Score to Settle is a heartfelt and engaging sports romance that strikes a satisfying balance between swoon-worthy chemistry and emotional depth. Bella North delivers a story that’s as much about second chances and personal growth as it is about love.

At the center of it all is the tension-filled reunion between an NFL superstar with a tarnished image and the sharp, determined journalist sent to polish it. What begins as a reluctant professional arrangement slowly evolves into something far more layered, revealing past wounds, hidden truths, and unexpected sparks.

What really stood out for me was how thoughtfully the characters are developed. The romance unfolds with a natural pace—never too rushed or too drawn out—and we get to witness both perspectives, which adds richness to the emotional arc. Beyond the romantic tension, the story explores themes such as family dynamics, career pressures, and personal identity, lending the characters a relatable complexity that makes their journey feel authentic.

This book is a great pick for fans of sports romance, particularly those who enjoy stories with strong emotional beats and a touch of celebrity glamour. If you’ve found yourself intrigued by the Kelce-Swift dynamic, you’ll probably find a lot to love here.

This was a solid enough book, if not a bit generic feeling. It goes pretty much exactly how you think it will from the summary. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes you just want a romance that will check all the boxes. I wasn't entirely convinced by their love sotry but there are enough smut scenes to keep you entertained.

The third act break up was kinda silly. It was just a miscommunication but the characters literally were TRYING to miscommunicate with each other?? Like they were actively NOT listening to each other. So it's a third act breakup that won't really break your heart

ARC BOOK REVIEW
4/5 ⭐️
3/5 🌶️

RELEASES: September 10, 2025

After reading fantasy books, what better way to cleanse the palette than a sports romance? This book was a fun, cute read! It follows Harper as she navigates getting to know Jake and write a feature on him to help clean up his reputation. But surprise! Harper has known Jake since high school and when you know someone that long, there is bound to be some eye daggers tossed at one another.

Harper and Jake’s relationship can only be defined as enemies to amiable friends to lovers, the best progression there could ever be. Harper grows through out the book and so does Jake. They start to break down each other’s walls and in doing so, recognize some truths about themselves.

If you want a fun sports read with a happy ending, this is it!

Thank you NetGalley, Bookouture, and Bella North for this eARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own 💕

Overall a good sports romance book. The plot and character development was well thought out and made this an easy and fast read.

Now I don’t know a whole lot about football, but I do know a tight end is not on the field all the time and not for defense. While it is a book, the football aspect of it was a bit inconsistent with real life. It did not take away from the story but it did make me stop and say that’s not right.

To Harper’s dad… You do not get any after of the year awards. Even after fixing an issue that should have never happened. You left her alone her whole life and she needed someone to stick by her.

Jake, our grumpy but not grumpy sunshine, has the biggest heart. But it’s pretty well hidden under his tough exterior.

Grumpy x Sunshine
Slow Burn
Forced Proximity
Football Star MMC with a “bad rep”
One Bed
Third act breakup
Workplace harassment (ex and FMC)
Found Family

Spice level: 🌶️🌶️

I received an advance review copy of a Score to Settle. Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture, for the opportunity to read to this book.

I loved this book so much! It was 100% swoon-worthy. I was giggling and kicking my feet throughout Harper and Jake's story! My favorite thing about this story is the raw topics it brings up. Bella talks tastefully about de*th, SH, and emotional neglect from a parent, making the story even more impactful. Also, I was a huge fan of Mia, and I need more of her, ASAP!

I DNF’d this book at 50%. It became really repetitive and to be honest, it was hard to get past the team names (which were mentioned a lot). They sounded like cheesy fake names. I felt like I could skip large chunks of text and not miss anything. I also found it hard to believe that the MFC was that close to the MMC’s brother and neither him, nor the mom, nor the other brother remembered her. Especially given that they are portrayed as such a close family. It just didn’t hook me enough.

3.75/5 ⭐

This was a fun, spicy read that gave me major Travis & Taylor vibes (if Travis was a reformed playboy NFL star on the brink of winning the AFL West, and Taylor was a sharp, recently-fired NYC journalist with a grudge from high school).

Harper and Jake have chemistry from the jump, but what stood out to me was Harper’s internal growth — her journey of figuring out how to confront her feelings and find her footing again after a professional setback. Jake, meanwhile, is kind of the dream: arrogant, successful, living that football-meets-ranch-life combo, but with emotional range and actual communication skills.

The spice definitely delivers (a solid 3🌶️/5), and although the third act breakup felt familiar, the resolution worked well and honestly added more to the story than I expected.

This wasn’t a five-star read for me — there were a lot of sub-plots that I just wanted more from. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for a Dylan book down the line! Excited for more from this series.

But overall, a fast, entertaining read that I’d recommend to sports romance fans.

Score to Settle absolutely had me hooked from chapter one! This is the kind of sports romance that delivers banter, heart, and just the right amount of steam.

