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Tough Games #1

Only Work, No Play

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MP3 CD Format After two years of taking care of her heartbroken father, Evie needs a new start. Leaving the States and following her sister to Australia to work as the personal assistant of rugby star Xavier "The Beast" Stevens seems like the right kind of distraction.

Tall, muscled, and devilishly handsome, Xavier is the love 'em and leave 'em kind of guy. He never forgets a girl's name because he never bothers to remember it in the first place. Evie soon realizes that being Xavier's assistant is a 24/7 job; the man seems unwilling to even set an alarm for himself.

As she watches him move from one woman to the next, Evie is glad that her heart is safe from his attention. After all, she's a far cry from the size zero models he usually takes to his bed.

But soon being around Xavier doesn't feel like a job and seeing him walk around his apartment half naked all the time isn't helping either. Evie knows that giving in to her attraction will lead to heartbreak, but when Xavier starts treating her as more than just his assistant, resisting his charms seems like an impossible task.

1 pages, Audio CD

First published February 12, 2019

433 people are currently reading
2911 people want to read

About the author

Cora Reilly

49 books29.1k followers
I'm an Mafia Romance writer. I'm a lover of good food, wine, travel and books, and I'm hopelessly addicted to bad boys (in books).

If you are a fan of audiobooks, many of my books are already available as audios & on Audible:
https://books.apple.com/us/author/cor...

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5 stars
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 446 reviews
Profile Image for  ⚔Irunía⚔ .
431 reviews5,502 followers
November 12, 2020
*The cover should feature an ugly looking cockroach to match the hero*

I cannot even say I hated both main characters. I just felt repulsed.
The so called "hero" is a cheater and disgusting character in general. Zero charisma. No depth. Null respect for the heroine. Nada. I didn't see him as someone with personality. I didn't see the appeal AT ALL. I perceived him as a cocroach, the ugliest of them. If I were in the h's SHOES (God forbid) , I would be revolted to look at it let alone allow it to touch me with its dirty anything.

Not only was the heroine insecure af she also let the hero walk all over her multiple times without any retaliation on her part. Stupid doormat🤦‍♀️
Zero chemistry. Null self-respect. NO LOVE. No self-love. Repulsive main leads. Nothing remotely interesting.
So lame.
I wish I never ever opened this book.
Profile Image for Fre06 Begum.
1,260 reviews205 followers
February 11, 2019
This was AWFUL! If you like manwhore’s who sleep with so many women they even lose track and weak pathetic “heroine’s” who still lust/love him even though he sleeps with women even after sleeping with her, then you will love this book. This guy was disgusting and he seriously made my skin crawl there was nothing sexy about this guy. As for pathetic h she seriously needed to have more self respect! I feel so icky after reading this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Snow.
2,323 reviews730 followers
February 13, 2019

yeah, when i saw the name Cora Reilly, my ears perked and I jumped in...

Fuck it, but after finishing it...



damn...I hate it...I was actually so disappointed, cause WTF?!
Considering how Cora writes her mafia series, I was so unpleasantly stunned by this delivery... *sigh*

crap, the H was a dickhead...truly

the drama was kinda shallow...I mean he "fucks and rucks" everything that is of female gendre...and well, he's shallow like the every regular guy, right?! he gives the press, cause hell he's a rugby superstar and all, everything "false" and "empty" everyone expects of him...

Dude, really?!

So, he picks our heroine, who is plump and curvy and so NOT the type he goes for?!

Really?! But how come? He fucks everything that is female? No?

Why is she any different?

cause she doesn't LOOK like every other skank that services him?

well, buddy...fuck you!

and the other thing, every woman that thinks she's fat just cause she has curves and loves to eat like a human being, is NOT FAT and is NOT to consider anything BUT the perfect specimen of a normal, healthy woman...or so is it supposed to be,...anyway, it's not the case with our heroine... *sigh*

So, not only she's insecure in her looks BUT she feels like a doormat too...

