{"id":56029,"date":"2020-11-19T10:00:28","date_gmt":"2020-11-19T15:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=56029"},"modified":"2020-11-19T20:58:01","modified_gmt":"2020-11-20T01:58:01","slug":"release-arc-review-hard-love-trophy-boyfriends-3-by-sara-ney","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=56029","title":{"rendered":"Release & ARC Review: Hard Love (Trophy Boyfriends, #3) by Sara Ney"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Hard Love is now live!<\/strong><\/h4>\n

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Amazon US<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 Amazon CA\u00a0<\/a> |\u00a0 Amazon UK<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 Amazon AU<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n

Free in KU\u00a0<\/strong><\/h4>\n

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\r\n <\/div><\/div><\/strong><\/h4>\n
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Blurb<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\u201cHARD TO LOVE.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hard head. Bad attitude. Terrible boyfriend. That\u2019s what my exes have said about me\u2014but I wasn\u2019t serious about any of them, so what do I care what rumors they spread? What I need is to be left alone; by the press, by the paparazzi, and by women.<\/p>\n

Too bad I\u2019m about to be surrounded by them for the weekend. My obnoxious, matchmaking brother is getting married, and he\u2019s doing his damndest find me a wedding date\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cHARD TO FIND.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

That\u2019s what they say about good men\u2014they\u2019re hard to find. Not that when I find one, I\u2019ll be the type he\u2019s looking for; too nice, too ordinary, too boring.<\/p>\n

My cousin is getting married, and her fianc\u00e9 insists on throwing me at his brother. Cold, uncaring professional football player Tripp Wallace would never look twice at a woman like me. Too bad for both of us, I was wrong\u2026<\/p>\n

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Add to Goodreads<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Review<\/strong><\/h4>\n

4 stars<\/b><\/p>\n

This is such a fun read! The third book in the Trophy Boyfriends<\/i> series (though it can stand alone), this is the story of Tripp, brother of Buzz from last book in the series, and all-round grumpy guy.<\/p>\n

Tripp is a star NFL player \u2013 young, successful, gorgeous and wealthy, but he\u2019s a bit of an asshole. He sees nothing wrong with the way he is, honestly clueless at why people expect more from him. He\u2019s gearing up for Buzz\u2019s wedding, though he really can\u2019t wait for the whole thing to be over, when it becomes clear that his matchmaking brother is trying to set him up with his new bride\u2019s cousin, Chandler.<\/p>\n

Chandler isn\u2019t the type of girl that guys usually go for. She\u2019s sweet, thought to be a bit boring, but she totally embraces that about herself and I love her no-fucks-given attitude. She\u2019s really unhappy about being pushed towards Tripp though, because even though he\u2019s hot as hell, he has a major attitude problem and she wants no part of that.<\/p>\n

It’s a situation that goes from bad to worse as Tripp and Chandler\u2019s constant bickering ends up in a genuine take-down that leaves Tripp the focus of a whole lot of unwanted media attention. So, what\u2019s a guy to do? Well, clearly he needs to spend more time with the woman who so obviously hates him.<\/p>\n

Having a girlfriend may be the best play I\u2019ve made all year. I just have to see if she\u2019s down for that.
\nHuh<\/i>
\nColor me surprised.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It\u2019s a fun set-up, and all kinds of entertaining as Tripp and Chandler fight and tease over text, phone, and in person. Tripp is completely clueless. He\u2019s insightless about his own behaviour, about how it affects others, and about how he should be behaving. But there is something about him that is so irresistible, and that becomes more and more evident as their feelings for each other change and we start to see a slightly softer, more playful side start to emerge. And through it all, Chandler is a freaking rockstar. She doesn\u2019t shy away from Tripp and his rudeness, she gives it right back to him, and it\u2019s so much fun to watch them bounce off each other.<\/p>\n

