I love a friends-to-lovers story, but this may be one of the best written ones I've read. I enjoyed seeing the friendship between Cassie and Chase. We were able to see them with each other, with friends, with family, and learn their normal routines and rapport. This developed the relationship so well that by the time the author connected them romantically/sexually, the reader was already invested and knew the characters well. In other books I've read with this theme, it often seems that we see a glimpse of friendship with some inner dialogue about not wanting to cross the line, and then they do cross it rather quickly.

I also enjoyed how the author handled the conflict between the characters. It was not overdone where they overreacted to situations or spent months apart in order to realize they needed to be together. These characters seemed to work through things in a more mature and realistic manner.

I don't want to give spoilers, so I will just say I highly recommend this book. And if you are not a fan of hockey romance, don't worry, the vast majority of this book takes place in the off-season.

Awesome contemporary sports/hockey romance. Chase is an excellent hockey player but he tends to spend as much time in the penalty box as he does in the ice. Over the last several years he's always had his best friend Cassie to lean on. They have been close since their college days. Unfortunately, no one else around them understands why they aren't more than friends. On the eve of an important business meeting Chase and Cassie to put on the town in Vegas. Cassie misses the meeting and her life is out of control and on yeah they were so drunk they got married. The author developed the characters so the reader becomes vested in their lives and to read on. I received a complementary copy of this book and chose to write a review. I look forward to reading future books by Ms. Edwards.

Witty, sexy, and delightfully romantic!

Bad Reputation is a passionate friends-to-more rom-com about the sinfully, delicious Chase, who finds it harder and harder to keep his attraction for his best friend a secret, and the focused and determined Cassie who realizes that sometimes things happen for a reason, and everything she's ever wanted may be standing right in front of her.

The writing is crisp. The characters, including all the supporting characters, are fun-loving, charismatic, and lovable. And the plot is a perfect blend of emotion, drama, heat, sassy dialogue, hilarious hijinks, sporty action, unconditional friendship and true love. 

I would have to say that this is definitely one of my favourite reads of the year. I loved the story, I loved the chemistry, and I loved the characters. It had everything I look for in a light-hearted rom-com and more.

Bad Reputation is a fantastic start to the new Bad Boys of Sports series by Edwards, and now I will have to patiently wait for the next novel in the series, Bad Business, not due to be published until March 2018.

Bad Reputation is Nicole Edwards' new friends to lovers romance. I've read almost all of her books and I love her writing and her characters. This story is about Chase and Cassie. Friends since college who never even kissed or tried to be more. They are just friends. Truly. Chase has had more than friends thoughts over the years, but he never voiced them. He's a sexy, famous hockey player who's known as a bad boy on and off the ice. Cassie is extremely smart and successful. Their friendship just works for them. When a few shots of tequila in Vegas leads to a game changing kiss, Chase and Cassie begin to see each other in a non-friendly way. Can a night of drunken mind blowing sex change everything? Or can they go back to just being friends. I loved this story! Chase is sexy, funny and vulnerable. Cassie is smart and beautiful. I loved watching these friends fall in love! Great start to a new series! I laughed, cried, got hot and bothered and mad!


"I'm not done with you yet," I whisper. I'm not sure if I'm merely talking about tonight or for all time, but it's not like I'm going to get into it right now.

In a way, the title of the book, Bad Reputation, forces readers to head into Nicole Edwards’ latest release with a few preconceived notions about the hero, and these bias ideas are not necessarily a bad thing since Chase Barrett proves that he’s so much more than a label, especially one that doesn’t truly define the man that he is or how his best friend, Cassie Desrosiers, truly feels about the guy whose bullshit she doesn’t tolerate. But it is interesting to hear about and even witness slanted judgments about this bad boy of hockey and while his nickname may hold true on the ice and in the penalty box, that moniker doesn't seem to match up with the man readers and Cassie get the further into the story we go.

There’s an interesting dynamic between these two long-term best friends, and Nicole Edwards plays upon their friendliness and suppressed mutual attraction while they’re in Vegas, and even though before that point neither of them had anything but friendly feelings for each other, it’s clear that what happened in Vegas is not going to stay there because their compatibility as sexual partners and what seems to be building between them despite the fact they fear their friendship will implode if they pursue anything with one another, is something that won’t be contained and by that point, it seems that both Chase and Cassie feel might be worth the risk.

