Totally Ducked

Love in Play #1

by Becca Jackson

DUCKIE

Not being able to keep my D in my pants has landed me in hot water with my boss—having your bare butt plastered across multiple sports publications will do that.

To teach me a lesson, he’s transferring me from writing about hockey gods to Banana Ball, and not only do I have to pretend to like the not-so-professional sport, I have to go on tour with them. If I can just keep it in my pants and focus on the writing, I’ll earn a return to the sport I love.

Problem is, the gossip writer who got me into this mess is on tour too.

Ian’s determined to prove he’s meant for sports and not gossip columns, so when he suggests we create a public rivalry that’ll boost our reader engagement and get us both what we want, I reluctantly agree.

But the more time I spend with him, the more confusing my feelings for him become, and suddenly I’m looking at labels I never thought would apply to me.

After an explosive kiss it becomes so much harder to focus on the writing and faking our rivalry, but taking a chance on him means risking more than just my game plan to get back to the ice, for the first time in my life, I’ll also be risking my heart.

Genres: Sports, M M Romance, Romance, Sports Romance, LGBT, Enemies To Lovers, Contemporary

287 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 8, 2024

About the author

Becca Jackson writes MM romance that delivers heart, heat, and happily ever afters for some totally adorkable and fabulous guys.

Becca’s books have all your favorites, small-town romances, bi-awakenings, sports, friends to lovers, and enemies to lovers too, but no matter the trope that takes your fancy, you’ll always find a happily ever after.

Reviews

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was super excited to read this because I love banana ball. We need more banana ball books. And everyone keep your fingers crossed because I entered the lottery to go to the game the next time banana ball comes to my town (last time my husband and kids were able to go see the Party Animals but I wasn’t able to join them). And I love Savannah and there was even a meow wolf mention so that was all exciting.
But I mean other than that, this book needed so much more. Way more relationship development. It felt rushed.
And spoiler alert-

But I really am not a fan of when the first I love you doesn’t even happen until the epilogue.

[Dani · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first time I've read a book with Banana Ball in it! My son was absolutely obsessed with watching Banana Ball last year so it was really funny to see it in this context.

Duckie and Ian were really cute and I loved how their relationship progressed, but I was left wanting more. They finally get together and it feels like the book is over and on to the epilogue where it wasn't totally clear how much time had passed.

I just wanted to see more of them together when they weren't on the tour I guess, because the whole relationship revolved around it and the drama's of being journalists, but what was the relationship like away from that situation?

There are also some interesting side characters who I am looking forward to getting to know better in their own books though, Harrison being the main one!

[Crisana · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5* Never heard of Banana Ball before so that was interesting to read about. Short, sweet and ducking funny.

[A🦄🌻🌙 · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75⭐️

All together real cute, very low angst, fluffy sweetness with some good spice. No nonsense immature miscommunication bs - just good ole fashioned talking shit through. And man oh man did this make me wanna watch banana ball.

[Naz.reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5 ⭐️ 2.5/5 🌶️

- Journalists
- Fake Rivalry
- Queer awakening
- On tour for banana ball
- Secret hook ups
- Shared hotel rooms

[Andreja · Rating 3 out of 5]

*This is a review of an ARC in exchange for my honest review*
We are always on Duckie duty.”

3,5*

First, I'm a hockey girl so the baseball stuff flew right over my head. While it can be tedious reading about things when you have absolutely no idea what is going on it should not stop you from enjoying this book. Also, the Banana Ball is a whole other beast and even after some googling I’m still completely lost.
Brendan aka Ducky gets a new assignment from his boss after he gets caught in a bit of a peculiar situation. Pants down and with a woman who is married to a hockey player. He is a sports reporter and worse yet a hockey sports reporter. So, the whole situation is awkward. It’s also not the first time this has happened to him. For things to cool down he is sent to report on the Banana Ball tour. Little does he know the gossip article that exposed the illicit affair was written by no other than Ian. Ian is another reporter that got the Banana Ball assignment. He has no idea who Brendan is. He doesn’t know the butt that was plastered all over the sports news belongs to Brendan. Ian has no idea where the animosity comes from since he only just met him. What starts as a competition soon turns into something else. Ian is gay and Brendan is confused as hell and most definitely ducked.