🏈 Harper was everything. I adored her. She’s been knocked down so many times in her career, but instead of staying down, she fights—hard. She’s bold, she’s driven, and watching her try to shine in a career that keeps sidelining her was so empowering. She’s easily one of my favorite FMCs this year.

🔥 And Jake? Oh, the character growth. He starts off a total… okay let’s say arrogant jerk (it’s giving “do not make eye contact with me” energy), but by the end? SWOON. The way he opens up to Harper?? Literal butterflies. 🦋 His walls come down in such a raw, believable way, and I loved every second of that transformation.

💥 Their chemistry is off the charts, and yes—it gets tense. But what I really appreciated was how the big blow-up didn’t drag on. Could Harper have made him grovel a bit more? Probably. But I liked that they handled it like actual adults. No unnecessary third act drama stretched over 10 chapters..

⏳Also can we talk pacing?? The story unfolds over just five weeks, but it never feels rushed. The bond between Jake and Harper builds with depth and intention. You feel every moment. It’s fast, but not fake.

✨If you love enemies to lovers, a heroine who won’t quit, and a grumpy sports guy with golden retriever potential deep down—Score to Settle needs to be on your TBR. ASAP.

Rating: 4⭐️
Spice: 2.5🌶️

Tropes:
- Football Romance
- NFL Superstar MMC
- Sports Journalist FMC
- Forced Proximity

With football season just around the corner, this was the perfect football romance book and I’m so excited for it to release September 10th!

I really enjoyed the background story between our FMC and MMC and the buildup following that throughout. The plot was fun and the amount of actual football mentioned in the FOOTBALL romance was so good! I feel like many times a sports romance is advertised as such towards a specific sport, but then you barely get more than a few pages of the actual sport. This book DELIVERED on the football side and I’m so happy about that.

My only complaint was that it was a little slow in the first 40% or so but it definitely paid off for everything else we got in the book.

Also, the romance between our MCs was realistic and the spice… I was surprised by how much there was! 🤭

Thank you so much to the author and Netgalley for the eARC! Highly recommend picking this up when it releases on September 10th!

"Score to Settle" by Bella North is an absolutely thrilling and captivating read! North masterfully crafts a suspenseful narrative that will keep you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end. With its compelling characters and unexpected twists, this book is a triumph of psychological suspense. It's a must-read for anyone looking for a gripping and unforgettable story that will keep you guessing. Highly recommended!

Love love loved this book!!!!!!

As a huge fan of Taylor Swift & Travis Kelce I saw this and started to read it immediately! It was everything I wanted from this book and more! These characters are so perfect!

If there was a book I did not want to end it is definitely this one!

I need more from this author asap!!!!!

Thank you to Bookouture and Netgalley for an ARC!

I thought this was a light-hearted enemies to lovers sport romance story. Harper and Jake were well fleshed out characters who had depth to them beyond their careers. I really enjoyed how the storyline played out with Harper's ex and the realness of Harper's relationship with her dad.

Only thing that bothered me was Jake was portrayed to be this guy who cared about everyone around him but when him and his brother finally hash everything out Jake felt the opposite of empathetic to what Dylan was trying to share. It just rubbed me the wrong way. I also feel like Jake got off way to easy with Harper in end and she took a lot more responsibility (at least internal monologue wise) than she should of.

Still excited to see what others books in the series might be.

Well it’s 1am and I’m laying here with tears streaming down my face because North has completely blown me away with this book. I have no idea how any written review could do this justice, but I’ll give it a go.

North is definitely one of my favourite authors EVER. Without a doubt, she is one of the best of our time. This extremely talented and beautiful lady can write just about anything. Everything this lady puts out just ooze fabulousness. This book is no exception.

Jake has stolen my heart. Everyone needs a brooding, grumpy and scowling man who underneath is so much more. Harper is a character who has really made me think (thanks Mrs N). She is a character who has changed her life since high school. However, this comes with many walls and a fake it till you make it attitude while attempting to constantly prove herself to others. I can say that I’ve seen a lot of myself in her.

Jake and Harper together…. Well they have stolen my heart. From wanting to drive each other crazy to the very final page, I’ve been team love for this pair. North has included moments that have full on made me belly laugh. However, there have been moments where the tears have flowed uncontrollably.

You know you have an incredible author when your emotions are taken 360 and you’re left with the biggest book hangover of all time. This book has taken my heart, played with it, broke all the pieces and put them back together again.

Can Mrs N pull off a great romance? No! SHE’S INCREDIBLE! This isn’t a great romance, it’s a phenomenal one! This masterpiece is one that needs to be on the TBR of all romance readers.

This masterpiece has been impossible to put down. I have devoured page after page in just one sitting. I have zero regrets. This is a book highly deserving of ALL the praise and recognition.

