Jock Royal

Jock Hard #4

by Sara Ney

IT’S EASY TO TAKE ONE DARE WHEN YOU THINK IT’S HARMLESS.

Ashley Dryden-Jones is the best rugby player on the field—when I take a dare I instantly regret, I had no way of knowing he was a gentleman. An athlete. British with no plans to stay in the States.

He makes me forget myself, bruises, 5 o’clock shadow, accent and all.

He makes me forget I cannot crawl into bed with him at night—or get drunk and throw caution to the wind for once in my overly cautious life.

Because he’s my new roommate.

ONE STUPID BET LEADS TO ONE UNFORGETTABLE NIGHT.

When I win a trip to Vegas I need a plus one; he’s the strapping, strong and responsible choice. Besides—I’ve never been anywhere and he has.

He is the best friend I didn’t know I needed.

Ashley is one of the good ones—but I’m about to find out how bad this good boy can be.

Genres: Sports Romance, Romance, Sports, College, New Adult, Friends To Lovers, College Romance

ebook

First published June 22, 2021

About the author

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's, historical architecture and well-placed sarcasm. She lives colorfully, collects vintage books, art, loves flea markets, and fancies herself British.

Reviews

[Christy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

Jock Royal by Sara Ney was so fun. I had a blast reading it. Sure, there were a few inconsistencies and I thought the ending was wrapped up much too quickly, but overall it was such a good time.

Georgie and Ashley meet in an interesting way and later become roommates. This was an adorable friends to lovers situation, and the little twist after the halfway mark is something I love in books. Sara Ney does a great job not only writing sports romance, but also new adult.

Audio book source: Audible
Story Rating: 4 stars
Narrators: James Evans & Arielle DeLisle
Narration Rating: 4 stars
Genre: Contemporary Romance (NA/Sports)
Length: 9h 47m

[Anna [Bran. San. Stan] · Rating 3 out of 5]

Me early on in this book: Why do I keep coming back to Sara Ney? Those inconsistencies drive me nuts; the premise and plot leave a lot to be desired. Should I keep reading? But you loved the How to Date a Douchbag series! And Trophy Boyfriends was enjoyable enough, as this series has been so far. So, come on.

Me at 60% of this book: That’s why you keep reading: Because of her characters. Georgia (h), Southern college gal in the Midwest, and Ash (H), British aristocrat, rugby player at the same college, are not perfect, not the most beautiful, he does not have a magical big dick. There is no insta-lust. And the first time they have sex, it is them making love. It is beautiful the way it is described, a long night of exploration and silent honesty, of feelings realized. Good for you, Anna, that you ignored your critical thinking.

Me at 85%: Oh, come on. Not THIS! Why do you fuck this up for me, Miss Ney? This just doesn’t fit the established characters! *puts the book down for the day*

Me, after finishing this book: Ok, I’ve made my peace with that plot twist but the ending doesn't make it much better. It is rushed and leaves relationship development and personal growth on the wayside. I mean, you sort of get a happy ending, but no definite HEA – there’s no epilogue.

So should YOU read this book? I'm honestly on the fence: Let me give you some more info to help you decide.


THINGS I COULD NOT GET PAST:

The awkward writing: Somehow, Ashley, our British aristocrat doesn’t sound … like a British aristocrat. Or a British guy. At least to me. It seems too … forced? I’m actually curious what native Britons have to say about that! So if you’ve read this, please drop me a line. (Also, the language "barrier" between AE and BE is not that insurmountable 🙄.)

Character establishment: That our heroine is portrayed as stupid occasionally. I mean seriously, how can you ask how many "halves" a rugby game has???

The premise: The morally questionable hazing ritual (to ask the most ugly person at a party out on a date) is weak. Firstly, putting aside it’s despicable, which Georgia at least agrees on: Why would you go to a rugby house? Secondly, why would you let your teammate select the victim herself? Looks are subjective, after all. And thirdly, how can someone who is currently bruised and merely not perfectly groomed be considered ugly???

The lovin': At about 50% the author takes the cheap way out to try and give us some sexy times by solely having the H explicitly imagine a blowjob - which the h hears and initially wonders if he’s having a nightmare 🤦‍♀️. Sure, why else would he be moaning “Fuck, Georgia”?! (Again, plays into how stupid you're willing to let your h appear.)


SoMe ThInGs I cOuLd (MoStLy) GeT pAsT:

Inconsistencies:

🤦‍♀️ Ash explains at length how all the athletes hang out together (I went to a small college so I don’t know if that’s actually realistic at a bigger one) and then expresses how happy he is that he never has to see Georgia again??

