'Red Card' is a delicious blend of sweet and spicy. The main characters have lots of chemistry, especially after taking the time to get to know each other. I liked that the flirting lessons focused on building the heroine’s confidence, instead of changing her looks or personality. Cillian has his grumpy moment, but at his core he’s a stressed-out softie. Rory tended to be sweet and relatable but sometimes got a little too close to being ‘not like other girls.’

This story has lots of spicy scenes, many of which emphasize that consent is sexy. All in all, nearly a quarter of the book is dedicated to their intimate moments. I appreciated that there wasn't a third act breakup after all of that.

However, most opportunities for character development were skipped over. Namely, the fact that Rory doesn’t have any female friends. She claims that it’s the reason she’s uncomfortable in her femininity, but never actively does anything to fix it. The closest she gets is making plans to eventually go shopping with Cillian’s sister. A similar problem happens with Cillian, where we don’t get to see much team bonding. The romance takes centre stage, and everything else happens quickly in passing.

If you’re looking for a lighthearted sports romance with lots of heat, then you’ll love this.

Thank you NetGalley, Grand Central Publishing, and Forever for providing an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

Cillian "Kill" Cairney, un rebelde y talentoso jugador de rugby británico, es expulsado de su equipo en Londres y forzado a comenzar de nuevo en una universidad en Estados Unidos. Allí se encuentra con Rory St. James, hija del entrenador y apasionada del rugby, quien ha vivido toda su vida en las gradas y ahora actúa como la encargada del equipo. Rory está cansada de ser vista como una más del grupo y busca cambiar la narrativa de su vida amorosa. La solución: un trato con Cillian. Él la ayuda a aprender a coquetear, y ella lo ayuda a encajar con sus nuevos compañeros.

Lo que empieza como una alianza estratégica, pronto se convierte en una conexión genuina. Contada en puntos de vista alternos, la novela permite conocer a fondo a ambos protagonistas: Rory, segura en casi todo menos en el amor, y Cillian, un alma herida detrás de una fachada arrogante.




No soy su público meta, pero me gusto.



Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest

I really enjoyed this. It was fun and steamy and it made me laugh. I loved their chemistry and the tropes in this book pulled me in. I love sports romance and haven’t read a rugby one yet and I loved it! A perfectly lengthed slow burn.

“From our position, I can make out the delicate slope of her nose, the high cheekbones, plump pink lips, pale, creamy skin and a blazing fire in her eyes. She’s pissed. And proper fit. But who the hell is she?”

You should expect: New Hampshire college setting | She's All That meets She's the Man | British bad boy rugby player x the coach's daughter | hilarious banter | fake relationship with "lessons" | all the SPICE |

Cillian Cairney…the man you are & my newest book boyfriend of the YEAR🤭🤤 Cillian is fresh off his team in London, dealing with grief after losing his mom, the new guardian to his sister and dealing with trying to keep his dream of professional rugby alive. Rory has always been on the pitch helping her dad coach Prescott’s rugby team. struggling to get out of the friend zone and learning to open herself up to relationships. Can the new bad boy rugby player help her gain the confidence & can she help him build trust with the team to keep his spot?

These two have it all; the banter, the chemistry that you can feel from miles away and the connection that runs deep; really showing the true intimacy of seeing someone as they are- not who they were. Maren has absolutely outdone herself with this one, I read it in just a few hours and am ready to devour it again!

"We're just getting started, baby."

OH MY GOD. One of Maren's best books ever!!! I am UNWELL after reading this one. I can't even properly articulate my thoughts right now, but trust me when I say that it's a phenomenal book.

Thank you so much to Maren, Maren's team, NetGalley, and Forever Publishing for the arc!!!

"Rugby may be my future, but Rory St. James is my end game."

Red Card is a ridiculously delightful read that may cause laughter and all the happy sighs. I’m pretty sure that I even snorted especially over Wren and the caterpillar debacle while I devoured this adorable read. With this spicy new adult (college) romance you can expect: rugby player, coach’s daughter, bad boy/good girl, British MMC, ALL the dating lessons, friends to lovers, and hilarious banter. The plot uses tried and true tropes but they are done well and didn’t feel stale. The characters were so likable and relatable, and I was rooting for them so hard. Rory is adorkable and awkward at times, and I feel like she and I are kindred spirits. She is also better and stronger than she knows and the glue that holds everyone together. Cillian is misunderstood and has scars but loves hard and has oodles of personal growth and development as this story progresses. He definitely gets heart eyes from me. It was just so refreshing that Cillian let Rory in and shared his burdens instead of pushing her away like we see in so many stories. I also love that when the conflict came there is only a wobble and not a third act breakup. While this one is predictable in some ways, I did NOT see that conflict coming. My chief complaint with this story is the repetition particularly when it comes to lips (rolling lips, lips between teeth, etc.) Otherwise, I loved this emotional and satisfying story filled with heart, heat and humor.

This was such a quick and fun read!! I’ve read a few Maren Moore books and this is now one of my favourites. I’ve been wanting to read more rugby romances and this was what I needed to read the others on my tbr! If you’re looking for a spicy sports romance definitely recommend trying this one out.

Thank you Netgalley and Forever Publishing for the eARC

This story was such a great quick read. Rory and Cillian’s interactions had me kicking my feet in the air over and over again. Their love story progressed at a good pace and didn’t feel too rushed. I enjoyed reading the healthy communication between Rory and Cillian throughout the story and the fact that Cillian always made sure Rory consented and felt safe in every situation. On a side note, we need more from Fitz, Aisling, and Wren, please!

