Rival Hearts

Queen City #1

by Maggie Rawdon

Pro football might see me as their favorite underdog, but Madison Westfield would rather see me six feet under.

My ex-best friend’s little sister has every reason to hate me. I took her boyfriend’s spot on this team, her brother might lose his too, and our short-lived engagement years ago is part of the reason our families are locked in a grudge match that has the whole league on edge.

Ruining me would fix most of her problems, but she's stuck trying to work a PR miracle with my career instead.

Making my way through her build-a-better-image checklist is the kind of torture I'll gladly sign up for, especially if I get to help her prove everyone wrong.

But it means we're spending a lot of time alone together, and when it comes to Madison, I'll take any chance she gives me. Even if it means there's hell to pay—on and off the field.

Genres: Sports Romance, Second Chance, Sports, Romance, Football, Enemies To Lovers, Forced Proximity

306 pages, Paperback

Published February 22, 2024

Reviews

[Kursed Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Madison Westfield takes a contractual position with Chaos, the last person she expects to see is her first love, Quentin Undergrove.

OMG! I was so angry with Quentin at the end of Before the Chaos that I legitimately wasn’t sure he was going to be able to win me over. He more than accomplished that. He’s threatening X for top spot of Rawdon men. He is dreamy. Romantic, obsessed, tenacious, and, in a word: swoonworthy!!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Burn: 🔥🔥🔥
Darkness: 🤍
Heat: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Range of Emotions: 😬😊🥵🥹😍
Ending: 💗 {HEA}
POV: 👫🏻 {Dual}

🗄️ Genre: Contemporary Romance
🗂️ Subgenre(s): New Adult, Sports

✨ Tropes: Forced Proximity, Miscommunication, Second Chance, Secret Relationship, Workplace

💫 Microtropes: Athlete, Boy Obsessed, Jealous/Possessive, Tattooed MMC

💋 Kinks: Bondage/Restraints, Cum Jammer, Domination, Toys

⚠️ Warning: This steamy read will leave your panties wet and reaching for BOB.

🚩 Safety Squad: There are potentially triggering elements. If you have any hesitation, check the warnings before diving in. Otherwise, blind is best!!

📣 Type: Rival Hearts is a standalone.

🛑 Be Advised: My Goodreads shelves are … explicit in both senses. As such, they could be considered spoiler-y.

[Mackenzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

♾️/5⭐️
3.5/5🌶️

This book left me speechless. It took me days to move on from the book hangover it left me with. Not only is this my new favorite book by Maggie but Quentin is hands down my top book boyfriend & if you know me, then you know my love for the Westfield brothers & how they’ve always held that #1 spot.

@maggierawdonbooks you truly outdid yourself with this one. Quentin & Madison’s story was so heartbreaking & beautiful. I loved every single second of it. The banter was top tier & it really warmed my heart getting to see the characters from Maggie’s other books 🖤🥰

Rival Hearts follows Quentin Undergrove & Madison Westfield who have quite the history which you can learn all about by reading the short Prequel to Rival Hearts, Before The Chaos. But they’re exes who haven’t seen each other in about 10 yrs. So when they find themselves working for the same NFL team, Madison being Quentin’s new PR agent, they know it won’t be easy. Quentin never stopped loving Madison and Madison never forget Quentin for breaking her heart… but what happens when the truth comes out and everything Madison thought she knew, wasn’t it at all?

Tropes:
- Sports Romance
- Brother’s (Ex) Best friend
- Other Brother’s Teammate
- NFL Player x PR Agent
- Hate to Love
- Second Chance
- He gets a tattoo for her
- First Love

[♡Gabi♡ [life & work is chaotic hiatus] · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 ✰

“𝑰 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝑰’𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒏𝒆. 𝑰 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒔𝒂𝒚 𝒊𝒕. 𝑩𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒂𝒔 𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒔 𝑰 𝒃𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒆, 𝑰 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖. 𝑴𝒚 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒈𝒐 𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒃𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖,” 𝑰 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒇𝒆𝒔𝒔, 𝒎𝒚 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒚 𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒔𝒕.

sweet, steamy, and satisfying conclusion to quentin and madison’s second chance love story! 🥹

quentin was so down bad for madison and anytime he would be needy or beg, my swoon meter was through the roof! his love for her was everything and he was such a cinnamon roll bf with her. 🫠 also, the mouth on these two…🥵

madison was a tough cookie but so soft for him, and I loved the way she stood up for her man against anyone who doubted them, including her own family! their unwavering support for each other through the ups and downs and healing journey was written really well! 🏈🩷

[Lana ❇✾DG Romance❇✾ · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 STARS

I’ll jump through all the hoops you want me to.” He closes the distance between us, so close his lips are at my ear, and his body ghosts over mine. “But you should know I have ulterior motives. There’s only one thing I want.”

