Being labelled a player never stopped me from being successful with women. Until I met Truly Harbury.Truly was the first girl who ever turned me down.The first female friend I ever had.And she might just be the first woman I ever fall in love with.When an emergency means she needs my help running her family’s charity, I’m happy to introduce her to the glitz and glamour of the London business … glamour of the London business world—taking her to dinners, coaching her through speeches, zipping up the sexy evening gown I helped her pick out.
The more time we spend together, the more I want to convince her I’m not a man to avoid, that we’re not as unsuited as she believes.
She sees herself as the book-reading, science-loving introvert while I’m the dangerous, outgoing, charmer.
She thinks I love parties and people whereas she prefers pajamas and a takeaway.
What she doesn’t realize is that I like everything about her–the way her smile lights up a room, how her curves light up my imagination, and especially the way her lips taste when coated with tequila.
She’s the first woman I ever fell in love with. I just need to know if she could ever love me too.
A standalone novel.
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Noah is the playboy and Truly is the nerdy introvert, you know the saying that opposites attract. Well, they do with Noah and Truly.
When Truly’s twin is put on bed rest for the rest of her pregnancy, Truly has to take over her duties as the face of the charity. While Truly usually is behind the scenes, she doesn’t think she can handle being the center of attention. When Noah offers to help her out, Truly knows she can not be that close to Noah for very long. His closeness will short circuit her hormones and she will lose the fight to resist him. Can they come up with a plan to get each other out of their systems in private and raise money for the charity in the office?
As I make my way through Lousie Bay’s older stories, I am loving her stories, she can weave a couple and their romance in a way that you want them to get their HEA. I love narrator Shane East and enjoyed Sashia Maarleveld.
A cute and romantic friends to lovers story. Noah and Truly are adorable together, their friendship is beautiful but when then finally move their friendship to more, they are absolute perfection. I enjoyed this story.
Louise Bay is one of my favorite romance authors, but I did not enjoy this book as much as I enjoyed her other books. The heroine was portrayed as someone lacking self-confidence and needed a man to show her “the way.” I had a hard time finishing the e-book.
The audio version is much better because I love listening to Shane East’s British voice!
Borrowed via Audible Escape. I’ve always enjoyed both of these narrators so I thought I’d give this a try. Basically, it was predictable and felt formulaic, like so many other books I’ve read before in the friends-to-lovers trope.
If it weren’t for the fantastic narrators I’m not sure I would have finished. It’s not like it was awful, just nothing amazing and certainly nothing I’d listen to again. Glad I borrowed via AE.
Truly turned down Noah’s advances years ago, and as the first woman to ever knock him back, from that, their friendship grew. They could tell each other anything. Share secrets, but Truly wasn’t altogether truthful. She’d had a crush on Noah for a long time, but then he went to New York and he didn’t keep in contact. Until, suddenly he’s back and when her twin sister needs her to take over the running of the foundation they’re both a part of, she takes Noah’s help since she sees herself as the bookworm, geek sister and not glamorous or beautiful like her twin. She sells herself short, she always has, but Noah sees more in her, than she can see in herself. Working together, pushes them closer and Truly finds all her old feelings resurfacing. She propositions Noah, but is determined to keep it casual. Keep it casual, and she can’t get hurt, right? Except, it’s never that simple.
Super sexy friends to lovers story. I’ve only read Louise Bay’s books in audio and I’ve got to say, SEXY!! These are books I can’t listen to with the family. First off, and second, Shane East!
I think Noah and Truly are my favorite Louise Bay couple. Their friendship is truly something special. They have everything a married couple has minus the sex and the marriage certificate. But when they cross that line…holy passionate magical chemistry!! Talk about dizzying!
But there are too many rules to hide behind in their friends with benefits relationship and walls so high, so deep that neither can see just how magical they are, and that there is more there than friendship and sex. They’ve got it all but recognizing it is a whole other story.
Their honesty with each other when the time comes to share their feelings was remarkable. Now the only one they need to be honest with is themself. That’s when the real beauty of their relationship begins.
I have a bit of a soft spot for friends to lovers stories, because that’s how I ended up with my amazing hubby.
