The Player's Club

Bad Boys Club #1

by Fallon Greer, Stephen Dexter (Narrator), Andi Arndt (Narrator)

It was supposed to be a simple stake out the golden boy hockey player Cole “Mac” Mackenzie as he exited the arena after a Los Angeles Blades game.

Follow him.

Get dirt on his personal life—something salacious to please the money-hungry gossip rag I worked for.

But I missed the moment Mac left the building. Or so I thought…

Twenty minutes later, I saw actual Mac exit after the media left. Apparently, he’d used a decoy to throw off the press—waiting until everyone left to make his getaway in private.

I started following the real Mac, and got more than I bargained for.

He led me to a mystery building tucked away in the middle of the suburbs.

Turned out, he was going to… a private club.

A club that wasn’t for the faint of heart—as I’d soon find out after sneaking in.

I wasn’t expecting to connect with Mac inside. Nor did I anticipate him to invite me back as his personal guest.

What started as a simple assignment turned into something much more—my biggest fantasy I never knew I had.

This wasn’t about the tabloid story anymore. I lied to my boss, told him there was nothing to see.

Meanwhile, I kept returning to the club.

I was addicted to unraveling the mysteries of Mac’s world.

Addicted to the man who lit a fire inside me.

But—with my own secret—it was only a matter of time before I got burned.

Genres: Romance, Hockey, Sports Romance, Audiobook, Sports, BDSM, Hockey Romance

Audible Audio

First published August 4, 2024

About the author

Fallon Greer is a twentysomething lover of romance novels, coffee, and bookish t-shirts, of which she has far too many. She lives in Miami with her Persian cat, Mortimer, who loves to sit on Fallon’s laptop when she’s trying to write.

Fallon first discovered her love of reading when she’d steal her mother’s Lisa Kleypas novels. That led her to start writing the types of books she loves to read.

When she’s not daydreaming through conversations with people and pretending to listen, she’s putting those daydreams to good use, writing novels as hot as the Florida sun.

Reviews

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

WHAT a standout debut!! I absolutely devoured this dual POV, sports romance with BDSM content. It was heartfelt, SPICEY AF and VERY much my vibe. Fans of 50 shades of gray will appreciate the BDSM content, although this was much better written overall.

I truly enjoyed this soooo much, especially as an audiobook narrated by Stephen Drexter and Andi Ardnt. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy!! I can't wait to read (or listen) to what this talented indie romance author writes next!!!!

[megan ◡̈ · Rating 1 out of 5]

i— what in the want to be 50 shades is this bye 😭

[Heather Adores Books]

Don't be confused by the cutesy cover like I was, the content is a far cry from cutesy. Not exactly sure how I'm going to rate this one yet. Review up soon~ish.

Elodie & Mac
What to expect:
~ dual 1st
~ California setting
~ professional hockey player/celebrity
~ gossip reporter
~ BDSM
~ some steamage


Stephen Dexter & Andi Arndt
Narration notes:
Andi is usually pretty great, but I don't feel like she differentiated her tones for different women as well as she usually does. Stephen did fine, mostly, but his female voice wasn't great.

[Stephanie (Bookfever) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐

The Player's Club is a steamy sports romance by debut author Fallon Greer. It features star hockey Player Cole Mackenzie a.k.a. Mac and reporter Elodie Andrews. Elodie works for a tabloid magazine and her latest assignment is to find some dirt on Mac. As she tails Mac, he unexpectedly leads her to a secret club that turns out to be a sex club named The Scarlet Rope. Intrigued, she manages to enter the club and what she finds there quickly turns from intrigue to fascination, especially when she meets Mac and founds out he's a Dom. As they get to know each other sparks quickly fly and then some.

