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Blind Date with a #FORMERPLAYER

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Description for this Love Canyon #bookboyfriend story Coming Soon!

269 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 6, 2025

4 people are currently reading
3 people want to read

About the author

Nikki A. Lamers

18 books188 followers
I absolutely LOVE to read! One of my favorite things to do is curl up with a good book or create my own. My kids love to join me in creating their own stories too and those are always ones that make me laugh! I enjoy reading all kinds of books, but romance books that have a good story to it are my favorite to both read and write. Also, sharing the books I love with friends over coffee or a book turned movie is something I enjoy when I'm not running from my son's soccer game or to my daughter's dance class. Along with my friends and family, I have fun spending time outdoors, one of the reasons Maine is the setting in my first award-winning novel, "The Unforgettable Summer". Although I grew up in Wisconsin and currently live with my family in New York, we spend time every year in Maine.

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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
973 reviews19 followers
November 13, 2025
What starts with a blind date, a swing and a miss, soon turns to a possibility for a second chance.

Levi Brennan is injured at the beginning of baseball playoffs and according to the media, his injury resulted in his team being eliminated. After focusing on his career for so long, he's exhausted and done with everyone who uses him, the media, the rotating cleat chasers who cling to his side, and the fans who are blaming him for the loss. Needing to get away, he decides to escape and hide away at his aunt and uncle's place in Love Canyon.
Inspired by some of their spicy romance reads, Layla Romano's book club has been setting up some of the men and women they know with blind dates. She's been able to sit quietly and avoid it, until her best friend and the rest of the group insist it's her turn for a #BOOKBOYFRIEND. Knowing she doesn't want to date an athlete and a player is the exact opposite of the kind of man she wants, she gives in, agreeing to go on a date with a #FORMERPLAYER.
When Layla ends up on a date with Levi, sparks fly, but not the kind either of them are expecting. Will this #FORMERPLAYER become her perfect plot twist?

A stand alone Love Canyon: Blind Date with a #BOOKBOYFRIEND Novel.

YOU'RE MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS!!! Please read and pay close attention to the trigger warnings at the beginning of this book. There is some content and scenes in this book that are not suitable for all readers and could be triggering for others. Always remember that your mental health comes first at all times.

Tropes: Small Town, He Falls First, Former Baseball Player, Good Girl x Bad Boy, Baseball Romance, Former Player, Book Club, Blind Dates, BookBoyfriend, Injury, Cleat Chasers, Hide Away Escape, Standalone.

Blind Date with A #Formerplayer is a standalone in the Love Canyon: Blind Date with a #BOOKBOYFRIEND Series by Nikki A Lamers.

Despite his father and a horrifying childhood, Levi Brennan has managed to rise above it all and become a professional baseball player and he feels as though it is all thanks to his Aunt and Uncle who have had his back and done nothing but support him no matter what he's wanted to do or what his dream may be.

After a career ending injury to his shoulder and elbow, Levi realizes that he's done with the media, all the rotating cleat chasers who love to try and cling to his side and his fame, and all the fans who blame him and the injury for the loss that his team has suffered.

In trying to get away from all of it and to try and heal his shoulder and elbow he returns home. His Aunt has seen all his previous girlfriends come and go and she knows that there is so much more in Levi than just a player (in both its meanings). Working with her book club she chooses to set him up on a blind date with a magnificent girl from town, whom she knows from her book club.

Through the story we get to watch Levi go from this crooked and relatively arrogant personality as a famous baseball player. Leaving the spotlight, working on recovering from his injury has forced him to really focus on rediscovering who he is outside of baseball and the spotlight.

When his Aunt tells him that she has set him up on a blind date he meets Layla Romano and he learns that she has her own scars from her own difficult childhood and they were made worse by an ex-boyfriend who turned out to be a total ass-hat.

I really like the way that Nikki kept the feel of the blind date realistic. Layla and Levi's first date does not go as planned and it doesn't go as smoothly as either one of them had planned or hoped. Layla knows about Levi's reputation as a player and she's really not impressed and thereby Levi is doing everything in his power to try and make it up to her and prove her that he is more than his reputation.

I absolutely loved loved all the drama, tension, angst, and we see that they each have trust issues protecting their hearts keeping this a slow burn until the flames of love totally ignite.

We get to go with both Levi and Layla as they each struggle with their own inner struggles both on their own and eventually they learn to open up to each other to share those struggles and share the load and we see them open themselves up to love.

One of the great things that I love that Nikki A. Lamers did with the ending is that she didn't just give us that HEA that we were dying for Levi and Layla to find in the ending. But Nikki went one step further than that and she gave us this really very inclusive ending that is just amazing.
Profile Image for Dorte Lodberg Greiner.
50 reviews1 follower
October 23, 2025
Levi Brennan has, despite his father and his bad childhood. Managed to become a professional baseball player because his an uncle and aunt who have supported him. After an injury to his shoulder and elbow, he ends up at their home in an attempt to recover from his injury. His aunt who has seen his many girlfriends and knows that he is so much more than a player (in its double meaning). Chooses to set him up on a blind date with a fantastic girl from town.
We experience Levi going from his crooked and slightly arrogant personality as a famous person has made him, to rediscovering himself as.
The woman he ends up on a blind date with Layla Romano has her own scars from her childhood and who certainly has not become less of an ex-boyfriend who has been a total asshole.
Without shouting too many details, we see them with their inner struggles and how they both have to learn to open up to the past and believe in love.
And of course we don't just get a happy ending, we get a really inclusive ending to the story.
Profile Image for Brit W.
118 reviews2 followers
November 12, 2025

I love sports romances, but the baseball ones will always have a special place in my heart!

