Muscular football players. Passionate tennis pros. Sexy soccer stars. All sorts of alpha hotties, on the field and off.Have no fear! The team is back again, and this time…it’s thicker. You’ll get your sports romance fix with brand-new stories from eleven bestselling authors.Need one last summer fix? Dive into this anthology.*This anthology contains original, never-before-seen stories from Ella … never-before-seen stories from Ella Fox, Mandi Beck, Teagan Hunter, Ilsa Madden-Mills, Sara Ney, Rochelle Paige, Meghan Quinn, Charleigh Rose, Kennedy Ryan, Emma Scott, and Kate Stewart.
We still aren’t responsible for melted devices.
more
Ava Harris is back and done trying to be the girl that everyone likes, the girl who isn’t the “scholarship girl” she is. But she’s not the tough girl she appears to be either. And it takes a Shark to see that.
Knox Grayson isn’t just a Shark – he’s the Shark. QB1 and everyone wants a piece of him. He’s so much more than what he lets most people see at Camden Prep. He sees Ava for who she really is and lets her see the real him too.
Ilsa Madden-Mills takes us on a journey of discovery – both of self discovery and discovering someone that could be the person to heal you. The tension between Knox and Ava hooks you from the beginning and cheering by the end. I can’t wait to see their full story next year!!
Loved It!! Dear Ave – A real and honest love story with amazing characters. Loved all of this book!!
I absolutely loved all the stories in this anthology! So many great authors contributed. I absolutely loved Meghan’s Quinn’s story and Ilsa Madden-Mills. My only problem was that the stories were so short that I wanted more!!!!
”’Life doesn’t owe you shit. Good things, bad things, they happen to us all, and most of the time, we have no control over any of it. It’s not how life tries to break you that’s the story. Life tries to break everyone. The story isn’t that you fell. The story is that you got up again and again and again. I got up.’”
Fast Break by Kennedy Ryan
The story is that you got up again and again and again…
I never liked novellas. I always felt like they were too short of a book to make any real points. Fast forward to the first time I read a novella, which ironically happened to be a Kennedy Ryan Novella. Imagine how stupid I felt when I finished.
Kennedy’s words breath life into you. Books like Fast Break are how you as a reader or a blogger or hell, as a PERSON know that authors don’t just write these books for themselves or for the hell of it. The struggles Quinn faces and then jumps hurdles over prosthetic leg and all, stepping up and going after what you want the way Ean realized was a part of him all along, those are the kind of experiences authors write for US. For anyone who doesn’t realize all they needed was a little inspiration.
To the authors that always inspire. Thank you. To the author who inspires me everyday through heroes and heroines as strong and resilient as Quinn Barrow, Kennedy, thank you. Fast Break was nothing but another exquisite Kennedy original in only the way Kennedy can do, is, and be.
Review for Dear Ava by Ilsa Madden-Mills
Dear Ava hit me with ALL. THE. FELLS. I’m utterly a hot mess after reading this. Right from the start this story consumed me. I had no idea of the amount of emotions that came out of me. Rage, sadness, anger, etc. This story is honest and real and everything heart-pounding and soul-searing.
I freaking love Ava. I admire her determination so much. She’s a fighter and doesn’t let anything get to her. Even though something terrible happened to her she’s not going to hide and give them the satisfaction. She’s seeking answers and will not stop until she gets them.
Knox was an enigma. He’s the star quarterback and the most popular guy in school. He’s rich and worshipped by his peers, but underneath there’s more than meets the eye. And when he shows that side of himself it’s really something else. I don’t know if it’s possible to love Knox more than I already do because he definitely claimed my heart from the beginning.
Ava and Knox are complete opposites, but in actuality they have more in common. They have so much chemistry that it’s off the charts. Their vulnerable moments were my favorite, so raw and beautiful. I adore and love these two immensely. I’m sad it’s over, and ecstatic we’ll eventually get more of Ava and Knox, but I need more and want more right now. I can’t wait!
Dear Ava is a short novella packed with emotion. Ilsa did a phenomenal job writing this story with sensitivity.
A definite must read!