🤦‍♀️ He goes on about how he can’t do the imperial system, talking how Georgia is 170 centimeters tall, only to say that Georgia is “a good six inches” (later it’s even “at least eight inches”) shorter? (Sidenote: She is 17 cm taller = 6.7 inches). Yep, I am anal about that sort of thing. Life would be easier if I weren’t.

🤦‍♀️ On that note, I have never heard anyone saying someone’s “187 centimeters” tall. That is just awkward and seems like something Americans think the metric system folk say. (Feel free to comment if this metric system gal is wrong about this tiny fact.) And by the way, 187 centimeters is NOT that freakishly talk for a guy (a little more than 6’1).

🤦‍♀️ One moment Ashley is the master of hiding his every thought, the next he is an open book, then he is back to having a poker face? Suuuuure.

Distracting typos!


MY CONCLUSION:

If you’re looking for smut, look elsewhere. There’s the aforementioned brief masturbation fantasy half-way in, then later a long section of love-making used for relationship development, a bj, and then only the occasional quick reference to sex. And yet, the relationships Ney develops make this book enjoyable despite the many issues listed above; not brilliant, mind you, but a comfort read for a tired, lazy evening, with some suspension of reality required.

2.5 stars! While I do not regret reading this, I could have chosen better.

So should you read this? If you like Ney and have read the other books in this series: go ahead. Never read this author before? Please don’t. Start with the Douchebag series. It doesn’t get better than that, IMO.

[Kristina · Rating 2 out of 5]

WHAT. IN. THE. FUCK. WAS. THAT?
This book gave me literary blue balls.
Sara Ney, what happened to you? Why do you hate your readers?
This was the most unsatisfying and lazy book I have read in a long while.
I’m not going to waste my time outlining this fucktastic plot and that shittastic ending. There are several really detailed reviews on why this book sucks already in existence.
Suffice it to say I want my money back, and I read this through KU so I want the value of the 6 hours it took me to read this back.
Here are the bullet points that I will NOT be elaborating on.
1. This guy was the worst depiction of an English person I have yet to read.
2. This book was boring until the 75% mark and then it was dizzying.
3. The ending was shite. Barely a hfn.
4. Sex scenes were shite, none of the smut was written to completion and Ney ftb on all orgasms.
5. So the ending, did I mention it was shite? Basically she ends up with him because she has nowhere else to go. She doesn’t decide to be with him, she literally ENDS UP with him.

That’s it.
I took a long break from Ms Ney after Hard Luck because all of her new stuff was disappointing. I saw these Jock Hards were back on KU so I thought, let’s pick up where I left off and see if there is any improvement......
Nope. Just nope. I’m sorry Sara, but we are breaking up for good. You don’t respect me enough to write a decent ending to fulfill me. That’s the unwritten contract between romance writers and readers. We need an HEA and we need satisfaction. You’ve broken your contract therefore we are over.

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

Um...no. This was definitely a miss for me, like a last few books in this series. Which is a shame, because it started off so promising, with 'Jock Row' which was a cute bag of uncomplicated angst-free fun.

I had a couple of issues with this story, but the main one was...PEOPLE DON'T TALK LIKE THAT. I swear, this was what was going through my head during 90% of 'Jock Royal'. To put a little bit of context to this - we have two characters here, Georgia, who has just moved to a new college during her senior year due to scholarship issues, and Ashley, who is a rugby player, a senior (so also around 21-22 years old) and a British dude from a posh aristocratic family (I mean, his father has a title of a baron, works in finance, they have an estate, went to boarding schools and all that jazz).

But with the way Ashley was written, you'd think he was a young lordling from 1830s, or sometimes an aristocrat from 1930s, or sometimes even from a different planet, and not a 22-year-old college jock who also happens to be British. Like sure, British English and American English have some differences, but it's STILL THE SAME FREAKING LANGUAGE. If I, a Polish woman, can understand and communicate with, let's say, a guy from Czech Republic, or from Slovakia, and they speak languages that are actually FOREIGN to me (even if from the same family), then Georgia has no excuses.

Then again, like I said before, dude was sometimes speaking as if he was from a couple of centuries back, so I guess she might have been a tad confused. But then she would be confused about the words that mean the same damn thing in AE??? I was facepalming so hard anytime that girl opened her mouth. On top of that, Ashley's BE was also...not good. Like I said, for one thing it was archaic, and secondly, sometimes British words were just used...incorrectly (for example "daft"). Again, I just need to say it again, the whole language barrier was so overdone and OTT, it crossed the line from funny to ridiculous somewhere on page 10 to be honest.

