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.
Earth and Skye 