This was definitely a heavier read than the first two books in this series. But the age gap romance was a fun trope. Alexander is Scottish and dominant which made this a fun spicy read. The male narrator with his Scottish accent had me finishing this book in one workday. Alexander’s son was adorable but I wasn’t a huge fan of Lana keeping secrets… it feels like a common theme in this series.

ARC Review
Playing for Keeps by Sasha Lace
Playing the Field Series - Book 3

Okay, this was an excellent addition to the series. I am a sucker for a single dad trope, and the kid in this book was the CUTEST. It was enjoyable to see how the 'party girl' seemed to tame down a bit for the broody dad. The way no one stood up for her made me want to cry.

Pick this one up if you enjoy:
* Football (soccer) romance
* New to town Scottish goalie x veteran FMC player
* Single dad
* Age gap - 15 years
* A bit of a blackmail plot

Of the first 3, this one was my favorite! I love Alex, he’s so sweet and just what Lana needed ❤️

I liked that with this one there was the athlete and sports perspective from both points of view, that was a fun twist to the plot.

I’m never a fan of the miscommunication/ lack of communication trope, but It was done well in this book, so I'll let it slide. I was so anxious nearing the end of this book, I wasn’t sure how it’d play out. I LOVED the ending, it was so perfect 😍

Thank you to Montlake, Netgalley and Sasha Lace for allowing me access to this ARC. I have been struggling with this series but have been wanting to finish it. I don't like not finishing a series halfway through.

My feedback remains the same as previous 2 books.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for this eARC in exchange for my honest review!

Sasha Lace has done it again! The third installment (which totally works as a standalone) is about Wild Child Lana Sinclair and her romance with swoony single dad Alex. This book was fast paced, mildly spicy, and easy to devour in a single sitting. ALSO… Alex in a kilt *sheeeeeeeesh*

-single dad
-age gap
-sports romance
-work place romance (kinda)

This was absolutely delightful. The plot was well-paced and captivating from start to finish. The characters were charming and witty. I highly recommend this fun and quick read.
A well-written and fun story, with the engaging characters with believable struggles.
The novel flows well and hits all the romantic spots.

3⭐️ Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for a copy of Playing For Keeps.

Lana has a reputation of wild party girl even though she does not drink due to her dad struggling with alcohol addiction. Alex is a widow and a single dad to a son who is finally ready to put himself out there. Alex and Lana meet and spend a no strings attached night together. But they both find out they are playing football for the same organization. Lana keeps him at arms length to keep from getting hurt but she has never felt this way before. The more time they spend together the more they fall for each other. But she is being blackmailed and has to choose to protect her family or her new relationship.

This is the third book in this series and so far this is the one I enjoyed the most because I love the single dad trope.

The best of the series - the Calverdale Ladies are back with an age gap romance, tricky feelings, new feelings, facing fears and insecurities, and ultimately finding that you can be your own worst enemy. Struggles with grief and addiction are strong themes and handled well. Can stand alone and definitely recommended.

Sasha Lace is definitely one of my must read authors just from this whole series. If you loved the hype from this summers Olympics and girls Rubgy, this series will be a hit for you!
Lana and Alex ...... what can you say! Wild girl and Single Dad is a hit. They both have things they have to get through so they can be together. Alex didn't think he'd find love again after his wife passed. And Lana has home issues she doesn't want to come to light. I feel like both their scenarios are really relatable.
And of course these 2 are hot! Definitely clear your calendar for the day because you won't put it down.

Thank you NetGalley, Montlake and Sasha Lace for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Let’s start this off with the most important feedback - Alex is a flipping stud in a kilt and can do no wrong. Sexy accent, amazing dad, hotshot soccer player (sorry, I’m American), and is mature…like, come on!

Lana was a tough start for me due to her behavior in book #2 and while I didn’t love some of her decisions in this book I warmed up to her, especially seeing her with Brodie.

Overall, I still liked book #1 the best but I’m a sucker for a single dad situation and Alex really pulled more than his weight in this book. 3.5 rounded up

Open door.
Age gap.
Single dad.

