What do you think?
Rate this book
Milwaukee Wolfpack #1
Scoring a Spouse
A professional soccer player. An overworked executive. A marriage of convenience. And too many secrets. The first in a brand new series from Liz Lincoln.
Erika Parker-Ward is living the dream--her professional soccer career is on the rise, and she's got her sights set on making the World Cup team for the US. But all of that could be over in a blink now that Erika's been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis.
Her plan? Keep the diagnosis hush hush by paying for private medical care, but the cost is threatening to bury her alive.
Nate Simmons owes all his success as a wealthy tech exec to the grandmother who took him in when he was orphaned at two. So when she wants to see him married before she dies of heart failure, he is ready to move mountains to give his beloved Oma her dying wish.
A chance meeting on the road brings these two desperate strangers together, and an evening of commiserating makes a potentially terrible plan seem pretty perfect: A marriage-of-convenience will give them both what they need.
It's strictly business, and everybody knows you should never mix business with pleasure..
Erika and Nate have plenty of secrets to keep--from the press, and from each other--but the biggest secret of all might be their true feelings.
Erika Parker-Ward is living the dream--her professional soccer career is on the rise, and she's got her sights set on making the World Cup team for the US. But all of that could be over in a blink now that Erika's been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis.
Her plan? Keep the diagnosis hush hush by paying for private medical care, but the cost is threatening to bury her alive.
Nate Simmons owes all his success as a wealthy tech exec to the grandmother who took him in when he was orphaned at two. So when she wants to see him married before she dies of heart failure, he is ready to move mountains to give his beloved Oma her dying wish.
A chance meeting on the road brings these two desperate strangers together, and an evening of commiserating makes a potentially terrible plan seem pretty perfect: A marriage-of-convenience will give them both what they need.
It's strictly business, and everybody knows you should never mix business with pleasure..
Erika and Nate have plenty of secrets to keep--from the press, and from each other--but the biggest secret of all might be their true feelings.
376 pages, Paperback
First published August 16, 2022
103 people are currently reading
908 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 121 reviews
June 21, 2022
I enjoyed this book SO much! I requested because I love marriage of convenience and I was super curious about Erika being a professionar soccer player, but then I read that this book had disability rep (Erika has rheumatoid arthritis) and there’s also bi rep because she's bisexual, so I was even more interested. It's so important to see bi folks in m/f relationships too to stop the erasure!
So, I truly liked this story. At first, I was shocked because the marriage happens fast, but I loved that they got to know each other slowly after that. I loved their attraction and chemistry, and I think their personalities were a very good match. Nate was such a good, gentle hero (I also loved his relationship with Oma), and I loved Erika and her strenght.
The steam was SO GOOD. They sexual chemistry was unmatched. I think this is one of my favorites in terms of steam. The communication and just the vibe between them made it truly awesome.
Something else I loved was that they fought a few times, but they always ended up communicating and fixing it without dramatic break ups. I adored this part. I think fighting but being mature enough to take time to cool off and fixing it together is way better than breaking up at the first little inconvenience.
Overall, I really liked this book and I cannot wait for Rose's and Lauren's respective books! 2023 is already looking good on the sapphic front.
ARC provided by the author and Netgalley. Opinions are my own!
So, I truly liked this story. At first, I was shocked because the marriage happens fast, but I loved that they got to know each other slowly after that. I loved their attraction and chemistry, and I think their personalities were a very good match. Nate was such a good, gentle hero (I also loved his relationship with Oma), and I loved Erika and her strenght.
The steam was SO GOOD. They sexual chemistry was unmatched. I think this is one of my favorites in terms of steam. The communication and just the vibe between them made it truly awesome.
Something else I loved was that they fought a few times, but they always ended up communicating and fixing it without dramatic break ups. I adored this part. I think fighting but being mature enough to take time to cool off and fixing it together is way better than breaking up at the first little inconvenience.
Overall, I really liked this book and I cannot wait for Rose's and Lauren's respective books! 2023 is already looking good on the sapphic front.
ARC provided by the author and Netgalley. Opinions are my own!
August 2, 2022
This book ticks a lot of boxes... but sadly fails to deliver them.. I was missing the zing.. the chemistry between the lead.. Lost interest halfway through..
sorry but I don't even have the strength to write a proper review..
* thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the cope of the book
sorry but I don't even have the strength to write a proper review..
* thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the cope of the book
August 17, 2022
⚽️😍 AHHHHHH! My new favorite fake marriage romance AND my new favorite soccer romance ALL IN ONE! Bisexual female pro athlete ✔️ Chronic illness rep ✔️ HOTTTTT sensitive male lead ✔️ Lesbian soccer moms ✔️ set in Milwaukee 😍 I’m ecstatic that Liz Lincoln has a new series after I devoured her earlier sports romance series (Milwaukee Dragons ~ for some reason under a different Goodreads author profile but the same author ~ just search Milwaukee Dragons) and even better that it’s available on Kindle Unlimited. If you love Chloe Liese’s Bergman Brothers series or sports romance in general I really can’t recommend this highly enough. Now I need book 2 ASAP!
June 28, 2022
This book has: chronic illness rep, a bi heroine, and the marriage of convenience and forced proximity tropes!
I absolutely adored this book! I was immediately intrigued by how the heroine is the famous one (she’s a pro soccer player) and the hero is a longtime fan. Erika and Nate meet in a bar and have an instant connection neither can ignore. When they meet, Erika is struggling to pay for medications for her rheumatoid arthritis and Nate is dealing with his grandmas illness. Erika needs to pay for her meds and Nate wants to make his grandma happy by showing her that he is happily married and so they decide to enter into a marriage of convenience to solve both of their problems.
The chemistry between Erika and Nate was off the charts. I’m a sucker for characters having undeniable chemistry but not wanting to ruin the way things are so they agree to keep things platonic. This book also had AMAZING side characters and strong women friendships which we love to see. Nate and his best friends are the definition of the found family trope and I’m hoping we get Maggie’s story in the near future!
