Beauty and the Baller (Strangers in Love)

As soon as I saw that Ilsa Madden Mills is bringing a new story out, I was excited to get my hands on it because she's one of my go to go authors when it comes to the sports romance genre and this one was another delightful read! I always love how she develops the side characters along with the main characters and that itself just makes the story come alive! The whole vibe of the book was really lighthearted, somewhat emotional and engaging. Nova stole the show in this one. She was my favourite! Her entire personality was so funny, sassy and refreshing. She was unapologetic and so very transparent. I loved her relationship with her little sister so much. Ronan though faced a lot of in his past but since Nova came into his life, it's like he woke up from a nightmare. She was his second chance at life. I really liked to see their relationship being developed.

It's funny, romantic and also high on emotions. Loved the book for the woman who knows her mind . And offcourse the HEA

Ilsa Madden-Mills made me laugh and swoon so hard in Beauty and the Baller. And she also made it hurt like hell. Ronan and Nova are something special. This enemies to lovers, small town sports romance was all about overwhelming, all consuming and extraordinary feels. I smiled. I cried. I fall head over heels in love with Ronan and Nova.Nova Morgan moved back to Blue Belle after her mother's death. She has to take care of her specially abled sister Sabine and their house and their finances. And then she comes to face to face with Ronan. Her new neighbour. The new football team coach who is taking their school team to new heights. Ex NFL legend.And the unforgettable one night stand years ago. They are in middle of a messy situation. Ronan's uncertain future plans. Nova's struggles. And their sizzling hot attraction. When Ronan proposed a fake dating relationship, they both thought it to be something casual. But they are anything but casual.Gawwwd I love this book. Like crazy loved! Ronan has been hurt and lost people he loved. He has the scars inside and outside. He is broken and lost. The small town is his chance to heal and it's a stepping stone for his future. At least he thought so. Till Nova Morgan blasted her way inside his hard heart. She is sparkly. Full of hope, resilience, fierceness, happiness and just overall a glowing warm presence. The author portrayed the grumpy hero and sunshine heroine dynamics so well. Nova brightened Ronan's cold dark world. And Ronan made her feel alive again. Once she was the darling of this town..the beauty queen..destined to be the great thing. But heartbreak and bad decisions somehow dampened her spirit. Coming back to her home town was a rejuvenating process for her too.The chemistry between Ronan and Nova was just mindblowing. A bit flirty and witty and hilarious. A bit heartbreaking and intense and raw. Their banter. Their physical connection. Their hearts' dilemmas. Such an amazing combination of sexy, swoony and heartaching! And the secondary characters? Just perfect. The plot was so well built and executed that I couldn't put it down even for a second. I just devoured it! Another clear cut super duper hit from Ilsa Madden-Mills!I reviewed an early copy voluntarily

I'm probably about to write a review that some might find unhelpful, but I like the author so much  I thought I should. Here goes...On the face of it, this book has all the ingredients to make a perfect story. You have a brief get together in the past , then a meeting later on. The main characters have had interesting lives. There's fake to real relationship, high school type drama and someone who has to make a life changing decision. You also get some additional characters (Sabine & Tuck) that are written well. All in all, it should be a 5* read.However, it just didn't mesh for me. It seemed like the author was trying hard to get the chemistry right for Nova and Ronan but it didn't work. The other characters seemed very stereotyped - as a brit, the whole Stetson, cowboy boots seems a bit Dallas(TV show). You also had a mean girl - yawn.It appears that IMM just threw so much in that wasn't necessary when you have the main characters story - such as Toby and Caleb - it felt like she was told it must be x amount of pages so she just passed it without much thought. Its like the kitchen sink might have been next....The writing for the most part flowed and was paced fairly well.I might be a bit down on this because I loved I Dare You and was perhaps expecting more of the same and that's why I'm disappointed. I think I'll go and re-read that to restore my faith in the author!

Omg! I loved Nova and Ronan! I got completely swept away in their story.  There was so much chemistry from the very first moment they met. When they first meet, Ronan is still dealing or not really dealing with a loss and he isn't in the right head space.  Two years later they both end up in the small town of Blue Belle and well let's just say the minute Ronan realises who Nova is there is no going back. I loved this whole group of characters that we were introduced too and I for one would love Sabine, Toby, Miles and Bruno oh and not forgetting Tuck to all get stories in the future! I adored this story and it had all the Ilsa magic that we know and love.

Nova comes home after the death of her mother to the hometown she thought she would never live in again, but her sister needs her. She discovers her new neighbour Ronan is someone she had a disastrous night with about 2 years before. She thinks he is an arrogant and full of himself and that he doesn’t remember her. I wasn’t a big fan of how they originally met. He takes a while to realise who she is and decides she might just be the perfect person to play his fake girlfriend to try to get the locals to stop throwing women at him in an effort to make him stay. Nova has history in her hometown and is happy to go along with the fake relationship for her own reasons, but is a little wary after their past experience together. Everyone knows that Ronan doesn’t plan to stay forever, but the more time they spend together the closer (and more scared) they both become. I liked how feisty they were together and loved how caring Nova was and how conflicted Ronan was. I liked both their interactions with the kids at the school where they both work and Nova’s connection with her sister. I also liked that it was available with read and listen.

Nova got her chance to sleep with Ronan and she took it. Ronan couldnt resist the beautiful blonde dressed in a Princess Lia costume and it helped him forget the woman he had loved and lost in their car accident. Something good came out of that night because he got his act together and stopped drinking every night. Years later he got a job at a college as a coach and found out his next door neighbour was Nova. She was full of sunshine but he was determined to keep away as this job was to be a stepping stone for bigger things. She was back home because her mother had died and she had a young sister to take care of. She also had her own demons when she came face to face with the guy she thought she would marry only to find he had cheated on her. Nova and Ronan pretended to be together to get Andrew away from her and Madison away from him. It brought them closer together though and that was a big problem for Ronan because he didnt want to care for her.

Ronan Smith is at a crossroads, losing his fiance in an accident and his football career, he is drowning in grief and alcohol. At a party he meets Nova who is dressed as Princess Leia. When he wakes up them next morning, he is alone but this has been the starting point for Ronan to sort himself out. Two years later, Ronan meets his new neighbour but doesn't know that Nova is the one night stand. What happens when Ronan remembers? Can he fix the awkwardness between them? What happens when he suggests they fake date so that the local ladies will stop hitting on him? Will the chemistry that burns hot turn fake to real?This was such an addictive read full of humour, star wars, chemistry and redemption. The characters deserved their HEA and Ilsa gave us the perfect ending