While I love both of these narrators, not even their phenomenal portrayal of these characters done in duet narration could save this for me. This is one of those books that’s marketed as an enemies to lovers which really the character characters aren’t enemies at all. Sure, she feels some hatred for a bit towards him, and for some unknown reason, he doesn’t want to like her because pretty much of how attracted he is to her? Which really is just stupid to me. The plot was incredibly lacking. The FMC is supposed to be this all sports knowing journalist, but somehow doesn’t have the faintest idea about anything with football? Even after being in love with the main male character when she was in high school they’re telling me an obsessed high school girl didn’t learn every inch of football?? Nearly everything about this book felt unnecessary and forced. The ending was cute I guess but pretty much the book is just a massive miscommunication trope and was very MEH. Like I said, the narration was phenomenal, but the writing was severely lacking The narration is why this book is two stars other than that it would’ve been a DNF for me. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my audio arc. This is my honest review.

I loved how the story came alive between Jake and Harper. The heat between them was instant and it was too good to put down! I love the dual POV and the enemies to lovers plot line. The other characters even drew me in so much that I can't wait to read the rest of the Oakwood Ranch series and find out what happens with the brothers and Mia! Needless to say, I'm hooked!

Harper is a journalist whose assignment is to help clear the famous football star, Jakes, reputation to keep the sponsors happy. She is to stay with him for weeks while she writes up her article to show the world who Jake really is. The problem is that they went to high school together and Harper is sure that she already knows exactly who Jake really is…and it’s not positive. After spending time together, Harper might discover that things aren’t always what they seem to be.

I really enjoyed this sports romance!! I found the characters to be likable and I was really cheering them on! The descriptions were so good that as I was listening I felt like I was at the football games! I am excited to continue on with this series!


Read if you like:
-sports romance
-forced proximity
-workplace romance
-grumpy x sunshine
-found family

Also- I absolutely loved the last little twist at the end!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for allowing me to listen and review this book. This is definitely a solid 3.5/5 stars. The writing of the book and the narrating were great and the only place that left me wanting more was the beginning. It was a slow beginning and kind of lacked the fire and intensity that was in the end of the book. I truly liked the love story of Harper and Jake AND also Football (what’s not to love?!) I just wish there was more detail and just more in the beginning instead of leaving all the detail and excitement for the last 25-30% of the book. I definitely will still want to read more books in the series though!

[ALC Review]

Got the ALC copy of this book from NetGalley, and i just love it!! it made me feel things and everything. i really enjoyed this book since you can never go wrong with a fluffy, spicy sports romance! very easy listen!

A Score to Settle was such a fun and easy listen! As a football romance, it had the perfect balance of lighthearted charm and emotional pull. The story moved at a great pace, making it one of those books you can slip right into and enjoy from start to finish.
Sean Masters and Andi Arndt did an incredible job. They brought so much personality and depth to their characters. Their performances made the banter sharper, the chemistry stronger, and the emotional beats hit even harder.
If you enjoy sports romance with engaging characters and strong narration, this is one to add to your TBR (or your audiobook queue)!

I had the incredible privilege of experiencing the audiobook version of "Score to Settle," and I must say, the voice actors really brought the story to life! Their performances were absolutely outstanding, and I loved the dynamic dual dialogue—they added such depth and emotion to the characters' interactions.

As for the story itself, Jake is such a cheeky character! His witty remarks and unexpected twists kept me on my toes. And that ending—oh my goodness, I was left completely speechless.

Honestly, I’m doing my best not to spoil anything because I want everyone to experience this for themselves, but I just can't express how fantastic this book is! It truly held my attention from start to finish.

A quick, fun, sports romance! The audiobook was fabulous. Andi Arndt & Sean Masters brought this duet to life. You want a sassy FMC? Andi brings it. You want deep and delicious? Sean is your man. This book had me laughing, crying, yelling and kicking my feet. It had all my favorite tropes: Enemies-to-lovers, Forced proximity & Grumpy sunshine. Harper is given an assignment to report on another other than her high school crush who crushed her heart years ago. Jake is that crush and he’s trying to salvage his image so he can continue the dream of playing for the local professional football team. The tension between these two is fabulous and the banter is great. It had highs and lows and could take you from emotional crying to hot and spicy. When the spice spiced it was fire. I only wish there was an epilogue for this book because it felt like it ended abruptly. Thank you, NetGalley for allowing me the pleasure of listening to another great audio!

This was a fun sports romance read. This debut novel was good and caught and held my attention the entire time. Harper and Jake are such a cute sports romance couple! There were so many of my favorite tropes in there- enemies to lovers and forced proximity and then you throw in grumpy x sunshine too. Really enjoyed the sports side of it and I definitely felt that if you didn't know anything about American football you wouldn't be lost at all.

I would recommend for fans of sports romances, or who love any of the tropes mentioned above. Or even to people who just want a cute romance book.

The Audiobook was narrated in duet style by Andi Arndt and Sean Masters. They both did a great job. They really brought the characters to life, and I was consumed with the need to keep listening to them. I really enjoyed their take on this book.

Thank you NetGalley for the Advance Copy in exchange for my honest review.

💜Score to Settle💜

Thank you to Netgalley, Bella North, and Bookouture Audio for this audiobook ARC

This book was so fun to read! I enjoyed every minute of this audiobook and getting to watch them fall in love.

Harper is so relateable. She has been burned in the past and this leads to issues trusting people even when she loves them. I think shes someone a lot of people could relate to and her growth throughout the book is admirable. I love that her and Jake compliment each other and only make each other better.

I loved Jake’s character! There is so much depth to him. I loved how genuine we get to see he is as everything unfolds and that we get to watch him allow himself to love.

