5 ⭐ 3 🌶️

I can't believe it's over 😭 I'm absolutely obsessed with these Calverdale ladies and their golden retriever beaus. They have made my insides all gooey time and time again and Gerailt was no different. This Welsh Wonder was so dang sweet and perfect for Maddie and I loved them both to bits.

While I was ever so slightly disappointed we didn't get much time in England with our other besties, the time we did get there was so perfect I forgave Sasha rather quickly. This story takes place mostly in snowy Wales, where G and Madison learn to love again and find themselves while they're at it.

I don't know what I'm going to do now that I've not only finished this series, but also Sasha's backlist... But I'm so excited to see what's next for her.

This was such a fun Christmas romance! I have loved this entire series and this was right up there with the rest of them. We are getting the black cat/golden retriever vibes in this one that just worked so well. Madison and Geraint are just swoon worthy and I couldn't help but smile with these two.

While this is book 4 in the series, I don't feel like you will miss too much starting here. They are very well written as interconnected standalone within the series.

After being left at the alter, Maddison, a professional soccer player, decides to escape to spend Christmas alone. She booked the last available room, in an inn with very bad reviews, where she meets Geraint. He isn't looking for any commitment, because he is entirely committed to running his father's inn.
This black cat/golden retriever romance is book 4 in the Playing the Field series. It's the first book I read in the series, but I didn't feel like I've missed anything since they are all interconnected standalones. I've read this series being compared with T L Swan books. They may be as steamy, but I think the ressemblance ends there, at least for this book. I am not a fan of FMCs who are "absolutely done with men" and then fall for the first man they happen to stumble upon. I hated the third act break-up, based on miscommunication and assumptions and unsaid things... All in all, though, I did enjoy the read and the Chrismas feel to it!
I received an advance review copy of this book for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

My favourite in the series! I loved the snowy Welsh countryside and rural pub setting, the black cat/golden retriever energy of the protagonists, the found family vibe of the supporting characters, the parallel in emotional journeys of the mc's and the way the author tied the series up with connections to the earlier books.

This is an absorbing story, infused with introspection and growth. Two very different people brought together by fate and a snow storm, who have no intention of forming a connection - but we all know about good intentions and roads to hell! The author remains true to her style and there are many layers and lessons to this story, built around characters with hidden pain to be worked through and resolved. That is the aspect I most enjoy about Sasha's books - she gives us people in trouble and lets their strength and resilience shine through, as they find their way to a solution, relying on their own tenacity plus support from a special someone.

One of the rawest lines I have ever read is in this book and it was enough to stop me in my tracks. Geraint lays his heart bare and makes himself incredibly vulnerable when he says to Madison " 'Just let me be with you until you leave me.' " But then to counter that there are the lighter notes of the Tom Jones jokes!

On a cheeky note, I luuuurved how the author used the term "beast" to describe Geraint's size! Sigh!! If that doesn't help the imagination, I don't know what will!

This really is a wonderful Christmas story, with a likeable couple in a beautiful setting earning their hard won HEA. The author has tied it all together by finishing the soccer season with the Calverdale Ladies in a very enviable position on the table (as Gabe promised Miri 3 books ago), Reece cooking/hiding in the kitchen (much to Skylar's affectionate amusement) and Lana no longer the wild child but a caring step-mum. As always, I recommend anything Sasha Lace writes!

The last installment in the series and it was a good one. I had a bit of an issue with the FMC but I still enjoyed their relationship. The authors writing is truly what keeps me so hooked and gripped to her stories. This was such a great series overall, and definitely should all be read !

I really enjoyed this fourth and final book in this series. I think it was my favourite one! It had an unexpected (for me) Christmas storyline in a cute pub in snowy Wales, with previous characters making their usual appearances. I’m a massive football fan and it was lovely reading about the Women’s side to football. I’m gutted I’ve finished this series now! I’d recommend this series. You can read them as stand alone books, but reading them all in order you grow with the characters through other main character stories which I enjoyed reading. Thank you for accepting my request for an honest review, I loved this series!

