This book has a great mix of romance, sexiness, and angst. The chemistry between Tuck and Francesca drives the book and an accidental pregnancy adds to the angst. A fun page turner with great dialogue that made me smile. I'm looking forward to Jasper's story.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced reader copy for an honest review.

This book was an easy read that had two likeable le characters that overcame past trauma to find love during unlikely circumstances. I loved that Francisca was able to think for herself and felt like a character that you are rooting for throughout the book when life seemed challenging for her.

Give this book all of the stars! I cannot accurately express in words how much I love this book. I was already so excited to read Tuck’s story after the first book, but this book exceeded all of my expectations. I just want more in the series- maybe even a novella featuring Ronan, Nova, Tuck, and Francesca?!

3.5 stars

E-arc provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

When Francesca Lane is betrayed by her fiancé, she puts on her wedding dress and ditches the altar for a masquerade party at an exclusive club, where she meets Tuck Avery. One thing leads to another and they end up having a steamy, incognito, one night stand.

When her anonymous masked lover turns out to be her wealthy NFL star neighbour, she decides to keep out of his way and decides not to let him know of her identity. But things don't go as planned and an unexpected plus sign on a pregnancy test puts a new twist to their story.

The blurb caught my attention because the tropes mentioned are exactly my jam! And it didn't disappoint. The chemistry was hot, they were funny, the side characters were interesting and it was an enjoyable, breezy read.

They agreed it would be one night only, no strings. But then, they keep running in the other. Is it coincidence, fate or is one of them a stalker? Francesca and Tuck are two broken people looking for family, love and acceptance. He fears turning into his father, she fears rejection.
The story is easy to read, some parts are a bit cheesy but all in all, I’ve enjoyed it.

Ugh. I desperately wanted to love this book. Not only did I love the first in the series (standalones) but the premise is my kryptonite! Sadly, it was not meant to be.

I can't help but this that maybe the book hadn't been polished and wasn't ready for reviewers. It was a mess. A complete and total mess. It was a whole lot of tell, and not a lot of show. I was annoyed by 40%, aggravated at 60%, and completely p***ed off by 75%. The beginning was good, the middle was a jumbled mess, and the end was rushed and poorly contrived.

Not good.

I'm torn with this book.
I connected a bit more with Ronan and Nova from the first book, but I liked the pregnancy aspect of Princess and the Player.
I enjoyed Tuck's first meeting with Francesca a lot. I've read things similarly written before but what made this one unique was the vibe Isla painted.
Excited to see whose story is next.

Thanks for the opportunity to read this arc!

This book interested me because I’ve read another book by this author. Although the book had one of my least favorite tropes in it, I was pleasantly surprised that I didn’t mind it at all in this story.
I do like that Tuck got his stuff together much faster than other stories I’ve read. Nothing annoys me more when over half the book is a should I or shouldn’t I conundrum. It’s a waste of good writing space.
My favorite character is Darden…he cracks me up and I love how fiercely protective he is of Francesca and tries to be grumpy about it. Overall, I love Francesca and Tuck’s story. I can’t wait to read more that in this universe!!

3.5 stars

I was really excited to see this book on NetGalley! So excited in fact that it took no time at all for me ti download it and read it instantly! The blurb caught my attention immediately, I love the whole Romeo and Juliet esque, they don't know who the other is because they're at a masquerade ball, so good right? Very princess fairytale!

Either way, the beginning of this book was great and fun while the two were bantering and while the female MC was playing hard to get. It got kind of rocky towards the middle and end when things started to not go so well for the couple, hence my rating. I'm also not a huge fan if the surprise pregnancy trope, but didn't mind it in this book.

I appreciate the harder topics that were introduced and talked about throughout the book and with how they were dealt as well while regarding the pasts of the MCs.

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for the earc in return for an honest review.

Hooked from the start I really like the writing style and the creative prowess the author uses to help you connect with Francesca and Tuck as you follow their romance throughout the book.

The humour was on point throughout and found the dialect, betwewn characters, drew me in and was one of the highlights of the book. Plus the steamy scenes were a bonus.

My favourite aspects of the book were; The depth of the character's backgrounds and how it impacts on their decisions throughout the story. Another fav of mine was the 'family' of additional characters introduced and the sense of individuality, warmth and kinship you feel from them. To me it just added another layer to a great story.