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
3.5 stars
I absolutely adored this book! I was immediately intrigued by how the heroine is the famous one (she’s a pro soccer player) and the hero is a longtime fan. Erika and Nate meet in a bar and have an instant connection neither can ignore. When they meet, Erika is struggling to pay for medications for her rheumatoid arthritis and Nate is dealing with his grandmas illness. Erika needs to pay for her meds and Nate wants to make his grandma happy by showing her that he is happily married and so they decide to enter into a marriage of convenience to solve both of their problems.
The chemistry between Erika and Nate was off the charts. I’m a sucker for characters having undeniable chemistry but not wanting to ruin the way things are so they agree to keep things platonic. This book also had AMAZING side characters and strong women friendships which we love to see. Nate and his best friends are the definition of the found family trope and I’m hoping we get Maggie’s story in the near future!
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
3.5 stars
October 24, 2022
Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this book.
I would like to preface this review with the disclaimer that I have a chronic pain disorder similar to the heroine, and (despite its many prose and storytelling flaws) this book DOES have good disability rep.
This book had the potential to be an easy, cheesy, and fun romance worth a solid three stars (maybe more). I enjoyed the friends to lovers trope more than I thought I would, the heroine’s personal growth storyline was well done overall (learning to set aside her pride and rely on others when she needs help), and I do think the hero/heroine had good chemistry. However, large swathes of this book’s story structure and prose felt amateurish, closer to breezy, flirty YA than an adult romantic drama.
This is not a rom-com—there’s not a single joke in the entire book—and the stakes are so disjointed on the hero’s end that at times it feels like there’s nothing to mitigate what feels like a very large power imbalance between h/H. Multiple plot threads are dropped or skimmed over, including 1) a major confrontation between heroine and her moms, 2) the subplot of heroine’s mothers’ business, 3) Lauren vanishing for 1/2 the book despite the fact that we’re told she’s the heroine’s best friend, 4) the tech company staffer subplot.
Some of the steamy scenes also felt… strange, as well, with detailed descriptions that then abruptly fade to black near the climax, almost like the author could not decide how smutty the book should be and either backed out in the middle of writing scenes or added embellishments to fade-to-black scenes during a round of edits. I also feel that the author chose to replace dramatic moments with steamy moments, which detracted from the gravity of the story. Additionally, the tension pacing felt very off throughout the book, with our h/H having such a whirlwind insta-love at the beginning that there was almost no will they/won’t they tension buildup. Our heroine chooses not to tell Nate about her condition—arguably the only person in the book who SHOULD know—for so long that the entire conflict felt fourth-wall-breakingly convoluted. Several major events happen in quick succession in the last 1/3 of the book with very little downtime between, so by the third event I found myself counting what plot threads were left to guess what the next chapter would be. I think the huge timeskips between events contributed to an overall feeling of disjointedness—we are only ever given the “high tension” moments, particularly toward the end. The continued emphasis on conflict instead of resolution (which often seemed hand-waved away off screen) or normalcy made those conflicts feel hollow, and by the end I didn’t feel much investment in seeing those conflicts resolved.
And finally—while I realize this is an ARC copy, I do feel that it should have been polished at least once more before going out to reviewed. I found multiple spelling and grammar mistakes, and there was a note to the editor still embedded in the text that ripped me RIGHT out of the book. Additionally, there was a major timeline error that I had to flip back and double-check. I have pulled a few quotes that demonstrate some of the larger issues with the book:
Ch. 6, typo: Jane smiled, deep lines appearing around her eyes. "That's little idea. People want romance. It sells."
Ch. 7, typo: "I, the…" Nate cleared his throat. He really hated the idea of continuing to lie to Oma.
Ch. 20, fourth-wall break: So she continued to rock against his cock—ha ha, that rhymed—and let the sensations fly through her.
Ch. 29 vs. 30, timeline discrepancy; more time has passed between quote A and B, yet characters seemed to be moving backwards in time at first glance. A: She’d been gone almost three weeks now, longer than any of her other trips for camp and games. B: Because of Oma and the massive time difference, what should’ve been a short argument had been festering for more than two weeks now.
Ch. 30, heroine sends a devil-horn emoji after watching hero breakdown in sobs onstage at a funeral…? (Nate: I miss you. Erika: Tell Donut I miss her. 🍩 Erika: 😈 And I miss you too.)
Ch. 34, one of MANY instances throughout the book where the author breaks up sentences with a period instead of a comma, making the prose feel utterly robotic: It was again past midnight when the match against England ended, and he was still at his office. With Donut, who now came with him to work every day.
Ch. 36, aforementioned note to the editor: In the next moment, he licked her. (tk is this scene redundant? Cut it?)
Ch. 36, h/H have had sex multiple times before this and always emphasize condom use, but an IUD is suddenly mentioned—feels like an afterthought: “I have an IUD,” she said, almost desperate now.
Ch. 38, why would you offer to pay to have your ticket refunded? That seems counterintuitive: It didn’t seem to matter how much he offered to pay, his current ticket was nonrefundable—thanks, Maggie—so he planned to go to the airport and buy a one-way ticket there.
Ch. 38, minor continuity issue, as there’s no mention of heroine stopping her manicure and I pictured opened bottles of nail polish flying all over the hotel room: She shoved Erika’s manicure tools out of the way and put her arm around her friend’s shoulder.
I don’t mean to be unduly harsh, but I am somewhat unsure if this book is ready for publication in its current state. It has too many fixable flaws to be a semi-finalized ARC, and several major plot issues that need more concrete fleshing out to be anything more than a 3-star if the rest of the book were perfect. I was unfortunately very disappointed, and the excellent disability rep was not enough to save it.
I would like to preface this review with the disclaimer that I have a chronic pain disorder similar to the heroine, and (despite its many prose and storytelling flaws) this book DOES have good disability rep.
This book had the potential to be an easy, cheesy, and fun romance worth a solid three stars (maybe more). I enjoyed the friends to lovers trope more than I thought I would, the heroine’s personal growth storyline was well done overall (learning to set aside her pride and rely on others when she needs help), and I do think the hero/heroine had good chemistry. However, large swathes of this book’s story structure and prose felt amateurish, closer to breezy, flirty YA than an adult romantic drama.
