I have mixed feelings about this one. Miri is an absolute queen, and I enjoyed the book, but the ending left me feeling a bit... meh. Gabe was a rollercoaster—sometimes great, sometimes infuriating. His selfish streak reminded me of his mom, always insisting on his way.

That said, this is just book one! Lace’s writing is addictive, blending humor and wit, making the story fly by. Playing the Game is a sports romance packed with tension and spice. Miri’s resilience was inspiring, though Gabe’s entitled attitude made me want to throw the book at times.

The audiobook was fantastic—engaging voice actors made it feel like friends telling their story. I’m excited for more in this series!

This book was decent but I found it really slow and I just didn't connect to the characters as much as I had hoped I would.

This was a great book, and the narrators are really amazing too. I really enjoyed the story . Thanks for letting me read this book

📖: 🌟🌟🌟🌟.5/5
🎧: 🌟🌟🌟🌟.5/5
🥵: 🌶️🌶️.5

Playing the Game is the first story in the Playing the Field series. It follows Gabe Rivers, a playboy millionaire whose family owns the football club Calverdale United, and Miri Forster, a football player with money troubles. Gabe is forced to work with the women's team to prove he is ready for the men's, and his first order of business: convincing Miri to play for him.

I've been on the lookout for more British romance authors and boy have I found what I'm looking for! This was really nicely written, incredibly easy to get into, and I was drawn in immediately by that prologue!

Gabe is a great character, he's worked for one thing his whole life, when he isn't partying, and is so frustrated when he can't have it. His relationship with his family makes him a sympathetic character when he otherwise might not be. He's the classic playboy with a heart of gold.

Miri is the classic eldest daughter, trying to do it all. She makes some mistakes that put her and her family in jeopardy, but it certainly adds tension to the story! I

The chemistry between Gabe and Miri is off the charts, and I love the way they just can't resist each other even when they know they shouldn't. The spice was spicing, these two got themselves into so very naughty situations (hello Christmas on the armchair!) and the dirty talk was on point!

The narration was performed in dual style by Shane East and Lulu Russell. Shane is an old favourite and did a good job here, the perfect cocky millionaire. Lulu was new to me and I really liked her! She had a nice little London twang that wasn't too strong, and did a strong range of voices.

Overall, a great story from a new-to-me author. Bring on the next one!

This was such a cute listen. I found myself loving the dynamics between the two main characters cause I mean who doesn't love a BA female lead? Plus I mean workplace romance? Say less and i am there.

ALC Review
Playing the Game by Sasha Lace
Playing the Field - Book 1

Miri is struggling with the responsibilities of her career, caring for a sick family member, and worrying about a debt from an irresponsible ex-boyfriend. Gabe is a billionaire playboy who is rarely turned down, and wants to snag Miri for the women's team he is now running.

This was a quick and fun read. There was a good combination of tender, spicy, and tension filled moments. I absolutely loved seeing the story through the eyes of a female sports star.

The narrators, Shane East and Lulu Russell, did a great job bringing the characters to life.

Pick this one up if you enjoy:
*Billionaire romance
*Workplace romance
*Football/Soccer playing FMC x Club manager
*Just one night/get it out of our system

Thank you to NetGalley and montlake for the advanced copy of this audiobook.

Loved this sports romance. Not too many written about competitive soccer (football) players and this one was written very well. It introduced Miri who has always wanted to play professionally. She is talented, driven and wants to be the best she can be! Enter Gabe Rivers the billionaire playboy who is coaching the Calverdale Ladies professional football team. He sees her talent, knows he needs her on the team to achieve his goals and gets her for the team. The dilemma is he wants her for himself. He is torn because he needs her for the team but HE WANTS HER! She cannot believe a billionaire handsome worldly man wants her. Their romance is epic with many turns, ups and downs. At times I didn't even like Gabe but he won me over and in the end they both got their happily ever after! I love listening to Shane East and Lulu Russell's narration. They made the book come alive! A great engaging read/listen.

Miri is such a cool girl. And Gabe 🔥 loved this and listened to it so quick! I loved the audio narration of this!

Thanks Netgalley!

