Dear Jerk Across the Street, sorry for accidentally walking in on you and catching an eyeful of your—equipment. And hard pass on the open invitation to join you in the shower “anytime”, A-hole.That’s the note I should’ve written. Instead I sent a pleasant and apologetic version.Had I known Phoenix “Nix” Russo would’ve been the neighbor from hell, I’d have told him right where he could shove my … him right where he could shove my words.
Nix is the big man on campus with everyone lined up at his games to make sure he knows it. Sure, he’s got piercing blue eyes, abs that don’t quit and a smile that could set fire to a set of panties from a hundred yards away, but he’s also the biggest pain in my ass.
Dear Pink-Haired Menace, learn how to take a joke and stop being such a kill-joy…
Elle Masterson called the cops on one of my parties—again. My sweet talking usually gets me out of trouble, but this time it got me into a nice pair of silver handcuffs. Now I’m on a reputation rehab tour with a stop at a spring break community service project.
Guess who’s my new boss?
Now we’re shoulder to shoulder, sweaty, tired and…she’s not anything like I expected. There might just be a heart under that hardass exterior. She’s invading my dreams and I can’t shake the feeling she’s the key to unlocking a piece of me that I’ve hidden away.
It’s only a matter of time until she finds out why I’m really here.
Maybe I can break through her walls and into her heart before that happens…one screw at a time.
***The Second We Met is a standalone new adult romance***
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Maya Hughes writes a sweet, fun romance with great characters. The banter and heat between Elle and Nix was sooo good! I’ve never had the pleasure of reading Maya Hughes until this book. It definitely will not be my last. The secondary characters that were introduced will have you intrigued and wanting know their story. If you are a fan of new adult, guy next door, romance this book is for you. I loved every minute of this book and couldn’t put it down. I devoured it in one sitting. The author nailed it with a hero that every woman is gonna swoon over and a heroine you will feel for. This is a must read!
The Second We Met (Fulton U #2) is a sports romance with vibes of enemies to lovers spiraling down through the pages. A fun and sweet read, with smart & flirtatious characters. Nix character was multifarious as Ellie was a workaholic, who”s enemy status turns into an unlikely friendship then into something much more. These two characters chemistry is so fiery hot. A perfect ending with a epilogue.
An enemies-to-lovers, new adult, sports romance. The Second We Met is full of spicy back and forth heat, but also lots of emotional chemistry. Nix and Elle connect like two missing pieces of a puzzle.
Phoenix “Nix” Russo is a great guy. He is opposite of what you would think a college jock to be. Basically raised by his grandfather in the back of his restaurant, while his famous NFL father was on the road The little time Nix did get with him was sought seeking his love and approval. Most of the time you see Nix with his father, it’s a strained relationship at best. Nix wonders if he will ever be good enough even if he reaches the NFL, which broke my heart time and time again. After winning the championship in his senior year, with the draft looming, Nix only has a little time left to enjoy his freedom. Yes, sometimes the parties at his house get out of hand, but that’s no reason to call the cops on him time and time again, but the pink menace across the street seems to think they go hand in hand. One night it goes too far and handcuffs get involved and now he has to clean up his image before the draft.
Elle Masterson is a humanitarian, which is wonderful trait, but the reasons behind why she works so hard isn’t quite so loving. She wants to beat her ex-boyfriend and also needs to payoff her mounting debt before the end of the year. Once she does that then her life can focus on everything good and fun. Until then she has absolutely no time for either of those things and yet they seem to land on her doorstep or across from her doorstep continually. The bane of her existence, Nix Russo and his loud house parties make her life a walking nightmare and they have from the second she met him. One night she was especially exhausted she did what she always does, she called the cops when the noise level was high and she couldn’t sleep. Elle didn’t feel too bad when she saw Nix getting arrested, well…not horrible anyway. That is until he shows up at one of her humanitarian work sites to work off his crime. Maybe she should have rethought calling the cops.
Once Nix and Elle put the nailguns down and stop fighting they find they have more in common than they ever realized, especially when they work together. Who knew?
I love the moments when they are working together helping others. They are my favorite parts of the book. There is a lot to take away from reading a book like this, especially about getting involved and helping others. We all have something to give even if it’s small.
This is the second book in the Fulton U series, but is also a complete standalone. Maya does a great job of connecting both prior and future characters in this book and even though you get to meet these secondary characters who enrich the story, at the heart of it all is Nix and Elle.
This one was such a fun read about never giving up on your dreams, following your heart, and putting yourself out there even when it isn’t comfortable.
Elle is busting her butt to win an award, and she will not let anyone stand in her way. She is bossy, somewhat judgmental, and not willing to open up to anyone. She is on a mission and will not stop or sleep until it is accomplished.
Nix is having the time of his life. He is a genuinely great person, and willing to do anything for anyone. The love he has for his grandfather is just precious and makes you fall in love with him that much more.