"Playing to Win" is a delightful winter romance that captures the warmth of unexpected connections. Madison seeks solitude after heartbreak, but a snowstorm strands her with the charming Geraint at his Welsh pub. Their agreement for a no-strings fling quickly becomes complicated as genuine chemistry ignites. Geraint’s commitment to his family legacy contrasts with Madison’s career ambitions, raising the stakes for both. Sasha Lace expertly balances humor and heartfelt moments, making the story engaging and relatable. This revised edition is perfect for fans of steamy, character-driven romances, proving that sometimes the best plans are the ones we don’t make.

I want to read other books by this author, that says something, right?

Geraint, a former rugby player, runs a pub in Wales, not particularly successfully but since his father’s death he feels he owes it to the man who was always there for him. Madison experienced a broken heart and, if we’re being honest, a lot of embarrassment and she shut herself off barely functioning, until the owner of a football team (soccer for some of you) comes to her and asks her to play for him in the UK. She is not interested in that and thinks she’s lost her edge because her mind isn’t in the game, but she knows she needs to do something. She takes up the offer, plays a bit and when Christmas break approaches she doesn’t want to go home (the US). She decides to go to Wales and ends up booking a stay at Geraint’s pub. Which she discovers is his after he helps her from being stranded in a blizzard and she runs down the pub and its staff. But we all know this is going to change…..

Look, I am a great lover of forced proximity and the broken man/woman tropes. The way these characters relate to each other, even when it wasn’t romantic was lovely. There are elements of found family, or at least allowing people in and I thought that was nice for both characters. Yes, there is probably a hint of instalove/instalust, but this isn’t an issue for me because it happens people, whether you like it or not, sometimes people meet, click, and that’s it.

This is a cozy love story. I loved Geraint and thought Madison grew as a character.

This is a cozy love story. I loved Geraint and thought Lana grew as a character.

I'm sad to be at the end of this series and as much as I loved the soccer elements in the previous books this one was my favourite as it was so different to the rest in the series and really focused on the romance between the two main characters

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

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...

Madison was excited to leave behind home and play for the Calderdale Ladies football team. On a break from the team, she is snowed in at a pub with the sexy owner, Geraint. When they give in to their mutual attraction, Madison makes it clear that she won't be around for long and is only interested in a physical relationship. Geraint agrees but quickly starts to wish they could be more.

We jump right into hearteake and cold weather - and this time the story mostly takes place in Wales over the Christmas Holidays.

We follow Madison and Geraint, and oh how the are cute together!

The season timing is perfect! This could be a Christmas romance. Defently a great read for Autumn/Christmas.

A thanks to NetGalley and Sasha Lace for this books and this wonderful series (aobut women playing proffesional football)

Post on IG (one_fairy_tale_at_the_time) on 5 nov. 2024

This one felt more like the slower Christmas novella, but every series needs one! I liked all the cultural differences in Wales, and Geralt (what I read in my head) was a big lumbersexy golden retriever.

Madison wants to spend Christmas alone she ends up snowed in, in a Welsh pub. Geraint runs the pub. will Madison stay after Christmas or will she leave?

This was a lovely conclusion to the series. I particularly liked the Wales backdrop of the Dragon Inn. The golden retriever vibes from Geraint were cute and I loved how hard he fell for Madison. This was a quick and easy read that left me longing for all things Christmassy and snowy!

Gah! Madison and Geraint were perfection. It is so hard to choose a favourite couple from this series but these two are definitely up there. Sasha Lace has really blown me away with these books. I started off just liking the first book but over the course of the series I have grown to absolutely love the Calverdale crew. I am also obsessed with the ending to this one! SO GOOD!

I rated this a 3.5 star read! I thought it was such a good book which if you’re a fan of football you would probably really enjoy. I also think that this book coming out at Christmas is the perfect time of year as it is mainly based at Christmas time. Therefore if your looking for a Christmas book that’s not too in your face with festivities this is perfect!

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.

I am SO glad to discover this series! They were addicting and easy to binge. Geraint & Madison brought a newness with their characters and this was an amazing conclusion to Calverdale ✨

This was a gorgeous fourth book to what has been a phenomenal series. I absolutely adored Madison and Geraint and I loved being reunited with my favourite characters.