Princess and the Player is book 2 of the Strangers in Love series by Ilsa Madden-Mills. Tuck is a pro football player who just turned 35, so his teammates decide to take Tuck to a sex club. Having had a bad experience at a strip club stalker, Tuck, is somewhat reluctant. That is, until he runs slam into a beautiful bride we’d just called off her wedding. The two have a one night stand and vow: no names, no strings, and no removal of their masks. All that goes out the window once a surprise pregnancy is involved. I loved this book, although at times I thought certain lines were kind of cheesy. Still, I loved the plot, steam, and secondary characters. Book 2 is so different from Beauty and the Baller, but in the best way. I was totally not expecting to like Tuck so much and I really loved the strong heroine Madden-Mills created with Francesca. I highly recommend.

Princess and the Player was pleasant. We met Tuck in the first book in the series as Ronan's best friend. He had his moments where he shined. Though now it was his time to get the starring role. There is so much more to Tucker than originally thought. Yes he can be the fun loving guy who's there for his friend but he has his own issues. He has a sad past and it was interesting to see how it affects him. Francesca the heroine has her own issues as well but girl was determined not to let them overcome her. Two people with troubled pasts come together and like Francesca says it must be fate with how much they interconnect. Tuck and Francesca had that nice chemistry so it was intriguing to see what will happen with these two. It was a fine ride. I liked the side characters of Tuck's and Francesca's friends. They really added that extra layer to the story. Overall, a nice read.

This is such a beautiful story. I loved Francesca and Tuck. I love how they met and how their relationship unfolded. I felt bad for what they had both been through. Neither one had it easy growing up. Though Tuck comes from money doesn’t mean he had everything he could ever want growing up.
Francesca grew up in foster care but she has her own little family that she has chosen. I love how ther are there for her her and are willing to do anything for her.
I must say I wanted to slap Tuck sometimes and I got teary eyed a few times. There were also some moments that made me laugh.
I love Tucks friend Jasper. He’s like a happy, untrained puppy. But he’s lovable and I would love it if he got a book also.
I highly recommend this book.

Tuck & Francesca’s story is book 2 in Mills’ Strangers in Love series.

This started off a bit slow for me. It wasn’t until they meet the second time that I was all in and invested in them as a couple.

Tuck is an aging Pro NFL Wide Receiver. He has more aches and pains after each game than yards gained on the field. His days as a player are numbered and he is not ready to face that, or what come next. One thing is certain, marriage and a family are not in his plans.

Finding out Francesca was a tattoo artist was an unusual twist and unexpected. Abandoned as a baby, bounced around in her youth and young adulthood, she has developed a tough exterior and strong survival skills. What she longs for is to be chosen, for those she cares about to stay. Finding herself pregnant after that magical night is terrifying. She never imagined herself as a single mother.

Tuck & Francesca each have their own demos to battle, and bury before they can truly move on and accept love. But will they?

The mystery of Francesca’s locket was not the outcome I expected, it works though. I loved Jasper, he is the comedic relief here. This story was more emotional than I anticipated. Would have loved to see a reunion with Ronan & Nova in the epilogue.

Tucker and Francesca’s story was one I’d been waiting for because I simply adored Tuck in Ronan’s story.

I enjoyed the overall story and the amount of trauma and heartbreak both MCs had gone through to get where they were to date. I appreciated Tuck’s inability to let anyone too close and his sense of feeling unworthy. That man had been through some things! I loved that sports was a primary plot point but it wasn’t in your face or overdone.

Fran’s background set her up for a similar detrimental mindset. Her support system was incredible and I just loved her unique relationships she’d forged.

T & F’s path’s crossing was a bit kismet and as the story unfolded, they found more coincidences in their intertwined lives. Which I was all for! I loved the little details the author brought to light as the story progressed. The steam in this read was excellent and just the right amount of balance for the read.

Womp womp, the not awesome bits…
I can’t stand it in secret / surprise pregnancy tropes when a FMC refuses to tell the MMC that she’s pregnant! It’s so ridiculous, especially in this story’s case. That was the major plot point that I couldn’t get behind.

