A virgin, an athlete, a fake romance, and only one bed in the hotel room.Following rules shot me to the top of my game as an all-star baseball player, and the golden rule is this — don’t hookup with your teammate’s sister.But ask her to be your fake date when you desperately need one for a family wedding? Nothing in the guy code against that. Plus, the flirty, feisty Sierra’s my friend too, so … my friend too, so why the hell not pretend we’re madly in lust for two days in Hawaii?
No hardship in a make believe kiss here, a fake smooch there, as long as we don’t cross any dangerous lines.
Then, the hotel books us into the same suite. Which means she’s showering near me, putting on itty bitty bikinis in the same room, sliding into that king-size bed wearing only a black lace cami.
But I resist…until the night she tells me she’s been waiting for me to be her first. And there’s nothing fake about my desire to say yes, even though that’s definitely against the code. But, maybe only if someone catches feelings? And neither one of us will.
Until I do…
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Holy chemistry! Chance and Sierra have LOADS of chemistry and it is heating up the pages!
Chance and Sierra are friends. Sierra’s brother, Grant, is one of Chance’s teammates. There is attraction between them, however, Chance doesn’t want to cross any boundaries when it comes to her. Chance needs a fake date for his cousins wedding and Sierra is his first choice as a date.
This story had amazing banter, plenty of laughs, heat and insane amounts of chemistry. I loved Chance and Sierra’s friendship from the start, but when lines were blurred and crossed things just went to a whole new level that I loved even more.
I couldn’t put this one down and fell in love with it from the first page.
If you’re looking for a friends to lovers, fake dating, sports romance check this one out.
3.75 stars–THE VIRGIN REPLAY is the third instalment in Lauren Blakely’s contemporary, adult RULES OF LOVE erotic romanced series-a cross over with the author’s MEN OF SUMMER series. This is closing pitcher Chance Ashford, and twenty-five year old, bar owner Sierra Blackwood’s story line. THE VIRGIN REPLAY can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary. Sierra is the sister of Grant Blackwood (Men of Summer). Some of the events of THE VIRGIN REPLAY cross over with some of the events of ALL IN WITH HIM (Men of Summer 3)
Told from dual first person perspectives (Chance and Sierra) THE VIRGIN REPLAY follows the building romance and relationship between closing pitcher Chance Ashford, and twenty-five year old, bar owner Sierra Blackwood. For close to a year, Sierra Blackwood and Chance Ashford have been dancing around one another with neither one taking the steps to move forward but a mutual friend’s, destination wedding finds Chance asking Sierra to be his ‘fake’ plus one, a fake relationship that will turn into something more. From a few days in Hawaii, to a couple nights in Vegas, Sierra and Chance moving quickly from fake to real, so real that what happens in Vegas went out for the world to see. What ensues is the fake but building romance and relationship between Chance and Sierra, and the potential fall-out as Chance’s bro-code/teammate code is about to be questioned.
Chance Ashford is Sierra’s brother’s teammate and as such, struggles with the unwritten bro-code wherein teammates do not date one another’s exes, sisters, or brothers but Chance’s attraction to Sierra is equally met by Sierra’s attraction to Chance, and their fake weekend quickly turns into something more. The $ex scenes are intimate, erotic and intense without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.
WE are introduced to Chance’s twin brother TJ, bride and groom Blake and Trish, Chance’s ex Natasha, as well as Sierra’s friend Clementine, and her brother Grant, and his fiancé Gavin.
THE VIRGIN REPLAY is a sports romance story of attraction, secrets, lies and love, family and friendships. The fast paced premise is flirty and fun; the romance is seductive and sexy; the characters are energetic and charismatic.
