Release Blitz & Review: The Lion Heart - Carrie Aarons

 The Lion Heart (Rogue Academy, Book Two)

Author: Carrie Aarons

Genre: Sports Romance, New Adult

Date: September 15, 2019

He’s supposed to be the ruler of this kingdom.
The prince poised to take his rightful place on the pitch.
Instead, he plays the jester, shunning his legacy.
Only I am privy to his lion heart.

Kingston Phillips is the heir to England’s football dynasty. The offspring of two of the world’s greatest players, the expectations set on his shoulders could crush the universe. But the golden-haired Adonis chooses to live his life as a game; a series of nightclubs, brawls, pranks and different kit chasers parading through his sheets.

I’m the last woman he should chase, and I’ve told him so. My cheeky mouth and icy demeanor guard the secret no one can learn. But when the Casanova I’ve been avoiding becomes the bloke next door, he quickly begins to thaw the frost around my heart. Kingston shows me the ferocious, loyal, protective side of himself that no one else gets to witness.

I begin to realize that he’s just as damaged as I am.
That as much as I try to deny it, we’re the same.
And ... that might just be our undoing.

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Review

4 stars

Kingston Phillips has only ever been shot down by one woman, Poppy Raymond, and he's finally done what she said he had to do to get her attention. He's finally made it to the elites, as part of Rogue Football Club's team Kingston should be able to do anything, but just as Poppy shoots him down he shoots himself down too. Poppy makes Kingston question what it is about football, and being on top, that he loves so much and he's put to the test to prove he belongs there. Along the way he discovers a little challenge never hurt anybody and Poppy, the ice queen, is the best prize he could ask for. As Poppy and Kingston see in one another the darkness they keep within themselves, sparks could fly or they could go up in flames.

"If you believe you're untouchable, you take risks. Risk that the public can see, and ones you're not afraid of answering for."

We first met Kingston Phillips in The Second Coming, a certain scene in that novel with a certain model actually is the kick off to his own story. Kingston is all good looks, charm, and sexual appetite, he's never wanted or needed more. He's the bad boy with an attitude and in The Lion Heart we learn why. It's hard not to like Kingston's swagger and antics, but Poppy Reynolds putting him in his place and then proceeding to draw out a side of him no one has ever seen before is what makes this book so good. The growth they experience and the impact these two characters make on one another is unexpected. It's lust and sexual tension and a heaping pile of humility for Kingston. In The Lion Heart we learn about the dark side to wealth and notoriety. We learn about the secrets, lies, and ugly truths the two swallow to remain on top and what an expensive price it is to pay. I loved reading about them peeling back their layers for one another, each hiding behind beautiful masks and finding love despite it.

"Oh, you'll see. This girl is going to be the end of Kingston Phillips. I can see it already."

It was so nice to visit the Rogue Academy boys, this trio of men have so much to give and their unique stories make the series really stand out. Yes, they're romance novels, but beyond that they aren't predictable. In The Second Coming the sports aspect really led the story, in The Lion Heart we dive into the deep end of fame and fortune, and now we wait for the next. I personally cannot wait to see where Vance's story will take him. The ladies of this series don't take anything lying down and the transformation from the trio of single men to taken men is so entertaining. Carrie Aarons has created a sports romance series with heart.

About the Author

Author of romance novels such as The Tenth Girl and Privileged, Carrie Aarons writes books that are just as swoon-worthy as they are sarcastic. A former journalist, she prefers the love stories of her imagination, and the athleisure dress code, much better.

When she isn't writing, Carrie is busy binging reality TV, having a love/hate relationship with cardio, and trying not to burn dinner. She lives in the suburbs of New Jersey with her husband, daughter and Lab/Great Dane rescue.
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