4.25stars-- THE BEAUTY AND THE BALLER by Isla Madden Mills is a stand alone, contemporary, adult, erotic, romance story line focusing on twenty-nine year old, art teacher and former beauty queen Nova Morgan, and thirty-two year old, injured NFL quarterback Ronan Smith.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Nova and Rona) BEAUTY AND THE BALLER follows the building romance and relationship between art teacher and former beauty queen Nova Morgan, and thirty-two year old, injured NFL quarterback Ronan Smith. Three years earlier NFL quarterback Ronan Smith lost the love of his life and his career on the same night. One year later, a drunken one night stand with a stranger in New York left Ronan questioning his choices in life, having reached rock bottom before his upward climb back to the living. Fast forward two years, Ronan Smith, now teaching history and coaching football in Blue Belle, Texas will come face to face with his one-night stand, his new neighbor, Blue Belle alumni, and the woman with whom Ronan will fall in love. Hired as the high school’s new part time English teacher, and Coach Ronan’s PA, Nova Morgan struggles with what was, and what will never be. To keep the ‘predators’ at bay, Ronan and Nova agree to a fake relationship, a relationship that will quickly turn into something more. What ensues is the building romance and relationship between Ronan and Nova, and the potential fall-out when Ronan is offered another chance in the big leagues, leaving Blue Belle and Nova behind.

Nova Morgan returned to Blue Belle, Texas to look after her younger sister in the wake of their mother’s death. Never expecting to return to her hometown, Nova must now face the ghosts of her past, ghosts that are continuous reminders of love found and lost. Scarred both inside and out, Ronan Smith battles between head and heart with his attraction to, and need for our story line heroine but Ronan is unable to get past the death of his first love, and the loss of his career as a quarterback in the NFL.

The relationship between Ronan and Nova begins as a one-night stand wherein Ronan has no idea as to the who and why. Ronan is a Star Wars fan; a geek collector of everything from the galaxy far, far away, but the moment Nova descended into his life dressed as Princess Leia, Ronan knew his life would never be the same. In an effort to stop the local busy-bodies from trying to set him up with every single mother in Blue Belle, Ronan offers up a fake-relationship, a relationship that becomes all too real in a very short time. The $ex scenes are intimate, erotic and passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

The secondary and supporting characters are frenetic, flirty and energetic. We are introduced to Ronan’s best friends and fellow football player Tuck; Nova’s sister Sabine; fellow teachers and exes, high school students and a championship football team.

BEAUTY AND THE BALLER is a story of loss and grief; friendships and family; acceptance and love. The character driven premise is emotional, entertaining and impassioned; the characters are sassy and spirited; the romance is captivating, tender and sensual.


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This author will always be an automatic one-click author for me, and this book is the exact reason why. This fake romance was everything I love about this trope - the banter, steam, and small town vibes that I just can't get enough of. These characters are so fabulous, and unique - yet again in IMM style.

From the "meet cute" to the small town of Blue Belle and the crazy characters, I was smitten for these two. Ronan & Nova are definitely fated in the stars, and I loved their journey to get their HEA. It was organic and real...it wasn't rushed, and they both had some soul-searching to do to find their right path along the way.

One thing I love about IMM's characters is how real and unique they always are. Ronan was scarred in several ways, but that did not take away from this sweet and sexy man's appeal, and only added to the depth of his story. And Nova - beautiful Nova. This girl was a shining light and I found myself laughing out loud and grinning at her lines and scenes. She is bold, candid, and holds nothing back whether she's being witty or sexy. She is a QUEEN, and will be one of my favorite heroines this year!

Together Ronan and Nova are simply fire. They just make sense and fit together like two puzzle pieces who have been dropped on the floor only to be picked up and linked together forever. I want to pack my bags and move to Blue Bell! Well done once again IMM! Definitely a favorite of 2022!

Ronan and Nova meet when he is at his lowest. He is still mourning the love of his life and feels guilty for his reaction to Nova. Nova never does anything like what she is doing with Ronan, but she decides to seize the moment. The connection is instant and she thinks they might have a chance, unfortunately in his drunken mind he says something that he can’t take back.
Two years later, they see each other again and she isn’t impressed. He doesn’t understand why she seems to dislike him. When he realizes who she is and how they can both help each other, he proposes they fake date.
While there are a lot of funny moments in this book, Ronan had a very traumatic incident which caused him to never want to have a serious relationship again. Only, Nova is different and he realizes that he doesn’t want to lose her. Whether he can open up his heart and realize that plans can change remains to be seen. Nova is also struggling and doesn’t want to open her heart fully. She had a bad past relationship and doesn’t trust easily.
I really liked the balance of their personal demons to the realization that they had deeper feelings. I also enjoyed her sister and his best friend. This town was great and the neighbor, albeit, pushy was a breath of fresh air. I highly recommend this book. I received an ARC in exchange for an honest, voluntary review.

Nova is a bit of a wounded soul, back home to take care of her little sister after her mom passed away. She's a little bit lost but trying to make good choices to make a life for herself and her sister.

Ronan is the football coach that the town is trying to keep and they're trying to help him put down roots by throwing every eligible woman at him.

That's where a little bit of fake dating comes in...
Princess Leia, Darth Vader, a goat, a Dog, and a hairless cat all make an appearance in this amazing book!

Is there a book by Ilsa Madden-Mills I won’t read? I highly doubt it. I love all the words from IMM and I always enjoy the characters and the story that she creates.
•
“Hello. I don’t care that you’re a Fancy Pants Coach, nor do I care about your relationship status.
And . . .
Come on . . .
You don’t remember me?” - Beauty and the Baller, Ilsa Madden-Mills
•
Ronan and Nova.
This story has moments of absolute hilarity and some steam that make you want to keep reading.
These two have great chemistry and I love, love, love the fake dating trope so I knew this would be a hit for me.
I always forget how much I love a good sports romance until I read one again and I know this will be a reread for sure!

Ilsa, I feel as though it's been so long since you've released a book, and reading this after having it on my TBR for over a year was well worth the wait. You haven't lost your knack for writing humorous and swoon-worthy sports romances.
In Beauty and the Baller, our beauty is Nova. She's come home to a small town and is living in her family home whilst caring for her younger sister. She's fun, fierce and a complete spitfire when the moment calls for it. Dealing with the aftermath of her mother's death, she's constantly remembering all the great memories and moments shared with her mother that have helped to shape the woman she's become. When she finds that a new neighbor has just moved next door and is having a party, she isn't impressed when one of the guests tramples over the flowers she planted with her mom. Deciding to give her new neighbor a piece of her mind, she's in for a shock when she recognizes the new neighbor. Furthermore, he doesn't seem to remember her or the passionate night they spent together two years prior.
Ronan is our baller, a former pro football player who's had to retire after an injury. Moving to a small town to coach the football team and hopefully rid the demons that constantly haunt him, he's not interested in a relationship, but little does he know, he's become the town's most eligible bachelor, with women vying for his attention and moms trying to set him up with their daughters. Little do they know that Ronan doesn't plan on sticking around. That said, he's intrigued by his new neighbor and due to a meddling town, these two end up fake dating. But along the way lines start to blur. Knowing there's an end date coming, will Ronan and Nova be able to part ways with their hearts in tact?
Oh my heart. I absolutely loved this book. Ilsa Madden Mills has a way of getting us thoroughly engaged with the story and its characters. Nova and Ronan were the perfect pair. Nova was complete sunshine, selfless, caring, kind and loving but with Ronan in the mix, he always knew how to get under her skin. Her wit and sass with him made me love her more. Now as for Ronan, he was a broken man who completely shut himself off and went on a path of self destruction so that he wouldn't feel the constant pain and heartbreak.
I believe that Nova and Ronan were made for one another. The build up, chemistry and intensity between these two was amazing. Overall I loved Beauty and the Baller as I felt it was a story of grief, loss, family, friendships and love. I also enjoyed the secondary characters as they all added a little something that was well needed to this heartwarming story. You've done it again Ms Mills. Can't wait to see what comes next.

