I read a lot of MM romances, so was interested to see Amy Andrews was writing one. Overall I really enjoyed this novel, I liked both of the main characters, Donovan Bane the professional rugby player hiding his sexuality and Beckett Stanton who is newly employed by the team in the finance department, I even really liked their instant connection.

I felt saddened for Donovan, being worried about 'coming out', wanting to be known for his rugby skills and not for being a gay player, and also for feeling he would have to live without love for the rest of his career. The fact his ex knew about it and wanted him to delay coming out until their daughter was out of school, made me more than a bit mad at her.

Beck was lovely, he'd been hurt before by being with someone who wanted to keep him a secret and was determined that he would never allow that to happen again.

But the chemistry between them was too hard for either of them to resist for long. I could really feel the chemistry between them, it is something Amy is good at portraying in her MF novels too. While the sex scenes were hot, I felt let down with the lack of foreplay and prep that went into the 'full' sex scene, it just didn't work for me that there would be none of that, especially the prep for someone experiencing it for the first time, even as the top.

I felt for both of them as they struggled with figuring out where their relationship could go and what they were willing to give up to be together. I thought Donovan came to his decision very fast after all his angst but loved the way he did what he did to show Beck he wanted to be with him.

Overall a really enjoyable read with a happy ending.

Thanks to NetGalley and Entangled Brazen Publishing for a digital copy of this book in return for an honest review.

This book is a part of a series but can be read as a standalone as this is the first book I’ve read from the series and it was very easy to read.

I struggled to get into this book for the first few chapters. I think it was mainly because it’s written in 3rd person, which I don’t tend to read because I don’t really like it. But after a few chapters I got more into it.

Donovan and Beckett have an instant connection. It’s very insta-love, which I’m not a big fan of, but they were sweet together and I enjoyed seeing their relationship develop. This wasn’t a stand out book for me but overall it was a pretty good spicy read and I would recommend it!

Donovan Bane is an elite rugby player. He has been married, has a daughter and loves playing the game. His personal life in non-existent. A look from across the cafe, and his world was upended. Panic has set in. What to do? He can't even think about coming out. Beckett Stanton has begun to work for The Smoke. He is out and not going back into the closet. Beck is fun and flirty. The chemistry between the two are off the charts. I love that Beck made his place a safe haven for them to get to know each other. Donovan loves to cook and teach Beck about rugby. Three little words, I love you and their worlds came crashing down. Love gives you the courage to conquer your fears, come out of the closet and know that the most important people in your life, will love you. Love the HEA.

3/5 stars
This was my first Amy Andrews’s book, I haven’t read any other book of the serie.
I really love sport romance but this book just wasn’t for me
Let’s star from the beginning, since the moment they see each other, they were enchanted and this isn’t wrong, the problem for me is that they only though about sex ALL THE TIME, and they first encounters were all about that, there wasn’t a real development of their relationship or any characters, main or secondary.

I was really hoping to get to know Miri and explore her relationship with Donovan and even Beckett.

I don’t know if the experience of this book would be any different with the knowledge of the rest of the series

If you look at the cover, read the description and picture the main characters as Jason Momoa and Chris Hemsorth - that is all. Thank you to #NetGalley #PlayingItSafe for an early copy - comes out 9/6/2021!

I liked it–because I’m a sucker for first times, but throw in some sports and cultural differences and I’m all in–but one particular aspect bothered me. It felt like the author had to check every box in a list of ‘what should be expected in a gay relationship’. It was mostly like that for the sexy times, but since they occupy a good chunk of the story…

Donovan and the discovery of his sexuality were of course at the center of the story. The facts that he had been married, that he was a father, and that he was a big strong guy playing a badass sport, were explored deeply in the book. I felt that Beckett was left bereft in that aspect. His one past story didn’t feel like a big deal–and he described it as such. What we learn about him was mostly through Donovan’s eyes.

I’m used to accepting instant connections in romance novels, so their ‘attraction at first sight’–with the added coincidence of both being gay, even if one was in the closet–didn’t bother me much. At least, there were multiple scenes where they talked and became friends before going further, even though there was always some sexual tension during their encounters.

A lot of potentially interesting things happened behind the scene–like Donovan’s coming out to his family–and I found that frustrating and a bit sad. I mean, I get that Donovan and Beckett are the important characters in the story, but their interactions with other people could have been more developped–we barely see Beckett with anyone but Donovan.

