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Player

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I accidentally married the BIGGEST bad boy in pro football…
I was born into the high life: private schools, finishing classes – groomed to look pretty hanging on a rich man’s arm.

That is, until I walk in on my fiancé f*cking his secretary across his desk.

Now I’m a princess on the run, and escape from the life I never wanted steers me right into the last man I’d ever call a prince charming.

Austin Taylor is the crude, arrogant pro quarterback with the cocky cowboy smile and the notorious tabloid record longer than his- well…

A princess like me should have nothing to do with a beast of a man like that, except Austin Taylor has an offer I may not be able to refuse.

Half a million dollars to be his trophy wife.

It’s fake, of course – all a show for the cameras and the press to rehab his bad boy reputation.

Fake, that is, until we wake up actually married in Vegas.

Oops.

Now I’m really married to the most notorious, most possessive, most gorgeous man in pro football. The man with the glint in his eyes that gets me hot in places it shouldn’t. The man whose dirty, filthy words have me melting for him.

Oh, right, and the man whose baby I’m carrying.

Surprise.


**This is a standalone book (approx. 75,000 words) with a HEA; NO CLIFFHANGER!**

To celebrate this new release, for a limited time, this edition of Player also includes ALL FOUR BOOKS of the Soldiers Of Fortune series as a special free bonus. Happy reading!

394 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 24, 2016

130 people are currently reading
371 people want to read

About the author

Aubrey Irons

17 books520 followers
Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author Aubrey Irons enjoys writing about bold, sassy, and intelligent women and the hot, cocky, and quite typically forbidden bad boys who love and lust for them. Gripping stories, guaranteed happy ever afters, and LOTS of heat.

In the real world, Aubrey is kept plenty entertained by her own favorite bad boy husband, their two adorable kiddos, and the world's most ill-behaved puppy.

Sign up for my mailing list for new release news, author giveaways, ARC opportunities, and *zero* spam. Plus, get a free bad boy ebook for joining! Use this link to sign up: http://eepurl.com/bu3-3P


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5 stars
319 (28%)
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368 (32%)
3 stars
331 (29%)
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96 (8%)
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20 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 94 reviews
Profile Image for Chantal ❤️.
1,361 reviews905 followers
June 17, 2016
Story about a real manwhore who has to clean up his act so he finds a hot classy girl to marry him and tries everything to mess it up while she tries to overcome her own hangups. Very funny and had just the right amount of action. I just did not like his whole sense of entitlement he had going. He was a dick to her and treated her poorly and she was too unsure to push it. She was too good for him by far but at the end I liked him and felt he was finally growing up.
Good funny but not great. I enjoyed it and I am glad I read it but he was too easy to look at other women. He did not sleep with them after he was married to her but it was way too close for comfort. When you get married that's it you don't go out looking to get laid! Those are my thoughts anyways.

Happy reading.
Profile Image for Snow.
2,320 reviews732 followers
May 2, 2017

I seem to be on a roll with Aubrey Irons books here..LOL

well, truth to be told I kinda dig her recipe in delivering a story that will entertain you, first of all, then it will make you laugh and a bit squirmy with the whole steamy, scorching hawt scenes, put a little bit of angst and stubborness in action to complete the drama and voila, the fun times are guaranteed.

this is a simple equation: a man-whore quarterback star needs to clean up his act for the sake of "image", she's a girl running form a cheating asshole "fiance" with shady mob connections, which leaves her penniless at the moment. One chance encounter, she's doesn't know who the "star quarterback" really is nor she's aware of his celebrity status. They make a deal - a "fake marriage" that works for them both
She needs money, and I need someone like her. No scratch that. Not someone like her, someone fucking exactly like her.

and just like in every similar situation, where the characters end up - up close and personal, in pretence when they are actually just fighting off and against the real attraction, the lines become blurred as fuck and messy with stubbornness and denial.
I fucked up, hard: you're not supposed to fall for the fake wife.

I want her because she doesn't want me.

