First off, I didn't realize it was part of a series but i still enjoyed this book and you will too! It's a romantic comedy interwoven with the sports world so as a sporty girl (watching not playing) i was more interested in reading this. I recommend this book.

So apparently I have this bad habit of requesting books that aren't the first in a series. I keep doing it without noticing. Oh well. But this still works as a standalone, so it's fine.
I really enjoyed the story, even if the premise is a bit absurd. I mean, doesn't a professional athlete need to be coached by a ... professional coach with experience?
Anyway, I really like tennis and romance. It's a combination I'll read about anytime. I liked the pacing of the story and the characters. I am a sucker for age gap relationships so this was right up my alley, especially since the female characters is the older one.
I also like the single parent trope, so the interactions between the characters really appealed to me.
The tennis aspect of the book was flawless, I enjoyed it the most.
I'll go back and read the first book in the series and I'll definitely keep tabs on this author.

I was lucky enough to receive an ARC copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

So I fully went into this book not knowing it was book 2 until I looked up the author, so thankfully the crossover isn't so major that it confused everything and anything from book one was loosely explained again. This book was so cute and not usually my kind of read, and I also know nothing about tennis so it says a lot that I enjoyed it! I love a good female character that can completely reinvent herself successfully all while finding love and raising a child. Simone was such a strong character and though her and Alex did exchange a few cringy lines, their romance was so sweet. Alex the playboy tennis player going through a rut and Simone the CEO turned tennis coach, what more could you ask for in a forbidden romance between player and coach. A very enjoyable read and Lula was definitely my favorite character, adding the comical relief as well as being the wing-daughter everyone needed in this story. Even if you know nothing about tennis, this was a super cute read and I can recommend it with or without reading book one!

I enjoyed this book. The plot was well paced and the characters were well developed. I would enjoy reading another book by this author in the future.

There were a lot of things that I really enjoyed about the Wilde Card. Including but not limited to:
- forced proximity
- spice
- an age gap and coach/athlete relationship where the woman was the older one in the relationship
- the fact that the sport was tennis (I haven't seen many tennis romances!)
- Alec & Rhys's friendship
- Alex stepping up to be a role model for Lula

Honestly, my only issue with this novel was that I couldn't quite get over a professional athlete being coached by someone who turned down a scholarship to play tennis in college more than fifteen years prior who spent that time working in the hospitality industry. I spent the whole time wondering if she truly had enough experience to be coaching Alex, but alas, that was not the point of the story so I was able to overlook it.

I was so excited to read a sports romance that featured a tennis player!

Alex Wilde is a professional tennis player who's lost his way with a grudge to burn. Simone Warner is a divorcee and CEO who’s ready for a change. They meet one night in Canada at a party and have a one-night stand that neither can forget. To the surprise of both, Alex travels to the United States to train with a new coach just as Simone resigns from her CEO position and tries out coaching, reuniting the two lovers.

This book has such a hot start!

Alex was suave and seductive and just what Simone needed to get out of her rut after her disappointing marriage. Fast forward to Alex arriving in Atlanta and Simone surprisingly coaching him and the story sort of waned a bit. Alex and Simone fall in love and try to ignore it given their coaching relationship all while he’s trying to figure out his game.

I only wish Alex kept his initial alpha-like personality instead of morphing into a love sick puppy. You also have to just believe that Simone had this overnight transformation from business CEO to professional tennis coach.

If you can get over these changes, go with the instalove and just enjoy their come hither looks then it’s a decent read. I was just hoping for a bit more so found myself skimming the middle.

The drama with Damien, Simone’s ex, seemed pretty standard to bring in some conflict but even that was smoothed over pretty easily.

I really enjoyed the actual tennis parts of the book. This was my February 2022 Romance Book Reading Challenge selection which was to read one sports romance and I’m glad I picked it. I’d recommend it to sports romance fans for this aspect alone.

This is my first book by King and I found her writing to be top notch so I’d recommend as a fun, light read.

*Thank you to Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Such a cute story! My first book to read by this author but cannot wait to read more. This story will have you smiling from the beginning to the end. Highly recommend!

This was a fun rom com where the characters had a lot to gain from spending time together, not just to find love.

There was something about it that meant they didn't quite go deep into my heart.

They were both fine characters and their chemistry was solid, I just don't think this really differentiated itself from other rom coms. To be fair I have read a lot of them lately so perhaps I'm beginning to fatigue.

My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

ok so yes i did dnf this book at 47% and yes it was my second dnf of this month. this was a really good book, it was written well and the characters were great, just for me i really wasn’t into it. i had no motivation to lick up the book and generally wasn’t interested in any of it. i might potentially pick up this book later on but i’m not going to finish it rn
review also big goodreads-
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4546992693

Review: 3.5/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
As a huge fan of sports romances, The Wilde Card popped out at me right away and I was so excited to dive into it. Truthfully, I was having a hard time figuring out the rating for this one, but overall, it was a likable book. It was a sweet, lighthearted read, but it did feel like it was missing something. So let's get into it:

Let’s start with the positive! I absolutely loved the double meaning of the title - not only is pro-tennis star Alex’s last name Wilde, but he is also a wild card in his sport. Alex’s character was a solid guy - he oozed support for the heroine, Simone, as she figured out who she was and blossomed through the book.

After her divorce, Simone decided to shake her life up and follow her passions which led to her working at her brother-in-law’s tennis center and as Alex’s coach. She came to life as the book progressed and I loved seeing her feisty side when her protectiveness and competitiveness came out. Her persistence and commitment to turning her life into something she’s proud of was inspiring.

At the start, Alex and Simone’s characters seemed stiff and I wasn’t feeling the chemistry between them, but about a quarter of the way in their banter grew and filled the book with a sweet warmth. By far the sweetest part of the book though was Alex’s relationship with Simone’s daughter, Tallulah. That little 8-year-old was all spunk, smarts, and tons of fun. Like Tallulah, the other supporting characters (Simone’s sister Amalie, brother-in-law Julian, and boss Paul) were just as joyful. The relationship between Paul and Julian made me laugh out loud more than once.

Now on to the flip side...
Simone’s ex played significantly into the main conflict of the book and while I wanted to like him as a villain, he felt too two-dimensional at points. He came into the story only to kickstart the drama and it made it hard to see why Simone had even married him originally.

I mentioned earlier the lacking chemistry between Simone and Alex. And while it was there, especially the physical attraction, it felt like that spark was missing. Because of the missing chemistry, Alex’s switch from ladies man to all-in on one woman felt a little forced and too insta-love for my personal taste.

My biggest disappointment though was the climax of Simone and Alex’s conflict. As to not spoil anything, all I’ll say is it felt like there was all that build-up for the climax to just plateau. I loved the lead-up and idea of it, but ultimately it felt unrealistic and flat.

With all of that said, I truly enjoyed this book. It was a quick, heartwarming read, and King’s writing was suburb!

Thank you NetGally and City Owl Press for making this book available to read in exchange for an honest review!

3.5⭐️

This book was just super fun and cute! Alex was really sweet and swoon worthy, and Simone was a total badass. I did have some trouble with the plot line that he was a former womanizer, because I did not get those vibes from him?

This is the second book in a series, and I started reading it before I realized that - I think it functioned fine as a stand-alone, but I did feel like I was missing out on some inside jokes or key details…

**Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC. Here is my honest review**

When I first got this ARC I realized it was book two in a series, so I read the first book first to get a better understanding of this one. - You don't have to, this book can be read as a standalone, but it makes for that better understanding of their backstory if you do.

This book starts off with our main character - Simone Warner, being convinced by her sister to go to this party after her life has been in tatters. Husband - now ex-husband cheated, the scandal was public and she decided to resign as CEO of her father's hotel chain.

What does Simone need?

A one-night stand with a hot as hell YOUNGER tennis star? YUP.

This is where she meets our main male character Alex Wilde, a tennis-pro, currently off his game with his own baggage in tow, and yet when the two meet, their attraction and connection are undeniable.

Here entails the rest of the story. they have their wild night and low and behold, Simone ends up being his new assistant coach.

I loved the journey these two went on together, they broke down each other's walls, and let the attraction and flirting become such a wonderful part of their everyday life, that in the end... who can deny what the heart wants?
It's not without some uphill struggles but I adored Alex and Simone, especially the little tidbits with Simone's daughter too.

I found this book's plot to be really good, but the book itself just wasn't for me. BUT, if you love a romance with VERY romantic feelings, big gestures and the whole shebang, then you will LOVE this book.

Simone is a great character. From the start of the book, she shows great character development. She knows what she wants and begins to throw out her people pleasing and perfectionism tendencies while regaining control of her life and happiness. While this book is dual POV (Simone & Alex), Simone was really the star character here for me.
The idea behind the plot and the plot itself were also great. I love a good sports romance, I love forced proximity and the tension between characters it creates. However, I wasn't a huge fan of the romance in this book and it unfortunately made it hard for me to enjoy. It's not bad by any means, but it just wasn't my kind of romance. I love a good slow burn, I love seeing characters struggle to understand their feelings or figure out WHY they are feeling/reacting a certain way and this just wasn't that. It was a lot more lovey dovey than I anticipated and while there is the whole "frowned upon" aspect due to the player/assistant coach dynamic, it was just to sweet for me. The characters just became infatuated with each other to quickly for my liking which lead to a lot of very romantic feelings early in the book, and as someone who doesn't like it when the romance gets to gushy, it just killed the vibe for me.

It's unfortunate because this really had everything that I enjoy in a romance book, I just WISH is was more of a slow burn!! But again, that just comes down to my own personal preferences.

I ended up giving this one 3 stars for two reasons:
1. I can not in good conscience give a book over four stars if I did not thoroughly enjoy it. Despite a good plot, fun characters and great character development, the too-romantic romance (yes I know that sounds insane) just made me cringe. I know that is a personal preference thing, but I had to knock a star off for it.
2. When they first found out they were working together, I was slightly annoyed with how immaturely it felt the situation was handled. When you have to work together as professionals, and especially when you have a power dynamic like they do, I think it's really important to communicate and set ground rules. I get that whole scenario would lead to some awkwardness, but dealing with awkward situations is something you have to do as an adult. At times, the dynamic just felt very high-school to me and it just really got under my skin.

Overall, this book was well done and I think it is something that many people would really enjoy, I unfortunately wasn't one of those people :(

DNF at 33%.

Simone is thirty-seven years old and has come to, maybe not a mid-life crisis but a realisation that her life is not what she wanted. CEO of her family's hotel chain, divorced after finding her husband was cheating on her, unhappy in love and unhappy in work she realises that she has been a people pleaser all her life and if she doesn't change something soon she'll be unhappy for the rest of her life.

Attending a luxury hotel with her sister and brother-in-law, she acts completely out of character and indulges in a one-night stand with a young Canadian tennis professional called Alex Wilde, secure in the knowledge that he is unlikely to visit her home town of Atlanta, Georgia. Unbeknownst to Simone, Alex's game is suffering, overwhelmed by his desire to do better than his nasty step-brother Bastien, and he has asked her brother-in-law and his business partner to coach him, hoping to emulate her brother-in-law's success in the game. When Simone announces that she has resigned as CEO, her brother-in-law's partner asks her to join their coaching team, particularly since her brother-in-law is about to go on tour with her sister (who is an author).

No-one tells Simone that she will be helping to coach Alex, until the day she is blind-sided by him in a meeting. How can she keep it professional when her body throbs with passion every time she thinks about his body and the amazing things he did to hers?

I admit I had my doubts about requesting this book from NetGalley, a former CEO who turns tennis coach, who is also a divorced single mother? It sounded a bit hinky but I loved the idea of her finding a HEA with a hot young tennis professional eight years her junior. Sadly, I'm almost a third of the way into the book and all I've got is a woman who dissolves into a puddle of lust every time Alex even walks past her, a man who constantly babbles French (sorry, but that's why I refuse to read any book set in New Orleans because I loathe the way the men say 'cherie' every couple of pages), zero plot and way too much throbbing, rubbing of thighs and reminiscing about sexy times. It's not even as if the steamy scenes were anything to get me hot and bothered just page after page of yawn-inducing platitudes.

I gave it a good chance but I'm sorry I've had enough, not enough plot, no character development, irritating side characters, and steam-less love scenes.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

{thank you to netgalley, City Owl Press and Ashley R. King for providing me an ARC of the book in exchange for an honest review}

release date- 15th Feb, 2022
rating- 3/5

The book started off incredibly well, with the chemistry between Alex and Simone being off the charts. The first chapter immediately draws you in and you just HAVE to know more, you know? I absolutely love sports romances and tennis being a sport that's not usually written about, definitely made The Wilde Card stand out.
The one night stand? the dual pov? the chemistry? a single parent with an adorable 8 year old? a coach-player romance?
I was definitely sold and was pretty sure it was going to make my favourites shelf. Unfortunately, it fell a little short for me due to some parts in the middle.
Here's a few thoughts:

✶ Simone being Alex's coach and Alex's current game was more than enough reason for them to not act on their feelings and add to built-up tension from the night of the ball. The tension would've been a fun addition to the plot and entertaining to read. I feel like most readers like the build-up to when the characters actually get together, which in this case was non-existent.
The protagonists are only confused about being together in a relationship but sleep together whenever they want to anyway.

✶ sleep together, question feelings, do we date? repeat. x 3
yep. that's the plot summed up for you in terms of relationship dynamic. it was a little repetitive and I was expecting it by the third time anyway.

✶ A few dialogues and interactions seemed forced and unnatural.

✶ While this is a slow-burn because they don't get together relationship-wise until the very end, all their confessions and sleeping together don't make it feel like one.

✶ I LOVED the tennis aspect of it. I knew nothing about the sport and haven't watched any tennis matches as such but the book had me looking up stuff anyway.

✶ I think the author did a great job at the side characters because I really wanted to read the first book, Painting the Lines about Amalie and Julian as soon as she mentioned them. I decided not to read it because I was short on time and regretted it the whole time because they're such interesting characters.

✶ The found family dynamic with everybody at the end, was also a great addition and nicely done.

✶ I loved Lula! kids in books make me happy and she was such a sweetheart:)


Overall, while the start had me hooked, the book went significantly downhill for me after that. However, I did like how easy to read and fast paced it was. just because i didn't love it, doesn't mean you won't. You should definitely add it to your tbr now!

thank you netgalley and city owl press for the chance to read this in exchange for and honest review

release date- Feb 15, 2022

The Wilde Card by Ashley R. King most definitely swept my off my feet!

Star Rating- 4.5/5 stars

Characters- I loved the development of Simone throughout and how confident she got by the end, she's most definitely a badass women who can stand up for herself. Alex was the most cinnamon roll i think a cinnamon roll can get, he was so sweet and so thoughtful and i loved him. Also honorable mention Simone's child, Lula, was by far on my favorite characters, and we share a cereal obsession :)

Plot- Let me tell you, this started out hot, and spicy, i do think it dragged a bit in the middle but other than that, the ending was perfect 👌
(also sports romance! that's not football!)

What I liked- I loved the Dual POV, it really tied the characters together i think, and it something i love to see. I also loved the dynamic between Simone and Alex, and the small bickering, it was fun and light.

What i didn't like- I wasn't the biggest fan of the age gap, but it was okay enough that i didn't mind too much.

Overall Ashley R King writes a fantastic romance that's a part of a series but can be read as a stand-alone, and that really makes you happy.

Reading the description of the book and seeing that it was a sports romance I knew I had to read it, thank you NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this book. This book follows the romance of Simone and Alex. They first meet and have a one night stand and then fate intervenes to put the in each other's lives. I enjoyed the book and I think it was sort of a slow burn, but only because they were denying their feelings after their one night together. I agree with the other reviewers that said the story could drag sometimes. All-in-all still a pretty strong read.

The story of Alex and Simone. They had one night together and now he can't stop thinking about her, which isn't how it normally works for him. now she is back in his life as his tennis coach, so can they keep things professional?

A great read - I like how it is told from both their points of view.

Firstly, thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and Ashely King for providing me with this ARC.
I loved this so much! As a tennis fan when I saw this I just knew I had to read it and it did not disappoint!
100% recommend reading this!

Could this book be any cuter? A playboy who gets hit by the love bug and a divorcee's second chance at love..smashing. There wasn't a full moment. I enjoyed the level of depth ea h character had and the growth they both went through

The sex was spicy which is a manager plus. My only issue is Simone's daughter came off older than she was. I kept saying to myself what eight-year-old talks like that but I could be wrong.

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.” My reviews are on Goodreads and will be on Amazon and instagram