When I saw a rugby romance, I could resist giving it a read, even if it is set in Australia. Our main character, or one of them in any case, is Donovan. He was born in Australia to an Australian father and Maori mother. He spent some of his childhood in New Zealand and has family there now. He's what's sometimes known as a Mozzie, or Australian Maori.
Donovan is a star player for the Sydney Smoke, a top Rugby team. I'm not sure what position he's playing, if we were told, then I missed it somehow. He's apparently a big guy, so possibly a forward, but then most Rugby players are big. He's known since he was just 15 that he was gay, but as a professional sportsman, never felt that he could be out. There is no one in any of the various 'footy' codes in Australia that is out and he doesn't want to become the first. With a daughter back home in New Zealand and his career meaning everything to him, he keeps that part of his life locked, planning to finally address it when he retires. (As a side note, I had a look and it's true, there isn't anyone. There is an Australian player who came out after retiring and in other countries, there are some who are out and playing, as well as a famous Welsh ref.) When he meets Beck, a man open with his own sexuality and keen to help Donovan explore his, it's clear that keeping this attraction under wraps is just not going to be an option anymore.
Donovan and Beck make a cute couple together and I enjoyed reading about their growing romance. Beck has his own reasons for being reluctant to become involved in a relationship that isn't fully open and honest. Having been burnt in the past by something similar, he doesn't want to live half a life with his partner. Despite the problems that they face, neither Donovan nor Beck can resist trying to take their relationship further and seeing where things lead.
This was a great read. It's not hugely long but doesn't rush or feel like things are skipped over. I won't tell you what happens for this couple in the end, but I was left feeling happy about the way that everything played out.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The writing in this wasn’t my favorite. Was still mildly enjoyable and def has steamy & romantic moments if that’s what you’re looking for in a book. Just didn’t hit right for me.

I'm one of those people that must read all books in a series in order before I read a new one (if I haven't read the series before). So I read books 1-6 and really enjoyed them. Started book 7, Playing it Safe, and WOW! I wasn't expecting a M/M story and I don't normally read them, but this was an amazing story. Donovan is an amazing rugby player that is hiding part of who he is, from himself, from his family and from his team. Beckett is out and proud of it and falls hard for Donovan. Definitely a great story and I hope there are more coming in the series!

This review is based on an ARC from NetGalley, courtesy of the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to Amy Andrews, Entangled Publishling and Netfalley for sending me this free ARC in exchange for a honest review.

☆Sports Romance 🏈❤
☆LGBTQ+ (M/M) 🌈
☆Spicy 🔥

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Playing It Safe is the 7th book in this series (how have I only just seen this series?!) and I read it in under 24 hours! It was an amazing novel and highlights the stigma of coming out in sports, the fears and discrimination the person can face. The chemistry between Donovan and Becks is instant and a slower-burn but sexy build up. The author wrote Donovan's fears and hopes and Beck's ease and understanding beautifully. And also I loved how she wrote about Donovan's ex-wife and they're relationship.

Playing It Safe is a queer sports romance and that checks all the boxes of everything I look for in a book. This should have been perfect for me, so it pains me to say that it missed the mark.

I’m a firm believer that there is some good in all, if not most, books. So I’ll start with that. Amy Andrews mentions that this is her first m/m story and i applaud her for doing her best to approach it with sensitivity and care, taking her time to do the necessary research, and to talk to people within the queer community to ensure that she did it justice to queer experiences. It was also really nice to see discussions of coming out when under the public spotlight, that it was realistic, and it was thoughtfully handled.

At its surface, Donovan and Beckett are a cute couple with lots of steamy scenes throughout their story. If that’s what you’re looking for then this would be a fun read!

Unfortunately, that’s about as far as it goes without much more substance or nuance beneath the surface. I didn’t buy the instalove between the MCs - it initially seemed purely fuelled by sexual attraction, and then suddenly they were in love despite barely engaging in much in-depth, meaningful conversations that did not involve the word “cock”? That also made it hard for me to connect with them. The steamy scenes also felt overly sexualised and catered towards the cis-female gaze. There was something about that that didn’t sit quite right with me. Overall, I think the story as a whole would have greatly benefited if there was something more substantial to make the relationship between Donovan and Beck believable and if the their struggles (e.g. regarding coming out, etc.) was more nuanced given the situation that each MC was in.