This is such a low angst book. Don't get me wrong these is some good smut in there. I sadly think that this was a bit too insta love for me. I don’t have a problem with low angst stories but then you really must flesh out the characters. Overall a solid first book in a series.

[Jen (Fae_Princess_in_Space) · Rating 3 out of 5]

That was a really sweet book! It’s a sorrrrrt of sports romance that follows two sportswriters tasked with covering the Banana Ball league as it tours the US. I’ve only just recently learned about Banana Ball (a version of baseball with acrobatics and dancing!) and it was fun to see a book about this lesser-known sport!

It was a bit of a mixed bag for me though, so I’ll break down what I did and didn’t enjoy!

Stuff I loved:
✨ I’m a sucker for rival journalists, just love it!
✨ Banana ball is so fun, and I enjoyed learning more about it
✨ The angst was lowwwww, even at parts where I thought there was going to be drama, it was resolved quickly
✨ The sex scenes were hotttt
✨ The cast of side characters was great!

Stuff I struggled with:
✨ A grown man hiding plastic ducks everywhere he goes… why?
✨ How did he get the nickname duckie? It’s alluded to but never explained
✨ They are pretending to have a rivalry for the publicity, but not sure why they needed to pretend to all the other writers and players? Surely the readers are the only ones they need to convince?
✨ I’m always a bit wary of GFY storylines…
✨ SPOILER Duckie ends up getting a spot on the Banana Ball starting team at the end of the book and it’s just like… how is he pivoting from writer to pro-athlete that easily?

Overall a sweet, fun read but left me with a lot of unanswered questions!

[Bkwrm24 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Duckie and Ian ❤️

4 Stars ⭐️

This was my first read from this author and I had so many laughs reading these two!! It was the perfect mix of sweet, heat and hilarity with so many cute moments. I honestly can't remember the last time that I had genuine fun while reading, something about Duckie and Ian, their love/hate start, shenanigans and love hit me different. If you're looking for a good time, pick this one up...I absolutely recommend.

* I received an ARC from GRR, this is my open and honest review *

[Aly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love that this revolved around the new sport of Banana Ball! I follow the Savannah Bananas on social media and the games look like a lot of fun, so having a story where we get to see the players and behind the scenes was fantastic.

This is a sports romance where the main characters aren't the players, but the writers. That was a fun twist that set this apart. I liked Ian best, he was sweet and tried so hard to get along with everyone and make a name for himself in the writer's world. Brendan, or Duckie, was more cynical and is trying to recover after making some enemies in the NHL.

The pacing is quick and the back and forth points of view were great. I'll definitely need to check out Carter's story now!

[Monikat · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute quick easy read.

[Kira · Rating 4 out of 5]

totally ducked is the first book i've read by this author, and i'm definitely looking forward to the second one of this series. it took me some getting used to, especially as my knowledge of banana ball is almost equal zero, but it was a fun read nonetheless.

this moved on very quickly from being an enemies to fake rivals to lovers. overall, i give this 3.5 stars.

thank you to grr for this arc.

[Reading Rommance · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5. This was a super fun, low angst read. Brendan was kind and fun. Ian was really sweet. I enjoyed the friendly banter of the fake rivalry and the Banana Ball aspects were fun! I liked meeting the team and there were some great background characters. I think overall I wanted a little more to the story, maybe some extra drama, but it was a really nice, fun, easy to read book. 2/5 spice levels.

Notes: fake rivals-to-lovers, bi-awakening, sports

[S a n d r a · Rating 3 out of 5]

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This was my first time reading the author, and the truth is that I knew nothing about her. I had no references, nor was I sure if this was her debut novel (spoiler: no, it’s not. In fact, one of the main characters in this book is related to one of her previous’ books). In general, it's a short story (around 200 pages, although it doesn't quite reach that mark), quick, easy to read, and fun. It's a story that works well if you're looking for something light and that will make you smile, but it will disappoint you if you're in the mood for something with more depth and a more complete development of the romance.

