The Player and the Pixie (Rugby, #2) by L.H. Cosway, Penny Reid Series: Rugby #2
Published by Cipher-Naught on April 16th 2016
Pages: 364
Amazon
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 PIXIE
Lucy Fitzpatrick doesn’t like rugby.
As the little sister of Ireland’s most infamous rugby player, Lucy 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.
My book funk is a thing of the past thanks to L.H. Cosway and Penny Reid! It’s a day after I finished reading this book and I’m still walking around with a stupid grin on my face. True confession #1: I was in the minority of readers who didn’t love The Hooker and the Hermit, so my expectations for The Player and the Pixie weren’t overly high. True confession #2: Although I knew this book is about Ronan’s little sister getting involved with his archenemy/teammate, I didn’t read the synopsis. Combine #1 and #2 and I found myself unexpectedly enjoying the heck out of this sweet Rom-Com.
Rainbow-haired Lucy Fitzpatrick is a breath of fresh air. She may be an embarrassment to her mom, but I loved every inch of her quirkiness, humor and innate goodness. Her imperfections are serious, but they endeared me to her.
I fully expected to hate Sean Cassidy since he’s known for being an arrogant bully, but I took a liking to him almost immediately. It turns out he’s not as douchey as he wants people to think. Like Lucy, Sean is the black sheep of the family. I have a soft spot for strong men who are made vulnerable due to rejection and insecurities. He’s willing to admit his flaws, set aside his pride, and ask for what he wants. Now that’s sexy. I loved Sean and his brokenness. I also found his lack of filter to be absolutely hilarious.
Lucy and Sean are oddly perfect together, and I appreciated that this isn’t one of those insta-love stories. The characters are multi-faceted, and as their relationship develops I grew increasingly fond of Lucy and her loyalty, and I fell more and more in love with Sean and his gentleness. Their interactions with their family members give the story even more heart.
I was happy to see Ronan and Annie make a return to play such integral roles in this story, but The Player and the Pixie is a standalone that can easily be enjoyed without reading The Hooker and the Hermit.
Cosway and Reid have seamlessly meshed their writing styles to create a refreshing romantic journey that exceeded my expectations. It has an ideal balance of comedy, sexy times, and warmth—and an ending that left me with a happy sigh. Well done!
Recommended for fans of:
Montague and Capulet
Opposites attracting
Romantic comedies
Sensitive bullies
**ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.**
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Excerpt
*Lucy*
Later that evening, I got ready for the party. My dress was cream lace, sort of floaty, and I wore my hair down with a single daisy clip at the side. I was sitting in a VIP room at the back of the venue with my brother, his fiancée Annie, and a couple of Ronan’s teammates. We were enjoying a few bottles of champagne and discussing the success the Irish squad had enjoyed during the year. Mam was elsewhere, socializing with the other team mothers, and I was glad. I just wanted to enjoy my night without her saying something about how unattractive or embarrassing I was.
We were all having a great time until the door swung open and Mr. Tall, Blond and Up Himself walked in. That would be Sean Cassidy to those not in the know, Sleazy Sean, as nicknamed by the rugby club. I tried to always see the good in people, but he and my brother didn’t have the best relationship. Not only had Sean slept with Brona, Ronan’s ex-girlfriend, but he was also universally acknowledged to be an arsehole.
It went against everything I believed in to say, because I liked to think everyone was redeemable in some way, but Sean just wasn’t a nice person. He actually seemed to be proud about the fact, like he wanted people to dislike him.
The conversation died down, everybody casting surreptitious glances at Sean who swaggered his way up to the private bar and loudly ordered a bottle of bubbly. That’s actually what he called it, but speaking of bubbly . . .
Almost of their own accord, my eyes wandered over his broad shoulders, muscular back, and down to what must have been the most perfect bubble butt I’d ever seen. You know how sometimes male athletes develop those really defined, rounded but masculine derrieres? Well, Sean Cassidy was most definitely rocking one of those, and I couldn’t resist the urge to ogle it. It was pure muscle and simply bite-worthy.
I snickered to myself when I realized I’d almost commented on it out loud. Okay, I’d officially had too many glasses of “bubbly” as Sean so douchebaggedly called it. He must have heard my snicker because his attention landed on me. He stared at me for a second, arched a condescending brow, then dismissed me all in an instant, returning his attention to the bar.
Huh.
After about thirty seconds everyone went back to their conversations, trying their best to ignore Sean. Ronan had told me once that Sean was the kind of person who thrived on attention, so ignoring his presence was probably the best course of action to take.
It was my own fault I couldn’t stop staring. We’d never spoken before. In fact, I’d only ever seen him from afar at parties like this one, or on television when there was a match on. But right now he was close, close enough for me to realize just how devastatingly and legitimately handsome he was: light blue eyes, a strong jaw, nice lips, attractive nose.
Sigh.
Why were the beautiful ones always such pricks, huh?
He leaned back against the bar, having uncorked the champagne bottle and poured some into a glass. He wore a shit-eating grin as he stared right at Ronan, holding the glass to his lips, his pinky popped. I knew he was getting to Ronan when my brother muttered to Annie under his breath, “Is he fucking shitting me?”
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About L.H. Cosway
L.H. Cosway has a BA in English Literature and Greek and Roman Civilisation, and an MA in Postcolonial Literature. She lives in Dublin city. Her inspiration to write comes from music. Her favorite things in life include writing stories, vintage clothing, dark cabaret music, food, musical comedy, and of course, books.
She thinks that imperfect people are the most interesting kind. They tell the best stories. L.H. is represented by Louise Fury at The Bent Agency.
About Penny Reid
Penny Reid is the Wall Street Journal and USA Today Best Selling Author of the Winston Brothers, Knitting in the City, Rugby, and Hypothesis series. When she’s not immersed in penning smart romances, Penny works in the biotech industry as a researcher. She’s also a full time mom to three diminutive adults, wife, daughter, knitter, crocheter, sewer, general crafter, and thought ninja.
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