Title: The Cad and the Co-Ed
Author: L.H. Cosway & Penny Reid
Series: Rugby #3
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Contemporary, Contemporary romance, Sport
Dates read: 5th – 6th February 2021
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: SmartyPants Romance
Year: 2017
5th sentence, 74th page: Avoidance was the best policy.

Keeping a secret this big is going to take lots of balls. Specifically, rugby balls.

THE CAD
Bryan Leech is a cad.
Or, he was a cad.
No one is quite certain.
Once the quintessential playboy, Bryan claims he’s done with wild parties and weekend benders. No more one night stands leading to mornings he can’t remember; no more binges and blackouts; no more exploits plastered all over the tabloids and rag sheets. According to Bryan, he’s cleaning up his act. 8 The only problem is, no one believes him.

THE CO-ED
Eilish Cassidy never thought she’d be a mother at nineteen or still in college at twenty-four. Cut off from every member of her family except her favorite cousin, she’s finally managed to put her life back together. Stronger and wiser, Eilish enters her last semester of university determined to stand on her own. Now she just needs to find an internship. The only problem is, her best option – by far – places her directly in the path of her son’s father, and he doesn’t remember her at all.

THE PLAN
Bryan is determined to prove he’s changed. Eager to settle down with the right woman, he’s got his sights set on the gorgeous redhead who seems terribly familiar.
Eilish is determined to hid her secret.
She’ll do anything to keep her child safe, even if that means ignoring her own wishes and desires.
But what happens when Bryan starts to remember? And what will it take for Bryan to convince the girl he forgot that she’s unforgettable?

As the third book in the Rugby series, this was probably also the most heart breaking. After all, Eilish gets pregnant and kicked out of her family. Bryan is a recovering alcoholic who has completely stuffed up many, many things in his own life. And just, in general, the battles that these two have to face are really sad. And that’s just the first chapter – you know that things aren’t going to be all rosy anytime soon when you start out with a beginning like that.

Yet again, this series took me by surprise. I’ve never read a book that features an alcoholic. Let alone one that features the alcoholic as the male lead in a romance. Whilst this isn’t a dark spin on the issue, it is one that highlights the negatives and difficulties of such a thing. It’s an intense and wonderful journey. I’m someone who has a few people in my life with substance abuse issues, so I was incredibly excited to read about it in such a hopeful manner.

From the beginning of this book, I wasn’t a huge fan of Josey. Everyone has a friend that they’ve known forever and have kind of outgrown. For some of us, it’s more a matter of change and you can reconnect. For some it’s not a painful outgrowing. And then there’s friendships like Josey’s… the ones that really don’t fit anymore. The friendships that are beginning to turn toxic and are more of a chore than an enjoyment. It makes me actually want to put a pause on reading this series… because Josey is featured in the next one and I really didn’t connect to her throughout this whole story.

I’m at the age now that stories which feature parents in any way, shape or form are becoming more and more attractive. I was always told that you like reading about the people who are about the same age as you, and I’m certainly finding that to be the case. Alright, Eilish is a few years younger than I am in this story. But her issues are very adult ones. And her maturity and beauty shines through this whole story.

Image source: Amazon

Title: The Hooker and the Hermit
Author: L.H. Cosway & Penny Reid
Series: Rugby #1
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Contemporary, Contemporary romance, Sport
Dates read: 3rd – 5th February 2021
Pace: Medium
Format: Novel
Publisher: SmartyPants Romance
Year: 2015
5th sentence, 74th page: It’s boring as fuck, but at least I’m trying.

New York’s Finest
Blogging as The Socialmedialite
April 22
LADIES AND GENTS! I have an announcement!
You know that guy I featured on my blog a few months ago? The really, really hot Irish rugby player who plays the position of ‘hooker’ in the RLI (Rugby League International)? The one with the anger management issues, the body of a gladiator and the face of a movie star? The one with the questionable fashion choices leading me to ask whether he was the lovechild of a leprechaun and a hobbit? Ronan Fitzpatrick? Yeah, that guy.

Well, I have a confession to make…

THE HERMIT
Annie Catrel, social media expert extraordinaire at Davidson & Croft Media and clandestine celebrity blogger, can make anyone shine in the court of public opinion. She is the Socialmedialite, anonymous creator of New Yorks Finest and the internet’s darling. Virtual reality is Annie’s forte, but actually reality? not so much.

THE HOOKER
Ronan Fitzpatrick, aka the best hooker the world of rugby has seen in decades, despises the media – social or otherwise. The press has spun a web of lies depicting him as rugby’s wild and reckless bad boy. Suspended from his team, Ronan has come to Manhattan to escape the drama, lay low, fly under the radar. Only, Ronan isn’t easy to overlook, and he can’t escape the notice of the Socialmedialite…

THE PLAN
When Ronan is sent to Davidson & Croft Media to reshape his public image, he never expects to cross paths with shy but beautiful Annie, nor does he expect his fierce attraction to her. He couldn’t be happier when her boss suggest pairing them together.

What lengths will Annie take to keep her virtual identity concealed? And what happens when the hooker discovers who the hermit really is?

I did read the Rugby books a little bit out of order. Mostly because I was so excited to start them, that I received The Player and the Pixie before The Hooker and the Hermit, so sunk into that one instead. But, that meant that the instant this book arrived on my doorstep, I sunk myself right into it. And didn’t really come up for air until I’d turned that final page. Which may explain why I’m a bit behind in all of my adult responsible stuff at the moment…

Annie is the most heart-wrenching, yet beautiful lead female that I’ve read in a long time. She is so completely shut off from the world. I mean, I’ve had a lot of introverts filling up my shelves… but the level of her introversion? Stunning. And horrifying. I also don’t get the social media thing completely (although I do enjoy it a little), so I was completely perplexed about how she has such a strong online identity. Her past, her present, wow. They were seriously intense and made me want to reach through the pages of the book and hug her… tightly.

Since I read The Player and the Pixie first, I knew a little of Ronan’s history with Sean and Brona. But, meeting her in the flesh, so to speak, was so much more… painful. And kind of horrifying to be honest. I mean, I know that people like this exist… and there are hints of them in the many other books that I’ve read… but having to read about this character face to face (so to speak) was even more creepy. It made me constantly feel for Ronan and hope for his happily ever after with Annie. Plus, it made every moment that Annie runs away all that much more painful and tragic.

This is such a wonderful new-age kind of romance. It takes place with technology, twitter and social media front and centre. Something that I don’t see in a lot of romances. I love that it discusses media, and how we are judged for what we look like. And just many, many issues that are front and centre in our own daily lives. It makes it all that much easier to feel connected to and a little more in love with Ronan and Annie.

The Hooker and the Hermit is a fantastic novel and beginning of a series (if you’re not like me and getting WAY too excited). I fell head over heels in love with this story. Head over heels in love with the characters. And head over heels in love with this whole set up / series. Most definitely one of those unforgettable books that I’m going to be reading again and again in years to come.

Image source: Amazon

Title: The Player and the Pixie
Author: L.H. Cosway & Penny Reid
Series: Rugby #2
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Contemporary, Contemporary romance, Sport
Dates read: 25th – 28th January 2021
Pace: Medium
Format: Novel
Publisher: SmartyPants Romance
Year: 2016
5th sentence, 74th page: And far too pitiful, aggrandizing, and introspective.

How can someone so smokin’ hot be so bad in bed? I mean, Sean Cassidy is absolute rubbish. RUBBISH. He is the epitome of walking, talking false advertising and I want a refund! Plus he’s an arsehold. So… what is wrong with me that I can’t stop thinking about him?

THE PIXIE

Lucy Fitzpatrick doesn’t like rugby.
As the little sister of Ireland’s most infamous rugby player, Lucy can’t seem to escape the championship-sized shadow cast by her brother, or her mother’s frequent attempts to micromanage her future. Her rainbow hair is as free-spirited as her quest for inner peace, yet overbearing expectations keep bringing her down. And when she’s down, her compulsive little problem lands her in seriously big trouble.

THE PLAYER

Sean Cassidy is a cold-hearted brute… or so he’s been told. Frequently. By everyone.
His blonde locks, baby blues, and rock hard body make ladies the world over drool with desire. As the rugby world’s second most infamous player, he should be basking in his success. But Sea has never been content settling for second place, and his frequent confrontations with Lucy’s big brother leave him cold. And when he’s cold, his compulsive little problem lands him in the lap of Lucy Fitzpatrick.

THE PLAN

Sean has a problem only Lucy can solve. Lucy has a problem only Sean can fix. The solution seems obvious: you scratch my back, and I’ll bail you out of jail. But when their business arrangement unexpectedly leaves Sean scorching hot and Lucy on the precipice of inner peace, can they convince the world – and Lucy’s big brother in particular – that this is the real deal?

Either way, both the Player and the Pixie are about to teach each other some pretty monumental lessons about family, life, but most importantly, love.

As with everything that involves Penny Reid, I was hooked from the very first moment of this story. The fact that it also introduced a new author to my happy little brain whilst taking me into this fun new world… it just made me much, much happier. I love that both Sean and Lucy appear to be a little mainstream… but end up being completely, totally and utterly unique, with some very fun little compulsions…

This may be the first romance that I’ve ever read which features a man who isn’t good in bed. The fact that he’s a player, sexy and just ridiculously well known for all of his conquests… well, it just made everything so much better. I love that Sean has absolutely no idea what he’s doing and ends up being the more vulnerable and kind of sappy one out of the couple. Which, you would think, would make him a bit of a less dreamy lead character. But, somehow it doesn’t. There is still something ridiculously drool worthy and dreamy about the character that still continues to pull you in.

The other aspect of this story that was a whole new experience for me was the fact that this tale features a kleptomaniac. Again, it’s a feature in a character that I’ve never come across. One that worked beautifully and gave Lucy a whole heap of new vulnerabilities that left me smiling. It also highlights how unhealthy some relationships with family members can be – and how we can struggle to manage them. I know that I have my own compulsions when I’m struggling, so it was lovely to read about someone who was kind of worse than me.

I pretty much inhaled this book. Actually, my partner tried to talk to me a few times whilst reading this, and I’m not entirely sure that he got any kind of response out of me. It’s just that good. You fall in love with Lucy and Sean from the beginning. You feel all of their emotions. And you just… enjoy the whole journey. From the very beginning to the very ending.

Image source: Goodreads