This is not a rom-com—there’s not a single joke in the entire book—and the stakes are so disjointed on the hero’s end that at times it feels like there’s nothing to mitigate what feels like a very large power imbalance between h/H. Multiple plot threads are dropped or skimmed over, including 1) a major confrontation between heroine and her moms, 2) the subplot of heroine’s mothers’ business, 3) Lauren vanishing for 1/2 the book despite the fact that we’re told she’s the heroine’s best friend, 4) the tech company staffer subplot.
Some of the steamy scenes also felt… strange, as well, with detailed descriptions that then abruptly fade to black near the climax, almost like the author could not decide how smutty the book should be and either backed out in the middle of writing scenes or added embellishments to fade-to-black scenes during a round of edits. I also feel that the author chose to replace dramatic moments with steamy moments, which detracted from the gravity of the story. Additionally, the tension pacing felt very off throughout the book, with our h/H having such a whirlwind insta-love at the beginning that there was almost no will they/won’t they tension buildup. Our heroine chooses not to tell Nate about her condition—arguably the only person in the book who SHOULD know—for so long that the entire conflict felt fourth-wall-breakingly convoluted. Several major events happen in quick succession in the last 1/3 of the book with very little downtime between, so by the third event I found myself counting what plot threads were left to guess what the next chapter would be. I think the huge timeskips between events contributed to an overall feeling of disjointedness—we are only ever given the “high tension” moments, particularly toward the end. The continued emphasis on conflict instead of resolution (which often seemed hand-waved away off screen) or normalcy made those conflicts feel hollow, and by the end I didn’t feel much investment in seeing those conflicts resolved.
And finally—while I realize this is an ARC copy, I do feel that it should have been polished at least once more before going out to reviewed. I found multiple spelling and grammar mistakes, and there was a note to the editor still embedded in the text that ripped me RIGHT out of the book. Additionally, there was a major timeline error that I had to flip back and double-check. I have pulled a few quotes that demonstrate some of the larger issues with the book:
Ch. 6, typo: Jane smiled, deep lines appearing around her eyes. "That's little idea. People want romance. It sells."
Ch. 7, typo: "I, the…" Nate cleared his throat. He really hated the idea of continuing to lie to Oma.
Ch. 20, fourth-wall break: So she continued to rock against his cock—ha ha, that rhymed—and let the sensations fly through her.
Ch. 29 vs. 30, timeline discrepancy; more time has passed between quote A and B, yet characters seemed to be moving backwards in time at first glance. A: She’d been gone almost three weeks now, longer than any of her other trips for camp and games. B: Because of Oma and the massive time difference, what should’ve been a short argument had been festering for more than two weeks now.
Ch. 30, heroine sends a devil-horn emoji after watching hero breakdown in sobs onstage at a funeral…? (Nate: I miss you. Erika: Tell Donut I miss her. 🍩 Erika: 😈 And I miss you too.)
Ch. 34, one of MANY instances throughout the book where the author breaks up sentences with a period instead of a comma, making the prose feel utterly robotic: It was again past midnight when the match against England ended, and he was still at his office. With Donut, who now came with him to work every day.
Ch. 36, aforementioned note to the editor: In the next moment, he licked her. (tk is this scene redundant? Cut it?)
Ch. 36, h/H have had sex multiple times before this and always emphasize condom use, but an IUD is suddenly mentioned—feels like an afterthought: “I have an IUD,” she said, almost desperate now.
Ch. 38, why would you offer to pay to have your ticket refunded? That seems counterintuitive: It didn’t seem to matter how much he offered to pay, his current ticket was nonrefundable—thanks, Maggie—so he planned to go to the airport and buy a one-way ticket there.
Ch. 38, minor continuity issue, as there’s no mention of heroine stopping her manicure and I pictured opened bottles of nail polish flying all over the hotel room: She shoved Erika’s manicure tools out of the way and put her arm around her friend’s shoulder.
I don’t mean to be unduly harsh, but I am somewhat unsure if this book is ready for publication in its current state. It has too many fixable flaws to be a semi-finalized ARC, and several major plot issues that need more concrete fleshing out to be anything more than a 3-star if the rest of the book were perfect. I was unfortunately very disappointed, and the excellent disability rep was not enough to save it.
July 8, 2022
A very endearing and charming story which has all the winning elements like love, passion, romance, found family, friendship and sports.
I loved that heroine Erica was a superstar athlete. It’s always fascinating to read about them and their hard-work, determination and struggles. My heart went out to her so many times. But she was strong, knew her mind and bold. But for me, star of this story was hero Nate. He was such a good man. He did EVERYTHING for Erica without her once asking for it. Their small small moments were so cute. I also loved his friends and Erica’s friends. They all were great characters and complimented the story nicely.
I did feel that Nate gave so much of himself to Erica, selflessly and she could’ve reciprocated with a little more care. But I don’t begrudge her.
Epilogue was cute and I really want to know about Maggie’s book.
Recommended and safe.
I loved that heroine Erica was a superstar athlete. It’s always fascinating to read about them and their hard-work, determination and struggles. My heart went out to her so many times. But she was strong, knew her mind and bold. But for me, star of this story was hero Nate. He was such a good man. He did EVERYTHING for Erica without her once asking for it. Their small small moments were so cute. I also loved his friends and Erica’s friends. They all were great characters and complimented the story nicely.
I did feel that Nate gave so much of himself to Erica, selflessly and she could’ve reciprocated with a little more care. But I don’t begrudge her.
Epilogue was cute and I really want to know about Maggie’s book.
Recommended and safe.
December 9, 2023
A pro women's soccer player, Erika falls for a wealthy tech CEO after proposing a marriage of convenience in order for her to take advantage of his health care coverage in exchange for helping make his dying grandmother happy.
I really enjoyed this dual POV sports romance featuring a bisexual athlete hiding her recent rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis. The chronic pain and illness rep was excellent and the slow burn friends to lovers relationship between the two MCs was utterly swoony.
