This review is for the Audio ARC I received from Netgalley for my honest review.

Friends to loves has never been a trope I particularly like, but if you're going to do it, THIS is how you do it. I need one of the friends to already be hopelessly in love with the other character and I need that character prepared to lose everything and just go for it. I also need spice EARLY. None of this pining and whining until the last 20% of the book when they finally bang. This book DELIVERS.

The C*ck Down the Block is really cute. Low angst, low stakes. We have a big hot football playing family, and Chris the eldest of the family, some hot shot QB, is in love with his high school best friend that lives next door, Trixie.

When Trixie needs a date to her HS reunion she asks Chris and he sees this as his chance to finally show her what she means to him.

It's steamy and sweet and that what I needed.

Extra points for no 5th act break up and a spicy epilogue instead of one with pregnancy! Kudos!

3.75 stars, I rounded up.

Narration by Christian Fox and Stella Hunter was perfect. They did such a good job and Christian Fox could read me the back of a cereal box and I'd thank him. So very well done. Highly recommend the audio. Thanks Netgalley for to chance to listen and review.

The C*ck Down the Block is the first book in the The Cocky Kingmans romance series. Trixie has been best friends with Chris, who just happens to be the local football team’s star quarterback, for years. She is the girl next door and a librarian, but Chris he had feelings for her for years. When Trixie asks Chris to be her fake date for her upcoming high school reunion, he wonders if maybe now if the time to make his true feelings known. Follow along with Trixie and Chris to see if their friendship blossoms into something more!

I am a huge fan of sports romances, so when I saw this cove me I knew I wanted to check this book out. This was a little different than most sports romances I’ve read lately in the fact that Chris and Trixie are already best friends. I enjoyed this angle of the book and found it to be a refreshing change. I am also a fan for the fake dating trope, so this book was full of my favorites. The story flowed nicely and the romance was sweet, yet steamy at times. Overall, this was an enjoyable sports romance read, but it did kind of blend together with all of the other romances I’ve been reading. It’s one of those books that is enjoyable at the time, but I’m not sure I’ll remember what happened in it in a few weeks. If you are looking for a cute, run of the mill romance this one is worth the read!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this arc!

If you are looking for a fluffy romance with a football star main male character and a plus size bookworm main female character, this is the one for you! I was laughing, feeling the heartfelt moments and falling in love with the story of these childhood friends. And let’s not forget to mention the possessiveness of a rooster lol.

This story does contain and talk about weight and eating habits, as well as eating disorders that may be sensitive to readers.

3 Stars The C*ck Down the Block is a cute friends to lovers, fake dating, football romance. With a fairly predictable plot, it was an easy audiobook to get through in a day. The author was clearly trying to use some current slang and pop culture references to attract a young millennial/gen Z audience, but it just came across as cringey and inauthentic. No one actually says “sus” or “bombastic side eye” outside of social media.

Amy! Amy! Amy! Amy, you deserved an award for this book. First, let me discuss the book and then the audiobook.
This book is amazing, I laughed at the rooster (I swear he is the REAL main character in this book), and the relationship between Trixie and Chris was good. Best friend to lover trope, and I enjoyed it.
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The audiobook is a 5-star masterpiece. The narrator did a great job bringing the characters to live.

This audiobook had the best and most open Author’s Note I’ve read in awhile. Amy Award does not mince words when she says “This is Fluff.” With a tongue in cheek title for her novel, you’d be a fool not to believe her. This book was fun, sexy, ridiculously over the top at times, and also an advocate of curvy girls everywhere.

I came for the cock puns (of which there weren’t quite as many as you’d think), I came for the hero who’s always had a thing for the big beautiful girl next door and finally has the nerve to do something about it and I stayed for the funny footballer Kingsmen brothers, the taking down of a mean girl, and the dirty talking scenes. The plot was fine and probably forgettable, but clearly Award knows her target audience because it’s more about the humor and hyperbolic rooster references, along with the smutty sex, than serious storytelling. My star rating is for this and the audio aspect which will make the book memorable. If I had a criticism, there is one scene that rubbed me a little wrong after a challenge is made to Beatrix’s virgjnity, and it was more so in how the hero handled it that felt a little too alpha male for something that could be a very sensitive subject. The characters are clearly into each other, but I would’ve liked to see that one scene handled slightly different even though it was a bit crucial to other plot points.

And as for the voice acting, Stella Hunter and Christian Fox are narrators I would listen to all day. They killed it with their narration and BECAME Trixie and Chris in my mind which made the story so enjoyable (I have a feeling Award’s books will be best on audio). I’m not sure I have heard either of them narrate before, but will definitely be looking at their backlog because I liked them so much. I really hope they do Award’s next few books because their voices worked so well together.