God, I won't go, into the detailed shit that goes on between them, cause he's a dickhead and dipshit idiot dick...cause yeah, he finally comes out of his own stupid ass and figures shit out BUT still, dude...you are an inconsiderate dick ASSHOLE, dipshit and I am disappointed...

and it's a lame dickshit move you pulled, hotshot super rugby star...my ass *pfft*

anyhow...moving on
Profile Image for Sabrina.
4,278 reviews2,386 followers
June 24, 2019
NOW LIVE!
Amazon US * Amazon UK
Enter Giveaway HERE



Only Work, No Play is a pretty cliche book. But it was a good cliche book. We have the manwhore athlete who doesn't want commitment, and the shy and loner type heroine that swears up and down that she won't fall for the playboy. Cora Reilly was able to put her own spin on this trope and wrote a very interesting story with it, which I found to be amazing. She had me heavily invested into these characters' lives from the start and once I picked up this book I couldn't put it down.

Xavier and Evie were both well developed characters that I liked getting to know, though I will say that I wanted a little more from Xavier. What really got me about their relationship was that it wasn't a sudden change from friendship to more. There was a slow burn feeling to it and they progressed at a good pace. Sometimes with this trope it's almost like the feelings are a last minute thought and not something that's evident throughout the story. But that was not this book. It was the exact opposite of that and for that alone I was loving the book.

Bottom line, these characters will get you right in the feels and their story definitely gets a thumbs up from me. I'm really curious to see what else the author has in store for us with this series now so I can't wait for more.
ARC kindly provided in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Darlene I read WAY to many books.
3,674 reviews2,425 followers
Read
February 11, 2019
Okay.. so my friend asked me to read this book cuz she loved it.. so i said okay.. i didn't read the blurb cuz if its a trope i hate i would not read it lol and lie lol i should have read the blurb xD

Already first few chapters i hate Xavier.. he is a HUGE MANWHORE.. AND IS SLEEPING WITH A WOMAN!! Also hes a dick.. like a huge dick.. :/

1. Evie walks in on him having sex... yeah i already hate this and i cant root for them sorry nope no
2. He also has sex again when they have this fun movie night.. she started getting feelings.. then crushed by what he did..
3. And again when he first kissed her..
4. then after there first night together.. HE TOOK HER V-CARD few nights later HE SLEEPS WITH SOMEONE ELSE...
i swear to many OW.. dont waste your time.. im slap my friend for saying this was a good book.. this guy doesn't deserve our girl.. and i still dont like him

But i do love Evie shes a curvy sassy ill kick your balls gal.. and i felt bad for her when ppls made fun of her weight.. she deserved so much better... i would have given it a star for Evie.. but she was weak after.. her still being his assistant and watching all that when she cared for him..
Profile Image for NiCoLeTa E. {Addicted To Books}.
1,554 reviews82 followers
February 19, 2019
***3,75 "He f**ks and rucks!!!" stars***



"Love hadn't been part of the plan."

Well, this was a pleasant surprise!!!
I love Cora Reilly's mafia books, but it was a lovely experience to read something else by her and especially a sports romance with a cocky rugby player who won't have his hands full of blood!!! Bahaha...
Now, you will ask me, if i did like it, why the low rating???? (Okay, not so low!!! Bahaha...)

Until 60% of the book, i was very satisfied, even though Xavier was making me furious in many ways, but lately, i'm finding myself very often to get bored when the heroes are coming way closer and that was the deal in here... And that no sex rule was giving in my nerves, because it came too late in the equation....
And, Evie's low self- confidence about her looks was making me mad!!!! And all this talking about carbs through the whole book!!!! My self confidence got so low too and i hated it, because hey, I love to drink a real beer once in a while!!!! Bahahaha...



