Princess and the Player
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-08-31 11:21:52
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Ilsa Madden-Mills
- ISBN：1799797953
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Summary
A masquerade ball brings together an NFL player and a penniless princess in this smart and sexy romance from Wall Street Journal bestselling author Ilsa Madden-Mills。
Levelheaded Francesca Lane never thought she’d miss her own wedding。 But when her fiancé betrays her， she puts on her wedding dress and ditches the altar for a masquerade ball—at an exclusive lifestyle club。
There， she meets unknown-to-her NFL star Tuck Avery， dressed as a prince and hiding behind a mask—he’s there to celebrate his birthday。 For one night， Francesca and Tuck indulge in a wickedly incognito affair。 No names。 No strings。 And the masks don’t come off。
Unfortunately， Francesca realizes quickly that her masked prince is the wealthy jock who lives in the penthouse of her apartment building。 His hobbies include parties and supermodels—or so the tabloids say。 Getting tangled up with a shallow jerk is the last thing Francesca needs right now， so she vows to keep Tuck from recognizing her （not that she’s his type anyway）。
But fate has a teeny-tiny trick up her sleeve…a plus sign on a pregnancy test。 Can this tormented prince accept love， or will he push his princess away forever？
Levelheaded Francesca Lane never thought she’d miss her own wedding。 But when her fiancé betrays her， she puts on her wedding dress and ditches the altar for a masquerade ball—at an exclusive lifestyle club。
There， she meets unknown-to-her NFL star Tuck Avery， dressed as a prince and hiding behind a mask—he’s there to celebrate his birthday。 For one night， Francesca and Tuck indulge in a wickedly incognito affair。 No names。 No strings。 And the masks don’t come off。
Unfortunately， Francesca realizes quickly that her masked prince is the wealthy jock who lives in the penthouse of her apartment building。 His hobbies include parties and supermodels—or so the tabloids say。 Getting tangled up with a shallow jerk is the last thing Francesca needs right now， so she vows to keep Tuck from recognizing her （not that she’s his type anyway）。
But fate has a teeny-tiny trick up her sleeve…a plus sign on a pregnancy test。 Can this tormented prince accept love， or will he push his princess away forever？
Reviews
L。A。 Ferro
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A must-read for anyone who loves a good second chance romance and two POV's。Beauty and the Baller was my first read by Ilsa Madden-Mills and I loved it。 When I saw that ARCs were going out for the second book in the Stranger in Love series I knew I had to get one。 Tuck and Francesca's whirlwind romance will keep you turning the pages until the book is complete。 I read this entire book in one day because I couldn't put it down。 This is a beautifully written second chance romance that will pull at A must-read for anyone who loves a good second chance romance and two POV's。Beauty and the Baller was my first read by Ilsa Madden-Mills and I loved it。 When I saw that ARCs were going out for the second book in the Stranger in Love series I knew I had to get one。 Tuck and Francesca's whirlwind romance will keep you turning the pages until the book is complete。 I read this entire book in one day because I couldn't put it down。 This is a beautifully written second chance romance that will pull at your heartstrings。 You'll find yourself rooting for both the character's flaws and all。 I know these books are somewhat marketed as sports romance and I guess they are to an extent but I felt like Football was Tuck's profession and the book didn't necessarily focus on that。 I find that sometimes that throws would be readers off。 。。。more
Payton Box
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I was hooked instantly。 I've been moving slower while reading recently but this book definitely got me back to my normal pace。 I love the combination of a sports romance with an Accidental pregnancy mixed in。 Francesca and Tuck met under false circumstances during Tuck's birthday celebration。 Later， they find out how much their lives are truly intertwined and connected as they continue to run into to each other。 How and when Francesca tells Tuck she is pregnant is a major point of this story， es I was hooked instantly。 I've been moving slower while reading recently but this book definitely got me back to my normal pace。 I love the combination of a sports romance with an Accidental pregnancy mixed in。 Francesca and Tuck met under false circumstances during Tuck's birthday celebration。 Later， they find out how much their lives are truly intertwined and connected as they continue to run into to each other。 How and when Francesca tells Tuck she is pregnant is a major point of this story， especially after finding out that Tuck does not want children。 This puts a strain on any developing relationship they might have。 I did love the theme of fate that repeatedly showed up during the story。 It's a theme I happen to adore and love the reminder that fighting fate isn't always the best thing！ 。。。more
Lauren
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4。75 starsIs it fate or is it coincidence？ Author Ilsa Madden-Mills explores this question in her latest novel， Princess and the Player， the second interconnected standalone in her Strangers in Love series。Francesca Lane never thought that she’d spend her wedding day at a masquerade party at a sex club。 Nor did she ever think she’d end up hooking up with a handsome stranger at said club。 She definitely did not expect to discover later that her steamy one-night-stand is none other than NFL supers 4。75 starsIs it fate or is it coincidence？ Author Ilsa Madden-Mills explores this question in her latest novel， Princess and the Player， the second interconnected standalone in her Strangers in Love series。Francesca Lane never thought that she’d spend her wedding day at a masquerade party at a sex club。 Nor did she ever think she’d end up hooking up with a handsome stranger at said club。 She definitely did not expect to discover later that her steamy one-night-stand is none other than NFL superstar， Tuck Avery。 Who happens to also live in her building。 Who happens to figure out who she is， and wants to casually pursue their chemistry。 