Not My Match tells the story of Devon and Giselle, it's clear from the first time that we see them together at the start of the book that there's some serious chemistry between them. When they find themselves living together after Giselle's flat is damaged in a fire, they soon can't resist the fire between them.
This is the second book in the series, but I haven't read the first Not My Romeo. I understand from other reviews, that people were less than impressed with Giselle in the first book. That storyline is touched on here and for me it worked and made sense, whether that would be the case had I read the first book I don't know. As a standalone, this book was great though.
I enjoyed the chemistry and romance between Devon and Giselle and they seemed a really great match. I didn't really buy the idea of her being a virgin, partly because it just didn't seem very likely, but also because she seemed very worldly in other ways and she had certainly had plenty of partners before. I'm not sure why writers feel the need to have such inexperienced heroines, I'd prefer that they weren't to be honest.
Overall this was a gripping read and I loved the writing. Devon and Giselle made a great couple and I really enjoyed reading all about them.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Left homeless after a fire makes her building uninhabitable, Devon extended an invitation for Giselle to stay in his home. His best friend had asked Devon to look out for Giselle, but forced proximity and a growing attraction may have weakened his resolve.

This was another great addition to the series, and I am glad Madden-Mills elected to feature Giselle. She was such a mystery to me in the last book. I struggled with understanding why she let her romantic life come between her and her sister. Here, she was allowed to explain herself, and let's just say - it's complicated.

Regardless, I really grew to like Giselle very much. I was under the impression that she was this put together PhD student, who was very straight-laced and uptight. I guess she had to show that side at times, but she was also a woman who was writing a romance novel and was in love with love. But, she carried around a lot of baggage, which was keeping her from enjoying a rich and satisfying romantic relationship.

Enter Devon, who she had been crushing on before she even met him. I had a soft spot for Devon in the last book, but seeing him with Giselle made me love him even more. He was sweet and caring and swoony. I actually found him quite remarkable given his upbringing, and I felt proud of what he was able to achieve on his own. Alas, Devon was also lugging around some baggage, and I can't lie, I was delighted to see him and Giselle unpacking it together.

Like the previous book in the series, this one was packed with lots of fun moments, mostly provided by the fabulous supporting characters. I really adored Giselle's landlady, Myrtle. She was fantastic! It was great to see Devon taking more of a liking to Aiden as well, and you know the Daisy Lady Gang was back in full force wrecking havoc.

I loved watching these two try to resist each other, while slowly undoing the damage of their pasts. Giselle being a super STEM heroine was a plus, and I really can't wait for everyone to get a peek at that epilogue. Definitely worthy of the happy tears I shed.

Giselle and Devon are just fire, romance, and everything good about romance books in general. I loved every laugh and sigh I had while reading this book. Just so very good!

I received an e-arc of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Giselle is down on her luck. After a string of unfortunate events and a bad split from her fiancé, she needs a change. Enter Devon, football star and Giselle’s brother-in-law’s best friend. When Devon offers her a place to stay and to be her matchmaker, she can’t refuse.

I enjoyed this book quite a bit. I haven’t read the first book in the series, and if I had, my opinions might be a little different. But I enjoyed Giselle’s character and her interactions with Devon. The chemistry between them was spot on. I was rooting for the pair from the start and who can resist a roommates to lovers trope.

I’m definitely interested in picking up the rest of the series.

Giselle Riley has come a long way since her failed engagement to her sisters' ex-boyfriend, but she still remains helplessly lost in life. Brains and beauty is not always a one way ticket to success... as Giselle seems to know all too well. Plus, she of course has to deal with her birthday curse...

Devon Walsh is a star NFL wide receiver who never has a problem when it comes to the ladies.. but then again, Giselle is not his typical lady. Brilliant, fun, sexy and sweet, she is the whole package... and the worst possible threat to his heart. And even if he wasn't already warned away from dating her, Devon knows the best place for Giselle is firmly planted in the friend zone.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Not My Match was a sweet and sexy, opposites attract, super slow-burn(ey) romance!! Giselle and Devon's friendship was effortless and endless fun, but exploring more between them is expressly forbidden... for the sake of their vastly protected hearts...

Giselle is brilliant as a friend, a physicist and a sci-fi romance author, but she is also 100% clueless when it comes to her love life. One failed engagement and a string of failed dates, Giselle is also a very reluctant virgin. And after her apartment building catches fire, Giselle also finds herself homeless to top it all off. 

Devon is the talented and charismatic playboy of his NFL team, and he was explicitly warned away from all things Giselle Riley, by his BFF and teammate... and Giselle's brand new brother-in-law. Now, Devon is nothing if not loyal, but now that Giselle is staying with him, the task of ignoring their attraction is getting to be more and more impossible...

This was a really good read! While still being the slowest-of-slow-burns, these two friends heated up the pages with their constantly unspoken attraction. Giselle and Devon both held tight to their insecurities and avoided a relationship for as long as they could, but even sometimes the most independent and opposite of people will never be complete before they find their perfect match.