On the bright side, there were some iconic lines that literally kept me awake laughing. A fun read, but ultimately fell a little short.

✼ Thank you to Netgalley and Entangled Publishing for an arc of Playing It Safe in exchange for an honest review. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I continue to adore this series as much as ever! Both heroes in this book, the author's first M/M romance, were spectacular!

Donovan Bane is a professional rugby player, and he loves the game. He loves it so much that he's decided to keep himself in the closet until after he retires. He's known since he was 15 that he was gay, but in his mind, that fact is incompatible with professional rugby. So, he keeps that part of himself locked down. No dating, or anything related to it. He's been dealing that way for years, and he manages just fine, until a man comes along that makes continuing to live that way impossible.

Beckett Stanton has started a new accounting job with the Sydney Smoke, and he loves it. He's gay and has been out since he was a teenager. He went through a bad relationship with a closeted man before, and he refuses to go down that road again. But, when he meets Donovan, he's thunderstruck! Circumstances keep bringing them together, and they can't seem to stay away from each other. But Beckett isn't willing to be someone's dirty little secret long-term, so he doesn't think they could have a chance at something real.

Donovan and Beck's chemistry was blazing from the first time their eyes met, but neither of them thought anything could really come of it, due to their differing situations. Donovan has an ex-wife and 14-year-old daughter to protect, not to mention how the team would be affected if he decided to come out. Beckett is only looking for a fling, knowing that Donovan is incapable of being a real choice for him in the long run, due to his plan to remain closeted for years to come. They had a lot of honest and revealing conversations throughout their slow burn of a courtship, that clued in the readers to all that was inside their heads, and hearts.

All of Donovan's teammates (and the WAGS!) are a delight, and I love revisiting characters from past books in the series. We also got a peek at Beck's bestie Pete, and he seemed like great fun too! My only small gripe is that I wish we'd had more on-page time between Donovan and his daughter. I would've liked to see their dynamic in action, rather than mostly hearing about it.

Dono and Beck were an amazing couple, and I loved watching them figure out what they could live with, and what they weren't willing to give up. This series continues to excel, and still keeps me coming back for more! Can't wait for book 8!

Oh my heart! This is a change for Amy Andrews & her first M/M romance, and I would say it has been successful. I thought the emotional conflict that Donno & Beck were facing were dealt with in a sensitive manner - coming out to family & friends, dealing with being an out top-level sportsperson, and not wanting to live in the closet. As a couple, I thought they had great chemistry & communication. It made me want more of their story & I hope that there are more books in the series so that we can see more of Donno & Beck.

❤️❤️❤️
💋💋

Lovely and sweet first time romance, M/M,
Full of very well written sexually tense moments between the two men.
I enjoyed it on the most part, but in others found it slow and unnecessarily difficult to keep my interest in.

There were some great moments but they just seemed to peta off and more could have been made from them.
I get that the main character didn’t want to be outed as gay but it became frustrating to find it repeatedly mentioned.

On the whole it was a great story, but I struggled keeping my attention on it, maybe if I’d know more of the series, this was my first of the series, I’d have enjoyed it more.

I received an Arc copy of this book and chose to post this review

Book 7 in the “Sydney Smoke” series. I haven’t read any of the other books in this series which was perfectly fine because this is totally stand alone. Though, I’m sure, I would if had a better insight on some of the characters in this had I read the first 6 books. This is the only LGBT book to date in the series, and I will say that for it being her first MLM book, Andrews did a great job. I’m not the biggest fan of sports romance, THATS just my own personal preference, but this was fun. Donovan struggles a lot with his sexuality and what that means as an elite rugby player in Australia. When he meets Beck theres an instant connection, and I will say this had some of the most edge of your seat will-they-won’t-they scenes Ive read. I was enthralled, holding my breath to see where Donovan would let things go. The spice was prominent in the later half but I’m not mad at it. I do love the single dad trope, I kind of wish we had more scenes of Donovan with his daughter. I also kind of wish we had a scene with him and his ex wife, a sort of tied up end to part of his guilt he feels throughout the book. This wasn’t anything earth shattering, but it was a cute angst book to read in a single sitting.

