If you are not reading the Sydney Smoke Rugby romance series, you are missing out. This brothers best friend, virgin, pregnancy trope is unexpected and emotionally satisfying in every way.

Eleanor Davis has decided that after twenty-six years, she's ready to lose her v-card, and she's picked out Bodie Webb as the lucky guy. What will happen when she omits that all too important detail to her brothers best friend and teammate? Eleanor loves all things Victorian and has a sewing hustle making period clothing wear. Will her moment be just like those she's read about in her favorite books?

Bodie Webb can't take his eyes off of a mysterious woman at an engagement party so when he has the opportunity to further explore his desire with her, there is no hesitation. What happens when he wakes up and she's gone?

When they reconnect weeks later, it's not coincidence. Eleanor has returned to share with him unexpected news. How long will her secrets stay a secret? The conversations and banter between them is enchanting and captivating. Are his feelings real or based on circumstance?

If they can get to know each other in thirty days then they can make a decision about how to move forward? Who will find out their secret first?

This emotional and heart tugging story filled with the expected scorchin heat. Add insane chemistry, tons of tension, drama,family expectations, and secrets for a must read book you can be swept into for a fabulous bookcation.

Perfect read. Well written with the perfect amount of character development.

Rereviewed as reviews aren't showing

Received an ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.

So I feel like I should dock half a star for the over-usage of the word "vajazzale", but the story was sweet enough that I'll let it slide.

When Bodie meets Eleanor, he has no idea that she's his best friend's sister....or that she's a virgin...but that doesn't stop the two from having quite the night together. But of course it can't just end there, and their night follows them into the future and they're forced to face some rather serious questions.

The love scenes, as they've been in all the books in the series, are hot with about 3 T's and there's enough emotion to really keep you invested. The love of Austen is great (although I'm still not sure how she makes a career out of that) and the best friend's sister trope is always a fun time.

This is really just a fun, hot, series by Andrews here.

What a delightful book Playing House was. It was full of surprises and two of the most lovable people that will make you smile throughout the story. Amy Andrews did a beautiful job of bringing two totally different people together showing that opposites do attract.

Eleanor was a delight to read. She was a quirky, 26 year old virgin in a sea of the “beautiful” people. She loved the 19th century and was looking for her own Mr. Darcy to sweep her off of her feet. There is no way any one of the Sydney Smoke would even look twice at her.

Bodie is enthralled with the beautiful woman standing in the corner looking like a wallflower. There was just something about her. She wasn’t here looking at his bank balance, wanting to say that she slept with one of the Smoke. He knew there was something different about her and really wanted to get to know her. But, her line about hypnotizing a lion in the 19th century was one of the cutest thing he ever heard. One beautiful night together ends with a note when she tells him who she really is. Bodie knows he broke the Bro Code but, he had no idea. Now, he can’t even look his best friend in the face. What’s worse is that he can’t stop thinking about her or wanting her.

A phone call, a poker night, the truth. Now, Bodie really needs to make some decisions and he hopes that Eleanor goes along with his plan. She may have dropped a bombshell on him but, he couldn’t be happier. He now has a reason and a chance to be with the woman he fell in love with. Eleanor needs to decide if she wants to be daring and take a chance on Brodie or run and hide. She has to figure out if he is making these plans out of responsibility or if there is more. She needs to look really close at all the possibilities and problems.

I smiled and I cried throughout this story. There were really sweet moments and then the hard ones. But, through it all, Amy Andrews made this a really enjoyable book. She wrote a beautiful woman in Nell and a man who wasn’t afraid to wear his heart on his sleeve in Brodie. And, the ending … dear lord, it was so romantic, so endearing … you couldn’t help but be amazed and fall head over heels for this couple.

I simply love Eleanor. Brodie is swoon and sweet as well as being sexy. Their story was wonderful and a great addition to the series!

Playing House is a contemporary romance set in Australia and is part of a series but can be read as a standalone. It is delightful play on the best friend's little sister trope with said little sister also trying to lose her V card at the ripe age of twenty six. Meet Nel or as she is prefered to be called Eleanor. She's a twenty six year old virgin reared on the likes of Georgette Heyer and Jane Austen. She lives in the outback with her family and is of course the baby. She's also considered the odd one out of the lot. She loves her family dearly but sometimes she feels she isn't being taken seriously by then. On the night of her brother's engagement party, she meets the quintessential good looking guy that makes her suddenly decide to lose her virginity to. But she also knows he won't touch her once he finds out who she really is. Bodie had no intentions of hooking up especially during his best friend's engagement party. He's been burned by love once and a string of one night stands doesn't hold much appeal for him. But when he sets eyes on the lovely Eleanor Davis with her vintage clothing and her luscious curves he couldn't help but take her up on her offer. What he didn't realize was he was breaking a cardinal rule between BFFs. But the enchanting Eleanor had a hold of his heart from the very first moment and it's up to him to convince her that he could be what she was looking for all along. Playing House was a pure delight to read! For one Eleanor is not your typical virgin wallflower, she has her own business doing what she loves plus she really is an old fashioned kind of girl. But meeting Bodie made her forget her own thoughts about love and she just went for it with him. I loved her enthusiasm plus her ability to be realistic as well. Bodie on the other hand was definitely the antithesis of the playboy sports hero. He definitely fell hard for Eleanor and not even his best friend would stop him. I love that Eleanor was curvy and petite and was too busy building up her business. I also admired her courage of being herself with Brodie as well. Playing House will definitely make you smile and fan yourself because this two just heats up the sheets quite as well as their romance.