I received a complimentary copy of this book for my honest and unbiased review.

I didn't read the first book in the series (although I bought the audiobook and can't wait to listen to it, especially now that I've gotten a glimpse into this world.). I have to say, I'm a little apprehensive though, because apparently, the heroine of this book, Giselle, somehow was engaged to her sister's boyfriend? Maybe it's a better thing that I read this book first because I really liked Giselle's character- she was fun and geeky but still adorable. And Devon is swoon worthy and sweet. He helps her get back on her feet and steps in to help her in the relationship arena. But he likes her even though he doesn't think he's good enough for her. I loved the slow burn and I adored their relationship- they were so cute together and the banter was so much fun. I can't wait to relive this book in audiobook form! Thanks to NetGalley for such a fun read.

Giselle Riley is book smart (she is a physicist after all), but she's not having the best of luck with her dating life. It doesn't help that Giselle's brother in law, Jack (from Not My Romeo) has declared her off limits to his teammates including Jack's best friend Devon. When a bad date leads Giselle to Devon's night club, he ends up coming to her rescue and talks her into letting him set her up with a "perfect" date.

When an unfortunate circumstance leaves Giselle homeless for the moment, Devon comes to her rescue and lets her stay in his guest bedroom. Giselle and Devon slowly get to know one another - and Giselle even agrees to let Devon set her up on some dates. While roommates for the moment, Giselle and Devon end up spending a lot of time with one another. Will they stay friends or will their growing attraction towards one another lead to something more?

Immediately when Giselle and Devon were on the same page I could feel their electricity. I loved their sweet friends to lovers story. They truly took the time to get to know one another and that made me root for these two even more. Ilsa Madden-Mills definitely knows how to write steamy scenes and the sexy times between Devon and Giselle were so HOT! But underneath their physical attraction, both Devon and Giselle exposed their vulnerability and I loved that most of all.

Although I did read Not My Romeo, you don't have to read these books in order to enjoy them. Not My Match can be read as a standalone.

If you're looking for a forced-proximity, friends to lovers steamy romance - grab your copy of Not My Match when it releases January 19, 2021.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I enjoyed this story a bunch. All the characters were amazingly written. They were easy to imagine and felt realistic. They had emotion and flaws, insecurities and lots of different characteristics. Their story was a bit of a unique one but was amazing in itself. I like the development of the story, how it progressed. Both the characters grew throughout the story and learned a lot. This is a great read that keeps you captivated.

I wrote this voluntary review in exchange for an ARC copy.

The book was ok and I guess it’s commenda that everything is so sweet to Giselle and really these guys were great with her, treating her with kid gloves. But I still have a problem with the fact that she had betrayed her sister with her boyfriend and then got engaged, yes I read her saying she regretted it, but that was come he cheated on ( Where she really couldn’t talk) isn’t how she started going out with him? Elena was so graceful nd so forgiving and even Jack and Topher who were both upset about the whole situation, she was an innocent he didn’t trick her she fully participated and was still planning to marry the guy that was your sisters ex, so love for her I do not have.

4.5 stars
I’m in love this story and the characters, so many feelings and beautiful moments

I loved Not my Romeo and was so looking forward to Aiden story. And of course this is another must read Ilsa book.
Told in dual POV, with two characters that seem to be so opposite in every possible way, we all know what happens with magnets attract.
A love story full of quirky dialogue, laugh out loud moments and some serious feelings as well, Aiden and Giselle are so perfect for each other.
Forced proximity, forbidden love and well deserved happily ever after, this story is a must read for any romance lovers.

I loved this book from beginning to end. These two was so totally opposite it's not even funny. But they have that connection and start as friends and it turns into more. But when Giselle's dream job comes through, what will happen? I absolutely loved Devon and Giselle. I look forward to reading more from this series.

Thank you to NetGalley for this advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

Friends to lovers and roommates to lovers.
WHAT ELSE COULD YOU WANT.

After a fire breaks out at her own place Giselle finds herself staying with her brother in law’s best friend and professional football player, Devon. She is twenty-four and a virgin and Devon has been warned against her but he’s struggling to resist her, in an attempt to push away the way he is feeling he steps into the role of wingman for Giselle, tagging along to her dates to help her vet them. The more they become friends the more they see they’re both craving more, they know they can’t but each other is oh so tempting.

I have read a book or two from this author before and really struggled to get into them but honestly really enjoyed this one so it was a pleasant surprise.

Okay so this is actually the second book in this series which I was not aware of until like half-way through but that honestly might have been a good thing. From what I can gather you really wouldn’t have liked Giselle in the previous book so honestly glad I started with this one. But I am totally going to go back and read the first one now.

I was engaged the whole way through this, there were points here and there which I felt maybe moved too quickly but overall it was super entertaining and kept me wanting to read it.