I loved the characters though. They were cute together. The domesticity in some scenes was absolutely adorable. You could feel the comfort and support they found in each other. Beautiful.

All of that made the last scene extremely powerful. A great manifesto for more acceptance.

Quickie

- Series: Sydney Smoke rugby #7 (can be read as a standalone)
- Hashtags: #sports romance #MM romance #multicultural relationship #coming out #first time #secret relationship
- Triggers: N/A
- Main couple: Donovan Bane & Beckett Stanton
- Hotness: 4/5
- Romance: 4/5
- + the grand gesture was so powerful
- – sometimes, it felt like a checklist: first kiss, first blowjob…

You need to read Playing It Safe!

Rugby player Donovan Bane doesn’t want to come out until he has retired because wanted to be known more for playing rugby than being the first gay player to come out while still playing but meeting Beckett (Beck) Stanton changed everything.

I wasn’t sure what to expect with Amy Andrews first M/M romance in the Sydney Smoke Rugby Series, but the romance is so good with a slow burn when Donovan must decide between hiding who he is or being able to publicly love Beck. I loved the give and take when Beck let Donovan go while he figured out what he wanted plus the reaction of the team and his family when he decided to tell the world he wasn’t hiding it any longer.

If you love sports romance, you need to read Playing It Safe right now!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Playing it Safe by Amy Andrews
Sydney Smoke #7

Loved Donovan and Beckett and rooted for them from beginning to end. It can’t be easy living up to the expectations some hold for athletes whether they are those of one’s own making or created by society and Donovan has a lot on his plate being “in the closet”, playing rugby, and then meeting the man that could be his soul mate.

What I liked:
* Donovan: father, divorced, gay, rugby player, in the closet, has his future planned, meets Beckett, his life is changed.
* Beckett: financial guy, gay, confident, charming, open, charismatic, unwilling to be with a man in the closet, meets Donovan and his life is changed.
* That the two men “knew” there was chemistry from their first meeting
* The way they went slow at first while exploring the possibilities
* Thinking about the impact society has on youth and how that can last a LONG time
* The way Donovan came into his own and grew through the story
* The relationship Donovan had with his family and friends
* Beckett’s ability to communicate
* Miri: Donovan’s daughter
* Griff: coach but definitely helpful when needed
* Donovan’s team and the relationship they seem to have
* The fairytale feel to the story that came with a happy ending

What I didn’t like:
* Knowing that the conflict Donovan faced is still being experienced today by many…wish being open and accepted no matter one’s orientation was possible.

Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I read more in this series? Definitely

Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing-Brazen for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

I haven't read any of the other books in this series, as I believe they are all m/f. However, when I saw this one pop up on NG, I was super intrigued. First, Australia, Sydney to be exact, which I love, with a little New Zealand thrown in there, have always loved the home of the Kiwis, and on top of it sports romance. All great things in my book. I don't know anything about rugby (although I did get to watch an All Blacks match when I was in NZ), known as footie Down Under, but I can't imagine I wouldn't love it. Poor Dono...he struggled so hard to be true to himself, love his family, and just keep working his career, knowing someday he could be an out FORMER player. He never counted on falling in love. He always felt his teammates, the team leadership, the fans would hate him, and bring pain to his only child, simply because he was gay. He truly felt he had no options. Meanwhile Beck swore he wasn't going to do the whole boyfriend in the closet piece ever again, and kept to that, for some time at least. He told himself he could keep it separate and casual, but Dono knew exactly what he wanted, it was a challenge for him to agree to it.This was an insta-love/lust that turned into a slow burn, allowing these two to become friends, getting to know each other on a level that was far beyond the hot sex that came later. Even though they hid away from the world, they spent time doing domestic things, cooking together, ordering in, watching movies and old rugby matches, laughing and having fun together. They dated behind closed doors, until they had no other options.Definitely some crying, and a super happy ending. Would definitely recommend.4 pieces of eye candy

Playing It Safe is in a word, safe. That's not to say that there isn't some well placed heat, but the book could be a textbook in the athlete coming out trope. This review contains general spoilers - skip the spoiler paragraph if you don't want to know the flow of the trope.

