beyond excited to see this books hit my inbox- this is one of my most anticipated books of 2025 and i will be sure to post my review on all retailers!! 💞

Maren has done it again guys! She seriously writes some of the best spicy romance books and I’m so excited for others to read Red Card as this is Maren’s upcoming sports romance releasing on Aug 12th!

This book definitely gave off vibes from She’s The Man movie as this is a soccer romance book where you have the British bad boy meets coach’s daughter. This is a college setting and honestly this book was such a fun time to read that I devoured it in 2 days!

I loved how emotional and lighthearted this book felt while it was a romcom as well with some flirty lessons! By all my favorite college rugby book!

The pacing of this book felt off to me some scenes would be 5/5 tension and yearning build up just for the scene to end at the page. It left me feeling like so much was missing
I didn’t feel like Rory was a realistic character. She was dynamic in being both a cheeky vixen with Cillian but then also a wallflower and i felt those personalities clashed too much to be true

J'ai découvert Maren Moore assez récemment sur les réseaux sociaux mais je n'avais jamais pris le temps de découvrir ces romans. Quand j'ai vu que Red Card était disponible sur Netgalley, j'ai sauté sur l'occasion et j'ai tout simplement adoré ce roman!

Nous allons suivre Cillian, un joueur de rugby qui vient d'être transféré à l'université du New Hampshire et il essaye de s'intégrer dans sa nouvelle équipe même si c'est un peu compliqué... Rory est la fille du coach de l'équipe de rugby et elle essaye de sortir avec des garçons mais tous la considère comme une amie... Alors ils vont passer un marché : elle va l'aider à s'intégrer et lui va donner des leçons pour être plus féminine... Aucun risque non?

J'adore les histoires avec la trope je te donne des leçons mais en plus là, on est dans une romance universitaire qui parle d'un sport qu'on voit rarement le rugby. J'ai beaucoup aimé l'histoire qui se lit très vite et elle est sans prise de tête! En plus, pas de rupture à 80% c'est vraiment appréciable! J'ai beaucoup aimé les personnages qui sont attachants et touchants de par leurs passés respectifs mais aussi leurs présents qui n'est pas toujours facile! J'ai beaucoup aimé les personnages secondaires et j'aimerais beaucoup avoir un roman sur la soeur de Cillian !

En bref, une très très bonne romance que je recommande !

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Overall the story had great promise but everything just felt lackluster at best. I gad serious problems with Rory, being the coach's daughter and the weird convenient access she had as a student at the college to the team. Like can her Dad share personal classified team info with her? It felt off...

Also, none of the characters were connecting with me and just felt like they belonged together. Rory was very much a not like other girl and Cillian the bad boy why wasn't actually a bad boy. He was just handing the grief of his burger dying in a bad bad way. This book just felt late on everything.

Maren Moore always brings it.

If you want a super spicy, drama filled college sports romance, look no further.

Cillian is a college rugby player from London. After dealing with a tragic death, he spirals and gets into trouble with his old team, and he gets red carded . The only way to get back on the pitch is to come to the US and play for a new team. Cillian is looking to leave his old life behind and start fresh. When he gets off on the wrong foot with his new team, he is desperate to make it work before he's sent back to London . All Cillian wants to do is play rugby here, then go back to London and play professionally.

Rory is one of the guys. She is obsessed with rugby and all things sports. Her only friends are the guys from her dads rugby team. After years of being looked at as one of the guys, she is desperate to be looked at as more. The new guy struggling to fit in with her team is the perfect guy to help her work on her game.

I loved this book. I finished it in 2 days, there was no way I was putting it down. This is my first rugby romance, and it won't be my last. The main characters had a great slow burn, friends to lovers situation. It didn't feel dragged on , which I appreciate . The ending was everything I could have asked for.I hope to see more from the Prescott rugby team (:

Thank you Forever for the ARC .

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

The thing I adore most about Maren Moore is she keeps you swooning from start to finish.

I devoured this book! Cillian, is a smoking hot rugby player from London, who is new to the United States team after receiving his red card from his last team for his wild ways. Rory’s whole life revolves around sports to the point where’s she’s immediately friend zoned as one of the guys. Our characters really bond over their current agreement which is a proposition to benefit them both although I think it’s safe to say the chemistry was there from the beginning with these two.

One thing I love the most is there’s no third act breakup. Our characters are fun, and relatable. I could see so much of myself in Rory. I highly recommend adding this book to your TBR, it’s worth the read. ♥️

Thank you Netgalley and Forever for this advanced copy

📚 ARC Review 📚

Maren Moore is the queen of college sports romance! Argue with a wall. After tackling hockey and baseball, she is making her with rugby and a delicious new love story!