I've had the pleasure of discovering another masterpiece of M/M romances.
Donovan and Beckett love story is giving aaall the feels 😍 and I cannot recommend it enough.
It kept me up at night until 1am 😊 

5 stars

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

I first want to say I'm a huge Amy Andrews fan and love her books and writing style.
I was immediately drawn into Playing it Safe. Donovan is probably the sweetest character I've read in a while. I loved his shy vulnerable personality. Beck, his love interest, knows what he wants and he wants Donovan.
So why the 3 stars? The story started and ended strong. Its the middle if the book that I struggled with. The author also knows how to create some pretty steamy scenes as proven in the book but the in-depth meaningful interactions were lacking.
With a little more substance this could be a great read.

What a delightful sports romance! Amy Andrews pulls off another amazing installment of her Sydney Smoke rugby series, this time with two male protagonists. As always, she gets the mix of angst and light banter just right.

Donovan has known he’s gay since he was a teen, but didn’t think he could come out while playing professional rugby. It’s been fairly easy to bury his sexuality until he meets Beckett and their instant connection clicks into place. But, Beckett has dated a closeted man in the past, and swore he’d never do it again.

While the book is part of a long running series, with characters who put in occasional appearances, it definitely works as a stand alone. Donovan and Beckett are a charming couple, and Beckett proves to be a great teacher for sweetly innocent Donovan. These inviting characters, along with Andrew’s trademark humor and banter make the book tough to put down. Add in some rugby knowledge, which is perfect for people like me that don’t know the sport, and lots and lots of steamy moments, and Playing it Safe makes for a great sports romance.

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

This is a light and easy m/m sports romance. I enjoyed the dynamic between Donovan and Beckett, but thought it generally lacked much depth. Still an easy read (with lots of steam!)

Thanks to Entangled Publishing and NetGalley for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own.

While this book had an interesting idea and I was interested in the story. I was not able to connect with the characters well. The writing was just not my cup of tea.

4.5 stars
This was an incredibly touching story about Donovan who has always chosen rugby over his other passion, which is men, because there are no professional players that are out and he doesn't want to take away from the sport because he knows it will cause a fuss if he comes out.
He's never been with a man and never really found one that he wanted until the day he meets Beckett and the connection/attraction is immediate and Donovan is thrown into a tail spin because now what does he do, he has years before he retires(when he originally planned to come out), but he can't fight the attraction he feels even though it scares him.
I loved Beck and Donovan and how they took things slowly and Beck answered all Dono's questions and let him find his way, only occasionally nudging things forward. They are so caring and concerned for what the other is feeling and going through. It's sad that this is still considered something to be ashamed of, but it was a good look at some of the reasons people don't come out.
I loved this and now want to go back and check out the rest of the series.

Ya’ll know I’m a sucker for a good sports romance, right? Well, this one didn’t let me down. I think I’m finally coming out of my book funk.
Donovan has plays professional rugby for the Sidney Smoke. During his time with the team, he’s kept one of the most important aspects of himself a secret. His sexuality. He didn’t want to be the first player to come out and to face the media. It would be easier to face that challenge after retiring.
He didn’t account for Beckett Stanton.
Beckett doesn’t know much about rugby, but on his first day at work for the Sidney Smoke he knows he is immediately attracted to Donovan Bane. But he isn’t sure about being Donovan’s secret. The attraction keeps calling to him though. It’s hard to stay away from Donovan when he keeps showing up.
First things first, you don’t need to have read the previous books in the series to read this one. This is book 7 in the series and the first one I’ve read. Also, if you aren’t familiar with rugby, it’s not hard to follow.
The chemistry between Beckett and Donovan was intense from the get-go. They really couldn’t take their eyes off each other. They both had a lot going on and to consider, but once they made a decision, *fans self* Donovan was such an alpha-like character and to have him want to learn from Beckett? That’s my jam. I’d rate this a 2.5 out of 5 in the spicy scale.
I loved, loved, loved the fact Beckett watched Donovan play and how worked up that got him. I too have experienced that phenomenon and seeing it written into a book was pretty awesome.

Playing It Safe was my first Amy Andrews book and her first M/M, if I'm not wrong. I liked the story. It was well thought and nicely executed. I love sport romance with coming out stories and this one had an extra layer to it a.k.a Miri, Donovan's daughter.