Great on audio and perfect for fans of authors like Chloe Liese, Madison Wright or Molly McCarthy. Many thanks to NetGalley and the author for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!
Steam level: open door
I really enjoyed this dual POV sports romance featuring a bisexual athlete hiding her recent rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis. The chronic pain and illness rep was excellent and the slow burn friends to lovers relationship between the two MCs was utterly swoony.
Great on audio and perfect for fans of authors like Chloe Liese, Madison Wright or Molly McCarthy. Many thanks to NetGalley and the author for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!
Steam level: open door
August 15, 2022
Best description I’ve ever heard: “He tasted like desire and need and a little like beef stroganoff.”
The font of the ebook was in italics which wasn’t the best for reading comfort. I tried to change it on my kindle and no luck.
They got married in basically a business transaction but both thought the other was attractive so I didn’t go into this expecting anything other than a HEA. Erika is dealing with chronic pain issues so there’s quite a bit of medical things happening in the background of the story.
I didn’t really feel like they got to know each other. All of their conversations were about sex or wanting to have it. Which is fine but don’t call him your “platonic husband” when you’re boinking.
Since I usually keep these spoiler free, they should work on communication.
Thank you to Netgalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are my own.
The font of the ebook was in italics which wasn’t the best for reading comfort. I tried to change it on my kindle and no luck.
They got married in basically a business transaction but both thought the other was attractive so I didn’t go into this expecting anything other than a HEA. Erika is dealing with chronic pain issues so there’s quite a bit of medical things happening in the background of the story.
I didn’t really feel like they got to know each other. All of their conversations were about sex or wanting to have it. Which is fine but don’t call him your “platonic husband” when you’re boinking.
Since I usually keep these spoiler free, they should work on communication.
Thank you to Netgalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are my own.
July 18, 2022
3 Stars
While I was so excited to read this because our female character has RA, I felt like it fell short for me. I think the chronic illness rep was done well. She is at the beginning of her diagnosis process and keeps asking “why is this happening” since it directly impacts her career. As a soccer player, she doesn’t want the team doctors to find out because they will make her retire.
While I think that could be accurate, a lot of people actually still participate in sports. Myself included. My coaches knew I had RA and it didn’t impact my performance because I was on the correct meds. So while she was hiding it, it kind of didn’t make sense to me.
She marries a CEO to use his health insurance so she didn’t have to use the team doctor, and so she could stop paying out of pocket for everything. While I understood, the marriage to use his health insurance, the team doctors should have been able to help her. Especially because her performance wasn’t affected. at the end of the book, when her team coach finds out, he wants to bench her. All because of the label of RA… that really annoyed me because most are not like that. Most people who have RA can totally do “normal” things. With meds and taking care of yourself, most would never know you have it. So it kind of annoyed me that the focus was on the label of RA.
She was so focused on hiding her diagnosis, the emotional effects on her took a back seat. When you are diagnosed, your world changes. And instead of exploring that, the author solely focused on her hiding her disease instead of how it affects her.
Also the romance was lacking for me. I felt that they had chemistry but it wasn’t really explored that much. And the characters are apart for like 4 months in the book and barely talk….
While I was so excited to read this because our female character has RA, I felt like it fell short for me. I think the chronic illness rep was done well. She is at the beginning of her diagnosis process and keeps asking “why is this happening” since it directly impacts her career. As a soccer player, she doesn’t want the team doctors to find out because they will make her retire.
While I think that could be accurate, a lot of people actually still participate in sports. Myself included. My coaches knew I had RA and it didn’t impact my performance because I was on the correct meds. So while she was hiding it, it kind of didn’t make sense to me.
She marries a CEO to use his health insurance so she didn’t have to use the team doctor, and so she could stop paying out of pocket for everything. While I understood, the marriage to use his health insurance, the team doctors should have been able to help her. Especially because her performance wasn’t affected. at the end of the book, when her team coach finds out, he wants to bench her. All because of the label of RA… that really annoyed me because most are not like that. Most people who have RA can totally do “normal” things. With meds and taking care of yourself, most would never know you have it. So it kind of annoyed me that the focus was on the label of RA.
She was so focused on hiding her diagnosis, the emotional effects on her took a back seat. When you are diagnosed, your world changes. And instead of exploring that, the author solely focused on her hiding her disease instead of how it affects her.
Also the romance was lacking for me. I felt that they had chemistry but it wasn’t really explored that much. And the characters are apart for like 4 months in the book and barely talk….
June 28, 2022
Scoring a Spouse is a new contemporary, sports romance which starts with a marriage of convenience/fake relationship situation and centers around a women’s soccer player.
Erika lives for soccer. At 31, she has been playing elite-level soccer since the age of 9. And she’s currently, secretly dealing a recent diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis. She is wanting to desperately keep it under wraps from everyone so it doesn’t come into play with her career. Nate, CCO for a corporation he founded with his 3 best friends, is at a hotel bar one night when he spots his favorite soccer player, Erika. He has followed her career for more than a decade and can’t believe she’s in the same place as him. They get to talking and he quickly admits he needs a wife, his Oma raised him and is now 91 and told him the one thing she wants to see before she dies is Nate married and settled. That same night, Erika decides to jump in and go for his bonkers plan, as she needs access to another medical insurance (that she can hopefully keep under wraps/keep her diagnosis and meds secret) and money set to help her moms.
Nate and Erika quickly form a friendship but decide to keep their fake relationship, but very real marriage, platonic. Soon though that line starts to blur and real feels get involved. Nate is very sweet to Erika, giving her massages and ice packs after practices. Family is a very big theme in this read. He is very close with his grandmother/his Oma. And then Erika is close with her moms, who were also both professional soccer players. This was my first read from the author. The story did have its cute moments, but I did want a bit more from the story and romance. I wasn’t super pulled into the characters, although I really liked the rheumatoid arthritis rep in the story with the sports player!
I received an e-ARC via NetGalley. All thoughts in this review are my own. Scoring a Spouse has a release date of August 16, 2022.