Marens books will always hit for me, and I went in to this knowing I was going to love for being hers alone. But what I wasn’t expecting was to be a ride or die fan of rugby now 🤣

The character development was chefs kiss. The spice was spicin. Whether you’re new to Maren or a forever Stan, you will devour this book I promise!

I love Maren Moore's books, and this title was no exception. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. I liked the rugby choice and the boy who brought it! NH is a great college setting and state that I think was a perfect setting for this story. Enjoyable!

My first Rugby sports romance and hopefully not last! Other than wishing we got to see more of the game in action I loved this! I loved the relationship built between Cillian and Rory as well as the relationship built between the teammates!

This was super cute and fast read! I got drawn to it as it is a Rugby romance which you don’t see as much. I also am a sucker for the “bad boy with an accent”, in this case British as it just adds a fun layer to the reading experience.

This is easily read in one sitting and it keeps you engaged throughout with a lot of fun banter between the FMC and MMC. I would have enjoyed a bit more of the Rugby presence in the story but that’s just a personal want and has no bearing on the liking of the story.


I will say that my biggest challenge is that it was clearly not written by a British author. The language used for our MMC was quite stereotypical and sounded a bit like a caricature. But you just have to take it as a silly romcom and not look too deep. Lastly, for folks that are familiar with Rugby and its internal culture, you need to have some suspension of disbelief at the start since a new player, no matter how troubling, would never be treated as Cillian was. But again, let it go and just have the fluffy fun with it.

It comes out August 12 2025

I am thankful to have gotten a complimentary eARC from Forever through NetGalley to read which gave me the opportunity to voluntarily leave a review.

My rating system since GoodReads doesn’t have partial stars

⭐️ Hated it
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, really not my cup of tea (potentially DNF’d or thought about it)
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but nothing special
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed it! Would recommend to others
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! Will circle back and read again

This book was really entertaining. She gives a detailed introduction to the team, so it made everything very cohesive.

I loved Cillian attempting to “teach” Rory how to find a guy. We all know how that usually turns out lol. They seemed like the perfect pair. I quite enjoyed reading about them together. This book is really sports heavy, so it’s perfect for fans of sports romances.

This was a great story and I finished it in one sitting. I just wish the ending was a bit longer. It wrapped up too quickly in my opinion. It was still a satisfying ending though!

My first book by Maren and it didn't disappoint, 2 of my fav movies rolled into an exciting new book? sign me UP.
I ate this book up in a few hours it was THAT good

Wow, what a beautiful story and what an awesome book cover! Cillian and his sister, Aisling have been through so much and need a fresh start away from their hometown in London and away from all the hurtful memories of their profound loss. Since their loss, Cillian dub a bad boy Rugy player from London was going down a bad path and was given a second chance to straighten up when he was given a spot on the Prescott University Rugby Team in America. Enter Rory St. James, the Rugby coach's daughter and everything changes. Her full-on trust and faith in Cillian sealed their fate! It was Rory who helped Cillian fit in with the team using amusing antics as team building exercises. Who would have thought that a game of Twister between a bunch of male athletes would have me cracking up!! Even though Cillian almost lost his spot on the team due to another member of the team's jealousy, Rory and the rest of the team rallied around him and the rest is history. This story has a beautiful and funny FMC and a big hearted, kind, MMC. The rugby team athletes were funny, enjoyable, and delightful. I could not put this book down!

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https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7580990599

Did I expect to read this in less than 6 hours? No. Did I? YES. I seriously could not put this book down!! I absolutely loved the characters and the slow burn of this book with the perfect amount of sports and spice. This was exactly what I needed, I low key got sad when I realized I was almost to the end. Well done Maren!!!!!

This the third book that I have read by this author @MarenMoore. This a rugby sports romance coach’s daughter story. MMC is a bad boy player named Cillian is gets transferred to Prescott in America after being expelled in London. The FMC is Rory a tomboy who is all about her father team and sport. She wants to learn to flirt and for guys to see as a women and not like one of the guys so she makes a deal with Ciilian help her and she will help become part of the team. I thought the book was good something new for me. I will definitely be reading more from her.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25!! Definitely a fun time. I enjoyed the relationships that Rory had with her dad and Cillian had with his sister. My only critique is that I wish a saw the emotional connection blossom more before they actually got together officially. The conflict at the end I didn’t see coming. I liked how it wrapped up with the team becoming Cillian’s family, he deserved it. This book also made me giggle quite a bit. Rory trying to flirt in the beginning was the funniest part!

I absolutely loved this book!! Maren Moore is quickly becoming one of my favorite sports romance authors. The chemistry and tension between Cillian and Rory was perfect. The banter was also so much fun and had me laughed throughout the book. Also never knew I could be into rugby players but here we are.
Rory is literally so relatable, I love her. She is absolutely hilarious, and I love that we were able to see her grow more confident in herself.
I Also really like how Rory grew more confident and made the first steps in making a friend that's a girl! it was really cute and I really need a book on Cillian's sister please.

I really enjoyed this book! The tropes are familiar and the writing style was easy to digest. My one issue is I wish there was more of the actual sport. We kept hearing about the pitch but I dont know anymore about rugby other than that. It felt more of a contemporary romance and he just so happened to play rugby.