Our two MCs, Ian and Duckie, are journalists. Duckie is a sports journalist specialized in hockey whose career takes a shift after being featured in far too many sensationalist magazines due to his nocturnal escapades, while Ian is a gossip journalist who hates writing about others and dreams of working in sports someday. As punishment for his behavior, Duckie is assigned to cover the Banana Ball tournament and stay away from hockey for a season, and as a reward for the success of his last news, Ian is rewarded with the same destination.

There they will meet face to face, Ian unaware that Duckie is the protagonist of his latest sensational news, while Duckie knows that Ian is responsible for his professional downfall. This, of course, makes them not start off on the right foot.

The relationship between them, unfortunately, develops a bit too quickly for my liking. Especially for Duckie, who is supposedly straight and has never been attracted to ay man before. Besides, he starts developing feelings for a man he supposedly doesn't like, and everything happens very suddenly, which struck me as a bit too weird at first. Then I went with the flow and got used to the somewhat hasty pace of the narration.

The relationship, as I mentioned at the beginning, doesn't have too much depth, but it's entertaining and has cute and funny moments. Primarily, we see both of them physically experimenting together, and acting of the attraction they both feel; eventually, though, that relationship leads to parallel emotional development that is hinted at, although not explicitly shown, if that makes sense.

The part with Duckie hiding little plastic ducklings everywhere was adorable and very amusing, in line with the fresh and carefree atmosphere the story takes.

I had never read or heard about Banana Ball before and wasn't sure what to expect, but it was interesting, and I ended up searching for videos online, hahaha. A fun concept, and I'm eager to keep reading about it. I'm not sure where this series is headed, but I hope the author decides to tell the story of some team members, as there are some with a lot of potential.

[lemonysnickety · Rating 3 out of 5]

edit: forgot to add, the name “Duckie” shows at half the chapters but he’s literally only called that like 7 times in text??? so it was confusing at times trying to remember which one was “Duckie” when the POV we heard the most about the ducks from was Ian’s

Kind of cute story-wise, but the CONSTANT comma misuse was frustrating and near-incomprehensible. At most 5 correctly constructed sentences per chapter. Especially in dialogue, commas everywhere, even when it doesn’t, make much sense at all, to have commas rather than periods. Genuinely took so long to read because had to keep rereading sentences to figure out where the commas/periods should ACTUALLY be so I could read it correctly in my head, and since that was absurdly frustrating I couldn’t really read much at once.

Plus random typos (“smallest of sting” “Both these”), run-ons, some stuff that just made zero sense (a guy would be too heavy to lift at 110lbs 5’??), and really awkward wordings (“My mind goes there again and the hard-on that signaled my earlier exit throbs.” > should be “prompted” the exit).

And the killer combos ofc of run-on and comma splice and awkward (“His grip is firm, but not too firm, I could slip from his hold if I wanted, but I let him lead me onto the dancefloor, watching his feet as we walk until he stops and tilts my head up with a finger under my chin.”)
(“Costume on, pretend you’re the catcher, then when I give you the cue, throw the glove to the side, rip off the helmet, and run, after the spin they’ll lower you down facing the other way then Gordon will turn, and pitch the ball,”)
(“Thanks, who knows, if I totally screw this up, I might be able to score a job as one of their backup dancers. Jokes.”)

Also didn’t like that bit about “when I was too tired for sex the WOMEN I dated were so DIFFICULT and UNCOOL, but Ian is chill when I say I’m tired” like?? maybe you needed to communicate better with the women you were dating?? Women are also human beings who are too tired for sex sometimes, so like sure maybe some took it personally when they shouldn’t have but also maybe you are just a dick about it. Seems more likely that you were the common denominator than misogyny being correct about half the global population 🙄

[Abigail Beckwith · Rating 5 out of 5]

old post reposted


My 2024 Reading Challenge for the month of February will be Beat The Backlog work (digital and print books). I'm going to claim this also includes keeping up with and catching up with my favorite authors most recent releases. ;) Here's Becca Jackson's "Totally Ducked." It's the first official novel in her Love in Play series.
["Not being able to keep my D in my pants has landed me in hot water with my boss—having your bare butt plastered across multiple sports publications will do that.

