5 stars, easily, I LOVE IT!
My second ever Rugby book! I just loved this book! I didn't know what to expect because the last Rugby sports romance book I read was so bad, but this book is a gem!
Cillian and Rory have my heart.
You get Rugby romance, fake dating (I always love this trope), the coach's daughter, broken man, found family, daddy's girl, the best character banter, and, of course, SPICE!
The plot is structured so well, and the pace is perfect.
The characters are well-developed and easy to connect with throughout the plot.

One of my favorite quotes, "Loving you is effortless, Rory. I have no doubt that I was made solely to love you."

FRIENDS, this book was fantastic. I do have one TRIGGER WARNING - there is parental loss in this book, but it is handled extremely tastefully.
This is my first Maren Moore book, and I will be back for more of her creations.
I haven't had a lot of 5-star books this year, but this was easily one for me.
If you love sports romance, grab this book immediately.
Thank you to NetGalley and Maren Moore for the opportunity to read and review this ARC!
Happy Reading!!

*Update 7/31/2025: I also received an ARC of the audiobook and I stand by the above review. I think I liked even more this second time through!*

Red Card gave me everything I love in a sports romance! Humor, emotional depth, and CHEMISTRY!

Cillian Cairney is a British bad boy with a permanent red card from his past, sent packing to an Ivy League school in the U.S. There, he butts heads (and eventually lips) with Rory St. James (his coach’s daughter) rugby royalty, and a woman on a mission to shed the friend-zone label.

What starts as a strategic fake dating arrangement quickly turns into late-night flirting lessons, real feelings, and sizzling tension. One minute you’re laughing at their banter and the next you’re fanning yourself because the steam is so real.

The dual narration by Matt Sykes and Stella Hunter was absolutely on point. Their ability to switch accents and tones without losing the rhythm or emotion made the story even more immersive. Their chemistry as narrators mirrored that of the main characters in all the best ways. This audiobook was perfection!

Tropes-
Rugby romance
British MMC
Friends to lovers
Coach's daughter
Dating Lessons
Found Family

Thank you so much for the arc for my honest review.
THIS is how you write a romcom. I was entertained the whole time. It gave me 2000's movie romcom vibes and I'm here for it. I absolutely loved Cillian. I love how he went after what he wanted when he started to have feelings. I loved the friendship that he formed with Rory first. Their chemistry was amazing. The slow-burn was delicious. The audiobook was amazing. The narrators did a great job. I really felt the emotions and characters. I definitely recommend this to all my friends who are looking for a light hearted read.

This was such a nice easy read for me. I had never read a sport romance about rugby before so that was new experience for me. There was some fun banter that I really enjoyed. 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 did not particularly enjoy the male narrator in the audiobook of this book, his pacing seemed really slow even when I sped up the speed for the book and I just didn't particularly care for his narration. I did enjoy the female narrator though.

3.75⭐️, 2.5🌶️

This book was cute but nothing spectacular for me. I read it immersive (with the audiobook and digital copy) and still found myself getting distracted away from the story a bit.

Villian and Rory were a cute “teach me” pairing, but the realism of them both being in college was questionable. I didn’t feel Kill’s switch from grumpy to sweet blended well and by the time they got together I understood it but I wasn’t emotionally invested in it.

As for the narrators, Matt Sykes & Stella Hunter did good jobs with the voices. I loved Matt’s accent and didn’t find either of their voices for the opposite character to be too bothersome.

Thank you NetGalley, Forever Publishing, and Hachette Audio for an eARC/ ALC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

British bad boy rugby player falls for the coach's daughter of his new American team as he takes on teaching her how to flirt and date, upon her request. This was my first book by Maren Moore. It was well written, easy to get into, narrated superbly on audio and will definitely not be my last by this author. I'm already looking forward to reading more by her.

This book is EVERYTHING, i want in a sports romance and more.
I loved every moment.

The stories outside the love story, were amazing.

Red Card is a fun college sports romance centered around a rugby team. I was unsure going into this one because I know nothing about rugby - however that didn't affect this being an enjoyable listen!

The MCs were so sweet together and I adored the side characters! I highly recommend picking this one up!

Thanks to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for an advance copy!

Red Card by Maren Moore was such a fun listen! Thank you to NetGalley and the Maren for the early access to this audiobook!

This story had the perfect mix of charm, banter, and slow-burn tension. Cillian “Kill” is the kind of broody, rough-around-the-edges bad boy you can’t help but root for, and Rory? She’s fiery, smart, and totally relatable. Their dynamic had me smiling throughout, and I loved how their relationship built naturally from wary teammates to something much deeper.

