Basic Info:
- YA sports romance
- 1st person, double POV, single timeline
- Part of a series of standalone books

Hooks & Tropes:
- Rugby player x Coach's daughter
- British bad boy
- Strangers to friends to lovers
- Flirting lessons

My thoughts:
- I inhaled this book. It was really easy and entertaining to read, but it also treats some serious topics. Perfect read after something more dense. It's an ideal mixture of romance, sports, and spice.
- Cillian (MMC): He is dealing with the grief of losing his parents and the responsibility of taking care of his sister. He did get in some trouble in college, so he had to change colleges (and even countries) to continue playing rugby. He is a little grumpy, and we love that. He also has tattoos and drives a motorcycle, and we love that too.
- Rory (FMC): She is the coach's daughter and equipment manager for the team. She is a little awkward in the flirting department, but she is amazing at being friends with other guys. She is tired of being friend-zoned and wants to find herself, her style, and get more confidence in flirting. You might not like the not like other girls vibes, but in this case, I felt especially connected to her
- Cillian & Rory: He needs to connect with his new teammates, she needs lessons in flirting, and they enter a mutually beneficial arrangement. They are so cute and so funny together. The angst, the tension, the banter, and the yearning were all top-notch. Their journey from strangers to friends to lovers was a lot of fun. The way they helped each other to overcome their problems and to destroy their personal walls. I felt terribly invested.
- Secondary characters: rugby teams and their coach are also a lot of fun, and I am already invested in other possible storylines with them.
- Audiobook was pretty good. There might have been a little difference in the MMC and FMC speed of speech and accents, but that makes sense since she is American and he is British. As a non-native English speaker, I had to slow down a little bit the male narration (I usually listen at 2x speed)
- I did enjoy it while I was reading it, but I'm not sure I will remember anything from this book in a few more days.

I received an ALC in exchange for my honest opinion. Thank you to everyone who was involved in the ALC distribution.

Favourite Maren Moore read to date! The plot was fun and kept me interested.
Loved the audio for this. Cute and spicy! Great narrators!

I read this book super fast!

I thought it was a very polished story overall and I had such a good time with it. The relationship between the main characters developed in a way that felt natural and satisfying, and the plot itself was engaging throughout.

The only reason I didn’t give it five stars is because the balance changed after the romance started, it didn't feel quite right for me. There was a bit too much emphasis on the smut, and it changed the tone of the book from then on. It overshadowed the story imo.

I would have loved more focus on the rugby team dynamics and friendships. The team-building aspect had so much potential but never got the page time it deserved. Same with the romance, it didn't feel like it was continuously developing anymore, and the spark we had throughout the first half went away. I also wish that the tougher topics of grief and loss would have been explored in more depth.

The twist was predictable but still well-executed, and the ending left me with a slight sense of something unfinished. I would recommend this book, audiobook was good too. I will definitely pick up the next book in the series and check out the author's other books.

Red Card, the first book in the Prescott University series by Maren Moore was such a great sports RomCom featuring Cillian "Kill" Cairney, a menace on the rugby pitch, and Rory St. James, daughter of Kill's head coach, but also an amazingly accomplished woman who is more than "just the coaches' daughter" and is immersed in the game, just as much as Cillian is. This was a great, fast read, with easy to love characters and a narrator that made the characters come to life. I really enjoyed listening to this book and want to thank NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Overall a solid romance read. I liked the plot line and the characters.
They both know what they want but it takes them a while to act on their feelings and I liked that.
The narrators did a good job with how the characters held themselves. I think the male narrator had a slightly clearer voice and could demonstrate a wide range of emotions effortlessly.
The female narrator did a great job with imitating the male’s British accent, but I found that she talked a little bit slower.
My main issue was the sudden ‘third act’ conflict. I felt it was unnecessary and just came out unexpectedly. It helped with the connection between the characters as a whole, I just felt it was a tad bit dramatic and the author could have used something a bit more… I don’t want to say realistic but yeah. What happens definitely could happen in real life, I just think the suddenness of it threw me off.

Thank you to the publisher on Netgalley for this alc.

