Beauty and the Baller (Strangers in Love)

Product Information

All of my reviews are posted on Instagram, Wattpad, and Goodreads, and are also linked to my twitter account. I liked their friends and coworkers and how they all came together, making the entertainment factor that much better. I think what I loved more than anything was the author's honest portrayal of Ronan and his complicated emotions as he navigated his own feelings for Nova after coming to terms with his loss. Scantily clad as a princess from a galaxy far, far away, she sneaks into a high-profile party to capture the attention of her favorite quarterback. The fact that he doesn’t even recognize Nova when they meet again a few years later makes the whole interaction feel really slimy.

Ronan is this hot, shredded, athletic nerd (so kind of like Henry Cavill) who constantly makes Star Wars references and really geeks over them, it is, as Nova would say, adorable. I just felt like every chapter the author got up in the morning having come up with another trope to add to the book.My heart soars as he sings the words softly, a song about a guy who meets a girl at a party—yes, there’s alcohol involved. Add in fake dating, small town charm and a wonderful HEA and this book was such a beautiful love story. He's spent nearly a year trying to rehab his injuries, without success and has turned to drink to drown his grief and guilt. The feelings that started back all those years ago pretty much come back to life now that they’re in each others’ lives again.

Overall, this was enjoyable at times but disappointing at others…so I’m going with a middle of the road 3 star rating. She had trainwreck moments that had me covering my face in embarrassment but her honest, hilarious and forthright nature won me over! Nova is not happy to learn that her new neighbor is none other than Ronan Smith and he doesn’t remember her.Fast forward to two years later and they miraculously find themselves together again in small-town Texas and to make matters even more awkward? That dart game was a super bizzare with the very infantile "make the man wear a bra, haha" and the sudden cramp to force touching. Two years later, fate had them both living in the same small town, neighbors and unable to escape one another at every turn.

This was told in dual points of view via dual narration where the male narrator does all the chapters in Ronan’s point of view and the female does the chapters told in Nova’s point of view. This book captured me from the first moment with the perfect meet-cute between our two main characters! Maybe I’m being biased because I love Star Wars (my daughter’s middle name is Leia) and there were many references to it LOL.I loved their connection, both that first night, as well as the bit of animosity between them when they met once again in the small town of Blue Belle, Texas. They are both going through loss and it’s so clear their paths keep crossing because of a connection impossible to miss. There were times where she was referenced and I wanted to know that he was over her and all about Nova. The conversations between the main characters were also somewhat stilted and weirdly abrupt - I kind of liked it at first, it was almost more real in that way - being awkward and just saying stuff that doesn't necessarily flow super well.

Both characters had such an emotional background story that it made every little thing that came up make sense in how they reacted. I found myself snorting at the absurdity of small-town Texas folks and their football (it’s serious stuff, y’all)! This was such a sweet, deep, small town sports romance, and I’m so happy to have received an early digital copy to review! And this new neighbor kinda asks her to be his fake girlfriend - because the whole town is trying to find him a wife to make him stay!years later, Nova’s (29) forced to move back to the town that she grew up in because her mother just passed away and now she has to take care of her teenage sister. Beauty and the Baller, an all-new moving and smoking hot fake relationship standalone romance from Wall Street Journal bestselling author Ilsa Madden-Mills is available now! She would crack eye-roll worthy whips all the time, but then say something basic like “Find your glow” or “Do you believe in possibilities?