These two together are like oil and water, but when they finally decide to let their guards down, the result is a fantastic friendship. Watching these two grow together and get to know each other first was amazing. They were able to understand where each person’s insecurities came from and how to make them see their self worth.
I can’t wait for this series to continue. Jules, Berk, LJ, and Marissa all have stories that need to be told, and I can’t wait to see how these relationship sneak up on them.
-An Arc was generously provided in exchange for an honest review.-
From the second they meet, Phoenix and Elle get off to an embarrassing start and, a year and a half later, they are still at loggerheads.
“Was there ever someone more confusing and infuriating than Elle?”
Burnt in love, Elle forms an opinion of Nix that is fanned by his cheeky cockiness when they first meet. Their animosity is exacerbated by Elle’s complaints about the rowdy parties across the street, and Nix’s satisfaction is riling her up even more. However, things are about to come to a head when they find themselves working together on a community project.
“I was into him. No matter how much I’d tried to deny it and used my anger and annoyance as a shield, I liked him.”
I loved this story from the start! Elle is pretty prickly and has some serious hang-ups and issues of self-worth based on her past relationships. She can’t deny that Nix is hot AF but he always seems like a jerk to her. Nix can’t seem to catch a break with Elle. Her hate for him is pretty baffling at times. I really enjoyed them getting to know each other better. I liked how Elle starts seeing Nix for the person he truly is under the football fame. Nix works hard to win Elle’s trust and I was rooting for him all the way. He took a couple of wrong turns but he’s really quite the thoughtful, caring guy.
“I’d never be full of her. This one moment was etched bone deep, and I didn’t want it to end.”
This story was amusing, fun, so sexy, and tugged a little bit on my heartstrings, too! Such a fab read in one of my favourite genres, and can’t wait for the other stories to come!
Hate Has Never Been So HOT!
Football hottie with a sweet side…YES PLEASE! This guy doesn’t fumble. He’s in it to WIN her heart!!! A sexy and fun enemies-to-lovers college romance.
The college QB is her annoying neighbor. Nix lives across the street. Partying is all he cares about. Loud nights with constant noise brings Elle nothing but grief. She just wants him to go away! She even has the cops on speed dial.
Nix has gotten himself into a bit of trouble. His goal is to get drafted by the NFL, but he needs to clean up his image. A little volunteer work should do the trick. Little did he know he’s going to be spending some one-on-one time with his pink-haired nemesis.
She wants nothing to do with him, until they are forced to spend time together over spring break. She never expected to see Nix volunteering. Everything she thought she knew is about to go up in smoke after being forced to work together and establish a truce, he just became the guy she can’t stop thinking about!
This story was more than just a college romance. It is a story of self-discovery. Coming to terms with things about yourself you may not like and working to overcome them. Facing a future that has been laid out for you, even when you are questioning your path. I enjoyed the main characters and I cannot wait for more of the series. Loved it!
The Second We Met by Maya Hughes is an enemies to lovers romance with steamy chemistry and witty banter. The second Elle met Nix, she thought she had him all figured out. Cocky, confident and charming, the sexy football player drove her crazy. If she never saw him again, life would be good. Elle’s previous relationships may have colored how she saw the men in her life, but even with her tough exterior, she was truly vulnerable.
For about a year and a half, Nix and Elle were all but enemies. When she has enough, she makes a decisions that puts Nix front and center in her life. Could she have been wrong about Nix all this time? I loved the back and forth between them and watching them fall as they break down each other’s walls. I also loved the secondary characters and I can’t wait to see what is in store for them!
Read and reviewed for Sultry Sirens Book Blog.
Happy reading!
All the feels!! The Second We Met is a laugh out loud, swoon worthy, enemies to lovers romance! Maya sure knows how to write characters who melt your heart! I love that I got to see glimpses of all my FU favorites.
Nix and Elle are forced to work together on a week long project which started out as pure torture. Slowly, sparks start to fly between them invisibly crossing the line from enemies to, dare I say, lovers? When real life starts back up, can they keep the magic they shared?
Lies are spoken, trust is lost. Will their chance be over before it really even started?
Nix!! He is amazing. Maya always has such great, sexy men!! From hockey to football, she is great with the athletic men!! Can’t wait to see what she has in store for Berk & Jules!
RATING 4.5 STARS
The Second We Met is book two in the Fulton U series by Maya Hughes. I loved the first book in this series and knew I was going to love Nix and Elle’s story. I was most definitely correct! This is an enemies to lovers romance.
Phoenix “Nix” Russo is the quarterback of the Fulton U Trojans. He’s a senior and is thought to be a first round pick for the pros during the upcoming draft. Nix’s body has paid the price of the constant hits he has taken both during high school and college. He’s had surgeries, rehabs, and more physical therapy than he can keep track of. Nix’s father, who is an ex-professional football player, has been the driving force behind the scenes Nix’s entire life. There was never any question as to where his career would lead, his father was right there planning every step.