To prove I'm not exaggerating, here are some examples:

“Jack is…the opposite. Very proper lad, as you’d say. Buttons to the neck, same bird since we were in school, probably going to take a gap year after finishing college.”
Bird?
“What kind of bird?”
“I don’t know - she’s blonde. Her name is Caroline, quite a bitch actually.”
“His bird is a bitch?” I laugh. “What the hell does that even mean? It squawks too loud? Does it bite?”
Ashley considers me. “Are we talking about the same thing?”
“I don’t know—are we talking about an actual bird?”
He shakes his head. No. “His bird. His girlfriend? Caroline.”
I squint in his direction though he’s right in front of me. “Is bird one of those British terms that doesn’t mean the same thing in America?”
“Quite.”
Ahh, that makes sense andddd I’m an idiot.

YES. Yes, you are, why lie ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
But also, no one calls their girlfriend a "bird" as my British friend assures me, at least not since 1930 so -
Then again, around the time Ashley says the bird is blonde marks approximately the moment it starts to get embarrassing that you don't realize he doesn't mean an actual bird?

“She asked if you were attractive and I said yes.”
Except that one.
That I did not see coming.
“Oh.”
Attractive.
Is that British speak for cute? Or pretty?
Or hot?

I think, I THINK, "attractive" is "British speak" for - SPOILER ALERT - attractive. Phew, that was a tough one, I stretched some serious brain muscle there.

“My father is a baron - it’s not as posh or grand as an earldom, but it’s a title I’ll inherit when he passes.”
“What does that mean?”
“It just means he’s a peer among the aristocracy and so will I be, and so will my wife.”
Um. He needs to speak English. “Okay.” I’ll definitely be googling peer and aristocracy later when I’m alone.

Girl, I'm buying you that word-of-the-day toilet paper, seriously.

I lean over to the same guy who gave me the score to ask, “Does rugby have halves or quarters?”
He gazes back at me like I have three heads. “Halves.”
“How many?”
Another odd look. “Two.”

This is the moment an average, normal person cuts their losses and flings the book against the nearest flat surface, but not me, I dumbly bravely kept going 🙃

One, Ariel isn’t my type.
Too much makeup, too much lipstick, too much hair.
Fine, I’m a shallow bastard, sue me—but I like a woman I can take shooting in the country or lie around casually with, who feels comfortable enough in her own body that she doesn’t have to hide behind layers.

This isn't related to the language/wording issue but damn, don't you hate it when a male character starts to mansplain their stance on make-up? I swear, anytime I see stuff like that in books, especially some variation of "comfortable enough in their own body", I'm all:



Ok, rant (almost) over. The gist of it is...I did not have a good time. The sheer ridiculousness of HOW the characters were written and how they talked totally overshadowed any good vibes I was getting from their relationship and the romance itself. Because Georgia and Ashley DID have a few steamy and/or cute moments that I liked, but overall it was not enough to sway my opinion. Not to mention, the whole ending felt...rushed, lukewarm and -

[Lindsey Domokur · Rating 5 out of 5]

Did I refresh my kindle all day checking for this book? Yes. Did I read the whole thing in one sitting and stay up wayyyy too long reading it? Also yes. I loved this book and it's definitely my favorite of the series. It was so many of my favorite tropes rolled all into one. I won't spoil it, but one trope in particular has my heart. It is like Sara looked at a list of "Lindsey's favorite tropes" and wrote a book for me.
Georgia just transferred in as a senior, as a bit of a hazing prank her track teammates tell her she needs to go up to the most unattractive guy at the rugby house and ask him on a date. Well, unfortunately, Mr. Tall, Bearded, Scarred and Broody catches her eye first because she is just drawn to him, so he is chosen. Too bad he knows all about this little prank and has seen it before. Hilarity ensues.
Georgia needs to hunker down and just finish school so she can graduate and get out, Ashley needs to graduate so he can head back home to the UK and start his life. Neither of them have time for a relationship, so the friendship they form should be fine, right?
I will read anything that Sara puts in front of me, her heroes are just on another level for me. This book was no different. I can't wait to hug it when I get my copy.

[Sam I AMNreader · Rating 2 out of 5]

you know I can't resist

I'm not sure if I'd take the horrible misrepresentations of sport over the misrepresentation of the English-and have them be made into like 'a deal' everywhere it was so weird. Ash's usage seemed totally off to me, for one thing he never called his home country "England." It was always 'Great Britain' (another thing I feel like I don't see)

I kept thinking "I wish Ney hadn't made this choice and made it so central" which is a shame because the relationship itself was actually kind of sweet, but the details were a bit more uh--off? Just like sports details...you know? Like, my dad calls it a billfold, so I think that's a regional US thing too but I guess that's a British thing per our heroine...? So anyway, I'll give it a 2.5.

[Kristina · Rating 2 out of 5]

WHAT. IN. THE. FUCK. WAS. THAT?
This book gave me literary blue balls.
Sara Ney, what happened to you? Why do you hate your readers?
This was the most unsatisfying and lazy book I have read in a long while.
I’m not going to waste my time outlining this fucktastic plot and that shittastic ending. There are several really detailed reviews on why this book sucks already in existence.
Suffice it to say I want my money back, and I read this through KU so I want the value of the 6 hours it took me to read this back.
Here are the bullet points that I will NOT be elaborating on.
1. This guy was the worst depiction of an English person I have yet to read.
2. This book was boring until the 75% mark and then it was dizzying.
3. The ending was shite. Barely a hfn.
4. Sex scenes were shite, none of the smut was written to completion and Ney ftb on all orgasms.
5. So the ending, did I mention it was shite? Basically she ends up with him because she has nowhere else to go. She doesn’t decide to be with him, she literally ENDS UP with him.

That’s it.
I took a long break from Ms Ney after Hard Luck because all of her new stuff was disappointing. I saw these Jock Hards were back on KU so I thought, let’s pick up where I left off and see if there is any improvement......
Nope. Just nope. I’m sorry Sara, but we are breaking up for good. You don’t respect me enough to write a decent ending to fulfill me. That’s the unwritten contract between romance writers and readers. We need an HEA and we need satisfaction. You’ve broken your contract therefore we are over.

[Inna · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars. This book was just ok. I did like the general idea behind it, but the execution wasn’t always great.

So quick recap, H&h meet when she’s a bitch to him at a party. She’s being hazed by her new track teammates and told she has to ask the ugliest guy at the party on a date. 😖 She’s decides to fold to peer pressure and approaches the hero. He gets understandably butt-hurt by her actions but she manages to win him back over pretty quickly. Almost immediately after that, he decides he wants a roommate in his nice house and she must be the one. This part felt very out of place in the story. How random! So he persuades her to move in with him, she eventually agrees, and they become platonic roommates for a minute. Then about a month later, she wins a trip to Vegas, and takes him. From there, things between them get even more convoluted and very complicated. I’m not going to spoil what happens, but let’s just say that not everything stays in Vegas but they pretend like it does. They eventually get a pathetic HFN ending that basically ruined the crap out of the book for me.

So what’s good about this book? Certainly not the dumb hazing crap in the beginning, and definitely not how it ended. But there are a few middle portions that I found enjoyable. I even laughed a few times. Overall, I found the book moved along well enough that I didn’t want to quit reading.

But… I just feel like so much could have been done better!!! Why did the hero even want the heroine for a roommate? Wasn’t there a better way to approach this? I can think of a few. I also don’t understand the ending at all. Like is a half-assed HFN ending all we can expect from this author? How sad to know that she doesn’t even believe in her own characters staying together. They themselves weren’t fully committed at the end… still considering options for their future. Wtf is that?!?

The worst part of this book though was how often the heroine made comments about the hero’s British slang and/or accent. It was overkill to the point that it seemed to appear on every page multiple times. They couldn’t have a single conversational exchange without a comment about what x or y means in American English. Ms. Ney took this “difference in their speech” storyline and beat the proverbial dead horse over and over with it. Ugh it hurt to read.



Safety pretty good though, no others for either of them. Heroine was a lot less experienced than the hero. 🙄🙄🙄🙄 The typical double standard bs that so many romance authors love to write. His past is discussed with more detail than I felt was needed.

[Bookgasms Book Blog · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good gravy but I was obsessed with this book.

Ignore my family, ignore my responsibilities, late for my obligated social activities -- obsessed. I picked it up, found myself immediately lost in the magic that was Ashley and Georgia's chemistry, and I was a goner.

This story was so much fun. It's all low angst, heavy banter, with sparky sizzling chemistry for days. I loved the way Georgia and Ashley went from their decidedly not friendly "meet-cute" to friends, to so much more. I was a little taken-aback sometimes by how it all unfolded. There were a couple moments where I wasn't sure I was going to like where things were headed, but then...I did. Oh man, I liked it so much. It was so adorable and swoony and sweet and I reveled in it.

I loved that Ashley was a bit of a grump (my catnip!). I loved that Georgia's heart was so big. I loved that they were both flawed, but instead of coming off like a caricature of a flawed person, they presented as unapologetically human. I loved how organically their relationship seemed to evolve. I loved how sizzling hot they were, but how that was tempered with touches and cuddles and an aching sweetness that made my heart so happy.

My only complaint was that the ending left me feeling a little...at loose ends. After the ooey gooey feelings this story delivered over and over again, I felt like the ending fell a little flat. I don't know if I needed an epilogue, or just a little more closure - but I wasn't ready to move on yet, that's for sure.

In all? I lost an entire day to this book and I have zero regrets. It was the perfect flirty, romantic escape! This series has been one hit after another for me, and I am desperately hopeful for more to come! ~ Shelly, 4 Stars

[Alison · Rating 2 out of 5]

As someone who is actually British, I found it very difficult to get past Ashley’s character. The phrases he uses are not how English people speak to the point some of it doesn’t make sense. Some examples being “daft” being described as meaning you’re crazy when it actually means you’re being stupid; thongs used instead of flip flops (I actually think thong is an Australian term for them) and him supposedly not knowIng what “strapped for cash” means when it’s a commonly used term in the UK. I think it would have benefited from a Brit reading it at the editing stage. All in all the story itself was OK, but I think you’ll enjoy it more if you’re not British!

[Nadine · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Jock Hard series is on my tbr list for a while now and I finally gave in, starting the series backwards :-D not the usual way to do so, but I don't regret a single thing. Starting this series with Jock Royal was definitely not a bad move at all, because this book is fantastic!

Georgia and Ashley, their story is such an adorable, playful and funny read!
The fun banter, some really hilarious, keep you smiling through the whole book.

Jock Royal is such an easy read, it's perfect for in-between some heavy reads to light up your mood.
Sara Ney delivered what she'd promised.

[Carmen Rae · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ahhh, sometimes I really hate having to write reviews. And today my brain feels like it can't compute much more than a thumbs up and a grunted "was good" but I will try.

Sara Ney is an awesome author, and her Jock Hard series has been great. I've thoroughly enjoyed them, so the choice to read this one was a no brainer. I don't think I even read the blurb before I picked it up. And as I was reading it, I had zero regrets. I love her writing style and the story was good.

Georgia was a character who I was slightly annoyed by. She made stupid choices and followed that up with burying her head in the sand. I don't know that she made an actual choice for herself that wasn't pushed by someone else. Yet she wasn't a bad person and other than that one character flaw she was genuinely nice.

Ashley on the other hand was perfect. He didn't play games or hold grudges. He was completely understanding and accepting. Everything he did made me love him more and it didn't hurt that I could picture this big, buff, bruised, rugby player speaking in a hot English accent.

I do have to complain that the epilogue felt like a random chapter at the end of the book and not an epilogue. I wanted more of their happily ever after and further into their future. But I'm greedy like that. Sorry not sorry. And now we wait for the next book.

[Fanny · Rating 3 out of 5]

El estilo de Sara Ney es bastante curioso, siempre que leo una de sus historias lo pienso, nunca sigue la linea que yo preveo, cosa a la que me he acostumbrado con el paso de sus lecturas, ya que en un primer contacto no me dejo del todo satisfecha.

Jock Royal es un libro muy ameno de leer, algo que valoro aun mas en este momento, ultimamente me esta costando engancharme con la lectura, sin embargo, con esta novela me olvide de ese hecho, era la unica lectura que realmente me apetecia leer sin importar lo cansada o estresada que estuviera.

La historia de los protagonistas no es que sea la octava maravilla, es mas, creo que algunos puntos pudieron haber sido mas explotados, no obstante, ellos como personajes resultan muy simpaticos, por lo que al final te quedas con unas buenas vibraciones.

Otro aspecto que me gusta de estas novelas es que no hay ningun tipo de drama y tambien que no suele haber malentendidos entre la pareja principal, recurso que suele verse en demasiados romances y que no me gusta lo mas minimo.

En fin, Jock Royal es simple, lo que parece con la sinopsis es lo que hay. Fresco y divertido.

2.75 Estrellas!

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars!

Listen, the British representation in this book was a big, fat NO from me.
I refuse to believe that Sara Ney spoke to anyone from England before she wrote this book. Flat out refuse. It was ridiculous.
For Gods sake, she said that Ash didn't know what a hotdog was. Everyone in England knows what a fucking hotdog is!
The story itself was okay. I think if you're not British, you wouldn't notice how off target the vernacular / British slang is and you'd enjoy it a lot more. But, for me, I just couldn't get past it.
It was like Sara Ney heard these ‘British’ words and phrases, had absolutely no idea what they meant, decided to take a wild guess and then just threw them in there in all the wrong places.
I know the next book is about Ashley’s brother, who of course is also British and I’m going to say that that book will have the same issues as this one, so I think I’ll end this series here.

[Amy | Foxy Blogs · Rating 4 out of 5]

JOCK ROYAL
● college sports romance
● track / rugby
● transfer student
● fugly initiation
● fake dating
● mac-n-cheese
● Georgia (American) & Ashley (British)
● weekend trip to Vegas
● standalone

Audiobook source: Audible
Narrator: James Evans & Arielle DeLisle
Length: 9 H 47 M

[ʚ Aileen ɞ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was actually off to a good start. I liked the dynamic between Georgie and Ash, but as soon as she moved into his house and became his roommate, everything just happened in a rush. The ending was pretty unsatisfying. I mean, seriously? They marry at the age of 22. In Vegas. While being drunk off their asses. Ash is Mr. Proper in person and the least likely man on earth to get hitched to a girl he barely knows, so this was a downer. I expected more!

[Nicolette · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[• Lisa • · Rating 2 out of 5]

WHERE do I even start, this book is so hard to rate - I enjoyed the storyline, I loved when this couple finally got together and there were scenes that I really enjoyed BUT and it’s a huge BUT this book featured a British character and I hate to say this but the language/slang/dialogue that was used was not accurate at all (in fact it was bizarre). Really such a shame because I normally adore this author. I’m hoping that the next release is a winner and I would urge any author who creates a character from a different country from their own does the research or editing that’s needed. 🥴 British readers beware this book will dive you batty. 🤦🏻‍♀️

Book: Jock Royal
Author: Sara Ney
Star rating: ⭐️⭐️

[AJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

A fun and chemistry-filled friends-to-lovers romance that made me laugh and left me smiling.

Although this is part of the Jock Hard series, this book is a complete standalone, with no character crossover from other books – they are all just set among the athletes of the same mid-western College.

Georgia has just transferred colleges in her senior year so that she can claim an athletic scholarship, and during her first night of socialising, she meets rugby star, and member of the British Aristocracy, Ashley. It doesn’t go well, and Georgia ends up making a horrible impression. Mortified and desperate to make amends, she goes out of her way to seek Ashley’s forgiveness, and the two of them end up forming an unlikely friendship. And when Ashley invites Georgia to move into his off-campus housing as his roommate, they become the best of friends.

This is such a sweet friendship. Ashley and Georgia are lots of fun together – they joke, laugh and tease, and they have a great dynamic. Underpinning it all is a wild attraction for the other, which makes the whole thing that much more entertaining. They are both lusting after the other, but neither of them want to ruin what they have, and with Ashley returning to England at the end of the year, there’s no point in starting anything. But that doesn’t stop each of their encounters sizzling with sexual tension, and the feeling of anticipation is electric!

I can feel his gaze … filling my body with tingles the way a body should react when you’re insanely attracted to someone but too afraid to say something.
Nervous energy.
Electric energy.
Flirty, alive energy.

A weekend trip to Vegas will change everything when alcohol, alone time, and the giddiness of new experiences tears down their walls, and I loved watching the shift happen! It’s funny, honest, and wildly sexy, and they quickly realise that was originally meant to be an easy weekend of rule-breaking, is anything but.

What is this?
What is happening?
He says my name again, but this time, it’s aloud through the kiss.
This is not how this is supposed to be…
We are not supposed to feel this close.

I loved these characters, and I really enjoyed their story. The friendship and all of that chemistry is really well written, and the build-up to their inevitable coming together is fantastic. I laughed with them, I felt all of that sexual tension with them, and I was feeling the attraction right alongside them, and I was loving the ride!

Seeing them come together was everything I was hoping, but once they find their way to each other, the book's pacing shifts, and the story moves really quickly, and we only get glimpses into the next part of their lives. Then the book ends abruptly, and what should be the ending is actually the epilogue, and there is no actual epilogue to show us what happens to them in the future. Don’t get me wrong, I was happy with where the story (post-epilogue) finished, I just wanted a bit more from those final chapters.

It’s definitely a fun read though, with lots of scenes that made me chuckle. And as a non-rugby fan myself, Georgia’s description of the sport had me laughing so hard!

The field appears.
It’s filled with dirty giants.
Grunting, shouting, dirty giants, tossing around an oblong ball that kind of looks like a football but isn’t.
… I have zero clue what’s happening on the field, transfixed as a mass of players begins piling up when one goes down, climbing over each other, elbows and knees flying.
Faces get smashed.
Mud everywhere.
One guy’s nose begins to profusely bleed as he steps away from the pack, and for the love of all that is holy, what the hell is going on?
I’d compare the sight to a cross between the Scottish Highland games and an actual brawl—it’s not a fight but it looks like one?
I’m so confused.

I really enjoyed this one, it just needed a little bit more in the ending to push it to 5 stars.

4 stars.

An Advanced Reader Copy of this book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

[Melissa Machado · Rating 4 out of 5]

  ***Review copy requested and reviewed on behalf of OMGReads Blog***


Jock Royal is book four of the Jock Hard Series. This is a complete standalone, sports romance following Ashley Drysdale-Jones and Georgia Parker's journey. Their story was an entertaining and easy read.

Ashley can be dry, somewhat arrogant, but he's also honest, well mannered, and seems to be wise beyond his age. Georgia is kind, hard working, optimistic, and fun to be around. They are both athletic and seem to be lonely even though they have a ton of teammates and coeds they can hang out with. Their is a pull between them and they enjoy each other's company and bantering.

I must say it feels good to be back on Jock Row! I can always count on Sara's sports romances to have humor and some epic embarrassing moments, and this book was no different. The was also a slow burn and totally unpredictable. I thought they made a really sweet couple and once they got past the awkward stage they had undeniable chemistry. I hope there are more books to come in this series!

[Raine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good slow burn story

I really liked this book especially the parts close to the ending, but was a little disappointed with the epilogues.

[R · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ll start by saying that I loved the Douchebag series and this one so far, they’ve made me laugh a lot. I like Sara Ney is a really talented author.
However, this one I couldn’t get past the second chapter and I’m so disappointed. I’ve given it three stars because I massively appreciated her use of bollocks.
I’m from England and I couldn’t understand half the stuff she had Ashley saying. Some sentences like ‘your bullshite is pissing it down’ didn’t even make sense. Also no one outside of Mary Poppins and people under the age of 80 say barmy and even then it’s usually only reserved for cricket. And daft is northern but this guy is from Surrey. There was more but I don’t want to rip it apart because writing a book is a skill which she has in spades.
All it would have taken is someone from England to proof read it. And I’m sure it’s a cute story, but I couldn’t get past Ashley.

[катя⁷ · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was...painful to read ngl.

[Liz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Full disclosure I'm British, I only got part way into this book and I don't know what research if any the author did on how we speak English here but it literally didn't make sense.

"You are barmy, is this a jest" ? Who the f*ck says "is this a jest" .

"Pissingdown bullshit" 🤷‍♀️

Cleats what are these ? Guessing she means studs ie on boots.

It was really bad.

If I was from elsewhere im sure I wouldn't have found it so bad but I couldn't get over how badly written the dialogue was for Ashley.

I didnt read it all, pissed me off too much. I normally like Sara Ney but if you're not even going to put a little bit of effort to get someone British to proof read it then that's shite.

[BookishDee · Rating 2 out of 5]

What happened to Sara Ney? This author used to have witty banter, descriptive scenes & engaging characters. As of lately, it’s like she grasping at straws with formulaic plots and regurgitated characters. No witty dialogue, no heartwarming meet-cutes. I’ve been so disappointed in her work lately. I don’t know why I keep buying her books. It’s like she has a 20 book deal, so she keeps churning out mediocre storylines.

[c a r í · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jock Royal is book 4 in the Jock Hard series
by Sara Ney. You can read this as an STA.
In this book, we met our main characters -
Ashley and Georgia. Georgia is a new transfer
to this university that's why she needs to do a sort of
initiation to BE PART OF sorority even if she's a senior in
college. The bet was, she needs to ask someone for a date,
THO the guy should be an "ugly one". Enter our
hero Ashley who's a British and rugby player,
since our heroine is panicking at that time,
the first guy that caught her attention,
surprise, surprise is Ashley, she went to him, yet
unbeknownst to her that Ashley is certainly
aware of this dare.

Then the narrative goes from
there. What I like most about the book
is undoubtedly the build-up of the relationship
bet. our main characters are very well done. hilarious
banter, and great character dynamics. However in the
last 80% of the story dragged on unnecessarily,
to the point of me being bored by it.
I just wanted it to be done.

