A fun sweet read! Highly recommend.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for my ARC.

3.5 stars!
I love me some sport romances!!! And best friend's brother?! SAY LESS!!! Insta- love isn't my favorite trope, but it worked for me here!! I loved both Amy and Ollie so much! I didn't read the other books in the series, so a bit of the context was lost on me at times. BUT it was still a fun little read!!

I was NOT a fan of the cover, but it was a really great addition to the professional players series. I will definitely be reading more by Gallagher!

I read this book a month ago and these are my notes from then (wish I could elaborate more but I really don't remember much besides that it was a rugby book):
Could be solved with a conversation the whole plot
Did not understand all this drama about her brother
Again, a conversation would be nice
Steamy but not scorching. Nice to read though
Did not like Amy judging Ollie when she didn't tell him everything about her
3.5 stars wrapped up because it's my first book about rugby

A sports romance that wasn't really sporty but more of an office romance. It's an entertaining romance read with some nice things and some that didn't click.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book received from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Love and Other Forbidden Things by Lyndsey Gallagher was a good book. I think that the two main characters had good chemistry and I felt the family dynamic within the story.

This book was archived before i could read it! however it does still sound interesting and it is added onto my tbr

I went into this not having read the other books in the series and it might've had a negative impact. Having not known the characters before hand, I didn't quite understand the dyanmic that I'm sure is written between the lines. It's a cute book that's for sure, but it didn't really do it for me.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC for an exchange of an honest review.

I liked this book, it was a cute story full of fun and romance.

Amy Harrington has the distinction of being the younger sister of a hotshot rugby player, one who happens to be immensely overprotective. Not a problem when you live in another country, but when you move back home? All bets are off, especially when you dream of working for the same rugby club. Oh, and let's not forget the off-the-charts chemistry with your brother's newest teammate. Let's say that things will get interesting in the Harrington family. Witty and charming, author Lyndsey Gallagher's latest addition to her Professional Players series is a book worth picking up.

This review is going to contain non-spoiler quotes from the book because I simply can not write this without them. You have been warned.

"What is the magic number? How many men is it acceptable for a self-respecting woman to sleep with before she finds the right one?" The answer is as many as she wants to. Honestly, I should have put this book down after that first line, and let me tell you why.

While the plot of this book, (most of) the characters and the writing was decent (though I did find some of the romance a little cheesy at times and did not like the not quite but might as well be instant love side of it), I basically anger read like 90% of this book. I feel like the entire tone of this book is "self-respecting women don't sleep around but a man can do whatever he wants and how a women acts and dresses is directly correlated to whether or not she is self-respecting" mixed with "the men in your family basically get to dictate what you can and can not do". Not only does this anger me but it confuses me because the FMC literally talks about sexism and how hard it is for her to be the only women working with a team of men yet the entire undertone of this book feels sexist to me? Allow me to elaborate.

Now I am a firm believer that you can sleep with as many or as few people as you want (as long as it is consensual of course and you are not hurting anyone), so the fact that the FMC does not want to sleep around does not bother me, however that opening line fricken did. It bothers me that she gets the feeling from her parents that they want her to still be a virgin. Again, WHO CARES. It bothers me that her parents are fine with her brother kissing his fiancée in public and in fact look at him adoringly when he does so but it is hinted that her sister, who is married and has kids, can not act the same way. On top of that, there is this lovely tone that also indicates that a self-respecting woman needs to dress and act a certain way. For example "The truth is, I prefer women in their natural state, free from falsities on their skin, and on their tongues. And that's probably the exact reason I gravitated to Amy Harrington tonight. Her make-up was minimal, her dress was sexy without showing off her arse, and instead of gushing over me like the groupies, she made me work for conversation. There's something really sexy about a woman who knows her worth." OR "Her forwardness takes me by surprise, a complete contrast to her conservative outfit." Look, people find different things attractive so I can't comment on the "light makeup" preference but a woman could be naked and propositioning a man and STILL KNOW HER WORTH.

Okay now lets have a look at her *sshole of a brother. First of all, the book starts with the FMC literally faking a client meeting with the guy she is dating after her brother let himself into HER HOUSE because she didn't want her brother to over-react to her having a guy over. She is a 24 year old woman. In her own home. With her goddamn date. And yes, she says that she is not very assertive and good at saying no so she was somewhat relieved that her brother stopping by gave her a reason to put the breaks on where things were going with this guy (not that she needs a reason past "I want to stop" but I'm not even going to touch that). After the guy leaves,
her bother then tells her he would not allow her to apply for a job because HE did not want her to be around all those men. Like I get the whole protective brother thing, but there is a difference between looking out for someone and dictating what they can and can not do. Think I'm exaggerating? Here are some of my favorite quotes about the subject.
"I'm not going to beg Eddie to forgive me for following my own dreams."
"Maybe it's time I decided who I can and can't date?"
"I sip my drink. It's the only thing I am allowed to do under the beady watchful eye of my brother."
"Don't be silly, Emma. Our Amy isn't interested in a relationship, she's far to sensible for that, Eddi says" - this one has to be my personal favorite. Because why on earth would a sensible woman want sex, a relationship or love?

Okay, now lets unpack the MMC, Ollie. First off, he is encouraged to explore a multitude of one-night stands when his friends found out he had only slept with one woman before. And you know what? I get it. Some people enjoy unattached sex, some people use it to get over a heart break. HOWEVER, if one does not WANT casual sex, then WHO CARES? Like I said, sleep with as many or few people as you like. So we have lovely Amy wondering how many people she can sleep with and Ollie being told he needs to sleep with more. What a fantastic display of double standards. And you know what? He does it despite it being pretty clear he does not want to. Which whatever, he is a big boy and can make his own decisions. But why was this necessary?? Why must we not only talk about the double standards but PUSH them as well? Now lets take a look at what has to be my favorite line of is: "For a hefty rugby player with a skinhead, I'm worse than a girl. My emotions consume me." Like I'm sorry but I thought we had at least moved past the fact that men can me manly and still have emotions.

Now as I said, the book itself want not bad. It may not have been my type of romance but for the most part, it was decent. It has a bit of a "withholding information that is surely going to come back and bite you in the butt" theme, but like I said, it wasn't bad. However, the sexist undertone completely ruined it for me. If you can read stuff like this and still enjoy what you are reading, then you'll probably like this book. If not, either leave it alone or anger read it like I did if you really want to.

I have not read any of the other books in the Professional Players Series by Lyndsey Gallagher, so there were a few storylines I wasn't familiar with in this one. For the most part, it can be read as a stand alone and/or the missing pieces can be figured out.

Amy Harrington thinks she has finally met the man of her dreams, but there's just one small problem.... he's her brother's good friend and teammate. Which means he's off limits. Ollie meets the one woman he has chemistry with and then finds out she's his good friend's and teammate's little sister. Amy's brother is obsessively overprotective (to put it mildly) so dating (openly) is not even an option.

There are situations of forced proximity, secret dating, chance meetups, and lots of steamy moments. I liked the characters, but didn't love them. I didn't like how Amy gave up her passion/hobby to replace it with Ollie. I didn't like how Ollie couldn't decide if he was a bad boy or a emo deep thinker. His personality seemed to waiver. But I did like Ollie and Amy together. Overall an easy read, light romance.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lyndsey Gallagher for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest reviews.

This book starts off strong with a great storyline about a female physiotherapist and a professional rugby player, but then it goes downhill after that, which is sad really, because it had such potential. The dialogue between the two main characters was just so cheesy and unrealistic. There were also some sexist moments in the book as well. One example is where Amy is with her family and is thinking about how her sister who is married isn’t really allowed to do more than hold hands with her husband, but the men in the family can kiss their significant others. I am sorry to say that this romance missed the mark for me. I just couldn’t get past the cheesy dialogue between Amy and Ollie and also because of the sexist moments in the story. This was the first book that I have read by Lyndsey Gallagher, and unfortunately it will probably be the last too.

3.5 rounding 4.
The first thing I’m going to say is that I enjoyed this book.
Amy Harrington longs to find the right man, but the second any potential candidate realizes who her famous rugby playing brother is, they spend more time worshipping him than her. Irish rugby player Ollie Quinn is newly single. When he meets a brunette in the players’ lounge, he is attracted to her, before realizing she’s Eddie Harrington’s little sister. But when Amy lands her dream job, physiotherapist to the rugby team, the two are forced to face the growing chemistry between them.
I knew the storyline would be a bit cliché and that was absolutely ok with me. But I had some issues with her family and specially with her brother. In the family gatherings she’s always sited with the children. Everyone just ignores that she is an adult and not a kid anymore. Her brother has a motive to be protective but sometimes it feels almost creepy.
They have this amazing chemistry that sometimes was right on the page and sometimes you could read about it but it was not actually there. I liked Ollie a lot. Amy, not so much. But the witting is great and there are funny and engaging dialogs.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Another ARC from NetGalley. I love this book so much! I was instantly drawn to the fun and flirty storyline. I adored the instant chemistry between Amy and Ollie. I thought this book was funny, cute, enjoyable, and a great read altogether. This is the first book I read in the Professional Players series but it did great as a standalone.

Amy begins her dream job as a physiotherapist to the national Irish rugby team. Her overprotective older brother is a national treasure and player on the same rugby team, which makes it that much more difficult for Amy to adjust to her new job. She meets Ollie, a rugby player on the team, and sparks fly with their instant chemistry. Once he finds out whose little sister she is, Ollie knows pursuing Amy is forbidden. The two are faced with forced proximity through their jobs and must face the feelings building inside.

This book was a fast read and made me relate to Amy, keeping me hooked from the first page. I loved the dual POV from Ollie and Amy’s inner monologues, helping the reader understand where the characters were standing. I highly recommend this book!

When Amy and Ollie meet it is certain there is chemistry, but he is off limits as one of her brothers team mates and also soon to be her colleague. When they are match together will they give it a chance, and what will happen if anyone finds out? A good read - I like how it is told from both of their points of view .

I read this NetGalley ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Amy and Ollie have pretty hot chemistry! I would have loved to have seen more scenes where they were together with other people, but that's just a personal preference.
I find it a really hard book to rate, because some of the dialogue between the main characters was inconsistent, and sometimes their behaviour was too. To keep it a secret for six months realistically is quite a feat.
At times I was really sucked into the story, the will they, or won't they aspect, and other times it felt too insta-love.

🏉 Love & Other Forbidden Things 🏉

“I step out from the shadows and into the moonlight, the stars lighting the path directly towards her.”

Ok, with that kind of storytelling, I’m falling in love too. Amy is the newest physiotherapist for Ireland’s rugby team, where her all star, overprotective big brother, Eddie plays. Ollie Quinn, Ireland’s number 6, knows that you don’t move on your best friend and teammates sister, but his pull towards Amy is undeniable. When Eddie sets Ollie up with an exclusive matchmaking service blind date, everyone is surprised to find Ollie and Amy out to dinner and well on their way to happily ever after.

This one has love, steam, and secrets woven throughout. Ollie and Amy are learning to make peace with their pasts as they plan for their future together.

Check this one out if you are looking for:
🏉 sports romance
🏉 brother’s best friend trope
🏉 set in Dublin
🏉 an insta-love story about how when it’s right, you know it’s right because until it’s happens you “never knew falling in love could be such a whirlwind”

Love & Other Forbidden things is out now!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I'm finding it really hard to rate this one. There were some moments where the chemistry and angst were really hot and enjoyable. Then there were some moments where the dialogue and pacing were a bit out of character. Like the gym scene where Ollie makes Amy do squats. It just didn't feel consistent with Ollie and his personality.
I was also kind of expecting a triathlon reveal, where Amy's family finds out her talent, or she competes and wins? That side of things didn't really get resolved.
3.5 stars