Thank you Net Galley, Maren Moore and Hachette Audio for allowing me an ARC audio of Red Card! Also big thank you to Matt Sykes and Stella Hunter for making this such a great audiobook! The story between Cilian and Rory was great. I love a good sports romance and this one was one that I couldn’t put down. It was fun, spicy and the banter was great. I really enjoyed listening to while completing some projects around the house. I do wish the book had slowed down a little bit. The build up was great but as soon as the characters connected it seemed like it was just a race to the finish line. I was hopeful to see more character development and more plot to their chemistry. Overall, I did enjoy listening to this story.

I don’t know anything about rugby. But that’s okay! The focus of this book is way more on the characters than the rugby. Cillian is kicked off his rugby team in his final year of university for fighting. Desperate to get enough play time to get scouting for the pros, he moves to the US to Prescott University where the coach gives him one chance. As long as he can stay out of trouble, he can play. But his resolve is tested when his teammates work against him. Desperate to stay, he turns to Rory, the coach’s daughter. She promises to get the guys to like him if he teaches her how to flirt.

The characters in this one are excellent. Cillian is a tall muscled reformed bad boy with an accent. I mean, what’s not to like? And Rory is a tomboy. More knowledgeable about sports than most of the guys she tries to date. They have excellent chemistry. And the dual narrators really displayed that chemistry well. I was impressed at the voices they did for each other’s characters as well as their ability to switch seamlessly between American and British accents. One of the best I’ve heard in a while!

This book is spicy (there’s a closet scene, and a shower scene 🔥🔥🔥) but has good emotional depth. And no third act breakup! If you’re ready for a fun and spicy college sports romance, pick this one up today!

Thank you to @Netgalley and @readforeverpub for the chance to review this ARC and to @hachetteaudio for the ALC.

Red Card is a fun, heartfelt sports romance that pairs a British bad boy rugby player with the coach’s fiery, off-limits daughter. Cillian “Kill” is arrogant, broody, and completely out of his element after being shipped off to an Ivy League team in New Hampshire. Rory is determined, passionate, and more than capable of holding her own—especially when it comes to calling him out. Their banter crackles, their chemistry builds slowly but surely, and their unlikely alliance turns into something much deeper.

I loved the rugby backdrop—it added intensity and heart to the story while raising the stakes for both characters. The “teaching” setup gave the romance a playful spark, and the emotional beats felt genuine as both Cillian and Rory faced their insecurities. Some tropes played out predictably, but the writing kept me invested and rooting for them the whole way.

With heat, heart, and plenty of sports drama, Red Card is an addictive romance about second chances, trust, and falling for the one person you’re not supposed to want.

The excitement I had over a rugby romance is high. I love a good obscure (not really at all but most sports romance are the big 3…hockey football baseball) and this was great. Maren transports you to that young adult, college life so perfectly. Staring with Orleans U and now Prescott.

Cillian and Rory were the cutest. He’s the big broody guy but hidden softy and she’s our spit fire coaches daughter. An agreement made to help him on his new team if he helps her not be one of the bros. One of my favorite tropes. Of course…it doesn’t just stay with flirting lessons 👀 I also loved the relationship with Cillian and his sister…like is Aisling getting a book Maren? I love her.

Narrators here fit the characters well. I loved their interpretations of the characters.

A sweet and spicy sports romance for those that love a broody reformed bad boy and a coaches daughter.

My only criticism was that our plot twists fell a teeny bit flat, I think it’s me though. I wanted a bit more drama.

This was a bit of a surprise. It was more spicy than I was expecting (for a trad pub) and it was less about rugby than I wanted, but all in all I thought it was cute. This wasn’t my first book on rugby, so I guess that’s why I was expecting more. But that was in a self pubbed (where they can make their own decisions) and I wonder if it was just an unfortunate product of the editing.

Ok so the romance was cute. But I don’t feel like it was “real.” I liked the way he was teaching her, but the all of a sudden switch and then suddenly being jealous was weird. I just didn’t feel like it was as smooth as it could have been. And I thought the relationship suffered because of that. He didn’t feel any different than the other dudes that were her friends. She on the other hand couldn’t leave him alone. I just didn’t feel like it was reciprocated? Maybe its a me thing? I’m not sure. The spice tho, was something that I wasn’t expecting. It wasn’t super spicy, just…. Weird because it escalated quickly lol It truly went from 0 to 60 lol

As a sports girlie I was expecting more sports lol I wanted to see some games or something. But it was like one practice and then the rest of the time they were arguing about him being on the team. I thought that was hella childish too. Like what was the reason? She did sit and watch a practice for them, but that was basically it. I wanted to see more of them on the pitch. More of them in the middle of a game, and more. The author spoke about all the rules and things she learned in her research and on TikTok, but it didn’t stand out to me. It felt very much basic. And I get it, it’s probably a me thing. I watch women’s rugby so I probably was looking for more than just a little bit, but still. I think if we’re going to call it sports, make it sporty!