Oh how I have missed new stories from Ilsa! Beauty and the Baller had IT ALL! The strong and sassy heroine in Nova, the hot and broken hero in Ronan, the hilarious side characters and an awesome story of course! This one brings heart, laughter, and steam (hello…pantry scene!🥵) to make for one excellent read!! Absolutely loved it!

Ahh yes! Finally a book that got me out of my reading slump.

First off thank you to netgalley for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first book i have read by this author but it certainly won't be the last. It was fun, easy read. Sexy times, humour banter it was exactly what i was looking forward to reading.

An absolute delight
5 Stars

I am a card-carrying member of the Ilsa Madden-Mills fan club so I was so excited to hear she had a new, adult contemporary romance out. This is a standalone story and not connected - as far as I can tell - to any other book or story. This story is also a second chance romance (my fave!) with a touch of enemies to lovers, neighbours to lovers and workplace romance. Happy sighs.

Ronan and Nova have a history which is where our story starts. It’s then fast-forward 2 years where circumstances have changed dramatically for both of our couple. They are now in a small town and living next door to each other - and still shooting sparks off each other.

I don’t think I can clearly express how much I adored Nova and Ronan as a couple. They were absolutely perfect for each other - both in their differences and similarities - and I just felt their connection. They have the kind of relationship that is the stuff of dreams and, gah - I just want to bang on and on about how much I loved them.

While together is where they shine, both Ronan and Nova were great, individual characters. Ronan has a lot to work through and has put up walls to protect himself. He’s been on a single-minded track for such a long time that he finds it hard to see he’s in his own way. I wanted to wrap him up in a big ol’ hug. Nova, on the other hand, is pure kindness and light, wrapped up in a slightly sarcastic, often snarky package. Her quips and banter with Ronan made my day and I was pleasantly surprised by just how funny this book was on top of everything else. Nova also has a lot to deal with but I loved how she faced her issues head on. She’s just someone I would like to be - or at least like to be friends with.

Alongside such an exceptional pair, we also get a great host of secondary characters that felt well-rounded and real but never took over the story. Sabine gets a special mention as being a great sister sidekick for Nova but I liked them all - at least those I was supposed to like!

In many ways I found this a gentle romance in so much as the love story built gradually and with such emotion added in with each layer. With that said, there was also such a spark surrounding Nova and Ronan - and such joy - that I was constantly on edge, wanting to read more and more and more of them. In fact, after finishing the book, I wanted so badly to read more about them. I could easily have wallowed and swum in this story until my fingers went all pruny.

There’s sex in the book and it’s the good stuff. Think pantries, role-play, strip darts and pool tables. Nice and hot but also with laughter and a true connection that made my heart happy.

I have to mention that there are sad and poignant parts of the book. I’m not going to say that these aren’t rough - and I obviously cried, because I’m like that - however it felt real but not in an overwhelming way. Everything worked out exactly how I would have wanted it to and I was satisfied with it all. And that’s coming from someone that shies away from the tougher emotions in her books (and probably in life, too!).

All said, this is an absolute delight of a romance and another clear winner for Ms Madden-Mills. She brings me everything I could ever want from a romance novel - relatable and well-rounded characters, emotional depth, humour, a teensy bit of angst and a massive helping of love that’s built to last. If you hadn’t already guessed it - this is a highly recommended 5-star read and one my favourites of the year so far.

Ilsa Madden-Mills stories are magical! They enchant with the superb plot, the charming characters and the brilliant setting where she places them. There are strong feelings but also lighthearted moments, her female characters are strong women. They may be in dire circumstances but there’s an inner core of strength and resilience that moves them through the story. Her male characters may be clueless and arrogant, but they are innately good men with a strong honorable core. So it’s no wonder that the story sucks you in and you spend a wonderful time reading her books.

