Review: Million Baller Baby by Rie Warren (Bad Boy Ballers #1)

Note: This ARC was provided by the author via Give Me Books Promotions in exchange for an honest review.

I went into Million Baller Baby having just read one other Rie Warren novel, In the Ring, and I’m happy to say that my initial impression of the author remains to be true—she really is one hell of a good author. This Bad Boy Ballers series starter was lighthearted fare but also so damn hot. Admittedly, I was surprised that it made my smile and laugh as much as it did because my previous Rie Warren reading experience consisted of far heavier, emotional fare, but this proves that she can write both angsty romantic drama and a romantic comedy, though this first in a series had a bit of the former mixed in with a lot of the latter. This book was the great kind of surprise.

Nearly six years ago, Peyton Fox and Rafe Macintyre shared one unforgettable night together. But with Rafe on the cusp of becoming the number one draft in the NFL and getting signed by the Carolina Crush—the very same team Peyton’s father owned—Rafe walked away without a word. Now, Peyton’s taken over as the new owner of the team after the death of her father and Rafe’s standing as the team’s go-to quarterback and captain may be jeopardy. Would she really hold against him the fact he never called her after their hook-up? With everything in flux, he can’t afford to let his ever-present attraction to Peyton come into play…except this time, Rafe is all in.

That one night with Rafe changed Peyton’s life forever, but no one really knows just how much. When they see each other again, he’s every bit the star quarterback everyone believed him to be and she was the new owner that everyone else looked at with a not-so-healthy dose of skepticism and doubt. But Peyton knows football and she plans on taking her father’s team—now hers—to the level of success she feels they’re capable of. There are stumbling blocks, the biggest—and hottest—one is Rafe, but she doesn’t want a repeat of what happened years ago. Her body—and heart—has always wanted Rafe, but will he want her once he learns her almost six-year-old secret?

This was a second-chance sports romance that had sass courtesy of Peyton and badass courtesy of Rafe and together they provided me with three hours’ worth of reading enjoyment. Scintillating sex and sweet romance along with a bittersweet secret that could destroy them, Rafe and Peyton were complicated from the beginning. I understood why Rafe felt he had to walk away from her years ago—although he seriously could have handled it better—and I got why Peyton kept the truth from Rafe—even though I think keeping these kinds of secrets, unless it involved threats of violence, are inexcusable—yet baggage is baggage and shared history is so difficult to overcome.

With everything up against them, I liked that these two struggled and nothing came easily to either one. It made it feel more real, and I seriously did want them to make amends for their bad behavior, regardless of whether or not there was a hint of selflessness behind their motivations. I confess that there were times that I wasn’t too much of a Peyton fan, but there was one particular aspect to her that I truly admired, something I won’t get into since I’m trying to keep this spoiler-free, but you’ll get what I’m talking about when you read the book. And you seriously should. Million Baller Baby was a five-starred series starter and I desperately need more Carolina Crush. ♥

Release Date: 06 February 2017

Date Read: 06 February 2017

Learn more about Rie Warren.

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