Erika lives for soccer. At 31, she has been playing elite-level soccer since the age of 9. And she’s currently, secretly dealing a recent diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis. She is wanting to desperately keep it under wraps from everyone so it doesn’t come into play with her career. Nate, CCO for a corporation he founded with his 3 best friends, is at a hotel bar one night when he spots his favorite soccer player, Erika. He has followed her career for more than a decade and can’t believe she’s in the same place as him. They get to talking and he quickly admits he needs a wife, his Oma raised him and is now 91 and told him the one thing she wants to see before she dies is Nate married and settled. That same night, Erika decides to jump in and go for his bonkers plan, as she needs access to another medical insurance (that she can hopefully keep under wraps/keep her diagnosis and meds secret) and money set to help her moms.
Nate and Erika quickly form a friendship but decide to keep their fake relationship, but very real marriage, platonic. Soon though that line starts to blur and real feels get involved. Nate is very sweet to Erika, giving her massages and ice packs after practices. Family is a very big theme in this read. He is very close with his grandmother/his Oma. And then Erika is close with her moms, who were also both professional soccer players. This was my first read from the author. The story did have its cute moments, but I did want a bit more from the story and romance. I wasn’t super pulled into the characters, although I really liked the rheumatoid arthritis rep in the story with the sports player!
I received an e-ARC via NetGalley. All thoughts in this review are my own. Scoring a Spouse has a release date of August 16, 2022.
September 7, 2022
This was pretty darn good! I really enjoyed this marriage of convenience story. Except for one thing that the author kept on using over and over and over again. And that is that they “couldn’t have a real marriage”. The reason for him is that he was a workaholic. The reason for her is that she had to focus on her soccer career. It just was overdone. I never understand why two people keep on saying they can’t be in a relationship when they are in the middle of a relationship! It’s so annoying and the only reason why I took this down from five stars and makes me wary of reading other books by this author. The constant pushing away, even to the 90 something percent mark, was exhausting!
It’s a really well done story where she’s dealing with some pretty serious health issues and he’s dealing with grief and family. It’s well written, had some good spice in it, and had great friendships and family dynamics.
No OW/OM drama.
It’s a really well done story where she’s dealing with some pretty serious health issues and he’s dealing with grief and family. It’s well written, had some good spice in it, and had great friendships and family dynamics.
No OW/OM drama.
June 20, 2022
I am so glad I picked up this book! Scoring a Spouse is a marriage of convenience, sports romance, strangers to lovers tale between Nate and Erika. Erika is a famous soccer player and Nate is co-owner of a well-known video game/tech company (and a huge fan of Erika's soccer career). Erika has been recently diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, and has been paying for a private doctor out of pocket so her soccer team doesn't find out. Nate's grandmother is dying and her last wish was to see him married and in love. These two meet by chance in a bar, have a cute connection, and decide to get married on a whim because it just makes sense. Thus begins their journey towards falling in love.
I enjoyed everything about this story! The reason they got married made sense, and I liked that the author didn't spend much time on them debating whether they should do it. They just did it, and we got to see the story focus more on their relationship building. Erika's journey with her rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis was also eye-opening and I think the author did a great job giving this chronic illness the detail and accuracy it deserves (the author herself has arthritis). I loved how Nate wanted to take care of her from day one, making sure his home was comfortable enough from her, giving her daily massages after her practices....he was just swoon worthy. Their chemistry was evident from the moment they connected so when they became intimate it was long awaited spicy. Don't let the illustrated cover fool you, this author can write some steam.
I loved how both Erika and Nate each had a supportive friend group that was essentially a "found family" for them. Their friends knew they were in love before they did which helped them realize just how real their feelings had grown over the past few months.
This author definitely has a new fan in me! She had so many great tropes and different representation in here, that I can't wait to see what she does with the next book in this series!
TROPES: marriage of convenience; chronic illness rep (rheumatoid arthritis); sports romance (soccer); rich hero (co-owner of successful tech company); LGBTQIA+ rep (heroine is bisexual and has two moms; best friend is a lesbian); found family; cute puppy
TRIGGER WARNINGS: death of a loved one due to terminal illness (not H/h)
I enjoyed everything about this story! The reason they got married made sense, and I liked that the author didn't spend much time on them debating whether they should do it. They just did it, and we got to see the story focus more on their relationship building. Erika's journey with her rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis was also eye-opening and I think the author did a great job giving this chronic illness the detail and accuracy it deserves (the author herself has arthritis). I loved how Nate wanted to take care of her from day one, making sure his home was comfortable enough from her, giving her daily massages after her practices....he was just swoon worthy. Their chemistry was evident from the moment they connected so when they became intimate it was long awaited spicy. Don't let the illustrated cover fool you, this author can write some steam.
I loved how both Erika and Nate each had a supportive friend group that was essentially a "found family" for them. Their friends knew they were in love before they did which helped them realize just how real their feelings had grown over the past few months.
This author definitely has a new fan in me! She had so many great tropes and different representation in here, that I can't wait to see what she does with the next book in this series!
TROPES: marriage of convenience; chronic illness rep (rheumatoid arthritis); sports romance (soccer); rich hero (co-owner of successful tech company); LGBTQIA+ rep (heroine is bisexual and has two moms; best friend is a lesbian); found family; cute puppy
TRIGGER WARNINGS: death of a loved one due to terminal illness (not H/h)
August 2, 2023
2.5 stars
"... she absolutely didn't have the time or the bandwidth for a serious relationship..." -61% finished
SHUT THE FUCK UP, as you sleep, fuck, cook, confide, care, and like your husband that you live with. It's so excruciatingly dumb. So unbelievably stupid. It makes me continue to basically hate her. Nate is ridiculous too, but he couldn't even conceptualize that friends are family too, he's love stuck, so he gets a very minor pass.
I realize that there wouldn't be an entire book if they both were to finally confess their love sooner, but it just seems like a profoundly stupid way to fill up the pages of the book. Fill them as a husband-wife team fighting to keep her healthy and her secret safe. Fill them with the realization that this relationship works, even with their careers and time commitments. Fill them with Erika getting her head out of her ass about her moms (which as a whole turned out to be a weird dangling story in total. How did they react to her RA? Her really really fake marriage? Why are they so shitty at business?) ANYTHING besides this inanity 🙄 Erika is not great.