The ending was felt rushed and an HFN.
Overall the beginning was the highlight of the book
for me, but the latter just went downhill,
ergo for my rating.

[Patricia (Spellbound Stories Trish) · Rating 4 out of 5]

One hilarious mishap lead to a story that will have me laughing for days!

Georgia and Ash met under unusual circumstances and let me tell you men have some big feelings haha! Poor Ash makes Georgia work for his forgiveness and it’s hilarious how she doesn’t give up but will also not be a door mat!

There were many surprises and definitely crazy twists in this story but I enjoyed every word of it! Georgia and Ash are both very independent and at first May have seen polar opposite but as they got over their stubborn pride they learned that they had a lot in common and I enjoyed seeing these two characters get to know one another and grow!

[Lisa Mandina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story was a lot of fun, and I really enjoyed jumping back into the Jock Hard world by Sara Ney. It was fun having a British hero. Now I have to say, the fact that Georgia picked him at first for the dare her new track teammates were making her do as part of a hazing ritual made it hard for me to picture him as anything other than a big lumbering doofus at first. Of course, whenever that got going too much in my brain, I just went and looked at the cover and got a better image in my head to carry on. The back and forth between Georgia and Ashley was perfect though. Not too much, not too silly or out there, but exactly like something that would be real.

Ashley was a surprise in all the ways. He really was a good guy as it says in the blurb above. A really, really good guy. His English background and family were kind of a surprise as well, especially how they reacted when things got crazy in Vegas at the end. But I mean a good surprise, one I won’t spoil for you if you haven’t read yet. And while I couldn’t believe how long it took Georgia to tell her own parents about the oopsy moment, I hate to say it, but I know I’ve hidden large things like that in my own life from my parents at times. No, nothing that major, but big things I was worried about how they would react. In the end, I feel like her parents also surprised me in how they behaved, but I think it was a very healthy way to react, and something maybe my own parents should have done earlier with me.

Now Ashley has a brother, and while he doesn’t really fit into the Jock Hard world, with what happened between him and his girlfriend at the end of this story, I’m kind of hoping the author will give him his own book at some point!

Another fun jocktastic (Is that a word? Should it be?) read from Sara Ney.

Review first posted on Lisa Loves Literature

[Suzanne · Rating 1 out of 5]

Short… could of had potential

Bad….the American to English wasn’t right…words he used… wouldn’t be used by anyone with that upbringing…did anyone who is English check this over beforehand? Don’t think so
Bird??? Nope…a word that was maybe used in the dark ages…and sooo not used with upper classes
cleats ??? No…. Never been used
English use miles not kilometres…..
these are just 3 incorrect… there were quite a few …and for me spoiled the below average book to make it pants

[Kodie Mackay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just love this series. It's witty and filled with all the weird and wonderful shit that cracks me up.

Jock Royal is the story of Ashley and Georgia. Two completely opposite personalities who clash in the most awkward of ways and have this frenemies feel for a hot minutes before it becomes more like a friend's to lovers situation.

Ashley is a British rugby play with a well to do family and power to back the money they seem to have an abundance of. I wouldn't go as far as to say he's stuck up himself... But he's definitely blunt to the point of brutal on times and closed off. That's a British thing though for sure. Once you get past his tough guy shell he's actually lacking in some confidence and genuinely sweet. I really enjoyed his character and loved the growth from when he met Georgia to the end.

Georgia literally uplifted her life and moved states just to keep doing what she loves on scholarship. In doing that she found herself vulnerable and bending to others wants and that led her to an awkward blunder that made her look stupid. It was a learning curve for her for sure. I really liked her character... She doesn't quite have her shit together, which lets be fair is understandable given her age and life experiences. But she sweet and just all round pleasant company.

These two had this sweet slow burning almost shy like chemistry that blossomed as their journey progressed and their comfort around eachother grew. I really enjoyed their easy banter and hilariously awkward shenanigans. I felt like they really bloomed together and despite their obvious differences, they meshed well as friends and a couple. It felt easy and natural which made it believable.

I really enjoyed their story. I don't know what I expected but this really read well and the time flew by for me reading it because I was so immersed in their world. It's sweet and funny and at times frustrating. It's also tension filled and a whole lot teasing. As per with a Sara Ney book you have some fabulous sarcasm, hilariously dysfunctional shenanigans and relatable characters that draw you in. This series as a whole is just feel good reads and this is a great addition.

Also... As a British person I can happily say Ash read well!. I was creased at some of the terminology used because it's stuff I rarely see in books but say most days myself!.