Matt:Want to know the fastest way to get screwed out of a football career? Get photographed in a compromising position in a gay bar. Yep, welcome to my life. My agent says he can fix my image. He wants me to become the poster boy for gay football players. Me? I just want back on the field. I’ll do anything to play for the NFL again, even pretend to have a steady boyfriend. If only my fake … only my fake boyfriend wasn’t Noah Huntington III—the most arrogant, entitled rich guy in the world.
Noah:
Pretend to be Matt Jackson’s boyfriend, my best friend said. It’ll be fun, he said. What Damon neglected to mention is Matt is surly and bitter. Being his boyfriend is a job in itself. From his paranoia over being constantly photographed to his aversion to PDA, being with Matt isn’t the care-free fake relationship I expected when I signed on to do this.
It’s supposed to be a win-win. I get to stick it to my politician dad who thinks no one is good enough for the Huntington name, and Matt’s reputation of being the bad boy of football dies.
What I don’t expect is to start caring for the guy. That’s not part of the plan. Then again, neither is fooling around with him.
Oops.
Trick Play is a full-length MM novel with a HEA/HEA and no cliffhanger
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Trick Play, second book in the Fake Boyfriend series. It continues with a new couple, Matt and Noah, who we met in the first book, Fake Out.
“I haven’t seen Matt smile as much as he has today, and I’m beginning to realize I’d do anything to keep it on his face.”
Trick Play has a more serious vibe to it, than the first book. And rightfully so, and the author did a great job with it all!
I loved how Matt and Noah connected, and working together. So adorable!
“I want to go back to before I knew what love is because I was blissfully unaware of how unhappy I was.”
Another amazing story in the Fake Boyfriend series. I was happy to see both Matt and Noah get to be someone’s first choice. Love this series!
I listened to the audible version of this story and the narrators in my opinion, can either help make or break a story. I enjoyed the story but the narrators were over the top. I had to increase the speed of the narration because if not the story seemed to drag. However, I did enjoy the story but in my opinion the narrators did not help. Matt was an okay character. I had to warm up to him because in the beginning he was a jerk with a bad attitude. Matt judged Noah for being rich the same way people were judging him for being gay. I felt as if his character should have been more understanding. I enjoyed Noah and his easy going nature. He made the story worthwhile. The ending although it felt a bit rushed was sweet. I think I would have enjoyed this story more had I read the book instead of listening to it but overall, it was a good steamy M/M story.
The footballer and the rich boy
Noah and Matt really grew on me as a couple throughout the book even if they frustrated the crap out of me at times too. I enjoyed this one and am looking forward to more by Eden Finely
A SWOON WORTHY READ!!!
Light heartedly endearing.
Loved Noah’s and Matt’s dynamic. The back and forth banter was so entertaining and I whoe heartedly enjoyed their journey to their HEA.
Thank you for yet another delightful read.
I really enjoyed the first book in this series, “Fake Out” and I was very curious to see if this one would be just as entertaining. I am so glad to say that I loved this one even more. Matt was just wonderful and I think everyone should have a Noah in their lives 😉
For those of you who have read the first book, already know Matt and Noah. Now I think technically this book could be read as a stand-alone….but…
To fully enjoy the story, I would advise reading “Fake Out” first.
Matt, who’s a famous NFL player, has been caught with his pants down (literally), and shoved out of the closet… in front of the whole world. The only way to save his career is to clean up his image. This is where Noah comes in…his brand spanking new “politician’s son” boyfriend.
Noah has no problems posing as Matt’s fake boyfriend. It’s a great opportunity for him to stick it to his dad…
These two had some awesome kind of enemies to lovers thing going on, and I enjoyed every second of their back and forth banter. Do you want to know what I also really enjoyed ??? Their sexy times 😛
There were some moments, I wanted to slap Noah in the face and make him wake the fuck up. Considering his past, I totally got where he was coming from. That doesn’t mean it didn’t annoy me at times though. Thankfully he eventually opened his eyes …
It was great catching up with Damon and Maddox and I myself would love to read about Talon and Miller !!
I highly recommend this series 😉
ARC provided to DirtyBooksObsession in exchange for an honest review
I loved it back then, and I loved it even more now. Because Noah and Matt story is simply too good for my heart to handle it and I can’t do more than giving it all the stars I can. And I’m going to try to explain why again but, if I didn’t succeed back then, I don’t think I will either today.
– The plot –
As well as in Fake Out, we get a fake boyfriend trope. In this case, we have this american football player called Matt that has been outed by the press in the worst way possible: exposed on a bar while he was hooking up with a random guy. After that, and after having his career destroyed (because he has lost his agent and his contract with his team is also over) his new agent Damon (from the previous book) has the idea of cleaning a bit his image just so he can find a new deal. Not the gay image, but the one of him being quite… reckless in bars at night. So, they plan to do a few events and trips so he can show the world his new boyfriend, the one that makes him stay with his feet on the ground and looking like a not at all interested in other teammates in the locker room. Something Matt knows sucks, because it’s unfair and homophobic, but that it’s the only way of him getting a new contract in the world we live in.
