How can someone so smokin’ hot be so bad in bed? I mean, Sean Cassidy is absolute rubbish. RUBBISH. He is the epitome of walking, talking false advertising and I want a refund! Plus he’s an arsehole. So… what is wrong with me that I can’t stop thinking about him? THE PIXIELucy Fitzpatrick doesn’t like rugby. As the little sister of Ireland’s most infamous rugby player, Lucy can’t seem to escape … can’t seem to escape the championship-sized shadow cast by her big brother, or her mother’s frequent attempts to micromanage her future. Her rainbow hair is as free-spirited as her quest for inner peace, yet overbearing expectations keep bringing her down. And when she’s down, her compulsive little problem lands her in seriously big trouble.
THE PLAYER
Sean Cassidy is a cold-hearted brute… or so he’s been told. Frequently. By everyone.
His blonde locks, baby blues, and rock hard bod make ladies the world over drool with desire. As the rugby world’s second most infamous player, he should be basking in his success. But Sean has never been content settling for second place, and his frequent confrontations with Lucy’s big brother leave him cold. And when he’s cold, his compulsive little problem lands him in the lap of Lucy Fitzpatrick.
THE PLAN
Sean has a problem only Lucy can solve. Lucy has a problem only Sean can fix. The solution seems obvious: you scratch my back, and I’ll bail you out of jail. But when their business arrangement unexpectedly leaves Sean scorching hot and Lucy on the precipice of inner peace, can they convince the world—and Lucy’s big brother in particular—that this is the real deal?
Either way, both the Player and the Pixie are about to teach each other some pretty monumental lessons about family, life, but most importantly, love.
The Pixie and the Player is a full-length, romantic comedy novel, can be read as a standalone, and is the second book in the Rugby Series.
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Love these two together!
Beyond brilliant, hilarious, sweet, original, and so much more! The storyline is everything! The character development is amazing! The wit is beyond expected! These two should always put more books out!
What to write? I liked this even more than the first book hence the 5 stars. Although I love Ronan and Annie, I adored the story of Sean and Lucy. When I read the book would be about Sean, the sleaze ball from book 1, I doubted I would like the book.
Really, Sean!?? I thought it would be about Tom, or one of the other hot team mates.. But Sean totally won me over. I liked the fact he and Lucy were so honest to each other and I could understand their reasons for keeping their ‘thing’ a secret. There was no contrived or over the top drama. The reasons for their actions are quite natural and human. I loved and enjoyed it.
The ending was great but it could have been a bit more romantic for me…
(2016)
Loved this series! Such a great duo–LH Cosway and Penny Reid.
Another cute rugby romance. Though I liked the first book better, this was still good. I was very surprised to end up loving Sean, as he was not portrayed too good in the first book. I actually found both main characters and the storyline to be much deeper than the previous book. Which was great. And this one was also done as an audio book for me, the narration was amazing! Especially the male part. Another thing I really loved, was how Sean was during the hook-ups. It is very rare to ever see that in a romance. In fact, I cannot ever recall seeing it. So kudos to the authors for keeping it real! Can’t wait to finish the series.
Penny Reid is my favorite author for many reasons, but mostly because her characters have depth, and there is always an abundance of intellectual humor.
OMGEE, I loved this book! I wasn’t crazy about the first book in the series (3 stars for that one) and the hero of this book was the antagonist of that book, so I was really worried I’d dislike this one too. But I ended up loving it!
Sean was a big a-hole in book one. But in this book, you learn WHY he’s such a big a-hole and while in the very beginning, his behavior is less that stellar, it doesn’t last all that long. We immediately learn about Sean’s background and it completely validates his behavior (though it doesn’t excuse it, which is apart of the story line). I actually like Sean way better than I like Ronan.
Lucy is the sister of the hero from book one, and I was pretty shocked when I realized the authors had paired Sean and Lucy together! They went together like macaroni goes with cheese!
I realized that part of my issue with book one was that it felt like it was written by two different people, who’s styles didn’t totally mesh. Like one author wrote the hero chapters and the other wrote the heroine chapters. But I didn’t get that vibe in this book at all! The transitions between the POV chapters was seamless. It flowed really well. I didn’t want to put it down!