Well, Evie was taking care of her widower father for the last three years, but now, her twin sister is insisting for her to start living and to get in Australia to live with her and her boyfriend... She had already find her and a good job!!! She could be Xavier _The Beast_ Stevens's assistance (Ahem!!! Babysitter i meant!!!), a famous and huge rugby player...
So, Evie is taking a chance to change her life and she is flying into Australia...
And then, she is meeting her new employer and she is not so sure anymore about anything!!!!

Xavier is a cocky bastard... He is gorgeous, huge in built, hard worker, very irresponsible and of course, a man slut!!!! Every night, he has on his bed a different woman and the next morning, he just throwing them out of his condo...
Evie's job is to remind him vital things and to help him with anything that he wants assistance... The thing that she must not do never is to let him bed her!!!



"This man would definitely be my undoing."

Evie is attracted to Xavier from the first moment, but she knows how to hold her own in front of him... After all, Xavier is used to model material women and Evie is far away from them...
As the time is passing by, Xavier and Evie are getting to know each other and they are having fun in each other's presence...
So what will happen between them???
Will Xavier manage to keep it in his pants and to not hurt the only woman that he actually likes???
Will Evie manage to keep her heart unattached by his charms???
And if they end up in bed, what are the odds to stay in each other's life???

"I couldn't sleep with Evie. I didn't want to lose her, and sex would make that outcome inevitable."



"He needs a woman who makes him believe in his goodness."
"It's not like that between Xavier and me. I'm his assistant and friend. He doesn't see me as more than that. I'm not his typr, for obvious reasons."
"I have eyes, and I know my son. I have a feeling you might be the one to crack through his shell."


Well, i liked Xavier and Evie...
Evie was a wonderful person and i loved her snarky comments toward Xavier... I liked how she was putting him in his place... What i didn't love was that she minimized her self all the damn time for one reason or another... Also i didn't like near to the end, the no sex rule because it seemed a little bit irrational...
Oh!!! And i honestly don't know how would i act if i was in her shoes... I think it was very stupid and brave of her that she accepted all those shitty things that Xavier did after they ended up in bed!!!!



"Somewhere along the way I had fallen for Xavier. Not for the brash manwhore or the arrogant asshole, but for the glimpses of the kind, funny Xavier that he so rarely showed to the outside world.
Oh, Evie, you idiot."


Xavier was a real asshole, especially toward women.... But i liked the guy!!! He was funny and persistent and he had more depth that he was showing to the world... With Evie, he was becoming a different man, but he didn't really know what he was doing because his mind had stuck in something in the past... So, he was declaring all the damn time that he wasn't dating!!! Okay, we totally understood it after the second day in the row that a woman was leaving his dirty bed....
Now, i won't criticize his behavior toward Evie, you know when, but it was a shitty thing to do.. The after i mean!!! But i can accept it, because it seemed more realistic....
If he was just becoming a different and sweet man, it would be an utter bullshit!!! And even though, he had hurt Evie very much, i prefer it that way.... And sorry, if my opinion is offending some of you!!!



"Evie, I don't deserve you, I hope you realize it, but I should tell you I have every intention of keeping you, deserving or not."

Well, as you realize, it was a nice effort by Mrs. Reilly, even though i didn't like everything in this book!!!
In this point, i would like to mention that i liked the crazy evil twin and her man, even though they were totally healthy freaks!!!!
I can wait for the next book!!!! If there will be one....

Profile Image for Sentranced Jem.
1,218 reviews610 followers
February 4, 2019
PSX_20190203_151526

Title: Only Work, No Play
Author: Cora Reilly 
nopéayteaser04
Cora Reilly, for me, is one of my go-to author's for a good mafia romance.
Luc and Aria FOREVER!
But then, there's Dante and Valentina too! SEE! So many good characters to swoon over!

So colour me surprised when I read the blurb of this book.
No mafia?
A sports romance?
Say Whhaaatttt?!

It really shouldn't be a surprise that my thoughts would be filled with a slight bit of skepticism when she decides to write a sports romance of ALL things!

Let me be the first to tell you, I was wrong.

Cora Reilly can write anything under the sun.