The entire thing at the end was a little random. I thought it was odd that they went that way. That whole situation escalated so fast. I don’t think enough was being done to them tho. That could have seriously harmed that person. Over something that was childish af! I got so mad I had to put my Kindle down for a bit. Because wtf do you mean?

Putting all of this into words made me realize that it was the pacing that was off. It was here, there, and all over the place. It went from 0 to 100 to 50 to 60 to 100 again. It was hard to figure out the transition periods. It really roughed up the flow of the story. And again, I know this might be a me thing, but it just felt weird to read. Especially with me reading it as an audio and on 2.00x’s lol It just felt like it was moving so weirdly fast lol

Regardless of some of my hang ups, I still enjoyed this. I don’t think it was a bad book by any means, I just think it had more potential to be a bit more smoother? Idk how to explain it. But it does say this is a series, so I’d love to see who and what comes next for this university. I think it would be weird to continue on with this couple, so I keep trying to think who would be next? Will it be another sport? I have so many questions and I hate that I’m going to have to wait about a year for them to be answered lol

We need more Rugby romances. So give me a rugby player & coaches daughter where that is the least interesting thing about the pair?? Fantastic! I loved our narrators and the story so much. A lot of sports romances have hinged on the miscommunication trope so I was happy to hear that was not the case here. I am excited to see what Maren Moore does from here!!

Rating is 3.5 stars.

This was a really fun sports romance! I love that Maren used Rugby as the sport of choice because you really don't see much of it in books. So this was a new take on sports romance and I really enjoyed that aspect. I loved Cillian as the MMC. I love a MMC who speaks his mind and expresses his emotions. Though he expressed that he was closed off because of his past, he never really kept his emotions in. He wasn't afraid to express himself to his sister or Rory.

At times, I found Rory irritating but more so towards the end of the book. When a conflict occurred, she was so quick to assume the worst and it really bothered me because Cillian never did anything for her to doubt him. The overall conflict near the end also made my rating go down a bit because it came out of left field. I don't think there was enough background or history with one of the characters for the conflict to occur the way that it did.

Overall this was a great pallet cleanser for a lighter romance. I listened to the audio book and really enjoyed both narrators.

If you're looking for a book that's low angst and the micro tropes are clearly evident, this is a good choice. We start with the bad boy from England who has been transferred to a rugby team in the US. Someone called in a favor, and he's it. The guys on the team don't want to accept him because they don't think he has earned his spot. Enter the coaches daughter who happens to be best buds with the boys on the team. Rory has a problem, she gets nervous around any guy she's interested in and all of the guys on campus seem to have her friend zoned. Cillian is a natural flirt and can get any girl he wants. Maybe the two of them can come to an arrangement? Say flirting/dating lessons in exchange for helping Cillian get in with the team's good graces. You can use your imagination on how all of that plays out.

Overall, I enjoyed the narration. This one is mostly dual narration with duet when the text messages are being depicted. I'm always going to prefer duet narration throughout, but dual is my second favorite. My only complaint is when the female narrator is speaking Cillian's part, she drops her voice and it is difficult to make out in many parts. I'm unsure if there's a way to increase her volume during those parts or not. Seems like that would be a lot of work but I would have greatly benefited from that being done. I had to stop and re-listen in multiple parts which was annoying. Despite my issues with sound quality, I will be recommending this book to my followers in audio or print and I would read the next book in the series.

Loved this audiobook SO MUCH! The male narrator's accent had me hooked from the start and when he said "LOVE" I quite literally passed out. So good.

The storyline was also great, I loved how mature both main characters were and highly enjoyed their flirty banter and the friendship they built before even getting together. I need more from this friend group!

I love the premise of this book - we always see hockey, football and even a few basketball romance novels but I have never read a rugby one - which is what led me to begin this.

Bad boy Cillian moves gets booted out of his UK Uni and forced to move to America where the entire rugby team has it out for him. He's forced to recruit the help of the coaches daughter to sway the team to his side or be kicked off his second team in his rugby career. Rory isn't willing to do it without getting something herself - lessons in flirting and dating. She is always being friend zoned by the guys she's into because she's seen as "one of the guys" and she is tired of it.

I always love a good lessons in flirting novel and bad boy energy to pair. I do wish Rory would have had other main personality trait except being into sports and "not like other girls". I also wish we would have learned the specifics of why Cillian got kicked out of his first university a bit earlier in the book.

The narration of this book was very well done, and I am glad it was a duet. I wish they would have furthered the duet style and had both characters voice all of their dialogue rather than Cillian's voice actor doing a Rory voice mid chapter and vice versa.

Will definitely recommend this to all the sports loving romance readers for a fresh perspective on the trope!

Bad boy rugby player starts a friendship that might be leading to more with good girl who is tired of seeming like one of the guys.

This is my first Maren Moore book but I can tell it will not be my last. This book felt like She’s all That mixed with a sports romance and I was so here for it. There was a great mix of forbidden romance, steamy love lessons, and funny moments. I feel like this is a strong start to a series that I really think I will enjoy. I love a good friend group standalone series and I think these characters were a good mix of fun and depth.

Like many other romance books with lessons on love this book can feel a little cringey but I feel like it was not too much. Plus I feel like the audience has to go into this book knowing it’s a romance book so there’s a bit of a formula that it will follow. You just have to accept that and you will enjoy it more. I really enjoyed this book and cannot wait to read more by this author.

Overall, I recommend this book to anyone who is in the mood for a flirty rugby romance! Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this story!

.ೃ࿐ Thank you to NetGalley & Hachette audio for the opportunity to read and review the ALC before release! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

1.5 ★

ੈ✩‧₊˚ my thoughts

This book was not for me.

I did not like much about this book. Perhaps the only redeemable part for me was the British accent of the narrator who did Cillian.

This book seriously made me full-body cringe. It was the epitome of pick-me energy and I just could not deal with it. Rory’s personality was off-putting and annoying and Cillian was boring and bland.

@authormarenmoore is out here delivering a rugby, fake dating romance that had me SWOONING!!!
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I loved Rory! The girl who is constantly put in the friend zone by guys, who wants to be seen as more than just the coach’s daughter…enter Cillian. The British bad boy who has transferred to change his image and take better care of his sister. This man has a host of demons BUT is so good to his core!! Gah, I loved him so much!
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Watching this tie bicker, then banter, then fall in love was so much fun. The narrators perfect!! I loved it so much I’m desperately hoping we get more from this world!

My first ALC!

I really enjoyed the dual narration! It really helped me get immersed in the story, especially as someone who doesn’t typically go for audiobooks. I think both narrators did a great job with tone, attitude, etc. that helped the characters really come alive.

The story itself was also fun to read. I found myself relating a lot to Rory as an awkward nerd who struggles with social interactions. She did give me “not like other girls” vibes sometimes but with her being the coach’s daughter, it makes sense lol. I really appreciated how much the team respected her & seemed to take her seriously (not that she would tolerate it if they didn’t). Kill was also a great character & I like that he was given more than the “grumpy athlete” edit & I loved his relationship with his sister.

Rory & Kill were the perfect grumpy x sunshine couple & while the book was a slow burn, I didn’t mind too much because of all other layers to the story such as grief, caring for someone with a medical condition, etc. I do wish the heavier themes were explored just a touch more but that’s my only criticism.

Red Card by Maren Moore was a great new adult rugby romance. Cillian is on his redemption journey, trying to turn his life around after his grief over his mother's death derailed his rugby career back in England. Now on a college team in the US, he's determined to rebuild for himself and his sister, except his teammates don't like or trust him. Enter the coach's daughter, Rory--she'll help Cillian win over the team if he helps her learn how to flirt. Turns out, though, he only really wants her to flirt with him. What started as practice has turned into something real.

While a lot of the plot is lighthearted and the romance is steamy, Red Card also deals with the themes of grief and loss in a tender and compassionate way. Anyone who has experienced a loss like Cillian's will find this book a safe, soft place to land, I think.

The narrators, Stella Hunter and Matt Sykes, do a great job bringing this dual POV romance to life. I enjoyed the sports elements, but you don't have to really understand rugby in order to enjoy the story.

Thank you to Hachette Audio for the ALC.