Lana plays professional soccer. Alexander has just been transfered to the men's team. But not before they had one hot night together.
This one night stand, age gap, single dad romance is book 3 in the Playing the Field series, and sadly, it was my least favorite in the series. I didn't like the female main character much, she was dubbed as a wild child and really was all over the place, Her lack of maturity made me want to slap her more than once. Her actions also don't make sense. She's adamant that their relationship is only physical, but all of a sudden she's ready to play house? The story also deals with alcoholism and blackmail, which is announced in the content warnings, but both are part of my least favorite subjects. It's not the only reason this one was not my favorite in the series, but it sure didn't help. It's mostly a me thing, because overall, the reviews are fantastic! Also, on the bright side, I did not absolutely hate the third act breakup in this one as I did with the other ones in the series.
I received an advance review copy of this book for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Lana, a dedicated player on Calverdale’s women’s football team, is thrown into turmoil when a bad encounter with the press leads to blackmail. Faced with a choice between exposing secrets about her male counterparts or risking her family’s privacy, she is cornered into a tough position. Meanwhile, Alex, a recent transfer to Calverdale’s men’s team, crosses paths with Lana unexpectedly. After a passionate night, he’s surprised to find himself drawn to her, despite the grief of losing his wife and his protective instincts for his son. Lana, on the other hand, is focused on her dream of making England’s women’s squad and shielding her family from scandal, with no room for romantic entanglements. But the connection between her and Alex, a charming Scottish goalkeeper, proves harder to resist than she anticipated.

Although Lana is portrayed with a compelling blend of strength, vulnerability, and inner conflict, the story itself feels lacking in depth. The relationship’s development is rushed, with Lana going from emotionally guarded to fully integrated into Alex’s life rather quickly, which feels forced rather than natural. Alex is an endearing character, though some of his actions seem inconsistent with his age and life experiences. However, his dedication to his son and his supportive view of Lana’s career and character provide some of the story’s most touching moments.

5 ⭐ 3 🌶️

This series is slowly unaliving me in all the best ways. I'm loving these characters and their stories to bits, this one particularly got me a little emotional with everything these two went through, past and present. It was such a beautiful story about grief and growing and I just loved it.

Despite wanting to scream at Lana multiple times, I absolutely adored her, especially with Alex and Brodie. She was truly so strong and while her weak moments led to the third act, I still applaud her for being brave and ultimately finding how to love and how to be herself and let that side of her free. In those moments she let's go, you see such a wonderful and inspiring woman and I loved it.

The end was perfect. Alex and Brodie are so good for Lana and I really hope we get a wedding and baby Macs in the future. I could read about these two for ever and ever and never get tired.

thank you net galley for the arc in exchange for an honest review ✨

Lana is on the ladies football team at Calverdale, she has an unfortunate run in with the press and ends up being blackmailed into spilling secrets about her male counterparts or risking her family secrets being exposed. Alex has just been transferred to the Calverdale male football squad, he meets Lana unexpectedly and they have a steamy evening in a hotel, unaware that they will see each other again. Alex is a widow and a father, he wasn’t expecting to feel anything for another woman again after losing his wife and he is afraid to let someone into his and his son’s life. Lana doesn’t do relationships, she wants to make the England women’s squad and protect her family from the press, she has no time for sexy Scottish goalkeepers and their adorable son.

i felt like this book was a little boring… there was so much telling rather than showing and the relationship moved really quickly. Lana was adamant about keeping it just physical and all of a sudden she’s okay with sleeping over and meeting his son and playing happy families? it didn’t feel like an organic or natural development. it felt more forced and it didn’t flow naturally.

the chemistry just wasn’t really there, they had all of these heart to heart chats where it was more like Alex was her father and giving her life advice rather than anything romantic between them.

Claire the team manager also bothered me, if she was a good manager then Lana would have wanted to tell her the truth, but she was just hard on her without ever really pushing to find out what was going on.

i haven’t read the first two books so some of the side characters and other couples were just that, they just filled some background and didn’t provide much else.

overall, it wasn’t the most realistic of stories, for one, female football players in the UK have careers outside of football as they don’t earn enough by playing the sport. idk, maybe i’m being overly critical? it wasn’t a terrible book, there was a lot of good in it, the dealing with grief and loss was handled really well at least.