Only Work, No Play was heavenly!!!
Surprisingly real, this book was quite entertaining.

A little slow build up in the beginning but overall this book is definitely worth the time and energy.

Evie is a sweetheart while Xavier is the complete opposite of Evie. To tell you the truth, Xavie is super confident, arrogant...he's basically a walking, talking greek God (and let me tell you...he knows it.) hahahaha.

Only Work,No Play was a joy to read and I am sure that Evie and Xavier will steal your heart.

If you are in the mood for a book that is filled with funny banters, amazing chemistry and simply fun and sexy. This book is it.

nopéayteaser02

Happy Reading!!

4-stars

Profile Image for CaRo.
181 reviews31 followers
February 23, 2019
Another chubby girl with low self esteem... come on guys do we really need a heroine (and I am using this term in a ironical way) who thinks and mentions her weight issues every waking hour - and also has people all around her who bitch about her weight too? and a guy who fucks every skinny skirt even after he takes her virginity... thats how you teach women some selfworth 🤮
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Bookgasms Book Blog.
2,863 reviews1,564 followers
January 31, 2019
GAH!! It's official. Cora Reilly can write anything she sets her mind to. Only Work, No Play was absolutely amazing!!! I loved Xavier and Evie so much. They had spitfire banter in spades and were so damn sexy! I loved their chemistry and connection and could not get enough!!

There aren't enough words in the dictionary to convey my absolute adoration of Cora Reilly's work. She writes from the heart and does not pull her punches. Her writing is natural, raw, fiery, heartfelt and honest and I love every word. That is exactly what we received in Only Work, No play when Evie decides to move abroad and become resident Rugby badboy and manwhore Xavier "The Beast" Steven's personal assistant. But neither of them could have expected the explosive fireworks that would develop between them.

I absolutely loved this story so much! Reilly portrayed Evie as an honest, relatable character with very real insecurities. She and Xavier were sheer opposites at first glance but once you delved deeper, it was very apparent how well meshed these two were. In addition, she was the only person to keep him on his toes and give him the sass that brought him down to his knees.  Xavier, likewise was famous for his antics on the field as well as off and always played a (badboy) part for the camera. But beyond that, like Evie, he was devoted to his family, loyal to his friends and inexperienced at love. Their lovestory was neither planned nor expected but was everything they both needed. I sighed and swooned and could not have asked for a better story. I look forward to more from this author in the future! Bravo! 5 stars! ~Ratula 
Profile Image for Selma.
487 reviews99 followers
January 20, 2019
Only Work, No Play by Cora Reilly is a sexy and funny standalone sports romance. It's a light, low angst and highly entertaining story about a young woman who moves from the States to Australia in order to work for a famous rugby player and notorious womanizer. I loved the forbidden factor in this book since it provided a crackling tension between the hero and heroine and a challenging work environment. Although the slow burn was making me crazy at times I've enjoyed the build up and the development of the lead characters and their relationship throughout the book.

Evie has been taking care of her heartbroken father after her mother's death for years while neglecting her own needs and wants. When her twin sister Fiona suggests for her to come to Australia and start anew with a job as Xavier - The Beast - Stevens' personal assistant she reluctantly agrees. Her new employer is a tall, muscled and handsome rugby player who is well known for his plethora of one night stands. Evie soon realizes that working for Xavier is a 24/7 job, since he heavily relies on her to organise his whole life and keep him in check. Watching him go through countless beautiful and thin women over time makes Evie glad that she is not his type. All her life she's been a curvy bookworm who never got any attention from the other sex. Being constantly around Xavier poses a huge problem since she is attracted to him. When he starts treating her as more than just his loyal employee resisting him will be a fruitless venture.