I will definitely listen to more books in this series—it seems like we’ll get more books for this family of footballers and I loved their dynamic. I would recommend this for a fun, punny read with lots of steamy scenes. I received this advanced copy from Dreamscape Media. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to Netgally and Amy Award for this advanced copy of The C*ck Down the Block in exchange for an honest review!

Overall: 3.75 Stars round up to 4

This was such a fun quick read of Friends-To-Lovers. I really enjoyed the sex positive attitude of the characters and the body positive aspects. The Bridgerton inspiration too was perfect to keep you excited for the rest of the series. My only critique is I wish we could have gotten a little more communication between the two love interests.
The narrators were great, although not as super clear to understand at higher reading speeds.

I really enjoyed listening to The C*ck Down the Block by Amy Award.

Librarian Trixie needs to convince her next door neighbor, NFL quarterback, Chris to be her fake date to her class reunion weekend because the bullies goaded her into it. She doesn’t realize Chris has been in love with her for years and there is nothing fake about it.

The narrators did a great job embodying the characters and I fell into the story and their versions of everyone.

I can’t wait for the next in the series and I am going to check out the author’s backlist.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. All views are my own.

TW: fat phobia, sexual harassment in the workplace

Honestly never saw myself reading something called “The Cock Down the Block” but here we are! Amy Award gives a great author’s note claiming to write fluffy HEAs but also gives the reader fair warning of the fat phobia our FMC will experience. TCDTB was indeed fluffy and also a good time!

Trixie’s high school reunion is coming up and she’s in charge of the fundraiser. The mean girls of her high school are still mean girls 10 years later and Trixie gets caught between a rock and hard place after photos of her and her best guy friend (Chris) out at steakhouse get splashed on the front page of the newspaper. After a scathing comment implying she paid Chris to take her out, Trixie boasts he’s actually her boyfriend. Fake dating ensues but Chris has actually had feelings for Trixie since they were kids and takes this chance as his last ditch effort to get Trixie to see how good they could be together. It also doesn’t hurt that Chris is a pro football, Super Bowl winning, genuinely kind man.

I will say most of the world building is far fetched, three (or was it four) brothers all drafted and playing for the same professional football team? All of them living in the same neighborhood where they grew up? I just took it with a grain of salt. If you don’t care too much about that stuff and are just looking for a good fluffy time you will like this book.

I was blessed with an ALC and listening to it probably gained this book a whole star in ratings. Stella Hunter is just amazing and is quickly becoming one of my favorite narrators. This was my first time listening to Christian Fox (I think it was my first) and I absolutely adored him. He put a lot of good emotional inflection in his tones and it just made it all the more believable that the character of Chris was so far gone for Trixie. I’ll definitely listen to more of his work. Both narrators were spot on in their pacing and overall did a stellar job.

Thank you so much to Dreamscape Media for proving me with an ALC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

Park your negativity and lofty expectations at the door because this is the romantic piece of fluff you need to brighten up a miserable day.

Trixie and Chris are childhood friends who are perfect for one another. Chris knows it, he just needs a way of finding a way out of the friend zone without destroying their relationship. Trixie's timely request for him to be her fake date is the opening he needs.

There si a great cheerleading squad of characters in this book but I didn't expect that my favourite side character would be Luke Skycocker, Trixie's chicken. The scenes with him were hilarious.

Chris's large family of brothers are equally sweet and funny and they do remind me of the Bridgertons. There are a couple of poignant scenes when they remember their deceased mother which adds an extra layer of emotion and depth to the storyline.
I love how they rally together to help Chris and Trixie along the way no matter the situation.

Trixie's mother is unconventional but smart and she provides a comforting boost of support when Trixie needs it most.

This story is hilarious and a lot of fun. With one open-door spicy scene, the story focuses more on Chris's attempts to woo Trixie. The dual point of view gives us an insight into his thoughts and how much he adores Trixie.
The dual narration of the audiobook brought the characters to life and somehow made them more believable. The narrators are so good I'm going straight to audio for the rest of the series.

The cute cover is what made me want to read this book, so it was really disappointing that I did not end up enjoying this book.

I really enjoyed Stella Hunter narrating for Trixie, but I wasn’t a huge fan of the narrator for Chris.

If I was just rating this book based on the narration, I would probably give it a 4/5

For the story itself I’m giving it a 2/5 because I had a a lot of issues with the plot.

It was really hard to believe that these characters were supposed to be in their late 20’s because they did not act like it at all.

This book wasn’t even that long but honestly it felt like it could have been a lot shorter, and I probably would have enjoyed it more.