Bad Reputation is not an angsty read at all, which is exactly what I was hoping when I started the story. Because there’s a big enough stereotype present when it comes to bad boy hockey players, manufacturing more drama doesn't make for a very entertaining read, at least in my opinion, because it takes away from the natural flow of the plot line as well as its authenticity. Edwards gives her readers Chase and Cassie's story with the expectations that it fits more of the friends to lovers trope than it does the typical testosterone fueled antics of a professional athlete and because the game of hockey is only, for the most part, a backdrop for the story line, romance readers who don't want to read another sports text that's driven by the game instead of the relationship of the main characters need not worry and those of us who love the game and the way its role in the lives of the characters, there's enough sports talk to keep us happy and patiently waiting for more of Edwards hockey stars.

Nicole Edwards is known for her steamy scenes and she holds true to those standards in Chase and Cassie’s story, and what I find most interesting about their insane chemistry in the bedroom is that when they start up this 'connection' between them, the physical is what they hold onto so no other feelings can intertwine with what's supposed to be seen as a 'temporary fix,' but it's made abundantly clear that perhaps Chase and Cassie's families were right about them from the very beginning, even if it took some interesting steps to get to that realization.

I enjoyed the first book in Edwards' new series, The Bad Boys of Sports, and with the introduction of a number of players/characters throughout Bad Reputation, I'm interested to see who Edwards puts in the game of love next!

4 Poison Apples (The Fairest of All Book Reviews)

I have to say that I was expecting a lot more from this book than what I got…

This was my first book from Nicole Edwards, and it was okay, but didn’t blew me away. And while this book is told in dual POV, it has a characteristic that I didn’t enjoy at all, and it was that the POVs switched in the middle of the chapters. It just didn’t flow well in my opinion.

While I liked Chase as a character, I didn’t like Cassie at all. These 2 worked as friends, but it nagged me how she treated him, especially when they become more than friends, she still treats him poorly and always assumes the worst of him. That was a huge no for me. The guy was doing everything he could for her, and she was telling him half truths and dismissing his actions… bah.

I wasn’t crazy about the plot either… I like best friends to lovers plots, but the Las Vegas plot is overused and kind of silly. I found it a little unrealistic and dumb. It was a big no for me.

But the romance does have its cute moments, and it is seriously hot. So there’s that.

Overall, an okay book, but I wouldn’t exactly recommend it. You can find a lot better out there. This was also sold to us as a hockey romance, but it has very little of the sport itself.

Love it! I really enjoyed the chemistry between Chase and Cassie, how they played off one another as they were friends. The hesitancy of going farther and loosing what they had as friends, neither were really ready to acknowledge their true feelings but one drunken night in Vegas and what happens in Vegas was not going to stay there!

This is a great book with a wonderful story and well developed characters. The story flowed very well and was very enjoyable. This book will keep you reading long into the night and you will not want to put this book down until you finish. This was such a great read and full of surprises. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader’s copy of this book. The free book held no determination on my personal review.

Who doesn't love a friends to lovers story? Chase and Cassie have been Best Friends since college. Now Chase is professional hockey player and Cassie is almost at the top of ladder for her company. I love how this story was a slow burn for their relationship to change. Neither of them ever wanted to change what they had. Sure Chase though Cassie was hot, but her friendship was everything to him. Cassie's home life as a child sucked and she had no interest in marriage.
When she invites Chase to Vegas for a very important meeting she is going attend. Everything changes. It was wild, crazy and hot!
It only got better once they returned home. My heart even broke over Chase tying to figure out how to let Cassie know what he truly felt for her.

4.5 Stars
Chase is the bad boy of hockey. He spends almost as much time in the penalty box as he does on the ice. He has puck bunnies falling at his feet regularly. He always makes sure they know he is not into commitment. His life is about hockey, having fun and spending time with his best friend Cassie Desrosiers. He and Cassie have been best friends since college. Just friends and that’s the way they want to keep it.

Cassie job is the most important thing to her. She has spent the last few years pushing herself up the corporate ladder. When she finds out her boss wants her to be the Keynote speaker at a very important conference in Las Vegas she is both nervous and excited. She invites Chase to come to Vegas with her. They will have some extra time to hang out and have some fun. Their first night in Vegas is a little fuzzy. Too much Tequila is fogging both of their memories. When their memories start to return it is only small pieces of their night they remember.

Chase has been finding it harder and harder to push away the true feelings he has for Cassie. When they are out at the hotel bar Cassie meets up with a fellow employee that she dated briefly. She was not interested in a relationship with him but he was not getting the message. In order to help Cassie get away from this guy, Chase pretends they are together sealing it with a kiss in front of the entire bar. When things get more heated their chemistry cannot be stopped. After spending a beautiful night together Cassie ends up sleeping through her speech, which she then is fired from her job.

Will Cassie lay the blame on Chase for missing her speech. Will they go back to being just friends or will they be able to make this new relationship a forever thing.

*** Advanced copy provided in exchange for an honest review. ***

Who doesn’t love a bad boy? Cassie, that’s who – at least that’s what she tells herself. Chase and Cassie are friends, and since she knows how well-deserved his playboy reputation is, she doesn’t dare risk her heart by thinking they could ever be more than just friends. Chase doesn’t dare let Cassie know how much he thinks of her for fear of losing her as a friend.

I love the slow build from friends to lovers, and the author brilliantly didn’t allow them to just all of a sudden act like lovers and forget about their years of friendship. The progression of the changes to their relationship felt authentic and honest. The secondary characters really added depth and realism to the story. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book through NetGalley.

chase "sin" barrett is a bad boy on and off the ice. his favorite thing to do in the whole world besides playing hockey is hang out with his best friend cassie and give her sass. he says it's because she the one person in the world he knows he can count on. but it's more than that. because chase really wants in her pants. he just happens to be self-aware enough to realize that it's not a very good idea.

and cassie is a smart girl. she knows better than to get entangled with her best friend with the bad reputation. but when cassie brings chase on a work trip to vegas all bets are off. because what happens in vegas, stays in vegas, right?

except maybe the sizzle between them is too strong to keep denying and after vegas how can they go back to the friend zone? especially when chase realizes that maybe cassie is it for him. and he knows that he's the only one for her. he just has to prove it.

https://www.amazon.com/review/RALOPD1V7MDXD/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

I sincerely apologize but this unfortunately is a DNF for me at 28% as I could not relate to the characters nor feel their chemistry. I also felt like the heroine was very immature. I apologize profusely but had to put this down. Thank you for the opportunity!

I voluntarily read an advanced reviewers copy of this book

I absolutely loved this book! Chase was hands down the MAN in this book. I loved the relationship between Chase and Cassie. There was passion, romance, friendship and truly sad moments that will tug at your heart and leave you in tears.

Overall this book was great...hands down one of the best books I have read all year!

Books that fall into the friends-to-lovers trope are a dime a dozen. Some fall flat, some suck me in. While I don't think the book title is necessarily fitting for the story, Bad Reputation sucked me in. The friendship between Chase and Cassie felt real, and the evolution of them recognizing how they really felt about one another was organic. I hate being "told" something is true -- I want to experience the journey with the characters, and I felt that I got to travel that road with Chase and Cassie.

The POVs switch mid-chapter sometimes, but that didn't bother me. I also liked how NE connects each chapter with an excerpt of Chase's interview at the start of each chapter. There is a whole lotta sex once they decided to be friends with benefits, and while Chase is a master at the dirty talk, I would have liked some more scenes focusing on their friendship and connection rather than the smut.

Overall, Bad Reputation was a solid, enjoyable friends-to-lovers story. I received an advanced copy from Loveswept via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Hockey star and his best friend finally falling in love!

Hockey player Chase Barrett and Cassie Desrosiers have best friends since college and when Cassie is presented with the opportunity to be the keynote speaker for their new app launch at a conference in Las Vegas, she invites Chase to come along and check out the nightlife with her and Natalie, her best friend/assistant. On the night before the keynote address they go out and she over sleeps, missing the address.

Chase has always loved Cassie and when they were out on the town they decided on a whim to get married and Cassie didn’t remember the ceremony until being called on the carpet by her company before they terminated her.

I loved the part of the interview that the author uses in the beginning of the chapters that begin with Chase’s POV because the reader is able understand Chase more.

Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review

Hockey romance seems to be hot right now and I see no reason to dispute that fact. I love hockey and everything about it. I’ve need played or see an NHL game but I have seen several of the lower level ones. And as intense as those are, I can imagine what the big leagues would be even more so! So you have to figure that the players know that and act accordingly.

This author has captured the life and times of one of the enforcers, the guys who hit hard and fight harder. It would seem to me that they would be just like that in real life, and some are. But you won’t see them in any romance novel so we live vicariously through the stories!

The two main characters have been friends for a long time without being intimate. Cassie is smart, has her life planned out, and it doesn’t include multiple one night stands. Chase, on the other hand, has no plan except to play hockey and hook up with girls, one night at a time. A business trip to Vegas changes both their lives in ways they couldn’t have guessed.

A fun, friends/lovers story that I know you will enjoy!

I received an ARC from the publisher for an honest and unbiased review. No compensation was promised or received for this review.