I adored sweet and kind-hearted Evie. She was such a wonderful and relatable heroine. It was so easy to connect with her. I could understand her doubts and insecurities about her body since all women have been through this at least once in their life. I'm not surprised that Xavier fell for her - there was nothing fake or superficial about Evie. She was honest and straightforward, playful and charming. Xavier is a multi-faceted hero who at first appears like your typical jock - ambitious, focused and self-absorbed. His real personality is not at all what he makes the press believe. Xavier is a dutyful son and brother who deeply cares about the people he loves. No wonder that Evie couldn't protect her heart from his kindness. I enjoyed their good natured banter as well as the sexy times and close intimacy between them.

I highly recommend this amazing story and truly hope that you will give it a fair chance. I'm a huge fan of Ms. Reilly's fantastic Mafia books and have devoured them all. When Cora announced that she is writing a book in another genre I was very eager to give it a try. I appreciate it when an author strives to give us something new and to explore new paths. She is indeed a very gifted and versatile storyteller who exactly knows how to put you under her magical spell. 5 playful stars!
Profile Image for Rejane.
1,366 reviews62 followers
no-way-jose
February 13, 2019
This blurb. 🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️
Just this part is enough to pass this book. Which woman wants a man who she has seen him with many women??? 🤭🤭🤭🤭

“Tall, muscled and devilishly handsome, Xavier is the lov’ em and leav’ em kind of guy. He never forgets a girl’s name because he never bothers to remember it in the first place.
Evie soon realizes that being Xavier’s assistant is a 24/7 job; the man seems unwilling to even set an alarm for himself.
As she watches him move from one woman to the next, Evie is glad that her heart is safe from his attention. After all, she’s a far cry from the size zero models he usually takes to his bed.”


https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Profile Image for Angie.
1,382 reviews121 followers
February 13, 2019
I don't think Reilly got the memo that this story has been done a hundred times. But if you're going to tackle it, it has to be special in some way. She does mafia well but this one was a big miss. Full of clichés, unoriginal plot, idiot virgin heroine, gross manwhore hero, overbearing sister/bff. It was one big eyeroll.
80 reviews1 follower
February 13, 2019
Profile Image for ♛ Jarusauskas .
390 reviews106 followers
February 13, 2019
1 Star.

What
the
fuck.

This chick it's so insecure it hurts my brain. She was all about her fat all the damn time, she couldn't take a compliment because she twisted it around to make the other person feel bad about it. Or she said something like 'he doesn't date girls like me' and the other person said 'true', she got offended, thinking 'ouch' and all that crap. Girl, if you don't want to get hurt then don't make that type of comments. Jesus Christ.

And don't get me started on this douchebag, Xavier. He was horrible and not in the nice, I-want-to-bang-you way. He treated girls like crap and felt no remorse about it. He fucked the fattie h and then fucked another size zero girl the next day so he could feel everything was normal.

What
the
fuck.


i'm done.
Profile Image for fay.
477 reviews
May 30, 2021
Manwhore hero and a pathetic heroine .

I lost count of the women he slept with since the beginning of the book . More described scenes of him getting bjs that I needed to read .
And the heroine khew all of that and she gave him her vcard.
I wanted to throttle her . Have some self respect.
Nothing interesting about those characters. Aside from xavier promiscuity and evie low self esteem.
Profile Image for Betül.
1,066 reviews292 followers
February 2, 2019
**ARC provided in exchange for an honest review**

description

Only Work, No Play is contemporary sports romance about a rugby player and his new personal assistant. Evie leaves the US and travels to Australia after her twin sister offers her an opportunity to work as a personal assistant to the playboy Xavier. It is more of a babysitting job, because Xavier definitely hasn't got his shit together even though he is an adult. This was a turn-off for me right from the start, he can't even set his alarm to be get up on time to make it to practice each day. In my opinion if you are an athlete you are at least disciplined enough to do that. I did enjoy the banter between the characters and I liked how their friendship/relationship developed in a slow and steady pace.