So, that new fake boyfriend will be our dear Noah. That manwhore we met in Fake Out trying to flirt with Maddox, the same that doesn’t do commitment, and the one that accepts to do this favor simply because he can piss off his dad with it. There is no better way of making the probably soon-to-be president mad than being on the tabloids with a football player.
Of course, as we can all imagine from a romance book: things will happen. And the free butterfly Noah will may want a bit of commitment. And the scare-of-people and relationships Matt, too.
– The characters –
I don’t know how to say that Matt and Noah are incredíble amazing, but they are. On one side we have Matt, this cuddling whore, as he call himself, that wants attention as much as he needs air but that doesn’t want to accept it because he is mad at the world, he has lost trust, and he has way too many reasons for not trusting a single person out there. Even less one guy like Noah. Quite rude at the beginning, you can’t see a smile from him. Also, with his body measurement, he doesn’t seem like a teddy bear but a wild one. Still, once he starts getting over his fears, we see how kind, generous, funny, and lovely he is. He is golden, honestly.
Exactly what happens with Noah in the other side. A reckless and charming handsome man, rich as hell and with no worries, because he does what he wants. It’s all happiness for him, even his daddy issues are secondary to Noah. But then, Matt appears, and what started as a favor to his best friend Damon, ended up being a job for himself to protect the guy that has been broken by the world. And damn, he will regret. Because Noah doesn’t do feelings. But Matt is hard to ignore, and one he will taste the drug Matt is, he won’t be able to let him go.
We get an incredibly well made relationship. As much as I said that I didn’t buy the Fake Out one between Maddox and Damon, Eden Finley gives us a realistic, painful, and lovely pairing in Trick Play that you can’t simply ignore. It may also go too fast, but we at least see where do the feelings come from. You see their pain, but that struggle never covers what they really are (as I said in Fake Ouy review, I felt like Damon’s plot was his drama and that’s all, having no personality at the end). We can see Matt passions, we can see Noah’s nightmares. We get to meet their pasts, their presents in a deep way. It all may happen in a few weeks or months, but it makes sense to what the characters are. And their needs. Of course, longer pace would be always welcomed, but romance books not always have that chance.
– Final thoughts –
As always, a few points of things I liked or disliked about the book. If there is any spoiler, I will warn right before, don’t you worry.
> Noah and Matt relationship may be my favorite one from the whole series. And trust me, I love them all way too much to pick just one, but…. They are simply magical. How well they connect, how perfectly written they are. How perfect are they for each other. I love Eden Finley way too much, what can I say. She is my queen of romance.
> I’m so thankful for all the appearances (spoiler if you don’t want to know which characters from Trick play will have their on book) that take part in Trick play. We get to, at least, see, all the characters from the next two books and also one that will be main in the fifth. And let me tell you, that this little sunshine of my heart, is the greatest thing ever and I’m not ready at all for what Eden will prepare for us in the fitfh book. But, hey, till then, I’m so thankful for how lovely is to reread this book and remeet for the first time Talon, Miller, Lennon… AND JET.
> This book is way more respectful. There are still a few comments and words I don’t like (you know, that “being a p*ssy” thing) but, it sadly makes sense in the world they are in. Sports, football. We can’t change that, even if it would be lovely. Apart from that, we don’t get orientation’s drama.
> So, yeah, as I knew from the beginning of this reread, five stars from my favorite couple from the Fake Boyfriend series. Maybe not my favorite when it comes to separated characters (even if I love Noah and Matt like hell, but, you know, Ollie and Jet are my everything), but it will always be as a built pairing. Thanks Eden, again, for this. Forever yours xoxo LOL.
This book is on fire! I loved Matt and Noah together. They really sizzled from the start. They could read each other perfectly and their banter was great. The secondary characters played a big part and I was happy to see more of Damon and Maddox more. Great plot that you get a sense of when you read the blurb. I love that Matt was the way he was. Heck, they both were them selves and that’s what’s made me love them so much. I won’t spoil but it was a very enjoyable read and fans of MM will love it! 4 stars #2OCCJD
I really really really liked this story!
I’m the biggest sucker when it comes to fake dating (and also football, but I’m not holding this book to real life standards of the sport).
5 stars
Heat Level: 4
Narration: 4.5
I love this story so much!!! Amazing writing, fantastic characters and a wonderful journey to a HEA!!
This is my second time reading Trick Play and first time listening to the narration. I love Noah and Matt and found their story wonderfully endearing and real.
I really enjoyed Matt and Noah story and found each character endearing in their own way. I love Noah’s cocky confidence and spoilt, sarcastic self, which he hides behind to avoid getting hurt again when really he is so loving, caring, generous and has a big heart capable of love. I love his passion for his new project; Rainbow Beds (which I wish was real, well done Eden) and is open heart to letting Jett (Matt’s Brother) into his heart as well.
I feel for Matt as this is horrid why to ‘come out’. I feel Eden has a great talent for getting across complex emotions and creating the rollercoaster Matt has to go through in this book. Matt is trying to figure out which way is up and has to fight tooth and nail to ‘save’ his football career. I loved the journey Matt goes on to find his way back to football, finding his new self and a new love along the way.
I love Noah and Matt and think they have a great dynamic.
It’s a wonderful story with twists and turns and the perfect HEA.
Sometimes I wish the characters would just say what they feel and stop pussyfooting around but it all works out in the end.
I love seeing characters from book one and loved the new characters introduced throughout this world. I look forward to many more Fake Boyfriend books. Great work Eden! Can’t wait to see what Eden can come up with next.
Narration: 4.5
Review:
I found the Narration by Alexander Cendese (Noah) and Iggy Toma (Matt) for Trick Play really good. In my mind these voices where near perfect for the characters and Alexander’s voice for Jett is awesome and I love Alex’s attempt at an Australian accent!!! Both voice artists are great and while I’ve listened to them both during Fake Out (Fake Boyfriends, Book 1), I felt they were able to create different dialects in Trick Play that I was able to differentiate all the characters. I’ve listened to Iggy before and loved his work and found his rendition of Matt really good and loved his accent when Matt went all southern, swoon !
All in all, great narration for an awesome story!!!
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Another wonderful book in the Fake Boyfriend Series from Eden Finely. Matt is caught out one night and his PR team is scrambling to put a positive spin on the tabloid photos as well as put his NFL career back on track after the fallout of him being caught with a guy. He isn’t interested in a relationship and thinks the farce they have planned with Noah is going to be detrimental, but he trusts Damon and wants to play football again, so he goes along with the plan.
What Matt hadn’t planned is falling for Noah as they get to know one another. Noah, while he looks carefree, has to deal with his father’s treatment of him throughout the years and a bad relationship in college that has him refusing to commit. But the two together is explosive and you can’t get enough of them together.
They move on together and when they finally commit to each other, it had me cheering. Another book, like Maddox and Damon’s story, where you can’t get enough of the world and the characters. A highly recommended read!!
What a great book! I love the fake boyfriend trope and this book was no exception. It’s the second book in the series but you can definitely read it as a stand-alone without any confusion. Noah’s don’t give a crap attitude and his sarcastic tongue is the best! And of course you get a satisfying HEA.
OH GOD. Noah and Matt… Jesus, my heart! I absolutely loved how Noah did everything he could to make sure that Matt is having it a little easier again. Doesn’t help that Noah himself has such a nice *cough* past and a loving father…
I love football, it’s my sport, but sadly I know exactly what Ms. Finley is writing in her book is the truth. Coming out in ANY sport is hart, no matter how much we wish it would be different.
This book was written well and the author sure knows how to make you squirm in your chair.
Loved, loved, loved it! Read the whole series! Actually, read all of this author’s books, you will not regret it!
Loved this story! Matt had a little piece in the 1st story about him being outted as gay. Now he needs to play the story that he’s in a relationship to get a football team to sign him. Damon has his friend Noah play the part of his boyfriend. I loved these two guys together. The loved hard and they loved well. Can’t wait to see whose story gets told next.
Eden finley continues to amaze me book by book. I loved this book even more than the first one. Matt and cute and so so hot. I devoured this book in a single sitting.
All the side characters are amazing. We get to see Matt and Damon from Fake out and also Jethro AKA Jet AKA JJ (Matt’s awesome brother). I am so looking forward to read Talon and Miller’s book!! I want them right now(I wish it was book 3).
Fake relationship is one of my favorite tropes and Finley writes a good one! Love the unique and layered main characters. The secondary cast adds so much realness and humor too.
I could not stop. I refused to stop. I know I had important stuff to do but eh, I gotta get my daily share of Matt & Noah! Welcome to my life. Well, uh, that said. Now that I am done, I really don’t want to bore you with my opinion. Too many have already told you what this book is about. I reckon you read the blurb.
Below all his bullshit, Noah really is a sweetheart. A lost soul. And, well, Matt is one of those rare men that seemed to have gone out of style. A kind-hearted gentleman. I loved this pair. I laughed, my chest tightened and I went “Awww nooo” a lot of times. A perfect just-lemme-read-one-more-chapter-before-bed-whoops-now-it-is-2AM-page-turner.