Also WTF this isn't an arc, it's a fully published book and it has WAY too many typos and misprints 😒
"... she absolutely didn't have the time or the bandwidth for a serious relationship..." -61% finished
SHUT THE FUCK UP, as you sleep, fuck, cook, confide, care, and like your husband that you live with. It's so excruciatingly dumb. So unbelievably stupid. It makes me continue to basically hate her. Nate is ridiculous too, but he couldn't even conceptualize that friends are family too, he's love stuck, so he gets a very minor pass.
I realize that there wouldn't be an entire book if they both were to finally confess their love sooner, but it just seems like a profoundly stupid way to fill up the pages of the book. Fill them as a husband-wife team fighting to keep her healthy and her secret safe. Fill them with the realization that this relationship works, even with their careers and time commitments. Fill them with Erika getting her head out of her ass about her moms (which as a whole turned out to be a weird dangling story in total. How did they react to her RA? Her really really fake marriage? Why are they so shitty at business?) ANYTHING besides this inanity 🙄 Erika is not great.
Also WTF this isn't an arc, it's a fully published book and it has WAY too many typos and misprints 😒
October 24, 2022
i've watched hallmark movies that were better written than this
Want to read
December 22, 2022IS THIS WHAT I THINK IT IS????
skim-or-dnf
August 16, 2022It pains me to do this to an ARC, but I DNF’d this book at chapter 7. On the outset, this story has the makings of things I love in romance: marriage of convenience with a female athlete? IN! However, the author just did not deliver on the romance for me.
Scoring A Spouse is the story of Erika and Nate, who serendipitously meet at a hotel bar right when Erika needs her health insurance covered and Nate needs a partner to introduce to his sick grandmother who wants nothing more for him than an HEA.
There’s a lot to like about this story, like its bisexual-rep & chronic illness-rep. BUT a lot of it felt like, things were just happening, while I felt nothing for the characters. I can’t bring myself to continue reading a book when I don’t care about the characters or how they end up together.
Erika and Nate decide to get married the night they meet and boom, next page they’re actually married! There’s just a lot of telling not showing in this book. I only read 17% into the story and DNF’d after their first kiss. I read romance for the tension between the characters and Erika and Nate gave me nothing. There was a lot of internal monologuing over how attractive they found the other person, but no conflict, no will they won’t they, no push and pull from the characters!
ARCs deserve honest reviews so this is my honest reading experience.
Scoring A Spouse is the story of Erika and Nate, who serendipitously meet at a hotel bar right when Erika needs her health insurance covered and Nate needs a partner to introduce to his sick grandmother who wants nothing more for him than an HEA.
There’s a lot to like about this story, like its bisexual-rep & chronic illness-rep. BUT a lot of it felt like, things were just happening, while I felt nothing for the characters. I can’t bring myself to continue reading a book when I don’t care about the characters or how they end up together.
Erika and Nate decide to get married the night they meet and boom, next page they’re actually married! There’s just a lot of telling not showing in this book. I only read 17% into the story and DNF’d after their first kiss. I read romance for the tension between the characters and Erika and Nate gave me nothing. There was a lot of internal monologuing over how attractive they found the other person, but no conflict, no will they won’t they, no push and pull from the characters!
ARCs deserve honest reviews so this is my honest reading experience.
July 3, 2022
Scoring a Spouse by Liz Lincoln is a marriage-of-convenience, slow-burn, sport romance.
Erika is a professional soccer player who has recently been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and Nate is a video game developer and a fan of Erika for a long time. Both are workaholics and, after randomly meeting at a bar during one of Erika's away-game, they decide to get married. They agree to this marriage of convenience for very different reasons: Erika to financially help her moms and to access Nate's medical insurance (in order to keep her diagnosis from the League and risking her place on the team) and Nate to grant his Oma's wish to see him married, settled and happy before she dies.
Despite the undeniable chemistry and palpable attraction between the two, Erika and Nate decide to keep things completely platonic in order to avoid complicating and already risky situation. However, the forced proximity and the intimacy that blossoms between them make it really difficult to stay the course, and soon they give in and sparks fly (STEAM ALERT!!).
100% would recommend to anyone who loves:
- marriage of convenience
- forced proximity
- good chronic illness / disability rep (rheumatoid arthtritis)
- sport romande
- bi heroine
- found family
- slow-burn (but so worth it!!)
Trigger warnings:
- death of a loved one (on page) due to a terminal illness
***Thank you NetGalley, Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op and Liz Lincoln for the e-ARC of Scoring a Spouse in exchange for a honest review***
Erika is a professional soccer player who has recently been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and Nate is a video game developer and a fan of Erika for a long time. Both are workaholics and, after randomly meeting at a bar during one of Erika's away-game, they decide to get married. They agree to this marriage of convenience for very different reasons: Erika to financially help her moms and to access Nate's medical insurance (in order to keep her diagnosis from the League and risking her place on the team) and Nate to grant his Oma's wish to see him married, settled and happy before she dies.
Despite the undeniable chemistry and palpable attraction between the two, Erika and Nate decide to keep things completely platonic in order to avoid complicating and already risky situation. However, the forced proximity and the intimacy that blossoms between them make it really difficult to stay the course, and soon they give in and sparks fly (STEAM ALERT!!).
100% would recommend to anyone who loves:
- marriage of convenience
- forced proximity
- good chronic illness / disability rep (rheumatoid arthtritis)
- sport romande
- bi heroine
- found family
- slow-burn (but so worth it!!)
Trigger warnings:
- death of a loved one (on page) due to a terminal illness
***Thank you NetGalley, Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op and Liz Lincoln for the e-ARC of Scoring a Spouse in exchange for a honest review***
August 15, 2022
4.5/5 Stars!
Thank you NetGalley for an ARC for this book!
Scoring a Spouse is a marriage-of-convenience, slow-burn, sports romance!!