And who also happens to be the father of her unborn child。 Given the expected trope of unplanned pregnancy， I was completely （and pleasantly） surprised by the direction that Madden-Mills takes in this story。 I thought I knew where it was going， and I was dead wrong。 （And never happier to be so。） The ways in which Madden-Mills adds layers to the plot， all while playing with the question of fate versus coincidence， is super deft and compelling。 All of the relationships in the novel are interesting on their own， be they romantic， platonic， or familial。 Francesca and Tuck are so well suited for one another， and the supporting cast of characters all feel unique and special in their own right。 Put it to you this way: I wouldn’t be mad to see books for Jasper and for Cece in the future。 （Just putting that out into the universe。）If you love Ilsa Madden-Mills， you will love this book。 And if you are new to her work， you are in for a wonderful surprise。 Thank you to the author， Montlake， and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Bookgasms Book Blog
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Holy moly y'all， this book was so addictive。I read it in less than 24 hours， which is unheard of for me， and how you know it was a good one。 From the very first page I found myself completely sucked in， reveling in all my favorite components of romance: chemistry， banter， sexy times， and sweet sweet emotion。 By the last page， my heart was overflowing and so so happy。 Honest go goodness this story was the full package。This trope can sometimes be troublesome for me， but it was written in such a wa Holy moly y'all， this book was so addictive。I read it in less than 24 hours， which is unheard of for me， and how you know it was a good one。 From the very first page I found myself completely sucked in， reveling in all my favorite components of romance: chemistry， banter， sexy times， and sweet sweet emotion。 By the last page， my heart was overflowing and so so happy。 Honest go goodness this story was the full package。This trope can sometimes be troublesome for me， but it was written in such a way that I had no issues with it at all。 Well， minus the time I was at about 60% and terrified to move forward because I just knew that Ilsa Madden-Mills was fixin' to rip my heart out。 I pushed myself past that point， and did indeed get my heart ripped out， but it was short-term pain and the pay-off was。。。*chef's kiss*。 This was so good。 I absolutely adored this story。 I loved the found-family subplot。 I loved the scene-stealing secondary characters。 I loved how Francesca and Tuck fought for each other， and cared for each other。 And as if all that wasn't enough， Tuck's grand gesture in the end had me in full on heart-eyeball mode， swooning like crazy， and so so in love。 I'm not sure if it was a perfect story， but I know it was perfect for me and I absolutely recommend it for you！ ~ Shelly， 5 Stars 。。。more
Aleksandra
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Thank you so much Montlake for this ARC！Princess and the Player is the second book in the Strangers in Love series by Lisa Madden-Mills （but it can be read as a standalone）。 I adored Tuck since we first met him in Beauty and the Baller and his story is even better than I hoped for！Francesca and Tuck meet for the first time during a masquerade party in a sex club。 Neither of them went there for a one night stand， but as soon as they meet they are attracted to each other and soon decide to spend o Thank you so much Montlake for this ARC！Princess and the Player is the second book in the Strangers in Love series by Lisa Madden-Mills （but it can be read as a standalone）。 I adored Tuck since we first met him in Beauty and the Baller and his story is even better than I hoped for！Francesca and Tuck meet for the first time during a masquerade party in a sex club。 Neither of them went there for a one night stand， but as soon as they meet they are attracted to each other and soon decide to spend one unforgettable night together。 A few months later they meet again and it’s really like fate when it turns out they actually live in the same building。 But pretty soon everything will change because Francesca is pregnant… and Tuck absolutely doesn’t want children。 Will these two be able to get their happy ending？I was so happy when I learned Tuck would get his own book， he was one of my favorite characters in Beauty and the Baller and here we learn so much more about the amazing man he is。 Both he and Francesca didn’t have it easy in their lives but I loved how strong they were and how they fought for their dreams。 Their romance is my favorite part of this book， it was amazing to see how they slowly started to trust each other， open up about their past and how they supported each other， these two have such a beautiful relationship。 I really enjoyed reading Princess and the Player and I’m so glad I had the chance to read it early。 If you liked Beauty and the Baller you will definitely love this book too， and if you didn’t， you should absolutely check it out， I’m sure you won’t regret it！ 。。。more
Megan
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I received an advanced reader copy to leave an honest review of this book。 I have not read many books by Madden-Mills but I loved this book！ In fact I have already gone and gotten the first book in the series to read also。 Great writing style， excellent characters and a fun/romantic plot with some obvious angst。 This book follows Tuck， a professional football player with a lot emotional turmoil from his parents。 His mother is bipolar and wants nothing to do with him since she blames him for his I received an advanced reader copy to leave an honest review of this book。 I have not read many books by Madden-Mills but I loved this book！ In fact I have already gone and gotten the first book in the series to read also。 Great writing style， excellent characters and a fun/romantic plot with some obvious angst。 This book follows Tuck， a professional football player with a lot emotional turmoil from his parents。 His mother is bipolar and wants nothing to do with him since she blames him for his father's death。 His parents were very abusive towards each other and emotionally towards Tuck。 Then there is Francesca who is an orphan; she was given up as a baby and has major abandonment issues as she was shuffled from home to home。 A chance encounter at a private club during a masquerade party is the beginning for Tuck and Francesca。 No names， one night， no taking off the masks。 It seems perfect until Francesca ends up pregnant。 Once that happens， it seems like fate throws the two together at every opportunity。 Unfortunately， Fran doesn't trust Tucker not to abandon them so she doesn't tell him about the pregnancy; especially when Tucker makes it clear doesn't want any kids and potentially end up like his parents。 Overall a great book！ Lots for the two to overcome to be together but with the help of some awesome characters in the book。 Would highly recommend。 。。。more