To teach me a lesson, he’s transferring me from writing about hockey gods to Banana Ball, and not only do I have to pretend to like the not-so-professional sport, I have to go on tour with them. If I can just keep it in my pants and focus on the writing, I’ll earn a return to the sport I love.

Problem is, the gossip writer who got me into this mess is on tour too.

Ian’s determined to prove he’s meant for sports and not gossip columns, so when he suggests we create a public rivalry that’ll boost our reader engagement and get us both what we want, I reluctantly agree.

But the more time I spend with him, the more confusing my feelings for him become, and suddenly I’m looking at labels I never thought would apply to me.

After an explosive kiss it becomes so much harder to focus on the writing and faking our rivalry, but taking a chance on him means risking more than just my game plan to get back to the ice, for the first time in my life, I’ll also be risking my heart."]

I can see so many plot bunnies that had inspired this novella. So many. It's gloroius.

It's funny and snarky and sweet and fate-y and karma-y and spicy and meet-ugly and thrilling and low on the angst. It was glorious. With a few hidden ducks (including the one tattooed on Duckie's ass ;) ).

#totallyblitzed #totallyducked #totallygeeked #loveinplay #loveinplaysseries #beccajackson #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

[Marion · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a new to me sport and I loved it as much as the players in the book love playing it. This is the story of Duckie and Ian. Duckie is a sports reporter who covers hockey. Or at least he did. Until he is caught in a photo showing his bare butt and a hockey players wife. To be fair, he didn't know she was married but the gossip columns ran with the story. And now his editor has demoted him. You can't cover hockey if you aren't allowed into their change rooms. So he is sent to cover the Banana Ball Tour until things calm down. While unenthused about the tour, he plans to use it to return to covering hockey. But one of the first people he meets is fellow reporter Ian. The same reported to submitted the story about him that got him on the tour. He is snarky and short with Ian. They will not be friends. Ian on the other hand has no idea that Duckie is the man in the photo. You only see his butt. He is excited for the chance to cover sports. His editor is giving him this chance to succeed or it is back to the gossip column for him. He will make this work no matter what. When Ian finds one the ducks that Duckie is planting around the area, he uses it to start off his reporting on Banana Ball. And it takes off and captures the readers imagination. Duckie is not happy that Ian is using his ducks to usurp him in the ratings. Once Ian finds out that Duckie is the man in the photo, he immediately wants to make it up to him. They devise a plan using grumpy rivalry. While it is easy in the beginning, once they get to know each other; it becomes more difficult. This is their story. This is a fun story to read. I enjoyed learning about Banana Ball and getting to know the member of the teams. The book is written well and is easy to read. You will definitely want to read the second book in the series as soon as you finish the first.

I received a complementary advanced review copy from the author through GRR and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Sandy Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Repost of a review erased from another platform early this year.

Ducking adorable sports-writer rivals to lovers MM romance

Come for the rubber ducks but stay for the two adorable heroes! At odds from the start, Brendan, aka Duckie, and Ian don’t hit it off at all. Once Brendan realizes Ian’s the reason he’s been kicked off covering pro hockey and is stuck on the Banana Ball—what even is that?!—circuit, the gloves are off and he’s got nothing good to say to Ian.

But Ian’s persistent and won’t take Go Away for an answer, and so begins a slow-burn turned wildfire bi-awakening for Brendan that escalates when the two are assigned as roommates for the tour. Keeping up the appearance of rivals should help them both gain followers for their articles, but keeping their growing relationship under wraps proves difficult in the extreme as they try to keep their hands to themselves in public.

With banter, tension, secret rubber ducks hidden all over the place, and one wild and wacky new sport that includes dance numbers (dance numbers! I was here for it!), Totally Ducked charmed its way into my heart and left me smiling. Secondary characters felt authentic and added layers to the story. A fun, feel-good read. I’m not sure why I wasn’t fully leaping out of my seat to 5 stars, because I did truly enjoy the story. I think I wanted more sense that these two were meant to be together, rather than that they simply wound up together due to circumstances? I can’t quite say, but, I did enjoy it a lot, so don’t let my nagging feeling hold you back!

HEA, rivals to lovers, sports writers, no cheating or emotional cheating. Recommended.

