“Hard pass.”
That’s what the last girl I slept with said when she got her first sober glimpse of me. She laughed, walked out of my penthouse—and I never saw her again. It doesn’t matter that I’m a rich, professional athlete; what mattered was my face.
Beauty might only be skin deep for some—but I know better.
“Pay up.”
That’s what the last girl I spoke to said over the phone when I made her … over the phone when I made her an offer she couldn’t refuse. Desperate to sell a set of rare baseball cards, she’s clever and entertaining. I’m instantly smitten, but nowhere ready to reveal myself. Thank god she has no idea who I am—or what I look like.
I’m a professional athlete–how hard can playing the love game be?
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4.5 Star. This book really gets me. There’s a huge smile plastered on my face the whole time im reading this. It was so good. So different from any other sports romance that I read. I love how the author breaks the stereotype thing ’bout the jocks .. instead of an arrogant, over confident and perfectly good looking ..we have a sensitive, self conscious and shy Hero. And that makes me swoon all over him. I was absorbed to the whole story. Sara Ney portrays the characters very well and the humuors are so entertaning. They captured me initially especially Trace aka Buzz, love him so much, he’s so damn funny and I cant wait to read his book.
This book leaves you wanting more and that makes it a great kickstart for a series. If you want a different twist for a sport-romance ..this one is definitely for you.
As soon as the synopsis for this book was revealed my curiosity was piqued! It quickly became one of my most anticipated reads from there. From the prologue I wanted more of this story and it really pulled me in. This was such an enjoyable read for me!
Noah and Miranda’s journey was unique from the start!
With Hard Pass, Ms.Ney created such an awesome and one of a kind read! I can’t wait for the next Trophy Boyfriends book!
*I volunteered to read and review a copy of this book from Wildfire Marketing Solutions / the author*
This author is always a HARD YES for me. She is the queen of sports romance. I loved this couple. I loved this story. I love that we get a whole new series. I am so excited. I also love that this author doesnt just write sexy men and hot women. She actually writes REAL men that are normal looking and average looking women. It makes me love the characters even more. AND to top it all off I laugh with ever book. This one included. The banter is hilarious. The slow burn angst had me squirming and I can’t wait for Buzz to get his story. 5 stars as usual!
If you’re not familiar with Sara Ney, you’re missing out. She’s one of my favorites and did not disappoint with this unique read. Noah and Miranda are honestly the sweetest. I loved everything about them and equally loved their chemistry. This book is a sports romance but unlike any I’ve ever read. True to Ney’s writing style, Hard Pass will have you in stitches. It hooks you from beginning to end. Also loved the secondary characters as well. Buzz was a hoot. All-in-all, thought this was an incredible read that I wouldn’t mind reading again. Thank you Sara Ney for providing this amazing arc in exchange for an honest review.
Hard Pass is the first book in the Trophy Boyfriends series. Its a light & fun sports romance with a quirky twist & a hint of mistaken identity. I really enjoyed this one a lot.
Miranda is determined to start her own business at the young age of 22 but to help make her goals happen she needs money and decides to sell some of her Grandpa’s prized possession vintage Baseball cards. She is cute, funny, sassy, adorable and knows what she likes. After texting with a potential buyer she meets up with him. Eventually sells the card but is somewhat shocked to find out he is a lot different in real life.
Noah is a professional Baseball player but is different from most of his team mates. He is shy, resevered, insecure about his looks, sweet but awkward especially around affection and attention. He is very much career focused and prefers to stay out of the spotlight. He plays the sport because it is his passion & he is very good at it. I loved how real and raw his character felt. I hated how he let his insecurities hold him back and affect the way he reacted at times. He frustrated me but I still felt for him and loved him so very much.
This was such a fun, light & quick read and had me feeling all kinds of nostalgia as it brought me back to some of Sara’s older stories with a similar tone & feel to it. These characters were onky 22 & 24 but they had a much older feel about them. The side characters in this book are some of the best & I can not wait for a ‘Buzz’ story as I already know he will be my favourite.