The rugby setting was a refreshing twist, and the “teach me how to flirt” angle added just the right amount of playfulness. I especially enjoyed how both characters grew. Not just together, but individually, and how much heart was woven into all the fun and flirty moments.

The narration by Matt Sykes and Stella Hunter really brought Cillian and Rory to life. Their voices felt authentic, and the dual POV added so much to the emotional connection.

This was my first read from Maren Moore, and I’m definitely looking forward to reading more from her. If you love sports romances with great banter and characters who genuinely grow on you, this one’s worth adding to your list! 🏉💘

I love reading books about RUGBY!!! This was a cute love story between a coach's daughter and a player on the team. The thing that drove me crazy about this book was that the main character girl and her love for rugby. She pretty much lived and breathed rugby, but only ended up at a school where her father was the coach of a men's rugby team? GIRL.... there is women's rugby for a reason!!! Why couldn't she go somewhere and actually play the sport she cared for so much. That was really frustrating because rugby is NOT just for men. I am glad I read this book, but would have given it higher marks if this was addressed.

Thanks NetGalley for the advanced copy.

4.25
this was so cute

Sports - Rugby RomCom
college romance
forbidden - coaches daughter
British bad boy + good girl
spicy!
emotional
brats+ good girl
secret relationship

This was such a fun read. I have never read a rugby 🏉 romance before and I enjoyed reading something new! While it's a cute fun sports romance it also touches on heavier topics and throws in some emotional moments. These two are fire in the bedroom (and out of it 😉 if you know what I mean.) and support each other in the best ways. I love when their relationship is no longer a secret and everyone else is supportive and they are so surprised.

Cute sports romance novel. Not a whole lot of rugby novels based in America (that I've read at least) and this was pretty well done. I listened to the audio version-- the narrators were likeable and easy to listen to. Low-medium spice and predictable (in a good way!)



Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the ARC.

DNF @ 33%

This is a cute ruby romance between Rory, the coach's daughter/assistant coach and Cillian, a rugby player who transferred to this team on his last chance. I enjoy flirting lessons so I thought this book would work for me but unfortunately I really didn't love the way the story characterized Rory as "not like other girls". It was mainly in how she talked about other women that rubbed me the wrong way. I have worked really hard to uproot internalized misogyny in myself and I'm not interested in putting more of those ideas in my head right now. I'm sure others will have a lovely time with the sports romance aspect and won't be as bothered by that aspect of the book. If you love rugby or sports romances this could be a fun read for you (especially if you love forbidden romances).

The narrators were fantastic! Even when I wasn't enjoying the story I questioned DNFing because of how much I was enjoying their voices which is a testament to their performances. Listen to the audio for Cillian's delicious accent for sure!

DNF 60% - Maybe it’s a timing thing for me, but I wasn’t connecting with the FMC and the MMC.

I’m sure this will be a great story for others.

Thank you Hachette Audio for the opportunity to preview it.

4.25 stars.

"Red Card" by Maren Moore is a fast-paced, fluffy sports romance between a grumpy new-to-town British rugby player and the coach's daughter. Once I pressed play on this audiobook, I basically didn't stop reading until it was over. I liked the story, even though it felt very familiar. I enjoyed the main characters, Cillian and Rory. Cillian is in America for one reason and one reason alone: to play rugby. He sees his stint at an American college as a stepping stone to get him to the big leagues. Rory is the rugby coach's daughter and is beloved by all of the players on the team, but in a friendly kind of way. In fact, she doesn't really know how to flirt. Or date. Or anything like that. Cillian agrees to give Rory dating lessons in exchange for her helping him get along with his new teammates. Fake dating AND lessons of some sort!? Count me in! Like I said, this one really did it for me. I had a fun time reading this book. I haven't ever read a rugby romance before. I will say, I didn't know a lot about the sport going into to this book, and I don't know a lot about it after reading it. This is a bummer because I think the best sports romances teach non-fans something new about the sport, but I digress. I feel like *any* sport could have been put in rugby's place without much change to the plot. Matt Sykes and Stella Hunter provide a fantastic dual audiobook narration for this story. They bring these characters to life in a perfect, vibrant, fitting way. I am going to add Skyes to my auto-listen list because his voice is spectacular! A super fun time!

Thank you to NetGalley, Maren Moore, Hachette Audio, and Forever for the complimentary ALC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.