Eh....this book was just okay.

I found the book to be very predictable and stereotypical. I also had a really difficult time relating to Eleanor. She's obviously trapped in another century with some of her idealistic views; heck she walks around wearing corsets! She's obsessed about everything Victorian and even held onto her virginity hoping to save it for Mr. Right.

Everything about her was too stereotypical of a virgin in my opinion; it's like she never wen to school or had a social life before. She was naive when it came to everything and was also very immature.

Bodie is your typical playboy type who suddenly realizes he doesn't want to be a playboy any longer after he sleeps with a virgin. Yawn.

The story itself is fairly predictable which made it quite boring.

This was a cute read. Definitely not my usual type of reading but it was still cute. I like the quirky heroine and how they still manage to end up together in the end.

She’s a wallflower with a love for all things Victorian and a penchant for wearing pantaloons. He’s a hotshot rugby player who’s been getting over his ex by going through a revolving door of women. How can things not get interesting when the two get together?

Here’s what’s going on. All Eleanor wants to do at her brother’s engagement party is blend into the background until Bodie strikes up a conversation with her and she realizes she’s finally found the one to lose her virginity to. Bodie can’t seem to get enough of Eleanor, even after he learns she’s his best friend’s little sister. And now that there’s a consequence of their night together, he realized he can use this as his chance to get to know the woman he can’t get out of his mind.

I loved Eleanor and Bodie. They were a bit like chalk and cheese but they were so good together, which is why I read this book in one sitting. Seriously, it was a put a do not disturb sign on the door, don’t answer the phone, let the hot tea go cold, can’t put it down type of book.

I really enjoyed Eleanor. She walks to the beat of her own drum and I admire that—I also admire anyone who can sew a corset without losing their mind and wear them daily without fainting. She’s lived her life on a cattle station (Australian ranch) with Jane Austen as her guide and a stack of Victorian romances that’s served as her personal dating guide. It took her a bit of time to find her footing and come out of her shell and I was really rooting for her to figure out how to balance the wallflower with the more outgoing person she was becoming.

Bodie’s been playing the field of a bit—he was hurt and figured a string of women was the best way to save himself from going down the same path and getting involved with someone who only wanted him for his celebrity and trust fund. So, when he meets Eleanor and she starts chattering away about Victorian hypnotist, he’s enthralled. He’s also just an all-around good bloke. He caring, considerate, and feels guilty that’s he’s sleeping with his best friend’s sister but he doesn’t want to give her. And when he learns about the consequences their one night together, he goes with the flow rather than having a meltdown.

The romance started as insta-lust then evened out but even at the beginning they had such great chemistry and it continued to grow. Neither was sure what to expect and they had a bit of figuring out to do.

While I loved the majority of the book, the last few chapters just seemed off, which thoroughly disappointed me. Given the foreshadowing, I figured what was going to happen but the fallout just seemed out of place and a bit like drama for drama’s sake. And I don’t understand why the blame was placed on Bodie and why he felt like he had to make amends.

So, this one was a sports romance and I wasn’t sure what to expect—they can go either way for me—but, thankfully, this one was centered around a sport I watch so I actually knew what was going on and I didn’t feel like I was out in left field. Of course, the romance was center stage, but I felt this offered a nice balance between the sport and the romance. This one made me realize I need to read more rugby romances.

Overall, while the last few chapters weren’t my favorite, I did enjoy this one. It was fresh and unique and I’m interested in reading the previous books in this series.

I am not too sure about this book. It was interesting to say the least but I just felt disconnected from the plot. Eleanor was an interesting character as was Bodie. OF the two, I liked Bodie the most. Perhaps I will read it again and see if it's better the second time around.