I am so glad I gave this author another chance!!
I absolutely loved this book! It was fun, steamy,
and it gave all kinds of feels. It was also refreshing,
the characters were AMAZING, all of them.
🏈Sport Romance
🥵One-Night Stand
🥺Found Family
I'm looking forward to read more book from this
series😉

The Princess and the Player is the second installment in the Strangers in Love series by Ilsa Madden-Mills. This story follows Tuck Avery, a NFL wide receiver past his prime, and Francesca Lane, an artist feeling lost.

After an unconventional meet-cute, Tuck and Francesca can't seem to avoid each other. In a city of millions, there seems to be a tether drawing them together. Is it fate? Or coincidence? In each other, they recognize a kindred spirit, leading them on a path neither anticipated traveling. A journey that is both amazing and terrifying.

Overall, this was a quality read. From the moment they met, it was clear Tuck and Francesca had great chemistry and an easy dynamic. Their romance was charming and spicy and moving. There was a nice balance.

If you are a fan of side characters with big personalities and even bigger hearts, this is the book for you! A great group of friends surrounded Francesca and Tuck, offering them so much love as they navigated a new relationship and various other life changes. Most of my favorite books showcase friendships that feel genuine and warm and constructive and that was on display here.

And as a lover of a good epilogue, my reader heart was shining during this one. You're going to want to stick around to see where these characters end up!

Potential Spoilers Below:

What I didn't love: I struggled with the length of time one character in particular was kept in the dark about something important. While I could understand the justification to some extent, the secrecy did invalidate some aspects of the romantic development for me unfortunately.

→ received an ARC in exchange for an honest review

I really loved how Ilsa dove into the complicated past of these two MCs and have them their HeA. There were tears, sass and a lot of laughs. I’m a sucker for this series so far!

Thank you to Amazon Publishing for the gifted copy of Princess and the Player by Ilsa Madden-Mills

Rating: 3.5 stars (rounded up)
Genre: Romance

After reading The Beauty and The Baller, I knew I wanted to read this one. The two main characters definitely had very intense, dark backgrounds. I thought the author did a great job handling that! Overall, this book was a miss for me. I just didn't connect to the characters, but I'm sure I will be in the minority on this one!

Read this if:
-You enjoy romance with characters with intense histories.
-You enjoy books by Ilsa Madden Mills
-You enjoy indie romance authors

Princess and the Player is the second book in the Strangers in Love series. It follows Ronan's former teammate Tuck Avery and a new female character; Francesca Lane. Francesca is meant to be getting married but that doesn't pan out who she hoped so she goes to a masquerade ball at an exclusive lifestyle club. At the club she meets Tuck but doesn't know he is a NFL star. They spend a night together but don't take their masks off. Francesca soon realises Tuck lives in the same building as her and they start going on walks together. It turns out Francesca is pregnant but with the tabloids and Tuck's fear of commitment what will she do? This book was an enjoyable read and the writing was very good. This is a four star book for me because I really did enjoy this just like the first book in the series. This romance book was a typical sports romance and the sex scenes were surprisingly hot.

*SPOILERS*
The only thing I didn't like was that Francesca didn't tell Tuck she was pregnant until after 75% and that just feels too dishonest. At this point they were already in a relationship and Francesca knew Tuck was a good guy. But that is definitely a personal issue and other readers wouldn't be bothered by this.

This book was definitely not what I was expecting in the best way possible!
I loved the immediate connection between Francesca and Tuck, I was rooting for them the entire time.
This book had me in my feelings and left me with a smile on my face when it ended! I would love to read more about their friends and their dynamic in more books!

Ilsa Madden-Mills has done it again. She has yanked at my heartstrings, caused a boat-load of tears, and made my heart twinge and pang with emotion. This is one of those stories that you immediately want to read again. Just like the first book in this series (Beauty and the Baller), it was an incredible ride of surprise, passion, happiness, devastation, redemption and many other amazing feelings. What makes this story different from many other contemporary romance books is that it these characters come with such depth. Francesca is a beautiful, strong woman who has overcome so much. All the while, Tuck is this successful NFL players with deep emotional trauma. Stories like this one instill the hope that all sorts of love can conquer many challenges life throws at people. I come away feeling a deep sense of fulfillment and awe after reading Princess and the Player and have decided Ilsa Madden-Mills books are an auto-buy.