I also thought the storyline around the ‘insert family relation discovery here, to not spoil anything’ was unnecessary and didn’t bring much to the story. Yes, it was awesome that Fran found out about her past but it seemed so odd how it all unfolded. I just expected something less scandalous and more… Fran.

Overall, Princess and the Player was a solid read! The characters were all fantastic (and I’m a sucker for awesome side characters which this book had so many of!). It had so much heart and emotion. I loved the ending and the way things eventually played out. I closed this book with a smile on my face. I also LOVED the appearance of Tucker’s teammate, River Tate!

I adored Tuck and Francesca from the very first page. They both have a lot of trauma and pain in their lives that they’ve had to survive and forge on from. They have insane chemistry that just crackles off the page. I love they both have a “found family” of friends they rely on, that are the funniest supporting characters. Jasper is my favorite of favorites, he’s just a dumpling of happiness that brings that much needed touch of levity. I absolutely devoured this book.

Ilsa Madden-Mills just never really disappoints! THIS.WOMAN! I mean, even when her stories haven’t blown me away, she still does not disappoint!

Tuck & Francesca #win fell-good romance of the year for me. Their story was a pleasure to get lost in both when I read it and when I listened to it just two nights ago! I know, I’m #extra with the whole reading and listening but the audio was $1.99 … I mean … So I stopped myself from writing a review until I had gone thru both formats to see if maybe the audio enhanced my experience and whatnot. Spoiler alert, it did not because I already loved it :) (but I should note that there have been times in the past when the audio ruined the whole experience for me, this is just not one of those times)

The surprise pregnancy angel has been written a million times before, but I found that all the little nuances that Ilsa made part of this journey made it fresh and new for me. You’ll have to read the book to get some of these points, but I loved the living situation she created with Tuck and Francesca. It gave the story an air of kismet that felt organic for them. I also really loved the parallel to Ronan & Nova’s meet (the first book in this series, Beauty and the Baller) not only with how well they connected but also the circumstance behind being where they were and why. It connected the two books in a unique way.

For a romantic comedy, I found the story to be much more emotional than expected. Yes, it had plenty of entertainment and light-hearted plot-points, but the substance of the story held an emotional line straight to my heart and I found myself deeply invested in the outcome of not just their journey, but them as individuals! The secondary characters added not just levity to the story, but also enhanced the overall tone of the story.

My heart still belongs to Ronan & Nova but I might just let Tuck & Francesca visit and stay for a while :) Well done once again, Ilsa!

Francesca and Tuck's story is not to be missed. Tuck is one of the older players on his NFL team and for his birthday a couple of the younger guys plan a birthday surprise at a sex club where masks were required. From the moment Francesco runs into Tuck you know their story will be great. But how do you find that person again when you know nothing but their eyes and a few other details. Both have had difficult upbringings and are afraid to get hurt. But a chance meeting has them in each others lives again. I loved their back stories, their coincidences, their fate, how they both conquered their fears and fought for their future!!! I loved everything about this book - their friends, their "family" and their road to love.

Francesca and Tuck's story was very entertaining, I love the way they meet, and how fate had other things in mind for these two. She being in a difficult situation made me like her more, how she overcame everything. Then we get the mysterious NFL player and things start to spark. It was a sweet story with a good HEA ending, another amazing addition to the strangers in Love series.

I’m not crying, you’re crying. What started out as an anonymous hook up, became something more. When all the coincidences between Tuck and Francesca kept lining up, I knew it had to be something more. For a player, he felt something more for Francesca which was a big departure from his usual. Add in the side stories about Francesca’s parentage and her found family, most especially Darden, my eyes leaked more than I expected. Some lines that really rigged at my heart:

Francesca: He is something I never imagined I needed.

Tuck: You are my soul, he said. The light that guides me home. So why does it matter if it was sooner than we might have anticipated?

Sigh… laugh, get angry, cry, stomp your feet, swoon. All that and more.

