored when his dream, a gorgeous blonde in a Princess Leia costume, crashes a football party. What's a hero to do? Like Han Solo, save the Princess. Ronan might have been grief stricken and a little drunk, but his princess left a mark on his heart and soul. Nova jumps at the chance to get closer to The Ronan Smith. Dress up and pretend to know things about Star Wars? Check. Dance with sexy footballer? Check. Go back to his room and have the best night of your life? Check. It didn’t end the way Nova wanted, but she moved on, tried to forget about the hurt. Now she’s back in her hometown in Texas after her mother’s passing and the new football coach lives next door. To say she was shocked to find Ronan was the coach is a sever understatement. He’s still s gorgeous, but she has to ignore that. She hates him. He’s a jerkface. And apparently all the women in Blue Belle want him. Except her. Right? She needs to find a job, figure out how to raise her teenage sister. Ronan doesn’t remember her, but when he does it is on. He still feels a connection to the sexy blonde who ultimately saved him. What he needs it a fake girlfriend so all the crazy single women in town back off. He needs to keep things easy and light. He doesn’t expect to want to spend time with Nova. Want to know things about her. Her Secrets. What she wants out of life. He definitely did not expect to fall for her. But this town and the high school coaching job is just a stepping stone. Right? This can’t be his forever. Ronan doesn’t know what hit him until he almost loses it all. Will he be able to fight for his new life? Learn to live in the moment? Trust in fate? Wow! I have read a lot of books by Ilsa and this is by far one of my top two favorites. It has everything I love in a romance. A second chance, humor, sexiness, a fun, smart sexy hero with sexy hair, an independent, smart heroine. Secondary characters that could have their own stories and of course love. I laughed, cried, had to fan myself and wish there were going to be more Ronan and Nova. I honestly couldn’t love this story more!
P.S. I loved her clothes and shoes and his undying love for Star Wars.

loved it, Ilsa is always a one click author for me. ive yet to be disappointed by anything she writes. cant wait to read the next book!

“𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗴𝗹𝗼𝘄. 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀. 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘀. 𝗡𝗼 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲. 𝗬𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝗮 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗸𝗶𝗱𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆. 𝗟𝗼𝘆𝗮𝗹𝘁𝘆. 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗴𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗲𝗶𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗻. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗜’𝘃𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗻. 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀? 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗰𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝗱. 𝗜 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂. 𝗜 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂, 𝗥𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗻: 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝘁𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗮𝗱𝗲𝘀 . . .” 𝗠𝘆 𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗰𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗸𝘀. “𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗷𝗼𝗯. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼. 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗶𝘁. 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗯 𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘆.””

Ilsa Madden Mills is one of my favorite authors. Her books have given me a lot of joy and have managed to make me forget about the stress I experience every day due to work, they are "my escape" and I have loved and enjoyed each one of them. "Beauty and the Baller" is no exception; I was captivated from the beginning and now I can say that it is one of my favorite books of 2022. Nova and Ronan are a different pair, being that she is a former beauty queen and he is a former NFL quarterback, in my opinion They are slightly more mature characters. Ronan lived his golden age, fulfilled his dream of being a professional and due to an injury he had to retire. After a year of his life drastically changing he meets a mysterious woman in a Princess Leia costume at a party. However, he was drunk and memories of that night are not very clear. Years later, he meets that woman again, and is finally able to name her.

Ronan and Nova are characters that won my heart because they felt so real to me. Each of them have experienced difficult times in their lifes but have handled it differently, and manifest it differently as well. While Ronan is all grumpy, perfectionist, and enigmatic, Nova is vibrant, enthusiastic, and has a lot of love to give. Her spontaneity and authenticity are characteristics that attract everyone's attention. While Nova initially tries to keep her distance from Ronan, he complicates things. The chemistry between the two is instantaneous and occurs in a very natural way. I felt their connection and enjoyed every approach and phase in their relationship. The steam is quite palpable! Ahhh, and the secondary characters also play an important role in the story. I loved Nova's relationship with her sister! Tropes you can find in “Beauty and the Baller”: small town romance, fake relationship, enemies-to-friends-to-lovers, sports romance.

So, if you ask me how many stars I give it, the answer is… 5+ ♾ Nova Stars!

Thank you to Montlake and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. This book was a pleasant surprise for me to read. It is one of those though that if you are not interested in play sex or football or even Star Wars references this isn't for you. To me it personally felt like the show/movie Friday Night Lights with the characters and drama and grief in more ways than one. I really enjoyed how much depth the characters presented, and I was pleasantly surprised by the autistic representation. Overall, I enjoyed this romance and Ilsa Madden-Mills is a new author both my mother and I will be keeping an eye on. Because of these points, I have to give it a 4-4.5 out of 5 stars

Oh Ronan & Nova! What a delightful read! I love her spark & confidence, and his vulnerability & sense of humor. Actually, they both have great senses of humor, & they play off each other really well!

They're both healing from grief,in different ways, & I love the way this part of the story is written. It brings depth & emotion,grounding the story to make relatable. The supporting cast- including the pets - brings a lot of personality as well!

And, not to be left out, this story definitely brings the heat! 🔥🔥🔥🔥

Thumbs up!

😍😍😍

Nova & Ronan have one night together that ends horribly, but 2 years later, they end up as neighbours in Nova's hometown, where Ronan has been offered a job as the high school football coach.