The Virgin Replay was a sweet, steamy, witty read. Chance and Sierra were fantastic lead characters. If you’ve read the previous books in this series, we were given hints of Chance and Sierra. It was great to see them get the spotlight. These two have had crushes on each other for a year and when the moment came for them to act on it-oh boy did they hehe. Chance was just a good guy. I loved how he was with his family and friends. He also had a quirky side to him which endeared him more. Sienna was a cool woman. She did what she wanted on her own terms and it was great to see a strong female. She was boss. Chance and Sierra together were fire. They mesh well together. They had the right chemistry, banter, and just overall fun. I enjoyed seeing their relationship grow and getting to where it should be. Just so good together. Overall, this was a wonderful read. I am never disappointed in a Lauren book. She always gives me what I need. I can’t wait for more as I am intrigued by a few side characters.
The Virgin Replay
Rules of Love, Book 3
By: Lauren Blakely
Narrated by: Vanessa Edwin, Teddy Hamilton, Aaron Shedlock – epilogue
This book is just what I needed. Lauren Blakely has a way of giving me stories that I can easily get lost in, and this one is sweet and fun. Sierra has had a crush on Chance for a long time. Confident in herself, she knows what she wants, and what she wants is to have him be her first. Chance has taken notice of Sierra, but her being his teammate’s sister makes her off limits. The bro-code cannot be broken. When a wedding in Hawaii comes up though, he needs a date and brings Sierra. Will this fake date turn into more? Fun, flirty, witty banter, first times and all around good feelings come out of this one. Chance is such a good guy. He takes everything to heart and is extremely caring. I love Sierra’s spirit, her ability to say what she wants and how well she knows herself. Plus we get a little glimpse of Grant! It’s a wonderful, feel good listen.
Adding to the great story is a fantastic narration team. Vanessa Edwin and Teddy Hamilton always bring their A-game and this one is no exception. The real highlight for me is Aaron Shedlock popping in as Tom the cat! Talk about dialing into a character, Shedlock becomes Tom with his aloof, snooty cat personality! He is awesome! This is a must listen!
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I am obsessed with this series and Chance and Sierra were the perfect addition to it! It might be my favorite so far. Their story was so sweet, sexy, swoony, flirty and fun. I loved every word and was actually kind of sad to it end.
Great book! Great Series!
Such a sweet, romantic story of friends to lovers. Loved this book & couldn’t put it down!
The Virgin Replay is the 3rd book Ms. Blakely’s Rules of Love Series and may possibly be my favorite so far! This book can be read as a complete standalone, but I think reading the series in order is way more enjoyable because the characters from the other books make appearances and it’s so fun to read how they interact with each other. That being said, I got a kick out of the restaurant scene between Chase and his brother, TJ,! Too funny! I really liked Sierra’s character-she’s true to herself and knows what she wants and goes for it. She truly is a badass babe and I loved her! Chase is a “good guy,” albeit a sexy good guy, and Sierra’s perfect boyfriend. These books may feature athletes, virgins, fake relationships and a myriad of other genre’s, but the real enjoyment is the overall charming and romantic experience of watching and reading these two lovely people grow from friends to lovers.
Sweet, endearing and filled with so much fun, The Virgin Replay was a joy to read.
This is one of those books that make everything feel right. Flirty, fun and a little crazy, filled with instant chemistry and so much laughter, this book is a perfect feel good rom-com – where sometimes uncharacteristic excitement and impulsivity are the perfect answer to a question you never even knew needed asking.
4.5 stars and a plant
Lauren Blakely strikes again and it’s a perfect hit in this newest edition to her Rules of Love series. A complete standalone, this story does contain characters from her Men of Summer series and I couldn’t be more excited about it. If you haven’t read any other stories in this series or the Men of Summer series, it’s easy to jump into this book so don’t feel like you need to go back before diving in. But I do HIGHLY recommend the others because they rock!
Chance….Oh my word, this man is all sorts of swoony and I’m claiming him as my newest book boyfriend! Gah, I love him so much!!! He’s charismatic, loyal, successful, and completely loveable. Everything about him is perfection. Sierra is driven, successful, smart, and knows EXACTLY what she wants. Blakely created two characters that were a perfect fit. Their friendship was light and fun but the attraction for these two was strong and hard to ignore. Blakely knows exactly how to project those sparks and readers will feel their chemistry jumping off of the pages throughout the book. With fun and exotic settings, Chance and Sierra explore their deepest desires and whew, were they hot! Damn was I jealous of Sierra!!!
Blakely gives readers exactly what we have come to expect from her- a sexy, funny, romantic story that will entertain and make us fall in love right along with Chance and Sierra. Familiar characters and a few new ones will whet your appetite for upcoming stories and I cannot wait for them. Whatever Blakely writes I will inhale! Don’t miss this 5 star read!
This couple is adorable beyond reason. He has a soft and dirty side. She has no trouble asking for her fantasies to be fulfilled. Together they’re explosive.
Chance is the star closing pitcher for the SF Cougars. He’s got talent, looks, charm, boundaries, and unfortunately, a past. But when he finds himself in need of a date for a destination wedding in Hawaii, the only woman that fits the ticket is his friend and teammate’s sister, Sierra. There’s an attraction burning, but he won’t cross that line. But a fake date to offset his past couldn’t hurt, right.
Sierra has had a crush on Chance for a while now. But her focus has been on her business. She refused to get sidetracked. But it seems that Fate has intervened. Chance is the man she’s been saving herself for and he just made her an offer too good to refuse. A couple of days of pretending is all either need to satiate their lust and desire. Maybe…
But nothing they do feels fake. Nothing they do is pretend except when it comes to to admitting how they really feel. Can they risk the loss of friendship? Can they risk their hearts? Can they not take the chance? Absolutely fell in love with this couple and their story.
The Virgin Replay is book three in the Rules of Love series by Lauren Blakely and features interconnected characters from some of her other fabulous books such as the Men of Summer series. This book can be read as a standalone and has it all–low angst, swoon worthy heroes, virgin heroines, sports, friends-to-lovers, forbidden lovers, fake relationship, and beautiful tropical scenery.
Chance is the closing pitcher on the professional baseball team, the San Francisco Cougars and is guarded with good reason. Having been faithfully married for over a decade and recently divorced, he is not willing to risk his heart again. He’s such a stand-up guy and the perfect package! He’s not a player with the ladies and possesses charm, good looks, and chiseled abs, as well as patience and loyalty. Even though she’s off limits romantically, he can’t help but gravitate to the Spotted Zebra, the local bar owned by his teammate’s younger sister, Sierra, and they become fast friends.
I love how easily they meshed, how witty and flirty their conversations were, and how they supported each other. When he needed a date for a wedding in Hawaii where his ex-wife would be present, Sierra didn’t hesitate to agree to help him out, and that is when their relationship took a sexy turn. Lauren’s books are always filled with heart and heat and once these two started–a little touch here and a little touch there, they couldn’t keep their hands off each other!
Even though this book is pretty predictable, it’s well worth the read and will make you smile. I adore friends-to-lovers, and Chance and Sierra are a perfect match. They genuinely like each other and have been smitten with each other for quite some time. When they are finally alone, they can’t help but act on their feelings which only intensify after they are intimate.
Blakely’s characters are always so relatable with tremendous character growth. In the Virgin Replay, Chance does some soul searching and comes to the conclusion that true love is worth the risk. I adore how unconditionally and passionately he loves Sierra, who is mature beyond her years. She’s smart and funny, devoted to our hero, and willing to let down her guard and compromise to make their relationship work. I love how she makes him feel complete and that he never has to question her love for him when he is away on the job as a professional athlete.
Ummm yeah I’m going to need a redo of my first time because holy fuck I missed out I thought Grant & Deck would be hard to beat in the but Last Chance Train brought his A game for sure. Sierra is definitely a lucky girl
They fall hard & fast only to realize they’ve been falling for a while. I love how their spontaneity makes them realize what they both truly want.
I absolutely can not wait for the audio
Fave quotes:
‘I’m convinced there’s a special kind of relationship torture waiting for people who cheat and lie. Like, maybe they can never have orgasms again. Or maybe they’re doomed to only kiss people who have wilted-lettuce breath. I certainly hope that’s Natasha’s fate.’—same girl same!!
“Woman.” Chance drags a hand over his face. “We’re going to need more than a few nights to make it through this Christmas list.” Yes, we will. And I can’t wait for all the naughty gifts.—-
“To The Spotted Zebra! All great loves begin here,” the brunette says.’—YASSS
‘I’m done with getting in my own way. Goodbye, code. Hello, life.’—freaking finally
One of the Best Friends to Lover Stories Ever
I am loving every book in the Rules of Love series, but this one for some reason just made me chuckle and swoon at the same time. Let’s start with Sierra. I love it when Lauren writes about a strong, confident woman, and that is what Sierra is. She is a woman who knows what she wants and wasn’t afraid to go after it. She spoke her mind about what she wanted Chance to do to her in bed and she didn’t hold back. She totally owned her womanhood. Then there’s Chance, and what a man he is. When a man let’s a woman tell him what she needs and wants from him and he delivers everything to her, that right there is a real man. He made me chuckle every time he asked Google for help with stuff. Such a man thing to do. I loved the close bond that he had with not only his baseball family but also his parents and twin brother. That man is a keeper and a perfect partner for Sierra. Loved, loved, loved this story. Now I can’t wait for TJ’s story.
Another great addition to this series. I really enjoyed this fake relationship storyline. It’s filled with fun and flirty banter as well as explosive chemistry. Definitely worth the read!
Audio Review
Chance is a pitcher for the Cougars and he has a thing for Sierra who is Grant’s sister. Grant is a friend and teammate so the bro code keeps him from acting on those feeling for Sierra. That is until he needs a fake date for a wedding in Hawaii and the location and the wedding and all those feelings come out.
Sierra isn’t looking for a relationship but she does want something from Chance. He has been on her radar for over a year and she has a proposition for him that will be a win for both of them but first she needs to get him to agree to take her to a wedding.
This is a story that is not only hot and interesting and keeps you listening non stop, it also has some surprises that made me laugh out loud. I love all the words this writer shares with us but I will say this is one of my favorites this year. We get to watch Chance find love again after his heart was not only broken but run over and stomped on in the past. We get to see Sierra share her heart and her Vcard and find what has been missing from her life. There are great characters supporting Chance and Sierra. Some we already know and love, others we are getting a peek at to see later.
Vanessa Edwin and Teddy Hamilton were awesome narrating this book. They became Sierra and Chance and I felt I was just along for the ride with these two while they fell in love. There is bonus content at the end that you will love as well.
I loved this book and highly recommend it.
I simply love this group of characters, and I love what Lauren Blakely does with them!!
You know these two, Lauren has dangled a carrot of their story and I was thrilled to finally get to read it. Chance has been through the wringer and is pretty gun shy he’s spent the past year licking his wounds and spending a lot of time at the Spotted Zebra and Sierra.
Sierra has always kept herself focused and done all she could do to be a success, and she has in fact done that with only one thing missing.
So head off to Hawaii with these two friends and watch them come to a lot of realizations.
This is a sweet, steamy story that is going to hit you in all the emotions. It’s just a great story!
Lauren knocks it out of the park once again in this story! Two souls hurt, finding each other, yet guy codes and being afraid to trust that you won’t get hurt again play in the minds of these two amazing characters, Chance and Sierra! 5 romantic stars for this one!
Chance and Sierra have been spending time together at her bar, they find it easy to talk to each other, so when a wedding is coming up, and his ex wife will be in attendance, he asks her to be his date since they are both attending. What could go wrong?
Read along and enjoy their story, and her cat Tom will win over your heart as well!
The Virgin Replay is adorable. Lauren Blakely proving time and again that no matter the length of the book, she will always give us strong characters and a love that is without a doubt, meant to be. Sierra and Chance knowing each other for a better part of a year gave their whirlwind romance the backbone it needed to feel real. They have a friendship as bar owner and frequent customer that is easygoing and wonderful. And although Chance doesn’t want to cross the lines of the bro-code as his good teammate in Grant just so happens to be Sierra’s brother, there was no way the talented closer could resist asking Sierra to be his fake date at a mutual friend’s wedding.
The sparks fly high and often as fake dating in beautiful Hawaii leads to not only the loss of Sierra’s V-card but to feelings of love that both she and Chance have tried their hardest to avoid. I thoroughly enjoyed the smart banter between them in addition to the true respect each has for the other and their crazy busy lives. With plenty of support from beloved characters we have previously met to some who have yet to have their story told, this is consummate Blakely as you can’t help but smile with every turn of the page. There is also pure sweetness and levity in the form of Sierra’s faithful cat Tom as well as the way Chance cares for his aptly named succulents. Oh yeah, these two are simply perfect for one another.
All in all, The Virgin Replay is a fab way to spend an afternoon and I happily give this delightful tale a huge 4 stars!
I am loving every installment of the “Rules of Love” series. Each book just builds on the foundation of the last one and gets even better. “The Virgin Replay” is a home run of a story that knocked it out of the park when it comes to the friends to lovers storyline.
Sierra is Grant’s sister and the owner of her own bar. Chance is the star closing picture for the Cougars and has been coming to her bar for a year. The two develop a friendship and when they are attending the same wedding, Chance asks Sierra to be his fake date since his ex wife is a bridesmaid. While he’s completely over her, he doesn’t want to get pestered with questions. However, spending the last year together leaves them with feelings they weren’t expecting.
I loved Sierra and Chance’s story. It was built on friendship and that to me is so special. Sierra is a favorite for me because she knows who she is and what she wants. She built her business and made it successful. And when it came to her personal life, she chose quality over quantity. Chance is a sweet guy who definitely deserved his second chance at love. He truly cares about his friends and I love that about him. We get appearances from past characters including two Men of Summer. And the epilogue was everything.
I can’t wait to listen to the audiobook version narrated by Teddy Hamilton and Vanessa Edwin. And I really hope a certain narrator narrates the epilogue.
4.5+ stars
Chance is the star pitcher for the San Francisco Cougars. He is in need of a date for a family wedding in Hawaii and he hatches a plan to ask his friend and teammate’s sister, Sierra. Sierra has a bit of a crush on Chance already. But both know the score. There are bro-code and fake date rules. No hanky panky should be had. Just friends making a splash at the wedding so his shrew of the ex and well-meaning family members do not take pity on him.
Chase is the epitome of a good guy. He follows the rules. He cares about other’s feelings and needs. He is a people pleaser and wants everyone to like him and be happy. He is kind of adorkable in his attempts at the dating scene. I found him to be endearing, charming, and sexy.
Sierra is her own woman. She seeks out control and likes to be in charge of her own decisions. She is sassy, sarcastic, and owns her own bar. She is untrusting and picky about men. She does not want the hassle and heartbreak of a relationship but wants to finally go all the way in the bedroom.
Temptation. Chemistry. Fire. Camaraderie. Fun.
These two really do like each other. They have great banter, common interests, similar goals, and ethics, and are very devoted to their careers. They have both been burned by relationships and do not want to jump back into one. But the sexual tension is strong with these two and they cannot avoid it or deny it. Paradise and each other are making them come alive. Maybe those rules can be bent since it is a special occasion and neither wants more? Sounds like a solid plan for vacation nookie and then go home friends.
Sometimes rules get bent. Lines get blurred. Feelings emerge. Excitement and impulsivity win over planning and logic. And things can veer off into other directions.
This is a flirty, fun, heartfelt, best-friends-sister, friends-to-lovers, go-a-bit-crazy-on-vacation rom-com. I adored both Chance and Sierra and thought they made such a wonderful match. Sure there are a few complications and they both need to learn to get out of their own way at times.
I loved getting more with his twin brother, TJ. Their relationship is a special part of the story and really helps define Chance’s personality as well. They are different, but also such great supportive siblings. I was excited to get more with her brother, Grant, who I adore. Some of the other baseball guys filter in and out as well. And her girlfriends are spunky (Special shout-outs to Clementine and Rory). I love this crew and series.