Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

The Player

Rate this book
Julie Bright has been in love with Aaron Johanssen since they were teenagers, but he has never felt the same. At least that is how Julie sees it. She thought she had moved on, until fate brings him back home and they are forced to live under the same roof. The mere presence of Aaron reignites a spark in Julie's heart, a spark she thought had long been extinguished. Aaron, a star N.F.L. player, returns home due to an injury, feeling out of place and uncertain about his future. Despite his success, he harbors deep insecurities about his worthiness for Julie, his best friend and true love. Determined to win her over, Aaron is willing to risk it all to show Julie that they are meant to be together. As they navigate their complicated feelings for each other, Julie and Aaron must confront their pasts and insecurities to find a way to be together. Will their love be enough to overcome the obstacles standing in their way, or will they be forced to accept that some loves are not meant to be? Please note this book was previously in an anthology and has been fully reworked and added to. It has gone from 17K words to a full length novel.

217 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 6, 2024

12 people are currently reading
33 people want to read

About the author

S.J. Ransom

22 books308 followers

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
5 (15%)
4 stars
6 (18%)
3 stars
8 (24%)
2 stars
7 (21%)
1 star
7 (21%)
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
Profile Image for CriSsStina.
369 reviews
July 12, 2024
2.5 ⭐️

I really tried, really, really tried to like this one. 🥹🥹 But I just couldn't, because even though the idea was good, this read just didn't deliver, for me at least.

For the first time ever, I didn't like, at all, any of these main characters. 🫣😭

-- possible spoilers below !! Also, incoming rant! --

.
.
.

She was bending left and right to his desires. The only thing he had to do was kiss her, and that's it, end game 😂. Besides being a braniac, having self-esteem issues, and loving to cook, her other predominant trait was her love for the MMC. Did I like this!? Nope... because the only time she managed to live a little, the MMC tricked her, and hence, she had an ONS with him, even though she didn't know that. What a lovely life 🙄.

While he was a man-child. Jesus, the entire plot line with him not wanting to put her in the limelight. Pleeease, it took them 11 fucking years to finally get together. 11 years!!!

Don't get me started about the fact he did not know about his child! He was definitely a POS type of person... since he said he only loved in his life his family and the FMC, but he also is the one that completely gosted her and maintained minimal contact with his siblings (both siblings knew about the kid!! and suspeced he's the father but nobody said anything! Make it make sense!).

Anyway, there are a lot of weird, unbelievable things. The reactions I had while reading can be seen in the reading history I shared for this book. I already made too much spam 😂😂 but I was just baffled how a book that looked promising after the first 60 pages or so can go down the hill in such a way.

Of course, she's just a shy person because she's not confident in her skin. Hence, she was only with him, one freaking time!! While he tried to stay celibate, he failed, of course. In my eyes, if you're such obsessed with only that one person, trat you just know it's your person, YOU DO NOT FREAKING TOUCH ANOTHER ONE! PERIOD!

So the double standards here were just meh. I'm so over this! Fine, since they stayed so many years separated, then ok, I'm actually fine with both of them living their life, moving on or at least trying new relationships, etc, while fate brings them together or whatever.

The change in his behavior was such a weird thing. For more than 2 years, he was obsessed, unhinged, stalked her, and even k1lled for her!! And then he just disappeared from her life for 8-9 fucking years. Poof, he just disappeared because he was a coward, period!!! He just lived his life while she raised their kid! Awesome! Wonderful! Marvelous!🤌

I rolled my eyes so many times through this book.

I love dark romance, and this was a good, in theory, mix of unhinged things, but throw it into a mix of two main characters that behaved like 16 year-olds on the emotional level, and you have a disaster... hence the rating.

He constantly puts his image up front while she folds for him at the snap of his fingers. GIRL, MAKE HIM WORK!!

I'm glad this one was a freebie, pfew. At least there's that.

The spicy scenes were so and so. Some were fine, and some were weird. Some terminology was just on the nope category; really, semen!?? Nope, just no!!

What to expect
- quick read
- same age characters
- this goes through some time jumps: they're 18 at the beginning, then 20, then 28, and finally, 29 year-olds
- this is a friends to nothing to friends, maybe!?, to lovers
- second chance romance (ha, he should have bite the dust and she should have found earlier in her life someone to worship her as she deserved!!) - but that's just my 2 cents 😂
- some dangerous situations, he saves the day, yay
- TW
- HEA

.
.
.

"Hell, I hate myself for leaving them alone for so damn long."

Ugh, babe 🙄, we hate you too!! 🫶 and the first place for the dumbest and most shallow MMC goes tooooo ..... 😂😂
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Capt..
585 reviews75 followers
July 11, 2024
Disgusting men.

FMC is written to raise disgusting men’s kid whilst practicing the religion of saint chastity forever reaming pure for disgusting men. MMC is of course the opposite. Of course.
Profile Image for Stephanies.books_.
617 reviews5 followers
July 15, 2024
Let's start off with the chapter where he drugs her and finger f**** her. Nit just once but almost twice. I am all for dark romances. But this is rape. Plain and simple. That is not romance or romantic in any way, shape, or form. It was disgusting to read that this author would write this and think it was okay because it was a dark romance.

It's not.

It made me ill reading it. I should have DNFed this book just from that chapter alone. But I forged ahead. It didn't get better.

Aaron is an unlikable character. There isn't anything redeemable about him. He was mean to Julie from the start and was only nice to her when he wanted to use her. He ghosted her after taking her v card. He was constantly ashamed of her because she was not skinny. Never wanted to be seen with her or be affiliated with her at all.

Julie's character wasn't any better. She let Aaron get away with so much b.s. and still let him come back for more. She needed to grow a backbone.

There was no chemistry between the characters. Everything seemed forced. They went 8 years without talking, and Julie was still googly eyed over Aaron. It was sad and a little pathetic. Even when he still treated her like crap.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for C H.
119 reviews
July 22, 2024
sucks big time

This book sucks. I mean seriously how stupid can the FMC be putting up with all that abuse? The MC, dude is completely bipolar. I got irritated reading this. There lacks passion and no love…all hate. Author writes the story like they are two miscommunicated lovers but act as if they want to kill each other.
Profile Image for Christy Davisson.
779 reviews18 followers
May 7, 2024
Well, this one has a little bit of everything in it for those who like dark themes and depraved acts.

We start with Julie and Aaron being in high school where he's her best friend and his twin sister is also her best friend. So you get a little of the forbidden best friend's sibling vibes here until Aaron starts to show a darker side to himself that no one else has seen before.

From drugging to stalking her not only in high school but college now. One night changes both of their lives when Aaron decides his status is better off if he's not linked to Julie who happens to be overweight compared to what the public deems acceptable for him to date. Julie's life takes on yet another challenge knowing she's on her own again with a one-night stand gone wrong she's ready to pick up the pieces stop pining for two men she can't have and live her life the best she can. Only she's still wishing for her best friend's brother even though she knows he's not into her type or so she thinks.

This story stretches from high school and college to years in between showing this connection they both have but won't admit it at first. It's fast-paced at times with a lot of depraved spicy moments mixed into this crazy unhinged stalker romance.
With a few twists thrown in for some added suspense that has you wondering what will happen next. So if you want a book with dark themes, spicy moments, and a little suspense this is one to grab.

Overall: 4/☆☆☆☆☆
Spice: 🌶🌶🌶
Profile Image for Lori Kays.
477 reviews30 followers
August 20, 2024
Man, I really didn't think I could ever find a book as bad as "Bound to You" but the this book gives it a run for its money. Now, I've read this author's "Psycho's in Love" series, so I already knew I couldn't take this book seriously and I'd have to give it a whole lot of grace, but somehow the worthless MMC's douchebaggery far exceeded my expectations. Being completely baffled that someone would call this a romance and not a satirical tragedy kept me turning each page, hoping to find enlightenment.

So the main issue of this whole book is that the guy is constantly ashamed to be seen with the girl he's obsessed with because she's overweight. Yeah, clearly a charmer. Yet he relentlessly stalks her, drugs her, and molests her in her sleep. Even after she gets mad and cuts him off for not wanting to acknowledge her in public, he's still stalking her every move, he manages somehow to keep this behavior even into college.