Ronan was climbing high in football and his personal life when an accident stole everything from him. Depressed, and headed for trouble, Nova's entry into his life like a bright star changed him after just one night. When they reconnect, the sparks that were lit between them flare to life, but Ronan isn't in town to stay.

Nova has returned home to care for her sister, and is unprepared for her new neighbour to be the one and only Ronan Smith. Under the guise of pushing away unwanted suitors, she and Ronan fake-date, but soon, Nova's wondering if her heart is the only one that's on the line as their public show seems all too real when in private.

I enjoyed this read. It's filled with laughter, hope, forgiveness, healing, steamy goodness and loads of love. Ronan was everything: a man who could laugh at himself (eventually), thoughtful, considerate, growly and possessive in the best way. He's dealing with the new life that he has to adapt to and the pressure that it brings. I loved Nova. She's strong, funny and knows how to turn most situations around.

This is another winner from Ilsa Madden-Mills! I recommend it wholeheartedly & unreservedly!

This book was exactly what I was looking for at this moment - light and funny with Star Wars references and a cat to boot. I did not want something to heavy and this book fit in perfectly.

If you are a fan of a small town/sports romance and a pretty cover, this is the book for you. There is also second chance and a fake dating trope which was also a plus. I am definitely looking forward to the next book in the series. Completely interested to see Francesca and Tuck's love story.

I want to thank NetGalley, Ilsa Madden-Mills and Montlake for the e-ARC of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are honest, my own and left voluntarily.

•Former beauty queen
•Retired NFL player with a tortured soul
•Enemies-to-lovers greatness

This book pulled so many emotions out of me. From anger, to elation, to heartbreak, to laughing out loud. I loved Nova. She was unapologetically herself throughout the entire novel. She knew what she wanted and she worked and worked until she succeeded. And to just raise her sister the way she was doing really showed her character.

My poor, sweet, broken hearted Ronan. To get knocked down and put yourself back together is one thing. Doing it while grieving is a whole other story. The scars he received were both physically and emotionally draining for him. I needed him to have his happy ending. He deserved it.

Side Note: I also had a coach in high school who ALL the girls swooned over. We fought for the front row in American History just so we could have the best view.

It took me a little while to get into this story - in part I think it was because of Nova. There were a couple of times she said or did something and I instantly thought I was not going to like this book.
But luckily for me I persevered because firstly Isla is the author and secondly there were so many tropes that I always seem to gravitate towards.
Ronan and Nova’s story ended up being one of my favorite reads so far this year. I found by the end of the book everything needed to be written the way it did, including the parts that made me uncomfortable at the beginning. After reading the final word I could not possibly imagine the storyline any other way. Great writing, great characters and of course a really wonderful romance. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced readers copy of this book.

Ilsa has done it again, I swear this woman can do no wrong in my book. Beauty and The Baller is a delightfully fun and witty romance that will have you laughing out loud while swooning at the same time. Ronan and Nova are perfectly imperfect, and I loved every single moment of their story.

Ronan is brooding and broken just how I like my hero’s. His story is one that will break your heart and leave you rooting for him even when you want to punch him in the face. Which inevitably you will want to. He’s got walls up so high that no one can see over them. But he’s this incredible balance of jock and nerd. I loved finding out all his little quirks that really just endeared him to me.

Nova has been hurt, her heart has been battered and bruised to the point she thinks there’s nothing that can fix it. She purposely chooses the wrong men because she knows it won’t work out and she won’t be hurt in the process because she knew from the start that it was doomed to fail. When tragedy strikes and she’s forced back home, she has to come to terms with things from her past in order for her to move on and feel again.

These two had such dynamic passion and chemistry from the very beginning. Every interaction proved this more and more until I thought my Kindle was going to spontaneously combust. I adored the juxtaposing of her sunshine personality and his grumpy demeanor. But what I loved the most was Ronans’ protective warmth. The way he cares and loves and the huge heart that he has.

Ilsa writes romances that warm you from the inside out. The characters and the settings always make you feel like you’ve come home. I’ve never read a story by her that I didn’t immediately fall right into not wanting to come up for air until I’ve finished. Her characters, her worlds, the effortless way she writes and draws out her storylines, everything is flawlessly done. If you love romances that are light and fun with a side of moody than look no further, this book is for you.

I genuinely enjoyed this story. There was a lot going on with the side characters, but the things that typically distract me in a book were thankfully not there. There was no cheating, no true love triangle. There was no misunderstandings that blow up when a simple discussion would resolve it, and even the fake dating was done in a way that it wasn’t truly fake for long. Instead, it was a story of two people meeting at the wrong time, and fate was giving them a second chance at getting it right.

And while I did love Nova and Ronan, I’m hoping that the side characters in this story get their own books, because they were just as well developed and became just as real to me as the main characters. The quirky teacher who sneaks into the closet to vape and the clueless assistant coach who is not catching the signals she keeps throwing; Nova’s intense sister and the sweet football quarterback; the sweater wearing hairless cat and Ronan’s dog…

I did feel like there were some things that were left unclear, the main one being why Nova was so intent on meeting Ronan the first time they interacted years before. But that didn’t overshadow the sweetness or the sexy games these two played in the here and now. If you’re looking for a feel-good sports romance that combines sweet tea, Friday night lights and pool table sex, this is the book for you!