Erica is Parker-Ward is at the peak of her career, being one of the best forwards for both her NWSL team and the US National Team. She was living her dream when her diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis threatened to take it all away. To maintain her position on her teams, she decided to keep everything a secret however, that slowly starts to backfire when her medical costs start to accumulate and she could no longer afford her private medical care.
Nate Simmons is a very successful tech exec who believes he owes everything to his grandmother, Oma, who had raised him. So when her dying wish is to see him happy, in-love, and married, he is ready to anything.
When Erica and Nate meet at a bar, their attraction is undeniable and they end up confiding in each other about their issues, and at the end of the night its Erica, that decides to get married to solve both of their issues. Erica gets his health insurance and Nate makes his Oma happy. Its strictly business. But we all know they cannot just ignore their attraction for each other!
This was such an adorable story that had some of my favorite tropes: Marriage-of-convivence, found-family/friends, sports romance! Its was so freaking adorable. This sports romance in particular has a special place in my heart because I really related to the FMC when it came to playing a sport (specifically soccer) with an autoimmune disease. Erica was so determined and hardworking and I loved reading about her. BUTT! Nate was my favorite character. He was literally perfect in every way. He was such a good man you could literally feel his goodness when reading about him. He was so understanding, compassionate, loving, smart, mature. There are literally not enough words I could use to describe him!!! He literally did and would do anything for Erica! Without being asked!!!!! what a man. Don't get me started on his relationship with his Oma!!
Their chemistry was passionate yet adorable. The simplest of moments between both characters were so adorable, and honestly my favorite parts of the book. The only thing that frustrated me a little bit was the fact that Nate gave so much and I felt like Erica could have cared a little bit more.
Thank you NetGalley for an ARC for this book!
Scoring a Spouse is a marriage-of-convenience, slow-burn, sports romance!!
Erica is Parker-Ward is at the peak of her career, being one of the best forwards for both her NWSL team and the US National Team. She was living her dream when her diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis threatened to take it all away. To maintain her position on her teams, she decided to keep everything a secret however, that slowly starts to backfire when her medical costs start to accumulate and she could no longer afford her private medical care.
Nate Simmons is a very successful tech exec who believes he owes everything to his grandmother, Oma, who had raised him. So when her dying wish is to see him happy, in-love, and married, he is ready to anything.
When Erica and Nate meet at a bar, their attraction is undeniable and they end up confiding in each other about their issues, and at the end of the night its Erica, that decides to get married to solve both of their issues. Erica gets his health insurance and Nate makes his Oma happy. Its strictly business. But we all know they cannot just ignore their attraction for each other!
This was such an adorable story that had some of my favorite tropes: Marriage-of-convivence, found-family/friends, sports romance! Its was so freaking adorable. This sports romance in particular has a special place in my heart because I really related to the FMC when it came to playing a sport (specifically soccer) with an autoimmune disease. Erica was so determined and hardworking and I loved reading about her. BUTT! Nate was my favorite character. He was literally perfect in every way. He was such a good man you could literally feel his goodness when reading about him. He was so understanding, compassionate, loving, smart, mature. There are literally not enough words I could use to describe him!!! He literally did and would do anything for Erica! Without being asked!!!!! what a man. Don't get me started on his relationship with his Oma!!
Their chemistry was passionate yet adorable. The simplest of moments between both characters were so adorable, and honestly my favorite parts of the book. The only thing that frustrated me a little bit was the fact that Nate gave so much and I felt like Erica could have cared a little bit more.
dnf
February 13, 2023dnf @ 21%
This wasn't bad, and there were definitely good parts to it, but ultimately I felt it moved too fast and would've been way more poignant with more time spent on scenes and us seeing some of the events that happened off page, and I found it wanted to tell me everything instead of just letting me experience the story, it felt a bit like a constant info dump.
I see a lot of potential in this author and would definitely be open to picking up their future work, but I think there's a lot of work to be done (honestly, I think this book could've been amazing with some serious editing).
This wasn't bad, and there were definitely good parts to it, but ultimately I felt it moved too fast and would've been way more poignant with more time spent on scenes and us seeing some of the events that happened off page, and I found it wanted to tell me everything instead of just letting me experience the story, it felt a bit like a constant info dump.
I see a lot of potential in this author and would definitely be open to picking up their future work, but I think there's a lot of work to be done (honestly, I think this book could've been amazing with some serious editing).
February 7, 2024
Erika and Nate meet completely by chance and there's immediate attraction, but Nate doesn't do relationships, and Erika doesn't do casual sex. But when Erika learns Nate needs to get married for his dying grandmother, Erika sees an answer to a problem she has: keeping her rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis a secret -- if they get married, Erika can go on his insurance for treatments. They can do this platonically, right? Turns out, no, lol. Along the way, they realize they've falling in love with the other, but considering how they started, they're both concerned the other doesn't or can't feel the same. Of course, everything works out in the end.
August 28, 2023
Sports romance with female athlete and a marriage of convenience, a perfect formula for a wicked hangover care. Although I dislike the self-reproach, the vacillation and the repetitive use of certain phrase, this still has been a good read.
March 21, 2024
4.5 ⭐️’s
April 21, 2025
read this for my workplace book club (the theme: sports romances) and.......these just aren't for me, sorry. I did like the disability rep and stuff about his grandma though!!
October 21, 2022
I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
This book was so cute. I loved the intense chemistry between Nate and Erika, but the slow-burn of their actual relationship. It had a good balance of soccer vs non-soccer scenes, some really sweet moments with their family (both blood and found family), and really excellent steamy scenes. I also love Donut the dog and wish they were included on the cover. I also really loved MIlwaukee as the setting- it is a highly underrated Midwestern City and it was nice to see it be appreciated throughout the story.
This was my first book by Liz Lincoln and I will definitely be on the lookout for the next story in this series!
This book was so cute. I loved the intense chemistry between Nate and Erika, but the slow-burn of their actual relationship. It had a good balance of soccer vs non-soccer scenes, some really sweet moments with their family (both blood and found family), and really excellent steamy scenes. I also love Donut the dog and wish they were included on the cover. I also really loved MIlwaukee as the setting- it is a highly underrated Midwestern City and it was nice to see it be appreciated throughout the story.