We have this one, and just so you know you will fall for Noah, love him and Miranda how everything started and how they overcome everything, is a light read that will leave you swooning over them, and how they interact with the other characters, and have their funny moments, I totally recommend this one and you won’t regret it
I am not even going to lie and say that even as much as I love this author, what really drew me in was the blurb. I had to know more. This author is always known to create characters that are unique in their own way. Not every man out there is a God amongst men, in fact, some are average and that is refreshing to see.
Noah was a great example of this and a reminder that beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder. I felt for him and the reasons that he was so reserved. I cannot imagine being in his shoes and wondering if the only reason that someone was with me was for what they could gain from a name or his fame. Miranda, was perfect. She was not the perfect supermodel looking girl and was just as awkward, at times, as was Noah. My baseball-loving heart wanted to cry over those baseball cards…
This book as much as I liked it, I struggled with it. The ending seemed rushed. The actual relationship didn’t even really start until it was getting towards the end. The relationship with Buzz seemed rushed and incomplete. I wanted all that fleshed out rather than just the misunderstandings stemming from the baseball cards and how they came to be. it had the potential to be so much more. I am rounding up to a four but because I did enjoy the premise of this story and what is to come.
Hard Pass by Sara is a sports romance with a unique twist and it’s the first book in the Trophy Boyfriends series. Here we have a famous jock who’s shy, sensitive and awkward and a sassy, outspoken heroine. Together these two made this story one that I could not stop reading. It was different, flirty and funny, with amusing back and forth banter, some heart-warming moments, some awkward mishaps, and although a slow burn it eventually led to some hott steamy scenes. There was a cast secondary characters who all added to the hilarity of the story and I can’t wait to read more about them in further books.
This was a light, easy, fun read with likable characters you would be rooting for throughout the story. It was a great start to this new series and I would recommend it to all lovers of romantic comedies.
Hard Pass is my introduction to Sara Ney, and what a nice introduction!
This book is funny – the banter between the characters made me laugh so much.
Miranda just wants to start her own business, to do this she is selling her grandfather’s baseball cards. Noah is a baseball player, but instead of the normal alpha guy most sportsmen are cast as; he is shy, has low self-esteem, the total opposite of what we see in famous sportsmen. This made me root hard for him!
Noah and Miranda meet because he wants to purchase the collection and their chemistry through the messages is enjoyable to read. This is a slow romance – friends first before lovers.
I will be reading more of Sara Ney’s work!!
Rated: 4.5
I really liked this sports romance! Not everyone in the real world is the perfect specimen and I loved that Sara made this couple real and relatable. Noah and Miranda have chemistry from the start but it takes them a bit to actually connect. I found Noah’s shyness endearing and the perfect balance to Miranda’s sassiness. You can’t miss with this quick, enjoyable read!
Sara Ney has once again knocked it out of the park with this sweet, funny, addicting romance.
As always, her characters are real which makes them more endearing and relatable, who hasn’t felt insecure about rejection in their past?, but they are also never quite what you expect.
As soon as you hear ‘famous sports star’ you would never expect Noah, a painfully shy man who was so hurt by the words spoken the morning after his last one night stand, that he is afraid to try again, for fear of rejection. Oh how the tables have turned! I adored Noah, though his lack of communication at times, was annoying, I understood why and fell more in love with him as every insecurity was revealed.
Miranda was perfect, not the usual baseball groupie, she meets Noah online selling her beloved grandfather’s baseball cards to fund her new business, and although they haven’t met face to face, the connection is there immediately. Sadly when the time comes, Noah isn’t quite sure he’s ready for Miranda to meet the real him.
This book knocked me on my backside with its ups and down, laughter, heartbreak and so much more. I devoured it in just a few short hours, and wished I’d taken it slower, so I could savour it longer. Amazing.
