I decided not to finish this book because I didn't feel a strong connection to the story or characters. I will not be rating it or writing a full review, but I appreciate the opportunity.

I enjoyed The Proposition by Elizabeth Hayley until nearly the end of the book. Ms. Hayley is a new-to-me author, and The Proposition is the second book in a series, but she did an excellent job of working in characters from the first book without leaving the reader lost and confused. I always appreciate when series books are able to be read as standalones. The basic premise of Ben needing to hire an escort to act as his girlfriend while accompanying him to his estranged brother’s wedding, and the manner in which he and his friends go about finding an escort was a little unrealistic, however, I liked all these characters so much I was willing to go along with it. The Proposition is filled with misunderstandings, some with good reason, others not so much. Ben is a professional hockey player from a family of academics, who feels his family neither understands nor accepts his choices, and is disappointed in him. I guess there are people who would be unhappy if their son was a NHL star. I don’t know any of those people, but I’m willing to believe they’re out there. Ben makes his family out to be jerks, so I was surprised to find they really weren’t. I was confused about his belief of how they thought of him, it didn’t make a lot of sense to me. In his relationships with his friends and Ryan, he’s pretty straightforward. It was one of the traits I liked most about him, in fact. For that reason, the entire reason for thinking he needed an escort didn’t ring true. The animosity between Ben and his brother rang true, however. There is an incident near the end, a very important plot point, that seemed to come out of nowhere and felt very contrived to me. In fact, it completely changed how I felt about this book. I guess I didn’t understand the unresolved issues between Ben and his brother, and the inconsistency didn’t work for me. I did, however, love Ben and Ryan together. She was a very strong, independent, feisty heroine, and Ben was fun, generous, and very sweet with her, although a bit clueless. His friends, Jase and Gabe added the voice of reason, and a sense of playfulness, respectively. My biggest issue with this book was in the main conflict in Ben and Ryan’s relationship. I felt it came out of nowhere. I was shocked and appalled by his behavior. I knew what would happen, but I didn’t see it unfolding in the way it did. I’m not often surprised, but this one took me by surprise for sure. Honestly, it would have been a deal breaker for me. Other readers may not agree, however, and for that reason, I am still recommending this book.

Brilliant read with all the things I enjoy in a book with a brilliant storyline and characters and I will look forward to reading more from you from this author thank you for my arc

A sweet story with a well-developed cast, The Proposition was an addicting read. I enjoyed all of the characters and their progress throughout the book, and the romance was just lovely and heartwarming. I'll be going back to read the rest of the series!

Elizabeth Hayley is brand new to me and she's definitely someone I will be checking out in the future. Sexy. Sweet. Light-hearted. Captivating. Hayley delivers a fun romance with great banter and intriguing characters that will have your heart beating a little faster.

The Proposition is the second standalone book in the Players series featuring Ben *swoon* and Ryan, who took me on quite the unforgettable journey... one that starts out as a proposition before turning into...forever.

He needs a date to his brother's wedding and she needs a job after losing hers, again. What starts out as strictly an arrangement for both quickly becomes so much more than they could have imagined. And fake has never felt so genuine and right.

But it's slightly complicated and a little twisted. Can they work out the kinks to make it...real?

If you are new to Elizabeth Hayley like me (or maybe it's just been so while) then THIS seems to be the series to jump on board.

I recommend this book.

I DNF'd this book whereas the first book I enjoyed immensely - this book I just couldn't get into and had to stop at like 13 percent.

Every once in a while, in the middle of our ordinary lives, love gives us a fairytale.”

I’ve loved fairy tales since I was a little girl—from Cinderella to Beauty in the Beast to modern romances that feel like fairy tales. Fairy tales are just so...SIGH…magical and mesmerizing. These magical stories transport me to a wonderful fantasy world that sometimes feels very raw and real. The Proposition Scandal by Elizabeth Hayley is a feel-good fairytale of a romance that makes your heart dance!



Ben is tall, dark, and deliciously handsome!!! He is one hot hockey star with a huge heart. I couldn’t help but love him!

Ryan is a strong heroine, so beautiful and brave. This woman has conquered a tough life, and I admired her courage. She is the perfect complement to Ben.

What starts out as a fake relationship between a poor beauty and a rich sports star starts to feel real.

”Do you feel what you do to me?”

The chemistry between Ryan and Ben was UNDENIABLE. This couple was on fire! Together, they were MAGNETIC!

”I need you.”

“You’ve got me.”

A modern mix of a Pretty Woman meets Cinderella sports romance, The Proposition is a fairytale full of laugh-out-loud humor, heat, and heart. You’ll fall hard for a hot hockey star with a huge heart and the beautiful spitfire heroine who both rescue each other. CAPTIVATING and CHARMING, The Proposition hits the heart and blazes the body where you can't help but MELT. This love story is a SLOW BURN full of sexual tension, a simmer of smolder, sweetness, sass, and swoon. The Proposition’s spell is one you can’t help but feel while reading.