Jessica Silfen （Exercise_Read_Repeat）
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3。5 ⭐️This is the second book in the Strangers in Love series but can be read as a stand-alone！ Honestly， the first was way better， so I suggest reading that first！ Francesca and Tuck meet at a masquerade party and agree to spend the night together with no strings attached。 Francesca just caught her fiancé cheating and Tuck has no plans for a relationship。 However， fate had other things in store and of course， the two run into each other when and where they least expect it！ I loved how the theme 3。5 ⭐️This is the second book in the Strangers in Love series but can be read as a stand-alone！ Honestly， the first was way better， so I suggest reading that first！ Francesca and Tuck meet at a masquerade party and agree to spend the night together with no strings attached。 Francesca just caught her fiancé cheating and Tuck has no plans for a relationship。 However， fate had other things in store and of course， the two run into each other when and where they least expect it！ I loved how the themes of fate and coincidence were ingrained throughout the stores and how the author emphasized the importance of found family。 There was great banter and a good amount of steam。 I also loved the scenes that focused on the two MCs getting to know each other， especially their walks in the park。 What’s not giving this a higher rating is the way the author incorporated the unplanned pregnancy trope。 There was also some inconsistency between Tuck’s personality in Beauty and the Baller and in this one。 Read if you like:-Sports romance-Just a hookup -Alrernating POVs-Found family -NYC setting Thank you Montlake for the ARC！！ 。。。more
Jessica Silfen （Exercise_Read_Repeat）
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3。5 ⭐️This is the second book in the Strangers in Love series but can be read as a stand-alone！ Honestly， the first was way better， so I suggest reading that first！ Francesca and Tuck meet at a masquerade party and agree to spend the night together with no strings attached。 Francesca just caught her fiancé cheating and Tuck has no plans for a relationship。 However， fate had other things in store and of course， the two run into each other when and where they least expect it！ I loved how the theme 3。5 ⭐️This is the second book in the Strangers in Love series but can be read as a stand-alone！ Honestly， the first was way better， so I suggest reading that first！ Francesca and Tuck meet at a masquerade party and agree to spend the night together with no strings attached。 Francesca just caught her fiancé cheating and Tuck has no plans for a relationship。 However， fate had other things in store and of course， the two run into each other when and where they least expect it！ I loved how the themes of fate and coincidence were ingrained throughout the stores and how the author emphasized the importance of found family。 There was great banter and a good amount of steam。 I also loved the scenes that focused on the two MCs getting to know each other， especially their walks in the park。 What’s not giving this a higher rating is the way the author incorporated the unplanned pregnancy trope。 There was also some inconsistency between Tuck’s personality in Beauty and the Baller and in this one。 Read if you like:-Sports romance-Just a hookup -Alrernating POVs-Found family -NYC setting Thank you Montlake for the ARC！！ 。。。more
Jaylah
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This one was not as polished as the Beauty and the Baller， but it’s a good story。It’s a fast paced whirl wind romance where renowned football player Tuck Avery meets Francesca， a woman scorned by her ex - fiancé， at an exclusive club。 The one word that would sum these two up would be chemistry。 They had it in spades。 I really loved the sense of humor between the two and how they often just seemed free to be themselves。 As I said， this one wasn’t as polished， not only in terms of grammar and such This one was not as polished as the Beauty and the Baller， but it’s a good story。It’s a fast paced whirl wind romance where renowned football player Tuck Avery meets Francesca， a woman scorned by her ex - fiancé， at an exclusive club。 The one word that would sum these two up would be chemistry。 They had it in spades。 I really loved the sense of humor between the two and how they often just seemed free to be themselves。 As I said， this one wasn’t as polished， not only in terms of grammar and such， but also in terms of flow。 I just felt like many transitions were rough and it was a little too much on the cheesy side for my liking in the last 15% of the book or so。Otherwise， I loved the side characters as I did in Beauty and the Baller。Mr。 Darden is hands down the highlight of this book。 He was crankiest old man with the best sense of humor and a kinder heart than one might initially believe。 CeCe is brazen and a complete handful。 She gave me quite a few chuckles。 Brogan isn’t in the forefront as much， so unfortunately there’s not much to say about him。 Jasper…Jasper I did not love as much。 He was on 1000 with no brakes 24/7 and I found that I became exasperated at times with him， but there were other times where he gave me a few chuckles as well。Super sweet and cheesy read if you’re in the mood for that kind of read。Rating: 3。5 。。。more
Megan’s Endless Reads
