Via Netgalley, I was given the opportunity to read the four books in the "Playing the field" series written by Sasha Lane:

Playing the game
Playing to score
Playing for keeps,
Playing to win

As I had all four downloaded, I read them all one after the other. They are quick, feel-good reads, bringing back my own footballing memories from playing for one of the top women's teams in my country.

Lane has created some great 'book role models' for aspiring young female footballers. The male lead characters are supportive, sweet, suitably geeky and all round cinnamon roll book boyfriends...

Welcome to the women's soccer league in this new sports romance series. The only soccer romance that I've read was featuring men's soccer so this was refreshing to read! Gabe is your playboy billionaire that has his eyes set on the league's star player, he thinks he only needs night to get over her, but the chemistry is sizzling. I adored Miri's strength and her kind personality in this one. I am excited for the second book in the series!

Miri's dream of playing professional football is finally coming true but the owner of her new team also wants her for himself. While owner Gabe thinks one night with Miri will get her out of his system, Miri isn't interested. A slow burn, sports romance with an HEA. Looking forward to the rest of the series.

3.5 stars!!

such a quick read, for those who are looking for a short story with a bit of spice and a good plot, this is for you!

hmm there were certain things that I didn't really like such as miscommunication and third act breakup, but if you're okay with that, its okay too!

the main characters were developed well too

This author - wow! If you want sizzle and heart in a passionate story, here it is. As our FMC, Miri, thought "It was only the need that mattered.".

Playing The Game is one of those stories you get lost in. Sasha's writing style made her book incredibly easy to consume in one sitting. It just flowed perfectly! The world building was subtle but complete and solid, so everyone and everything felt real and relatable. There were characters from all walks of life and with all personality types. I had no trouble finding someone to love or dislike! The dual first person POV's let me get the clearest possible understanding of each MC's thoughts and motives and gave an immediacy that I loved.

It was well paced and there was always something happening to keep me happily immersed in the Calverdale world. While this is a soccer romance there were other story layers of family, friendship, personal struggles and the darker side of this male dominated world. There were emotional peaks and troughs aplenty that kept me engrossed in each character's journey as they moved through playful and profound situations.

Something I particularly liked was how Gabe recognised Miri's spirit and talent before being swept away on their shared personal roller coaster. This was not just about initial physical attraction but building a relationship through troubles and successes. Another scene I enjoyed was Gabe's dismissal of a staff member due to historical and ongoing misconduct. The empathy resulting from Gabe and Miri's having either been a victim of this staffer or a similar circumstance created another bond, and it was a gleeful moment of schadenfreude to see an antogonist get his come-uppance.

I look forward to spending more time in this world and with these characters. Definitely recommended!

Thank you Netgalley for this one. This is the 1st book in the series and I really enjoyed it. Move aside hockey romance its time for football. This was such a easy read I read it in one sitting. A really great story and I'm excited to read the next book in the series!

This was such an easy read! I loved so many aspects about this book! Something i didn’t like was how fast paced it was, but that was just a. personal preference. The relationship that grew between Gabe & Miri was so sweet & so was the relationship between Gabe and Miri family! def can’t wait to read some more books in this series!!

Gabe, the ultimate womaniser business man and Miri, the talented footballer. Gabe wants Miri for his football team but she doesn’t want to because of historical situations but he wants her and not just for her footballing skills.
I enjoyed the first twenty percent then found myself a bit bored by the rest. Thank you to the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

this is the first book in a series, but they can be read as standalones. My first time reading this author, enjoyed the book very much.

This was a great start to a sports romance series. I like that the book is centred around women's football and we get a chance to see that side of the sport. Gabe is very persuasive but I liked that Miri kept him on edge. A quick read that had me entertained.

Wow!! This is the first book I have read by this author and I absolutely loved it. Miri and Gabe, make a wonderful couple. And Gabe has to work on getting Miri. She doesn’t want to leave her team and Gabe wants her on his team—this time money talked and won. Gabe was not ready for Miri, and vice versa. This was a really good comfortable read; I laughed at times and cheered on Gabe to win over Miri. Definitely enjoyed this story and will be getting the next one in the series.

This was my 1st book I read by Sasha Lace and it was SO GOOD! I didn't want to put it down and read it within a day!
Miri and Gabe are such a great couple! Love the aspect of sports but it's more on her than him! Great read and anyone who got interested in Rugby during the Olympics this year, should probably read this! I know not the same sport but same energy!!

Cute romance story with a billionaire male lead and a strong female lead. Enjoyed the back story to both and the stripper club was a good extra. Not many steamy sex scenes which would have enhanced the book further.

Quick sports romance read. It’s a nice change seeing the FMC as the athlete. I think we needed a little more getting to know you time between characters, and to see them fall in love. Good start to the series.

A solid start to this sports romance series. Sasha Lace is a new author to me, and I found myself enjoying the writing style of this book. Lookinf forward to reading the next one.

"Playing the Game" is the first book in the "Playing the Field" series by Sasha Lace. I've never read a book by Lace, but I was intrigued by the book's cover and summary. In this book, Gabe is a rich playboy who doesn't take anything seriously but has big dreams of taking over his father's premier soccer league. When his father unexpectedly passes away, Gabe expects to be handed the keys to the kingdom, but his mom doesn't think he's ready yet. In order to prove he's grown up and matured, he has to first prove himself by leading the women's soccer team to victory. He recruits Miri, an amazing player who has struggles of her own off the field. She's desperately trying to juggle handling her family's failing finances with her own love for the game. While she tries to ignore Gabe's advances, she can't help but feel the sparks between the two of them. Will she give in or will she hold her ground?

I typically enjoy books with a similar story line, but felt this one needed a little editing. There seemed to be too many side stories happening at the same time. I also had a hard time liking Gabe since he's so used to getting everything he wants at once. Overall, I'll give Lace's future books another chance. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this! 2.5 rounded to 3 stars
This was a fun read about Mari, a football/soccer player who has been down on her luck financially and Gabe, a wealthy socialite and new general manager of the team that recruits her. This has a little bit of everything: heavy chemistry, friends with benefits, workplace romance, stripping, cheating: you name it, this hits it. Its an enjoyable read with a good amount of spice.
Gabe wasn't my favorite. He's really pushy a few times in a way that isn't sexy so much as creepy? I want my male leads to be less forceful, especially in the times it seemed Mari wasn't fully into it. I also really just wanted more football action! This is sold as a sports romance based on the cover and byline but really its a romance that just happens to have some scenes on a football pitch.
I probably won't keep going in the story line

Such a fantastic read and series. I loved the characters and all the connections from book to book. They all felt like a family by the end and really linked so well together.

Miri and Gabe had me on chokehold! I went in without any expectations, but the plot, angst, and chemistry made this a worthwhile soccer romance 😍

A very enjoyable sports romance with some great spicy scenes - I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series