I loved Truly right off the bat, she is such a genuine person and even though she was terrified she stepped up for the company when her sister needed her help. In comes Noah, to help Truly. Two old friends can work together without past chemistry re-emerging, right?
Noah helps Truly and boosts her confidence, supporting her and assisting her with the publicity side of the foundation when she’s used to being in the background. But spending so much time together ends up rekindling their past feelings.
My only disappointment about this book is that it’s a standalone. I want more Noah and Truly!!!
So… I went back and forth between the Audible and ebook versions of this AND I preordered the paperback, so I’m not quite sure which edition to review. So overall, I really enjoyed Noah and Truly – there were both relatively unique characters and their chemistry, as well as the sort of forced proximity of their relationship, is very entertaining. I do wish that we could have delved a little bit deeper into them individually. Yes, we do get to know them both a bit, but it sort of felt a tad surface level and I would have enjoyed some deeper insights into their motivations and then I would have felt more attached to them as characters and to their story. Now this could be a case of me needing to do a reread – perhaps I’ll pick up on details I missed the first time around and I did like the book enough to be willing to read it again. I’ve never been disappointed in a book from Louise Bay and International Player is no exception, though it did leave me wanting more. She will continue to be a auto buy/preorder author for me and I look forward to reading more from her. 4 out of 5 wine glasses.
3.5 Stars
Review by Lisa
Late Night Reviewer
Up All Night w/ Books Blog
International Player by Louise Bay is a friends to lovers romance with a slow burn that ignites the story. It has a fast-moving paced that I enjoyed and the story as a whole was very enjoyable as well. But, I felt there was a small loss of connection between the two main characters, Truly and Noah. I felt like I missed something but not sure what it was.
Truly and Noah meet at her sister’s and his best friend’s wedding as they were maid of honor and best man. They had a connection that continued after the wedding was over and became the best of friends.
When Noah moves across the Pond to NY, Truly still holds on to those feelings that have developed while Noah moves on and forgets all about her. (I didn’t like that, even though it is explained in the story.)
When Noah returns, life for Truly starts to get a little hectic and he steps up the plate to once again build their friendship that started years ago.
I loved the transformation that Truly goes through this story. He journeys from introvert to shining star was beautifully written. The relatable self doubts that everyone goes through pulled this story together. Sometimes we all need a little push to grow.
I love Louise Bay and enjoyed all her books. If you are looking for light, sweet read with charming characters, her books are just for you.
Noah Jensen and Truly Harbury met on Abigail, Truly’s twin, and Rob’s, Noah’s best friend, wedding. As expected, Noah, who is known as an ultimate player, hit on Truly during the wedding. Truly being Truly, she turns down his advances. This led them to become best friends. After starting his own business, Noah went to New York and they lost touch. After couple of years, Noah moves back to London and with his return, he reconnects with Truly. Truly and Abigail runs Harbury Foundation. Truly is hardworking, nerdy and really beautiful. She is mainly working behind the scenes. She thinks Abigail is a better fit to be the spokeswoman and face of the foundation. However, due to some complications Abigail needs to step-down and take it easy for a while, this means Truly needs to be the face of the foundation, which consists of fundraising dinners, presentations and lots of socializing. Downside of this whole thing is Truly hates being on the spotlight. Luckily for her, her best friend and socializing pro Noah is back in town. So when Noah agrees to help her and show her the ropes of being the face of the foundation, Truly comes up with an additional proposition. Since she always had a crush on Noah, she decides the best way to get him out of her system is proposition him to have a non-strings fling. I mostly enjoyed how Noah and Truly’s relationship evolved from friendship to lovers. But there are also some parts that annoyed me. What bothered me the most is how self-depreciating Truly was. Even though, Noah was always there and trying to built her self-esteem, she always finds something negative about herself.
I love Louise Bay’s writing style. It is always easy to relate and/or fall in love with the characters she creates in some ways, which makes it easier to get into the story. Her stories are always light and entertaining. Unfortunately, I couldn’t really get into this story as easily as her previous books. I’m still a Louise Bay fan and will definitely be reading her new books.
Would I recommend this book: Yes.
Would I re-read this book: Maybe.
Would I read future books by this author: Yes
Slow burn…
Angst…
Friends to Lovers…
Be prepared to be entertained! Nobody writes a book as great as Louise Bay! Her characters are lively, sexy and very appealing. Perfect, sweet read, im already in love with Noah
There is nothing like a friends to lovers slow burn. I loved this story from start to finish. The writing sucks you in and grips you tight for the long haul. I had to finish this book in one sitting. The characters are funny and charismatic but also stubborn. They are the perfect mix on why opposites attract. I would suggest that anyone pick up a copy of this book it’s such a truly great read.
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Kobo → http://bit.ly/LouiseIP
Reviewed by Donna on behalf of KFF
Noah has always been labelled as a player and he’s fine with that. He always manages all right with the women he encounters although Truly Harbury is different. She turned him down all those years ago but they became best friends. Truly is one half of twin and her sister Abigail married Noah’s best friend, Rob and that’s where Noah and Truly met. Noah has been away for four years developing a business that he sold off and ended up with a very large amount of money. He comes back to the UK and until he decides what his next challenge is, he stays with Abigail and Rob. However, Truly is in knots about this as she had a crush on him and doesn’t want that resurfacing. She well knows he isn’t the settling down kind.
Tragedy strikes and Truly is left with looking after the charity. Truly is not a very confident person hiding behind her geek persona and doing the business number crunching. On the other hand, her sister is the more people person going to big charity events and enrolling companies to back them. Noah offers to help and he introduces her to the glitz and glamour of the business side. He sees so much more in Truly and could see himself falling in love with her.
Truly is a smart woman who sees herself as nerdy, living in her sister’s shadows. I found her putting herself down quite a lot and she never came across as confident. Noah seems to bring out her confidence. He’s confident, handsome and has an overwhelming drive to challenge himself a lot and do some pretty extreme things.
It was clear they had deep feelings, they just had their own ideas about what the other would or wouldn’t want from their future. Told in a dual point of view, it’s a favourite of mine since I love seeing what each character is thinking. I liked them both a lot but wanted to bang their heads together more than once! International Player is a slow burn romance and does entail some steamy scenes that Ms. Bay always delivers with her creativity of hot alpha males. Although it took me a while to get into the story, I really enjoyed it.
I did find Truly not believing in herself and Abigail being the better of the two a little frustrating. I loved the interaction between Truly and Noah when the self-doubt stopped and also liked Rob who’s Truly brother-in-law. Rob and Noah’s friendship was funny at times and reading about their friendship was a joy. Lol, poor Rob was henpecked by Abigail! If a love story that takes time for the protagonists to realise what’s in front of them and friends-to-lovers is your thing, I highly recommend Louise’s stand-alone.
Louise Bay delivers another sexy British hero in this friends-to-lovers romance. Truly was the first girl ever to turn Noah down. They maintained a friendship until Noah left for the States to take on some business ventures. While he was gone they drifted apart. Four years later, Noah is back and the two of them reconnect. Noah is just in time to help Truly with her family’s foundation.
This book seemed less angst-y than some of Louise Bay’s previous works. Noah and Truly are generally likable characters (maybe a tad on the boring side). I did enjoy seeing Truly grow professionally and take on more responsibility with regard to her job. I think those of us that have tried to do something new in the workplace can identify with her faltering self-confidence and jitters.
Since I first started reading books by Louise Bay, there never was a story that didn’t captivate me.
International Player is no exception!
She creates great characters and I love that she’s set this book in London again.
Truly got on my nerves sometimes, because she didn’t see how enthralled Noah was with her. Always these negative thoughts towards him, the comparing to her sister. Sometimes it was hard to like her.
Noah is great! He’s a guy I REALLY love. His positivity, love of life ….. it’s as if Louise wrote him just for me.
Their chemistry is so off the charts, they’re perfect together.
I often wonder about the authors resources to come up with these many informations about various professions. It’s so interesting to see how things work and I’m intrigued to get more inside every time.
And like another reviewer wrote, it’s always refreshing to learn about the differences between American and British English.
I’ve read this book in one go from start to finish. This story is funny, sad, edgy and sexy, had a nice slow burn and I had such a good time with every page I turned.