Another thing that bothered me after a while was Evie's insecurities, she really put herself down a lot. I was totally fine with it in the beginning because I totally got where she was coming from, but after a while it just got old. She needed to be reassured the whole life, which made me feel like she was not ready to be in a relationship and needed to work on herself first. Of course a boyfriend can help you, but you need to love yourself first before someone else can love you as well. Furthermore, I thought the ending was rushed, because I didn't feel like Evie and Xavier grew enough as a couple. I would've wanted them to work more on their personal issues. So I wasn't satisfied with the ending. Overall this was a light and fun romance, and it did keep me entertained until the end.
Profile Image for Helen Power.
Author 10 books629 followers
May 27, 2022
I started off loving this book, but it kind of goes downhill. I love Cora Reilly’s writing style in this book, and she takes a somewhat tried and true story and made it interesting enough for me to keep going.
While usually I love the insecure, weak(ish) heroine (to a degree), in this case, Evie’s insecurities got to be too much. She’s not thin like the girls that Xavier usually dates, and while I like that type of body-image angst in romance novels, it got to be too repetitive and also freaking annoying. Especially towards the end of the book. Usually in romance novels where the heroine is insecure in the beginning, she evolves as the book progresses and learns to love herself. Not so much in this one, sadly.
This all would have been okay if Xavier had been a redeemable hero. He does some pretty awful things in the book. This is especially weird, considering this is NOT a bully romance or even an enemies-to-lovers romance. I honestly needed him to grovel adequately in order for me to possibly forgive him, but that never happened.
3.5 stars
Profile Image for Kawthar.
39 reviews13 followers
February 11, 2019
***ARC WAS KINDLY PROVIDED BY THE AUTHOR FOR AN HONEST REVIEW**

This book was without a doubt different to the type of books we see from Cora, and I absolutely loved it! As soon as I realised the book was set in Sydney (my hometown) it made me so happy. All the locations that were mentioned ( manly beach, blue mountains, yennora ect..) were places that I've visited. The book contained a great strong heroin which enhanced the story. The banter/chemistry between the characters was great. Cora absolutely nailed her attempt for a more funny, sports romance.
Profile Image for Maria11.
2,000 reviews44 followers
February 20, 2019
Insulting

This book is insulting to any woman over a size 0. Apparently a woman in a size 12 is fat and couldn’t win a guy even if she put out. Since when is size 12 a plus sized model? The average woman is a size 14. Everyone in this book insulted Evie even her sister who was a complete bitch!

Total insult to woman no matter what size. Skinny woman are for one night stands, but us plus woman are good for the long run?!?! Alrighty! I love this author but I am sorry this just sucks
Profile Image for winotka.books.
362 reviews1,108 followers
August 13, 2023
Myśle, że jednak autorka powinna zostać przy mafijnych romansach, które od niej uwielbiam.
Bo ta książka była taka średnia mocno.
Główna bohaterka mnie drażniła tym jak często mówiła jaka to ona jest gruba i nie pasuje do niego (przepraszam bardzo ale rozmiar L to nie jest otyła osoba). A typ był takim typowym ruchaczem. Jakieś to wszystko dziwne było.
Profile Image for Steffi De Ceuster  ♥.
1,389 reviews125 followers
February 15, 2019
i wasn't sure about the rating..
I love this author she is truly amazing! This one just wasn't entirly for me..
There are certain things I don't enjoy reading about and that happened in this one..
Over all I enjoyed it, but that bugged me..
Not everyone makes a big deal about it..
Profile Image for Hasi | hasi.readsromance.
275 reviews114 followers
June 15, 2020
5 Stars!

✔️Manwhore hero
✔️Strong and funny heroine
✔️Boss-Employee relationship
✔️A lot of overtime at his penthouse


I'm speechless. I'm not a big fan of books where the hero continues his sexcapades after meeting the heroine. Especially in front of the heroine. And that happened a lot in this book. But somehow, I loved this book and I absolutely fell in love with the heroine.

Evie has been taking care of her father since her mother passed. Her sister left her to take care of the family while she moved across the world to live her life. Now, their father has finally found someone and Evie gets to live her life. When her sister advices her to move to Australia to work for the Rugby star, Xavier Stevens, as his personal assistant, Evie jumps on that chance.

