Jock Reign by Sara Ney {a review}

Have you heard of the Jock Hard series from Sara Ney? If you are a sports romance fan, then I highly suggest you check it out. Especially if you enjoy new adult romances that are set at college. I've now read two books in the series, and am definitely enjoying it.

In Jock Reign, we meet Jack Dryden-Jones. He is new to the states, new to the university, has joined the rugby team, and is living in the same house his brother Ashley did. Basically he's mimicking Ashley's time here at the school. One night at a party, Jack meets Kaylee. She is instantly taken with him, and Jack walks her home. Kaylee invites him in, he stays for a bit, meets her roommate Eliza, and watches a tv show, and then heads home. Kaylee has her sights set on Jack, and is determined to be in a relationship with him. But Jack has no interest. He just sees Kaylee as a friend. Enter Eliza. She and Jack hit it off at their initial meeting. So when they bump into each other at a coffee shop (Jack is there for the scones), it leads to sharing a meal, and a nice little conversation. Eliza and Jack slowly become friends, and these two friends start spending more time together. Just without Kaylee knowing. Which is making Eliza uncomfortable, because Girl Code! Can these two remain strictly friends? Will Jack ever let Kaylee down? What about Jack's role on the rugby team? Will he ever tell coach that he wants to be done?

Jock Reign was pretty darn good. I enjoyed the majority of the characters, loved returning to the familiar setting, and enjoyed the storyline. I will say that the slow burn was a bit heavy at times, and I did find myself screaming at my kindle for Eliza and Jack to just kiss already! When the kiss did happen I was happy for our characters. Then Eliza had to put a stop to things, and I wanted to scream at her! Thankfully that was short lived. I did not like Kaylee one bit. She rubbed me the wrong way from the initial introduction, and every time she made an appearance in the book I was annoyed. She'a a great villain. She is the character that you love to hate. When the reveal scene happened, I was shocked at Kaylee's reaction. I knew there would be drama surrounding it, but she just took it too far. Yet at the same time it worked because things definitely shifted between Jack and Eliza. So I can see why Sara Ney wrote that how she did. There were two things that I would have loved to have read in this book. The first being Jack's family meeting Eliza. I can practically hear Georgia screaming in excitement, and Mama Dryden-Jones groaning in displeasure. The other thing I would have loved to have read was when Jack finally approached the coach about his (Jack's) role on the rugby team. I would have loved to know the coach's reaction/response, as well as how the other rugby players took the information. But that didn't happen, so I'll just picture it all in my head, and approve of how the scenes are playing out. 

The set up for Jock Romeo was wonderful, and I cannot wait to read that story. Rome has me curious, and I am intrigued as to how things are going to go with him and Lilly. Of course I'm also curious if Kaylee will make an appearance, and try to mess things up.

Thank you for reading my thoughts on Jock Reign. I hope that you will give this "rugby" romance a read. May you feel a connection to Jack and Eliza like I did. Love those two nerdy characters.

Laura

IT’S NOT EASY LIVING IN YOUR BROTHERS SHADOW.

 

Jack Dryden-Jones is easily the worst rugby player on the field—when he moves to The States to follow in his brothers footsteps, he has no idea how he’d hate the game. He’s so horrible he considers faking an injury to take himself out of the game. 

Jack is a quick-witted, comic book loving gentleman—not an athlete. 

 

DO NOT DATE YOUR ROOMMATES CRUSH.

 

When her roommate brings home a random stranger, Eliza is shocked when he makes himself at home; he’s strapping, strong and watching a movie at the end of her couch as if he belongs there.

 

It makes her uncomfortable in the best way possible.

 

But if there is one thing she believes in, it’s GIRL CODE: No girl may date her friend's ex, past crush, or guys who have humiliated/used her. And she most certainly may not date any guy her friend currently fancies... 

 

DO SO AT YOUR OWN RISK.

 

Jack and Eliza are two of the good ones—it’s going to take a miracle to keep them apart.

Grab Your Copy Here:

Amazon US | CA | UK | AU 

Free in KU 

Meet Sara Ney

Sara Ney is the USA Today Bestselling Author of the How to Date a Douchebag series, and is best known for her sexy, laugh-out-loud New Adult romances. 

Among her favorite vices, she includes: iced lattes, historical architecture and well-placed sarcasm. She lives colorfully, collects vintage books, art, loves flea markets, and fancies herself British. 

Connect with Sara Ney

Newsletter | Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Book+Main | Pinterest | Goodreads | BookBub | Ney's Little Lattes

Hosted By: 

Thank you to Sara Ney, and Wildfire Marketing Solutions, for providing me with an advanced copy of Jock Reign.

