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The Defender

Gods of the Game, Book 2

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He has to play by the rules...but for her, he'd break them all.

As the captain of Blackcastle Football Club and one of the highest-paid athletes in the game, Vincent DuBois should be on top of the world.

But when his fame brings danger to his doorstep, he finds himself in a nightmare scenario―sharing a flat with his coach's daughter, knowing full well she's far too big a temptation for him to resist.

When his new living arrangements escalate into a bet that throws them even closer together, he realizes he's in deeper trouble than he thought.

He's always played to win―but for her, he might just risk it all.

***

As a sports nutritionist and the daughter of a legendary coach, Brooklyn Armstrong is used to dealing with hotshot athletes.

However, no player gets under her skin like Vincent, her best friend's infuriatingly cocky (and gorgeous) brother. She left California hoping for a fresh start, and he's the kind of distraction she doesn't need.

Now, he's sleeping in the room next to hers while her career is up in the air and her defenses are crumbling.

But no matter how many sparks fly between them, a relationship between the captain and the coach's daughter could never work…could it?

©2024 Ana Huang (P)2024 Ana Huang Contemporary Sports
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I love Ana Huang’s book and eat them up as soon as they’re published, especially the audio versions. So it pains me to say that I had to stop listening to this book because of the accent. It was so weird; at first I thought it was a joke. Unfortunately it seems this will continue for the whole duration of the audiobook. I am sure the story is great so I’ll continue reading it on paperback.

The accent is weird

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I’ve listened to most of Ana’s book through narration and read them too, but this one was difficult to get through. I think besides the accent, it would have been useful if the narrators were consistent in using other series character names from the other audiobooks. Overall the story was cute, not my fave from Ana, but I’ll probably continue the series

Story was ok but narration was disappointing

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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The Defender by Ana Huang

I picked this book up yesterday when it first came out on Kindle, and I haven’t been able to put it down since! I’m currently about 50% through, and Vincent and Brooklyn are extremely likeable.

This book is exactly what I needed from Ana — the tension, the emotion, and the constant push and pull between the characters are perfect.

Chapter 19 absolutely got me — the sexual chemistry between Vincent and Brooklyn is off the charts. That kitchen scene where they’re finally about to make a move, and then her dad shows up? My jaw dropped. The way he forces Vincent to move out just adds to the suspense.

This story keeps me on edge, constantly wondering if they’ll ever get their moment together. I cannot get enough of it.

I’ll update this review once I’ve finished the book — but so far, Ana Huang has done it again. 🔥

Absolutely incredible! This is honestly one of the best books I’ve ever read. The storyline was completely captivating — I couldn’t put it down. It had everything I wanted (and more) from Ana. I’m already counting down the days until the next book — it can’t come soon enough!

P.S. The whole intruder storyline had me completely on edge! When we first thought it was Ethan because of the text in Hungary, I was so sure we’d finally figured it out — but little did we know, that wasn’t the intruder at all. Finding out it was Seth the entire time absolutely shocked me. I did not see that coming!

Best book of 2025

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Loved the story and the performance, except Vincent’s forced accent. It would have been so much better without it. Still 5 stars as I really enjoyed the book. ♥️

Loved the story

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I loved the story it was fun and lighter than some other Ana Huang’s books. However I had to switch to reading on Kindle midway through because I couldn’t stand the narration anymore. I usually prefer audiobooks, especially in duet narration. I’m very sorry to say the narrator’s attempt at a French accent was awful and took me out of the story. It made it almost silly and ridiculous. I would have preferred if he did his regular accent, without the forced foreign accent that was borderline offensive. For such a lovely story, it was a letdown. Either hire a French speaking narrator who can do a French accent or don’t do an accent at all! Thankfully the next book will have an American protagonist and I won’t have to endure this. Other than that I genuinely loved the book (once I switched to reading on kindle)

Lovely and fun story but the accent ruined it for me

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