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BOOKWORM REVIEW: Playing It Tough by Amy Andrews

 

RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
SPICE: 🔥🔥🔥

One of my favorite sports romance series releases a new installment, and you didn't think I was going to be here for it?

I don't think so.

Ronan Dempsey has set his sights on a large goal: making the US Olympic rugby team. Unfortunately, his partying ways are becoming the biggest obstacle to his dream. To motivate himself, he makes a celibacy bet with his teammates to keep himself accountable. So far so good until his apartment needed emergency repairs and he had to move into a family friend's pool house.

Orla Stewart has been living the life that Ronan aims to have. Losing her family to cancer has checking off every healthy habit box to lower the risks. She also has fortified the walls around her heart to prevent someone from having to experience the same grief she's felt from her loss. With Ronan temporarily moving next door, he seems to be slowly melting the thick wall of ice encasing her heart.

This book was a great spicy foray into taking chances for love. As much as I love Ronan, his easygoing personality, and his sweet romantic self, Orla stole the show for me. One can only imagine her traumatic experience and pray that life won't throw such a cruel hand at them. Yet, Orla perseveres through those hardships and manages to turn some of it around for good as a cosmetic tattoo artist. 

I love their instant chemistry. Amy Andrews does a great job of turning an adversarial and awkward meet-cute into a comfortable and organic connection that slowly blooms into a sizzling romance. She also has taken such great care and thoughtfulness in navigating the story around such a delicate topic.

It has been a hot second since I read about the Sydney Smokes, and it is always great to fictionally see them again. 

** I am voluntarily reviewing an advance copy of this book. Thank you to Amy Andrews, Entangled, and Netgalley for providing an ARC. **

ABOUT THE BOOK

Cosmetic tattoo artist Orla Stewart doesn’t do anything in half measures. She went from being the ultimate party animal to living a life that’s ridiculously straight and narrow. Turns out, cancer can change a girl. A lot. Adios to delicious cheeses, boozy dance parties and easy men. Hel-lo to celibacy and a sweet house-sitting gig with a massive pool. Until one very hot, very unwelcome intruder turns things upside down.

American rugby import Ronan Dempsey’s partying is trashing both his reputation and his game—and risking his chances for making the US Olympic team. He needs to clean up, and the pool house belonging to a family friend is the perfect place to hideaway. No. More. distractions. Which is exactly when a gorgeous, pink-haired hellion knocks Ronan on his ass…

The chemistry is instantaneous, charged, and absolutely, completely, totally off-limits. Proximity makes temptation nearly impossible to resist. Now it’s a deliciously torturous game of pushing boundaries and holding out. It’s just a matter of time before someone breaks…


MEET AMY ANDREWS

Amy is an award-winning, USA Today best-selling, triple RITA nominated Aussie author who has written eighty contemporary romances in both the traditional and digital markets and sold over 3 million books.

Her books bring all the feels from sass and quirk and laughter to emotional grit to panty-melting heat. She loves frequent travel, good books and great booze although she’ll take mediocre booze if there’s nothing else. For many, many years she was a registered nurse. Which means she knows things. Anatomical things. And she’s not afraid to use them!

In 2019 she was given life member status by Romance Writers of Australia, an organisation she has been heavily involved with for over twenty years.

She’s lives in the pretty little coastal town of Yeppoon where she gets to stare at the ocean all day.

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