New Rugby Romance Coming Soon from Sara Ney!

Release Date: September 30

IT’S NOT EASY LIVING IN YOUR BROTHERS SHADOW.

 

Jack Dryden-Jones is easily the worst rugby player on the field—when he moves to The States to follow in his brothers footsteps, he has no idea how he’d hate the game. He’s so horrible he considers faking an injury to take himself out of the game. 

Jack is a quick-witted, comic book loving gentleman—not an athlete. 

 

DO NOT DATE YOUR ROOMMATES CRUSH.

 

When her roommate brings home a random stranger, Eliza is shocked when he makes himself at home; he’s strapping, strong and watching a movie at the end of her couch as if he belongs there.

 

It makes her uncomfortable in the best way possible.

 

But if there is one thing she believes in, it’s GIRL CODE: No girl may date her friend's ex, past crush, or guys who have humiliated/used her. And she most certainly may not date any guy her friend currently fancies... 

 

DO SO AT YOUR OWN RISK.

 

Jack and Eliza are two of the good ones—it’s going to take a miracle to keep them apart.

Pre-Order Your Copy Here:

Amazon US | CA | UK | AU 

Free in KU 

Add to your Goodreads TBR List!

Meet Sara Ney

Sara Ney is the USA Today Bestselling Author of the How to Date a Douchebag series, and is best known for her sexy, laugh-out-loud New Adult romances. 

Among her favorite vices, she includes: iced lattes, historical architecture and well-placed sarcasm. She lives colorfully, collects vintage books, art, loves flea markets, and fancies herself British. 

Connect with Sara Ney

Newsletter | Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Book+Main | Pinterest | Goodreads | BookBub | Ney's Little Lattes

Hosted By: 

Capturing the Captain {a review}

 

All's fair in Love and Sports...until it isn't.

Are you ready to head back to Australia, and figure out how Lacey and Cleat are going to get their HEA? Well, then go download Capturing the Captain so you can find out!

If you read Outflanking the Flanker, then you'll recall that Lacey stepped in to help out Chloe and Andrew during that whole situation. You may also recall that Cleat is Andrew's teammate. When Cleat and Lacey first met at the bar, there was a spark. Now here we are shortly after the big event happened. Cleat is a drunk mess, and Lacey is trying to be protective of her new friends. These two are bickering, and get tossed out of the hospital. Cleat is too drunk to tell Lacey what hotel he's staying at, so she takes him back to her house. Upon arrival, Cleat (who is passed out) mumbles something about Lacey. She's ticked, so she leaves him in the car to sleep it off. Flash forward a little bit, and Lacey has to go off on an assignment. Cleat tags along, and they find themselves in a bit of trouble.

I want to recap the book a bit more, but I also don't want to go overboard. It's a fine line. Can I be honest? I struggled about with Lacey and Cleat's story. I also struggled with them as a couple. I just can't see it. I like them perfectly well as individuals, but as a couple it's a no. The premise of the story I enjoyed. It's hard because while we had just recently met Lacey, we didn't know about her history with this volunteer project. It all just seemed so random. When the suspense kicked in though, I was curious. I had to know what was going to happen with that, and how it was all going to wrap up. But again it just wasn't believable to me. I know it's fiction, it doesn't have to be believable. After Lacey and Cleat's big dramatic moment, I was wondering how this issue would be resolved. Who would do the grand gesture, and would it work? I can't lie, I enjoyed that part of the story. I also liked the setup for the next book in the series! I am curious about Carmen's story.

Thank you for reading my thoughts on Capturing the Captain. While the book wasn't a perfect fit for me, you might have a different feel for the book. So I do recommend that you pick it up. Maybe you'll vibe with Lacey and Cleat better than I did.

Laura

 

Lacey King, a wealthy Aussie heiress, has everything she could need or want, except friends. Sick of being used for her money and power, she’s withdrawn from society to focus on charities when her American cousin calls in a favor. Now, thanks to one six-and-a-half-foot tall, god-like, beefcake of a man, Lacey’s relatively simple life is about to get complicated.

Cleat Walker has always been the golden boy of rugby. Tall, good looking, and captain his team, he pretty much gets what and who he wants. When everything goes south Down Under, he finds himself in the care of a sexy, entitled redhead who’s determined to do dangerous charity work alone. Not on Cleat’s watch.

Sparks and tempers heat up as Lacey and Cleat travel the Outback, where crocodiles aren’t the most deadly things in the bush.

Grab Your Copy Here:

Amazon US | CA | UK | AU

Read for free in KU

Add Capturing the Captain to your Goodreads TBR!

Meet Nicole Phoenix 

Nicole Phoenix is the author of Contemporary Adult Romance. 

Well-traveled in her youth, and still a fan of discovering new things, Nicole currently lives in Portland, Oregon, with her family and a houseful of animals. 

With a beach, a mountain, and the high desert all within a two-hour drive, mini-adventures abound!

Connect with Nicole Phoenix

Website | Facebook | Amazon Author Page | Goodreads

Hosted By:

Thank you to Nicole Phoenix, and Wildfire Marketing Solutions, for providing me with an advanced copy of Capturing the Captain.

Outflanking the Flanker {a review}

 

All's fair in Love and Sports...until it isn't.

Friends, have you been looking for a new sports romance to read that features a Rugby player? How about a sports romance that has a stalker? How about a book that is set primarily in Paris? Well if that all sounds wonderful, take a look at Outflanking the Flanker by Nicole Phoenix!

In Outflanking the Flanker we meet Chloe and Andrew. Chloe is a travel writer and has just arrived in Paris. She booked this specific hotel room long in advance, but now they are saying they do not have her in the system. Since Chloe is a frequent traveler, she has documentation about her reservation, AND she can also tell when she's being fed a line. Chloe knows there must be some VIP that she was bumped for. Moments later, Andrew walks into the hotel, and is given the key to the room that Chloe had wanted. Needless to say, Chloe is ticked. Thankfully though Andrew manages to get her another room, and the room is comped. So yay for that. What happens next is a steamy moment in an elevator, a few meals, and then it's over. Or is it?

I went into Outflanking the Flanker not knowing much. I knew what the teaser told me, and it was enough to draw me in. I was not expecting the steamy elevator scene, I was not expecting a stalker, I was not expecting a brief vacation romance, and I was not expecting the big dramatic moment later in the book! With everything that happened in this book, I found myself fully invested. I had to know how it was going to play out, and how Chloe and Andrew would get their HEA. Thankfully everything wrapped up nicely, and the stage was set for the second book, Capturing the Captain. At the end of the day, I enjoyed the setting, I was intrigued by the characters, and the story was good. I am happy that I read the book, and am looking forward to future books by Nicole.

Thank you for taking time to read my thoughts. I recommend that you pick up Outflanking the Flanker. Whether you're a rugby fan, or just a general fan of romance, I think you might enjoy this one.

Laura

Confident travel writer Chloe Maclane has no intention of falling for a fling. Not even in the city of love. Then professional rugby flanker and businessman Andrew Bourgatti literally knocks her off her feet. 

Fiery chemistry forces Chloe and Andrew to change their game plan, but there’s another player who’s competing to win, no matter who gets hurt. 

Is it possible to find love halfway around the world…twice? And what will they have to sacrifice to keep it? Follow their story from Paris, France to Sydney, Australia and find out!

Grab Your Copy Here:

Amazon US | CA | UK | AU

Read for free in KU

Add Outflanking the Flanker to your Goodreads TBR!

Meet Nicole Phoenix 

Nicole Phoenix is the author of Contemporary Adult Romance. 

Well-traveled in her youth, and still a fan of discovering new things, Nicole currently lives in Portland, Oregon, with her family and a houseful of animals. 

With a beach, a mountain, and the high desert all within a two-hour drive, mini-adventures abound!

Connect with Nicole Phoenix

Website | Facebook | Amazon Author Page | Goodreads

Hosted By:

Thank you to Nicole Phoenix, and Wildfire Marketing Solutions, for providing me with an advanced copy of Outflanking the Flanker.

Jock Royal {a review}

 

Jock Royal is the brand new book by Sara Ney, and it is the fourth book in her Jock Hard series. This new adult sports romance takes place on a college campus, and features a relationship between two athletes (track & rugby).

Okay real talk before we head into my recap of the book. The way this book started, eh, that's not sitting well with me. To challenge someone (a teammate) to pull a prank, and have it based upon appearances of the other person? EW. No. Although I will say I'm glad our heroine had issues with that and tried to get her teammates to change the prank. Moving on...As I said above, Jock Royal takes place on a college campus. We have Ash, our hero, who is attending college in the US so that he can have a bit of a break from his life back home. He's going to step into the job his father has for him, but first he wants to be here to obtain his degree in business. While attending college he also is on the Rugby team.  Meanwhile Georgia, our heroine, has just transferred to this school. Yes, it's her last semester of college and so it's a bit odd to transfer this late in the game, but events at the previous school made the transfer necessary. After all she's on scholarship, and without that scholarship, college would take a lot longer and she'd be in debt. One night Georgia attends a party with her teammates. It is then that the hazing takes place, and her team says she has to ask the ugliest guy (in attendance) out on a date, and then bring the guy to them to make sure she completed her task. Well Georgia spots Ash. His face is all bruised up from a game, he could use a hair cut and a shave, and well right now he fits the bill. Ash however knows what's up, and he's not putting up with it. That is their meet-cute, and what happens next is their journey toward a HEA.

