Chasing the Ring

Author: Lauren Rowe Title:  Chasing the Ring Publisher: Kensington Date Published: 01/27/2026

Read Dates: 01/15/2026- 01/16/2026
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐💫

 📖 I received a gifted e-book ARC. Many Thanks to Hambright PR  for this gifted e-book to read and review. The following is my honest review✍🏻

Chasing the Ring is a dual POV sports romance. When Iris discovers that her fiancé is cheating on her the night before her wedding, a video of her confronting him at the altar goes viral, and she takes off on a solo honeymoon to get over him. In Hawaii, she runs into Roman, a football quarterback happy to take her mind off things with a weeklong fling while he tries to negotiate a trade to a team that will put him closer to his goals. Iris wants to head home to a quiet, fame-free life, and Roman wants to focus on hopefully securing a Super Bowl ring, so they head their separate ways, but neither one is really ready to let go of what they found in paradise!

I enjoy Lauren Rowe's books, and this was a fun read that is kicking off a new series. I liked Iris a lot; it took longer for Roman to grow on me, though. I did enjoy the premise, a vacation fling that leads to more, and I loved all the side characters that get introduced, especially Roman's family. Iris being oblivious that she's meeting a football superstar was entirely believable for me as a noon-sports fan, and Roman's devotion to his family was admirable. A very cute read overall!

Iris Benedetto’s wedding day just went viral . . . for all the wrong reasons.
After a heated blowout with her lying, cheating fiancé at the altar, Iris storms off on a solo honeymoon—loudly announcing that she’s finally going to find out what good sex is all about. Rebranding from small-town preschool teacher to #Horny Runaway Bride was not the plan, but the insanely hot stranger who ends up double-booked in her bungalow on the island of Kauai is an opportunity even devastated Iris can’t ignore.

It’s not often NFL quarterback Roman Maguire meets someone who doesn’t recognize him. Even rarer to have that someone barge in while he’s taking a shower and quickly make him an irresistible offer. Roman is in Hawaii to secure the deal that could finally land him a Super Bowl ring—and closer proximity to his son. A sexy fling in paradise is a perfect way to spend a week with a surprise roommate . . .

Except . . . suddenly a week doesn’t seem nearly enough. And once the truth about Roman’s identity, Iris’s internet infamy, and all kinds of loyalty-testing secrets are revealed, will they both be willing to step into the real-life spotlight together?