I loved Giselle, she’s obviously made some mistakes in her past and you can see her trying to find a way to forgive herself for what she had done. Her character was super sweet and adorably nerdy. We love a woman in STEM who is also using that knowledge to write a space romance. Devon !!! The way he treated Giselle was so endearing he didn’t hesitate to give her a place to stay and was so protective of her but never in a way that went overly creepy.

Their romantic connection was a supreme slow burn it took them a while to get there and then when they did it felt super rushed but honestly didn’t even mind. Their romantic connection was super present and believable and I loved how soft they were with each other. Again the drama at the end of the book was pretty quick but entertaining nonetheless.

Overall I honestly really enjoyed reading this and I certainly hadn’t been expecting that but am looking forward to reading the first one in this series now and giving this author another shot.

Not My Match is my first book by Ilsa Madden-Mills. I was expecting a straightforward light and fun contemporary romance, and in a way this book was exactly that. However, I was just missing something in this book. The characters Giselle and Devon were okay but I didn't fully connect to them. There were a lot of great moments between them and that was what kept me interested until the end, but I just didn't really feel a spark between them.

Devon has abandonment issues and doesn't want to come out and tell Giselle how he feels about her, but he also gets jealous when she gets attention from other guys. Giselle had a very fun personality and I loved all her characteristics. She was patient with Devon and gave him enough time to realize that they were made for each other. I overall enjoyed this book but didn't love it. I do look forward to reading more books by this author.

I know Giselle's actions in Not My Romeo were questionable. I mean, come on, kissing your sister's boyfriend then getting engaged to him? Sketchy. I wasn't sure she was redeemable but was glad to find she totally was. We really didn't hear too much of her in NMR, she was obviously a pretty big secondary character, but ultimately not the focus so it was easy to draw (inaccurate) conclusions about her. I adored the little bit of a hot mess that she really was underneath her polished exterior, she was sweet and feisty and really has a heart of gold (no trust me, she does). And Devon *sighs* I have a super huge soft spot for anyone (real or imagined) who has a parent with addiction issues and comes out on top despite their upbringing. I hate to admit that I loved Giselle and Devon more than Jack and Elena, Not My Match is a hilarious slow burn with palpable chemistry. Definitely recommend.

I really wanted to love this. The premise is one of my favorites! An innocent virgin who falls for a football bad boy. Unfortunately the book was just ok for me. The beginning held promise but it quickly deteriorated for me.
90% of the book was Giselle and Devon avoiding each other and the remaining 10% was filled with made up drama and angst.

I was very excited to read this book after we are introduced to the characters in “Not my Romeo”. Honestly at first I was very wary of Giselle given the back story and backstabbing her sister. I was unsure if she will be fully redeemed.
Devon and Giselle were such a fun read. I loved their connection and that it developed slowly from friendship. I think this is so important and gives the story romantic and intellectual depth. As someone who majored on physics, I adored the fact that we get a nerdy heroine and that’s a big part of the plot. Moments when Giselle and Devon have fun banter about movies, the universe were a treat.
In addition to the romantic parts, the steamy scenes (especially the car scene) were off the charts.
Overall great read with not a lot of angst.

We first met Giselle in Not my Romeo & not under the best circumstances butttt...fast forward to Not My Match & OMG Giselle is the most loveable nerd with the biggest heart. The love she has for her students, Myrtle, her family & Dev is beautiful and comes from the purest place. Her love helps Dev drop his barriers and realize that he is worthy of love and can be someone’s first choice. One can only dream of having true love in any universe🥰

I loved this but there is something that doesn't sit right with me about this story.

I never read the first book so I don't have a preconceived perception of Giselle as other readers may have so that did not affect my overall feeling of the story.

I found the narrative of 'she's not like other girls because she likes science and wears slacks and blouses' to have been pushed very hard in this story, especially in the beginning and that put me off a little.

Something was just off for me and I don't know if it was the pacing or how the relationship between Devon and Giselle progressed. I can't put my finger on it. As much as I enjoyed Devon (man oh man book boyfriend material for sure especially if you love alpha male characters!) there was something I just didn't gel with.

The winner of this story is Devon for sure. I loved Devon, how he opened up and how intense his feelings for Giselle were. The build up to their romance was great and the steam factor was intense. So I guess it boils down to Giselle and her character really hence, the four star rating.

Just wrapped up this wonderful romance!! I loved the first book in this series and this one was just as good! Giselle was sort of kooky and really fun to read, she just storms into Devon's life and takes over. These characters are so fun and lovely. Such a great escape and distraction reading this the last couple weeks. Off to go read the rest of Ilsa Madden-Mills backlist I haven't read yet!

Yeah!! We get Devon and Giselle's story!! Opposites certainly attract when you but a buttoned-up, tight knitted woman and a grumpy professional football player. But it is amazing story of a true and honest connection when the layers are removed and the slow burn begins. From the opening pages to the very last page this book had me hooked and I did not want the story to end. Loved it!!