This was a fun, opposites attract romance between a UC Berkeley professor of Shakespeare, and one of the football coaches. It was nice to have a couple with a little age and experience, though there were times that Anna acted strangely naive. The Berkeley campus setting was a plus as well.

A down-to=earth romance that moves at just the right pace. Tracy Ewens has a beautiful narrative voice, making the story come to life as you read. This is one case where opposites definitely attract!

Shakespeare and football, I never would have guessed. Anna and Dane are complete opposites yet are drawn together in a magical way. Her crazy Shakespeare quotes and his addiction to the rice cooker kept me laughing. Their silly banter was sweet and funny with a bit of dirty undertones. Her friend, Cynda, is a riot with her flat out honesty and sexy humor. Trey, a student in Anna's class and receiver on Dane's team, is a real gem and unknowingly brought them together. This is part of a series but you can jump in anywhere. I read an advanced copy from Netgalley and this is my voluntary review.

I had not read the previous books in this series. So going in I had no pretense on the writer or the plot. What I found was a book that had two strong leading characters that were written with such passion, angst, and details that it was as if they were real everyday people that walked among us.

Dane, at first I said, I don't know if I can like this man. Cocky, arrogant, drop dead sexy and stubborn. The way he didn't want to back down the first time he met Kate caught me off guard. But the way the scene ended made me feel better.

Kate made me smile. The way the author wrote her you felt like she was your best friend. It was easy to see her as part of your life. I wished that I had a professor like her teach Shakespeare. I was floored by the involvement of the tenure team (for lack of a better title). You'll understand when you read.

Dane and Kate's story is a slow burn of opposites attract. I found it to be a little slow at times but it was still enjoyable

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32739702-playbook

Can two totally different people find love? Yes they can especially when working towards a shared goal. I really connected with Anna since I also am an armchair reader living vicariously through romance novels.

so happy that Anna and Dane got their happily ever after

I really liked this book. Like everything else I've read by this author, it is beautifully written. The main characters, a football coach and an English professor at a large university, meet through their dedication to helping a student, and try to navigate their way through their differences to make a relationship work.
Having said that, I will confess that the first time I read it I was so annoyed by Anna I couldn't enjoy the story or even buy the plot. I could not for the life of me understand how someone like Dane would spend any energy trying to know Anna. I found her rude and irritatingly insecure. He describes her as beautiful, but from her recounting of her recent dating history, which included only solo appearances by a few losers, you figure she doesn't dazzle anyone with her personality or her beauty. His mother, a great character, describes Anna as magical. Must be. I just couldn't warm up to her, and wondered why he didn't move on to someone more interesting - and for that matter why her friend Cynda, who appeared to be a fun person, would want to spend any time with her. Her accomplished family apparently largely ignored her, and I understood why.
But because I've enjoyed this author's other books so much, I decided to let it rest for a few weeks and reread it. While Anna still annoyed me, I believe I understood her motivations and insecurities better. I'm still not sure why Dane was so bent on pursuing her, but he did it so nicely it was a pleasure to read.
We don't like all the people we meet, and I guess that goes for book characters also. While I wouldn't want to sit next to Anna at a dinner party, this was a book worth reading. The relationship with her students and Dane with his players was especially compelling. I'm so glad I reread it and discovered more of its character..

Ms. Ewens proves once again you can speak the language of love with mostly passionate kisses and not overly graphic smexy scenes. At nearly 40% into it before they share their first kiss, the couple’s individual internal monologue, which is laced with the assumed advice/opinions of others they hold dear and their own doubts/insecurities, take up quite a bit of the storyline. Then eventual confirmation/self-encouragement kicks in as they one by one come to the conclusion they need to go for the goal of what will truly make them happy, each other. Well, one of them crosses into love’s end zone first, leaving them patiently waiting with arms open wide for the other to get with the program and catch up. Which one? Well, that, my fellow romance book loving friends, is part of this romantic tale’s playbook that I shouldn’t reveal. It’s best if you experience it for yourself.

With some pass interference of a job related nature, this low romantic angst love story does conclude with a HEA, folks. Though slow paced and somewhat predictable, there is good character development and the writing flowed. As an avid true romantic at heart, I am still a little upset with one of the main couple for not automatically choosing love in the first place, especially after a grand gesture was made. Here’s to hoping my comments have been insightful enough to help you decide if Playbook will be a big win as your next romantic read.

Title: Playbook, Series: A Love Story (Book 7), Author: Tracy Ewens, Pages: 274, stand-alone, HEA, college football coach hero, Professor of Shakespeare heroine, slow paced, lots of inner monologue, some relationship angst, not overly graphic/steamy, no love triangle, no cheating, no OW/OM drama, non-virgin main couple.