🌶️❤️‍🔥The spice was so good and was written perfectly into the story. This book is definitely a slow burn but the spice did not disappoint. ❤️‍🔥🌶️

This is the first football romance I have read and I am definitely excited to read more. I loved the story, the characters, and the spice. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who loves sports romance. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would read this again.

✨Tropes✨
Sports Romance
Forced Proximity
Slow Burn
Enemies to Lovers
Found Family

So good loved this audio book! I couldn’t stop listening to it! Thank you for the chance at listening to it

I listened to the audiobook of Score to Settle and loved it! I had to play it at 2x speed at times because the pacing felt a bit slow, but the narrator was fantastic and made it so enjoyable.

Harper is such a great character, she’s smart, funny, and not just existing for the guy, which is such a refreshing change. Jake is swoony and the slow-burn romance is everything. The story was so fun and engaging, I felt invested and wanted to see how everything would play out. The Colorado ranch vibes and family scenes made it cozy too. This is my first book by Bella North and I’m definitely keeping an eye on the next ones… I’m so curious who the next book will be about!

🏈Enemies to lovers
🏈Sports romance
🏈Forced proximity
🏈Spice 3/5

This was such a light and fun read. I loved the dynamic between Jake and Harper. She had been in love with that boy since high school and the way their love story developed was adorable. I thought the plot was great and very well done. There was the right amount of drama, character development, and spice! I loved all the characters…. Expect Scott… douche. The book also touches on the grief of losing a parent and was done very well and tactful. Overall I loved this book and I’m hoping all the brothers get their love story!

This was a nice fun fall/winter vibes book with a football player and a journalist who knew each other in high school and then reconnect when Harper goes to write an article about Jake. It's a great easy read but also covers some deeper topics. I thought the narrators were both good and I think duet narration is always the way to go so I appreciate when that's the style done for audiobooks. I really enjoyed this book and listened to it in one day.

4.25 ⭐️

I really enjoyed this book. I loved getting to step inside the story and hear the characters and their thoughts out loud. I feel like the audiobook adds to the story and I just enjoyed it so much!

The other aspect i enjoyed was the journalist/football player trope with some history that is discovered along the way. I connected to it more because sports journalism is what I wanted to do for so long so to have that be what the FMC’s job is was really cool.

Thank you to Bookouture Audio for the ALC copy!

This was my first football romance and I really enjoyed it. I flew through it! The narrators did an amazing job (this is done duet style!!) i felt for harper dealing with her childhood crush and idol saying hurtful things about her and loved that we saw her grow on the page and learn that jake may have said hurtful things but he didn’t shape her life and choices, she did. I thought she really took ownership of how she had let that one disheartening event shape all of her relationships moving forward. i was surprised there was no epilogue but the story ended perfectly regardless!

Thank you to Bella North, Bookouture Audio, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I was fortunate to previously read & review this work, and now have been additionally given the audiobook in advance. Here is my review on the plot: What a debut sports romance! I loved getting to know the Sullivan family. You can tell that some quips and details are loosely based on the Kelce family. I loved Harper. I know how terrible it can feel when you see everyone around you achieving things and you feel like you are just treading water. I am a sucker for enemies to lovers / forced proximity tropes. I felt everything was written so well, and I loved the pace of Harper and Jake redeeming themselves and getting to know each other. I do wish we touched on more of Harper’s dad and saw more of a resolution there. Overall, the ending had me giddy and I can’t wait for the rest of the Oakwood Ranch Series.

As far as the audio goes, this was spectacular! Duet narrations are the best kind in my opinion so I was so happy that this was a duet. Harper’s voice was great, and had a good tone even when sped up. Jake’s voice is perfect. The low-growl was fabulous, especially for heated moments. I’d highly recommend the audio format.

3.75⭐️

Score to settle is a fun, fast-paced, enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity sports romance. Harper is a sports journalist who’s assigned to shadow an infamous, playboy NFL tight end in order to write an in-depth feature on him. Jake is said hotshot football player who unknowingly broke her heart years ago in high school. What starts off as a way for Harper to show the world Jake’s true colors turns out to be an unexpected second chance.

The writing is strong, with vivid descriptions of the settings really setting the tone. The characters were well developed, with interesting supporting characters that added a touch of charm! The banter and dialogue also flowed well. This was a slow burn, and the story was slow until about 30-40%, allowing us to get more background on the characters to understand their motivations and choices. After this, the pace moves effortlessly and I honestly didn’t want to put it down!

I was lucky enough to also receive the audiobook. The duet narration by Andi Arndt and Sean Masters was fantastic and both do a really great job of bringing the characters and story to life. I loved that each chapter was clearly identified, making it so much easier to follow along!

All in all, this was a great debut! Once I started, I couldn’t put it down! If you’re in the mood for a fun, enemies to lovers, forced proximity sports romance with swoon, spice and fantastic characters, then this one’s for you!

Thank you to Bookouture, Bookouture Audio and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

🎧 Audiobook Review 🎧

I want to thank NetGalley for approving me for an ARC of this book.

Score to Settle is the first book in the new Oakwood Ranch series by Bella North. The narration of this one was brilliant. I'm so pleased to see more audiobook books being created with duet narration.

Harper and Jake had chemistry from the start and I loved the banter between them. Whilst you knew where this was leading it was entertaining seeing Harper keep Jake in his toes and in turn, for Jake to open up more to Harper.

The whole Sullivan family are very entertaining with the mum of the tribe being a nice balance of kind hearted and feared by many. I'm very excited to see how this series develops with the other brothers.

A fantastic listen with just the right amount of spice.

Andi and Sean did an amazing job narrating this book. they brought emotion and enthusiasm to the narration and i loved how they gave Harper and Jake their own personality and emotions. The narration was clear and easy to follow along.