Even if their first meeting was breathtaking - there was electricity in the air, I swear! - I had trouble connecting with Beckett and Donovan until later in the book. They had an amazing chemistry, but with Donovan overthinking all the time, it kind of killed the mood for me. I know there were a lot of things at stake (Dono's career, mediatic pressure on the team, impact on Miri), but between knowing and having it written multiple times, there's a difference.

Since the middle of the book, the atmosphere shifted as they were getting to know each other better and being more comfortable with one another. I'm a banter girl, so I loved the teasing! At this point, they were also exploring more concretely their feelings, which made it all better. It was sweet, but also heartbreaking, to see Beckett plan a future very early, even when he knew their arrangement was short-termed because he didn't want to be involved with a closeted man. But it's hard to stop falling in love, especially when it's reciprocated.

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

[As of now, this item is not eligible to be reviewed on Amazon]

This book honestly surprised me with the story between Donovan and Beck. These types of stories usually follow the same pattern - one guy is out, the other is in the closet, and the out guy gets tired of being a "dirty secret" - but Playing It Safe deviates from that trope and is all the better for it. I would have liked to have had a chapter where we got to meet Annie and Miri and see how Donovan interacts with them or just how the conversation went when he told them he was going to be coming out. I also didn't like that Annie got to have the life she wanted - to remarry and have more kids - while telling Donovan that he couldn't have the life he wanted because they had to protect Miri. I understand the idea of that, but it just seemed so unfair to Donovan. I really enjoyed getting to see how Beck and Donovan's relationship grew over time. And to know how close they had grown to then have Beck push Donovan away was so sad. This is a romance novel, so of course it all works out in the end, but I did feel so bad for both of the characters. I was so proud of Donovan for finally putting himself first and going after what he wanted rather than taking care of everyone else's needs. I actually ended up liking this book more than I thought I would. I have read two other books in the series, but both featured characters who were retiring so I was a little bummed I didn't get to see them again. But I would really like to read the future books featuring the characters who are still single.

Donovan and Beckett are wonderful.

I loved them so much!

Donovan is big and shy, fearful for the way his family will be affected and how his career would take a hit if he ever was outed or came out. But he’s also a great co-parent, a great boyfriend, a great rugby player, a great cook. Dono is what you expect a put-together person with their turmoil looks. A picture-perfect. He deserves so much and it was time he put himself first.

Then we have Beckett, an account. I mention this because the first time Dono met him his first thought was “I didn’t think accountants were my type” and I laughed so hard. But yeah, Beckett is a fantastic guy. He grew stagnant with his job and decided for a change. That's how he came to work for Donovan Bane’s team, the Sydney Smokes as an accountant. He's an amazing friend, a great partner, and everything you could ask for. He's a champ, honestly.


Both of these men find themselves falling in love with each other slowly, trying to keep a relationship and trying to live their lives. I adored the banter, how they started texting, their reactions to each other. I kind of wanted to protect them with a blanket. I loved how this book was able to portray Donovan’s story, showing how having someone supportive on your side can take you to be confident. I adored how they were able to communicate properly, respect their boundaries but also desire each other. But they also allowed their feelings to take over because they aren't perfect humans. Overall it was such a fantastic read and a fantastic book.


Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of the book I exchange for a review.

This book. I only have one word: adorable. Okay maybe three: adorable and spicy. It’s about Donovan and Beckett two guys who meet under unexpected circumstances and realize their chemistry is just off the charts. However, Donovan cannot risk his Rugby career and to be outed for a guy that he wants plus he has no idea how to “gay” unlike Beckett. This book was so much more than I expected, it had fun groups of friends, family, and of course an intense slow burn romance that was amazingly done. I felt the tension and chemistry from the beginning and I loved how the author didn’t rush into the spicy and instead those were perfectly places along their relationship developments and it just felt natural! Also I need to repeat this book is not only full with sexual and romantic tension but also the sweetest moments that made me smile and say “AWW” out loud. The only thing I would say felt a bit lacking for me was Donovan’s relationship with his daughter. I genuinely wanted to see them interact more and see how Donovan is also a cute dad. Still I feel like that was just an extra but the romance was just right and felt well paced too. (Which usually is an issue to me with other contemporary books) I truly do recommend it to everyone who is craving a good queer adult romance!!