Talon Gold is a lot of things: good at football, bad at love. Obsessed with scoring, refuses to play by the rules. Cruel. Relentless. Brilliant. Intoxicatingly attractive.Despite his demanding reputation and propensity for being the most arrogant a-hole ever to strut Pacific Valley University’s picturesque campus, everyone wants a piece of him: coaches, scouts, and pretty little fangirls with … fangirls with pouty lips and perfect top knots.
But Talon … he only wants a piece of me.
And four straight years of infuriating rejection means I’m almost positive he’d take a night with me over a national championship trophy.
But I’m no fool—he only wants me because he can’t have me. And with graduation approaching, time is running out. He’s more desperate than ever, pulling out all the stops and doing everything in his power to get in my good graces.
They say, “Don’t hate the player, hate the game.”
But to that I say, “Why not both?”
I have my reasons …
Sorry, BMOC. This victory? Not going to happen.
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This wasn’t what I expected at all. I really thought it was going to be the typical Playboy jock and all his ego. I don’t know why I doubted this author and thought she’d write the same old story! This was so much better than I expected in the character development. Talon was adorable. Nothing like anyone thought he was. I love the stories where the guy is all in and the girl needs convincing. Hits close to home for me and the payoffs are always worth it. I do have to complain about one kind of major thing. His contract. That’s not true to how the NFL works for college players. And never once mentioned the NFL draft. So is big of an annoyances that detail to get wrong was, I still loved the book enough to still give it five stars
“Sometimes you have to close your eyes and leap” **4.5 stars**
And leap I did into this refreshing and pleasantly surprising, NA college romance. It feels like Winter Renshaw has broken the mold by giving us something completely different than the usual fare for this genre. I was instantly consumed by writing that was “as smooth as buttah” — solid characters ripe with intimacy, rare sincerity, and heartfelt realistic connections. So much heart, soul, substance, humor, and sizzling chemistry collectively define this charmer.
The coed and the star quarterback — such an absorbing, unexpected take on a pair of college seniors who fall in love despite the odds, but find how wrong misconceptions can be. Irie isn’t trying to be anything to anyone — “Swimming against the current is kind of my thing.” She’s just putting one step ahead of her a day at a time to distance herself from family drama and an incident that she refuses to let define her or the rest of her life. But, she becomes something she never expected … a gamechanger in the life of the star quarterback who’s burned out on his love for the game, even though a shining career in the NFL lays ahead of him like a golden path — “I hate the game Irie.” But all is not how it seems for either one. Both have big dreams, but love is a powerful pull. Will those dreams involve each other?
This book was captivating and a real keeper.
While I’d like to call this a sports romance, the characters spend more time in the classroom than on the field, so if I had to call it anything, it would be a mature New Adult romance. The characters, Talon & Irie, are my new favourites. Irie is in the fourth year of her degree, and Talon, the quarterback of the college football team has been pursuing her for years. Everyone thinks they know Talon. They would be wrong, and this includes Irie. I adored the characters in this book, and this especially includes Aunt Bette. The relationship building, the depth of the characters, slow unfolding of their histories, and the epilogue made for a brilliant read. Looking forward to more from this talented author.
I loved this one. Both characters were absolutely wonderful and had me cheering for them. Irie’s strength was inspiring. But I’ll admit, I totally fell in love with Talon. He was so much more than I expected.
This is a story about family, sacrifice, taking chances, and making the choice of living your life on your terms. It’s about finding that special someone who knows the real you, and loves and accepts your truth without demanding something in return. Here you have two people who appear to be very different, both playing a role in life, and yet, they share the same goals and have overcome similar issues. As each layer of their lives and background are peeled back, a new reality of who they truly are is revealed. And through it all, we get to experience how that revelation strengthens them and their connection.
This story is beautifully written, but that’s not a surprise for me from this author. I love her books and how she weaves a story. There’s a large cast of characters. Some I absolutely loved, others had me cringing the moment they appeared on page. I loved Irie’s resilience and Talon’s determination. There’s humor, banter, tons of tension, and many heartfelt moments. The heat level is low but the romance is high. And I loved the time jump in the epilogue that gave a peek into their future. This is another wonderful romance from this author that’s worth a read.
This book is one of the best books I read this year. I absolutely love Talon and Irie. They are two beautiful souls and Winter Renshaw done a phenomenal job bringing these characters to life.
Sweet but angsty college romance
Talon at first comes across as just another jock wanting to score with the unattainable girl. Irie has been rebuffing his advances since their freshman year, and being partnered with him for one of their last semester classes isn’t going to change her mind. Her reasons for avoiding Talon have more to do with who she thinks he is, who he allows most of the world to believe he is, but the specific background that explains her reasons is delicately teased out for most of the book.