I really only need one word for my review of Playing For Keeps - Scotsman, and maybe a few fire emojis!!!! The audio version is an absolute aural treat because of that glorious accent and the quality of both narrators. This is another wonderful Sasha Lace story though, and it deserves all the words and stars! Family, empathy, forgiveness, fresh starts, humour, grief and a wonderful redemption arc for a favourite - if you like these elements in a book, then this one is for you.

There are some fun spicy scenes in this book and they play a pivotal role in bringing the story and characters to life. However, there are always tales within tales in this author's stories so to quote the MMC, Alex, "You never know when you walk around in this world, who is doing everything they can, just to hold things together...". I love the emotional maturity Alex shows when he says this and the lesson we can all benefit from : needing to walk in someone else's shoes to really know them and the troubles they are going through, before making a hasty judgement, dismissing them and their problems. More than in any of the other books, I see this as the key theme here, and the author gently shows us the painful reality that can be some people's lives behind closed doors or their brave faces.

Another thing that stands out for me and is a visible and significant factor in moulding both Alex and Lana is the quality of the relationship each has with their sister. Family, whether biological or chosen, is always a strong theme in each of Sasha's books, and I love that! She creates solid characters who display all the good and bad traits of everyday people and are relatable because of it.

This story is Lana's redemption arc and I appreciated her strength even more after learning of her personal difficulties. The situation she was forced into in this book was awful - but well conceived and written. Let's just say I have discovered another character who rivals my distaste for Sean Wallace. This author clearly has a gift for crafting villains!!

I really enjoyed Brodie's inclusion. He's a wonderful boy and brings warmth and humour to scenes. One conversation that made me laugh is when he gleefully points out Alex's 'flaws' by telling his Dad " 'You're not good at Mario Cart and when you try to dance, it's cringe.' ".

Ms Lace has gifted us with a real character driven story, filled with circumstances that test those characters relentlessly, and showcase their growth. I felt anger, grief and loss on behalf of our MC's and celebrated their successes, both career and personal.

This is another enthralling addition to the Playing The Field series and I highly recommend it!

The third installment in the series is my favorite so far. Single dad yes please ! I absolutely loved their dynamic and their relationship. Lace is truly the queen of the family drama and it adds so much to her stories. This one took me on an emotional rollercoaster and I was here for it. I can't wait to read the last installment in the series.

"Playing to Score" delivers a deliciously tangled romance between Skylar, the ambitious captain of Calderdale Ladies, and Dr. Reece Forster, the team’s supportive yet off-limits doctor. As Skylar navigates heartbreak from a toxic relationship, her vulnerability leads her to confide in Reece, igniting a chemistry they can’t ignore. Reece's long-held feelings for Skylar add depth to his character, creating a palpable tension as they grapple with professional boundaries and personal desires. This revised edition expertly balances heart and steam, making it a compelling read for fans of contemporary sports romance. The stakes are high, and the connection is undeniable!

I enjoyed the third book int his series. You can read them as stand alone books, but I enjoy reading them in order as you follow the characters through each story. This wasn’t my favourite of the three, but a good storyline and a happy ending as expected, with some spiciness throughout. Can’t wait to read for the fourth one! Thank you for accepting my request for this book.

another fabulous read in this series - I really enjoyed this book and I loved reading Lanas story and seeing the characters from the previous books swell

Oh I’m back again after reading book 1 & 2, now finished book 3 and moving onto 4. I genuinely cannot get enough of these books. I’ve read all 3 in less then a week and I will clearly have book 4 done just as quickly (when it releases).

Lace has very quickly become a must read author for me, and I will not get enough of her. She makes these boring romance books come to life, and it just screams real life? Oh I hope that makes sense.

We follow Lana and Alex in this story and I just felt so many different emotions throughout, it was insane. I was happy, then I was sad, I was giggling and then I was crying. Honestly, I cannot cope with the way Lace writes these books. She’s a hidden gem.