This was my first book by Liz Lincoln and I will definitely be on the lookout for the next story in this series!
July 17, 2022
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨/5
Rep: bi(MC), lesbian(MC’s moms), rheumatoid arthritis(MC)
This was a really good read! I had the opportunity to read it since I am chronically ill myself and I’m so glad that I was given the opportunity! This book’s main trope is marriage of convenience, which is a trope that I love but have only read a few times, so I loved that this had it! Erika and Nate are both amazing characters and they have so much chemistry. When reading/writing a book with disability rep, there’s a fine line between including enough rep and having too much so it feels like it’s the character’s entire personality, and the author did an amazing job of highlighting Erica’s RA without it being her entire personality.
Thank you so much to the author for providing me with a free copy to review!!
Rep: bi(MC), lesbian(MC’s moms), rheumatoid arthritis(MC)
This was a really good read! I had the opportunity to read it since I am chronically ill myself and I’m so glad that I was given the opportunity! This book’s main trope is marriage of convenience, which is a trope that I love but have only read a few times, so I loved that this had it! Erika and Nate are both amazing characters and they have so much chemistry. When reading/writing a book with disability rep, there’s a fine line between including enough rep and having too much so it feels like it’s the character’s entire personality, and the author did an amazing job of highlighting Erica’s RA without it being her entire personality.
Thank you so much to the author for providing me with a free copy to review!!
Read
July 20, 2022Thank you to the author for the ARC to read and review.
I'm conflicted.
I loved the chronic pain rep in this book -- as someone with arthritis and other chronic illness, seeing Erika's pain and struggles with doctors and meds on the page was incredibly relatable. I know how hard it can be to accept help from the people around us, the people who love us.
This is a marriage of convenience -- for Nate to appease his dying grandmother and for Erika to get some health insurance in an attempt to keep her condition a secret from US Soccer. They marry after a day, and all of the relationship building is mentioned as taking place off page, but they are never actually together. Nate is always at work, Erika is always with the team. When they are together, they bang like bunnies....and I don't mind open-door romance, but there should be at least *some* emotional intimacy. Their "relationship" is built on a foundation of lust, and it isn't until nearly 75% into the book when they truly start to get to know each other.
Most of their big moments happened over text and not in person, adding to that feeling of no relationship being built between them.
I liked the characters, I liked the premise...I think it needed a bit more development in the middle for Erika, Nate, and their relationship as a whole.
I'm conflicted.
I loved the chronic pain rep in this book -- as someone with arthritis and other chronic illness, seeing Erika's pain and struggles with doctors and meds on the page was incredibly relatable. I know how hard it can be to accept help from the people around us, the people who love us.
This is a marriage of convenience -- for Nate to appease his dying grandmother and for Erika to get some health insurance in an attempt to keep her condition a secret from US Soccer. They marry after a day, and all of the relationship building is mentioned as taking place off page, but they are never actually together. Nate is always at work, Erika is always with the team. When they are together, they bang like bunnies....and I don't mind open-door romance, but there should be at least *some* emotional intimacy. Their "relationship" is built on a foundation of lust, and it isn't until nearly 75% into the book when they truly start to get to know each other.
Most of their big moments happened over text and not in person, adding to that feeling of no relationship being built between them.
I liked the characters, I liked the premise...I think it needed a bit more development in the middle for Erika, Nate, and their relationship as a whole.
February 3, 2023
This has three things I love (queer m/f, sports romance, marriage of convenience trope) and it delivered all that with a cherry on top (disability rep).
This book was a very soothing experience. I found the drama to be minimal and on the mature side, the couple communicates clearly and it's an easy ride to the finish line. It's charming and cute if a little predictable at times (particularly the third act).
I would say the writing, especially in the beginning, is a bit repetitive. We get several iterations of "this marriage is only on paper" and "I should not feel like this about my spouse because of the circumstances" that did not need explaining after the third time. At 90 pages into the book, I am perfectly aware of what the premise of this romance is and don't need it spelled out again. This might be the reason why I am not swooning over this couple. The excessive telling instead of showing had emotional moments feel a little lackluster. There are several moments that could have had a stronger impact if the author had trusted her writing to convey those feelings instead of writing "this was her best friend".
I received an advanced reading copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.
This book was a very soothing experience. I found the drama to be minimal and on the mature side, the couple communicates clearly and it's an easy ride to the finish line. It's charming and cute if a little predictable at times (particularly the third act).
I would say the writing, especially in the beginning, is a bit repetitive. We get several iterations of "this marriage is only on paper" and "I should not feel like this about my spouse because of the circumstances" that did not need explaining after the third time. At 90 pages into the book, I am perfectly aware of what the premise of this romance is and don't need it spelled out again. This might be the reason why I am not swooning over this couple. The excessive telling instead of showing had emotional moments feel a little lackluster. There are several moments that could have had a stronger impact if the author had trusted her writing to convey those feelings instead of writing "this was her best friend".
I received an advanced reading copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.
July 11, 2022
Thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing for this ARC of Scoring a Spouse. While a quick read, Scoring a Spouse was a bit too cheesy for my liking. The story follows Nate & Erika- two successful individuals who seem to have it all on the exterior but each has a secret that could be covered by one thing: a marriage pact. While the characters themselves were likable and had a lot of depth, the story was somewhat predictable and felt forced at times. I think this is a good book to take on vacation, and was an easy read.
August 17, 2022
Oof. This was a miss when it should’ve been a knockout. Who wouldn’t love a pro women’s soccer player & a *decent*, hunky tech billionaire hooking up for a fake glam marriage? Unfortunately, this isn’t good. It wasn’t very engaging after the meet cute and *justlikethat* marriage. I generally love Liz Lincoln books, but as others have pointed out, this feels unpolished/unedited and just falls flat.
August 22, 2022
If had a lot of potential but it fell short. First of all the constant reference of muscular limbs felt unnecessary. Secondly, the guy was too perfect and had no faults. Third, it was all too fast and kinda cliche for me
Displaying 1 - 30 of 121 reviews