Jock Royal gave me mixed vibes. Yes, it was an easy to read story. Yes, I liked the idea of the storyline. Yes, I really enjoyed Ash's character. Then there was Georgia. The opening scene did not cloud my judgement of her. Not at all. I actually applaud her for trying to stand up to her teammates. But there was something about our heroine that just didn't feel right. She seemed immature (yes, I know she's only 21/22), and not really willing to communicate clearly. Maybe I was missing something with her, I'm not entirely certain. I was rooting for Ash and Georgia though. I was. I wanted their relationship to work out. I wanted their new found friendship to move into the lovers category. And so when that happened I was thrilled. Then life after Vegas happened, and that irked me. A lot. Like I said, the book just gave me mixed thoughts/feelings. I'm glad that there was an HEA at the end, but it doesn't feel like their story should have ended there. That could just be me though.

All in all I loved the hate to friends to lovers aspect of the story. I loved the British influence that Ash brought. The scene on the Rugby pitch had me chuckling. Rating wise, I am leaning towards a 3.5.

Should you choose to read Jock Royal, please let me know your thoughts. 

Thank you for reading my thoughts,
Laura

IT’S EASY TO TAKE ONE DARE WHEN YOU THINK IT’S HARMLESS.

 

Ashley Dryden-Jones is the best rugby player on the field—when I take a dare I instantly regret, I had no way of knowing he was a gentleman. An athlete. British with no plans to stay in the States.

 

He makes me forget myself, bruises, 5 o’clock shadow, accent and all.

 

He makes me forget I cannot crawl into bed with him at night—or get drunk and throw caution to the wind for once in my overly cautious life.

 

Because he’s my new roommate.

 

ONE STUPID BET LEADS TO ONE UNFORGETTABLE NIGHT.

 

When I win a trip to Vegas I need a plus one; he’s the strapping, strong and responsible choice. Besides—I’ve never been anywhere and he has.

 

He is the best friend I didn’t know I needed.

 

Ashley is one of the good ones—but I’m about to find out how bad this good boy can be.

Grab Your Copy on Amazon!

US | UK | CA | AU

Read for FREE on Kindle Unlimited

Add to your Goodreads TBR HERE!

Meet Sara Ney

Sara Ney is the USA Today Bestselling Author of the How to Date a Douchebag series, and is best known for her sexy, laugh-out-loud New Adult romances. 

Among her favorite vices, she includes: iced lattes, historical architecture and well-placed sarcasm. She lives colorfully, collects vintage books, art, loves flea markets, and fancies herself British. 

Connect with Sara Ney

Newsletter | Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Book+Main | Pinterest | Goodreads | BookBub | Ney's Little Lattes

Hosted By: 

Thank you to Sara Ney and Wildfire Marketing Solutions for providing me with an advanced copy of Jock Royal.

Jock Royal {cover reveal}

 

Release Date: June 24

IT’S EASY TO TAKE ONE DARE WHEN YOU THINK IT’S HARMLESS.

 

Ashley Dryden-Jones is the best rugby player on the field—when I take a dare I instantly regret, I had no way of knowing he was a gentleman. An athlete. British with no plans to stay in the States.

 

He makes me forget myself, bruises, 5 o’clock shadow, accent and all.

 

He makes me forget I cannot crawl into bed with him at night—or get drunk and throw caution to the wind for once in my overly cautious life.

 

Because he’s my new roommate.

 

ONE STUPID BET LEADS TO ONE UNFORGETTABLE NIGHT.

 

When I win a trip to Vegas I need a plus one; he’s the strapping, strong and responsible choice. Besides—I’ve never been anywhere and he has.

 

He is the best friend I didn’t know I needed.

 

Ashley is one of the good ones—but I’m about to find out how bad this good boy can be.

Pre-Order Your Copy Here:

Amazon US | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | Amazon AU 

Add to your Goodreads TBR List!

Meet Sara Ney

Sara Ney is the USA Today Bestselling Author of the How to Date a Douchebag series, and is best known for her sexy, laugh-out-loud New Adult romances. 

Among her favorite vices, she includes: iced lattes, historical architecture and well-placed sarcasm. She lives colorfully, collects vintage books, art, loves flea markets, and fancies herself British. 

Connect with Sara Ney

Newsletter | Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Book+Main | Pinterest | Goodreads | BookBub | Ney's Little Lattes

Hosted By: