Ilsa Madden-Mills never disappoints and her latest novel Princess and the Player had me staying up into the wee hours of the night to finish because it’s just that good!! Princess and the Player is the second novel is Ilsa’s Strangers in Love series and I was thrilled to get Tuck’s story!! Tuck is a super famous NFL superstar, so when he goes to a masquerade party he loves that the women who caught his eye that night has no idea who he is. The problem is he can’t get her off of his mind and he has no idea who she is!! The masked lady is Francesca, a super talented artist who is finding herself at a professional crossroads who didn’t expect to meet a handsome stranger at a party. I was completely in the hook at this point and I love what Ilsa had in mind for these two!!

This addictive read has everything I love in a great romance novel- sweet, steam, sass, and angst! The storyline was perfectly paced—I enjoyed it so much I read the entire book in record time! The cast of characters were so incredibly endearing! I love when major AND minor characters are memorable and Ilsa Madden-Mills came through big time in this novel! Princess and the Player is a 5 star read that I highly recommend! I am keeping my fingers crossed there will be many more future installments in this fantastic series!

My first read by Ilsa Madden-Mills and not my last. Masquerade Balls where strangers meet are my kryptonite. I enjoyed this story from start to finish.

Rated 4.5 Stars

Princess and the Player was my first book by this author but it won’t be my last. I thoroughly enjoyed Tuck and Francesca’s story. I thought it was just a light, fluffy and sexy story when I first started reading it but there was more to it than that which I loved. I enjoyed their journey and I’m definitely looking forward to reading the first book in the series. I definitely recommend it.

DNF. Unfortunately I got to about 30% and couldn't bring myself to finish the book. The characters were uninspiring and the drama felt unnecessary. Usually I am a huge fan of Ilsa Madden-Mills, but this book just didn't live up to any of her other work. I will definitely keep reading her books in the future even though this one was not a favorite of mine.

Tuck Avery is celebrating his 35th birthday. In lieu of spending it alone, he allows his friends to drag him to a private club where he meets a masked princess in a wedding gown. Behind the mask is Francesca Lane, seeking a good memory to replace the bad on the day she was supposed to marry her cheating finance. One night, no names, no strings, and still wearing their masks, they spend a fiery night together.

I LOVED this story. I loved the multi-layered storyline, the characters, and everything mixed in. I loved Tuck. Beneath the charisma and charming smile is a man with deep-rooted pain. Francesca is just as complex. She's a small spitfire who hasn't let her hard life scar her.

The story was heartfelt and hopeful. I found myself smiling in parts and feeling a swell of emotions in others. There's a lot of heat here, and even though it's frequent and steamy, it doesn't overshadow the romance or emotion woven into the story. There's inner turmoil, a battle of wills, and mending hearts. This is also a story about found family and the strong bonds formed by ride-or-die friends. I absolutely loved the supporting cast of characters and how they added to Tuck and Francesca's journey. I loved Jasper's chaos, Cee's extravagance, and Darden's bristly nature.

Was this a perfect story? Nope. Were there secrets that should have been revealed much sooner? Absolutely. But just as this story proved, even when something is meant to happen, it doesn't always play out the way we plan. And I just went with it and loved watching these two fall in love and how they struggled with their demons at every turn. This story just worked for me from the fun beginning to the strikingly beautiful end.

/I received an early edition of this book. This did not affect my opinion of the book or content of my review./

Princess and the Player is a new sports romance in Ilsa Madden-Mills series, Strangers in Love. This is the 2nd book in the series but it can definitely be read as a stand-alone. After sharing a passionate together at a masquerade ball, the hero and heroine run into one another later realizing they live in the same building.

I like a sports romance and don’t mind surprise baby trope, but this one just didn’t work for me because I felt the romance was lacking. However, I always enjoy Ilsa Madden-Mills, so I will continue to read her books and look forward to them.

I must admit that I personally loved the first book in the series much more than this one.
Same writing, same great character development and a story that makes me swoon and want to slap and kiss at the same time both of them.
It’s going to be another hit from one of my all times favourites authors!

4.5 stars

This book started a little shakey for me but once it hit its
stride it was the fun weekend read I was looking for. I
wish that Francesca had not kept the secret foe such
an uncomfortably long time and that the conflict at the
end hadn't resolved so quickly and seemingly out of the
blue but the fantasy of the hot football player wooing
the object of his affection through winter time walks and
lavished attention made it all worth while.

A Five-star read that sparkles like the best tiara. This is number two in the Strangers in Love series, but they can easily be read as stand-alone. Francesca is just someone you warm too, she has her spiky edges, but she is so warm under it all, she attracts people to her like waves receding into the shoreline, they have no choice. There has to be the underlier, the rouge wave that goes its own way, but that wave soon disappears into the ocean. Tuck really is something else, not just the player he portrays, but something deeper. I adored the writing and really felt in my bones that Francesca and Tuck are two halves of a whole. There are so many amazing characters in this story, each one has something special in them, and I am so hoping we can hear more about several of them.

A little too much fluff and not quite enough plot for me. I liked the Tuck and Francesca characters but I felt like the story kind of dragged on a little. Thank you, NetGalley. I always feel guilty when I don’t love it!

Omg if I thought I loved Beauty and the Baller. Book 2 of the series out did it ! You meet tuck in beauty and the baller as Ronan’s best friend . It’s hard not to love him in book one.

But man book two , your heart really only has eyes for Tuck. Troubled childhood, anger issues , Tuck only has one thing on his mind Football. He meets the stunning Francesca masked while at an exclusive club, one steamy one night stand later. Francesca bumps into Tuck, the man she dislikes , and quickly realizes that he is her one night stand . Throw in a pregnancy . Can a chance encounter turn in to more ? Will these two stop fighting the inevitable?!

Fantastic book! Oh my I hope Ilsa continues on with this series , it has humor, some really steamy scenes and lots of chemistry .

I couldn’t put it down . Thank you NetGalley and Ilsa Madden-Mills for this ARC

There was a lot to love in this novel. I have read most of the author’s catalogue and the tone of this piece felt quite different. I really appreciated the sex positive representation of sex work and alternative lifestyles beyond what is often portrayed in BDSM romances. The relationships between the heroine and her found family were compelling but I never really connected with the romance. There was a lot of talking *about* the development of their relationship, like meaningful walks & dates the main characters’ mention in their inner monologues but we don’t actually see these moments happen. Overall their relationship felt more like lust than love but was still an enjoyable read.

This was my first Ilsa Madden-Mills but will definitely NOT be my last!

Tuck gets whisked away to a masquerade event at a sex club for his birthday [against his will]. He's the football player who dates supermodels and goes on yachts.

Francesca is a tattoo artist that was abandoned at a police station when she was born with just a locket for show. She also attends the masquerade event, wearing her wedding dress.

What happens to be a one night stand turns into an unexpected pregnancy. Tuck has a messed up past that leaves him screaming from being a dad. Francesca has a baby on the way.... but will parenthood be in story for this football player?

I devoured Princess and the Player in less than a day. It was a steamy ride that unearthed emotions from both main characters. Told in dual POVs, I felt for both Francesca and Tuck emotionally. I cannot wait to read and see what else Madden- Mills has up her sleeve.


Thank you Montlake publishing for my arc in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was an enjoyable read! I really enjoyed Beauty and the Baller so I was very excited to read Princess and the Player. I was excited to read about Tuck. He was such a goofy character so I liked that we got see more depth to him. I liked the fact that Tuck and Francesca both had dark pasts and they were able to relate to one another. I also really liked the side characters especially Jasper. I need him to have his own book! All the talk about fate was cool to read as well! The one negative I had was I wish we actually saw Ronan and Nova instead of them just being mentioned. Overall this was a very enjoyable read!

'Beauty and the Baller' (book 1 in the Stranger in Love' series is one of my favourite series of the year, so I was eagerly anticipating 'Princess and the Player' especially after meeting Tuck in the first book.

Unfortunately this fell a little bit short of my expectations, which is shame because it has all the usual tropes that I adore - accidental pregnancy, one-night stand and sports romance. I really struggled to get into the story and the romance, I didn't feel connected to Tuck and Francesca, and I just did not feel like the chemistry was really there between those two.

It wasn't all bad and definitely had its fun moments, I liked the banter for the most part but there was just too much against it (chemistry as mentioned previously, wasn't particularly a fan of the side characters and the conflict and resolution just felt rushed) for me to truly enjoy this read and just felt deflated by the end.

After Beauty and the Baller, I was excited for this one. I have read a few of Ilsa’s books in the past, before this series, and enjoyed them.. so we were pumped for book #2 of a series I thought was promising already.

It was… okay. I liked enough of it and it was solid enough, but I thought it didn’t really hold up to the first book. I liked Tuck and Francesca was okay… I don’t know what it was really? I think it was a lot of little things that just added up by the end of the book and brought me to where I am now. I think I liked everyone together but no one individually? Like when our couples/friends were together.

I didn’t completely dislike it but it was both not amazing and not terrible. I’d give it like 3-3.5 stars.

This was solid, and might be my favorite book from her to date! The heat between Tuck and Francesca is insane and instantaneous. She’s escaping her cheating fiancé and he’s escaping expectations.

After she starts her new life, she finds out her new neighbor is her one night stand. These two are in for the surprise of a lifetime when Francesca ends up pregnant.

I adore the pregnancy trope when done right, and this was definitely done right. On top of that, Tuck and Francesca are broken and this circumstances forces them to start to heal. A very nuanced read with a lot of depth.

As always with Ilsa, the side characters are superb and add so much to the story and to the universe she’s creating.

I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I haven‘t devoured a book this fast in a long time! Ilsa Madden-Mills seriously writed some of the best hero‘s of all time and you fall in love with those hero‘s so fast. Exactly that happened to me with Tuck.

Francesca and Tuck‘s story was hands down AMAZING! I got sucked into their story from the irst page onward and loved every second of it. At the end I even wanted more and more of them.
I felt all the feelings reading this book. My heart broke for both characters and what they have been through but together they were stronger then ever!

5⭐️

I was so excited to receive this book as an e-ARC. I loved the other book in the series. This book didn't disappoint. I loved the connection between Tuck and Francesca. I loved the pregnancy story line and how the author developed the story. I can't wait to see what Ilsa Madden-Mills comes out with next. I was very dedicated to the characters and loved Francesca's "family".

Tuck is a famous football player. Francesca is an artist who grew up in foster care. They are both at an exclusive club. They have a wonderful night of sex, both wearing masks. They use condoms and Francesca is on birth control. They live in the same exclusive building. Francesca is pregnant from their night together. They start a relationship but Tuck is emotionally damaged. He doesn’t want a family. Francesca is afraid to tell him about the baby. There are many twists and turns in their relationship.

The book kept me wanting to read until the end. I loved it.