Rating 4.5 Stars
What’s the book about?
“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 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?
My Review
When Sara Ney first announced she was writing a new sports romance series, I knew it was going to be good. When she released the blurb, I became even more excited to get my hands on this book. Then I read it and absolutely fell in love!
Hard Pass is like the beautiful combination of two of her books, The Learning Hours and The Lying Hours (books 3 & 5 of her How to Date a Douchebag series), but will an adult twist. It features a wonderfully sensitive and kindhearted hero who is unfortunately very insecure about his appearance after many awful past experiences. As someone who is typically quite “serious”, overthinks everything and is private about my own life, I related to this hero so much. I thought he was an absolute breath of fresh air from the typical alpha heroes that are so often written about, and I loved every minute of meeting Noah Harding.
The heroine was also incredibly lovely. She was sassy, driven and the perfect match for Noah. She went above and beyond to show him that their relationship was worth fighting for. As the partner of a high profile sports player, she underwent a lot of criticism once it was discovered they were dating. While it was an initial shock for her, she didn’t let it stop her from being her true self and going after her happiness (aka Noah and her newly established business).
Aside from the main characters, there was also a great cast of side characters, namely Buzz (another sports professional). Buzz comes across as a completely crass, dirtbag but oh boy, does he also have a hidden sweet side! I have a feeling his book will be up next and I cannot wait! Keep an eye out for Hard Fall (expected publication: September 2020).
As also Sara Ney’s writing was fantastic. I always enjoy her stories, characters and fictional worlds. She’s without a doubt one of my favourite contemporary romance and sports romance authors, and I couldn’t recommend her more to anyone who enjoys rom-coms, sports/contemporary romance. Thank you so much for the opportunity to review your book, Sara!
Disclaimer: Thank you to Sara Ney and Wildfire Marketing Solutions for the arc in exchange for an honest review.
Bookishly Nomes 
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