Her first meeting with Xavier goes as well as expected. He tells her that she will be waking him, making his coffee and make sure he gets to practice in time. Catching your boss in bed with a female, in the middle of them doing it, is sure a hell of a first day on the job.

Xavier Stevens doesn't date. Ever. He's more of a wham bam thank you ma'am, kinda man. And he needs an assistant to wake him up and also help him kick out the flavour if the night come morning, among other things of course. But his problem has always been choosing his assistants based on how they look which then results in them ending up in bed together and then leaving him without an assistant. So when his best friend suggests his girlfriend's sister as his assistance he agrees. And when he first sees her he's shocked. She's not his type. His type is skinny models and Evie is curvy and different.

But soon he finds himself spending more time with his assistance outside of working hours but with his past and inability to commit to one women, will he end up breaking the heart of the one girl who actually sees the real him?

There is no cheating in this book but I'm going to warn you, there are a lot of OW. I think I lost count after woman number five but through it all, Evie was so strong. I loved that she was different from the others and that she didn't take shit from Xavier or his parade of women.


description
Profile Image for Kahea.
2,261 reviews123 followers
February 7, 2019
***4 Stars***

As soon as I saw the word ‘Rugby’ my interest was peaked (because rugby is kind of everything) and even before I finished reading the blurb I was making grabby hands at this baby and I ended up really, really enjoying this read. It was sweet, frustrating, swoon worthy and smexy and I ended up falling in love with the characters and wishing there were more words to read.

Xavier and Evie were definitely a pair. Evie, I totally connected with. I got her on so many levels it was kind of scary, but wonderful in the same breath because I could relate to all the crazy going on in her head. But what I ended up adoring about her was that despite how her insecurities affected her she was all kinds of sassy, sweet and down to earth. Xavier, it was easy to want to strangle him at times, OMG soooo easy because he definitely revelled in the manwhore lifestyle. But when he let the facade crack a little, the heart of the man beneath it was pretty golden and it was hard to not end up loving him.

Evie and Xavier’s journey to their HEA was all kinds of slow burn, frustrating and swoon worthy goodness. I loved how through their whole employer/employee situation they got to know each other and became friends without even realizing it. The attraction was there from the start and the chemistry only grew the more they were together until it exploded. Of course things aren’t smooth sailing and there were moments where a good Gibbs smack was definitely needed, but I really liked how everything worked out between them.

This is my first read by the author and I loved it. The writing was engaging, the pace was good and I enjoyed the dual first person POV’s. The story is very character driven and while there will be things that some will not like, I really did end up enjoying how both Xavier and Evie evolved. Nothing happened quickly and there were some things that still simmered a bit beneath the surface, but it all worked for me in the end. But what I loved the most were the characters. They were all well written and real. None of them were perfect, they all had their quirks, I ended up liking them all. So, if you love rugby and slow burn romances with great characters, then this is a definite must read for you!

~ Copy provided by InkSlinger PR & voluntarily reviewed ~

Profile Image for Sejla.
552 reviews62 followers
January 21, 2019
"Why did you agree to give this a try?” I whispered.
“I told you, because I don’t want to lose you.”
“As an assistant?”
Xavier nodded, then cupped my cheek. “As an assistant, as my friend, as the woman that gets me hard without even trying..."

Only Work, No Play was such an amazing read! I loved discovering another side to Cora Reilly. She will always be my queen of Mafia Books, but boy she can write sports romance too! She's such a talented and versatile author. But no matter if she writes about jocks like Xavier or Italian American mobsters, she always manages to make me fall in love with them. To be honest, bad boys are my cryptonite! But what makes a book perfect for me is not only a great hero, but a loveable, strong heroine too. And in Only Work, No Play we get both of that!

