3.5 stars.

I enjoyed "Playing for Keeps" by Sasha Lace, a football (soccer) romance featuring an age-gap and a single dad x party gal. It's angsty, sexy, and even has some suspense and blackmail going on there. Speaking of that, there is quite a bit of drama in this story, so if you're looking for something lighter, this may not be the book for you. The main characters, Lana and Alex, are polar opposites. Alex is mature and composed, a single father to his son, who he adores more than anything. When he gets an unexpected night off, he meets Lana, who lies about who she is and has a one-night stand with him. Afterward, they keep running into each other as it turns out they are both footballers and circle in each other's orbits. Lana starts to realize she might not want to continue being the wild child of her football club, and Alex realizes this might be another chance for love after his heartbreak. Alex and Lana have good chemistry with one another, and there is quite a bit of angst between them. The spice is good, but I wouldn't call it my favorite. There is also a good commentary on grief and loss here, too. I do think Lana's redemption arc happens a little too quickly, but I did enjoy how it all shapes up. Zara Hampton-Brown and Marty Mill do an excellent job narrating this book. They bring these characters to life in a fresh, engaging way. In fact, I think their narration made me even more interested in this story! Really solid narration work here.

Thank you to NetGalley, Sasha Lace, Brilliance Publishing, and Brilliance Audio for the complimentary ALC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.

3.5 ⭐️ This was a pretty good sports romance.

The first thing I want to say here is that, as always, getting audio ARCs is amazing, so thank you so much to Net Galley and the publisher for giving me this audiobook for free. As always, though, my opinion is completely unbiased (it's the whole point, right?).

This audiobook started a bit slow for me. Mostly because I couldn't stop focusing on the narrators' accents and thinking they didn't match who they were supposed to be... In any case, the more I got into the book, the more I liked it, but I admit that it took me till around the 50% mark to really start rooting for these characters. This is an Age Gap sports romance, where both MCs are football players, which I LOVED! I adore it when FMCs are the athletes. However, this book's main plot point is about the difference in the treatment of female and male teams in professional sports, and exploiting the fact that "no one cares about the women's team"... I get it, but it also pisses me tf off.

The MMC is a widower and a single father, and his grief and connection to his late wife are still a big deal to him. Personally, I really liked the way it was handled, but if the MMC being in love with his dead spouse is a problem for you, don't read this. There are also a lot of family issues and alcoholism as key plot points.

Overall, I would recommend this audiobook if you are someone who likes spicy sports romances with an Age Gap, and the single father trope!

🌶🌶.5 / 5 - Pretty decent spice. A handful of open-door scenes.

ALC 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.

The narrators, Zara Hampton-Brown and Marty Mill, made me feel like I was part of the story. I forgot I was listening to the audiobook, it felt so immersive.

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

📖: 🌟🌟🌟🌟.5/5
🎧: 🌟🌟🌟🌟/5
🥵: 🌶️🌶️🌶️/5

Playing for Keeps is the 3rd story in the Playing the Field series. It follows Lana Sinclair, the wild child of the Calverdale Ladies, and Alexander McAllister, the veteran Scottish goalie newly transferred to the club.

I loved this story! There was quite a lot of angst, Lana was trying to cope with so much and made lots of wrong decisions, but it was so compelling, and I understand why she did things. Her emotions were so real and I definitely got a bit teary at one point.

I loved how mature Alex was, his role as a father was so natural and completely heartwarming. Brodie was adorable and provided a lot of comic relief, as well as all the feels.

The narration was performed in dual style by Zara Hampton-Brown and Marty Mills. These were both new to me authors and I think they did a great job. There seemed to be a few inconsistencies with accents, but they were generally very strong and clearly authentic Scottish!!

Overall, my favourite in the series so far!!

A surprisingly moving and heartfelt story of love, family, and healing as we watch each character face their proverbial demons in the name of personal and professional trauma intertwined between many different characters. It has all the tropes we love: fame, fortune, bad girl meets good guy, addictions, suspense, loss, and raw sex appeal—but it has more heart than I've seen in a long while for a book in this genre. Great narration to boot as well.

I love these narrators and this story love me a sports romance the way these two were end game and I really enjoyed it!

4.75⭐️.. This book has all the tropes I love.
⚽️ Sports Romance
⚽️ Single Dad
⚽️ Footballer Fmc
⚽️ Age Gap
⚽️ Insta Attraction
⚽️ One Night Stand
⚽️ Family Dynamics.
I adored every second of this book. In fact, it kept me up all night because i just couldn't stop. Finished this in just two sittings, and here i am looking forward to the next one.
This is such a cute read. If you love single parent and sports romance that has depth plus a bonus of steam 🔥🔥you'll definitely love this one.
Alex and Lana are different in so many ways, but they fit together so perfectly. From the insta attraction to the very end, you can just feel the attration, chemistry and passion. I'm swooned.
Indeed, she broke all his rules, and in return, he made her a better person.
I highly recommend this. I initially didn't know this was in a series, but if book #3 is this goooooood, then i bet the others will be good as well. I highly recommend this series.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC - read in return for an honest review.

Book review : 3.5 Stars
Narration : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I haven’t read any of the other books in the series but didn’t feel like I was missing out. Although other characters were mentioned, and I thought perhaps they had their own stories, I never felt like it left gaps in the book.

This was an audio version of the book and I really loved the U.K. accents. The Scottish narrator was lovely to hear. It’s a shame it wasn’t a duet, the females Scottish accent wasn’t as great, but it didn’t stop me from enjoying the read.

It’s a lovely story through loss and grief and learning to love again.
Alex and Lana find themselves playing for the same football club after a “one and done” night stand.
Although Alex is an old friend and team mate of Lana’s dad, the attraction is there and they are drawn together when he is transferred to the men’s team at Lana’s club.

Alex caring and I feel gives Lana the type of attentive love she’s been missing, whilst taking control in the bedroom 😉
There’s some spicy parts but on the whole this book is more about finding love after loss, and less about a fiery forbidden romance. Maybe I was hoping for more of a burn with age gap and the storyline of Alex and Lana’s dad playing football in the past together. But that didn’t really bring any dramas.

The character development for both MCs and their family dynamics really was the main storyline I feel. The writing really did draw you into each situation. With Alex learning to let go and love again, and Lana trusting that it’s ok to let others in to help and support her and accept love.

It’s a lovely story and easy to read. The narration makes it even better with an immersive experience.

The tea ☕️

🚫 - age gap/dads friend
⚽️- both play football
🧑‍🧒 - single dad
1️⃣- one night stand
💔 - dealing with grief
🌶️ - 2/5 spice

Unfortunately for me this series does not improve. I really am having a hard time getting into these due to the narrators. The stories also don't really relate on the sports aspect of the sports romance I was expecting to see more of it.

GREAT narration. Wonderful accents.
Widowed single dad, sports romance, but both FMC and MMC are in the sport a nice difference.

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!

Get ready for the rules breaking and a really fun love story with this one! I absolutely loved the honestly, the realness, and the way the characters were so connetable. Such a s