My thanks to Gay Romance Reviews for the complimentary copy. This is my impartial opinion.

[Katriana · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I saw the title of this book I was intrigued, I wasn't exactly sure what to expect which caused me to keep my mind opened to be surprised. And what a surprise this book was!

Duckie got transferred to write articles about Banana Ball after a rather unfortunate incident including his behind got blasted in different news magazines. He didn't think he would like anything about his new position but it turns out he ended up liking more than just the sport, he ended up falling for his rival too.

Ian is also covering Banana Ball after telling his boss he was done with gossip articles. He wasn't expecting to run into the man his most recent article was about, and he definitely wasn't expecting to like the man.

I don't think I've read books by this author before, and I gotta say I was quite impressed with their writing. I thought things were really well written and explained in a way I could understand. I didn't even know Banana Ball existed, I had no idea what that was until I read this story. The way Becca wrote about it made me understand the sport, and what it consisted of, along with what the goal of it is. I learned about something new while reading this!

The mystery around where all the little ducks are coming from was such a cute and fun addition! I absolutely loved that concept, I thought it was so cute! The characters relationship I thought progressed really well, it has a very nice and progressive flow to it. The side characters all added their own personality to the main story, and it made it really fun getting to know each character.

Overall a 'ducking' fabulous story! (You see what I did there?)

[Heather Duff · Rating 4 out of 5]

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I thoroughly enjoyed this story that took us into a sport I knew nothing about, Banana Ball. I’ve seen clips before, but I had no idea it was an actual thing, let alone what it was called. It made for a fun story setting.

Duckie and Ian get off to a rough start. Both writers have been assigned to write about the upcoming Banana Ball season. For Ian, this is his chance to prove he can be more than a gossip columnist. For Duckie, this is punishment for winding up in the gossip columns.

These two writers may drive each other crazy in the beginning, but it’s not long before they are driving each other crazy (wink, wink, nudge, nudge).

While they decide to use their rivalry to benefit both their careers, behind locked doors things are heating up.

This story is a lot of fun, though there are plenty of times you want to yell at them to just “use their words already”, but we love their journey, and how wonderful they were together, once they figured themselves out that is. Ultimately, they make a pretty great team, and they will continue to, along with great adventures.

There was also a host of wonderful other characters that made this story.

Truly, it was a Duckie good time.

[S.M. Harshell · Rating 4 out of 5]

TOTALLY DUCKED is the first book in the Love in Play series.

Brendan, "Duckie" didn't know his picture in a very compromising position would be plastered all over the gossip columns. You can't technically tell it was him but a small glimpse of a tattoo is all his boss needs to know it was him. He's a sports writer and is pulled immediately pulled from covering hockey since the woman he's pictured with is a players wife. He's sent to cover Banana Ball on a twelve week assignment. He's not happy but he'll do whatever he has to do to get back to covering hockey.

Ian hates writing gossip and exposing players in whatever they are doing. When he gets the chance to cover Banana Ball he is more than willing. What he doesn't expect is the guy he stole the cab at he airport and the focus of his last article to also be here. Now they are rooming together and Ian can't help but be attracted to the man...who is straight or so he thought.

I loved the start of this series. Duckie and Ian had great chemistry. I loved seeing Duckie open himself up to what could be in his career and also with Ian and Ian figuring out he was worth more than the gossipy writing. AND finally having a story about "Banana Ball" I loved it. I am a huge baseball fan and love this side of it IRL and to finally have a book is perfect!

I was given a free copy of this book.

[Michele (_LivesBtweenPgs_) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book makes me want to buy all the ducks and hide them

Brendan & Ian made this book.
A rivalry that turns into so much more..
Something one of them never ever knew could happen especially after how he has lived his life.

This story took me by suprise, I do love a "only for you" book so once I started reading I was confused at first. Cause when your ass is all over after railing a woman it makes one second guess things, ya know.

Duckie came across to me as a "I get what I want" type of vibe in the beginning but then there's a shift that happened and it changed.
Ian comes in trying to prove himself and rightfully so, he's never written sports but with the connection he has he might just be able to prove himself.