Goodread Romance Safety Gang: <spoiler>Early on after being frustrated with the heroine, the hero considers hooking up with another woman via his manho best buddy/co-worker. He scrolls through his phone but decides not to do it. Because he’s more interested in the heroine. There is also a scene where this buddy invites a handsy OW to a bar to have drinks with them. Heroine, of course, sees them together. He wasn’t interested in the OW. Heroine is somewhat attracted to her UPS delivery guy, but this is before she gets to know the hero.</spoiler>

Book 1 - Premiere
Book 2 - Candidate
Book 3 - Taste
My review - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Book 4 - Reserved
My review - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Book 5 - Stirred
My review - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Book 6 - Vacancy
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1719678468?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1
Book 7 - Playbook

(This review is based on advanced reader copy provided via NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased, fair review. No compensation was provided to this reviewer, nor is there any affiliation between the reviewer and author/publisher/NetGalley It will be posted on Amazon, Goodreads, NetGalley, and Barnes & Noble.)

I love the story where the author gives the main characters little bit of age and wisdom. A Little older and a little wiser but when good things happen you can appreciate them even more.

This book was a surprise to me. I was expecting just another romance novel, but this book started off strong and stayed that way. We are immediately introduced to the main characters and the playful banter between the two brings a lot of interest and fun to this book.

While the characters could have been written with a bit of boring detail because of the work they did, the author brought in some great personality and heat between the two.

This book was a fun and pleasing read that combines many different aspects to bring a delicate balance to this story. Dane is a sweetheart and totally endeared himself to me. I need one just like him!!

This was an interesting read, and it was a nice change of pace to read a more "opposites attract" storyline. Anna and Dane are definitely opposites; Anna is a more conservative Professor and Dane is an assistant football coach looking to help one of his star players get their grades up. This is where their two worlds collide. As they begin to see each other and even work together, their attraction grows. What I liked most about their relationship is that they did not IMMEDIATELy jump into anything and really took their time. This was so much like real-life to met and it made their relationship feel more valued. Great read, although it is part of a series it CAN be read as a standalone and I will definitely be checking out other books in this series.

This was my first time reading this series and I absolutely loved everything about this book. I requested access to this book knowing nothing about the series or author but going only on the blurb. I am so glad that I took a chance. I loved Anna and found her so relatable- her quirkiness, her intelligence, her inner monologues. The well written story, the cast of characters, everything about this book exceeded my expectations. I highly recommend it and will be reading the rest of the books in the series.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It was such a sweet romance and to be honest, after all the erotica and the wham-bam-thank you ma’am that I have read lately, I needed to read this. It was a balm to my brain.

I loved that author chose to have Annabelle teaching Shakespeare at the University of Berkley. Shakespeare is my all time favorite playwright and to see his plays being taught in such a way that the students (even if it is fictional) was awesome.

I also liked the opposites attract theme. Annabelle and Dean couldn’t have been more different and to be honest, it works. They are just different enough that it keeps them both on their toes, relationship wise. The fact that they were first colleagues, than friends and then started their relationship was great. They didn’t jump right into bed with each other and when it did, it meant something to both of them.

I really connected with Annabelle. She was so passionate about what she teaches and it rubs off on her students. I just wish that she was more assertive earlier in the book. Because, it would have gotten rid of a lot of her stress (read the book if you want to find out).

Speaking of that, and I truly don’t know this, is it normal for a committee to be so interested in an associate professor’s personal life when they are applying for tenure? Because even I lifted an eyebrow when they called Annabelle and questioned her about her kiss with Dean during the football game. Seemed a bit intrusive (and a lawsuit waiting to happen) to me.

Dean just melted my heart. He was such a nice guy and how hard he fell for Annabelle just melted my heart.

The secondary storyline of the tenure committee really ticked me off and I did a lot of eyerolls during Annabelle’s meetings with them. The other storyline of Trey was actually sad. But, I loved seeing him come out of his shell on field and off. The talk that Dean had with Trey was perfect.

The end of the book was perfect. It was definitely a HEA!!!

How many stars will I give Playbook: 4

Why: I really enjoyed reading this book. It was a great read and it was something that I needed after reading a couple of eroticas.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Adult

Why: Sex, some language

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

This is a wonderful love story!

Playbook is the 7th book in the series A Love Story. While the stories are connected by shared characters, each book does quite well as a standalone. If you love reading series in order as much as I do, you might want to consider starting at the beginning but I don’t think you will be sorry either way.

The name of the series is A Love Story and what a love story this one is. Annabelle (Anna) Jeffries and Dane Sivac are about as different as night and day. She is all about Shakespeare and he is all about football – at least that's what they both think until they realize they have more in common than they thought.

This book made me ugly cry in a good way; my heart broke for both Anna and Dane. Fortunately, Ms. Ewens' books don't have cliffhangers and these two eventually get their HEA (happily ever after).

For an accomplished woman, with a PhD, Anna has fairly low self-esteem. She sees herself as less than her three sisters – like wallpaper that no one notices. Dane Sivac has his own issues and has buried his feelings way down deep; he's not sure he can change even for Anna.

Dane and Anna's first meeting didn't go too well:

When Anna said nothing, he kept going. “You know what? Since you have all your… stuff, just give me your number and I’ll text you my information.”
“No.”
“No, you won’t give me your number?”
“Mr.—Ah, Coach Whatever, I make a habit of giving my number to people I like.”
“And you don’t like me?”
“No.”



But when they begin working together to help one of Dane's players overcome his problems on the playing field they are unable to fight the attraction they have to each other.

Playbook is a story that built slowly and powerfully. The first kiss wasn't until chapter 12 and it knocked Dane for a loop:

Dane walked to his truck and hoped like hell she understood the concept of the long game because he was positive he was ruined for all other women with one simple kiss.



The first bedroom scene didn't happen until chapter 18 and even then, there is no explicit sex; it wasn't needed. Later, Dane tries to convince himself that he doesn't love Anna:

When the sun rose he would tell himself it was physical, that he was attracted to her, drawn to her because she was a challenge. That would probably get him through lunchtime, and then his heart would bust in two and beg him to let her in, keep her close. As the heat between them rose, his mind was still searching for order, figuring out a way to share who he was with every touch and sigh of his name.



I marked a lot of passages in this book and that is something I don't normally do. There are many other quotes I'd like to share but this review is already long enough. Ms. Ewens' writing is just exquisite and I was totally captivated while Dane and Anna's love story unfolded and went through its ups and downs. There is no way that my review can adequately describe how much I liked this book.

I definitely recommend Playbook, to anyone who enjoys a good love story. There is minimal coarse language – fairly unusual in contemporary romances these days – with only 3 instances of the f-word and they are used during stressful times not just thrown about casually.

There is one Jeffries sister yet to get her story and I hope that Tracy Ewens is writing it soon.

A review copy was provided by the publisher via NetGalley but this did not influence my opinion or rating of the book.

The Playbook considers whether opposites attract and what people need or want, in order to be happy. Annabelle Jeffries, the third of four daughters, is a PhD associate professor teaching Shakespeare at a prestigious university. She is content in her life with everything compartmentalized by work, friends, and family. Her family role has been the good sister, accommodating and adapting, often self selecting to be in the background.

Enter Dane Sivac, an assistant football coach who must work with Anna to help a first year player succeed in her class. He needs to prove to his bosses that he knows how to coach, and part of that process includes understanding why his new wide receiver cannot catch consistently. He also has his own demons to shake, not facing some emotional trauma in his past.

Along the way, Anna and Dane assess one another's personality to see if they are compatible. Each one challenges the other to conquer their prejudices and look beyond what they initially see. Given the story is a romance, we can expect and the book does deliver some ups and downs in their romance, with a happy ever after ending. The only aspect I did not like was at the end because too many loose ends were neatly tied up. One or two of the subplots were messy and Ewens figured out a way to clean up the messes in quick, yet unrealistic manners. That stated, The Playbook is a fun addition to the series. I am always impressed by Ewens knowledge of the different subjects she tackles in each book in the series.

Annabelle is an associate professor of Shakespearean literature at UC Berkley. She walks around in her head most of the time, is a total academic and doesn’t understand the mundane. She has a unique way of teaching that draws students to her class. Her best friend, Cynda, drags her out to do normal social things that she would not do on her own.

Dane is a football coach at the same university. Dane has been in his own cocoon for the last year, focusing on his coaching, buying a house and fixing it up. He lost his father when he was 19 and has never gotten over the loss. Because he can‘t risk this type of pain again, he doesn’t allow himself to get close to other people.

When one of his football players is flunking her class, Dane is sent to talk to Anna, to see if she can do anything to help him pass. They are both immediately attracted, but gloss over it for their own reasons. She thinks he’s a dumb jock and he thinks she’s an academic snoot. They both have to come out of their comfort zones to get the love they both secretly want.

Annabelle’s insecurities have her all over the place. She flirts, argues, throws out witty banter, and occasionally shuts down. Dane catches her off guard at times with his intelligence and insight - for a football coach.

These two take you on a roller coaster ride with their emotions but you can’t help but root for them to figure it all out.

I have now read 4 of the 7 in this series. I have liked them all, but Reserved remains my favorite.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC provided by NetGalley.