I love that Louise Bay is staying true to herself and what she likes to write about. I really appreciate this, because too many authors let others dictate what they should write about.
So please Louise, keep doing what your heart tells you to do! Can’t wait for your next book.
Truly and Noah had been friends since they first met at Truly’s sister’s wedding to Noah’s best friend. Noah actually tried to get Truly into bed that night but she turned him down and they developed a friendship. Then Noah left for New York and their friendship faded. Now Truly finds out that Noah is coming back to London and she’s not sure if she will be able to handle seeing him since she developed a crush on him while they were friends.
Truly never sees herself as beautiful or outgoing like her twin sister Abigail. Truly knows she’s smart with numbers and that is what she is really good at. Noah is a successful business man who sees what he wants and goes after the challenge but once he meets the challenge, he moves on to something else.
The 2 of them are thrown together when Abigail ends up being on bed rest for the last 5 months of her pregnancy and Truly has to run their charitable foundation herself. Noah decides to help her build her confidence in getting in front of donors, giving speeches and asking for donations. As the 2 spend more time together, they are very attracted to each other but Truly, being the sensible one decides that they should have a casual relationship so that she could work out her crush on Noah.
As we all know, life never goes as we all plan no matter how much we plan and how sensible we are. Noah and Truly have to realize that love and feelings are not easily controlled and explained. The 2 of them are perfect for each other but they both think don’t think that because of who they are and what they want in life. It takes being apart to realize that being sensible and reasonable doesn’t make the feelings go away. Noah must convince Truly that he can change and even though he is not a long term focused kind of guy, he does want Truly to be with him.
This is such a great story about 2 individuals who are way smart in their careers and real life but when it comes to feelings and love, it is not something that the can control even though they try. Another great story from Ms. Bay!
4.5 stars!! Imma huge fan of this author so I’m also super excited when she has a new book coming out. It’s a steamy, easy to read friends to lovers romance that I couldn’t put down. I absolutely adored Truly and Noah!
This book was better then I expected.
With all the reviews from the audio I was nervous reading this book but it turned out good.
I truly believe listening to an audio can make or break a book so I’m thankful I waited to read this instead of listening.
Noah… le sigh. Nothing bad to say about him. He was pretty much perfect in every way.
Truly was a great character as well.
I just enjoyed this story as a whole.
There was a little repetition about a certain topic which is why I gave this book four stars.
This was a great story that could have been told so much better. I love the trope of friends to lovers and the trope of playboy and geek, and this book had both. I was so looking forward to enjoying this trip. Sadly, although the writing is great, the pace and slow burn made the book lag midway through the story and the characters fell short of expectations.
Truly was a brilliant girl, I loved her geekiness and her powerful brain. I also loved her dedication to the good works she and her sister Abigail make through their fundraiser corporation. But her lack of assurance, anxiety attacks, constant comparison with her twin sister, and finding herself lacking, got tiresome after a while. Her sister Abigail is sweet with her but a harridan with her husband Rob. And I found Noah to be a douche. If he liked Truly so much that they had almost kissed on his last evening in London, if he felt so comfortable with her and loved chatting with her, how come when he left for New York he forgot about her for the whole four years he was away?
Noah: “When I’d seen Truly after being away from New York, I’d wondered why we hadn’t been better at keeping in touch.”
Four years later, he comes back, and he picks up right where they left it back then, and he looks forward to being with her, and gladly accepts to help her out with the fundraiser company while Abigail is on bed rest. Huh? Something didn’t add up here, unless four years ago, he acted like the player he was and ran scared to New York, which makes him, yep, a jerk.
Truly needs to have things all planned out and thought out through, whereas Noah plans things on the now and doesn’t look too much into the future. They worked together on the fundraising activities, got on famously, started a casual fling, and Noah started to see how Truly was different from all the other women he’s ever been with. Truly had a crush on Noah before he left for New York and it’s come back with a vengeance. But still, they kept dithering and waffling on acting about how they felt for each other. It was really very frustrating and things weren’t happening with the desired speed.
Overall, it was a great story, well written, good characters. I didn’t like it more because I didn’t feel a lot of chemistry with the characters; they were in love but were so reluctant to be in love that it was very frustrating to me as a reader.