I received an advance copy of this book at my request and voluntarily left this review.

This book begins with Tuck’s teammates taking him out for his birthday...to a masquerade... at a sex club. He didn’t know what to expect but when he runs into a woman dressed as a bride, he wasn’t expecting her to be rude to him and run off after. When Jasper, Tucks friend, makes a bet with him that he can sleep with the runaway bride, of course Tuck says he’ll do it. He’s got that competitiveness in his body and won’t back down.

“𝐖𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐨. 𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐰𝐨: 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐫. 𝐀 𝐧𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐲 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐚 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐥. 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲?”

Francesca is heart broken from her ex and decides she’s going to wear her wedding dress to a masquerade party. This party ends in a one night stand and both characters stay anonymous to each other. But both couldn’t forget about that night. So what happens when Tuck and Francesca realize they both lived in the same building the whole time? Ahhhh! 😆

I thought this book was so cute and add in a surprise pregnancy, yes!! I honestly love this trope for some reason. ☺️🤭 I devoured this book in less than a day and enjoyed it so much! Even all the side characters were great in here. 🤍💖🤍

Princess and the Player is the second book in the Stangers in Love Series by Ilsa Madden Mills and stayed all night to finish the book. This book was so good from the first chapter that it gave me all the feels. I’m a huge llsa Madden Mills fan & this book was just fantastic!
I absolutely loved the wonderful dialogue, hilarious secondary characters, steamy sex. Francesca and Tuck meet at a costume party at sex club. There is instant attraction which leads to an anonymous one night stand with no names exchanged.
This book was an absolute hit, well-written and well paced with so many likeable characters.
Thank you Social butterfly and to author for the eARC received to provide honest opinion.

4.5 Stars
Another winner by Ilsa Madden-Mills! I could not put this one down. The characters pulled me right into this one. It's Tuck's turn for his story to be told. With his backstory and childhood he deserves this misfit put together awesome family. Sometimes family isn't blood, but the friends you make along the way. Francesca hasn't had it easy either, but she has some really awesome people in her corner. A masquerade party she goes to changes her life in more ways than one. I really hope Jasper gets his story told because the guy is a hoot! There is plenty of heart and emotions along with steam, but the humor was one of my favorite parts. I loved that Francesca has two great ride or die besties. Her elderly neighbor also looks out for her. His grumpy persona covers up a huge heart. There are some bumps in the road because what these two have gone through opening up and trust are hard to come by. The epilogue was the perfect touch and made me so very happy! This is a must read!!

Once I started this story, I could not stop. “Princess and the Player” is a steamy, fun and emotional story and I was pulled in from the moment Tuck and Francesca met.

Tuck and Francesca meet one night at an exclusive adult club where masks stay on and fantasies come true. Agreeing to no names and no kissing, the two have an incredible night together. But when they run into each other weeks later, even though they had masks on, they figure out who each other is almost right away. Fate also intervenes in another surprising way.

From the very first moment, you could feel the chemistry that was brewing between Tuck and Francesca. They didn’t have the most common first meeting but it was perfect for them. Tuck is caring and has a big heart despite fighting some pretty hard demons from his childhood. I admired his vulnerability when he let Francesca in. Francesca was an instant favorite for me. Smart, independent and she knows her worth. She also had a tough childhood and was able to connect with Tuck on a different level. I wasn’t expecting to go through all the emotions while reading this story and I loved every moment. The secondary characters of Jasper, Cece, Brogan, and Darden were amazing additions to the story and provided the family feel both desperately wanted. This story is so well rounded and will be on my re-read list for sure.