I'm a sucker for a second chance romance, sucker I tells you. What I'm usually not a sucker for, though, is a cinnamon roll hero. It's no secret I love the mean ones. What? We all have our kinks, ok? But I digress. When I tell you it took me all of two pages to fall in love with Quentin, I mean I am entirely obsessed with this man. Why? Let me paint you a picture, shall I?

Then let me watch.”
“Excuse me?”
“I want to watch you come while you think about another man, Madison. Let me see it. It can cure me of this sick fucking obsession I have over you for good. Remind me why I can’t ever have you because you want fucking Ivy League cock instead of me. You won’t forgive me. Fine. Punish me then, and let’s get this fucking over with.”

I mean, C'mon. This man. THIS MAN is just perfection. The pining. The obsession. Ten years apart did nothing to dilute his absolute obsession with Madison. Now if you haven't read the prequel, I highly recommend you read Before the Chaos first. It's the story that takes place 10 years before this one and gives you all the delicious details of how they first got together and ultimately fell apart. Can you read this book without the prequel, sure. But you'll enjoy it that much more if you do. But back to my love of Quentin.

Do you love her?” He gives me a pointed look.
“Always have. Always will.”
“You won’t deserve her, you know. Ever—no matter what you do. Guys like us never do.”
“I know. But I’d rather spend the rest of my life trying and failing than not have her in my life.”

C'MON! Is everything that comes out of this man's mouth perfection. ABSOLUTELY. Not only does he pine hard, but he has a dirty mouth to boot. And he enjoys being a good boy. And what a good boy he is. Don't get me wrong, the man is pure alpha. But he also doesn't mind giving his woman control and I loved him for it. But what I loved most about this man is his heart. His sweet, romantic heart that had me swooning at every turn.

My fingers make their way down his chest as the water falls over both of us, and I pause at a set of tally marks that sit directly over his heart.
“What are these?”
“A reminder.”
“Of?”
“You.” My heart skips in my chest, and I look up at him. His eyes meet mine and they go soft as he studies my face.
“One for each year we were apart. All because I fucked up. I was giving myself until ten to do something about it. The last one would have been added when the season started this fall.”
“The last one?”
“I figured if I had ten years to fix my shit, find you, and make up for it and couldn’t do it, that I deserved to live without you.”

Madison is the perfect boss girl and she definitely knows how to boss. I loved seeing her growth from the shy insecure girl in the prequel to the boss babe she is in this book.

If you love an incredibly romantic second chance romance with plenty of heat, swoon, and all the feels then you need this in your life. Trust me. You need a Quentin in your life.

ARC courtesy of author in exchange for an honest review

Find me on:

[Ainhoa · Rating 3 out of 5]

First of all, can we all take a moment to love the pretty cover??

That was a cute read, it’s been a long time since I’ve read a sports romance I enjoyed, so it was nice to finally find one which didn’t feel like it was the same story all over again.

I would have loved some more roughness from the bad boy, but that’s a personal preference from an unhinged reader.

[Gigi · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF @65% 🥲

[vania ౨ৎ · Rating 2 out of 5]

The plot and characters could've been better, but am I surprised? It's the same old formula—just ridiculous.

[Maren’s Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

[Dani (Daniiireads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

“I need to know I’m the one. I need to hear your say it. Because as long as I breathe, I belong to you. My heart will go out beating for you.”

- second chance
- brother’s ex best friend
- workplace/close proximity
- pining

I loved the glimpses I got to see of Madison through out the Seattle Phantom series, and was so excited that my girl got her own book! Her character is everything I ever hoped it would be and she is a total powerhouse.

I’ll be honest I wasn’t completely won over by these two in Before the Chaos, the novella left me wanting more, but boy did Rival Hearts deliver!

Maggie sure as fuck knows how to write a book boyfriend, and I absolutely loved Quentin so much. His utter devotion to Madison over the years they were apart, and his sheer willingness to let Madison put him through the wringer if only just have her attention… *sigh* & don’t even get me started about his possessiveness 🥵 he was everything!

These two just killed me and I am so soooo ready for more of this series!

[PP's Bookshelf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now I understand why so many of my book friends are obsessed with Maggie Rawdon's books! Rival Hearts was an electric ride! It's so much more than a sports romance. The angst of second chance sports romance and the tension of a forbidden romance with the raw messy feels ruined me just the right way. Quentin and Madison have that kind of epic, all consuming and heartbreaking love that just makes my heart go dizzy. And the spice? Hotter than hell.

"Quentin Undergrove, my brother’s ex-best friend and my former fiancé, is my new PR client and I hate it."

Well that sentence should tell you how complicated things are here. There are family rivalry. There are sports rivalry and sports politics. There are tragedies and secrets. My heart felt like it has run a marathon. Beating wildly for each angsty moment. Madison is such a bada&& heroine. Her heart was broken so badly but she built it up again and she is no longer that naive girl from ten Years ago. She is smart and hard working and sassy but her biggest power is her soft heart. And Quentin knows that. He is the not so golden boy of NFL and trading to Chaos on his uncle's request was just another play to be closer to Madison and repair the cracks he caused years ago. But our brooding bad boy has his works cut out for him. He has to show that he has changed. That he won't run away again. He has to open up his bleeding heart to show the secrets and real reasons of why he left her heartbroken all these years ago.

I love a hero who knows what he wants and go for it. Quentin didn't even try to play fair. Madison's initial anger let him know that she is still in love with him and he just pushed and pushed till she had to give in. The chemistry was sizzling and burning and I was living for those moments. He goes the jealous possessive way and my heart melted so fast. Madison was scared that he will destroy her heart again but Quentin just kept on showing up. He is unreal. He has so many scars and vulnerabilities and Madison is the one who understood her. You could feel the intensity of their connection throughout the story. They just had to shut out the external noises and inhibitions. The secondary characters are so amazing and I instantly want to read their story specially Easton's!

PS I STILL HAVE SUPERBOWL AND FOOTBALL SEASON HANGOVER AND IT WAS THE PERFECT CURE.

I reviewed an early copy voluntarily

[Witchling · Rating 3 out of 5]

Before The Chaos (Queen City # 0.5)
& Rival Hearts (Queen City # 1)
Author: Maggie Rawdon

Spice: 1.5/5
Plot: 3/5 (for both)

Y'all are getting two for one here, better appreciate lol. Mostly spoiler free, I did throw a little one in at the end but there’s a warning beforehand so up to you if
read or not lol.

Now first things first... one thing y'all need to know about me (in case you don't already) is that I fucking HATE insta love. I HATE IT. Maybe I'm just the world's biggest pessimist or hater, but I cannot stand this MF'ing trope lol. I'm sure a therapist could have a field day with me on this one lol, but I don't find it even remotely realistic and I find it so unbelievably cringe, l just can't handle it. Instant attraction? YUP. One night stands? FUCK YES! But as soon as one of them drops that L Bomb, I'm out. Hard pass. Immediate ick.

BUT... (Britt's probably holding her breath at this point and trying not to freak out lol.)

I didn't hate it hate it in this book. I didn't love it, but I didn't wanna vomit while reading it lol.
So let's break this down... Novella = Quentin and Madison when they're younger. I loved this novella so much that l actually stayed up well past midnight reading, and I don't do that anymore, l'm too old lol. I was immediately obsessed with Quen; wrong side of the tracks, tattooed, misunderstood, brothers best friend, we all know the type lol. Madison is the spoiled rich girl, younger sister, sees through his bullshit and the wants to fix everything kinda girl. The way their relationship (and I use that term a lot more lightly than it's used in the book lol) comes about, I DEVOURED IT. It was angsty and spicy and so delicious. And then WHAM, Ilove you. Fuck off. Ugh. Then chaos ensues when they get caught doin' the dirty and some shit happens that I won't spoil.