This was a good debit novel. Was it perfect? No. There were some flaws that I couldn't look over but all in all it definitely wasn't a bad story. I really liked the chemistry between Elodie and Mac. They were instantly attracted towards one another. It verged a little on insta-love, which isn't exactly my favorite to read about but I didn't mind it so much in this book. I also enjoyed the very sexy and scorching hot romance scenes, especially when Mac introduced Elodie to some BDSM kinks. They were very well-written, in my opinion. My favorite scenes were when they both took each other on little dates to show each other their favorite things. Those were so sweet and cute. Both characters also had their own deeper and sadder backstories, especially Mac. And I really appreciated how Elodie supported him but also wasn't afraid to tell him that what happened to him wasn't okay.

Now there were some things that I didn't totally love. I'll start with Fallon having a boyfriend for around 30% of the story. He wasn't a bad boyfriend by any means, but he also wasn't anything super special. She didn't cheat on him and broke up with him before anything happened between her and Mac but it still didn't sit quite right with me. She did see Mac at the sex club while still being in a relationship with her boyfriend. I just felt a little weird about this particular aspect of the story. My next issue was probably the biggest I have and that was the fact that Elodie lied to Mac about being a reporter and having been assigned to find dirt on him, which was how she ended up in The Scarlet Rope to begin with. She just tells him she's a writer and nothing more. Of course when Mac eventually finds out he's mad and feels like Elodie has broken his trust, especially when the news does leak eventually that Mac frequents a sex club. I just really didn't like that Elodie kept lying to Mac for such a long time in the book. Also, the ending of the book felt a bit rushed and abrubt

I wish a little more time was spend inside The Scarlet Rope, as I feel it was meant to be a big part of the story but then it ended up not being that big, if that makes any sense? But I've got to say that the BDSM scenes we got were really good and so very hot. And not counting the lying and everything, I did really like the relationship between Elodie and Mac. They were sexy together, yet sweet and caring. The book had its ups and downs for me but the positive outweighed the negative for me and knowing that Brady's (Mac's friend and fellow hockey player) story is coming up next... I definitely want to read that one.

[Elizabeth]

DNF. She has a boyfriend but she's drooling all over over this other dude. That was not in the summary.

[Leticia🌻 · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75/5

The Player's Club is a dual POV steamy romance with BDSM about Elodie, a tabloid reporter and Mac, a popular hockey player with a mysterious past. Elodie is given the assignment to write the next piece about Mac, she follows him to a mysterious building in LA; once she sneaks in, she realizes that she just entered a private sex club.

In my opinion, the story needs a lot of fine-tuning as there were too many things happening at once and the issues/trauma that both characters carry was too much in this type of story.

[sahar (warner's version) · Rating 3 out of 5]

click here for my rating system
2.75⭐ | 2.25🌶️ | 3.25💞 | 2.5🔥 | 3🧪 | 2💌

Thank you Grey Promo for the ARC in exchange for an honest review :)

Besides the fact that this man growled as if his life depended on it (+20 times???), it was a cute and fast-paced book.



For my taste, it was a bit insta-lovey, and the plot was very predictable.
We have an MMC who is a manwhore and has the exact same trauma as Christian Grey(WORD. FOR. WORD.) but this one girl just changes him, and he goes all, "Oh my god, this has never happened before har har har har! I am a manwhore, but this woman is all I ever wanted har har har! That is so weird har har har har har!"
They went all lovey-dovey after barely 30% of the book, in the span of 2 days. Mac also did some things I couldn't overlook that really irked me.

The characters had a lot of potential I just wish the plot was executed better.
I loved seeing their love for each other blossom into something more. Their little dates were everything and the way they talked to each other 🥹🥹🥹 The way he called her "baby" and "sweetheart"??🥹🥹
But the whole in-detail s*x club thing was absolutely not necessary for the rest of the book and the ending was a bit too convenient for the FMC & MMC, I really needed some more grovelling ❤️‍🩹

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Have you ever wondered what 50 shades of Grey would be like if Christian was a hockey player?
Me neither. But let’s compare:
Guy who was groomed as a teen by a married woman who “showed him the BDSM life” so that he now wants to dom others? Check.
Naive twenty something who needs money and a job and is curious about BDSM, signs a contract, but then the first real BDSM experience she thinks the guy is mistreating her/taking out his anger on her (and BDSM is about controlling something when you can’t control other things, soooo girlie wasn’t ready).
Add in a typical breakup over “you didn’t tell me your job was as a reporter?” And some gratuitous smut, and you’ve got this book. Would I recommend it? Unfortunately, no. Full disclosure, I did listen to this as an audiobook, and I did enjoy the narrators, but they couldn’t make the story worthwhile.

[Marina · Rating 3 out of 5]

For a debut novel, this was a very good start. It has some solid romance plot traits and it keeps you engaged.
The fast burn didn't really work for me. It felt surface-level and I couldn't really immerse myself in Elodie and Mac's chemistry.
If you're looking for a steamy romance with BDSM elements, then this is the book for you.
The narrators were very good and played their parts exactly how they should.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of the audiobook in exchange for my honest review!

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5/5 ⭐️
3/5 🌶️

Thanks to NetGalley and the author for providing me with an ALC for this novel. I love a good sports romance and add in a touch of BDSM? I was like “SIGN ME UP!” However, I was just disappointed. By 50% in, it just felt like a copy and paste of the 50 shades of grey books but condensed into one novel. I did finish, but the similarities kept stacking up, and honestly those books were not great. BUT, the spice was spicy!!

[Lauren (lololovesthings) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars (rounded up).

"The Player's Club" is a terrific debut for author Fallon Greer! I found myself comparing it to "Fifty Shades of Grey" because of the BD$M angle, which isn't a critique of its quality so much as a comment on its subject matter. It doesn't go quite as far as "Fifty" went in terms of, well, *you know,* but has all of the hallmarks of being similar enough to draw comparisons. I personally liked this book better despite it not going all that far in terms of content. It is also a hockey romance, though the book is not inundated with the sport. I was drawn to the characters, Elodie and Mac, separately and together. It's spicy in all the right places while maintaining an underlying heart throughout. Lots of secrets, dark desires, and exploration here. Real good stuff. The writing could have been a little tighter here and there, but I did enjoy this book! I can't wait to see what Fallon Greer writes next! Finally, this book's narrators, Stephen Dexter and Andi Arndt, are absolutely top-notch and were immaculate choices for this project. They give tremendous audio performances and narrate these characters perfectly. This is one of the better audiobooks I have read recently. Their performances are just stellar.

Thank you to NetGalley, Fallon Greer, and Dreamscape Select for the complimentary ALC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.

[Cassandra Mitchell]

Did not realize the premise when I requested! Unfortunately not for me but if you love bdsm and voyeurism, this is the one for you!
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Thank you to Dreamscape Select for the audio copy.

[Jordan Brittany · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape for this advanced copy of The Players Club by Fallon Greer.

I need to start out with while I think this story had a lot of potential for a debut read, I think it also needs to be pointed out there’s a subplot in here that is not given the proper depth it needs to be handled correctly. The act between Caroline and Mac was assault of a minor and only Elodie seemed to notice.

I’m also very sick of the trope that people who join BDSM have experienced childhood trauma.

The whole incident where Mac punishes Elodie for his own feelings about Caroline is also a scene that gives the impression people use BDSM as abuse.


I think the author should have done an editing process with members from the BDSM community. It comes across as fanfiction as is.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very smut forward book, but the plot that IS there was also quite enjoyable. I picked this one up on a whim and now I'll probably read book 2!

[Farah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reporter Elodie has the scoop of the year when she gets close to hockey player Mac. But when feelings get involved, Elodie knows she can't report anything she knows about him. This book was very 50 Shades of Grey-ish. It was steamier than I expected (I expected a light romcom when I saw the front cover) and was a great debut by Fallon Greer.