College
Sports romance
Coaches daughter
Found family
Spicy

Dual narration - Matt Sykes & Stella Hunter

This was a great listen. My first by this author. I felt a connection to the characters from the beginning. I was so invested in their story. Truly enjoyed this book. Can’t wait for more from this author.

Her writing is well done and developed. The spice was spicing. I was here for it.

The narration is fabulous the two narrators did an amazing job.

“That’s who she is for me. She nestled her way into my heart, into the seams of my soul. Into my bones, my breath. Everything belongs to her. I didn’t even realize I still had a fucking heart until it started to beat again for her.”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 4.5 stars, rounded to 5!

Thank you to Hachette Audio for an ALC of this book, I was really looking forward to this one!

I’ve never read a Rugby romance and had so much fun with this book! Cillian & Rory were so end game coded and it was so sweet watching them both help each other. Cillian helped Rory become more confident in herself, and Rory helped him acclimate to the team and feel welcome. Their relationship was very sweet and genuine! I also really loved the way the Rugby team rallied around Cillian, and made him feel like coming to America and joining their team was the right move for him!

I think any Sports Romance girlies are going to really love this book! I listened to the audiobook, and both narrators did a fabulous job bringing the story to life. I throughly enjoyed the posh English accent for Cillian’s character, it had me blushing through those spicy scenes! I also loved that the Audiobook was done in dual POV and dual narration, it really made the listening experience so much fun!

Tropes:
❤️Rugby Sports Romance
🏉Coaches daughter x Rugby bad boy
🤍Spicy
❤️Found family

I found this story enjoyable enough to not dnf but it was most certainly not my favorite. Cillian is a hot british rugby player with a bad boy reputation. I take issue with his bad boy reputation since most of it is due to trauma from losing his mother and i feel like his old rugby team should have been more supportive.
Then we have Rory st James who spends a lot of her time with the rugby team due to her dad being the coach and only know hows to talk to guys about sports. I feel like them framing this as a bad thing was a stretch. She shouldve leaned into it and used it as a method to flirt and not as something that was wrong with her.
I feel like they went from hooking to loving each other really fast also and i wouldve loved to see the tension build more. Overall the story was fine.
I did really enjoy the audiobook.

This was perfection.

Funny, endearing, and wholesome all in one. It had me smiling and cheering them all on. The game nights were adorable, and the way the team bands together as a family brings me so much joy.

Rory and Cillian together are awkward and spicy and a beautiful pairing. I love the way he helps her gain confidence and recognize her strengths, and the unending faith she has in him and her willingness to go to bat for him.

The narration of this was incredible. I love a duel narration and this one fit so well - the British voice for the MC, the strong female voice for the FMC, they worked so well together. I found the audio to be slow, so sped it up to 1.5, and even then it felt maybe a bit slow still, but that’s what the speed adjustment is for!

The audio really drew me in and had me present in the story. It was a joy to listen to.

This was such a fun college sports romance! I genuinely enjoyed the story, the banter, and especially the main characters. It’s a medium-paced read that balances humor and heart really well - I found myself laughing out loud more than I expected, and still getting hit with some surprisingly emotional moments.

In this new rugby romance, we’re pulled right into the world through Cillian Cairney - a British athlete with serious “broken boy” energy. He’s the classic hot import on the team, sure, but what really worked for me was how layered he was underneath that surface. After losing his mother, Cillian’s grief is raw and real. His quiet determination to keep a promise to his sister adds genuine emotional depth to his character.

Then there’s Rory - coach’s daughter and assistant - who’s been “one of the guys” for so long that dating has never quite worked out. She and Cillian team up in an arrangement that starts as convenient but quickly becomes something deeper. Their chemistry was great, but what stood out the most was how they created a safe space for each other. Their romance wasn’t just flirty - it felt grounded and meaningful.

The emotional weight behind Cillian’s grief was handled with care. It was messy and human, and that vulnerability made his character arc one of the highlights of the story. Rory’s quiet support gave their relationship a tenderness that elevated the romance beyond just physical attraction.

My only real critique is that the ending felt a little rushed. After such a well-paced build-up, I would’ve loved a bit more time to linger in the resolution. Still, it wrapped up emotionally and didn’t take away from how satisfying their journey was overall.

No, this isn’t reinventing the genre - but it doesn’t need to. It knows what it is and delivers exactly that: a flirty, emotional, and heartfelt sports romance with characters you root for. A really enjoyable read!