Tripp: YOU HUNG UP ON ME!
\nMe: Sorry? Has no one ever done that?
\nTripp: No, NO ONE has ever done that.
\nMe: You sound outraged, calm down.
\nTripp: I\u2019m just stating a fact.
\nMe: In all caps\u2026
\nTripp: You\u2019re missing the point.
\nMe: I actually have NO IDEA what your point is\u2026
\nTripp: You hung up on me.
\nMe: LOL
\nTripp: You\u2019re a horrible person.
\nMe: You\u2019re a spoiled brat.
\nTripp: I AM THE LEAST SPOILED PERSON.
\nMe: Okay, well, you\u2019re arguing because I won\u2019t go on a date with you.
\nTripp: It\u2019s not a date.
\nMe: Oh, well, pardon me!
\nTripp: It\u2019s drinks. A drink.
\nMe: Of which I will not be partaking.<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Though there is initially a genuine dislike between them, you can see the slow shift, and the move from enemies to maybe-friends to more, is really well done.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m far from perfect. I\u2019m literally the biggest jackass I\u2019ve ever met and I don\u2019t make apologies for that, so I ask that you bear with me. I don\u2019t want to know what my like is life without you.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

He’s still completely clueless though, so he needs a little help along the way, which he gets from his fantastically scene-stealing 15-year-old neighbor and dog-walker, Molly, who keeps pushing herself into his life. His well-meaning family are also a big part of the story, and such a highlight for me. The dynamic between this group is freaking hilarious, and I laughed out loud so many times at their antics and constant banter and arguing that is so much a part of their interactions.<\/p>\n

Mom rolls her eyes. \u201cYour father is right, dear. This is a great way to salvage your reputation.\u201d She drinks from her water glass. \u201cYou\u2019re kind of an asshole.\u201d
\n\u201cMom!<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And shout-out to Buzz and Hollis from the last book, who keeping pushing Tripp and Chandler together \u2013 those relationships are awesome, and a lot of fun.<\/p>\n

The romance has the feel of a slow build, which I loved, but the book ends really abruptly, and I wish we had seen a bit more. It felt like an odd place to end a book, and I would have loved to see some more progression for them as a couple, and some actual closure for their story. But I\u2019m assuming we\u2019ll get to see more of them in the next book, which will be the story of Tripp and Trace\u2019s sister, True \u2013 and that already looks really good!<\/p>\n

I did enjoy this one though. Lots of laughs, it had a real feel-good feeling to it, and I loved it.<\/p>\n

4 stars.<\/p>\n

An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.<\/i><\/p>\n

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Trophy Boyfriends<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\"\" \u00a0\"\" \u00a0\"\" \u00a0\"\"<\/p>\n

Hard Pass (#1) <\/strong>(Noah & Miranda)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy: \u00a0Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n

Hard Fall (#2) <\/strong>(Trace & Hollis)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n

Hard Love (#3) <\/strong>(Tripp & Chandler)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0\u00a0Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n

Hard Luck (#4)<\/strong> (Mateo & True)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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About the Author<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\"\"Sara Ney is the USA Today Bestselling Author of the How to Date a Douchebag series, and is best known for her sexy, laugh-out-loud New Adult romances. Among her favorite vices, she includes: iced latte\u2019s, historical architecture and well-placed sarcasm. She lives colorfully, collects vintage books, art, loves flea markets, and fancies herself British.<\/p>\n

For a list of cities\/venues Sara will be signing at, or to purchase signed books, please visit her website at\u00a0www.authorsaraney.com<\/a><\/p>\n

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Newsletter\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0Facebook\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0Instagram\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0Twitter\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0Book+Main<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0\u00a0Goodreads<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0\u00a0Bookbub<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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  Hard Love is now live!   Amazon US\u00a0 |\u00a0 Amazon CA\u00a0 |\u00a0 Amazon UK\u00a0 |\u00a0 Amazon AU Free in KU\u00a0 Blurb \u201cHARD TO LOVE.\u201d Hard head. Bad attitude. Terrible boyfriend. That\u2019s what my exes […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":55514,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","yasr_overall_rating":4,"yasr_post_is_review":"","yasr_auto_insert_disabled":"","yasr_review_type":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[86,65,9,58,29],"tags":[59,48,733,1161],"class_list":["post-56029","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-enemies-to-lovers","category-lol-funny","category-romance","category-sports-star","category-steamy","tag-arc","tag-review","tag-sara-ney","tag-trophy-boyfriends"],"yasr_visitor_votes":{"stars_attributes":{"read_only":false,"span_bottom":false},"number_of_votes":0,"sum_votes":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Hard-Love.jpg?fit=200%2C300&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7gaNL-ezH","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56029","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=56029"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56029\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/55514"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=56029"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=56029"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=56029"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}