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Princess and the Player was a really cute sports romance with a accidental pregnancy thrown on top。I really enjoyed how the author connected these characters with more than a chance encounter， but instead all of these little coincidences that added up。 It really created this “meant to be” theme that played well with the drama。 There was also an element of hidden family as the MC （Francesca） was abandoned at birth and only had this heirloom necklace to connect her to her brith family。 I will say Princess and the Player was a really cute sports romance with a accidental pregnancy thrown on top。I really enjoyed how the author connected these characters with more than a chance encounter， but instead all of these little coincidences that added up。 It really created this “meant to be” theme that played well with the drama。 There was also an element of hidden family as the MC （Francesca） was abandoned at birth and only had this heirloom necklace to connect her to her brith family。 I will say that this might have been a little much on top of the other tropes included already in the plot。 I’m not quite sure how much it really added to the plot and was kind of a side story working parallel and distracting from the main characters。 That being said， I did enjoy reading this book because it did have so many great tropes that I look for in my books: found family， sports romance， lost family， surprise pregnancy， and maybe a couple others！Overall a good sports romance read that definitely brings the drama and emotion but balances it with interesting characters。 Definitely a good addition to any romcom lovers shelves。 。。。more
Bronwyn
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This book’s plot is almost exactly the same as another book I’ve read recently。 So I’m going to give this a hard pass。 That makes me sad because I really wanted Tuck’s story after enjoying Beauty and the Baller so much。 😞 I’m disappointed that this isn’t more original。
Readaholic Book Reviews
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Francesca Lane is having a crappy day。 She found out her fiancee was cheating on her and decides to play dress up in her wedding dress and attend a masquerade ball at an exclusive sex club。 It's there that she meets the man she dubs the player。 He's seductive， handsome and kind to her。 They agree to a no strings attached night。 It's Tuck Avery's 35th birthday and his friends decide to surprise him with a birthday party at a sex club。 Tuck's not too into the celebrating， until he literally runs i Francesca Lane is having a crappy day。 She found out her fiancee was cheating on her and decides to play dress up in her wedding dress and attend a masquerade ball at an exclusive sex club。 It's there that she meets the man she dubs the player。 He's seductive， handsome and kind to her。 They agree to a no strings attached night。 It's Tuck Avery's 35th birthday and his friends decide to surprise him with a birthday party at a sex club。 Tuck's not too into the celebrating， until he literally runs into the pretty lady dressed up as a princess。 But they both agreed to a one night stand and to never see each other again。 No names， no truths - just one night。 Only， fate has other ideas for Francesca and Tuck。 Soon these two find each other at the same restaurants， book stores and even living in the same building in Manhattan。 The more time they spend together the closer they become。 Only Francesca has a teensy tiny little secret that she's hiding。 And the longer she keeps it in， the worse it will be when Tuck finds out the truth。 I always love Ilsa Madden-Mills writing and flew through Princess and the Player in less than a day。 The way she creates not only the main characters， but the supporting characters always feels so effortless。 I always get old school Susan Elizabeth Phillips vibes when I'm reading her sports romances！ While I'm not a fan of the oops， I'm pregnant storyline， I feel like Ilsa did a great job still showing us the vulnerabilities of both Francesca and Tuck in Princess and the Player。 Both of these characters had a lot of trauma from their past and they were both figuring out how to come to terms with that。 I am adoring the Strangers in Love series and hope to read more from this series in the future。 CW: anxiety， stalker （in past）， parental neglect， cheating （secondary characters）， pregnancyI received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher。 。。。more
Marlene Brown
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I so enjoyed this story that halfway through I added the other books to be read pile。 Francesca and Tuck develop such a great relationship， their chemistry of off the charts， and the verbal play is hot。 The supporting characters are a hoot and incredibly supportive。 All of them added background and depth to the story。
Amy
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I received this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review。I don't know why I haven't read Ilsa Madden-Mills yet。 This story was great。 I loved Tuck and Francesca。 I love the secret baby trope and this was a good one。 Good cast of characters around the main characters。 Now I REALLY want Jasper's story。 I received this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review。I don't know why I haven't read Ilsa Madden-Mills yet。 This story was great。 I loved Tuck and Francesca。 I love the secret baby trope and this was a good one。 Good cast of characters around the main characters。 Now I REALLY want Jasper's story。 。。。more
Kelsey
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Well hello there again favourites！ Back with another advance review。 This time for Ilsa Madden-Mill’s upcoming contemporary sports romance Princess and the Player， book 2 in her Strangers in Love series。 Having read book one （featuring Nova and Ronan） and feeling a little lukewarm about it， I was hesitant to jump into this one。 And after reading it I think I might still have a few， uh weird feelings about it？ As always huge thanks to NetGalley and Montlake for the advance copy， thoughts below ar Well hello there again favourites！ Back with another advance review。 This time for Ilsa Madden-Mill’s upcoming contemporary sports romance Princess and the Player， book 2 in her Strangers in Love series。 Having read book one （featuring Nova and Ronan） and feeling a little lukewarm about it， I was hesitant to jump into this one。 And after reading it I think I might still have a few， uh weird feelings about it？ As always huge thanks to NetGalley and Montlake for the advance copy， thoughts below are my own。