There was just the right amount of everything in this book for me.
It flowed perfectly and all made sense, there were no holes (well...) to miss anything.
Brendan & Ian compliment each other in their own ways and its so smooth that you really don't want to leave them when it is over. The more outgoing with the laidback quiet one (in public anyways), always makes for something interesting.
This book for me was more of a "coming out" in a sense in 2 different ways. There was the emotions, the tension & of course the spice. None of it takes away from either thing in any way but builds on it and makes this one of those books that sucks you in.

Baseball/Banana Ball are on the rise.. now to wonder who is next to get a book because I have a couple I am soo curious about. Hint hint, One likes to walk around naked

[Babara-Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

DUCKING FANTASTIC!🐥❤️

We met “Ducky” in The Half Baked Plan hiding rubber duckies on board a cruise ship and now we get a deeper insight into Brendan Grant when he meets Ian Levram- fellow sports writer, former gossip writer and rival…

I loved how Ian found the first rubber duck and became obsessed with both the hunt of the duckies and Brendan.🐥

Brendan had a reputation of hooking up with woman only but Ian soon changed that reputation when Brandon had his GFY awakening…🌈

The way that Brandon navigated his awakening so easily and still hid his hundreds of duckies while reporting on the Banana Ball players was so entertaining and fun!

Their banter and friendship was cute with a strong connection and Ian’s support and guidance sweet but their chemistry in the bedroom was off the charts and on point!🔥

Brandon’s surprise for Ian was swoon worthy sweet which showed his devotion to Ian…

The supporting characters (writers and players) bonded like a family and the supporting cameo appearance of Brandon’s adopted brother- Carter and his fiancé Lucas was endearing and sweet!

I look forward to more from this series!

I voluntarily received an ARC from GRR for an honest review.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Duckie and Ian are fan-ducking-tastic together! Becca Jackson is a new-to-me author and Totally Ducked is a wonderful, easy read with very low angst and forced proximity.

Ian and Duckie start off on the wrong foot after Ian writes an article involving a picture of Duckie in a compromising position. They are both part of a group of writers assigned to follow Banana Ball. BB is a fun twist on baseball with slightly different rules and lots of shenanigans like dancing during the game. Duckie quickly gets past the animosity caused by the article, but they decide to "play-up" the rival aspect in their articles.

Did I mention this book also has bi-awakening?!? That rivalry is clearly only for show as things heat up behind closed doors. This has the perfect amount of spice mixed with a great story. They can't deny their chemistry and connection as it gets stronger. Duckie's quirk of hiding rubber duckies everywhere added another layer of fun.

I really enjoyed Totally Ducked!

[Dear Reader 0801 · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun start to a new series from Becca Jackson, Love in Play. This is book one of the series and it focuses on two of the writers on the tour for the expanding league, Brendan and Ian. The writers have been assigned to the mini tour of the Banana Ball league and I’ve been so wanting to see one of these fun games in person so this was a treat to read.

Duckie (aka Brendan) has had his life turned upside down when a photo of him in a compromising position is published in a gossip column. No one knows it’s him except his editor who has made the decision to send him to the Banana Ball league tour while things quiet down in hockey. He’s annoyed and frustrated by this change but even more annoyed when he realizes he’s going to be stuck on tour with the man who got him in the situation, Ian who happens to be the writer of the gossip article.

I loved seeing their initial rivalry morph into a collaboration to help one another and ends up developing into something more as they realize their mutual attraction for one another. It’s a low angst awakening story with some fun ducky antics between these two faux rivalry writers. It’s a fast easy read as well coming in around 200 pages.

A fun HEA for these two and hopefully a peep into the next story. Looking forward to more from this series!! I read a complimentary copy of this book and this is my honest and fair review.

[TheBookishK9RN · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, flirty rivals-to-lovers with a fresh sports twistfyffy

Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Totally Ducked is a charming entry into Becca Jackson’s Love in Play series. It balances fun, heat, and heart effectively, with a backdrop that feels fresh, a rivalry that’s both comedic and emotionally satisfying, and characters who grow in believable ways (even if sometimes fast). Brendan (“Duckie”) and Ian start out as rivals—both in journalism and in life—but when they’re forced to cover Banana Ball together, sparks fly. Their fake rivalry for publicity quickly shifts into real attraction, leading to Duckie’s bi-awakening. The humor (yes, rubber duckies), the banter, and the unusual sports backdrop make this a standout opener. Some readers may find the romance arc a little rushed, but the chemistry carries it. If you want a romance that doesn’t linger in angst but delivers both romance and entertainment, this is a strong pick.

