A sexy, brother’s best friend hockey romance from New York Times bestseller Kendall Ryan, kicks off a series you’ll devour! “PLAYING FOR KEEPS IS PERFECT!” -Modern Belle “A TOTAL, UTTER MUST READ.” -Book FanaticI’ve never been so stupid in my entire life.My teammate’s incredibly sweet and gorgeous younger sister should have been off-limits, but my hockey stick didn’t get that memo.After our team … off-limits, but my hockey stick didn’t get that memo.
After our team won the championship, and plenty of alcohol, our flirting turned physical and I took her to bed.
Shame sent her running the next morning from our catastrophic mistake. She thinks I don’t remember that night—but every detail is burned into my brain so deeply, I’ll never forget. The feel of her in my arms, the soft whimpers of pleasure I coaxed from her perfect lips…
And now I’ve spent three months trying to get her out of my head. Which has been futile, because I’m starting to understand she’s the only girl I’ll ever want.
I have one shot to show her I can be exactly what she needs, but Elise won’t be easily convinced.
That’s okay, because I’m good under pressure, and this time, I’m playing for keeps.
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✔ A bonus scene in his POV that you DO NOT want to miss!
✔ A sneak preview of the next book in the series
Get ready to meet your new favorite hot jocks in this series of stand-alone novels. If you like sexy, confident men who know how to handle a stick (on and off the ice), and smart women who are strong enough to keep all those big egos in check, this series of athlete romances is perfect for you!
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This was a funny, sweet and sexy forbidden romance. Elise and Justin have been friends since they were kids. Justin is best friends with Elise’s brother, Owen, and the three of them have always been close. Elise and Justin have both harbored secret feelings for the other, until one night with too much drinking, they acted on their feelings. Of course the initial awkwardness afterward was misinterpreted, causing hurt feelings. Now they have a hard time finding that easy closeness they always enjoyed. Justin believes he is bad news for Elise, so when she tries to move on, Justin can’t let her go, and is determined to prove he is the only man for her. I loved the interactions between Justin and Elise, they were sweet, awkward, and very steamy. There was some hilarious moments as they tried, and almost failed, to keep their secrets. I was a bit frustrated at times with their miscommunication, but loved how they worked thru their issues.
Narrators Jason Clarke, and Virginia Rose delivered an amazing performance. Their comedic timing is impeccable, and they easily made me feel all the turmoil, angst, fun, and passion between these characters. I was totally lost in their storytelling, and they made this funny, sexy, forbidden romance even more delightful!
******** AUDIOBOOK REVIEW ********
Playing for Keeps by Kendall Ryan is one of my favorites out of all her more recent books. I immediately loved both main characters. Elise and Justin have this major friendship-relationship going on… I mean, they’ve been friends since Elise was in pig tails and Justin was running around with her brother Owen. See… instant friends! However, they’ve been denying themselves for years now… they both follow the other with their eyes and look at areas… way friendlier than they should be! What happens when you add too many vodka shots to sexual chemistry just waiting to combust? Playing for Keeps is what you have!
I LOVED the bit of teasers we get into Becca and Owen’s story. As it was, I wanted to shin-kick him so many times! Dense, dense man! Anyways… these narrators… Jason Clarke and Virginia Rose are fabulous! They both just oozed sexual chemistry and fun! Which was the best words to describe this audiobook.
I loved everything about this book! Older brother’s best friend relationships are some of my favorite. All of the main characters, teammates & friends banter was great & I’m so happy that we’ll get more from them in the future.
This review based on audiobook…
Elise has had a crush on Justin since she knew what crushes were. Justin is her brother Owen’s best friend and hockey teammate. There’s that bro code that shouldn’t be broken, but they cracked that code one night after a team win. Only thing is, they both pretend that it didn’t happen. After spending a few months in awkward situations, they decide to embark on the friends with benefits train… all without Owen knowing. They each have their issues to work through, not to mention breaking the news of their relationship to the one person who strictly forbade it. Jason and Virginia did a great job of narrating Elise and Justin. Kendall again wrote a book that contained interesting characters who were a bit complex yet relatable and humorous. Can’t wait to read the actual book when it comes out!