One of my very first thoughts when I sat down to write this review， went something like: If Vi Keeland’s The Baller and P。 Dangelico’s Wrecking Ball had a baby， it would be Princess and the Player。 I’m currently pretty torn about my full feelings on this one， I’ll be honest。 Heavy spoilers ahead。。。（view spoiler）[At it’s core this is a one-night-stand-turned-accidental-pregnancy。 Which when done well can be really slow burn-y， sweet and VERY satisfying。 But there were so many a，b，c，d （and so on…） plots happening at once that I really struggled to connect with the overarching love story。 First we have the trauma filled back-stories of both Tuck and Francesca。 Which are SO heavy。 Montlake， hook a reader up with some trigger warnings。 Physical abuse， abandonment of a child， terrible experiences in foster care， addiction trauma， suicide of a parent， negative depictions of someone living with Bipolar disease， almost sexual assault at a sex club， a throw away line about a hysterectomy from endometriosis， like y’all what the actual heck？！ Folks， please take good care of yourself if any of the above is hard for you to sit with， read or process。 There were some good moments， and honestly I would have loved to kind of just ditch all the trauma-porn and hang out in what seemed to be a less murder-y Arconia （from Only Murders in the Building）， with Darden and the Widow， and whoever else goes to bookclub and shits on Nicholas Sparks books。 THAT would have been a real treat。 And for fans of the accidental pregnancy trope （of which there are many） if you’re looking for care-taking， sweet baby daddy moments or two almost perfect strangers bonding over the duration of the pregnancy， there is almost none， because spoiler alert she hides it from him for almost the entire duration of the book， which （you guessed it） leads to the 3rd act break up。 And the biggest， most essential issue I have with all of this， is while he’s on his yacht “processing” and coming to his whirlwind of a realization， she’s also FIGURING OUT WHO HER PARENTS WERE THAT ABANDONED HER， who are both dead （and died in really horribly traumatic ways）。 Listen， this book may work for you。 You may read it and love it， and to you I say: YES！ LOVE THIS FOR YOU！ For me， it was a lot and made my head hurt and my heart a little heavy。 If you’re interested in picking up Princess and the Player， grab it wherever you get your books when it hits shelves November 8th， 2022。 （hide spoiler）] 。。。more
Maria
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Tuck and Francesca meet at a high-scale sex club and， faces hidden behind masks， they have a no strings attached One Night Stand。 Both are intent for it to be only one night， as Francesca has recently discovered her fiancé’s cheating ways and Tuck has no plans for a relationship。 However it is hard for both of them to forget the other and they end up running into each other and figure out that they live in the same building。I flew through the book， it was well written， had an interwoven story an Tuck and Francesca meet at a high-scale sex club and， faces hidden behind masks， they have a no strings attached One Night Stand。 Both are intent for it to be only one night， as Francesca has recently discovered her fiancé’s cheating ways and Tuck has no plans for a relationship。 However it is hard for both of them to forget the other and they end up running into each other and figure out that they live in the same building。I flew through the book， it was well written， had an interwoven story and an engaging romance。The book started with establishing chapters from Tucks perspective and I really loved that we got his thoughts on their first meeting。 And what a great first meeting that was， they hit it off so well - I loved their camaraderie and chemistry！ Overall I enjoyed the romance。One of my favorite parts of the story were the side characters。 The whole cast of them were great and added a lot to the story as they were distinctive and not one of them felt like they could’ve written off without missing a part of the story。It would’ve been interesting if Francesca had revealed her pregnancy a little earlier as the ending felt a little to fast and some plotlines didn’t get the proper amount of times to unfold。CW: pregnancy; domestic abuse; drug abuse; child abuse; adult/minor relationship （not between main characters， past）I was provided an ARC by the publisher via NetGalley。 All opinions are my own。 。。。more
Nicki - The Overflowing Bookcase
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Tuck and Francesca might meet under false pretenses， but the spark that is felt rolls over into a storyline that is not only explosive but combines the perfect amount of humor and opposite attraction。 With both characters carrying emotional baggage from past hurts， it is the steps they take to overcome these obstacles and tear down the walls surrounding their hearts that makes this book a joy to read。 Ilsa Madden-Mills once again gives her readers just what they needed in a romance story。
Mich
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𝘗𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘳 follows NFL star Tuck Avery in an exclusive club on his birthday night where he encounters Francesca Lane on her supposed wedding night i。e。 before her fiance betrayed her。 Clad in fairy tale attire， they share a night of pleasure and passion， no names exchanged。 Days later Francesca finds out she's pregnant and soon also discovers the real identity of Player aka Tuck aka the guy who lives in the same building as her， yeah definitely not a problem。 - ~ - Right well I've n 𝘗𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘳 follows NFL star Tuck Avery in an exclusive club on his birthday night where he encounters Francesca Lane on her supposed wedding night i。e。 before her fiance betrayed her。 Clad in fairy tale attire， they share a night of pleasure and passion， no names exchanged。 Days later Francesca finds out she's pregnant and soon also discovers the real identity of Player aka Tuck aka the guy who lives in the same building as her， yeah definitely not a problem。 - ~ - Right well I've never really been a fan of the accidental pregnancy trope but genuinely it wasn't even about the trope here。 In my opinion， Tuck's personality in this book doesn't correspond with his personality in Rowan's book。 On another note， the romance felt like it was missing that spark。 