The pluses - Playing It Safe is a very well written book with excellent flow, well developed characters and RUGBY! You may know by now I am a a sucker for a good scrum. Donovan and Beckett, as well as the cast of teammates, WAGS and friends are great and you feel like you are immersed in the world of the Sydney Smoke. Even the sex scenes are on point and the development of heat was great! Back when I was reading more M/F romance, I read several of the Sydney Smoke series and enjoyed them. This is the only M/M book in the series.

***Spoiler alert - don't read the minuses if you don't want a plot summary***

The minuses - there's nothing new here - if you regularly read M/M romance, particularly sports romance, you can predict exactly how this trope will play out. Boy hides in closet, boy meets boy, things get heavy, feelings are involved, they break up because boy hides in closet, boy can't function, coach notices, boy comes out and they live HEA- there is nothing surprising or wow for readers who choose this as part of the larger sub-genre.

***Spoiler completed****

That being said, Playing It Safe is an excellent gateway book - I expect that there may be some new M/M readers who join our ranks, based on this being their first foray into the gay romance world. It certainly does it's job in that respect. If you're looking for a book that safely introduces a M/F romance reader to the M/M genre - this is going to be a top pick for that role.

Wow! This book managed to be both sweet and spicy, and I adored it.
Donovan was a character that I hadn’t thought much about in the previous books in the series, but I loved him and Beckett.
It was my first M/M book and I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I think this is my favourite book of the series.
The characters were fully developed, and I completely understood their motivations, even with the inevitable disagreement.
I loved how sweet and understanding Beckett was, and following Donovan’s journey to accept himself.
This is a book I will reread many times, Amy Andrews has done it again!!

First of all, I normally do not read M/M romance, but it's an author I love so why not?
It was great, entertaining of course, but I believe a lot of referencing went into this read, and it felt real. Idk if it is, but it felt right. The feels in this were immense too, though I could've done without all the mindspeak as in any read, it gets a bit redundant for me.
These two mains were different as night and day, door open and door shut. Dono's description sounded a lot like Momoa, a beast, at least that's who I pictured, and Beck was just as hot in a blond way. Their chemistry was also hot and instant, but with potential blowback that could ruin them both, they had to hide their relationship, and that was so sad.
I felt so tense when Dono ... well I'm not giving it away, but I happy cried! The HEA is crazy good too.
I received an ARC thru Netgalley and Entangled. I am giving my honest opinion voluntarily.

A smoking hot story. Beck is a Rugby player unable to explore his sexuality. Beck is the new guy in the organization who is proud and out. Amy Andrews does a fantastic job of exploring the decisions a male athlete has to make in a sport that might reject him for being gay. The feelings and doubts expressed by both characters is masterful. They explore each other physically and mentally to reach that decision to fall in love and start a life together. The support of family and the team is what makes it all successful.

Playing It Safe is a cute (and steamy) m/m sport romance about Donovan Bane, an Australian rugby star, and Beckett Stanton.

Although the premises of this book originally peaked my interest, I found the story a little bit cliché and 'superficial'. The pacing didn't help...really slow in the beginning and really fast from about the 60% mark, which meant that important aspects were just glanced over and not elaborated. The romance aspect was a bit too insta-lovey for my taste, though there are a few conversations between the two that feel really personal and are quite emotional.The characterization was a little bit lacking and there are no secondary characters apart from a few cameos in the beginning and of Donovan's teammates, but at least I found both the main characters very likeable.

What was certainly not lacking in this book was the chemistry between Donovan and Beckett...like, wow!

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a short, cute, insta-lovey and extremely steamy romance.


**Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for granting me the e-ARC of Playing It Safe. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Loved, loved, loved. I went in knowing there would be good steam, but I wasn't prepared for the heart. This wasn't just wham and bam. Donovan is struggling and even more so when he meets Beck. He shares a traumatic experience and Beck guides him through some of his firsts.


Donovan Bane loves playing with his rugby team the Sydney Smoke. This is why he's kept his personal life private. It's a sacrifice he'll make until he retires.

Until he meets Beckett Stanton. He's out and proud and when he spots Donovan he knows what know else has figured out. But also knows that Donovan isn't out. And isn't interested in navigated this kind of situation again.

But neither can deny the attraction they feel. And when Beck pursues him, Donovan indulges himself for the first time in a long time.

Thanks so much to Entangled, Amy Andrews, and NetGalley for this ARC to review.