Fast forward 10 years and we start Rival Hearts. I did really enjoy this book because I really like the characters and because I liked the characters as much as l did, I was (mostly) able to overlook how the insta love from the novella played into this one. Ok, long story short, this is Quen and Mad's second chance. He's now an NFL player, she's a PR queen assigned to help him fix his image. There's some decent tension, but for me l would have liked to have seen it drawn out more. The angst and the tension is what I live for. That's what makes me go feral and there just wasn't enough of it in here to satisfy me. The plot was decent, the character development was really good, I really like the world that Maggie has built and the writing is strong. Thankfully all of those things were so good that I was able to focus on them and still enjoy this book in spite of the insta love ick haha. Now if Maggie had made their relationship in the novella just a little bit longer, it probably would ve changed this from a 4 star to a 5.
Alas, she did not lol.

OH AND... Little spoiler warning here, sorry but l have to vent about it lol.

Do people actually believe or buy the whole
"he waited 10 years and didn't bang even one other woman because he was so in love with her" trope? Like actually? Cuz l'm sorry but this is even more unbelievable to me than the insta love thing lol. There ain't no fucking way that a red blooded male, in his prime, isn't gunna get his dick wet at least once in a fucking decade. I literally burst out laughing and said "oh fuck off" when I read that lol. I get the appeal of it, I do. I know this is fiction and we need to accept some far fetched things sometimes, but this just crosses the line Imao. Fuck, I'm ridiculous 🤣

ANYWAY, yes I did actually like this book lol.
Yes I would absolutely recommend it, especially if you enjoy the unmentionable tropes. Yes, I will definitely be finishing the series and most likely reading the other books that take place with the remaining characters.

Хо
-J

P.S. @footnotes.plus.whimsy please don't hate me now lol. I love you!

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was so excited to read this after the novella (which I absolutely loved!)

I love Quentin. As soon as I met him in Before the Chaos I was like “ok… he is an mmc that loves to please” and I’m always here for that 😏😏

I do think I surprisingly enjoyed the novella better. I know it’s an unpopular opinion but I was hoping for something different if I’m being honest.

I think Madison forgiving Quentin and them getting together happened way too quickly. I wanted more groveling and angst between the two if I’m being honest. And I did find some parts to be kinda cheesy.

But- all in all.. I loved the rollercoaster romance between Quentin and Madison and how she finally said a big F U to her father!

Also the spice was 🤭🤭🤭🤭

“I told you, Madness. You and me always.”

PAGE 95 - CHAPTER 16 🥵

- second chance, 10 years later
- sports
- forbidden
- it’s always been you
🌶️🌶️🌶️.5

[Sav | SavtheBookish · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a goner for this story. Oh my goodness. I ate it up in one sitting and will probably do it again if I am being honest.

Quentin and Madison have had a rough past. Their families hate each other, they loved each other, almost got married, and then he leaves her at the alter never to speak to her ever again. Until.... he becomes the new quarterback for the team she is working PR for and guess who her new client is?

These two haven't seen or spoke to each other in 10 years. Madison is now in a *fake* relationship for her friend's sake and Quentin is back in town with his only goal being.... get his girl back. These two have to figure out their differences quickly as they are about to spend a whole bunch of time together. She is trying to boost his image in the football world all while he is just enjoying being around her again.

As secrets are told, tension is flying, and the feelings they had for one another start coming back up to the surface, chaos ensues.

I loved every bit of this story and cannot wait for yall to get your hands on it on 2.29.24.

Tropes
-second chance
-rival families
-"i waited for you"
-secret tattoos
-SPICYYY (the chair scene, hello? I am still recovering)
-football player X PR agent
-jealousy

5/5 stars
3/5 spice

[Stephanie Hubenak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Listen, I'm fairly certain that if you haven't picked up a book by Maggie Rawdon at this point, I'm convinced you're living under a rock. Maggie is most likely my all time favorite sports romance author. She has this way of incorporating real sports facts into a very spicy plot line and does so seamlessly. There's a perfect balance in each and every one of her books. I just LOVE her.

This book was one that I was absolutely giddy about. THEN she blessed us with the prequel shortly before sending out ARCS and I was absolutely FERAL over Quentin and Madison. I was so intrigued by Madison in previous books (her brothers both have their own stories) so when I so this was her book.....I was literally jumping up and down.

The chemistry that these two have is absolutely off the charts. I loved every single second of this book and it's already a contender for top read of the year for me. The way that she made me fall in love with Quentin in the PREQUEL was just absurd. It was perfection.

If you are a fan of sports romance with swoony men that know what they want and aren't afraid to beg for it, this book is for you. Maggie, you have so outdone yourself. I have always been a fan (and am so thankful that Wordsmith sent me Pick Six) and I can confidently say that this is your best book to date! You are a amazing! I can't wait to squeeze you in May!

[Abby (bookrecsbyab) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 🌟
🌶️🌶️🌶️

When the dedication is “to all the readers who love a good boy” 🫠

I strongly suggest reading the Seattle Phantom series before reading Rival Hearts! Madison and Quentin have known each other for years. Madison confided in Quentin when she was trying to get attention from another man, and he told her he would teach her things (😏). But when they catch feelings, things got interesting. Quentin disappeared from Madisons life randomly, leaving her heartbroken.

Now, it is nearly 10 years later. Madison is the PR rep for Queen City Chaos, and Quentin is the new quarterback. Madison is fake dating another football player, but that doesn’t seem to stop Quentin from trying to win her back. It’s been years since they have seen each other. And for some reason, even though Madison was heartbroken, she can’t seem to stay away from him. The more Quentin does to woo her, the closer they get.

Quentin’s nickname for Madison (Madness) was one of my favorites! They way he was a total cinnamon roll for her. And the spicy scenes were CHEFS KISS. 💋

What to expect:
-older brothers ex-best friend
-enemies to lovers
-forced proximity
-forbidden love
-man obsessed

[Vishous · Rating 2 out of 5]

meh.

[Hailey Goshert · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75⭐️ rounded up, probably would’ve dnf’d if i didn’t pay for the audiobook. the love story just wasn’t that convincing, it didn’t have enough emotional depth for me (maybe if the story was longer, that could’ve been different). i needed more on page pining/yearning. i just wasn’t that invested in the relationship or the overall story.

- the whole thing with her dad was super predictable, i guessed that entire scenario by like 15% in
- there were too many past/fake/potential love interests… it was a lot to keep up with
- i just didn’t really feel that deep-in-love connection, maybe i should’ve read the prequel about their time together before they broke up?
- the spice was good but i wanted them to have way more of an emotional connection
- i think i’m just not that into second chance romances unless they’re done reeeaaaally well; this unfortunately was not in my opinion

[Megan Coggins · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️

“Good boy” she calls him a good boy *melting*

[Courtney | romancereadswithcourt · Rating 5 out of 5]

PUB DAY arc review 🏈✨

Rival Hearts by Maggie Rawdon
7⭐️ 3.5🌶️

Maggie has done 👏�� it 👏🏼 again 👏🏼. A top read of 2024! It’s spicy, it’s sweet, and swoony. I teared up several times from how soft hearted this man is for Madison!!! We must protect him at all costs. This man is perfection.

We pick up 10 years later after the novella “Before the Chaos” leaves us on that heart wrenching cliffhanger. They almost got married and then were torn apart at the last second, never to speak again.

He’s the bad boy who needs some help cleaning up his rep to gain love from the fans, and she’s his best shot at making that happen. Which means… forced proximity 😈.

The tension is THERE immediately between these two. So many feelings to have and be had. You feel everything right along side them. It’s so obvious they still love eachother, and when you get to his POV? He’s G O N E for her. Still. 😭

The spice… buckle your seatbelts. Because it’s SPICIN’. My girlies who love to give the praise, this one’s for you 🤭. They both have filthy mouths and minds. It’s a whole experience you gotta read for yourself! 🌶️🌶️

Tropes: second chance • it’s always been you • forced proximity • banter • she gives praise • secret tattoos • soulmates • best friends sister

Thank you so so much Maggie for letting me be apart of your team and read this early. 🖤

[Jamie Engel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anything Maggie writes I will read. I am always obsessed with anything she writes and Rival Hearts is no different. I loved this first book in her new series.

This story follows Quentin and Madison and I want to say that there is a prequel novella that comes before this full length book (Before the Chaos). While it is really not necessary to read before this one, I highly recommend as it will give more of a background to Quentin and Madison relationship. Quentin has been recently traded to the Chaos, where his uncle is the coach, after finding out the Madison works for them. Quentin is not so much a golden boy for NFL and needs his image worked on and this is where Madison comes in. Madison works in PR and is pretty well-known in this field and essentially has to babysit him. As Madison begins to learn the truth behind their breakup, her love resurfaces.

UGH!! This book was so good. From the plot, the spice, to the swoony moments. I ate this up and devoured this in less than 24 hours.
Madison is such a badass FMC. She is sassy and I loved her take no shit personality. I just loved seeing more of her story and seeing her finally get her HEA.
Quentin…where do I even start. THIS MAN!! 10 YEARS?!?!?! IYKYK. WOW!!! He has a lot to make up for and man does he ever make up for it. His devotion to Madison over the years they were apart, and his sheer willingness to let Madison put him through the wringer just to have her attention…I was cheering for him the entire time. So many swoony moments from him, it’s hard to pick just one that stand out. I loved seeing his growth from the prequel novella to 10 years later. And his nickname for her…favorite nickname to date for sure.
As always Maggie brings the top tier spice and the moments between these two were sizzling. Some of the hotel scenes will forever live rent free in my head.

Thank you to Maggie and team for the eARC. I am so excited for this new series and cannot wait to read the next one.

Overall: 5
Spice: 3.5

Tropes:
-Football Romance
-Second Chance
-Hate to Love
-Brother’s Ex-Best Friend
-Boy Obsessed
-Workplace/Forbidden Romance
-Rival Families
-It’s Always Been You
-No 3rd Act Breakup

[Misha Ahuja · Rating 5 out of 5]

i LOVED oh my fucking god i need a quentin in my life NOW

[Britt; footnotes+whimsy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Edit: just listened to the audiobook because I needed a comfort read. I loved revisiting Madison + Quentin. I still love them SO MUCH (read it! After Before the Chaos 😉), but I gotta be honest the male narrator did not match what I envisioned in my head for the heavily tatted, bad-boy quarterback that is Quentin Undergrove. It needed to be deeper/gruffer - ya know?!

LOVE LOVE LOVED!!!! I love Quentin Undergrove. I love Madison Westfield. I love Quentin + Madison together. This second chance romance was done to perfection. There was tension and angst WITHOUT miscommunication and a 3rd act break up. Read this after you read the 30k novella, Before the Chaos. You won't regret it!

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️

Quentin, my man. Was he everything you’d want in a “got to get my girl back” or what! Obsessed.

I can’t wait for what’s next in this series!

[iremucka · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rival Hearts (Rakip Kalpler) demişsin ama bu bildiğin soft romance.. Ne rakiplik gördük ne de çatışma.. Olmadı bizimle değilsin. Bu yazardan okumayı kesmem lazım.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

SO GOOD!! Another amazing story from Maggie Rawdon. Im obsessed with Madison and Quinton’s story. It has so many things I love, second chance, football, brothers (ex)best friend, obsessed MMC, pining and workplace romance. I will definitely be rereading this one!

[The Romantic Rush Blog · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first Maggie Rawdon book- but given how sweet and OH SO SEXY this second chance romance is, it’s safe to say this world and her writing have captured my heart! Rival Hearts is the perfect balance of heartfelt tenderness and sultry spice, it’s all heart and heat and a big ole dash of swoon. Charming characters, a fun secondary cast, and oozing charisma, this was a great intro to Maggie!

Sports, second chance, workplace, enemies to lovers, forbidden brother’s (now ex-) best friend…and ex-fiance?! OH cue all the tension, the angst push-pull, and those yummy forbidden vibes that melt me. Quentin and Madison have quite the complicated and heartbreaking history. An epic forbidden love story squashed by poor decisions long before it really got to start. Lost innocence, heartbreak, and regret. Now years later, they are not only forced to reconnect but they are also forced to work together- and ultimately forced to confront their past. The mistakes and misunderstandings, and their festered longing.

Their forced proximity demands their story move deliciously quickly- so the grovel drama and hurt definitely doesn’t overstay it’s welcome as we dive back into a complicated, secret, explosively hot second chance. But, the stakes are even higher now- more than feelings. Careers, friends/family, dreams, and the weigh expectations all make it even more complex of a situation. But the draw of these 100% is easy and straight forward. Quentin wants to right his wrong, and Madison just can’t seem to keep the wall around her heart when he goes on the offensive to score her, heart and soul. Their chemistry is really cute. And the spice is definitely SPICING in this- lordy, these two sizzle.