They met without any idea of who the other was， they were attracted， they had sex， the night ended， she got pregnant， they met again but this time with introductions， still attracted， they get into a relationship， she tells him the truth， his vulnerability takes over， he gets some sense knocked into him， he begs for forgiveness， she forgives， baby is born， end of story。 When did they fall？ Or did they even？ Did the emotions take over？ I don't know。 Overall: The first romance in the series was much better and it honestly hurts to say this but Tuck deserved better。 I was so excited for his story after getting to know him in Rowan and Nova's book but alas。 Also， I was expecting atleast one Rowan and Nova cameo but nada。。。 nothing。 - ~ - 3。58 / 5✩ 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘔𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬， 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘐 𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 & 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸𝘦𝘥。 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯。 。。。more
ella
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Thanks so much to NetGalley for providing me with a free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review。My favourite Ilsa Madden-Mills book yet！ I think this is the fourth book of hers that I’ve read and it is definitely the best。 I really enjoyed the relationship between Fran and Tuck， and while accidental pregnancy is not normally a trope I go for （I can only think of one other book I have read with this trope）， I was surprised at how much I also enjoyed that aspect！ That said， we didn’t a Thanks so much to NetGalley for providing me with a free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review。My favourite Ilsa Madden-Mills book yet！ I think this is the fourth book of hers that I’ve read and it is definitely the best。 I really enjoyed the relationship between Fran and Tuck， and while accidental pregnancy is not normally a trope I go for （I can only think of one other book I have read with this trope）， I was surprised at how much I also enjoyed that aspect！ That said， we didn’t actually get a lot of the later pregnancy stuff， more of the plot happened early on and midway through， and the book essentially ended with the birth， but yeah I really liked it。A couple of other things I loved about this book were the New York setting， and the focus on art - which is Fran’s career。 And there was even an unexpected plot point or two that I most definitely was not expecting， but I enjoyed the ride all the same！ Overall， I would definitely recommend this book as a romance， the characters are both fun and interesting to read about and this is actually a book I could see myself buying and rereading after it comes out。Though I would say if you're looking specifically for a sports romance， this one doesn't actually have a very big focus on the sport， regardless of Tuck being in the NFL， so just keep that in mind。 。。。more
Kayleigh Finlayson
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Received as an eArc。Loved！！Pregnancy troupe but done so well。 Loved both main characters。 At the start i thought this would be a totally different book than what it was。
Marta Bo
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I absolutety adored this book ！！！！ FrancesCa and Tuck literally rules and theres NO OTHER way， than fall love hard in their love story。I couldn't put this book down！ From the begining this author proved that her plan is to leave her readers speachles and in awe， and she did it so well。 Ilsa Madden Mills a one click author for me since the first moment I read her book few years ago。 Until today nothing had changed。。。 Princess and the Player is everything what I would love to recieved from this au I absolutety adored this book ！！！！ FrancesCa and Tuck literally rules and theres NO OTHER way， than fall love hard in their love story。I couldn't put this book down！ From the begining this author proved that her plan is to leave her readers speachles and in awe， and she did it so well。 Ilsa Madden Mills a one click author for me since the first moment I read her book few years ago。 Until today nothing had changed。。。 Princess and the Player is everything what I would love to recieved from this author。This book might start with a big baby suprise， but I loved how author made the rest story as a slow burn romance。 From one page to another one， the action bring all the feels and breathtaking moments。 Francesca is young woman， who exaclty knows what she wants from life， sometimes the patience is very needed， but step by step she is reaching her goal。 Author couldn't write her more perfect for Tuck。 He looks like big - let's play - alpha， but underneath he's a big carring and loving teddy bear。 They both has certain life experioence， so their relationship evoled thru the pages， just to show at the end， there's nothing more beautifull， than pure love， that had been born from friendship。MUST READ ALERT！ 。。。more
Sarah
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Francesca and Tuck meet， masked， at a sex club。 It’s supposed to be one night， no strings， but a series of coincidences and a positive pregnancy test completely change all that。 I’m vacillating between 3 and 4 stars for this one。 It starts so well。 I liked Francesca’s voice， her determination， the way she created her own family。 But then， as it progresses… I promise this is not a spoiler， but the very last line of the book makes a reference to chaos， and that’s how the whole second half feels。 T Francesca and Tuck meet， masked， at a sex club。 It’s supposed to be one night， no strings， but a series of coincidences and a positive pregnancy test completely change all that。 I’m vacillating between 3 and 4 stars for this one。 It starts so well。 I liked Francesca’s voice， her determination， the way she created her own family。 But then， as it progresses… I promise this is not a spoiler， but the very last line of the book makes a reference to chaos， and that’s how the whole second half feels。 There’s too much going on， and some characters and sub-plots feel unnecessary。 The relationship between Tuck and Francesca develops choppily: I didn’t feel I saw enough of it， didn’t feel the chemistry， possibly because of all the other stuff。 It’s a shame， because I enjoyed the first in the series， but this time I was a little disappointed。 Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy。 All opinions are my own。 。。。more