Miranda is desperate for money to start up her own business, so resorts to selling off her Grandpa’s beloved baseball card collection. She really doesn’t want to, but she has no other choice. And really, it’s OK because it enables her to meet Noah, the guy she doesn’t recognize but likes before she even meets him in person. Too bad once she actually meets him in person he’s a total douchebro. Or is he? Perhaps it wasn’t actually Noah who showed up to conduct the card transaction. Perhaps the real Noah is just a total sweetheart with massive insecurities. Insecurities one would never expect a professional athlete to have.
He’s been hurt by more than one woman because of his supposed lack of looks, so it’s no wonder he doesn’t trust women, doesn’t want to fall in love with Miranda, even though he cannot help himself because she’s awesome.
Oh God, this is such a sweet, snarky and witty read. Miranda and Noah are absolutely adorable together. She’s so funny and throws sass like no one’s business. And he’s so awkward and full of insecurities and tries not to show it, but has the biggest, most tender heart. The two of them together are perfection!
AHHH!! There is nothing more that I love than a Sara Ney sports romance. I’ve said it again and again but Ney has the magic touch when it comes to the male perspective. She makes her heroes so real and addicting it’s crazy. I absolutely loved Noah and Miranda. Their attraction was palpable and this story honestly had laugh out loud moments. The chemistry between them was slow burn and delicious and the back and forth banter/texting between them was my low key addiction. Noah and Miranda were SUCH a great start to a new series!
Ok so back to my latest obsession: Noah Harding. Gah! He was absolutely adorable. He was kind and vulnerable and my friends will already know, NOT my usual kind of favorite hero (READ: I need them mean boys.) BUT… he was so kind, self deprecating, real, blunt and heartfelt to a T. There was something about the reclusive, insecure and all around good guy that got to me. Overall this story was sexy and real. I loved the connection Noah shared with Miranda and how once together they were just so adorable. This story had me chuckling and swooning when nothing has in a long time. 5 stars! ~Ratula
I received an ARC of this book for an honest review.
This book was such a fun read for me. After being kept up all night by my husband’s snoring, it felt good to get lost in a book like this one. The witty banter, the shock and surprise, the overall premise of it… definitely made losing sleep worth it all.
Noah and Randi are so much fun. From the moment you meet them, you know you want them together. The way it all happens is crazy but the perfect story for them.
Sara brought these two together in a way that had me laughing, crying, threatening to throw my kindle across the room. Happily ever after has truly met it’s match with this one of a kind book that makes you believe that true love is out there for every one of us.
Four stars for this fun read that kept me intrigued and had me wanting more when it was all said and done.
4.5 Trophy stars!
Oh this is my favourite of Sara Ney’s book and its no secret that I love her writing!
Sara has done a phenomenal job with the start to this new series!! She has given us intriguing characters with some seriously hot chemistry.
It was nice reading a about a Professional Athlete that doesn’t think he is gods gift to women and who is humble, he’s self-conscious and someone you really want to hug. Miranda is perfect for Noah, She loves him for him.
Can’t wait to see what Sara brings us next with this series!
4.5 Stars
I love Sara Ney’s sports romances and couldn’t wait to start this new series. I loved Noah and Miranda and all the secondary characters.
Miranda wants to start her own business and doesn’t want to get a lot of debt, so she finds a way to make money. She knows the baseball cards her grandfather left her are worth a lot of money and by selling them she could start her business. She wasn’t expecting a response so quickly, but Noah couldn’t resist when he saw the baseball card. He’s a professional baseball player and loves old baseball memorabilia.
Noah doesn’t have luck with women, but something is different with Miranda. I loved these two together, the chemistry is off the charts. This book was just what I needed, and I loved every minute of it. I highly recommend this book and can’t wait for more.
Refreshingly awkward, non-alpha hero…
Oh, the squirmy awkwardness was let loose in Noah, the male lead of this delightfully funny sport romance! From kooky, no filter besties (both Noah’s and Miranda) to the off-kilter (aka hilarious) text exchanges between them, this love story had me smiling from ear to ear…
Noah was a professional baseball player, uber-successful, famous, and happy with his career and teammates he called friends. At the same time he had been burned badly by a woman. He wasn’t classically handsome and couldn’t get over the soul-crushing rejection. He was both boosted and hampered by a healthy dose of girl/social awkwardness, a desire for vintage baseball cards and a woman who tied up his tongue without even trying…
Miranda was a driven woman with an eye on her career path with a clear way to get there. Noah was going to help her achieve those goals, one baseball card/encounter at a time… Until the text messages didn’t quite jive with his smarmy, first real-life impression. Who was this Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde? Well, she was going to find out…
Be prepared for a laugh-out loud trip down lover’s lane in this unique and wonderfully awkward romance!
*Reviewed for Nerdy Dirty & Flirty
A shy, athletic hero who isn’t a douche? Sign me up!
Noah is the perfect book boyfriend. He is sweet, funny, athletic, shy, naughty. He is also vulnerable and unsure of himself.
Noah, unlike most of the athletes around him, just wants to play the game. He loves playing. What he doesn’t like? Everything that comes with it. Yea, the money is nice. But he would rather live closer to his mama and his real friends and not be used for what he has. As such, he has a reputation for being a bit of a recluse. Only leaving the house when absolutely necessary or when his teammates drag him out. The years of being laughed at and told his face is unattractive have left him wary of women and their motives.
Miranda is just out of college and in need of startup capital for her new business. Though it breaks her heart to do so, she has decided to sell her grandfather’s baseball card collection.
Noah, as a serious baseball memorabilia collector, contacts her about a rare card she has for sale. Their banter is adorable – both behind the screen and in person. And when they meet for the first time? I couldn’t stop smiling!
This book also introduces a number of entertaining side characters, and I am looking forward to a couple of them being knocked on their rear! (I’m looking at you Trace!)
Hard Pass is the perfect, quick and light hearted read for those who love their athletes shy and funny, and who know that what is beneath the wrapping will always matter more!
3.5 stars
This book surprised the hell out of me. It’s a story I didn’t expect. I’ve read this one in one sitting and I had a fantastic time doing so.
The characters are intriguing and have great chemistry. Noah surprised me the most. It was really refreshing reading about a professional athlete who doesn’t think he’s god’s gift to the female world. Noah is humble, absolutely down to earth and sadly full of self-doubt. He’s not self conscious about his looks and his effects on women. He’s a guy you just want to hug and show him that he’s worth loving.
Miranda is great, maybe a little boring character, but she loves Noah for who he is, not what he is or for his looks. She’s what Noah needs and it was great following their journey finding each other.
However, I’ve got a little problem with the story itself. I think it was cut short in the end and I feel like something is missing and there is a lot more to tell. I was left with some questions that I never got answered and I’m quite curious, why Miranda settled to easily in the end without inquiring anything further.
Overall this was a quick and entertaining read in Sara Ney’s usual style. If you loved her other books, you’ll definitely want to read this one!
*4 Stars*
I enjoyed this book. It was a really fast read, as it isn’t overly long, and the characters were likeable. The only thing I didn’t really like was the constant putting down of the hero’s looks. I know that’s a part of the story and such, but it was a little too much.
Everything else though I really liked. Noah was a sweet guy, although very very awkward. He seemed to overcome that awkwardness pretty fast when things started moving along properly (maybe a little too easily), but he was a decent person who just needed to open up.
Miranda was a great heroine with her own strong goals and some good friends behind her. I liked that she was sassy and she pretty much stood up for herself and voiced her thoughts.
I enjoyed this fast read, and I would like to read more from this series. I’d love a book about Claire, and also one about Buzz, as they seem to be very interesting characters. Looking forward to more.