In Red Card, we follow Cillian and Rory. Cillian is the “British Bad Boy” looking for redemption with his new team when he meets his coach’s daughter, Rory, who he finds to be a welcome ally in his pursuit of cleaning up his image. Cillian and Rory strike up a mutually beneficial deal where she will help him make nice with the rugby team and he will help her with “relationship lessons.”

Whoa! The tension between Cillian and Rory was incredible. “Relationship lessons” is such a fun trope to me because it adds a little something extra especially when mine become blurred between real and fake. These two did not disappoint and delivered on banter and spice while also having such emotional depth beyond anything physical. The way they become so comfortable with being each others “go to” person made me so happy especially given Cillian’s background. Shout out to the bonding amongst the rugby team. Found family done well!

Tropes:
- rugby romance
- college setting
- British bad boy
- coach’s daughter
- fake relationship with “lessons”
- A+ banter

I loved Red Card with everything in me. From the very first page, I was completely hooked and yep, I devoured it in one sitting. The emotional pull, the chemistry, the tension… this book had me in a chokehold in the best way.

Cillian? Oh my heart. That man has been through it, and his emotional vulnerability was written so beautifully. You just feel every bit of his pain, growth, and softness. And Rory? She’s the kind of FMC I adore; she is strong, grounded, hilarious, and her ENERGY? Immaculate. She lights up every page.

The friends to lovers trope here is perfection and I thought it was done so well. Sweet, slow burn, and that jealousy? Had me squealing. Watching them fall for each other felt so natural and earned.

I need more from this world ASAP. The team, the banter, the found family vibes are things I never wanted to end. Maren Moore, I’m begging you, give me spin offs, bonus scenes, literally anything!

If you are looking for a rugby romance with real heart, spice, and characters you will want to be best friends with, Red Card is it. 🫶🏻

Thank you to NetGalley, Maren Moore, and Forever for the eARC of this book.

Absolutely loved this book with everything in me. I was pulled into the story right away and finished it in one sitting.
I loved the emotional vulnerability with Cillian, who has been through so damn much. I loved Rory, she was such a strong fmc and her energy was IMMACULATE.

The friends to lovers was done to perfection, it was sweet and the jealousy?? Chefs kiss.

Need more from this world!

This book scored big time for me. We love a reformed bad boy, and while it’s predictable he’s going to fall for the coach’s daughter? He falls first, hard, and fast. The way these MCs truly leaned on each other and became best friends who happened to fall in love was to DIE for. Thank you NetGalley and Maren Moore for the ARC in exchange for a review. 🫶🏻

Tropes:
🏉 Bad Boy Rugby Player
❤️ He Falls First
😅 Coach’s Daughter
📚 Dating Lessons

Trope list:

🏉 Rugby Romance
💋 Dating Lessons
✨ Coach’s Daughter
🇬🇧 British MMC
❤️‍🩹 Grumpy x Sunshine
🫶🏼 Found Family
💖 College Romance
🤭 Slow Burn
🌦️ Grumpy x Sunshine
🫦Enemies to Friends to Lovers
🌶️ Spice

I love a good coach’s daughter book and this one may be my favorite one I’ve ever read. The broken bad boy trope was done SO perfectly here. Kill is a British bad boy determined to turn his life around and I was so here for it. This may be my favorite Maren book yet.

I was jealous of Rory and her relationship with all the guys and turned on by her at the same time lol. And her dad was so sweet I couldn’t help but love him too.

I loved watching Cillian’s jealousy eat him alive while teaching her how to date. AND THE SPICE!!!! The spice was spicingggg. The scene of Rory basically playing dress up for him had me so down bad.

This was such a nice easy read for me. I had never read a sport romance about rugby before so that was new. There was some fun banter that I really enjoyed. I loved the relationship dynamics between alot of the characters. Rory and Cillian had a great dynamic, I also really liked his sister and almost all of the players on the team once they came around to accepting Cillian. There was a bit of emotional moments but not too much do this book was a great lightheaded palette cleanser for me. I really enjoyed this book.

While this was my first rugby romance book, it was not my first Maren Moore book. Maren delivered big time with the laughs, the heat, and the heart. Cillian Cairney 🙂‍↕️ immediately yes.

