Boyfriend Bargain by Ilsa Madden-Mills

If you like second chance college sports romances with plenty of heat and drama, you’ll enjoy Boyfriend Material. The second in the Hawthorne University series brings us Eric and Julia’s story, and while we get a very brief glimpse into when they previously knew each other in prep school, the story picks up during college. Eric is still the popular hockey player, but Julia has changed quite a lot from the girl she was back in high school to the woman she is presently. Where she was once the scholarship kid with so much hope and hearts in her eyes for Eric, now she’s pretty jaded and working as a dancer at a club to make ends meet and pay off her debts. Something happens one night to bring these two back into each other’s orbits, and we get to see how they go from two people that no longer know one another to slowly something completely different.

These characters turned out to be so much more than I was expecting! Eric isn’t just some dumb jock with a reputation for breaking hearts. Turns out he’s got a lot on his metaphorical plate to deal with, and he’s not the calloused character that I thought he’d be. He’s got a lot of heart, and I liked seeing how his character developed. And Julia’s character wowed me with her tenacity and resilience despite the hand she’s been delt. I found myself really feeling for what she’s been going through, and I cheered for her throughout the book. I feel like the fact that she’s clearly gone through some things makes her character endearing, despite not necessarily having had to deal with what she has. There are pieces of her, whether it’s her hopes and dreams or her troubles or whatever else, that I think makes it easy to empathize with her.

And the storyline! This is not just another college sports romance. There are some very deep moments and also some situations that feel very real and might bring up some feelings for you. But it’s these parts of the storyline that made this book have such a gravity to it, and I loved finding out how the characters navigated everything going on. Eric and Julia’s story isn’t easy, but that’s what I like so much about it.

For readers that love a good enemies to lovers/second chance/college sports romance that’s filled with some rather complex issues, I definitely recommend Boyfriend Material. There’s drama, steam, and sweetness, and I can’t wait to see what else Madden-Mills has in store for the other characters.