I'm a sucker for an M/M romance, especially with a forbidden element. I loved how quickly the tension between Beck and Dono was established. I could *feel* the attraction between these two and loved how Dono slowly let down his walls and found happiness - not just with Beck, but within himself too.

This was a relatively low angst and cute read.
Overall 4*
3/5 on the spice scale - graphic scenes but relatively vanilla gay sex.

I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

3⭐️

Steamy, fast faced, male/male romance! There’s so much lust, and it’s evident that the male leads have trouble keeping their eyes and hands off each other.

I wish there were more to Donovan and Beckett’s relationship than just lust. In my opinion (aside from the obvious) there was very little character and relationship development.

Donovan Bane always believed that he couldn’t have both: play the sport he loves, and be open about who he loves. For the longest time he always chose rugby.

Beckett Stanton is out, confident and experienced. He’s new to the area after taking a job with the Sydney Smoke Rugby team. He’s instantly drawn to Donovan Bane. And Donovan felt it too.

With their instant chemistry it was impossible for Beckett and Donovan to be apart. They soon come to a secret arrangement, for the sake of Donovan’s career and family.

It’s not long before Donovan begins to feel love for Beckett, which pushes him away and affects Donovan’s ability to play the sport he loves.

Will Donovan be able to do both? Play the sport he loves, and love who he loves? Will Beckett accept his feelings for Donovan, and rekindle their romance?

I really tried to get into this book but I only made it about 25% of the way before I DND'd it. I just really couldn't get into the writing or any of the characters. I found Donovan so so boring! Its so sad because I love sports romance but this one just didn't do it for me.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC

Amy Andrews’s sexy Sydney Smoke rugby players are back in Playing it Safe. I’ve been waiting a few years for Donovan Bane to get his own story and he was so worth the wait. Donovan is a loving father (swoon) and a tough-as-nails rugby player. He’s also sweet and vulnerable in ways that caught me off guard and I loved that. Donovan has lived his life in the closet, never risking even a casual relationship with another man for fear of being outed. He doesn’t want his team or his loved ones – especially his daughter – to have to face potential backlash, trolls, slurs, and more. As much as the world has changed, Donovan knows he will still have to face hatred and he doesn’t want to deal with that plus being in the spotlight as the first out actively playing professional rugby player. Donovan figures he can wait to live his life until he retires in a few years. Then he meets the Smoke’s newest finance guy, Beckett Stanton…

The out and proud Beck has been scarred by a past relationship with a closeted man he has no desire to repeat the experience. But meeting Donovan is like being smacked with a two-by-four. The sexual tension between Beck and Donovan is out of control and what’s more, the two simply like being together. A short fling between new friends never hurt anyone, right? Except it’s clear to them both that what they have is so much more than that. Beck and Donovan have some hard choices to make to decide what is the right path for each of them and whether or not that means they can be together.

Donovan and Beck are both fun, likeable guys with good hearts. They have red-hot chemistry that is clear from the instant they meet. Donovan’s only relationship has been with his ex-wife and combined with his lack of experience he asks Beck to be his tutor. The other man is more than willing to do so and I loved the openness and lack of judgment from both of them. Their physical and emotional honesty gave Playing it Safe heart to match the extreme heat these two gave off.

Playing it Safe is the seventh book in the Sydney Smoke Rugby series but it can easily be read as a standalone. Whether you’re a fan of the series or are jumping in for the first time, Donovan’s relationship with his teammates is delightful. I adore the team Andrews has built – any time spent with them is a rucking good time.

I started reading F/F and M/M romances a few months ago and I honestly have no idea why it took me this long to start reading them. I’ve only read a handful but the ones I have read have been amazing. For this being Amy’s first adventure into the M/M world, as a straight woman reader, I say, read this!!

Donovan is a star on the Sydney Smoke who has always hid his true self from the world. He’s a man of integrity who doesn’t want any hardships to come upon those he cares about in order for him to be happy.

Beckett is a man who knows what he wants and is a go-getter. He is willing to make sacrifices to do what feels right for him. When these two are together it’s like a fire that never burns out.

So much unresolved sexual tension, you could just feel it coming. To quote Phil Collins, I could definitely “feel it coming in the air tonight!” I kept looking at my time left in the book and kept thinking, but they haven’t done this yet, but he hasn’t done that yet, oh my gosh he just did what?! O. M. G., OMG, just oh my gosh, 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻Amy...well done!!!