Playing for Keeps

Justin is a hockey player and loves women. Elise is his teammate’s sister. She should be off limits but one drunken night will change everything for this couple. Justin can’t keep Elise off his mind and wants more than one night. Elise thinks he doesn’t remember their night but he definitely does remember everything about her. A sexy best friends sister romance that I recommend.

I received a copy of this book and am leaving a review.

I really enjoyed this a lot, even more than when I listened to the audiobook. I’m giving this 4.5 out of 5 stars. This review is for an ARC, and reflects my honest opinion.

I liked Justin and Elise in my previous read, but they grew on me more this time. Elise was cute and funny, and Justin was a hottie with a sweet side. However, I still think Owen was my favorite guy from this group of friends. Yes, he slept around, but so did all of the other hockey players. I think that his book will definitely be a 5 star read for me. Another character I adored was Becca.

While I’ve never been a sports person, I love sports romances. I would say hockey’s probably one of my favorite sports to read about, so I was so happy Kendall did a book (and will be doing a series) focused on it. If you like any of these tropes: best friend’s sister, sports, slight age gap, etc. then I think you’d enjoy this!

This is a great start to a brand new series. Now I’m not a hockey fan, but I really enjoyed this. It doesn’t center around hockey, that’s just Justin’s job and it doesn’t go into great detail about their games. So that worked well for me, otherwise I would have been clueless and lost for most of the book.

This is a best friend’s younger sister read.

I did love both Elise and Justin. They are both great characters.

I do wish they would have told Owen sooner though.

I can’t wait to read Owen’s book!

Elise has had a crush on her brother’s best friend, Justin, for years. When a drunken night of fun brings them together, is Justin willing to test his friendship with his teammate and best friend.

Great forbidden romance. I liked how Justin admitted his flaws and tried to atone. Elise is super sassy and sweet. I liked how she unapologetically owned her sexuality. Great dynamics between Elise’s friends and hockey players. Plenty of feels and heat. Great start to this new series.

I’m a sucker for sports romances, which makes Kendall Ryan’s newest release, Playing for Keeps, exactly the kind of story I love to read and then add to it the fact that Elise and Justin’s story also includes the friends-to-lovers and brother’s best friend romance tropes, and there was no way I was missing this one!

The idea of more between Elise and Justin might have been something they both have considered a time or two, especially now that Elise has grown up to be quite the stunning beauty, but neither of them would have chosen a drunken night of sex for their first attempt at more. But now that it happened and they can’t take it back, they need to figure out what that means and how they move forward, knowing that they crossed a line that there’s no coming back from.

I do have to say that Elise and Justin frustrated me, at times, with both their words and their actions; I wanted them to be honest with themselves and with each other, and while I get why Elise wanted to keep her and Justin’s ‘hook-ups’ secret, the fact that she thought she could do causal with the guy who she’s crushed on since she was young, was never a possibility, regardless of how many times she tried to convince herself it was. Justin’s playboy past was also something that didn’t help because no one around him, even himself, could see him as a one woman kind of guy and that played into both of their insecurities.

The forbidden aspect of Elise and Justin’s connection is there due to the fact that Justin is Elise’s brother’s best friend, roommate, and teammate. But I guess it’s not so much as forbidden but more like a really bad idea given the fact that Owen knows exactly who Justin is and what he likes, so it makes sense that he wouldn’t want Justin anywhere near his baby sister, but I’m hoping Owen will find out in his and Becca’s story that the heart wants what the heart wants, and even though there’s quite a few obstacles for Elise and Justin to overcome, they’ll find there way, with or without Owen’s blessing.

Elise and Justin’s story is a sweet and steamy read that illustrates what happens when feelings get messy and become the game changer that neither saw coming but now plan to play for keeps!

4 Poison Apples

Elise and Justin have known each other since they were kids. Justin is Elise’s brother Owen’s best friend and teammate. What happens when a childhood crush becomes a one-night stand? After a misunderstanding, they both decide that they can have a friends with benefits relationship, but with no strings. The most important thing is that Owen can never know. Things get complicated when feelings get involved.

I really enjoyed reading this newest book by Kendall Ryan. She has a way of writing in such a way that the relationships between the characters are so real, that one can’t help but feel that they’re feeling what the characters in her story are feeling, too.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

The first book in the Hot Jocks series is a laugh out loud read that bring out all the feels. The protagonists are both given time to show their feelings and let their insecurities shine through.

If I were not already in love with author Kendall Ryan’s writing I certainly would be now.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Another light, easy read from Kendall Ryan, a new series no less (Hot Jocks), and yes, Justin Brady is definitely hot. He’s also sweet, sexy, and a hockey player to add to the mix. He’s also got the hots for his best friend’s little sister, Elise Parrish, whom he’s known pretty much all his life. Elise too has a major crush on her friend (a friend who’s like a brother to her), and she knows she can’t act on it, she just watches from the sidelines. Until that one fatal night, you know what I mean, one party, too many shots and a lot of bad judgement. So what do they do? Yep, pretend like it never happened, that’ll make it better. Yeh right. My kind of story, friends to lovers, forbidden hockey romance. What’s not to love? Also the audio version has Jason Clarke narrating. More perfection.

Overall Rating:

“She’s a no-fly zone. She used to be the cute kid sister of my best friend, but something shifted recently and I went from thinking of her as Owen’s younger sister to something more.”

