Playing It Safe by Amy Andrews was a hot and sweet romance between rugby player, Donovan "Dono" Bane and financier, Beckett. Donovan has been in the closet his whole life. After an accidental pregnancy in highs school, he's hidden behind his marriage and his kid, for almost two decades. But from the second he lays eyes on the guy with the blue eyes and the sharp suit, everything in his life changes. 

Beckett has been out since he was a kid and after a bad relationship, he swears he's never date a closeted person again. But the connection he has to Donovan is instantaneous and undeniable. The more time they spend together, the more Donovan and Beckett want to throw their carefully crafted plans out the window and finally give himself the chance to explore his feelings.

This book is like a giant ball of fluff with some really hot moments. Donovan is this big, giant, teddy bear and you just want him to be happy. He works fast and hard on the field, but off of it, he's this constant, steady presence, who's consistent in his behavior. But meeting Beckett throws him for a loop and his entire life is thrown out of whack. 

Their chemistry is off the charts and there's no doubt about whether or not they're compatible in that way. So, I really appreciated that they decided to focus on getting to know one another out of the bedroom before going down that road. It just helped to solidify their relationship more and gave their feelings more room to grow.

The actual romance was fun and light, with tons of steam. This might be a potential spoiler, so skip this paragraph if you want to avoid it, but I loved the amount of support they got in the end. Everyone just wanted them to be themselves and to be happy, and that just made me happy!

The ending was absolutely adorable, with a really sweet scene that was just as over the top and grand gesture-y as you can expect with a romance novel, but it worked! The whole book was just swoony and made you want to root for them from page one. 

I will say that though this is technically part of a series, it can be read as a standalone. I haven't read any of the previous books, but I didn't feel adrift or like I was missing anything. It did a good job of giving you all the information you needed to know without giving away too much, so if you wanted to go back and read them, you can do it without having gotten any major spoilers.

I'd recommend this book if you're looking for a sweet and steamy, friends to lovers, sports romance that is sure to make you smile!

OMG this was so sweet. Donovan is a closeted gay rugby player who has never had a relationship with a man. Beck is out and proud and willing to teach him and help him experiment being with a man for the first time. I I loved the beginning of the story, all the yearning and UST between Donovan and Beck. They eventually get involved and feelings develop, as would be expected. I loved the story, and it would have been a 5 star read for me but I would have really liked to read a little bit more about their developing romance. The relatioship between them could have been a little more explored and I would loved to have read it, but it was still really sweet and swoony and I definitely recommend this book. #PlayingitSafe #NetGalley

Did I hear slow burn??

Wowww this book was good! I was pleasantly surprised with this, I loved the story, the characters, just everything about it! It's my first book from this author that also happens to be their first MM book! How exciting is that?? So I went into this book blind not reading any of the past series, but I was fine since I wasn't confused or felt anything missing, so it can be read perfectly as a standalone.

The author did an awesome job on their first MM, you should write more of them Amy!! I couldn't put this book down! I loved the whole insta-attraction aspect, sooo much fun to read, and how they were basically magnetized to each other, couldn't stay away, yes yes and more yes, I love to see that!!

If you're looking for some sexy times with two super cute characters that are Donovan and Beckett (their names are cute too GAH), look no further!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for the earc in return for an honest review.

In "Playing It Safe", there were a lot of elements that shouldn't have worked for me: I'm generally not into insta-attraction or closeted characters, but the author pulled both off wonderfully. I understood why Donovan stayed in the closet (and so did Beckett!). I understood why Donovan wouldn't want to be out, while still not being ashamed of who he is. It was handled very well; the problem was never about Donovan being gay or not accepting himself, rather it was about dealing with the world as it was, and not wanting to put his daughter and team through a media circus.

The chemistry between the couple was scorching, believable, and even sweet. Although I sometimes wanted to see more of the other characters (Miri, Pete, and the coach and teammates), that's just a testament to how strongly they were written. This is my first book in this series, and I'm going to check out the rest after I finish this review!

I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a slightly angsty romance with a HEA. If sports romances aren't your thing (they normally aren't mine), don't worry. Rugby is a huge part of Donovan's life, but it doesn't take over the narrative at all.

Thank you to Entangled Publishing for providing an ARC!