Going for Gold

Sweet Cravings #3

by Ivy Smoak

From international bestselling author Ivy Smoak comes a steamy romantic comedy of olympic proportions.

Alina - The rumors you've heard about the summer games are true. I mean...what do you expect when you put a bunch of sex-starved athletes in the best shape of their lives together in one small village? But it doesn't matter to me. I'm focused on winning gold. So what if the hottest guy at the summer games seems intent on winning me over? Because I'm focused on...wait, what was I focusing on again?

Bryce - I need to win gold. I've been training my whole life for this moment. The prize money will be life changing. But there's a woman with golden hair that my eyes keep wandering to instead of the gold medal. I can't get her off my mind. But winning her over is the only game here I don't know how to win.

Genres: Romance, Sports, Contemporary, Sports Romance, Contemporary Romance, Erotica, New Adult Romance

Kindle Edition

First published May 12, 2016

About the author

Ivy Smoak is the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Amazon #1 bestselling author of The Hunted Series. Her books have sold over 4 million copies worldwide.

When she's not writing, you can find Ivy binge watching too many TV shows, taking long walks, playing outside, and generally refusing to act like an adult. She lives with her husband in Delaware.

Learn more about Ivy on:
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Empire High


The Hunted & Light to My Darkness



Made of Steel

Reviews

[Ꮗ€♫◗☿ ❤️ ilikebooksbest.com ❤️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Summer Games, Scandal, and Second Chances



The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 💚💜💙
Heat/Steam: 🔥🔥
Chemistry: 🧪🧪🧪
Story/Plot: 📕📗📘
World building: 🌏🌍🌎
Character development: 😋🙂🤨
Narrator(s): 🎙🎙🎙🎙🎙
Narration type: Dual Narration

🛡️ Audiobook Review: Going For Gold

Genre: Sports Romance | Narrators: Lynn Barrington and Jason Clarke
Series: Sweet Cravings

🦸🏼‍♀️ Heroine Spotlight: Alina

Alina is a fierce competitor on the USA Volleyball Team, determined to spike her way to gold in Brazil during the summer games. With her team advancing to the quarterfinals and a potential podium finish within reach, she’s laser-focused—despite the distractions of a steamy athletes’ village where temptation runs high and discipline is tested. Her resolve is admirable, especially with a no-romance rule enforced until the final whistle blows.

🧑🏻‍🔧 Hero Spotlight: Bryce

Bryce, a track and field athlete with a quiet strength, is in Brazil not just for glory but for family. Supporting his college-aged sister back home, he’s driven by duty and heart. A chance encounter in the locker room—where Alina accidentally wanders in—sparks a connection that’s sweet, serendipitous, and refreshingly wholesome amid the chaos of the games.

🔥 Plot Pulse

Alina’s relationship with her swimmer boyfriend Chris is tested when her longtime rival Gabriella, a Brazilian volleyball star with a flair for drama, drops scandalous photos of herself with Chris right before a crucial match. The betrayal rattles Alina, threatening her performance and her heart. Enter Bryce, whose grounded presence offers comfort and clarity. But just as romance begins to bloom, Bryce is pulled into a darker subplot involving a gangster’s threat against his sister—forcing him into a moral dilemma that feels jarringly out of sync with the story’s earlier tone.

💘 What Hit Home

• Alina and Bryce are genuinely likable leads, and their chemistry feels earned.
• The supporting cast—especially their teammates—add warmth, humor, and camaraderie that enrich the narrative.

😬 Room to Grow

• The conflict veers into melodrama with the gangster subplot, which felt out of place in what started as a sporty, flirty romance.
• The medal tie-breaker—decided by a strip dance competition—was a tonal whiplash moment that strained believability and pulled me out of the story.

🎧 Narration Vibes

Told in dual POVs, the audiobook features Lynn Barrington and Jason Clarke. Jason’s gravelly voice is a standout—he brings Bryce to life with depth and charm. Lynn Barrington, while technically solid, sounded a bit mature for Alina’s youthful energy, which made it harder to fully connect with her character.

📝 Final Thoughts

This audiobook had the potential to be a fun, flirty romp through competition romance, and parts of it absolutely delivered. Alina and Bryce shine as individuals and as a couple, and their journey has moments of real emotional resonance. But the plot’s detours into over-the-top drama and implausible twists dulled some of the sparkle. Still, if you’re in the mood for a sports romance with heart, heat, and a dash of chaos, this one might just serve up a win.

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[Amanda · Rating 1 out of 5]

This story was a disgrace. Don't be fooled by the description, this book was more porn than anything. The story started off great and it seemed that it would be a cute story about two athletes falling in love... it turned into the girl getting tricked into a gangbang done in public and broadcast on live TV. That isn't what was advertised, this isn't erotica, it was disgusting and a disgrace to athletes everywhere.

If I'm being honest, this story went downhill almost from the get go, with the frozen underwear prank- no athlete would ever do that to another. I'm glad I didn't actually spend money for this, but I'll never get back the hours I spent reading it looking forward to an HEA. I'm done with this author.

[Calais · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did not finish... have no idea what the author was thinking. the random tangents. the strip tease as a way of winning gold? the blow jobs? what tha????? so so so confused.

[YOE · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book has glowing reviews and I don’t understand why since this might be the worst book I’ve ever read.

Spoilers!!
The author tries to take the book in so many directions with the kidnapping and the bully/victim situation and the cheating boyfriend but doesn’t succeed in writing any of them to completion. They all just seem like half-assed attempts at bringing more drama to the story. The worst turn (by a landslide) has to be that horrendous ending.

For anyone wondering (because it doesn’t seem like anyone has really talked about the ending), during the final portion of the competition, Alina does a strip dance with some other athletes and ends up getting gang banged on stage during the competition, performs oral, and anal sex. All of these different athletes claim to be Bryce and so Alina goes along with it and fucks all of them. Also the obsession with “Python” (dark skin, big member) just makes this even more explicit, unnecessary, uncomfortable ...etc.

Even just typing this out feels entirely wrong and I can’t understand why this was necessary. It completely ruins the story and as someone else had mentioned, completely discredits any sweet moments between Bryce and Alina.

Overall, don’t waste your time with this one. I absolutely would not recommend this book.

[Andrea Freeman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, that ending. 🤤

[Emilija · Rating 1 out of 5]

2024 52 Book Challenge - Summer Olympics Mini Challenge - Opening Ceremonies - 3) Go For Gold

Okay, so this is not a book that I would ever have chosen to read except this was the last challenge I needed to complete for the backlog of the 52 Book Challenge, and this specific book was available on Kindle Unlimited and matched the description.

Do not be fooled by the cover, or the title. This book is basically porn. For the fact that the characters are on a sex ban and should be thinking about the competition, all they actually think about is sex. Constantly. The main character literally talks about how horny she is, every other sentence.

The ending of the competition with the strip dance is... I don't have words. It was bad. Like... If I could erase it from my mind, I would. The main character basically ends up getting gangbanged on stage in front of thousands and recorded with her entire family watching on TV, which she did not consent to and was pressured to do because of being on the stage. Whyyyyyy was this written? I honestly don't have the words to describe how much I wanted to DNF this book when that started.

Also, one of the characters obsessions with finding one person with a massive penis and basically trying to stalk this man in a spa, a shower and across a campus. Why was this even included in this novel? There were so many other plots that were not even really fleshed out properly, and this is the one that they choose to stick with?

Also, the obsession of all of the characters in trying to label one guy as gay even when he says that he's not gay and labeling everything he says or does as "gay". Maybe stop pushing this narrative. Did the author ever consider that maybe he is bisexual? or pansexual? or anything else? Is it really that important that so much of this novel is dedicated to trying to convince us that certain actions and statements are "gay"? This whole plot thread really frustrated me, like let the guy be who he wants to be. Why is it that hard?

[Summer Nettleman · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don’t usually rate books I don’t enjoy because I know what goes into writing one, however, you need to know what you are getting into if you decide to read this. There is incredibly insensitive comments about an athlete’s sexuality in the beginning that I thought at best needed some sensitivity training, but it culminates in what is nothing less than sexual assault. She did not agree to the acts and felt pressured on stage to perform them and only did so under increasingly false pretenses.

[KCJenny66 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I need more Tim in my life!

I somehow missed this book....but OMG in true Ivy fashion this book Is hot, sexy and sweet. Alina and Bryce are adorable

[Vivian Nnebuo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved Tim and his weirdness,, I was so sad when Alina lost the first gold but she got it and put her bully in her place.. But Tom is my favourite character,, I actually thought he was gay and I couldn't stop laughing at all his weirdness.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it

Omg so hot and steamy its fantastic I vould not put this book down I would recommend to everyone just bloody ace

[Night Runner · Rating 1 out of 5]

This story started out very strong and as a 4-5 Star read... then it got convoluted, then the 70% to 90% mark, it was a nightmare. Maybe because I am a father of an 18 year old daughter who was a gymnast most of her life or maybe because sexual exploitation is horribly wrong.

The story starts its way off the rails with the kidnapping and then completely goes horribly wrong with the Olympic erotic dance-off to settle the medal score. This would never happen, never be televised, never be allowed to continue after the first wardrobe malfunction.

The h obtained from sex in order to keep with the rules from her coach. She meets the H who is enamored with her after she finds out that her scumbag boyfriend was cheating on her with her nemesis. She still considered taking the piece of garbage back for a while.

To settle the medal tie, there is a dance off as the non-Olympic sport chosen by the host country. I guess that the author took liberties with Brasil as the host country then made it look like a pure porn society. The h is the temptress dancer who has her dress ripped off as part of the dance leaving her in a thong and bikini top. She is convinced during the dance to give the H, one of the male dancers, a blow-job on stage. The dancer then tells her that he is not the H and points to the guy next to him that he is the H (they are wearing masks). She decides to give him a blow job and then he tells her that he isn't the H. She is getting frantic and tries to run off the stage but is caught and stripped bare in front of the audience and worldwide cameras on stage. She does find out that they won as a result of her sexual exploitation so she is somewhat OK with it... What? She then escapes from Brasil and hides out as she us ashamed of her actions.

The ending is even worse. She finds out that the H's teammate choreographed the routine for another woman and found out that the h was stepping in as the temptress, then told the two dancers to pretend to be the H so she would perform the sex act on stage. That is textbook sexual exploitation and in my book, sexual assault!

Just No!

[Coco.V]

🎁 FREE on Amazon today (11/9/2019)! 🎁

[Preet · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book started out great. I was enjoying it until about 50% and then everything started going down hill from there. The story kept changing and going all over the place. I understand that there's a lot of leeway with non-fiction. It's just that this story went outside the possible and into the absurd and it lost me. I would've not finished it but I was already 60+% in.

If the story hadn't changed plot midway and gone in one crazy turn after another, this book would've been a solid 4.

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’ve read a lot of Ivy’s books. This one started out real good. Loved the story of athletes going for gold. The chemistry between the two main characters was real good for me. Then it took a nose dive about 3/4 the way in. The tie breaker dance off is where it jumped the shark . Only because I was so far into it did I finish it.

[Kate · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book started off promising but this book just got worse and worse. If I wasn't so far along, I would have DNF'd it but I was stubborn and just speed read 'til the end to see it may have redeem itself somehow. Spoiler: It didn't.

If this book was going for gold for the worst Olympic book ever written, it definitely won.

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book!!!

Omg, I loved this book!! No joke, multiple parts of the story had me cracking up out loud! By far my favorite in the series and highly underrated. It does get a little steamy towards the end, but everyone needs a little spice in their lives.

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good read, but the final performance kind of ruined the book for me. Way too much for me, some people may like it, but it really turned me off.

[Gabriela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining!

Entertaining story but not as good as all her other stories which were amazing and I loved!! Nice happy sweet ending!

[Nola · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don’t know why everybody has rated this book so highly. This is easily one of the worst books I have ever read.

[Donna Butler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love it!

I have enjoyed all of Ivy's books. I love how they all tie together some way or another. Sexy and fun!

[Trigger Warning Database]

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Rape & coerced sexual acts including public sex, on-page
Cheating*
Kidnapping

*Context: The herione's boyfriend cheated on her.

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Going for Gold: Sweet Cravings Book 3 is by Ivy Smoak. This book is really cute and deals with the Olympics where off screen, almost everything goes. Condoms are just given away to the athletes. as well as food and drinks. The athletes want to win that gold medal at any cost. They have trained for years to get to this point and won’t give up. Some resort to unethical tactics to win, while others are eager to win on their own merits.
Kristen and Alina are on the volleyball team which is doing exceptionally well. Alina’s boyfriend, Chris, is a swimmer. When Chris wins the gold medal, he is ready to celebrate. Alina is reluctant because her next game is the day after tomorrow. Their coaches have put a no sex ban on all players so Chris is ready to go for it; but Alina can still get thrown off the team if she does. She heads back to the dorm and Chris stays to party. Party he does with Gabriela Santos of the Brazilian team and a bully who had it in for Alina. The next game came around and someone put some photos in Alina’s chair. They were of Chris and Gabriela. This upset Alina so much that she played terrible and the US lost to Brazil. Gabriela rubbed the win in. His cheating caused Alina to break up with Chris. Alina still has more games to play.
During the remainder of their time in Brazil, many bizarre things happen to Alaina and Kristin as they meet up with the track boys. With them, anything can happen.
Ivy is back to explicit sex scenes and language in this book. However, if you overlook that if it bothers you, the story is really good.

[Joy Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was awesome Ivy!! The prank they pulled on the gymnast was priceless. I couldn’t stop laughing. I like the books setting in the Olympics. Keira is on the Us volleyball team and her boyfriend Chris on the Us swim team. While looking at her phone she accidentally walks into the men’s locker room right into this guy. His towel drops and she sees all of his glory. She drops her phone and runs out the locker room. She tells her friend Kristen what happened.They go watch Chris win the gold. Kristen has several games to play and her coach gave them strict rules to follow. She goes partying with Chris. She can’t party like everyone else so she leaves the club. During her volleyball game someone put and envelope with pictures of Chris with Gabriela (Kiera’s nemesis). Keira can’t believe after two years he would cheat on her. She couldn’t perform to best. She met Bryce while waiting for Kristen. He gave her her phone back. That was the start of something magical. Bryce made Keira forget about Chris. Bryce cheered her on. Keira watched Bryce run for the gold. Bryce was kidnapped and forced to rig the game he was told or they would kill his sister. He does what he has too. Bryce’s friend Tim is truly out there. If Us and Brazil ties in medals a tiebreaker is done. Brazil the home team picks the event. The event was a dance off. It’s just gets worse from there. Kristen is going to do the dance and Kiera is her understudy. Kristen got hurt during practice and Kiera had to do the dance for her. Keira did inappropriate things during the dance and was captured for the world to see. After the performance she ran and hid from everybody. She was ashamed of what she did. All I have to say is wow! Ivy where did you come up with this.

[K.J. Simmill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alina had had worked hard, she had overcome obstacles, heartbreak, and challenges to get to where she was today, and where she was, was the Summer games, desperate to win a gold medal so she could make her dreams come true. What she didn't count on though, was being pitted against her arch nemesis, a woman who had done everything she could to sabotage her. She must stay focused, keep the gold firmly in her sights, but how can she when the hottest hunk at the games keeps staring at her like that? It's bad enough the athletes are on a sex ban, but when he looks at her like that she can barely remember her name, let alone what she'd meant to be doing.

Going for Gold is the third stand alone book in the sweet Cravings series. Riddled with humour, romance, and unforgettable characters you'll be hooked from the start. If writing was an Olympic event, Ivy would take home gold every single time because she consistently delivers amazing books. Hot, hilarious, and seductive Going for Gold is another must read that will keep you on the edge of your seat. The characters are just that, fantastically developed personalities that add life and humour to a gripping and immersive tale. If you haven't picked up any of her books yet, start today, you'll be hooked.

I read this on KU last year, and purchased it this year to reread.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm in love with your books Ivy Smoak

I really hope we get more of Alina and Bryce in the future I would love to see where it goes for here and more on Kristen too with Tim why not Alex and Isadora too yes so many things can come from this book but I love love love that Alina got Bryce and it was true love oh and Chris haha I hope he gets what he deserve too. You should make book with all these people and let us find out Chris get what he deserves left for someone else like he did to Alina let him find out what it feels like to be used and hurt.

[Tara · Rating 5 out of 5]

OH DEAR LORD, this has ending that leaves you hot and bothered and something you would never expect. Alina is sweet and driven, an athlete through and through. Her ex is a POS. Bryce is a sexy, hot athlete, that wants her for all the right reasons. The chaos in this story, is what really put all things into motion. You will not want to stop reading this one. I love Alina and Bryce and when you know you know. Even if it is quick.

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awsome. Hilarious. Sexy.

This book was super funny and sexy.
Its not often that i am reading and i start laughing out loud. I did it so often my husband was wondering what was so funny.
To make the characters come to life to the point that you are laugjing with them is awsome. It makes you feel like your in the story.
Ivy Smoak is absolutley an amazong authour and anything she has written ive enjoyed.
So if its by her you reallt cant go wrong.

[debra Earnhardt · Rating 5 out of 5]

End of year review

This was my last read for 2019.what a way to end the year! I was hooked from page one. Bruce and Alina were the best couple .But Tim was a great second banana.Would love to see his story play out

[Katie Moniz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the playfulness of Alina and Bryce and the instant connection. It was great seeing a sweet side to both. Struggled waiting for the juicy parts that was the only thing missing but they were such amazing characters it made sense for their story. I definitely wouldn’t mind more though!

[Marie Ledbetter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trouble in book form lol

I literally just read all of her books in less than a week’s time. I just couldn’t put them down. Well done