And while certainly these two have some baggage, the angst is actually not super thick. Quentin makes it clear early on he is ALL in early on, so while they have fantastic bantery push-pull moments, we also know where their hearts stand. They just have to re-learn to trust and to be vulnerable enough to go for it. Definitely more “will they” and “won’t they” LOL, but it means we get so much spice! I do wish we’d gotten to develop their relationship a bit more in their “current state”- it’s been so long, and they were barely together in the past, so I feel like they don't really know each other anymore, but they go from zero to one hundred and once they clear the air about past stuff, I feel like their relationship didn’t develop further emotionally. But, their physical connection is fire, and they are certainly cute together. AND the spice is really really good- the bedroom chemistry is magnetic.

While this can be read as a standalone, I would highly recommend reading the novella about them because it gives a more complete picture of their past. Also there are a lot of other Maggie characters from prior series in this. There were times when I felt there was a lot of secondary character action and I wasn’t super invested because I don't know the characters, BUT it also made me want to get to know them, especially her brothers who clearly had their own bumpy loves stories.

This was a great intro to the Maggie world and I’m so excited to spend more time there. It’s a cute, spicy, and fast-paced read that had me grinning, and introduced me to a world of sports drama and stories told and untold I can’t wait to discover. Excited to read more Maggie!

🖤Older Brother's (Ex) Best Friend
🏈Second Chance
🖤Younger Brother's Teammate
🏈Rival Sports Dynasties / Enemies to Lovers
🖤Workplace / Forced To Work Together (forced proximity)
🏈Forbidden + Secret Lovers
🖤He's Obsessed/ Full Court Pursuit
🏈Football Romance
🖤Ex Fiancees/ He took her v-card
🏈But he's only ever loved her

[bash · Rating 2 out of 5]

they were engaged for literally less then 4 hours. I feel like in order for her and the rest of her families reaction to Quienton leaving her to be more reasonable they’d have needed to be engaged for longer idk. I also find it so weird how all the westfields grew up and were able to recognize that their father was abusive and never thought that, maybe perhaps quienton had been threatened or manipulated?????? Not only that but they could all be on their high horse about being better then quienton and him letting Maddison go so easily because they had an immense amount of privilege. Like yeah if the girl you love is several social classes above you, while your future is uncertain and your on a roll messing up your opportunities because of trauma, then her dad says with the rate your life is going at she’s going to be miserable, poor and neither of you will amount to anything. 99% of people would leave, so despite all the characters in the book giving quienton grief about that decision I stand with him.
Anyways outside of all that the book felt unfinished and rushed, and having read the prologue prior to this I still felt that the beginning of quienton and Maddison’s relationship should have been drawn out for a longer period of time. The stakes just didn’t make enough sense to hold a decade long grievance about. Let me reiterate they got to know each other within the span of less then a week, and were engaged for around 4 hours. The end of this book also felt very rushed, their dad almost killing one of the main characters and the resolution was off scene??? Overall this book needs a very tight edit, and maybe a more thought out plot.

[mary ✿]

DNF @ 52%

i hate to do this but i couldn’t find it in me to continue. i’m so mad because the novella was SO good, had soo much potential and could set "rival hearts" in the best way. quentin and madison haven’t seen each other in ten years, i needed more tension and HATE and drama idek. everything was just all over the place. football, where? how quentin needed a PR agent for his reputation was basically unnecessary

gosh idk i just didn’t love the first half enough to keep going, it BORED me

i don’t have it in me to put one star or not rate it because it didn’t enjoy some moments even tho i decided to dnf

i’m having such a hard time lately to read basically anything with romance i get so bored

[Grace Wilson🦧 · Rating 2 out of 5]

sigh. this was just not good:( it felt like a unfinished story with absolutely no substance. WHERE WAS THE DRAMA?? THE PINING??? Any in depth character?? this was hugely disappointing.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quentin…this man. I swear to god I melted into the floor for this man - how he loved her, his devotion, his dirty mouth. I love him.

Madison is also a BOSS heroine, completing my love of the Westfield siblings.

If you love sports romances, heroes with dirty mouths who love their partners FIERCELY, then you need Maggie Rawdon’s books in your life.

MUST READ. Quentin will be a top book boyfriend for LIFE!!!

ARC