** spoiler alert ** This review is only for the story Dear Ava. Strong, smart and pretty are a great combination but add in spunk and a rape survivor and you have a super hero. Her name is Ava. She is a survivor. She will not allow the past dictate her future. She is a young woman that has surpassed any expectations for a girl who lives in a orphanage because her drunk and drug addicted mother couldn’t take care of her and her brother. She has big plans and nobody is going to hold her back.
They call them Sharks. They are the wealth boys who are on the football team. Knox is the Q B so her is too Shark. Knox isn’t like the rest of those guys but he can’t let them know the real him. He doesn’t let anyone know the real Knox until Ava.
I can’t day enough about how great this story is. It draws you in until you feel like you are a part of it. Angst, romance, mystery it has it all. Well, all but an ending! We have to wait until early 2020 to find out the rest. I know that I’m excited to read what happens next.
Review for Dear Ava by Ilsa Madden-Mills
Oh my heart! I LOVE Knox! You can tell he has something big that’s weighing on him…yea he may seem an @sshole, but you can tell deep down he’s a good person.
Ava was hurt. In the worst way. No one believed her. She left for awhile. Now she’s back, and she’s kind of bad@ss! She’s not taking crap from anyone, least of all Knox and his sharks.
Knox has a secret, one that he isn’t sharing…but Ava starts to see him in a whole new light. One that just might be help heal her heart as well.
I love this story! It’s gritty, it’s raw, it’s real, it’s beautiful and I can’t wait until 2020 when the full version comes out!
Can’t wait to read the rest of the stories!
Dear Ava- Oh man, this novella was AMAZING. It had me hooked from the very first chapter and I am in love with Knox and Ava. This definitely has trigger warnings of sexual assault that is mentioned and quickly shown the immediate after moment (without the rapist), but does not play out on page. Knox was not the character I expected. He came off as a pretty irritable person, but his interactions with Ava were very different. I liked that he showed his softer side with her. Ava was a WARRIOR. I liked that she held her head up high. I won’t go into too much detail since this is only a novella, but it really hit me in the feels and had me hooked from the first page. According to Ilsa, this will be a full length novel coming next year and I cannot wait to read more about this couple. Excellent job!
Absolutely loving this jam packed Team Player 2 anthology, involving a fantastic list of authors, filled with short sport romance storylines leaving you wanting more.
Arena Lights by Mandi Beck introduces Maeve and Benny.. forbidden/brother’s best friend electric chemistry!!
Dear Ava by Ilsa Madden-Mills grabs you from the start and hooks you until the end. Definitely a sensitive subject and emotional read.
Kennedy Ryan’s Fast Break’s Ean and Quinn is everything. So much storyline and development for a novella. Has all the feels, chemistry and banter.
Sara Ney’s The Teaching Hours was fantastic. Rex and Hannah’s story was sweet and sexy and filled with great chemistry and lol banter. A must read in this series!
I can’t wait to read all the others stories!!
Team Player 2 is so worth the read!
I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this novella (given by author)…
Dear Ava by Ilsa Madden-Mills – 4.5 stars
I absolutely loved this novella, it deals with a very traumatic issue.
Ava and Knox are the best frenemies and I love how their relationship changes. Knox was so swoon worthy and Ava was majorly bada** and I just couldn’t wait to see what was going to happen next.
I do consider this ending a cliffhanger, but we do get a full novel version in early 2020 and I just can’t wait! I need to know who the villain is, I have an idea but I need to know more. Btw Daniel was a show stopper, he is too cute and outspoken and I loved him and I hope we see more of him.
Oh yeah Astley and Knox didn’t see that coming but I enjoyed that too 🙂
Review for Dear Ava.. I would give this a 5 stars, because I want to know more about Knox and Ava. Knox and Ava going to the same private prep school both from two sides of the economic sides. But both share an event that happens to them that has changed them. I wished this story was longer but I know this is part of a novella. Also, Dane the brother of Knox’s story needs to be told. Please?? Lol. But, Oh man I can’t wait to read the rest of these stories of this book.
Also, this story showing an independent young lady taking the steps to better herself. and the story devels into the dark side of rape victims. My heart goes out to anyone who experienced this in life. This is not your fault.. Thank you for writing this Ilsa Madden-Mills.
Review for Dear Ava by Ilsa Madden-Mills.