Talon’s approach changes over time as he gets to know Irie better and he starts to think in terms beyond graduation, beyond which team he’ll sign with as he starts his pro-football career. This part of the story was charming and very sweet, and we can understand why Irie started falling for him after all.
The only thing that kept this from being a five-star read is the entire future football career storyline. Either the author is woefully unfamiliar with how professional sports recruit college players, or she hopes her readers are. I don’t want to give away spoilers, but the word “draft” does not appear anywhere in this book. It starts after the winter break of their senior year, so Talon is done with the game for the remainder of the term. If you can ignore everything you know about football, then this works as a terrific love story.
There is a heartwarming epilogue that secures the couple’s HEA. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.
Another fantastic story from Winter Renshaw.
Grit, determination, and perseverance is the name of this game!
This story of Irie and Talon is all that and more.
Irie is finishing up her college degree, she is far away from where she grew up and the demons that she left behind there. She has completely changed herself and she is focused on her goals. In classic Ms. Renshaw fashion, she leaves Irie’s true history a mystery until it needs to be revealed. And it kept me guessing until the end. I love that about Ms. Renshaw’s stories.
Talon is like a smoke and mirror show. Nobody knows what he is truly about, but he plays up his baller image because it’s easier that way. He has held a torch for Irie since he first saw her years ago and he knows he is running out of time to show Irie who he really is and he will stop at nothing to do so.
Even with everything and everyone against them, Irie and Talon discover each other in the truest sense. They actually “see” each other and it’s was lovey to read the push and pull of their relationship throughout the pages of this story.
I have yet to read a Winter Renshaw story that I haven’t absolutely loved. The Hate Game is no exception!
Loved Talon and Irie’s story. Every word drew me in deeper. I love Winter’s writing and this book was amazing.
Irie knows the type of guy popular quarterbacks are. She’s seen Talon Gold around campus to know they are all alike – mean, chick-magnet glory hounds…or so she thought. For four years, Talon has had his eye on Irie Davenport and each time he’s asked her out she has shot him down. Their last semester has them sitting next to each other and Irie feels her defenses weaken. Talon knows she’s the one, he just has to convince her of that. Her past and his future may be the interference keeping them from scoring their touchdown-ever-after. I really enjoyed watching the characters discover who the other person really was, each family dynamic and the obstacles they were presented. This is a voluntary review of an advance reader copy.
You think you know…but you have no idea. The rumors say he’s a love ’em and leave ’em guy. He loves football. He treats people as if they are nothing more than an annoyance, disposable. And he has been trying to get with her for the past four years. It’s crunch time. Only one semester left of school to get the girl he has dreamed about since the day he set eyes on her. He’s going for it.
Irie is hard working. She’s in her last semester at school and she does her own thing. She’s not impressed by the jocks, nor does she care about being popular. She has a job lined up for after graduation. She just wants to survive the last few months of school and start her life.
Talon is the quarterback that just won’t quit. He’s headed to the NFL, but that’s not all he wants. More than anything, he wants the girl.
A class Irie needs to graduate leads her right to him. Now he has the perfect opportunity to win her over and get what he’s been trying to for four long years.
Talon is smooth. He works his magic and wears her down. Just one date and then he’ll let her go. That was her plan…
The characters in this story are strong and fierce. Talon goes after what he wants and protects what he cares about. Irie is just a good person, trying to make a difference. She is confident and strong even when she feels weak. The two had chemistry and Irie tried to fight it until she no longer wanted to. Talon was not what she expected. This story had depth. There were secrets and pain. Hurt and heartache. However, there was also resilience and the drive to be better. A well-rounded story with some surprises and a whole lot of swoon.
Loved it! Everything you want in a perfect college romance!
It’s been a long time since I read Ms. Renshaw’s books. And to start again with this book is a good decision
Hate The Game is a sweet college romance with a little splash of sexy in it. And when I say a little splash, I mean a little splash.
So if you’re looking for pages after pages hot steamy scenes… This book is not for you.
I love how sweet and tender Talon is with Irie.
A star jock who can have any girl he want, willing to wait and so determine chasing the girl he trully wants, Talon is my new hero.
He is not that over the top pin you to the wall Alpha. His sweetness. His patient. His mostly over cheezy pick-up line that just too funny. The way ge look at Irie. The way he adore his girl. All of those makes Talon The Alpha!
And Irie.. She’s the girl I wanna be when I grow up. She’s strong. Brave. Passionate. Little bit a wild side. She stand ul for her self. The way she hold her self and be “expensive” with Talon definitly something a girl got to learn to do.
Over all, I love this book for the characters chemistry. I don’t mind the only little splash hotness cause it’s perfectly set for me. The timing is just right. Love the idea of they both have to work hard to get that phisical after all the heart connected.