Princess and The Player swept me off my feet within pages and kept me so absorbed that the crazy LSU-Alabama game couldn't even keep my eyes off the page. I wish I could adequately put my finger on what made this such a fun read for me instead of just rambling, but probably I'll just ramble. For instance, I could go on and on about how much I enjoyed that despite both Tuck and Francesca's upbringings left much to desired (understatement of the month), they both found success. Neither of them had great role models of family or love and yet they made their own families with friends, neighbors, and teammates. I liked that they both seemed to avoid emotional attachments but found each other and couldn't help but be vulnerable, even when they didn't think they were or didn't want to be. I liked their kindness, their chemistry, their dates, their unlikely pairing, and their taste in friends. I liked that while I didn't know what to expect after reading Beauty and the Baller, the story of Jude and Tuck wasn't anything I expected; it was wonderfully different than the first book in this series. Ultimately, I think I really just liked spending time with them on a rainy Saturday and find myself still thinking of them.



All the pieces and parts of Princess and The Player worked for me: the meet cute, the angst, their backstories, the friends, the chemistry, and their happily ever after. All of it blended together into the perfect way to spend my day and I am hopeful that there are more stories to read in this series.

What an enjoyable read this book was. It not only had amazing characters to fall in love with but wonderful secondary characters as well.

Its funny how things can change in the blink of an eye. An evening of no strings and no names leaves both Francesca and Tuck weeks later with memories of their encounter.

When they cross paths again and realize what they have already shared they tread lightly into wanting more. Their pasts casting shadows on what could be. But it seems as if there may be something else navigating their future……a positive pregnancy test.

I enjoyed getting to know both Tuck and Francesca’s pasts. It shed light on some of their behaviors and resistance to admit their true feelings.

Their story is full of both highs and lows but so worth the trip to the end zone! Although this is the second installment in this series from Ilsa Madden-Mills this story can definitely be enjoyed as a standalone.

Princess and the Player by Ilsa Madden-Mills is the second book in the Strangers in Love series and it works well as a standalone. I didn’t know what to expect, this being my first experience with the author’s work. Well, Madden-Mill gave her readers an emotional, sexy and light-hearted story.

I had fun with the Princess and the Player. It provided the perfect blend of romance and humor. Although not a fan of the surprise pregnancy trope, I thought this was well done. The story had my full attention from the first page. I started out reading the e-book, then switched over to audio.

Both the hero and heroine have tortured pasts. A past which can cause severe emotional damage. They both survived. However, they were not at the point when it didn’t influence their decisions. Tuck grew up surrounded by wealth, but lived in a dysfunctional home. While Francesca was abandoned as a baby and spent all her life going from one foster home to the next. She never experienced the true meaning of family until she turned eighteen, when she met Cece, Brogan, and Mr. Darden. They brought light and fun moments to the story, with their crazy antics and snarky remarks.

My heart ached for them both, learning of the pain and hurt they both went through. Despite the difference, their past crippled them both, hindering them from forming meaningful relationships. Their pain helped to fuel their careers. Francesca found joy in her art, while Tuck buried his pain in his love for football. So one can understand the reason retirement from the very thing that saved him would scare him.

Now, regarding the pregnancy, this was kept a secret from Tuck for the majority of the story. I kept wondering when she would tell him and how he would react. Her reasons, fueled by fear of rejection, for holding out for so long, were understandable. His reaction upon learning the truth disappointed me, but he redeemed himself. After his redeeming moment, it would have been nice seeing him more hands on during the rest of the pregnancy. The ending was good, but the epilogue warmed my heart and left me with a big smile.

The narration was good. Lee Samuels and Stella Bloom delivered solid characters and provided the perfect complement for each other. This is my first time listening to both of them together, although I have listened to Stella Bloom collaboration with another narrator before. I enjoyed their performance and wouldn’t hesitate to listen to either again–whether as a solo or a dual narration.

Princess and The Player is a great follow-up to Beauty and the Baller! Tuck is Ronan's best friend/former teammate, so the books are loosely connected, but Player is a complete standalone.

The book opens when Tuck and Francesca meet while wearing masks at a sex club neither of them have frequented before. It's his birthday, but he's mourning the crossroads he's at facing the end of his career and his messed-up family life, and she's mourning what would have been her wedding day and her cheating fiance. Their meeting started out as a bet, and their incredible connection led them to an incredible one-night stand.