✨ hot athlete (rugby player)
✨ forbidden romance (coach’s daughter)
✨ she helps him with his new team, he helps her out of the friend zone (an offer he can’t refuse)
✨ chemistryyyyyy (hot and sizzling)

This book should come with a warning label because I was NOT prepared for how obsessed I would be. Rugby boy fell hard and fast. He had no chance. Rory and Cillian are both family-oriented and it’s the sweetest thing ever.

All I have to say is coaches daughter, dating lessons and thick thighs. This book is so good. I love how word vomity/nervous Rory is at the start when trying to talk to men. How Cillian is so calm and is a reformed fboy. What could go wrong with secretly spending time together and practicing flirting. Hehe this book mad emy giggle and kick my feet. Loved the overall storyline and the balance with the romance. I can also confirm you need to know nothing about Rugby to enjoy this book.

Red Card is a gritty and steamy sports romance that had me hooked from start to finish. British bad boy Cillian “Kill” Cairney is a tough, ruthless rugby player struggling to prove himself at an Ivy League school, but the real challenge is winning over Rory—his coach’s fiercely independent daughter.

The dynamic between Kill and Rory is electric, full of tension, sparks, and plenty of moments that show how people can grow and change when they’re pushed out of their comfort zones. I loved the mix of rugby action, emotional depth, and slow-burning romance that made this book so much more than just a typical sports story.

If you’re into characters who fight for second chances and relationships that evolve beyond the game, this one’s a winner.

If the dedication doesn’t hook you, I *promise* the story will:
💘 “For the girls who got lost on #rugbytok, just as I did, and never wanted to be found. Cillian’s thighs are for you.”

Yes, you read that right—and yes, I *immediately* knew I was in for a good time.

Tropes you’ll love:
🏉 Sports romance (rugby, obviously)
💘 Instant connection
👨‍❤️‍👨 Opposites attract
💞 Slow(ish) burn with lots of tension
🎯 Cinnamon roll hero energy

Red Card is a sweet, spicy, and swoony sports romance that had me smiling from start to finish. Maren Moore delivers a well-paced story with lovable characters, flirty tension, and just the right amount of heart. The chemistry between the leads is undeniable, and watching them fall for each other is pure joy.

This one’s perfect for when you’re in the mood for something light, fun, and totally bingeable. It’s the kind of contemporary romance that makes you feel like you’re in on the inside joke—and very happy to be there.

Fluffy, flirty, and full of feels—*Red Card* is a win!


⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25 | 🌶️🌶️🌶️

Hot dammmnnnn

I’m so glad that I got this arc super early, as it is so good!!

Maren certainly brought her A-game!!

Rory and Cillian are so sweet and spicy and everything together.

I’m a little sorry that you all have to wait a little while for their story, as it SLAPS!!

Thank you Maren and Forever publishing for this super early arc!!! <3 <3

This was so good. One of my highly anticipated reads and it didn’t disappoint.
Rory and Cillian are just a perfect match.
Giving Cillian the benefit of doubt when he arrives on the team, when the team in question are reserved and not so accommodating to his arrival, Rory helps Cillian to fit in. With the team wrapped around her finger too as they are big softies where Rory is concerned, the team slowly starts to accept Cillian.

Rory and Cillian relationship goes from strength to strength even when problems arise for Cillian. But Rory’s faith in him never falters, and with Rory’s support, others show their support too, bringing said problem to light.

From helping Rory to be more confident when getting dates, to falling in love with each other in the process, these two were always destined to be together.

I enjoyed this grumpy x sunshine rugby romance where their relationship grew as friends and developed in such a natural way. It was fun watching the characters break down their walls and grow (especially since Cillian was so aloof to everyone with the exception of his sister, Aisling).

Rory was a strong FMC, confident in all aspects of her life with the exception of her love life. She was such an endearing and likeable character, and was constantly being friend-zoned as "one of the guys" due to being close friends with rugby players as the coach's daughter and being part of the support team. She was so real for being a rambling mess when she found herself attracted to someone. In comes the new transfer, a talented but problematic rugby player from London. Cillian was a strong and silent MMC, laser focused on surviving the next two years at Prescott University while dealing with a difficult past and taking care of his sister.

I absolutely loved the friendship groups in this novel. The way Rory was the honorary sister of the entire team and had them wrapped around her pinky was amazing. I loved her antics for getting Cillian and the rest of the rugby team to bond together (she was diabolical for making rugby players play Twister!). The way Cillian never expected a friendship with his team but got a family out of it was so heartwarming.

Overall, an enjoyable, well-balanced sports romance with relatable characters, filled with tension, tenderness, and found family.