And that's a lie.
cause the bottom line is, she really doesn't want to be paid to want him, even worse, she doesn't want to be paid to LOVE him. And the desire and the pull towards him is breaking the "fake" relationship into the want of a "real" one.

beside their own personal push and pull and fighting off their own undeniable attraction and desires...and eventually feelings...there's a drama on the sideline making their "connection real" almost impossible...but just almost...
I fucked this up the first time around. but this time, I want to do this right.
Profile Image for Racy.
1,711 reviews16 followers
May 26, 2016
I received this for a honest review. The author did an wonderful job with this story.

Natalie Elizabeth Ames was prim and proper. Her mother had groomed her to be a trophy wife and her life seemed to be going in the direction her mother wanted her to go until Natalie walked in to her fiancee having sex with his secretary. Reality had to come crashing in. Here she was with no job and no money. Well she had money but she could not touch it.

Austin Taylor was handsome but a player in more ways then one. He loved the perks that came with being a pro quarterback.Women at his beckon call, parties, and the wild life. He was getting a bad rep and Austin’s manager wanted him to clean up his life. I busted out laughing when his manager told Austin how he should start cleaning up his life. He wanted him to get a fake wife.

In a way I guess Austin was an answer to Natalie’s problems. Here she was needing money, clothes, and a place to live. Austin was offering her all of that. Austin and Natalie will discover what happens in Vegas does not always stay in Vegas.

This was suppose to be a business deal but what happens when this becomes more then a business deal. Austin and Natalie will discover they are developing feelings for one another but they are not about to admit it to each other.

Austin and Natalie will find that their relationship is has a few bumps along the way and it does not help that Natalie finds herself pregnant.

I just loved Austin’s best friend Kyle. He truly was an interesting character. I truly hope to see future book about him.
Profile Image for Susan  Burgess-Ryan.
717 reviews13 followers
June 18, 2016
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOUR ACCIDENTALLY MARRY THE MOST NOTORIOUS QUARTERBACK IN THE NFL? ME? JUMP UP AND DOWN AND SCREAM FOR JOY!!!!!

In this book “Player” Aubrey Irons really did an awesome job. I was impressed. She grabs your attention from the beginning of the book till the end of the book. She writes a story line that works the characters in just perfect, and the secondary characters do their job of working with the main characters to make the story line work. This book is recommended for mature readers 18 years of age or older because of the language and panty melting SEX!!!

Austin Taylor is a quarterback for the NFL and is paid oodles of money for doing this. He has a bad reputation and a tabloid record longer than his man parts…LOL!!! His manager is telling him that if he doesn’t change his image to a stable, settled down person he could lose everything. Austin spots this woman that made his mouth water, and he helped her get rid of a pest. She is so tipsy that he helps her to the elevator and she reels him in for a kiss. He finds that she doesn’t know who he is, and now he’s interested in her. He rescues her the second time and they make a pact over ice cream. She pretends to be his wife, and he will pay her 500,000 dollars. He figures he has it made. He gets his new image, and then he is set to go. Well surprisingly not goes according to what Austin planned.

Natalie Ames was born into the high life of private schools and charm classes so that she can look pretty hanging on the arm of a rich man. That rich man being Vince Capra, so of Mafia Kingpin Lorenzo Capra. All is fine until she catches Vince screwing his secretary on his desk just before they are to attend some function. So now the little rich princess Natalie is on the run and just wants to escape from the life she never wanted. She had no idea it would take straight to the last man she would ever call her prince charming. Pro Quarterback Austin Taylor, and King of the tabloids. He is crude, arrogant and a pro quarterback with an awesome cowboy smile. She really shouldn’t have anything to do with Austin Taylor, except he makes her an offer she just may not be able to refuse. He offers her 500,000 to be his trophy wife. All she has to do is be his fake wife for the cameras and press to help rebuild his reputation. A fake marriage. How hard could that be? Well it should have been easy till they wake up in Vegas legally married. Now she is married to the most notorious, most possessive, and yet Gorgeous pro football player. He is hot, and his way with words makes her want him. Oh, it all just get worse, she finds out she is pregnant.

With mistakes made and the appearance of Austin’s dad, things just go from bad to worse, and Natalie leaves after discovering she is pregnant, and Vince shows up with an offer to for her to help Austin with his dad problems, and all she has to do is marry him and have his kids.

Will Austin realize that Natalie is the best thing for him? Will Natalie actually marry Vince and pawn her baby off as his? Or will Austin and Natalie get outside help from an unexpected source? Only the book knows!!! Now you have to read it.

No spoilers. ARC free book given in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Belinda.
301 reviews
August 7, 2017
Good and sweet

This read was good. Most parts were very entertaining, but it has a lot of repeating inner dialogue that just drove me nuts and I probably skipped a good quarter of the book during these parts. The story was good, the sex was hot and the drama was intriguing. All in all it was an ok read.
Profile Image for Jenny.
1,035 reviews137 followers
June 1, 2016
Hero(s) rating: 3.5 stars
Heroine rating: 3 stars
Sexual tension rating: 4 stars
Sex scenes rating: 3.5 stars
Sex scenes frequency: 4 stars
Plot rating: 3 stars
Dialogue rating: 4 stars
Other woman/men drama: Yes
Storytelling rating: 4 stars
Story ending rating: 3 stars
Cliffhanger:
HEA:
**********************************************
Overall rating: 3 stars


Overall, it's a cute story...but not without its moments of giving me anxiety.
Natalie, our h, was tolerable for some parts of the short story. While I liked her character at times, her "pull and push" method with Austin drove me crazy.
Austin, our H, also had his moments. I liked him when he was likable and wanted to throttle him when he forgot what was at play (if you read the story, you'll see what I mean).

There is a lot of different "going on's" in this book but easy to follow. Some of the story lines kind of left an open gap in my mind...left me with a lot of questions that were never answered.

Alas, still a good, quick read and I really would like to know what goes from here! With the way the story ended, there has to be more...something...anything!!
Profile Image for Mags.
3,005 reviews34 followers
May 26, 2016
***ARC Kindly provided by the author in exchange for an honest review***

Loved it!!! My favourite Aubrey Irons novel to date. Austin Taylor is hot!! A total bad boy but I didn't expect any less especially coming from Ms Irons and I would totally recommend it to others.

The story itself really hooked me in, I've read a few marriage of convenience stories before but never one like this. The two main characters were equally kick ass and stubborn and boy did it take a while for them to figure things out, but once they did it was seriously hot, and I can't decide if the scene in the kitchen or land rover was the hottest and best.

Overall a really great read loved the two minor characters Kyle and Vivian too. Who certainly added a little bit of crazy to the story and I honestly didn't want it to end but it did and left me wondering if their are really any Football Players out there who have employed someone to be their wife.
Profile Image for Stacy Barr-sooter.
302 reviews
June 29, 2016
Great romance read

Loved the story. Damsel in distress arrogant stud there to the rescue. She can provide what he needs and he has something she needs. They make a perfect fake match only when does pretending stop and real life start?
Profile Image for Ava.
1,028 reviews23 followers
June 17, 2016
It was a good read. Simple and not really like the usual plot, a little bit of a twist and mix.
We have here :
Romance
Sport
Baby but add it 2 times!
Mafia
A girl that is all classy
A athlete
Friends and sisters
Family drama
oh and a sham... not that sham.
Profile Image for Ned.
626 reviews4 followers
October 27, 2016
This is fast approaching my pile of dnf. Natalie blushes so often (every other paragraph) that I'm beginning to wonder if she's in menopause!

This was so repetitive it joined my dnf pile.
248 reviews5 followers
July 13, 2017
Detailed characters, copy and pasted scene?

This book had a few issues. It needed more/better proofreading and editing. There were quite a large amount of grammatical errors. During two kissing scenes, there were a few consecutive paragraphs that were not only similar, but VERBATIM, as if the author used copy and paste from one scene to the other. That should never be seen in a book and should have been caught prior to publishing.
I'm still giving it 5 stars because the actual story itself was good and I enjoyed the well-developed characters. The secondary characters were also well done with unique and interesting personalities. I may try another of the author's books, especially if I can find one with these same characters.
79 reviews3 followers
March 4, 2017
Fun story

I enjoyed this story. The characters were fun and engaging. Oddly enough, the fact that the story would have been over in about ten chapters if Natalie and Austin had a truly open and honest conversation seems realistic. The annoying part was the typos. Sometimes spell check is not enough, i.e. "for the principle", not the principal and "too-much fun" not to-much fun. Plus key words occasionally left out of sentences. Not a huge problem but it interrupts the flow of the story.
Profile Image for Mst.
77 reviews1 follower
December 12, 2023
I didn't mind this story, at first. Trophy wife-to-be catches mobster fiancé cheating with his secretary, she gets drunk. A popular man-hoe pro football player needs to clean up his image so a fake wife is the solution. Here I am thinking Austin is in his late 20s or early 30s and he's going to settle down. Nope, Austin is 23 which makes this whole book hard to believe well except for the man-hoe part and the drinking.
Profile Image for Angela Cornell.
Author 1 book34 followers
February 27, 2019
This was a good easy read book. The last half was very fast paced and good. Loved the characters, enough character building to really become attached to both main characters. There wasn’t much football in this book which I missed since it is a sports romance, so much more could have been written in that subject. overall it was a good story, hot sex scenes, and it left you wanting more.
Profile Image for Cynthia Whisler.
482 reviews4 followers
August 3, 2017
Loved It!!

This was such an awesome story. The footballer who's image is in shambles and the girl who is financially overwhelmed. Together they find love and what they both needed. This is a great ROMCOM. FAST PACED and erotic as well.
Profile Image for Rose Beal.
140 reviews2 followers
March 5, 2018
If you like angst....

If you like angst then this book is for you!
The first half I was like oh em gee y'all better
get your shit together and just do it already! Lol but I loved this book, 4 stars from me. Must read!
Profile Image for Becca.
2,003 reviews26 followers
October 27, 2016
Love Love Love

What a whirlwind of a romance. Fun, sexy read that I couldn't put down. Aubrey is becoming one of my go to authors!
Profile Image for jscho326.
96 reviews7 followers
February 4, 2018
The story was so rushed it had no depth. There were way to many side storylines that weren’t developed enough.
Profile Image for 🥬 ab.
483 reviews
September 17, 2016
Ugh! I wanted more football. -___-


Okay, PLAYER is a good, well done insta-lust romance. (I caught this story as I really liked JOCK, the author's other book.)

Natalie is our female lead, born with a silver spoon in her mouth etc, but she realizes the limitations of that lifestyle. And she gets a rude awakening as she discovers her mafia-connected fiance cheating on her. Then, she zips off to get drunk and meets the football player Austin Taylor. Austin is also experiencing an impasse amid his success. Playboy, partying fuck boy basically. Natalie gets offered $$$ to be Austin's pretend wife to help repair his image, until an odd night out actually forced them to be legally bonded to each other!!! Dun dun dun. This is where it gets good and steamy.

Tension rise up around them as they try to figure out wtf to do in the next six months. My main complaint is that they don't go through the entire six months lol. I think the story only took place under a month... or two? So, the inevitable HEA doesn't feel that satisfying. And the mafia plot - UGH, why? It's so boring. I mean, sure try it for a subplot, but I just found it lackluster. AND I SIGNED UP FOR A SPORTS/FOOTBALL story. Where was any of that? Ugh, again.

But this is still pretty enjoyable. The romance is well written. And Irons knows how to balance the erotic and intimate scenes. And I appreciated that, because it's irritating seeing other stories build up a nice plot and foundation for the two characters, then they derail it and insert smut in every chapter.

Natalie and Austin were a sweet couple and the tension and insecurities were believable and never annoying. Overall, it's well-paced and hooks your attention throughout, despite its short length. I do wish the rest of the plot veered more into football. Still, a story with a pet dog can always be rated fairly from me.
Profile Image for Erika.
397 reviews23 followers
July 5, 2016
An oops of a fake/real marriage that fell flat to me.

Austin is the hottest pro quarterback, who has a reputation that needs some polishing. Enter Natalie, she has just left her fiance in his office with his pants around his ankles. Of course it wasn't Natalie they were down for, no no, it was for his secretary. Austin sees her at a bar, and she has no clue who he is. Austin is instantly intrigued by her, why because she doesn't know him, and her lips feel like heaven.

So Austin offers her half a million dollars to pretend to be his wife and help polish his image. She accepts. All she has to do is be his fake wife for the cameras and press to help rebuild his reputation. A fake marriage. How hard could that be? Well it should have been easy till they wake up in Vegas legally married. Now she is married to the most notorious, most possessive, and yet Gorgeous pro football player. He is hot, and his way with words makes her want him. Oh, it all just get worse, she finds out she is pregnant.

With mistakes made and the appearance of Austin’s dad, things just go from bad to worse, and Natalie leaves after discovering she is pregnant, and Vince shows up with an offer to for her to help Austin with his dad problems, and all she has to do is marry him and have his kids.

I was digging it but as story continued it just became too much for me to enjoy. It started great and I was falling in love right along with them, but then all these coincidence, to-convenient-to-believe, intertwined story line was just getting out of hand. I mean for heroine to be so easy blackmailed the way she was and the time frame from divorce to wedding, and blown up saving scene....I was just wanting to book to end. Also, hero was so beta. Come on, he just gave up and did not fight for his love. The climax did not count as he had people telling him what to do and setting things up to help him get him to the heroine. All he did until that point is get drunk.

Overall a decent book. The last 20 percent fell flat for me. I felt like Natalie made some really bad choices that left me very unhappy and when Austin finds out about these he goes to her and just tries to win her back when he did nothing wrong. He's not mad that she left without asking him for a reason or that she keeps her pregnancy a secret from him and her own sister is the one to spill the beans. Then they just get their happy ending like she did nothing wrong. I think Natalie just left a bad taste in my mouth the little last part of this book. I would recommend this book at your own risk.
Profile Image for Tanja.
731 reviews16 followers
June 5, 2016
what do you do when you walk in on your high profile fiance as he's banging his secretary on his desk? you jump in your car and get the hell out of dodge. trying to forget about what happened other man at the bar try to hook up with here and aren't really taking no for an answer. that is until a stranger walks up and claims her to be his wife, provoking quite a humble reaction from the man who was badgering her.
feeling tipsy, she is grateful for the rescue and she is taken with her savior even-though she has no clue who he is, though she suspects he's someone famous.
austin taylor, all round womanizer and the sport sensation of the moment. his manager is urging him to turn over a new leave to get the press on his side again because the "different girl each night"- routing is getting old, that he crashed his car with a barely legal girl in it isn't helping either, specially not seeing that the girls father is a high upper in the sports world, someone you don't want against you.
when austin notices a woman being accosted he can't help but step in. something about her wakes a side of him he didn't know he had. as he drops her off at the elevator she surprises him by kissing him speechless. the next day he finds himself rescuing her all over again and it's then his plan starts to form in his mind. he could do what his manager told him to do but he would do it his way.
dragging natatlie with him he proposes to her: half a million to have a fake marriage and all expenses paid for the duration of the fake marriage. natalie is more then surprised but thinking about her own situation she's almost happy to agree with the plan.
things take a different route when the day after they wake up naked in bed and a legal las vegas marriage certificate lies on the bedside table.

the start of quite a journey for these two. love and friendship is build, danger only looming around the corner. family betrayal and help. sizzling moments mixed up with emotions and self sacrifice! what a ride this was! just whan you think they got what they want you get thrown for a loop and the nailbiting starts all over!

free copy given in exchange for an honest review
Profile Image for Stacy.
1,016 reviews20 followers
May 31, 2016
ARC received in exchange of an honest review.

This book was just what I needed. I have been in a reading funk, and this one brought me out of said funk. This book had a little bit of everything, romance, suspense, surprises, and of course hot steamy sex.

Austin is the hottest pro quarterback, who has a reputation that needs some polishing. Enter Natalie, she has just left her fiance in his office with his pants around his ankles. Of course it wasn't Natalie they were down for, no no, it was for his secretary. Austin sees her at a bar, and she has no clue who he is. Austin is instantly intrigued by her, why because she doesn't know him, and her lips feel like heaven.

So Austin offers her half a million dollars to pretend to be his wife and help polish his image. She accepts.

Any who, if you read the blurb, you will see Vegas is involved, a pregnancy and a whole slue of emotions happen as well. Aubrey Irons did a great job of writing this book. I felt that she was able to capture Austin's true emotions as he figures out what is important, and how he deals with falling in love with Nat. I was quite refreshing as a reader to see Austin come to grips with it, and that he literally does everything possible to keep Nat and his baby.

I can't wait to see what Ms. Iron's has in store for us next. I really really hope she sticks with the football romances. There is just something incredibly attractive to an alpha male learning that he will do any and everything for love.
Profile Image for Babel.
2,328 reviews191 followers
June 5, 2016
I always enjoy this author's dynamic writing style. It makes every scene so fun and fast-paced. In Player, the wild plot just had me grinning through every page.

I couldn't help smiling at this sexy ploy that crosses the lives of womanizer quarterback Austin who needs to clean his act and classy, bred-to-be-arm-candy-to-a-millionaire Natalie.

From fiery chemistry to fake proposal, they find themselves entangled in a not-so-fake contract that tests their resistance to desire to their limits. From my reading position, I couldn't resist the characters falling into this crazy plan to fake a relationship when it was clear they were head over heels in love-lust with each other. Sometimes I missed more dialogue where they came to know each other better, but despite that the narrative was so engaging and amusing that I was convinced they belonged together. There are scenes related to what a big football star Austin is and how groomed Nat is to a life of yielding to a man and looking poised and elegant. Then, together, these two just felt free to be themselves.

Actually, it's one of my favourite stories by this author. It's a good balance between fun and steamy. When the conflict from both sides coalesce, it was heart-wrenching and I really enjoyed how it played out. Of course, the ending was absolutely romantic and totally fun. There is an epilogue that also made me smile and completed all the characters' arc, even Nat's sister's. I'm quite glad I could read this story.
Profile Image for Cheyenne.
898 reviews
May 31, 2016
This book was amazing. Austin is a sexy alpha football star with a bad boy rep. Natalie is a girl that is engaged to man who she just caught cheating on her. Natalie has been conditioned by her mom to act a certain way in order to marry for money and not love. Natalie is not like her mom, she doesn't want to settle. Austin is told that he should marry or settle down, which will help his career in the long run. Natalie and Austin meet at a hotel bar and sparks fly. Austin discusses his plan to Natalie to pay her to be his fake wife. The money she is to receive is to help her break free from her ex and be on her own for the first time in her life. Things don't always go as plan. These two have lots of chemistry. What happens when these two are clearly attracted to each other decide to throw caution to the wind and give it a shot? Will Natalie's ex swoop in and ruin her relationship with Austin? This story has a little of everything for everyone: fairytale romance, steamy sex, drama, betrayel, cheating and intrigue. This was a fun and sexy read. I really enjoyed the story and the characters were strong and well written. This was another amazing book from Aubrey Irons. If you love a hea, this is the book for you. **received an arc in exchange for an honest review**
Profile Image for Kristin.
1,246 reviews
July 9, 2016
Title: Player
Series: No
Author: Aubrey Irons
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Pages: Unknown
Heat Level: 4 out of 4 flames
Overall Star Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Kay the Snitch Bitch

I had told myself that I thought I was done with sports romances. I've read a lot of them but just like every other type of trope out there, the market has become flooded and that's not a good thing. Was there anything unusual about the premise of this story? No. Did I like it? Yes, I really did.

Natalie was raised to be a trophy wife. To act a certain way and marry the right man. Be unassuming and look the other way about their indiscretions. Natalie knows that she deserves better than that.

Austin is a number one draft pick for the NFL. He's set in his profession. It's his public image that the fans don't like. The whoring, arrogance, wealth and again, the whoring. His agent told him to clean up his act or he could lose out on endorsements. Find a classy girl and live right.

This wasn't really a sweet story but it made me happy while I was reading it. The story was good, the sex was great and the it had a nice HEA. This was my first book by this author but it won't be my last.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 94 reviews

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