Evie needs a new start after taking care of her father for two years since her mother's death. Following her twin sister Fiona to Australia seems like a great idea. There she's supposed to work as the personal assistant of rugby star Xavier (The Beast) Stevens. Evie is excited about this opportunity, not being aware what she is getting herself into since Xavier is a tall, muscled adonis who never spends more than one night with the same woman and is unwilling to even set an alarm for himself or make his own coffee! As she watches him move from one conquest to the next, Evie is glad that she's safe from his attention because she's nothing like the size zero models he usually takes to bed. But when Xavier starts opening up to her and treating her as more than just his assistant, resisting his charms becomes an impossible task...

I absolutely adored Evie! She was smart, curvy and a little bid nerdy. All of her life she's been criticized for her looks, making her feel insecure about herself. Despite that, she was a strong and determined person with a beautiful heart. I loved her banter with Xavier, especially them discussing Marvel movies. Who would have thought that big, sexy Xavier was a little nerd himself? Both had more in common than they ever thought possible and their chemistry was off the charts! To be honest, Xavier has been a total jerk to her at the beginning, I really wanted to slap him hard! But he redeemed himself and showed us another side of him neither Evie nor I could resist.

A big thumbs up to Cora Reilly's first attempt at a fluffier, funnier story. She totally nailed this book, making it less about Rugby but more about the characters and their relationship. I really appreciated the fact that the heroine Evie was a curvy one who was not obsessed with sports and dieting. This is why I loved her so much and could easily relate to her. Thank you Cora for that! I truly had a blast reading Only Work, No Play and highly recommend it. 5 stars!
Profile Image for Mari.
2,129 reviews5 followers
July 21, 2019
2.5 stars

While rugby isn't my sport I enjoy reading it and the not my usual type blurb can be interesting. This is my first by the author and writing was easy enough I had hopes for this the start was fine. Though I don't know that good athlete needed that kind of PA really, well Evie is the exception maybe. Her tasks are way different as the blurb said.

While I did like the tension and friendship Xavier and Evie, there were some aspects of this I wasn't keen on and nagged at me. Like the repeated scenes of Xavier with his hookup and Evie being there, I get it he's a manwhore and known for his sexual proclivities. Evie has a twin Fiona, I get that they are oppossite in attitude and looks but I felt the comparison a lot, physically. Evie is curvy and not size zero and you can't forget it in the many times it's mentioned. I would say a bit of body shaming in a way. Xavier as charming and good looking as he is, can be very lackadaisical and immature. It went down hill as the book went along.

I like the cute and down side of Xavier with his family, he truly keeps up his image outside of that. Evie is adamant she's not Xavier type. Understandable since he parades around models and celebs a lot. Outside of that I just didn't connect to either character and kinda withdrew from the plot when
Profile Image for Maria (semi hiatus).
545 reviews113 followers
November 5, 2020
Hero is a major manwhore, disgusting! How can the heroine lust after this guy? When he takes her V-card he basically treats her like all the other women he slept with. Because she’s still his assistant she has to keep working for him at his house. When she walks in his apartment the next morning she hears him getting a BJ from OW and they walk down the stairs together afterwards. And the next morning the same OW leaves his bed again. Disgusting manwhore! He knows the h is there, how can he be so insensible to do that to her! He slept with several women after he had sex with the h. And this all takes place in only a few days guys! His excuse was because he felt guilty and wanted to forget the h. And this moron takes him back almost instantly! Stop treating yourself like a spineless doormat and move on from that guy. How can you still love someone after you’ve seen with your own eyes how he treats you and sleeps with OW?

When will writers get it that this is not a worthy HEA for the h? When will they get that the h should end up with a good guy and the manwhore H can rot in hell? If someone knows any books with this kind of ending, please let me know. I’m dying to read this kind of novels, just to see that the H gets what he deserves for being such a manwhore and treating the h so poorly.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Margo.
2,112 reviews130 followers
December 22, 2020
She has worked for him for a few months and has already heard him have sex with 50 women.
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