In this story, Ronan was one of the best quarterbacks in the country. He was enjoying the best time of his life, with a brilliant career in the New York Pythons and a lovely fiancee. But then a tragic car accident took away both his career and his fiancee. Devastated and drowning his sorrows in alcohol, he attends the Pythons annual ball with his best friend Tuck. Then a beautiful woman appears, dressed as Princess Leia and is about to be taken out. Encouraged by Tuck, he saves the woman, and he’s so entranced with her that he takes her to his hotel room and they have a one night stand. She leaves during the night, but her inner brilliance impacts Ronan and jump starts his soul, leaving him determined to turn his life around and start living again.

Two years later, Nova returns to Belle Blue to take care of her little sister, after their mother’s death. Ronan is also in Belle Blue, as football coach in the town high school. And as fate would have it, he’s also her new neighbor! Ronan needs a PA for his coaching job and Nova is looking for a job. And since this is Texas and football is king, when Ronan requests that Nova gets the job, she’s hired. And we’re off to a wonderful romance!

I loved all the nuances and little side plots that this story had. I loved Sabine, Nova’s little sister. She’s super smart and highly functional autistic, so she’s very factual and their conversations are quirky and fun. I loved their morning rituals of pancakes and singing. I loved neighbor Lois who was trying to snoop Nova’s mother’s price winning jelly recipe. The plethora of characters make this book so vivid and fun, plus the steamy scenes, the snappy dialogue between Nova and Ronan, their inner turmoils that keep them stuck in past problems, how they deal, they learn and they grow. This was romance in its best presentation, magical, fun, angsty and beautiful. A real delight!

Ronan, a former professional football player, is the High School football coach. Nova has returned home after her mother's death to be the guardian of her sister. They are now neighbours, but they had already meet a while ago.

Ronan, after being lost for a while has been able to recover on his own, I like that about him.

Nova has to deal with coming back home, to a place where she's uncomfortable, and she deals with it very well. Her teenager's stories are great, and I LOVE her sense of humour.

Nova's mum's quotes are wonderful as also are the ones from The Art of War, that now I'm thinking of reading thanks to Ronan.

Sabina, Nova's sister, is a wonderful character, I really enjoyed the talks between them. The book is full of well developed side characters.

Ilsa Madden-Mills is always a safe bet to have a good book to read.

I received an advanced copy in exchange of an honest review.

This book captured me from the first moment with the perfect meet-cute between our two main characters! I loved their connection, both that first night, as well as the bit of animosity between them when they met once again in the small town of Blue Belle, Texas. The spark between them was hard to ignore, and it all just built up until it exploded and they really could not keep their hands of each other once again. The fake relationship was just a little way to move it all along.

I loved all the little moments when they let the fake drop away and just gave into real feelings. Even if so many times it ended up coming back to bite Nova in the butt. Both characters had such an emotional background story that it made every little thing that came up make sense in how they reacted. While we only got a tiny moment with Ronan’s mom/family, I did love Nova’s sister. And Toby, and all the guys on the football team that were named. They had such fun personalities and really added to the story.

The high school setting was also fun, and had a lot of things that I connected with as a former high school teacher myself. The little games where Ronan and Nova would give up secrets or dare types of things were fun too. And the lice, oh my gosh, the lice! I keep mentioning a lot of the side characters as well, I loved Sonia and Skeeter. This book had it all, wonderful main characters, and a great supporting cast of characters to keep it fun and real.

My only complaint, why I put it at a 4.5 rating on my blog, is a personal issue, and it is just that I don’t like the e-cigarette parts. I feel like one of Skeeter’s lines about how Sonia is a vegetarian to be healthy, yet smokes those, well yeah. I’m just very anti-cigarette, so that part bothered me.

A one night stand that was not the best, for both parties. The last person Nova ever thought to be her new neighbor was Ronan. After Ronan's life took a serious left turn, his life was in shambles for a bit, but he got back on track, picked a new direction and is now the football coach at a high school. Just so happens that it's in Nova's hometown. With Nova's ex in town, and everyone else trying to matchmake Ronan, the two end up faking a relationship. But how can you fake a relationship when your chemistry is off the charts? Will this end up being the worst idea ever, or the start of something wonderful?

I laughed my butt off, I laughed so hard at one point I had tears. Ilsa Madden-Mills never disappoints and gives us stories that suck you in. If you are looking for a read that gives you laughs, drama, a bit of heart break, and some super hot spicy moments, then this is the read for you. I give this 5 stars.

My relationship with Madden-Mills's books is always funny to me because for every book I like of hers it seems I dislike another. Beauty and the Baller fell somewhere into the middle for me - I don't really have a lot to say. The concept was fine, the execution was fine, but nothing really gripped me the way some of the author's other books have. There was definitely passion but I felt that this book could have been at least a hundred pages shorter and still worked perfectly fine so...perhaps not the right read for me but long-time fans of Ilsa Madden-Mills will for sure devour Ronan and Nova's story!

BEAUTY AND THE BALLER was amazing! One of my faves of 2022. If you’re looking for a fun, lighthearted, entertaining read this ones for you. Ilsa delivered one helluva book. I was engaged from start to finish. The banter between Ronan and Nova was awesome. Same for the secondary characters as well. Everyone was interesting and intricately placed to make the story gel. I loved Nova’s quirks and felt she complimented Ronan very well. Everything about BATB was great. I will say I am intrigued and want to hear more about Skeeter and Sonia. I thought their interactions were so cute. Fingers crossed. All in all, fantastic read. Don’t miss it!

Gosh I forgot how funny Ilsa Madden-Mills’ books are. This was such a fun read that I just flew through from start to finish loving every minute.

Ronan and Nova are such a fun couple with off the charts chemistry and some serious sparks. This one has all the typical small town charm, along with the chaos that often ensues with small town life. And I just loved the interactions with Sabine throughout!

Have you ever read a book, and it just... completely starts off on the wrong foot? That initial stumble flavors your entire reading experience, and then suddenly all of these other little things start to bug you. That's how this went for me. There's a lot of good stuff going on in the story - a fake dating scheme, a small town feel, discussion of grief and healing, playfulness - but that sense of disconnect never abated and I found myself skimming. I'm usually a big fan of Madden-Mills' work, but this just couldn't recover from the initial issues.

The story follows Ronan, a former football player grieving the loss of the woman he loved. When he meets a sexy stranger at a party, Ronan feels a connection that he never expected. They share one steamy evening that devolves into the worst one night stand ever. A few years later, Nova runs into Ronan again… but he doesn't recognize her. Disheartened that the night truly meant so little to Ronan, their relationship in present day is full of tension. Ronan is now the star football coach in their small town, Nova is his neighbor, and they just keep running into each other. In an attempt to get people to stop playing matchmaker, Ronan asks Nova to fake a relationship with him. She seems to be the only woman in town who is immune to his charms, and that both intrigues and infuriates Ronan.

I typically love Madden-Mills' books, so I was both surprised and disappointed that this one just didn't work for me. There's nothing overly bad about the book (beyond an excessive amount of OW and OM drama), but there also wasn't enough swoon to overcome that initial fumble either. There's playful banter and some heat, but not a lot of intimate moments - the plot gets distracted by so many other characters. What was so bad about the start? Well, this opens with a sudden, vaguely described one night stand between strangers, and Ronan is so drunk that I questioned his ability to consent. The fact that he doesn't even recognize Nova when they meet again a few years later makes the whole interaction feel really slimy. From there, I struggled to connect, and the parade of women throwing themselves at Ronan didn’t help. I liked the lighthearted, small town feel, but would’ve appreciated more focus on Nova and Ronan’s connection without everything else getting in the way.

It takes skill to write a book that makes a reader laugh and also one that touches you emotionally something Isla excelled at. Nova and Ronan's first meeting leads to a passionate one night stand but fate is not done with them when they are reunited in her home town.

When they first met Ronan was struggling to get over the loss of his fiancee. His feelings of loss and guilt were written with such feeling and emotion and I loved how she made the male character so vulnerable. Nova moved home to care for her sister after the death of her mother her feelings of grief are complicated by her worries of keeping a roof over their head and worries that she will somehow let her sister down. The story had the perfect amount of sweet and sexy it was finely balanced to give the reader just enough of what we love. There are a rich and diverse group of secondary characters that I can see getting their own stories Ronan's football players and Sabine especially. The story had a Friday Night Lights vibe at times and I loved every second spent reading this book.

“Because you’re a burst of light. Because you believe in people. Because I can’t look up at the night sky without thinking about you. You’re a star.”

Everyone, drop everything you are doing and just… read this book. Ilsa wrote another spectacular book that easily became a favorite of mine. Full of emotions, with lots of laughs, heart, love, steam (hello, pool table) and plenty of “oh no, you didn’t” moments. Former’s NFL quarterback Ronan and beauty queen Nova, has my heart with this story and My only issue was that it wasn’t longer.

Soon enough you find why Ronan is so grumpy (and sometimes sad), over one night he lost everything he thought it was his whole future: his fiancée and football career. A year later he meets a mysterious woman (Nova), dressed as Princess Leia and his life is once again changed. Only that, he was so drunk he couldn’t remember her name. Despite their instant connection, their one night stand turned very wrong quickly.

Years later they found each other again in a small town Texas, with their lives completely different. I loved them so much, from their incredible teasing and banter, to their develop friendship, to their “ridiculous” fake relationship and all the feels they brought to the story. Even the haters in the story couldn’t deny that they were made for each other.

I talked a lot about Ronan, but Nova as much she was strong, she was also the sunshine, hot mess and the glue that hold every thing in this book together. I absolutely loved her as an individual. Also, apart from the great couple, there are incredible secondary characters, honor mention Nova’s sister, Sabine, Caleb, Sonia and the guys Ronan coaches. I wish there were books for all them too.

“Listen. Find your glow. Discover all the possibilities. Reach for the stars. No one deserves this more.”

Nova's new neighbor is annoying, and after she meets him, smug and cocky, gorgeous, and...apparently doesn't remember their ons from years ago. How humiliating. But at least it's not too bad, he doesn't remember her, so he can't say anything awful about that night. Right? Well, she was wrong about him not freaking her out because now the man is asking her to be his fake girlfriend to get all the crazy matchmaking people of their small town off his back. You see, he's the high school's new football coach, and everyone knows the south takes its football SERIOUSLY! So that means they want him to stick around. What better way to get him to stay than to find him a woman? Yeah. Cringe. Yikes. But Nova will do just fine at keeping them at bay. Until fake starts feeling awfully real. Now Ronan's faced with a life changing decision - take his chance to get back into the NFL, or stay where his heart is? Nova's not sure what he'll choose, only that she wants him to be happy, so she's resigned herself to going it alone, again.

Ronan's heart was broken back when he first met a gorgeous woman dressed as Princess Leia. The one with the hot costume. He may have no memories of that night because he was already spiraling into depression, alcohol and other bad decisions, but he sees Nova now. Sees her beautiful, giving heart. Sees how she cares for her teenaged sister. How she loves their small town. Asking her to help him keep away all the wackadoodle crazies trying to find him a woman seems like the best idea. Even if he's starting to fall for her, though, he's probably not sticking around, about to head out to bigger things like getting back into the league. But can he really leave his heart behind by heading to take a coaching job in the NFL?

Ahh how I've missed reading Ilsa's sweet and sassy heroines and the men they bring to their knees. Nova is the kind of heroine I love best with her big heart and the way she goes after what she wants, and Ronan was damn swoony even though his waffling made me want to smack him a time or two. There was witty, snarky banter, hot chemistry, lots of heartfelt emotion, and a secondary cast as amazing as the two leads. I loved these two, their friends (Tuck!!!) and fellow residents, and the love they found with each other.