[audiobook_chaos · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was my first from Becca and I really enjoyed it .
When Brendan gets caught with his pants down literally with a hockey players fiancé (Brendan wasn’t aware she was engaged for those with cheating triggers) His boss takes him off reporting hockey and sends him to report on Banana Ball. Being in the UK I had never heard of it and even thought it was made up for this book but it’s very real and so much fun ( I went down the YouTube & TikTok rabbit hole ) Well the book is also fun Becca Jackson really caught the essence of the game and the players so well. I just loved the plot and Ian & Brendan with their fake rivalry and of course who couldn’t love all the ducks.
I’m hoping the rest of the series has Banana Ball in because I think I’m a little obsessed with the game now .
PS can I have Harrison’s story next 😃

[Bookloversofantastic · Rating 5 out of 5]

4,5⭐️
That book was really cute, I was so happy to see Duckie “Brendan” again with his crazy and outgoing persona, and his obsession with rubber ducks.

After causing problems in the NHL, he’s sent out to cover Banana Balls which is kind of a new league in Baseball including danse moves (loved the concept) - and of course, he has to work who the reporter who is kind of responsible of his exile. Duckie is absolutely not happy about that and clearly shows it to everyone, and he’s soo not receptive to the idea of working in this field and having to go through many weeks with Ian.
Meanwhile, Ian has finally the opportunity to report on something else than gossip and he’s ready to have a real career in sports. When his rivalry with Duckie boosts their articles, they start to go for it and it becomes a game between them.

Lots of funny banter, camaraderie; when two rivals start to fall for each other between dance, training, writing and hiding/finding ducks.

The whole thing around the duck is just so cute and funny, I loved that story so much, it was really sweet and cute.

I received an ARC Copy of this book from Gay Romance Review, this review is from my own thoughts 😍

[Traci S · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐️
This was such a fun read, Duckie and Ian are an absolute delight! These two are crazy sweet together and their story is really well balanced with humor, heart, and spice. Ian and Duckie are just so charming, I was completely hooked pretty early on and couldn’t wait to see them find their HEA. It’s not a long book but the author pulls off some impressive world building in not a lot of pages. The Banana Ball backdrop was an original and wonderfully lighthearted twist on a typical sports romance. The side characters are also exceptional and add tons of personality to the story. I especially loved the behind the scenes look at the Banana Ball tour, the reporters, the practices, and the players. It very well done, loved it!❤️

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

[L H · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brendan aka Duckie, gets plucked off his beat as a sports writer covering hockey because of some of his extra curricular choices. He is peeved that he is assigned to cover Banana Ball. When he gets to his new assignment covering the tour he finds out that one of his fellow writers on this beat is Ian, who happened to write the article that outed Duckie's extra curricular hiccup. Things do not start out well between them but time on the tour allows them to get to know one another and grow even closer. There are many shifts in perspective that Duckie experiences including his attraction to a man - bi awakening - and a chance to play banana ball which gives him a chance to do something he enjoys again. Ian and Duckie's love story is sweet, funny and steamy. Not a lot of fuss with a lot of good feeling.
I received an ARC from GRR and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Molly Otto · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, this book is just plain fun as simple as that. Duckie keeps his nickname a secret while hiding ducks on the Banana Ball tour, where Ian goes out, finding them and collecting them. These two start off on the wrong foot, yet their banter is brilliant from the go, and you just can't help but smile as you read. Loved how Duckie being on this tour made him fall in love with a sport he left behind years before. Not to mention his open mindset to trying new things because it's worth a shot at something exciting. Ian is a great supportive partner from the getgo, letting him come to his own and take at Duckies pace.
No third act breakup drama included, which was nice to see. When they have disagreements, they step back but to cool down to help problem solve and go back when ready to talk again. It's just an overall fun low angst read when looking for something not too heavy.