RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
SPICE: 🔥🔥🔥

One of my favorite sports romance series releases a new installment, and you didn't think I was going to be here for it?

I don't think so.

Ronan Dempsey has set his sights on a large goal: making the US Olympic rugby team. Unfortunately, his partying ways are becoming the biggest obstacle to his dream. To motivate himself, he makes a celibacy bet with his teammates to keep himself accountable. So far so good until his apartment needed emergency repairs and he had to move into a family friend's pool house.

Orla Stewart has been living the life that Ronan aims to have. Losing her family to cancer has checking off every healthy habit box to lower the risks. She also has fortified the walls around her heart to prevent someone from having to experience the same grief she's felt from her loss. With Ronan temporarily moving next door, he seems to be slowly melting the thick wall of ice encasing her heart.

This book was a great spicy foray into taking chances for love. As much as I love Ronan, his easygoing personality, and his sweet romantic self, Orla stole the show for me. One can only imagine her traumatic experience and pray that life won't throw such a cruel hand at them. Yet, Orla perseveres through those hardships and manages to turn some of it around for good as a cosmetic tattoo artist.

I love their instant chemistry. Amy Andrews does a great job of turning an adversarial and awkward meet-cute into a comfortable and organic connection that slowly blooms into a sizzling romance. She also has taken such great care and thoughtfulness in navigating the story around such a delicate topic.

It has been a hot second since I read about the Sydney Smokes, and it is always great to fictionally see them again.

** I am voluntarily reviewing an advance copy of this book. Thank you to Amy Andrews, Entangled, and Netgalley for providing an ARC. **

This is the first book by Amy Andrews and I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it, seeing it was about a rugby player. I really enjoyed and was a very entertaining read, since both main characters are abstaining from sex. Can't wait to read more.

I have been following this series since I first read Playing It Cool in 2017, and completely fell in love with the Sydney Smokey Rugby team.

I think this one was one of the most emotional reads in the series for me. Even though it is a beautiful love story between two amazing characters, it does touch on a serious health issue that brings you to think about life (I have two survivors in my family). I like Ronan from the get-go, he is funny, loyal, and has a heart of gold that is often overlooked because of his looks. Orla kicks butt! And I mean that in both senses, metaphorically and figuratively. She has been through a lot and has decided that change is good, so she does a 180º turn in her life.

I love how they meet, it's not a classical romantic meeting, they start on the wrong foot. As their relationship develops slowly, we get to learn about their dreams and fears and that is why I loved this story! Another great story full of dreams and no time for “what ifs”.

Ronan and Orla had an instant connection, but she was afraid to hope they could be more than friends. Ronan was fantastic and I might be a little in love with him. He proved time and time again that he was more than just a hook-up (when and if that happened) and he had patience like you wouldn’t believe. Every time they interacted, they got to know each other more and he found interesting ways to be in her life, without it being stalkerish.
He is a rugby star and she happens to be living in the house that needs the pool house to stay in while his apartments building is being fixed. They are both on a celibacy pact but find interesting ways to skirt the issue. She is a cancer survivor (unlike many women in her family) so she never lets attachments happen. Until Ronan.
This is a book about second chances, living the life you have to the fullest and not giving up on the person you love. Ronan was what every book boyfriend should be (imo). He was sweet, caring, dirty and patient. I absolutely loved this book. I received an ARC and this is my honest, voluntary review.

This was a very sweet story. I loved Breaking All the Rules by this author, so when I saw this one, I knew that I had to read it. This is an Australian rugby sports romance, which is completely different than all the other sports romance books I have read. Ronan takes a celibacy pledge but then of course he gets forced into staying with Orla. I really liked both characters. I love how strong Orla was and how much she grew throughout the book. Ronan was a player before he took his celibacy pledge, so you don't really see his growth as much, but I loved how sweet he was with Orla. I really enjoyed this story overall and would recommend it if you are looking for a sports romance book.

There is a trigger for breast cancer and it is very heavily focused on throughout the book, so just a warning for that.

I am not a huge sports person but recently became enamored with sports romance books. I especially love hockey and rugby. I loved Playing It Tough because although it is a sports romance, playing rugby is almost like a character trait for Ronan, and the plot isn't sport heavy. Anyone who likes the idea of a sports romance but doesn't know much about sports will find this book a perfect blend of romance with some sports/physical activity sprinkled in.
I want to preface this next part by stating that I am an American who lived in New Zealand and Australia briefly in my early 20s. I was confused during the book because I wasn't sure what sport Ronan was discussing. I know the Aussie/Kiwi slang for rugby, but I felt that an American who has only been in Australia for a short time wouldn't use the slang. I was confused whenever Ronan stated he was watching "football" because I thought he only played rugby. To be clear, I was not confused about "footy/football" being used as slang for rugby; I was confused as to why Ronan was using those terms. I feel like an American who has only been in Australia for a few months would never refer to rugby as football (due to American football being huge in the US). Now, Oral, who is a native Aussie, should use "footy/football" to describe rugby, and that made sense to me in the book. It's a tiny thing, but it wasn't very clear at points.

I was excited for another book from Amy Andrews' Sydney Smoke Rugby series! I have really enjoyed the other books, and Ronan and Orla's story was another great read.

They find romance in an unexpected place when he shows up at the home she is house sitting at. They had great chemistry and the forced proximity made it difficult to deny. They were so well matched and I couldn't wait for them to get their HEA.

If you love your romance with plenty of swoon and steam you can't miss this one.

This entire story had a focus that I was not quite prepared for: cancer. But let me back up a bit before getting to the finer details of how cancer played a role in this story.

Ronan is an American rugby player in Australia. He is working on impressing a scout and getting called up to the US Olympic rugby team. Ronan is all about his career and doing whatever it takes to hone his body and keep his focus on his goals. When his apartment complex is in need of repairs and he has to find a place to crash his mother connects him with her old friend whose house is being watched by an Orla Stewart, and he is welcome to stay in the pool house.

What ensues when he arrives is an awkward meeting that quickly turns to interest and an intense attraction. The problem is that Ronan has taken a vow of celibacy to focus on his rugby game, and Orla is the last person to want to indulge in anything that does not serve her goals-even if Ronan is highly delectable and difficult to resist.

Orla is a tattoo artist and largely focused on living a life where she can control the outcomes as much as possible. Her past is filled with losses that echo and reverberate in her daily life and throughout this book . I could understand her need to have control over as much as possible, even if that meant self-depriving herself of things that used to bring her joy.

Watching Ronan and Orla develop a friendship alongside their attraction was lovely. Orla’s story is the main focus of this book and watching how Ronan supported her and loved her through her struggle to find a healthy balance-which included opening herself to a new relationship and depending upon someone other than herself-was a heart-warming experience. When grappling with something that is terminal or life-threatening the desire to insulate is incredibly strong. Orla’s growth happened over time (mostly off the page), and I believe that she was ready to open up once she felt safe, and accepted that support is another facet of caring for herself.

The focus on cancer was a lot heavier than I thought it would be. It is something that Orla grapples with everyday and is not just a distant memory. I would advise anyone sensitive to this kind of content to look up trigger warnings.

Overall, this was a book about two people who thought they had everything figured out finding that they had more growing to do and finding love and support in the process. I would recommend this story to anyone interested in a sports romance with an Australian setting and a unique plot/romance arc.

I read and reviewed an advanced copy of this eARC thanks to Entangled Publishing via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

CW/TW: double mastectomy, oophorectomy, loss of mother and sister to cancer, abandonment from father, cancer scare, grief

Overall not bad but I think I liked Donovan’s story better. Loved the in depth aspect of cancer and the emotional rollercoaster one goes on. Ronan was the perfect hero to Orla’s heroine and their meet cute was too good! I love this series and how each book has been so unique.

I love the latest installment of the Sydney Smoke. Ronan, who seems like he is the easy go person. He works hard and he plays harder. Only he realizes to accomplish his ultimate goal, he needs to take a break from women. Trust the guys on the team to give him grief. Where Ronan lives is under construction, his mom's friend has offered him her place to stay for as long as he needs. This brings Orla into his world. She is a tattoo artist the specializes in covering scars from minor scrapes that never healed to surgeries. She went from a wild child to a regiment person. It seems to have taken all the fun out of her life. She needs to get ready because Ronan is going to change all of that. Of course there is going to be give and take but there is a first time for everything. When her world is crashing in on her, he is there. Putting his career and goals on hold for her. Swoon worthy ending.

I adore Amy Andrews and have loved everything I’ve read from her - she’s written too many for me to have read her entire catalogue, but I’m going to give it a try to get through them!

Her latest release, book 8 in the Sydney Smoke series, was meant for me - released on my birthday I had to grab an arc (thank you for approving me!). This was the first one of hers that I’ve read based in Australia, since the others were in the US. I’m pretty sure I like that better, with all the Aussie slang!

Playing it Tough deals with some incredibly difficult background for main character Orla, with losing so many of her family members to female cancer, and she’s living life on her own terms because of it. She’s pushing away her new (unexpected) roommate, American import rugby player Ronan, even with all of the fire between them.

A very emotional and extremely steamy book. I highly recommend this one, but if cancer is a trigger for you, please be prepared (I lost some very important people just prior to lockdowns and it hit close to home with those three losses still very fresh, but can still appreciate the beauty of this storyline). Tissue, wine and chocolate need to be handy!

I received an advance review copy from NetGalley and Entangled Publishing, LLC (Entangled: Brazen), and this is my honest feedback.

Wow, this story was definitely an emotional rollercoaster with some really great characters, I absolutely adored Ronan and Orla. This story deals with a pretty tough subject matter, cancer. I seriously don't think there's anyone out there who hasn't been touched by this horrible disease, so it was pretty emotional in parts, but good lord, Ronan was one hot rugby player that brought a whole new meaning to a caring and supportive guy. Orla has had horrible loss in her past, and her own cancer prevention measures have robbed her of living her life...until Ronan. Loved the setting, loved the storyline, loved this very well written book. The chemistry between these two unlikely people was jumping off the page. I definitely want to try fried Hoho's and Lolly Gobble Bliss Bombs! Hysterical!!!

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC copy of this book.

A love story with the perfect ammount of angst. I liked Orla and Ronan, though the side characters were interesting too. Orla's story broke my heart.
Fully recommend it to all romance fans!

4 stars

~ I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own ~

Ronan Dempsey is a young American playing rugby in Australia for the Sydney Smoke. He's a favorite with the ladies and is an admitted player but lately he has been off his rugby game. The team has a number of must win games coming up so Ronan needs to buckle down and eliminate the distractions. He decides to take a vow of celibacy until the season is over. His teammates do not think he can go without sex so Ronan ups the odds, betting each of them one hundred dollars.

For the past three years, Orla Stewart has lived a clean, healthy lifestyle. This includes her own vow of celibacy, or at least some warped version of it. In her younger years she had had a carefree attitude, living life on the edge, partying as if each day was her last. Tragic losses in her family led her to see how important it is to maintain a healthy body. To elevate her life philosophy, she uses her talent as a tattoo artist to create art over scars and disfigurements, giving back an element of control to those who have encountered tragedy.

When Ronan's building is evacuated due to cracks in the foundation, he is offered the opportunity to stay in a friends pool house, the same pool house attached to the home Orla house sits for. The amount of sexual energy between the couple is off the charts making it difficult for two 'celebrate' people to contain themselves.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

'Playing It Tough' hit me so hard in so many ways. My ability to relate to Orla on multiple levels was overwhelming. What she has gone through in life is not my exact story but having my own surgical scars and disfigurements helped me to understand how she feels about her body image and the distance she places between herself and others. To take things to another level, I lost my own mother to cancer and the fear that cancer could happen to me is real. Ronan's ability to empathize with Orla's situation and except her as she is makes him a most beautiful human being. His level of selfless is unfortunately a rare trait in today's society. Orla taking her tattoo skills and applying them in a way to make others feel beautiful despite their scars is beyond amazing. She makes beautiful art with her beautiful soul. This story moved me. I highly recommend picking up 'Playing It Tough' and getting to learn Orla and Ronan's wonderful story.

Posted to the Following Places:

Heather's Book Nook: https://heathersreadingnook.blogspot.com

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5490390013

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/2985187688?source=link_share

Storygraph: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/4b44889e-1726-44fd-9783-624e8869fcc1

The hottest players on the pitch are back in Playing it Tough. This time it’s the Sydney Smoke’s American rookie, Ronan Dempsey, meeting his match in a pink-haired tattoo artist.

Ronan has been living it up as the Sydney Smoke’s newest star, but when he realizes his game is suffering he calls a halt to his partying ways and takes a vow of celibacy for the season. He doesn’t expect his willpower to be challenged by his new neighbor, Orla Stewart. Orla used to be a party girl but for the past three years she’s been on the straight and narrow. With the women in her family having died from or battled hard against breast cancer she is determined to do everything she can to negate her risks. She also doesn’t want to get close to anyone for fear of the pain of loss. Her walls are ten miles high, but Ronan is a skilled climber. He isn’t put off by Orla’s prickliness and his charm gets through her tough exterior.

Falling in lust is easy, but forming a true and lasting relationship isn’t as simple for these two. The attraction between them burns bright and hot, but it’s the emotional beats that make this romance for me. Orla has gone through a lot and though she’s a warrior she is also keeping herself from living a full life. I loved watching her embrace pleasure. Ronan is a sweetheart through and through. He’s tempting as all get-out but it’s his metaphorical strong shoulders and loving nature that made him shine for me. Amy Andrews made it easy to root for them and I adored watching them fall from lust to love. Their openness and unwillingness to shy away from hard conversations and realities took their romance from sexy fun to something strong and true.

Playing it Tough is the eighth book in Andrews’s Sydney Smoke Rugby series but it can easily be read as a standalone. Past protagonists make cameos in this story and I enjoy any time spent with these endearing rugby stars and those who love them. All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed Orla and Ronan’s story and I am very much looking forward to more Sydney Smoke Rugby books.

4 1/2 STARS!

Real life angst portrayed with a whole lot of heart, sass and feel good, steamy romance! Amy Andrews is putting a heart-wrenching twist into the latest book in her always popular Sydney Smoke rugby series and she does it very well with no nonsense grit and depth. The characters are very easy to like and their story is hugely addictive. I loved Orla and Ronan!

Orla is strong-willed and tenacious and I enjoyed her whole-heartedly. She has spunk and bravery coming out of every pore of her body and kept me hooked throughout.

Ronan is a sweetheart and totally different than I was expecting after his party reputation. I loved his heart!

I highly recommend this book as well as the entire series to anyone that enjoys a sports romance filled with great characters, sweet romance and lots and lots of passionate fun!

Book Review
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars
Playing It Tough
By Amy Andrews
Pub date: 4/17/2023
Entangled Publishing, LLC

Ronan is an American Rugby player playing in Sydney, Australia. He’s bet his team that he can be celibate.

Orla is a cosmetic tattoo artist and has taken an extremely strict approach to her life. Her family has a nasty history of cancer and she depends on no one but herself.

As fate has it, Ronan and Orla become close neighbors and sparks fly from their first encounter. Can they both stay celibate? Or will their relationship become more than what either of them expected? More than they ever imagined?

Take a fast, spicy ride with Ronan and Orla on this journey of lust to friendship and a true relationship.
Loved the characters, development of their relationship and the ending.

Thank you to
@netgalley @amyandrewsbooks
@entangled_publishing for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

#netgalley #amyandrews
#playingittough #romance
#cancer #rugby #tattoo
#reviewer #bookstagram #bookreview #bookreviewer

With genes that cause breast cancer, Orla Stewart played it safe and had a double mastectomy with no implants. She lost her mother at a very young age and was basically raised by her older sister whom she lost ten years later. Ronan Dempsey’s had to leave his apartment because of a dangerous crack in the building and has come to stay in the pool house. As she is house sitting for her friend, and she didn’t know he was coming, she put some moves on him that put him on the ground. She didn’t want anything to do with him but yet she couldn’t stay away. A very touching story whereas he was there for her and when a choice had to be made between a very important game or her, he chose her.
I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving a complimentary copy.

Quick Summary: A "Life is a risk and love is a gamble" romance.

My Review: Playing It Tough by Amy Andrews was such a powerful story. Yes, it's billed as a romance, but in actuality, it's an honest to goodness love story.

About This Book: Where do I begin? This story was a pro-positive, let's kick cancer in the butt novel. It dealt with many very serious issues. It was both thoughtful and thought-provoking. It was emotional and courageous. It was sweet and inspiring.

There were several moments that brought me to tears. Truthfully, from the point of 77% to the end of the book, I was outright crying. What Orla had to live through and experience was brutal. Her strength and badassery were her superpowers. Her lone wolf habits were her shield, but they were also her barrier. By the time Ronan came along, well, something had to give.

Speaking of Ronan, he was quite remarkable. I loved that he did not back down from what was happening between him and Orla. The fact that he had such a mature approach to their relationship was most surprising. (I better stop there because I could say so much more about this guy. He gets a wow from this reader.)

My Final Say: This masterpiece love story gets a grace award. To tackle such a heavy hitting issue like cancer is one thing, but finding the words to show how life and love can be found with someone who has cancer is a whole other thing. Ms. Andrews did a magnificent job of presenting a contemporary romance while at the same time expressing the joys, insecurities, struggles, and more that come with surviving and thriving beyond cancer. She gets my respect for this one. Thanks for keeping it real and making it sexy.

Other: I loved that this book gave a positive nod to mental health and self-wellness checks.

Rating: 4.5/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: A
Protagonists: +
Chemistry: 💥
Status/Level: 💗
Note: This book presents with many sobering issues. Those who have had cancer or who know of someone who has battled cancer or is living with cancer may have a strong reaction to some of the content. Rest assured, Ms. Andrews handles the matter with compassion, empathy, and dignity.

Sincere and heartfelt appreciation is extended to the author, to Entangled Publishing, and to NetGalley. Thank you for granting me the opportunity to review this title. I have voluntarily shared my personal thoughts and opinions about this work.

4 1/2 stars

Ms. Andrews did a wonderful job of giving us a spicy and cute relationship between two people who both insisted they were currently living celibate lives. Orla and Ronan's reasons couldn't be more different. He's trying to stay focused for the playoff season in rugby and she's trying to avoid cancer by changing her entire lifestyle. Even though these two couldn't be more opposite, they still work perfectly together.

Orla has a family history of cancer - - so for years she partied and lived like she was dying - - then she decided she really could die and she decided to change her ways. Instead of modifying her behavior, Orla did a complete one-eighty and changed everything. Suddenly she was eating clean and gave up drinking. Along with all that, she changed her behavior and celibacy became her new best friend...most of the time anyway.

Ronan is an American rugby player in Australia trying to make a name for himself. He's apparently succeeded in doing that both on and off the field. With a reputation as a player who has no trouble finding female companionship, he decides to give up the ladies until after playoffs. This is all to maintain his focus and assist in the goal of getting his team to the playoffs as well as getting himself noticed by the American Olympic coach. Then he meets Orla and all his plans fade into the background.

Orla and Ronan's chemistry is off the charts, but they both have a purpose and aren't wanting to give up on their plans anytime soon. That said, they aren't adverse to pushing the boundaries a bit. This story is pretty spicy but also very sensitive and sweet. The relationship that develops between these two is grounded in something much more than physical attraction. They both come to truly care about one another even if they never intended to. But will it be enough?

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to read and review this book and the opinions contained within are my own.