I think there has been a run lately on forbidden romances that focus on dating (or not dating) your best friend’s sister. Kendall Ryan’s Playing for Keeps throws its hat in that ring and does it well. I’ve stated this in a prior review of this type of book that I sometimes struggle with this trope. I’m never sure why a sibling has so much power in deciding who can or cannot date their younger sibling. I get “bro code” or “girl code,” but, still, if my brother ever decided whom I could have dated, he and I would have come to blows. Seriously.

Anyways.

Kendall Ryan’s Playing for Keeps follows Justin and Elise. Justin is Elise’s brother’s, Owen’s, best friend. They have been best friends for eternity, and Elise has always existed in Justin’s world. However, at some point, Justin begins to see Elise as something more than Owen’s little sister; he’s attracted to all her amazing qualities. Elise, on the other hand, has loved Justin from afar for much of her life. Unfortunately, Justin and Owen are the epitomai of playboys. That’s easy when they are successful professional hockey players. However, Justin changes. He begins to realize that the meaningless hook-ups don’t bring him the excitement that they have before, and Elise is the type of girl whom he wants. But Owen has told everyone that she is “off limits.”

Even more, Justin carries baggage. He’s been raised by two parents who only see him as a bargaining chip, as a pawn between the two of them. This has stunted him emotionally within the realm of love. He doesn’t believe in relationships because he has never really seen a successful one, save for Owen and Elise’s parents. Eventually, sparks fly with Justin and Elise because their chemistry is palpable, but they must hide it from Owen and everyone else. Can Elise change Justin’s mind about love and relationships? That seems to be the focus of Ryan’s Playing for Keeps. Can Justin learn to accept that relationships can fulfill a deep yearning in him? Is Elise the girl to change his mind?

So, what’s to love about Playing for Keeps?

Professional hockey players as lead characters. Justin and Owen (and their friends) have it all. They are handsome, well-built, athletic, and rich. Women flock to them, which, for purposes of this story, can be problematic. From the outset of the story, we find the guys having an intimate soiree at their penthouse following a successful championship hockey game. They can have any woman. However, we find a sullen Justin who cannot keep his eyes off of Elise. This is the beginning of their burgeoning interest in each other. And it sets the story into action.
The chemistry and relationship between Elise and Justin. One thing I loved about this story is Ryan hurrying Elise and Justin into bed. Then, she destroys it. This is not an easy journey for these two. My heart hurt for Elise the day after their drunken night in bed because Justin is clueless and inept at handling the situation. And quite frankly, he stays pretty clueless through most of the story. One minute, their chemistry is palpable, and you want them to consummate it. The next moment, their path towards each other runs cold, and you feel the angst of separation between the two. This journey is a necessary one for Justin as he is emotionally stunted by his childhood. He needs this “back and forth” with Elise to help him grow and recognize that Elise is his soulmate. It’s this discord that keeps you reading the book. We feel their need for each other, their history with each other, and this necessary draw to each other, which is Ryan’s brilliance in crafting this story.
“It’s crazy how the chill in the air, and even the smell of the ice, can spark up nostalgia. This is us. Our history. And he planned the entire thing without me knowing.”

3. Elise. Even though she is the youngest person in the story, she is, by far, one of the most mature. When Justin acts regretful of their initial night together, she finds an inner strength to move beyond her disappointment. She is gutted, but she finds solace in her friends. She seeks out wisdom and uses her maturity to move past it. She is not catty; she is wise and helps Justin realize his need for her. I loved that Ryan made her so strong that she can stand up against these alpha-level men, and she’s the most reasonable character of the story.

4. The other characters. The additional characters of the book, namely Elise’s friends: Becca, Sara, and Bailey. These ladies act as both the voice of reason and the comedy relief of this story. When the tension of Justin and Elise’s romance overwhelms you, Ryan uses the ladies to lighten the mood. Additionally, Owen, Teddy, and Asher, Justin’s friends and fellow teammates, lend a lightness to the story. These characters are the comic relief and a respite from the, sometimes, angst and torture of Elise and Justin’s journey. They are also setups for future stories in this Hot Jocks series. In fact, the next book, Owen and Becca’s story, is one I’m very much looking forward to. Ryan teases a bit of it at the end of Playing for Keeps, and it seems like a good one based on that tease.

Playing for Keeps isn’t heavily angsty. It’s a story that isn’t trying to do something new with the genre. However, it is Kendall Ryan in all of her glory. She’s an author who understands character development. She creates heroes who are flawed and in need of a woman to set them straight. She crafts heroines whose inner strength can change and challenge a flawed hero. And she does it well in this new book. Is it a surprise that Justin and Elise find their happy ending? No. Yet, the journey there is one that will keep you reading this book until the very end.

“So instead I do what I do best, and focus on loving my girl. Which as it turns out, comes pretty naturally to me.”

Sexy, fun and flirty best friend’s sister romance. Elise has had a crush on Justin forever but he’s her brother’s best friend and roommate. She believes he never notices her other than as the kid sister that is always hanging around. Justin doesn’t believe he could be in a relationship after the horrible example his parents set for him as a child. He found a second home with Owen’s family but always knew Elise was off limits. After the hockey team’s championship win, Justin finds Elise in his bedroom, well, he finally acts on his feelings. What will happen in the light of day? Will this be just a casual fling? Or could these two find something more? What happens if Owen finds out? Justin has a heart of gold but struggles to know if love is really possible. Elise is the perfect balance for him and hopefully she can get him to realize that love is worth the risk. I voluntarily read an ARC of this book and this is my honest review.