Love this series and this couple!
Becca had been through hell and is finally ready to get back into the dating pool. She’s got some issues but her good friend Owen is there ready to help.
This friends to lovers romance gave me all the feels.
I really also just love this group of friends !
Jason Clarke and Erin Mallon narrate and I don’t need to say how much I adore his growly sexy voice!
Elise has had a crush on her brothers best friend for years, after a night of passion things get awkward. But not for long. Justin can’t get Elise out of his head, but there’s one obstacle, his best friend, Owen, who just happens to be Elise’s brother.
The chemistry between the two MC’s is tangible as is their need to protect their hearts. A passionate, easy to read story, that draws you in, steamy and sweet, definitely worth checking out.
Magnificent !!
I Loved this story.
Friends to Lovers Elise an Justin,take their friendship to the next level in secret,and it is funny,sexy and Romantic.
They are forbidden and must hide it from Elise’s brother Owen who is Justin’s best friend,he would go crazy if he found out wnat they were doing, as Justin is known in the Hockey circles as a complete player and not a relationship kind of guy.
But what begins as casual fun turns into feelings of Love.
It is a fantastic story and I thoroughly enjoyed it and I can’t wait for Owens book.
5 Fantastic Stars.
Lovely best friends little sister trope. Justin has never wanted to settle down because of his dysfunctional family. He has however noticed Elise, his best friends sister, as she has come of age and is firmly hands off any entanglement with her. Elise has had a crush on Justin for years. One night with a little too much alcohol in their system lines are crossed. A game of will they won’t they keeps you entertained until the end.
Hockey and best friend’s little sister meet in PLAYING FOR KEEPS. It is the first in the series featuring different guys from the team, and from the shenanigans in book 1, it seems pretty clear these athletic, popular and wealthy young men have their hands full with the ladies.
It’s no wonder, then, that Owen tells everyone to stay away from his sister. Justin, Elise and Owen grew up together, were best friends, and the guys were on the same hockey team and lived together.
So they sneak around, feel guilty, pretend they are just “friends with benefits” until they can’t pretend anymore. It doesn’t help that they are so hot together and Justin, who is not boyfriend material, is more thoughtful than most boyfriends.
This is a good book and an important one because it lays the foundation of the relationships in the core group that will likely carry through all the stories.
Great writing. Love this series. Each book is a stand-alone
I can’t say that sports romances are my favorites but I usually enjoy Kendall’s writing so I decided to give this series a chance.
This first book follows the story of Elise and Justin. They were good characters and it was fun seeing them together. I can’t say this is an amazing read but it’s a nice one. I’m happy I got this book from free on Amazon.
One of my favorite writers delivers again. Touching evenly paced story, I love stories that involve some good bit of pining and this one delivers. Characters are mostly fledged out which keeps you interested and invested
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Lots of tell and supposedly hot sex. It was a half-hearted attempt at a sexy romantic novel. The sex was glossed over or basic as hell. Lots of oh my god he has a big penis so, the sex is fantastic. His damage is just a repeat of the same sentence there is little effort given to actually have him remember his “bad” childhood. There is little attempt to make them people rather than sketches. And it’s just an easy pass.
Really good story. Enjoyed it a lot!
10/21/2020 “Playing for Keeps” (nook) is another intriguing sports story. Justin and Elise have a life-time of friendship which develops into love. Of course, there are speed bumps enroute to their HEA.
This is a really good series. Jason Clarke and Virginia Rose do a great job narrating. Once again, Jason Clarke is the reason I got this audiobook. He narrates Justin’s character perfectly!
An easy, romantic read that hits all the right notes. Nothing heavy or deep, but well written with genuine characters and that perfect HEA.
I would have liked a little more character development (how is she still a virgin at what I’m guessing is at least 22 years old based on her profession as a preschool teacher) and a more intense conflict (the brother would have totally punched his best friend for sleeping with his little sister) to make the ending more rewarding, but overall a fun & light summer read.
Easy read, 1st of her books I read and I was impressed.
The story was good but I did not like the alternating chapters…one on her and then the next on him.
Good read