[LJane · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.25/5 stars, listened as an audiobook. Gah I knew off the bat this one wouldn’t go well for the characters or me. I just can’t get on board with like, plots based on the characters lying to each other. It just made me uncomfortable and you all know I hate when characters don’t communicate!!

[Elizabeth Murphy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Rip off of 50 Shades of Grey, and so cringe.

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

Not too shabby for a debut novel by Fallon Greer.

The Player's Club is a sports romance with mild BDSM elements. Do not let those BDSM elements make you shy away from this.

This story had a great strong start and Fallon easily and quickly grabs readers attention and keeps them vested for probably 85% of the story. Starting around 60ish percent, the concept of the book started to shift and while I could get glimpses of the author trying to blend it altogether, things weren't as smooth as the beginning.

While the overall story was entertaining and kept me intrigued, there were parts that definitely needed fleshed out more or didn't fit the story progression; details that were sort of forgot halfway through the book that were important in the beginning; and then that ending just didn't fit the overall flow with the rest of the book - it was too fast and wrapped up too easily.

Mac and Elodie's story is fast-paced and more on the intsa-love side of things. We do get to see them get to know one another outside of their original agreement and those dates were really cute. These scenes were a great way for readers to show their relationship growing, but it's an example of how parts weren't in the right progression of the story.

Again, I did enjoy this book overall. I gobbled the beginning of this book very quickly and needed to know where this story was going and how everything played out. And nothing in this book has deterred me from not wanting to read Brady's book when it releases.

[Jenna Inman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Please be mindful of trigger warnings!

This book had me engaged and interested in the main characters Elodie and “Mac” from the start! This steamy hockey romance was full of ups and downs while maintaining the spice. When Elodie tries to find an angle for her tabloid story and ends up following Mac into the Scarlett Rope BDSM Club I was shocked. Once exploring the club trying to find her mark Elodie starts on a path of her own sexual discovery learning more about herself and falling for the hockey star and hidden dom, Cole “Mac” Mackenzie.

Upon starting a Dom/Sub relationship with her taploid target Elodie falls for Mac and puts everything, including her job on the line for this new relationship all while hiding the fact that she is a reporter. Throughout their relationship Mac opens up about his past with a former Pastor’s wife who is a secret Domme. With the passing of his former lover and the relationship with Elodie he learns that maybe his past isn’t what he wanted to believe.

The Player’s Club is an excellent debut for Fallon Greer. The characters and the world that was created kept me engaged and intrigued throughout the story. While the topics covered can be difficult for some readers the spicy allowed for a break from the heavy topics of the story and turned it into a hot and heavy romance. Personally, I loved this book and can’t wait for the next from Fallon Greer!

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review is for the audio version which I received as an ALC from NetGalley. Thanks NetGalley!

Andi Arnt and Stephen Dexter do fabulous jobs with these characters as expected. Both are favorites of mine already for their incredible narrations.

I think overall it's a good debut book. It's got some shortfalls, but I think the writing was pretty good and the characters not insufferable.

I just have one (kind of big) issue with the BDSM aspect of this book. It feels clear that the writer either is not that familiar with sex clubs/BDSM/D/s dynamics or just didn't do their research. It felt like someone read Fifty Shades, took the grooming backstory and put it in this book, and thought the fifty shades representation of this lifestyle was good enough to expand on. Which unfortunately sometimes made the spice cringe, and sometimes it was just plain harmful.

Regardless I think some people with less education on the subject would really enjoy this book. It's spicy and fun and there is a tiny bit of hockey? Kind of?

I felt like with time things like the MMC's estranged parents will have more of an emotional impact as well. Still a good debut.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I did like: the premise of the story was interesting and the characters are loveable. I enjoyed the reporter X athlete dynamic, I haven’t read many of them. Mac has some really sweet, swoon worthy moments. I really liked Elodie’s tenacity, her life hasn’t always been easy but she’s making a life for herself.

