Playing for Keeps cover art

Playing for Keeps

Miami Piranhas, Book 1

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Playing for Keeps

By: Beth Bolden
Narrated by: Darcy Stark
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About this listen

Sebastian Howard is the best damn cornerback in the NFL.

Or at least he was.

Age and injuries have taken a toll, and while most people have written him off, Sebastian isn’t ready to acknowledge that at only 32, he’s already in the twilight of his career.

He signs with the Miami Piranhas intending to prove everyone wrong, only to realize that the head coach’s son, out-and-proud Beau Dawson, doesn’t believe he can.

Beau is infuriating but brilliant, and when he offers to help him on the field, Sebastian wants to say yes, but there’s one thing stopping him: the unexpected, inconvenient, and all-consuming crush he doesn’t want to have on Beau.

But Beau isn’t interested in playing it safe, with football or with anything else, and soon they’re embroiled in a hot—and secret—affair that would finish Sebastian’s career if Coach Dawson found out.

As Sebastian falls harder for Beau, he begins to realize that actually the worst thing in the world isn’t getting benched, but losing the man he loves.

©2022 Earl Gray Publishing LLC (P)2023 Earl Gray Publishing LLC Romance Sports

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Listener received this title free

Playing for Keeps is the first book in the Miami Piranhas series. You can start reading with this book, but I enjoyed listening to the prequel beforehand.
This one is about Sebastian and Beau. Sebastian is a football player who works hard but is not very enthusiastic about change. Especially when it affects his position on the field.
Beau, of all people, the coach's gay son, suggests the change of position. Beau is not out, but he clearly has a thing for men. He has to fight hard for his success.
From the beginning, I felt the attraction that exists between the two. It took a while for them to get closer and a friendship slowly developed. I enjoyed following the further development of their relationship.
I love sports romance and this book is no exception. There was enough sports and interesting characters to make this book an enjoyable read.

The audiobook was narrated by Darcy Stark who is a fantastic narrator. He was a pleasure to listen to. He portrayed Sebastian, Beau and the other characters well along with their emotions and he brought the book to life.
I am already looking forward to more audiobooks in this series!

Great football story

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Listener received this title free

Playing for Keeps is the first book in the Miami Piranhas series. There is a prequel book before this one, and although you don’t have to read that one first to enjoy this one, I did like reading this series in order. Seb and Beau are a wonderful couple and I really liked how they worked through the obstacles in their relationships and their own professional lives. I don’t know much about football, but I found this really enjoyable and I liked the way the author described the game play. I was very invested in the game outcomes for the characters and for once in my life thought football was exciting. The romance and plot were entertaining and overall a great book.

The audiobook was narrated by Darcy Stark who does a wonderful job. I liked how he brought the characters to life and made the game play feel intense and real.

Love Stats

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Listener received this title free

Playing for Keeps is a great first book of this new series from Beth Bolden. It's a fairly low angst romance with just a bit of drama in the American football department.
Sebastian is being put to work in a different role than he's been playing in his whole career and he's got Beau to thank for the idea, not that he wants to thank him. However, there's no way to stay mad at the guy you're crazy attracted to when you want him so much and his plan actually works out very well, for both Sebastian and the team.
This couple have great chemistry from the start, initially at odds as Sebastian fights against the plan but they soon ignite on page and keep that level going throughout the story. I love how things develop for them and they're both fairly open and honest about what they want. The football is also well written and easy to follow, even for someone who has no clue about it! There is a great team of players here with lots of potential for strong friendships and possible future MC's.
A great read from Beth Bolden, can see this being another hit series for them.
Darcy Stark is a fantastic narrator and really brings out the best of this story and the characters. I found myself invested all over again in the developing relationship between Bo and Sebastian, their emotions about football and each other shining through.

Great story wonderfully brought to life by Darcy

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Listener received this title free

It's no secret that I'm a die-hard Beth Bolden fan, and despite not caring a single bit about football IRL I've always loved her football romances. Sebastian and Beau's story was no exception, and though I don't have the same attachment to the Piranhas as I did to the Riptide, I can already tell I'm going to end up loving this team just as hard. I especially enjoyed this story because it showcased more of the team dynamic in football. It was a ton of fun to watch these guys gel into a formidable unit as their season progressed, and I even found myself engaging in the technical discussions of play types and positions because I was just so excited to learn about this new cast of characters. Beau's perspective on football was particularly unique, and it was fascinating to see how his brain worked to put the puzzle pieces of a balanced team together. Sebastian's struggle to accept his new position on the team initially confused me, because I don't understand the stigmas associated with any particular role, but I was still able to connect with the emotions he was feeling. Don't even get me started on how absolutely THRILLED I was to see Beth cranking the heat up on Beau and Sebastian's romance. These two broke the slow-burn mold I've grown accustomed to, and I loved the change of pace. Their relationship journey had all the usual emotional development I adore so much, but with the added bonus of super steamy hookups whenever these two needed to release some energy. Both the romance and the overall storyline came to a highly satisfying conclusion, and I'm already really looking forward to what's next for this team.

**I voluntarily listened to a free copy of this book. This review expresses my honest thoughts and opinions.

What an explosive start to a new football series

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Listener received this title free

Not quite enemies to lovers, more work related animosity with a side helping of pent up sexual frustration.

Plenty of sports action and, although American Football is not a sport I know much about, I could follow along easily enough. The sports is important to the romance here, without it there would be no initial conflict. Plus I like my sports romances to actually feature plenty of sporting action.

The romance is sweet once they finally get together and low angst. There's a core group of queer players, so acceptance in the team is high and never likely to be an issue.

This is the same narrator as the previous book and Darcy Stark does a great job.

Sweet (American) football romance

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