Vivian
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Princess and the Player is a second book in a series by Miller。 It follows Tuck Avery and Francesca （I forgot her last name）。 For Avery's 35th birthday party， a couple of his teammates take him to a sex club with strings attached， like you much keep identity a secret。 At said club， he meets Princess Bride where they have a night filled with unimaginable passion。 Fast forward to actual story， and we meet our female main character， Francesca， a tattoo artist， who is recently fired from her job due Princess and the Player is a second book in a series by Miller。 It follows Tuck Avery and Francesca （I forgot her last name）。 For Avery's 35th birthday party， a couple of his teammates take him to a sex club with strings attached， like you much keep identity a secret。 At said club， he meets Princess Bride where they have a night filled with unimaginable passion。 Fast forward to actual story， and we meet our female main character， Francesca， a tattoo artist， who is recently fired from her job due to her fiancée sleeping with the manager。 （It's a convoluted mess and really very illegal）。 In a slew of events， she figures out her masked Lover and her virus that just won't quit are non other than Tuck Avery and his baby。 The book follows Tuck and Francesca's relationship， weaving ideas of fate， past trauma， and hope。 I don't normally like pregnancy trope， but I decided to give this one a go。 It felt fascinating because the pregnancy was a source of redemption for Francesca， and a sense of secrecy。 The fall out of Tuck finally figuring out he is the father was a bit lackluster， and turnaround//ending of the book seemed forced。 I loved Beauty and the Baller， but I think this one just sorta fell short。 However， I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to read this before published date in exchange for an honest review 。。。more
Hart's Reader Group
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This book was heartwarming， heart-wrenching， and heart-pounding。 The characters were well-written， the emotional depth was just the right amount of heavy， and the sexual tension was perfect。 I teared up， I laughed， I bit my nails， and I loved every minute of it。
Susan McClintock
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Francesca Lane is an artist who was betrayed by her fiancé。 On the night that was supposed to be her wedding， she goes to a mascarade at a NY club。 There she meets Tuck Avery， famous wide receiver for the NY Pythons football team。 Since they are wearing masks， they don’t have a clue who they are with。 They agree to one night， no names and the masks remain on。 Of course， they live in the same building， and that night left a little souvenir that will make itself known in nine months。 Both Tuck and Francesca Lane is an artist who was betrayed by her fiancé。 On the night that was supposed to be her wedding， she goes to a mascarade at a NY club。 There she meets Tuck Avery， famous wide receiver for the NY Pythons football team。 Since they are wearing masks， they don’t have a clue who they are with。 They agree to one night， no names and the masks remain on。 Of course， they live in the same building， and that night left a little souvenir that will make itself known in nine months。 Both Tuck and Francesca have complicated backstories that make trust and a potential happily ever after difficult。 Seeing their progression and growth was truly enjoyable。 Thoroughly enjoyable book。 I received an arc of this book from NetGalley for my honest opinion。 。。。more
Emily
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Princess and the Player is the second book in the Strangers in Love series by Ilsa Madden-Mills。 The first book in the series Beauty and the Baller was one of my favorite books of 2021。 I was excited to read more about Tuck who was the best friend of the first book's hero。 Tuck and Francesca meet at an exclusive private club。 Both are going through a tough time and agree to a masked no questions asked one night stand。 Weeks later， Tuck and Francesca have a chance encounter at a coffee shop that Princess and the Player is the second book in the Strangers in Love series by Ilsa Madden-Mills。 The first book in the series Beauty and the Baller was one of my favorite books of 2021。 I was excited to read more about Tuck who was the best friend of the first book's hero。 Tuck and Francesca meet at an exclusive private club。 Both are going through a tough time and agree to a masked no questions asked one night stand。 Weeks later， Tuck and Francesca have a chance encounter at a coffee shop that ends with them verbally sparing。 They almost immediately recognize each other from the private club。 Francesca realizes she is pregnant but knows that Tuck isn't interested in anything serious。 He continues to pursue her despite her turning him down。 How can she navigate her feelings toward Tuck and the secret that she is keeping from him？Francesca drove me a bit batty during this book。 I loved that she was so feisty and confident but when it came to the pregnancy she spent entirely too much of the book keeping it secret。 I know she "tried" to tell him a couple of times but it felt like she had soooo many opportunities to really tell him if she wanted to。 Tuck has a troubled past。 He may have grown up privileged but life with his parents wasn't easy。 I think adding the element of coping with his mother's mental illness gave Tuck a level of depth that he needed as a character。 Overall， it was an enjoyable read but was missing that spark the first book captured。 Make no mistake though， it was steamy！ One aspect that was particularly strong was Francesca's found family。 From her grouchy elderly neighbor to her nosy best friend roommates， the secondary characters were a highlight of this book。 Thank you to MontLake and NetGalley for an eARC。 All opinions expressed are my own。Tropes include: one night stand， surprise baby， sports romance， tortured hero， found family， sex club#netgalley #illsamaddenmills #princessandtheplayer #montlake 。。。more
Cori Eckman