There are a few authors who write New Adult romance books that I always gobble up right away, but Ilsa Madden-Mills is always at the top of my list! Dear Ava starts with a bang from the very first page and it just sucked me in more and more as I read! I couldn’t put the book down because I had to know the truth of what happened… unfortunately the mystery isn’t solved in the novella but I have my suspicions and I can’t wait to see if I am right when the full book releases in 2020! Ava is probably my favorite female character especially for being a senior in high school because let’s face it, most of us were complete idiots in high school! Unfortunately she went through hell, but she kept fighting, she didn’t let it stop her from getting what she wanted and needed for her loved ones. Knox is the head ‘shark’ on campus and he is intriguing from the beginning. There always seems to be something deeper with him, and I loved everything we slowly learned about him! I am also needing more of Dane, Knox’s brother, in the full novel because there is so much emotion simmering in him that I have a feeling it will explode at some point.
I am usually not a huge fan of novella’s because I feel like a lot of the time the characters aren’t well developed, but I should have known Ilsa Madden-Mills would have nailed it! The characters are great and real, the story was intriguing and I cannot wait for more to come from the Camden Prep group!
Review for Dear Ave by Ilsa Madden-Mills
This novella was so good. I can’t wait until 2020 when the full version of the story comes out.
Knox was so sweet and I can’t wait to see how his character develops in the the full version. I loved Ava too. I love how Ilsa Madden-Mills gives us strong female characters. It so refreshing.
This novella is just enough to get you excited it about Knox and Ava’s full story. It really is an excellent start to what I hope is a great series.
If this novella is any indications of what’s to come in Team Player 2 then I can’t wait for it to come out so I can read some of the other great stories in the book.
1 like
I read the novella Dear Ava. Wow! This story starts off pretty dark but you soon grow to love Ava and admire her strength. Knox is our troubled hero that slowly reveals himself to her. Their relationship is touching and I can’t wait to get more of these characters.
I read Dear Ava by Ilsa Madden-Mills and let me tell you, I devoured it!
OHH Does this story hit you hard. It takes a tough subject and it is intertwined with privilege and high school drama. The whole concept is heartbreaking but is Ava a spitfire! She has a lot of bite that makes you cheer her on. This is just a prelude of what will come early next year from Mills as well and it is going to be something for the ages. It is raw and emotional but oh so much more! I loved the concept and the idea of these little “teaser” if you will. I am dying to know what else is to come!
I read End goal by Ella fox!
Sweet enemies to lovers short story. And then throw in a twist times 2. Great job Ella can’t wait until the full length novel.
Dear Ava
Omg what a great story. I’m not one to like HS romances but this one is so much more. We get drawn into their world by everything going on. Ava and Knox don’t have it easy but love how they come together. Even the secondary characters draw you in and make you want all the stories. Great novella left me wanting more!!!!
Dear Ava:
Wow! Not what I was expecting but what a great story. Ava is so real. She is the type of young woman that YA readers need to read about. She is flawed & has self doubt but she believes in herself enough to heal & keep growing as a person. How perfect is Knox?? I love how he has quietly protected her since she got to Camden and continued to seek justice for Ava after she left school. I can’t wait to read the rest of their story
Review for Dear Ava by Ilsa Madden-Mills
This book is pretty powerful and draws you in from page one. You spend most of the story wondering who is truly on Ava’s side and who is against her. I loved how much of a fighter Ava was; for herself, for her brother. Even though her life had not been all rainbows and lollipops she is still determined to make something of herself and give her brother the best life possible! I loved Knox’s dedication and determination as well. I can’t wait to get the rest of their story in the full length version!
** This review is for Dear Ava by Ilsa Madden-Mills **
The minute I started this story, I couldn’t put it down. It begins with a tragedy but out of that tragedy is the rebirth of Ava. She’s fierce and strong in ways I don’t know that others could be. I loved her resilience in the face of adversity. Knox is the untouchable–cold and dangerous and all sorts of dark. Together, these two set off serious sparks. Their hate-banter is on point and Madden-Mills nails the angsty sexual chemistry between the two characters. I cannot wait to read the expanded version of this story because I’m dying to get more of Ava and Knox as well as all of the characters introduced in this story.