4 stars
I thought this was a cute story about a total wallflower/nerd/virgin, Eleanor, ends up with her brother'e best friend in a crazy way. I laughed a lot because Eleanor is so into Victorian era costumes and etiquette that it was cute and funny when big and rugged rugby player, Bodie, got on board with her. I thought it was absolute sweet on him !
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A love story between awkward, shy and very much virginal Elenore and hot famous rugby player Brodie who happens to be her brother best friend. Elenore is tired of waiting for the one and when Brodie approaches her on her brother's engagements party she gives him more than just her virginity. Brodie is surprised when Elenore won't see him again after they spend the night together and when he finds out that she is Nelly his best friend little sister he is in a way satisfied with her decision. That doesn't keep him from dreaming and lusting about her and when she is back in his life with shocking news he is determined to keep her by his side forever. The story is funny especially Elenore and her love for previous centuries it is hot from all the exercises in and out of bed and is also emotionally with everything that happens between them. We see that Brodie's life is not so perfect and that Elenore really brings him joy. In short period of time they both go through a lot and in the end, they are brave enough to give each other a chance to love and be loved.
I volunteered to review an ARC of this book for Netgelly

4 stars

Playing House by Amy Andrews was a great read. Loved everything about it.
The storyline was entertaining, the characters were likable, engaging and my interest was captured from the first page until the end.
Another wonderful read by the talented Amy Andrews and a great addition to the Sydney Smoke Rugby Series.

*A big thank you to the publisher via Netgalley for the advance copy.*

Has Amy Andrews ever written a bad book? I submit to you she has not - and certainly not this one! Another fantastic addition to the Sydney Smoke series - Playing House is a steamy delight from beginning to end.

this has everything an Amy Andrews book... Vcard needing to be taken, a Rugby Player... and the woman a sister of another...Oh, and a baby, too...Hang on... lots of sexy times- Amy Andrews, duh... Rugby fun and HEA.

Finally got around to reading Amy Andrews and as soon as i finished this book i ordered all her others. Eleanor or Nell as her family call her has been wrapped up in her business of vintage clothing. She lives in a world of the past and feels like she doesn't belong in the present time. The family all know that she is still a virgin and figure she will be that way forever. Except they didn't figure on Bodie and the attraction that was immediate on both sides. Wow talk about a hot story and add the wonderful sex making this is a fantastic book that will keep you so involved you will hate any distractions. A lovely story of two people who find each other and fall in love. She is an amazing author and even though its a family and a series of books it can be read alone.

Eleanor/Nell had stayed to celebrate after the rugby game also her brother Ryder had gotten engaged to Juliet. Eleanor was socially awkward and boring to mix with celebrities and the people at this party even though Nell wished she could. Eleanor was twenty six. Still lived at home with her parents on a cattle ranch and was a virgin. Eleanor had a fixation the 19th century England had even turned it into a online handmade clothing business for herself called Queen Victoria’s Closet and it was profitable. Brodie Webb /Spidey to his teammates was best friends with Ryder who is Eleanor’s brother. Brodey had turned cynical and jaded when his long time girlfriend Anna had cheated and thought nothing of it and Brodie had broken up with her over a year ago. Brodie had seen Eleanor and was interested in her and he would have asked Ryder to introduce them but ryder was busy so Brodey strolled up to Eleanor introduced himself. He did not know Eleanor was Ryder’s sister and she didn’t tell him. Eleanor knew who Brodie was and decided she would let Brodie take her virginity. Brodie did sleep with Eleanor that night when he woke up she had left a note and asked him not to contact her and that Ryder was her brother. Brodie came from a family of sharks- old money, private schools, overseas bank accounts. Eleanor had been a breath of fresh air to him. Being near Eleanor had been a rush for Brodie. Brodie realized he broke the code and slept with his best friend’s sister even if he didn’t know at the time. After awhile out of the blue Brodie gets a text from Eleanor and she needs to talk to him and she is in town. Eleanor told Brodie she had gotten pregnant even though they had used condoms and he offered to marry her it was the right thing to do and he wanted to come home to his kid every night. then she said they didn’t even know each other Brodie suggested they live together for a month and then get married. Eleanor agreed to try living together and see how it went.
I absolutely loved this book. It was a quick, sweet heartbreaking romantic read. I absolutely loved brodie and Eleanor together. I loved how Brodie tried to make Eleanor happy and showed he cared even if it hadn’t been that long for them. I Brodie’s father but I don’t think we were suppose to. I love how eleanor cared about brodie’s career and how hard he had worked to get where he was. My heart broke for Brodie and Eleanor’s loss. I was very happy when Ryder came to help Brodie even if it was to get his sister back. I could find nothing to criticize and that was great. I loved the characters and the ins and outs of this book and I highly recommend.

pulls at all your emotions. Also I never laughed so hard as I did at the bejewling going on.
I enjoyed this book and look forward to going on tho read the rest if the series.



** I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**

This book was pretty good. It definitely held my attention and I’ll be checking out the author’s other books.

I received a copy and voluntarily leave my own thoughts