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Since first discovering her books， this Author is an instant Download for me。 I love how we get not only the feels and get to peel back the layer of the MC in each of her books， we also get the funny and laugh out moments。 We first met Tuck in Beauty and the Baller， the Bestie of Ronan with his quick wit and charm he easily became a favorite secondary character。 As we know tho， those who smile the most and laugh the hardest sometimes have the most to hide inside， and out Tuck was holding a lot i Since first discovering her books， this Author is an instant Download for me。 I love how we get not only the feels and get to peel back the layer of the MC in each of her books， we also get the funny and laugh out moments。 We first met Tuck in Beauty and the Baller， the Bestie of Ronan with his quick wit and charm he easily became a favorite secondary character。 As we know tho， those who smile the most and laugh the hardest sometimes have the most to hide inside， and out Tuck was holding a lot inside。 Francesca， our FMC is betrayed by her fiancé， so she goes with a friend to a exclusive club donning her wedding dress and mask， she has an out of this world encounter with a masked player。。。。 none other than our Tuck。 They have an explosive night with no names， no attachments， and no worries。。。。 so they thought。 I absolutely loved this book， loved our main characters and as always the side characters。 。。。more
Jean
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A damaged football player and a girl with no real family。 This story has been done before and was pretty predictable。 But I love the author's writing style and the secondary characters are great， especially Jasper！Francesca grew up being shuffled between foster homes， so she was a tough girl and knew exactly what she wanted。 Tuck had a bad relationship with his family and basically depended on football to keep him on track。 Football was his #1 priority， until it wasn't！ No time for commitment or A damaged football player and a girl with no real family。 This story has been done before and was pretty predictable。 But I love the author's writing style and the secondary characters are great， especially Jasper！Francesca grew up being shuffled between foster homes， so she was a tough girl and knew exactly what she wanted。 Tuck had a bad relationship with his family and basically depended on football to keep him on track。 Football was his #1 priority， until it wasn't！ No time for commitment or starting a family。 Or so he thought。。。。。。I was provided an ARC of this book through NetGalley for an honest review。 。。。more
Patricia Rohrs （words we love by blog）
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Princess And The Player is book 2 in a series of standalones！ I honestly didn’t read the premise it’s an Ilsa book so I grabbed it （thank you NetGalley and Publisher） The way that these two meet was unexpected but honestly perfect because though each one is wearing a mask they are both able to shed the mask they wear in society！ They do not click immediately but when Fran finally gives him a chance he because her knight！！ They agree to one night of passion！ Fate had other ideas and keeps throwin Princess And The Player is book 2 in a series of standalones！ I honestly didn’t read the premise it’s an Ilsa book so I grabbed it （thank you NetGalley and Publisher） The way that these two meet was unexpected but honestly perfect because though each one is wearing a mask they are both able to shed the mask they wear in society！ They do not click immediately but when Fran finally gives him a chance he because her knight！！ They agree to one night of passion！ Fate had other ideas and keeps throwing these two together！ Their encounters are hilarious but over time a friendship starts to form！ Francesca hides a secret though and it just might be their undoing。 I will honestly say that at first I was skeptical with my feelings on this book。 Tuck wasn’t who I thought he was at first but in a good way。 He has a few nuances but once you get to know him he makes sense and he fits with Fran perfectly。 I loved Fran she is very strong and has found her people。 She loves those close to her heart fiercely and I love how she paves her own way！ Once Tuck let’s his walls down you truly see just how strong and loving he is。 He just needed the right person to show him the way。 。。。more
Bethany
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An intimate encounter at a sex club masquerade ball leads to a surprise connection–and a surprise pregnancy–in Princess and the Player。 An artist and jilted bride， who grew up without a family， and a famous football wide receiver， whose family memories are colored by pain–can they really have more in common than being incognito at the same party， at the same time in NYC？It turns out fate has been crossing their paths for years， and later， when they see each other unmasked， there’s no mistaking w An intimate encounter at a sex club masquerade ball leads to a surprise connection–and a surprise pregnancy–in Princess and the Player。 An artist and jilted bride， who grew up without a family， and a famous football wide receiver， whose family memories are colored by pain–can they really have more in common than being incognito at the same party， at the same time in NYC？It turns out fate has been crossing their paths for years， and later， when they see each other unmasked， there’s no mistaking who they were that night at the club。She has hard edges with a soft core; he has insecurities; and both are apprehensive to enter into anything serious for their own reasons。 This one has some heaviness， and while there is some humor mixed in， there is not the same level of levity to balance out the heavier themes as you find in Beauty and the Baller。In this one Ilsa Madden-Mills serves up plenty of steam， some anywhere but the bed action， heart-wrenching moments， and heart touching ones。 Some of my favorite scenes involve Francesca’s found family and Jasper’s upbeat and offbeat friendship with Tuck。CW: abuse， foster homes， abandonment， infidelity， stalker， manic depression， suicide， death of a parent， guiltI received an advance copy from Montlake and NetGalley。 Review opinions are my own。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Princess and the Player
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Princess and the Player&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft