3.5 Stars I don’t think I’ve ever read a romance that was first person POV from the MMC, so this made reading Most Valuable Playboy by Lauren Blakely a fun new experience!

When star quarterback Cooper Armstrong entered the annual Most Valuable Playboy charity auction, his only goal was to go for the highest bid. He didn’t realize he’d need saving from a radio host who keeps referring to him as her future husband. Thankfully, Violet, his best friend’s younger sister, saves the day and has the winning bid. In the heat of the moment, Cooper kisses Violet and announces that she’s his girlfriend. While his contract is being negotiated, Cooper and Violet keep up the ruse and pretend to date, but old feelings quickly resurface and Cooper remembers why he’s always had a soft spot for Violet. What happens when it no longer feels pretend?

I love romances where we get dual POV because I love reading about the MMC falling in love with the FMC, so it was fascinating to read only from the MMC’s POV as he fell in love with Violet. We occasionally get a peek at Violet’s text messages with her sister-in-law, but it’s not the same as a true POV. This was a quick read and overall very fun. Both Cooper and Violet are likeable and their friendship naturally progresses into more as they pretend to date.

Thank you Lauren Blakely and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the ARC! Most Valuable Playboy releases tomorrow, February 18th, with this fun new cover!

I recently read another sports romance where the MMC was being auctioned and his BFF's sister wins the auction to save them. The other one was also a fake dating and I was worried it would a repeat of what I just read.

Though the stories were similar, there was enough differences so that I was able to enjoy this one. I enjoyed Cooper and Violet together. They were both much fun together and the banter was great. I liked that they lifted each other up and there really wasn't any tension and no 3rd act breakup.

I appreciated Cooper's relationship with his mom and his dedication to the sport. I love his approach to dating his best friend's sister as well. The supporting characters added a lot of fun to the story as well.

Thank you @sourcebookscasa for a copy of this book.

A football romance mixed with a little rom-com. A cute book where the star quarterback takes place in a charity date auction. His best friends sister saves him from an awkward time from his creepy stalker. But what happ3ns when they both actually have feelings for each other but he's also married to the game? Will they both end up heart broken or will they face their feelings and turn the fake relationship into the real thing?

I received this ARC from publishers via Netgalley

#mostvaluableplayboy #Netgalley

4 🌟
Spice: open door


While the story wasn't overly unique, the book being told from just the MMCs' pov was (for me anyhow.) I liked how these two had been friends since childhood yet never fully embraced their attraction to one another. The characters were likable and had me invested in how things would play out. It's a quick read and definitely super cute.

What to expect:
Fake-dating
Childhood friends to lovers
Best friends sister
Quarterback/salon owner

Quite literally devoured this book in like four hours. I absolutely could not put it down, it was so good and flowed so well! This might be the first romance book I have read entirely in the mmc's pov and I looooved it. I will definitely read more by Blakely!

This is my first book of Lauren Blakely, even though I have many of her books on my TBR. And wow! I wish I had read her before. She not only is a spicy author but also funny. I laughed out loud a few times reading this book. Cannot wait to delve into my tbr. Amazing. Can't wait to read more

I love Lauren Blakely books!

This was a cute and funny football romance. Sweet and swoon worthy.
Definitely recommend! 💕

Charity bachelor auction yes please!
A strong and independent, inspiring FMC Violet! Loved her
Cooper is our hot football player
These two together had me smiling and laughing throughout this book!
This is a great short easy read!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️

MVP by Lauren Blakely is a super quick sporty romance that follows the POV of an NFL quarterback named Cooper navigating the feelings he has for his childhood best friend’s sister, Violet….

The NFL is auctioning off their players for a date - the money raised will go to the Children’s Hospital, and Violet saves Cooper from going on a nightmare date.

This book has some nice spicy scenes, we’ve got the fake dating trope which always has a predictable ending, some hilarious moments, and is an overall lighthearted read.

I would have liked to have more of Violet’s POV throughout the story, and it would have been nice to have some more flashbacks to when they were younger.

I’d recommend this book to sporty rom-com lovers.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the ARC in exchange for my honest feedback!

This is a cute sports romance that can easily be read in a day. It has some good tropes like fake dating, best friend’s sister, and childhood friends to lovers. It’s told entirely from the male POV which I’m not sure if I’ve ever encountered in a romance, and I have to say the jock perspective is not really a favorite of mine. The writing was a little cringy at times but I did enjoy the spice and Violet and Cooper were cute together. I would recommend this if you’re looking for a quick, funny & steamy sports romance without much conflict.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If this seems familiar it might be because you've already read it- this is a reissue of a zippy fake dating to lovers romance originally published in 2017. It's held up well because Blakely has a good way with dialogue and the characters are so likable. Cooper is the hot quarterback and Violet is the woman he declares is his girlfriend in order to avoid other women at an auction for a date with an eligible man. They've got some history but as pals although now things are different. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. It's a fast trope-y read.