What I didn’t like: I would have liked to see more hockey on page. We did get to see on practices and locker room conversations. I wish the FMC would have shared her secret MUCH sooner in the story. I felt myself just waiting for it to happen.

Elodie is a reporter for a gossip column,but also an aspiring author.
Mac is the hockey hotshot who seems to always be in trouble, his most recent scandal? Sleeping with a married woman.

Elodie is assigned to find the dirt on Mac, and she quickly finds that everything isn’t as it appears. The two decide to e get into a contract of their own, just fun. No falling in love. But just because you sign on the dotted line doesn’t mean your heart will follow the rules.

[Lilith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cool simple, predictable read. It's not epic so no 5 star. It would have been 3 if there was cheating involved so I'm glad that didn't happen. The BDSM aspect of this was quite tame to me. The background characters had more BDSM action than the MC's. If it's your first BDSM, or introduction to reading those types of books, yeah sure. But I wouldn't recommend this for a person experienced in 'the lifestyle' as a reader or in real life. They need a separate book about the side characters from the club, that would be a BDSM book lol.

Oh and I have to add, booo, 2 thumbs and toes down at the FMC who is hand to mouth poor but declined financial help from a millionaire. She didn't ask, he noticed and offered yet she declined. That's not relatable for most people in debt AT ALL!!! She's ok having sex with him but can't accept help with bills despite her utilities and car bill delinquency. Let's end that trope. Only 1 book I saw got rid of that and I can't wait to see another author do it.

[Claire Ingledew · Rating 4 out of 5]

First time reading Fallon books, The player’s club is a hockey romance that has a a BDSM story line too.

After reading the Blurb for this book I knew it was right up my street, I enjoy them main characters Mac and Elodie but also the friends Hannah and Brady these two has banter like there know each other for years.

The story is enjoyed but as we all know this never runs smoothly and I have to say that Fallon wrote Mac story perfectly hitting on a serious issue.

Elodie character was good but I felt it could have been a little more.

I am looking for to reading Brady story next when it release.

For me this is a 4🌟

Given this book as a ARC for my honest review

[Heidy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Almost every review I see compares this to 50 Shades of Grey—people, PEOPLE please find a different standard BDSM novel, y’all have never read Sierra Simone and it shows.

Elodie is naive reporter who stumbles upon a BDSM club to low key stalk Mac….Mac uses sex and BDSM to work through his trauma; trauma he’s in denial of having. The plot is basic, the spice is decent, and the conflicts are inevitable. Both main characters are kinda assholes, but Mac comparing Elodie to Caroline (ex who groomed him as a teen) was cruel.

Pet peeve of mine: when the cover art doesn’t match the characters…Elodie is half Filipina and has small titts, so who’s this busty ass white girl???

[Michelle Heron｡･:*˚:✧｡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to like this but I couldn't connect with the characters and the storyline lost my interest once it started talking about NDA's and contracts.

​I wish a little more time was spend inside The Scarlet Rope, as I feel it was meant to be a big part of the story but then it ended up not being.

[Dominika Ast · Rating 1 out of 5]

Už dlho som nič tak zlé nečítala. Súdiac podľa obálky ma dosť prekvapil BDSM klub, do ktorého chodili, ale to by nebolo až tak zlé. Čo bolo naozaj hrozné bol ich citovo plochý vzťah. Oni vôbec nemali chémiu, ani sa ku sebe nehodili. Ten MMC bol čistý cringe, ja som pretáčala očami hádam nad každou vetou, čo povedal.
Skončila som v časti kde si ona uvedomila, že ho “miluje.”

[Lacy]

3.5 Review in progress

[Emilia Holmqvist · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Tayla ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

Who doesn’t love a short spicy hockey romance ❤️‍🔥

[Esther Caspers]

DNF at 15%
The fmc was insufferable