Elle is also a senior and is so close to graduation she can taste it. If only she had time to breathe. Between her job, numerous volunteer projects and her studies, she’s barely hanging on. But she doesn’t have a choice. Now, if only the wild football players that live across the street would quiet down instead of their loud parties all night long. So she does what she always does when she gets frustrated with them, she calls the police.
One badly thrown football through a police cruiser’s window puts Nix in need of some reputation rehab. So he finds himself spending his spring break working for a volunteer group building houses. Except he didn’t plan on his boss being the crazy woman that lives across the street with the pink hair, Elle. The same one that got him into this mess. But as Elle and Nix are thrown together that week, they are both surprised at their own misjudgement. As they get to know each other, they both realize how badly they have judged the other. A truce is called which soon leads to friendship which soon leads to more.
Elle has been hurt in the past and is plagued with trust issues. She wants to believe that this thing with Nix is real, but her defenses say otherwise. Both Nix and Elle are trying to figure out what their futures will look like, and how the other will fit into it.
“She was a part of me I hadn’t even known was missing. She was the first best decision I’d made in my life.”
These two were so perfect together. They really were each other’s missing half. But could there be a way for their lives to fit together after college? With all the decisions they both face, and all the stress of those final months, it was hard for them to see what could be.
I enjoyed this so much. I remember thinking this in the first book and feel the same now that the secondary characters are all amazing. The rest of Nix’s roommates are so much fun. And Elle’s best friend and roommate, Jules is absolutely amazing. I loved her. I also truly enjoyed getting a little bit of Reece and Seph from the first book! This was a smexy, fun, sweet story of two people that deserve a happy ever after. As usual, though, they just have to work a bit to find it.
Take my money and sleep, Maya Hughes. From the moment I read the prologue I was hooked! This is a “cover to cover” book. You just won’t be able or want to put it down!
I loved this couple so freaking much! Elle was outstanding. She’s strong and has plenty of sass to go around. And Nix…wow. He’s everything I want in a book boyfriend and them some. He’s a cocky and handsome jock with a heart of gold that gave me all the swoons. Together he and Elle were either frustrating the fudge out of me or giving me all the swoons and feels. Sometimes at the same time. It was freaking great!
This was a really fun enemies to lovers romance with an awesome book boyfriend you’ll be drooling and fighting over to add to your collection. 4 stars.
Fun and catchy.
Enemies to lovers new adult romance with atomic quarrels and sassy exchanges. The comebacks and banter between the characters were some of the best things of the story.
Elle and Nix are college students about to graduate, they live in front of each other and seem to be opposites in personality. They clash at first with very entertaining results. He’s the football star with a controlling father and she is a driven student hurting with trust issues.
There’s a lot of room dedicated to football glorification and friendly gatherings. Even one emerging story for the future between a shy baking- obsessed girl and her handsome neighbour.
I enjoyed Nix’s relationship with his grandfather and Elle’s determination to carve a future for herself by studying hard and doing good things like volunteering. That is another great part of the book as this impossible couple’s relationship develops around volunteer work. It’s really engaging, especially because of their respective reasons to be doing that. Hot chemistry abounds as well as some hiccups in their trust.
It felt original how football fame, appearances and betrayal all mix together in one non-stop realistic experience. The heartbreak goes hand in hand with how much they come to understand and love each other, and the big ugly things hitting them at the end work in tandem to make an intense climax of the story.
Camaraderie, a heart to heart reconciliation, and unexpected plans for a new kind of future fill the last chapters. And I am proud of these two characters. They have overcome their own obstacles and found love and passion in the process. Now let’s get ready for Beck and Jules. That story is going to be so good!
It’s anything but love at first sight between Elle and Nix. Hate at first sight would be more accurate. He may be the big man on campus, but Elle has no problem calling the cops when one of Nix’s parties gets out of hand. Now Nix needs to clean up his image and do some volunteering in the community. Can you guess who his boss is? Yep, it’s Elle. But as they work together, they both begin to see they might have misjudged each other, and that’s when things get interesting.
The tension between these two is delightfully delicious, their banter wildly entertaining, and their chemistry is explosive. If I know ahead of time a book is new adult I often pass on it, fearing the characters will be annoying in their immaturity. These skillfully written characters, however, make me think I just might be missing out on some great writing. Both have far more layers and depth than seen at first glance and a vulnerability that humanizes them and endears them to the reader.
The secondary characters are equally entertaining and unique, with a smooth, moving pace to the story so that this one practically reads itself and has me eager for more from this Fulton U bunch I’ve grown attached to. If you like a story that makes you laugh, takes your emotions on a wild ride and has you believing in happily ever afters, you’ll love Nix and Elle’s story!