I have absolutely no hesitation in recommending this book to anyone who will listen. This is quite possibly my book of the year.

Score to Settle by Bella North is an enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity football romance and such a fun read! Jake Sullivan is an NFL star with a terrible reputation, prompting his mom/agent to arrange for a magazine feature piece. Harper Cassidy is a new probationary journalist at Sports Magazine who is assigned to cover Jake, who happens to be her high school crush. Harper plans to expose the real Jake (at least the version she believes is real), but everything changes over the weeks they are together. Overall, this was a fun sports romance to read. As a huge football fan, there were several aspects of the game description that were not accurate and therefore distracting. However, I really enjoyed the love story, role of the side characters, and banter.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture, and the author for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Harper Cassidy is a sports journalist, but when she is requested to write a feature of the tightend of the Stormhawks, Jake Sullivan, and her high school crush, she is not pleased.

But maybe a revenge story is just what she needs to get over the humiliation in high school.

I loved this narrative, close-proximity, enemies-to-lovers, eat your heart out!

Harper was full of determination from start to finish, a strong female main character I just couldn't get enough of.

North gives us alternating chapters between the two main characters, which really makes this a quick read.

I can't wait for more from this series, and more from this author.

Bookouture I could scream about how perfect your books are! This one had me swooning and kicking my feet! I definitely got TK vibes by first glancing at the cover but this story is its own masterpiece.

I enjoyed reading about NFL bad boy Jake Sullivan
and his quest to gain his reputation back without revealing the reason why he has been like he’s been. My interest was definitely peaked!

Enter Harper who is tasked with the job except she knows Jake from another time in his life.

I loved their chemistry and the idyllic ranch setting. I enjoyed their sparring and sparks and I enjoyed every interaction and miniature in this story!

I highly rechecking this one out! You don’t be disappointed and I look forward to more from this author in the future.

Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to receive an ARC. This book was so refreshing and fun! While small towns and football tend to go hand in hand, I feel it’s not something we usually see in the book world But North did a fantastic job blending sports romance with small town cowboy romance to give this book a refreshing twist. This debut by Bella North nailed it!

The enemies to lovers was done very well and the chemistry could be felt from the very first page. If you enjoy satisfying slow burns, good pacing, well flushed out and relatable characters, and want a mix of small town and sports, I definitely recommend giving this book a try.

Jake has two other brothers who also play football and I really hope they also get their own stories too. This definitely won’t be my last Bella North read!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ARC Review

Score to Settle by Bella North

Score to Settle is everything I want in a romance — heartfelt, funny, slow burn, and so full of chemistry and emotion. It blends sports romance with cowboy charm in such a fresh, engaging way, and for a debut? Bella North absolutely nailed it.

The story follows Jake Sullivan, an NFL player with a bit of a playboy reputation, and Harper, a sports journalist who doesn’t actually know anything about football. She’s been tasked with writing the article that will change the public’s perception of him — except they’ve met before, and she already has a few opinions of her own. From there, it’s the perfect enemies-to-lovers setup with only one bed, small-town ranch vibes, and so much emotional depth.

Jake was a standout MMC — the kind of character who surprises you in the best way. He was like Buck in human form: misunderstood, fiercely loyal, and deeply soft underneath all the swagger. His relationship with his brothers was a highlight for me — subtle but full of warmth. Harper was sharp, confident, and had great voice. The banter between them? Perfect.

I don’t usually read sports romance for the sport itself (👀), but Bella made football feel interesting and accessible, while still keeping the focus on character and connection. Oakwood Ranch felt so real, and the side characters — especially Mama Sullivan, who I can only describe as the Kris Jenner of the NFL — added so much heart and humour.

By chapter 37 onwards I was emotionally wrecked — in the best way. The pacing, tension, and character growth kept me turning pages and I flew through this in two days.

This is the kind of debut that feels like the start of something big. If you love sports romance with heart, slow-burn tension, and small-town family dynamics, Score to Settle should absolutely be on your TBR.

Huge thank you to Bookouture, NetGalley and Bella North for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. I already can’t wait for whatever she writes next!

Harper and Jake are one of the cutest sports romance couples! Love the whole tropes of enemies to lovers and forced proximity, not to mention grumpy x sunshine too. Really enjoyed the sports side of it and I definitely learned something about American football too!

Would recommend for fans of sports romances, or who love any of the tropes mentioned above. That, and people who just love a cute romance.

Absolutely loved this book! I flew through it, I absolutely loved the 'enemies' to lovers style, hilarious that Harper was convinced Jake wasn't aware of her but he so was!

The second chance opportunity was brilliant, it wasn't hostile, it wasn't damaging. They broke down each others walls naturally and their relationship grew into something beautiful.

The third act breakup was painful, but they came back together and the ending was lovely - although it felt abrupt, Jake wins his game, the end, I wanted an epilogue, I wanted a sign that they stayed together :D