I thought this was a series I was going to fall in love with, unfortunately it felt really bland and flat for me. I couldn't connect to the characters. The story was boring for me and the narrators just didn't work. So all in all it made for something I didn't enjoy.

dnf 20%

i was really excited about this book it seems right up my alley i mean a steamy billionaire & a star athlete that’s a book i would read instantly. I don’t know if it was the writing or the narrators of the audio or both but something stopped me from being pulled into this world. I through the characters were okay i didn’t get far enough to care about them.

i enjoyed the female narrator i just couldn’t get behind the male narrator

I love this series and I am so glad it is in the audio version! It is great!! Shane East is great and I am so glad he did this audio book! If you have not read this whole series, you should! Audio version is a plus!

It was wild with twists, turns and lots of betrayal this romance was extra spicy! The characters developed well and those narrators did a fantastic job! Would recommend

I am loving everything about this series. It is so fun and the characters are great. I love their dynamic and sports development within the story. I'm so glad this is all coming out together so readers get to experience them as a whole, instead of waiting months for the next one because I see this as such a bingeable series. The narrators chosen work so well and are so easy to sit back and listen to.

Thank you to NetGalley and Brilliance Audio for the ALC of this book.

It was a short and spicy and fun read. The narrators did a great job. It's always nice to have Shane East talking my ear.

Sports romance where the FMC plays football (soccer) and the MMC owns the team.

I enjoyed it but it all felt surface level and then the epilogue just wasn't my cup of tea.

I'd probably listen to the rest of them because they were enjoyable and an easy listen!

3.5

This was a fun and quick listen. I really liked the plot and the main characters. The FMC was the strong and determined type which I appreciated! This man is down baaad for this girl. The secret identity element in this situation created an interesting dynamic, as the MMC found a deep connection to two women who had stumbled into his life who turned out to be the same person the whole time.

I appreciated how Sasha Lace was able to navigate complex emotions of betrayal and grief through her characters and it had an interesting twist at the end!

I wasn't a huge fan of the narrators in this one. I have always known that Shane East isn't a favourite narrator of mine, unless he is performing in duet, because I struggle listening to his "female" voice, but he performed as I expected. I was not a fan of Lulu Russell's performance in the beginning, because even though I was listening at 2x speed, it felt like her narration was very slow with awkward long breaks. That said, I believe her pacing got better throughout the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Brilliance Publishing for the advanced copy of the audiobook!

Miri and Gabe are so dang cute together! This book is so well done! Absolutely love this story and the revisions from the original!! 🙃♥️

3.5/5 I was genuinely surprised at how much I enjoyed this story. It was short and sweet and the smut was minimal and done well. The narrators were excellent. A fan time all around. Thank you Brilliance Audio for the ALC

Revised Previously published as Playing the Billionaire, this edition of Playing the Game includes editorial revisions.

This is Miri, the best striker on the women's football league, and Gabe, her billionaire owner, gonna be lover. This is a good start to the series. Gabe is a playboy, and Miri is tryin to help her family, but 2gether they are a match for each other. I love their story and all the ups and downs they have to go throu. Miri's siblings are adorable, and her mom is so sweet.

I was given a copy by the publisher via NetGalley (Thank U), and all my opinions are my own.

A steamy, billionaire x star athlete forbidden romance between the owner of a women's soccer (football) team and the all-star player he's trying to recruit and who he's also become obsessed with getting into bed for one night only. A misunderstood playboy and an exotic dancer slash soccer player heat up the sheets in this first Playing the field book that's perfect for fans of authors like CW Farnsworth or Liz Tomforde. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley, Brilliance Publishing and Brilliance Audio for this audio ARC!

I am rounding up to a 3 star here.

In all honesty, I struggled with this (audio)book. A little had to do with the female narrator, a lot had to do with the "story". There really wasn't one.

Miri is an amazing football player, and Gabe wants her on his team. (Only, the only thought he can seem to think about is getting laid) "I always get what I want, and I want you" is really the theme in this book.
Miri is keeping a secret.
Gabe can't trust anyone.

I felt like it was a constant "I want you" "No! You can't have me" on and on and on.

The plot fell flat, we didn't even see Miri doing what she "loves". I'm clearly not a fan of INSTA-LOVE in this situation either.