2 years into college he decides he HAS to have her and insists his sister give the FMC a dress and a mask from him so they can attend a masquerade ball. Somehow, through the same magic that disguises super heroes, he meets up with her using his middle name, ya know, total espionage here and she has no idea that it's her best friend she's known forever and is in love with. They have in-depth conversations, dance, kiss and then later go back to her room and have sex...all in a mask and let me tell ya, I pictured the mask on him during that WHOOOOOOOOLE sex scene 😂 So he takes her virginity and has sex with her all night and then leaves her. Now about this point is where I got really confused, because supposedly she's lost weight and guys were hitting on her left and right with the mask on because they didn't know it was her, yet they didn't normally hit on her because he somehow convinced the entire male population of a college he doesn't attend that the girl he doesn't want to be seen in public with...is off limits. 🤔 Okay, which is it? She's so fat and hideous you don't want to be seen with her, yet so beautiful he has to beat the guys off with a stick? I felt like Vincent Vega wandering around Mia Wallace's living room, entirely lost and confused.

So anyone, he leaves, now this poor girl who was still trying to get over her huge crush on her highschool "best friend" who wouldn't be seen with her and is finally moving on, is left yet again feeling inadequate by the same guy twice! That shouldn't be allowed! You shouldn't be able to break a girl's heart as two different guys! To add insult to injury, he sends her dirty pictures of herself with whore written over it... because you know she's the love of his life and that's what they do...I guess...I don't know, I've completely lost the plot at this point, but we get RIGHT back around to it when her professors tries to blackmail her into having sex with him. Of course Mr. Stalker H catches all this on candid camera, comes ALLLLLL the way to her college again, to tie up the professor naked to a chair and writes "pedophile" on him and oh yeah! decapitates him and leaves him for the FMC to find because she clearly isn't messed up enough yet. She faints and is rushed to the hospital where she finds out she's pregnant. She decides to go home, live with her female best friend which is the H's twin sisters and take all of her college courses online.

Meanwhile, H is completely distracted by his stalking of FMC that he breaks his arm during a play, his twin rushes to his side because they have this amazing crazy twin connection where they feel each other's pains and sorrows and she has to be there with him. Then BAM! time jump to 8 years later....where he now has stopped stalking Julie and fallen out of touch with her and his sister so much that he has no idea that she was pregnant and now has an 8 year old, even though his sister does give him daily updates on her...WHAT? Again, holy bi-polar batman. Anyways, we're thrust into this world where he's a major NFL star who's just had a career ending injury, he's no longer stalking the h, but somehow he's still obsessed with her and is also sleeping with his doctor? They wanted to makes sure we knew that he was fucking other women even though he had promised himself he'd be celibate until he could be back with the the h, I guess just to further prove what a waste of space human being he was. Meanwhile, the h has only had sex that once her ENTIRE LIFE 🤦🏼‍♀️

Anyways, he finds his way back to his home town because... reasons and then is forced to stay in the h's house even though he's a multi millionaire, also because reasons. Its just now at this moment, he realizes the girl who's the love of his life, who he's been obsessed with yet not had anything to do with yet gets daily updates about has an 8 year old son. He discovers this and what is his immediate sentence after finding this out? "You sure you should be eating those muffins? What about a protein shake? I mean *I* love your figure and you're beautiful!" 😲😲😲 The Lion, the witch, and THE AUDACITY of this bitch! He's not even expressing shock or wonder about her having a kid that looks just like him that none of his siblings told him about even though they highly suspected he was the father, nooooo, he's still hung up on her weight! After this it's a comedy of errors with him trying to woo her and tell her that he loves her, with no grovelling and barely an apology and her immediately jumping back on his cock, at which point he says "surprise! It was me who got you pregnant!" and that's just a fun little thing she learns and not a totally soul crushing, life altering revelation that further proves he's a giant pack of dicks. Anyways, he decides to stay out of the spotlight, so he can be seen with her...i mean settle down with her and their son to coach football. Oh, and random murder of someone obsessed with her near the end and then they live happily ever after. 🤯😵‍💫😵 I'm pretty sure the world is a worse place for having this book in it, yet I'm the dumbass who read the whole thing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Mandy ♡.
27 reviews
June 9, 2024
Parecía un buen libro, pero desde el capítulo 2 ya supe q no me gustaría.
Profile Image for Darkdirtysmut.
267 reviews68 followers
May 11, 2024
This book encompasses all the key points of a childhood crush that borders extremely obsessive on one part. Two people, both in love with the other, but one is in his head and is all about image while the other is a beautiful curvy woman who doesn't feel worthy of his love.