💋💋💋💋 sweet and simmering kisses

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Ben Williamson is the hockey player from a family who is more cerebral then physical. He has to do the hardest thing ever attend the wedding of his ex-girlfriend to his brother. With the help of his friends he gets the brilliant idea to hire an escort to attend with him. He refuses to show up alone. Ryan allows herself to be mistaken and hired as an escort for Ben. Being around Ben and seeing how he is has Ryan slowly falling in love with him. Can her secret keep them apart.
Hayley writes a solid book that makes the reader slowly fall in love with the characters. I can't wait for the next in the Players series.

Elizabeth Hayley's newest book, The Propostion is fantastic! I can hardly wait to see what comes next in this series!

Sadly I DNFed this book. I am sorry. I was expecting something else when I saw this book.

I've read the first book in the series and thought it was an easy read. This book was as well. Romantic and fun! If you're looking for a good series that's a quick, fun, and easy read this is definitely for you!

Fast paced and enjoyable. A great light read for a cozy afternoon. Characters were well developed and not too complicated - relatable. Cute, flirty read. 3.5/5

I haven't read the first book in this series but I could easily follow the story & the characters.

Ben needs a date for his brothers wedding & after some persuading from his friends he decides to hire an escort.

Ryan has had enough of her crappy job waitressing in a seedy strip club & when a hot guy mistakes her for an escort & offers her a lot of money to help him out she decides it's a no brainer & agrees.

We follow them as they try to get to know each other in order to fool Ben's family. There is laughter, secrets & family dramas along with some great secondary characters.

I wouldn't hesitate to read more from this author

The Proposition was okay. It felt very familiar to me, and I was trying to figure out if I had read this before or not.
That was actually really distracting to me, so I wasn’t really able to get over that guessing game to full immerse myself in this books.

The Proposition is a mostly sweet, sometimes sexy, romance.

Ben is a professional hockey player who needs to bring someone with him to his brother's wedding to be a buffer between him and his family. When his friends (also professional athletes) suggest hiring an escort, and take him to a strip bar where escorts supposedly work, Ben meets Ryan, whom he assumes is an escort, and he hires her to go with him to his brother's wedding.

I liked the way Ben and Ryan got to know each other in a natural, easy kind of way and how sweet they were with each other. They have good chemistry and their getting together was very believable. Of course, something dramatic has to happen to break them apart, and when it happened, I really felt for Ryan. It seemed so out of character for Ben to do what he did, because up to that point, he had been so sweet and even-keeled, but at least they resolved it with a minimum of angst. I still don't quite see what Ben had thought was so bad about his family, though, aside from what his brother originally did to him to cause their rift. But, that aside, Ben and Ryan's story is sweet and sexy and enjoyable. There's a great secondary cast, too, in the form of Ben's friends, Gabe and Jace, and Ryan's friend, Camilla. The hockey references are pretty sparse, though, so if you like your sports romances heavy on the sports, you might want to skip this one. But, if you just want a sweet, sexy romance with some light sports references, put The Proposition on your TBR list.

Nice story about a hot hockey player, Ben, who needs a date to his brothers wedding. Cue in Ryan who just quit her job and runs into Ben, or the door Ben was opening! Follow their story in this book, all the ups and downs, learn how their pasts come to play in their "relationship". I'm giving this 5 stars because the message in this book was done so well! Enjoy their story I sure did!

Ben and Ryan made me fall in love with them from the beginning. I wanted to slap Ben's brother more than once, because that sweet man didn't deserve his bs. When I wasn't wanting to defend Ben, I was swooning over him. Ryan was such a strong character too! I'm so glad I discovered this author a few months ago! I can't wait for Gabe's book!

This book was a crack-up to read! Ben is looking for a date to take to a family member's wedding and he runs into Ryan at a strip club and finds that she would be perfect for the job.

Think part The Wedding Date in reverse with a mix of Pretty Woman. It's a hysterical read with Ben being almost naive and Ryan being mistaken for something that she wasn't but she totally played into.

A good, funny, sports read that makes me want to read more of this series!

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Avid Reader – ☆☆☆☆
M/F Romance
Triggers: Cheating

This was an interesting story. On the one hand, you have Ben who seems pretty put together. However, when you get deeper into his character, you find that he's struggling just like everyone else around him. He feels an inadequacy that stems from his family home life and he can't quite shake it.

For Ryan, she is just trying to figure out where she's going to get her next paycheck. She has survived a lot and won't let anything get her down. She has a strong moral code and despite sometimes having to do things she doesn't like, she holds tight to her morals.

Ben and Ryan's meeting was kind of hilarious. However, they recovered and began their journey of hiding who they really are. This story was full of family dysfunction, love that developed organically, and of learning each other in a way that was forced, but in the end, exactly what was necessary.

Ben really was kind of an immature jerk a lot of the time. I wondered if he would ever grow up. His brother was equally a jerk and I never really liked him. Ben's family – parents mainly – were also so clueless throughout the story that I ended up feeling bad for Ben. Ryan had her own struggles but since she was used to hardship, I liked her a lot more. She persevered and overcame a lot.

Ben and Ryan's chemistry was hot, and they had some great scenes. I felt that despite the quick "get to know you" part of the story, their relationship worked well.


Sarah – ☆☆☆☆☆
4.5 stars

This is a sweet, fun, and easy read. The premise is a little bit Pretty Woman. The idea of a professional athlete hiring an escort for a wedding may not be very plausible, but it does make for a good story.

Ben and Ryan are a great combination. Ryan’s background has made her a survivor and she’s been caring for herself from a very young age. Ben comes from privilege and his biggest worry is his family’s disapproval of his hockey career. These two connect immediately on a physical and emotional level, but they really don’t understand each other’s worlds. Ryan’s reactions to Ben’s casual entitlement are brilliant.

The angst in this book feels contrived at times. There are several secrets in this story and some of them feel unnecessary – they’re only introduced to create or draw out conflict between Ryan and Ben. I really enjoyed Ben’s family and I loved Ryan’s friend, Camille.

As in the first book, the friendship between Ben, Gabe, and Jace is really special. As their lives diverge, these three spend less time together. I found Ben’s sadness at the loss of some of the closeness really moving.

I love that the story and the characters are completely different from those in the first book. On the surface, a cocktail waitress and a doctor might have very little in common, but Ryan and Ally are both wonderfully strong women and they are both women worth getting to know.


Lee’Anne – ☆☆☆☆
This is an enjoyable read with an original plotline that had me intrigued to the very end. Though I’ve read the first in the series, I still appreciated that this one can be read as a standalone with no confusion while still giving us glimpses of the characters from the previous book!

Ben is a professional hockey player who has been on the outs with his brother for years. His brother is getting married and Ben doesn’t want to face the wedding alone, especially since his brother is marrying Ben’s ex-girlfriend. One of Ben’s best friends, Gabe, recommends that he hire an escort and then suggests doing so at a strip club, where Ben comes face to face with the beautiful Ryan. Ryan is running low on funds and life keeps kicking her while she’s down. She’s resorted to working as a waitress at a strip club but loses that job when someone makes advances that she quickly shuts down. When she bumps into the handsome Ben outside the club and is mistaken for an escort, Ryan can’t bring herself to turn down the money that Ben is offering. In order to get to know one another well enough to pull off fooling Ben’s family, Ben insists Ryan move in with him until then and the two really hit it off.

I love how fast paced this book is, I couldn’t put it down. My favorite character in the book was definitely Gabe, he’s absolutely hilarious and I’m already highly anticipating him getting his own book! I also really enjoyed that this book has it all: romance, intrigue, and angst. Ben and his family drama is so relatable, and it had me in tears when he and his brother are talking at the end. This is great read and I highly recommend it!


Mary Jo – ☆☆☆☆
I really enjoyed this book. It’s not your typical “man needs a date to a family wedding, so he hires an escort to play the part” story. It’s a story about struggle: the struggle to be more than what people expect you to be, the struggle to find good in bad situations, the struggle to overcome the demons of the past.

Ryan has seen more than her fair share of struggles; however, she has never faltered in her belief in herself, of being more than her drug addicted mother, of living a life she would be proud of. Her struggle has led her to be a waitress in a strip club, it's decent money and is helping her pay her part of the bills as she couch surfs at a friend’s.

Ben is a professional hockey player, who on the surface seems to have it all. Beneath the facade, Ben is still struggling from his brother's betrayal. Ten years ago, Ben's girlfriend decided that his brother, David, was the better man. Ben has carried the sting of that hurt with him ever since, and has distanced himself from his entire family so that he didn't have to witness their relationship first hand. During the times the family was together, it was tense and often led to disagreements, which led to Ben staying away longer and longer.

With David's wedding fast approaching, Ben knows that he doesn't want to go alone and face the demons of his past. He also doesn't want his mother playing matchmaker. Gabe comes up with a brilliant idea to hire an escort to play the part of his girlfriend. He's hesitant at first, then he meets Ryan and suddenly it doesn't seem like such a bad idea.

The relationship between Ryan and Ben starts off a little shaky but they quickly form a bond, sharing secrets and dreams. As the wedding gets closer, so do they. The question they both ask themselves: What happens to them after the vows are said?