I really dislike drama in my books. I just think it’s so unnecessary and this book had so much unnecessary drama and I just feel like all that crap with the mean girl from high school was so drawn out and over the top and then she also had a creepy boss causing drama. it was just too much.

The other thing that really annoyed me, was her losing her virginity in the locker room at her old high school. Like obviously somebody was going to film it happening!! It was just ridiculous and so not romantic at all.

Beatriz "Trixie" and Chris have been friends ever since she moved in next door. They both seem to like each other but neither has ever made the first move. Now when Trixie's highschool reunion is coming up she asks Chris to be her fake boyfriend. He obliges and decides it's time to make his move.

I really enjoyed this book I finished it in a couple of hours. The narrators made the characters very believable.
They allowed the characters to have depth and feeling and Chris was so protective of Trixie and you could really see he cared.

I received this audiobook from Dreamscape via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

⭐⭐⭐
🌶️🌶️🌶️

I really enjoyed this book, I thought it was cute and fluffy but also had a decent amount of spice. The fact that there was no third act break up was amazing!

I did feel like the overall conflict was a bit too much overtaken by petty drama, which made the characters feel like they were in highschool rather than mature adults. Some of the resolutions towards the end also felt just a little too convenient.

The big family and all the relationships and dynamics were very wholesome and I might consider giving the next book a try because I liked the side characters in this book.

Things I loved:

🐔 Humor and pop culture references
🐔 He falls first, and harder, and is possessive
🐔 Smutty
🐔 Football player x librarian
🐔 Friends to lovers

I thought the narrators did a really great job, especially the one that voiced Chris. I could feel his passion every time the POV switched.

Thank you Dreamscape Media for an audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a great fluffy, spicy romcom with enough drama to up the stakes, and plenty of chicken puns to keep it lighthearted.

If you're looking for a groundbreaking novel, this isn't for you, but if you want something fun, flirty, and spicy to enjoy and not think too much about this is a great choice!

Like the author says in the content note, we need fluff! This is a sweet and spicy romance that also tackles big topics like bullying, body positivity, enthusiastic consent and douchebags getting their just desserts. I really enjoyed listening to this audiobook and would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a light, cheerful and spicy read

I loved this book! I listened to an arc of the audiobook and 101/10 recommend that experience. Christian Fox is one of my new favorite narrators.

Quick facts about it:
- sports romance
- lots of football references relating to romance (loved them)
- no third act break-up
- "it's always been you"
- friends to lovers
- big family
- sex positive
- body positive

I felt like this book could have gone either way for me, but thankfully, it went the good way. I loved Chris and Trixie. They had years of chemistry from being best friends for so long. Their dialogue and interactions felt so natural.

And I loved being in Chris's head every other chapter. He was so funny, especially his internal monologue when he was beating himself up about being an idiot with Trixie. It was also fun to hear his interactions with his brother.

Also, the Kingman siblings were so fun. We got a glimpse of some of the younger ones and got to know the older ones better. Hopefully, that means we're going to get a book for all 9 of them (fingers crossed!), but I'll take what I can get. I believe book 2 is about grumpy Declan so catch me running to grab it.

Overall, 4.5 stars for me and I've already picked up book 2 which barely came out in e-book form!

Story - I have seen this title around so I was excited to see it as an audiobook! It is an interesting combination of steamy and sweet that I think many readers will enjoy!

I loved how Chris was a famous quarterback and still, he was completely gone for the girl next door! I am a big fan of in books when every other character other than the heroine knows the hero is in love with her and that was the case here! I also enjoyed the large family aspect of this book.

Trixie is a really fun heroine to read about! I love reading about librarians and I found the changes she had made to the library really interesting. I also liked reading about her being able to accept her sexuality and her mom's gifts and her chickens made for great comedy.

There were two things that didn't completely work for me about this book. The first was that it felt like it was both high spice and low spice. There was only one steamy scene although it was a very long and detailed one. All other encounters are only alluded to or are fade to black. At the same time, there is a lot of sexual tension, and sexual discussion which usually appears in higher spice books. I felt like the book might have been better with two or three shorter spicy scenes or slightly less focus on spice and a less provocative title.

The second thing that didn't fully work for me was the fact that much of the plot was driven by high school drama and insecurities. While it makes sense that a reunion would bring those issues up, I was a little torn about high school grudges playing such an important part in people's lives 10 years later.

I recommend this one to rom com fans who don't mind a lot of spicy language. It's also a wonderful friends to lovers story with great plus sized representation!

🎧🎧🎧🎧🎧- I listened to the audiobook version of this title and really enjoyed it! Both Stella Hunter and Christian Fox did a great job! Stella Hunter may be recognizable to romance readers as she has narrated a number of Meghan Quinn books, including Right Man, Right Time. Christian Fox may also be familiar to romance readers as he narrated The Deal. This story is dual POV and the audiobook is dual narrator.

🌶️🌶️🌶️ - As mentioned this is a book with a lot of spicy language and sexual tension, but only one open door spicy scene. While this scene is long and detailed, it's not the amount of spice I expected given the title.

ARC review; thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the access to this audiobook.

3.5 stars.

He's a football quarterback and she's his best friend/neighbor. They've known each other forever and he has been wanting her for a long time. One day, she asks him to be his fake date for the school reunion, and that's the opportunity he has been waiting for.

I had fun with this! The author literally tells you this is fluff, so I'm rating it based on enjoyment more than anything else.

This doesn't try to be anything but fluffy, funny, and romantic. Is the writing a little cringe, especially in the spicy moments? Is it giving Wattpad? Yes, kinda, but I didn't mind it because the romance and the characters were cute. Plus, the narrators did a good job.

Here's what I liked:

-Fake dating.
-Friends to lovers.
-Curvy girl representation.
-Body positivity message.
-He falls first and he's PINING for her from the get-go. I loved it.
-No silly 3rd act breakup.
-Protective MMC.

What I didn't like:

-Gen Z jargon. I like to use it, but it gives me the ick when I find it in books. Just personal preference.
-The scandal should've mattered more, so maybe it should've happened a bit earlier.
-Plot holes. Considering this is fluff, I just ignored them, but they're noticeable.

If you go into this with eyes wide open and wanting a silly goofy time, I think it will deliver.

🎧Audio review🎧
Narrate dey Stella Hunter and Christian Fox
Sport
DUAL POV
He Falls First
Curvy Lead
Spice
Humor
Fake Dating
Next Door Neighbor
Bestfriend
Slow burn
Trixie and Chris have been bestfriend since childhood, but Chris has been in love with her but Trixie friend him long time ago. She thought a man like Chris would never want a girl like her other than friendship. Until the mean girl from Highschool made fun of her and insinuated she had to paid for a date so instead she said Chris was her boyfriend. I love this book so much because being a big girl. We don't read so much about body positive or plus size girl and empowering woman to be themselves.
The Kingsman are very protective of Trixie and try to help Chris get the girl he been in love. He was ready to admit his feeling until Trixie ask him to pretend be her fake boyfriend.
But Trixie was worry this was going to ruined their friendship, but once they admitted their feeling for each other the spiced is hot.
This book was easy to read not so heavy topic, it's funny,romantic standing up to your bully especially after a horrible experience and Trixie standing up to them and giving them a piece of her mind.

Rating:
Listened to at 1.25x speed

This is a fun romp with lots of banter, friends to lovers, and cute animals. It was a fun (but difficult, due to cringe) read, but I have to admit that around the 50% mark I was no longer interested. It’s not that it’s bad, but it’s cheesy in a way that made it hard for me to really get into.

Chris and Trixie have been friends since they were kids, and he’s been holding a torch for her for the last ten years. It’s sweet with the family dynamic of like nine kids, but that made parts hard to follow, and this just wasn’t for me.

I appreciate anyone who writes a book and puts themselves out there, but the writing was cringe and I couldn’t keep listening. DNF at 50%. I just didn’t care to finish this because I had no desire to know what happens next.

The narrators were well cast, and the only reason I continued listening for as long as I did.

Thank you, dreamscape media via netgalley, for this audiobook arc in exchange for an honest and free review.

Rating is for what I would rate the half I listened to.

My rating is 100% based off of how happy this book made me! If you have loved watching Taylor and Travis play football every week, you’ll love this book. It was funny, light hearted, and you can tell how much fun Amy had writing it. In the authors note she says this is fluff and we need fluff. We do and this was exactly what I needed after this week. This book contains the following and if this doesn’t make you want to read this book, we just aren’t the same. Her rooster is named Luke Skycocker, childhood to lovers, fake dating, hes always been in love with her, he’s the star quarterback on the Denver Mustangs, they eat at Snooze (my absolute favorite brunch place ever), she’s curvy and contains so many body positivity themes. I was literally laughing out loud the entire time. I had as much run reading this as Amy did writing it. Who doesn’t love football butts?!
Book two is “the wiener across the way”. Are you kidding?! I’m so excited to read that one! I hope everyone of the Kingmans gets their own book!

The audio book was perfect. Both of the narrators were perfect. I loved every second and can’t wait to relisten to it.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an audio arc of The Cock Down the Block.