Aaron is a star quarterback on a fast track to the NFL and has been friends and infatuated with Julie since they were young, but as high school came upon him and the need to be the stereotypical Quarterback, he chose his image and what would people think instead of happiness. He's full fledged stalker turn OTT obsessive, possessive, and stabby.

Julie is smart and driven but secretly (or so she thinks) in love with her vest friend's twin brother. She's always there for them and when an opportunity arises to talk to Aaron she backs out. Or he turns into the egotistical football star he is.

He loves her but continues to break her heart. Until finally, all the pieces come together but is it too late??

Please check the trigger and content warnings. Spice is medium but the storyline builds up and doesn't disappoint.
Profile Image for Kiana McGowan.
236 reviews2 followers
May 9, 2024
I love SJ Ransom they always give what needs to be given when I am reading a spicy book. For me this is only a 4 star read because I’m not a big sport person and there were things that the MMC said and did that upset me. They all go with the storyline which I respect and can say it did do, I just did like them particularly and probably wouldn’t ever in the story. (These things are dealing with ‘looks and weight’ nothing that is trigger worthy in my opinion but not something I really enjoy). Again this is an amazing story overall just some behaviors turned me off a bit that I couldn’t give five stars and that is COMPLETELY a personal choice as it is developmentally important to the growth and movement of the story of the MMC.
Profile Image for liv.
41 reviews1 follower
July 22, 2024
hi friends!!! it’s honestly maybe lower but I love everyone other than the mcs😁

So this was kinda fire legitness. However, I was actually lowkey scared of a a ron at times. He is actually crazy and how Julie can just be like “oh man he’s already dead welp do what you gotta do🤷🏻‍♀️” all nonchalant is CRAZY. I’d be in so much more shocked. Also he like rapes her! So that’s not so cool a a ron😁 Kaylee is SUCH a good example of a best friend and I love Lennox more than a lot of people I know he’s such a good pal. And Bryson 😋😋😋 anyways as always much love to the author I won a giveaway and got to chose this book she was amazeballs and you should find her insta and follow it cause she’s fire!!!


And I also don’t love a pregnancy trope…
Author 1 book5 followers
May 4, 2024
Football star who loves his best friend but was too pig head to act on it because she not the prefect images he going for.
They have a fight she goes off to college he stalks as he away playing football for college then later the NFL.
He protect her from a far until he show up at a mask ball and take what his. Little did he know he got her pregnant and he lets go for ten years reliazr his head not on the game like need to be.
Ten years go by he gets hurt and goes back home for physical therapy which she is his therapist and he staying with her. He reliazr her son is his. He finally come clean and they move past the issues and come a family.
469 reviews6 followers
May 8, 2024
DAMN!!! That was fucked up and so hot!! The shit Aaron put Julie through was tough and emotional. She was so hurt, scared and scarred from it. But when they were together and he "groveled" and made things right, it was FILTHY!! I've been waiting for something new from SJ and so glad this was written. I'm hoping there will be more about Lennox and hopefully Bryson I have a feeling he is a little more unhinged than Aaron!!!
189 reviews3 followers
May 22, 2024
The way that the fmc was treated because of her weight defiantly hit me right in my heart. He wanted her but really only on his terms and broke her heart. He is OTT with her and stalking then nothing. I do like the aspect of second chance though.

This is a fast read, I would probably read it again.

Check your warnings before diving in.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.