I have read hundreds, if not a couple thousand, of romance novels and this is the first time I have read one where the heroine gave the hero sex lessons. It’s always the other way around. I LOVED THIS SWITCH UP! Sean isn’t a virgin, but none of his partners ever took the time to show him what they liked or the best way to make a woman feel good, so he’s actually pretty bad at. Why wouldn’t the woman teach the man what she likes?! The whole situation was great. And oh so sexy! Like super sexy. There’s like 5 or 6 different scenes of various heat intensity and detail. All different positions and types of sex. Never the same way twice, which was great!
There’s a bit of language in this book, more than I usually like but it wasn’t excessive.
I can’t wait to get to the third book in the series!
5 STARS!
After reading the first book in this series and enjoying it, but not loving it, I was slow to continue on. I could kick myself for that. I loved this book, the characters, and unique story line. Half the time, I couldn’t decide between listening to the audio or reading the ebook. The audio was so well done. This duo of authors are exceptional at combining smart and subtle humor with vulnerable characterization of their MC’s. Sean, who is wretched in the first Rugby book, is realistically redeemed in this one without making him too perfect of a hero. The characters may not have been perfect, but this story was perfect in its unpredictability, unique story line, adorable romance, and wit.
I didn’t think it was possible, but Sean Cassidy redeemed himself!
Sean and Lucy. Predictable yet unexpectedly unpredictable! How often do you read a book where the Hero is terrible in bed and he has to learn how to please a woman?
“I mean, we’re talking less than a minute here. I brushed my teeth longer than he’d lasted.”
Honestly, I didn’t see it coming and I’m not sure how I missed that tidbit in the synopsis! I loved that Sean was able to put his ego aside and was willing to learn from Lucy. And I loved that even thought he knew her faults and insecurities, he still thought she was beautiful and the perfect woman.
“Beauty comes in many forms, and the strong, powerful kind is the most admirable. It’s easy to be weak; you simply do nothing, but strength takes courage and effort.”
If you love a humorous book about people with real issues, then this is the book for you.
There was the perfect blend of humor and complexity. Characters got to have a sense of humor, but there humanity wasn’t sacrificed to a joke. And they they had real issues to overcome without getting bogged down in murky, angst-filled moodiness.
Sean is a great villain-turned-hero, and Lucy is a great flighty-flake with a heart-of-gold who still has depth. They are archetypes, but they also got to be people with unique stories that allowed them to break out of their stereotypes.
If you read The Hooker and the Hermit, Sean is the male version of Annie to a degree (both have “social inexperience”/difficulty connecting with others). Interesting how similar situations display differently by gender.
I really enjoyed this story and I am looking forward to more books in this series. I definitely recommend this book, this series and these authors.
Favorite Quotes:
I wanted to be able to express myself in a manner that made me happy. And having hair a color that couldn’t be found in nature did exactly that.
One-night stands were worth it just for cosmetic product discoverability.
If detoxing doesn’t include a steady diet of alcohol and steak, then I guess I’ll always be somewhat toxic.
Something decidedly female was going on in her head, something of the mystery-to-men variety. I had no idea what she was thinking, but she looked both aggrieved and remorseful. I held very still because it seemed like the safest thing to do.
Lucy Fitzpatrick was my drug of choice, and has quickly become a necessity. I had no desire to contemplate rehab.
But one of the things about Sean that made him so irresistible to me was how he looked at me. He looked at me like I was something wonderful. Not odd. Not embarrassing. It took my breath away.
I can’t stand it when I’m not with you. I feel like a piece of my heart is missing.
Lingerie for you is a gift for me, and is as essential as breathing.
My Review:
I do not know how these authors do it, but they consistently manage to pluck at and squeeze my heart with sneaky hits of emotive writing while simultaneously maintaining a smirk on my face with their clever humor – that takes great skill – and these lovely ladies have it down to an art form. The writing was smart, crisp, humorous, insightful, sensual, engrossing, and simply boss. I found it extremely difficult to put my kindle down once I started reading. I adored the characters as well, even the ones I did not expect to. However, what I enjoyed most was the highly entertaining dichotomies and conundrums presented by each of the main characters. A world-renowned playboy who was actually “rubbish in the sack,” genius! As well as a supposedly free-spirited young woman with skittles hair – who actually suffered with several guilty secrets and was riddled with anxiety and insecurity. I know I am exposing my advanced age in confessing that naming a character Sean Cassidy conjured up the Hardy Boys for me, despite the different spelling and body types. I will be eagerly awaiting their next project and cannot wait to see what they come up with next.
Anything Penny writes with author wife L.H. Cosway is sure to leave a smile on your face! These are fabulous women authors and expand your knowledge of rugby men. *clears throat