But fate had plans for Tuck and Francesca, because they keep crossing paths. They live in the same building! They can't deny the sparks between them, but Francesca believes Tuck to be a player and is determined to stay far away. Especially after she discovers that she's pregnant and Tuck never wants a family.

While I hate it when the heroine puts off telling the hero that she's pregnant in the surprise-baby trope, I did appreciate how that played into the development of Francesca and Tuck's relationship. As a foster kid, all she's ever wanted was a family. And he's had nothing but disappointment in his life because of his family. As they spend time together, Tuck's walls start coming down, and Fran realizes that she was wrong about him being a player, but that he's a genuinely nice guy. But how can they make their situation work?

I also really enjoyed the supporting players. Jasper and Brogan and CeCe are all hoots, and I adored Mr. Darden and the Widow. Both Francesca and Tuck had families of their choosing, and I loved how they ultimately decided to choose each other as well. I just wish Fran would have told Tuck earlier about her pregnancy rather than hide it for so long.

I received an advanced copy from the publisher via NetGalley and voluntarily left a review.

2.75-3 stars

Okay, so I really really wanted to love this book. It has the things I need. We have an alpha football player who meets this beautiful girl on his birthday in an elegent and private sexi club. There's chemistry there's fire - after she called him a pervert - there's a one-night stand where no information about themselves is shared. After, they can't stop thinking about each other. She also...kinda gets pregnant. I enjoyed some part and others not so much. I'm a fan of the pregnancy trope, accidental/surprise/planned, I don't care I love it. However, in this one I felt like it took too long before she told Tuck. He wasn't happy - ofc- she got upset and then she forgives him...too fast. I need groveling, when you've done someone wrong I.NEED.GOOD.GROVELING! The book was promicing, entertaining and had great tropes and I really liked Jasper and the other side characters. And I also really thought France and Tuck had great chemistry but I needed more. I usually say that a book had too may chapters, this one needed more. I think it was a bit rushed. I wish there was more.
More details
More scenes
More slow.
Just more so everything could wrap up. Because it has everything it needs to be really really good.

I am simply obsessed with this Ilsa Madden-Mills world. The banter, the steam, the quirky and dynamic characters, the great balance of lightness with emotional substance, the tender feelings and heartfelt sincerity of the storytelling- they all come together for such a delightfully fun and sweet reading experience. I was especially excited for this outing because I wanted more of Tuck (and Cherry!) after the amazing first outing in this world. And Tuck was everything I wanted and more. Charming, the right balance of arrogant and endearing, posturing but adorable….like how could you not adore him? And he’s sexy AF. But Ilsa also gives him so much emotional meat- there’s a complexity and heaviness to him that we didn’t get to see when he was the secondary best friend, a broken and tortured quality to him that lies underneath his sunshiney and fun bravado. It made me love him even more. But our heroine- well, she I never saw coming. Francesca is all sharp edges, sass, and fierce intensity- but yet again a facade for a broken and lonely heart that’s aching for connection and emotional security. What starts as a fun and flirty banter-filled beginning swells into a much more layered and complicated story- with lots of angst, traumatic pasts, emotional tension and latent baggage that manifests as distrust…but also lots of no-strings sexiness that gets messy really fast courtesy of a little surprise. While I missed getting to play with our OG characters, I loved the new setting and the new menagerie of amazingly entertaining secondary characters. No one writes funny but substantive characters quite like Ilsa- there’s such a keen character specificity yet a comforting relatability to every one of them. Which means they are imperfect, make mistakes, and let their insecurities and baggage get in the way of what they need….even if they didn’t know they wanted it. I loved the theme of that- how we can acknowledge the trauma of our past pain, but how we also have to recognize it is just part of who we are and that we have the agency to decide if it stands in the way to our happiness, we have control to do the work to find a path forward that breaks cycles and opens our hearts. Sometimes we just need to get out of our own way- lean into the journey that fate puts right in front of us. These two were clearly fated- and at long last, the Princess saves the Prince.