When the book club ladies set Levi and Layla for a blind date, neither of them realize what they are getting themselves into to, or how much of a disaster the date will turn into. But will their rocky start be the end, or will they overcome their own perceptions and discover something so much greater with each other?

I loved being on this journey with these two! They’re both strong characters with their wit, banter, and growth. I was laughing out loud one minute and swooning the next! This was such a fun, heartwarming read that truly reminds you not everything is as it seems. Oh, and I absolutely loved the scheming of the book club. I need one of these groups in my life!

What you can expect to love about this book:
⚾️ He falls first
⚾️Slow Burn
⚾️Cinnamon Roll
⚾️Stuck working together
⚾️He falls first

I appreciate the opportunity to have received an advance copy and my review is honest and voluntary.
Profile Image for Heather Angeli.
201 reviews7 followers
November 6, 2025
The Love Canyon book club strikes again! In Blind Date with a #FormerPlayer, Nikki Lamers serves up a perfectly balanced mix of humor, heart, and heat. When Layla’s well-meaning book club decides she needs her own “book boyfriend” come to life, they take matchmaking into their own hands—setting her up on a blind date with a charming baseball player currently on the injured list.

Layla isn’t exactly thrilled about being set up, especially with someone who screams “player” in more ways than one. But when her date turns out to be not only handsome but surprisingly genuine, after that first meeting—and dealing with the struggles of an unexpected career pause—the night takes a turn she never saw coming.

Their connection crackles with wit and warmth, while rocky at first, Levi realizes the error of his ways and is determined to win over Layla after their rocky start. Between sarcastic banter, stolen glances, and the kind of slow-burn chemistry that makes you grin like an idiot, Layla quickly realizes this so-called former player might just be the real deal.

Nikki Lamers delivers a story full of heart and laughter, blending sports charm with a deeply relatable romance about rediscovering passion—on and off the field. The meddling book club adds just the right touch of chaos and camaraderie, making this story as funny as it is tender.
Profile Image for Shellee.
102 reviews
November 5, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ // 🌶🌶🌶

Blind date with a #FormerPlayer was a good short read! This is the second book in the Love Canyon series that I have gotten the pleasure of reading and it wasn't a disappointment! Then again, I have yet to read a book by Nikki that I've been disappointed in. I do quite enjoy her books, and this one was no different.

The MCs Levi and Layla went through intense character and relationship development. They grew as people. I love how Levi was protective of Layla's feelings. He never minimized her concerns and fought like hell to show her he'd be the man she wanted him to be. I love how warm my chest feels at the end of Nikki's books. Maybe one day, I'll take the time to read the rest of the Love Canyon series, especially since I've read two books in the series and loved them so far.
Profile Image for Merrit Townsend (always1morebook) .
1,146 reviews48 followers
November 19, 2025
Blind Date with a #FORMERPLAYER by Nikki Lamers
Part of the Love Canyon Series...Can be read as a standalone
Contemporary Romance
269 Pages

Here is why you should pick up this book:
-This was a fun and fast paced romance that will leave you needing more of Levi and Layla. Both of these characters are amazing and throw in a baseball player...SOLD.
-a disastrous blind date....mercy. but their Levi and Lylas interactions don't end there. They keep running into each other because it is a small town but there banter...Priceless!
-The meddling Love Canyon Book club. Oh my gosh how I fell in love with these meddling ladies. The premise of a book club who works in secret to fix up the single people in town. I loved it. I need a bookclub like that so I can help people find their person!
-The romance was a sloooow burn but it was the way is was supposed to be. I think the the joy in this book was their journey to find out who they were separately before they got together.
-This book is the prime example of "not everything is what it seems...." and whey they realize what is standing in front of them, well let's just say that sparks fly and romance well be in the forefront.
-Nikki writes amazing characters with deep and complex issues. This book was no exception and I can say that when she writes a book, I will read it. Thank you Nikki for giving us your words.
Profile Image for Deborah.
416 reviews5 followers
October 28, 2025
Part of the Love Canyon Series, this is Layla and Levi’s story. The Love Canyon ladies book club are up to their matchmaking ways and have decided to set Layla and Levi up on a blind date. Levi and Layla’s first meeting definitely does not go as planned nor as smoothly as either of them had hoped. Levi’s reputation as a “player” precedes him and Layla is not impressed, consequently Levi finds himself desperate to make it up to her. The drama is low but the angst and trust issues have them guarding their hearts as the slow burn romance nearly flames out before it fully ignites. A satisfying read to the end as these two put it all on the line to get their HEA. Thanks to the author for the opportunity to be a part of her ARC team to read and review her work.
1,798 reviews4 followers
October 30, 2025
4.5/5⭐️
Levi was such an a$$hole at the start but thankfully he redeems himself quickly. Layla is definitely the perfect girl for him, and while it takes a while for her to be confident and comfortable in their new relationship , Levi is obsessed and totally onboard.

I loved that we get to see Layla and her brother, Gabe. Their sibling relationship was so good, and that truly helped them overcome any family troubles together. I enjoyed seeing Levi incorporating himself easily into her world, with not just Gabe, but her close friends as well.

While their journey together didn’t start off perfectly, the ending was indeed the perfect conclusion for Levi, the reformed playboy, and Layla.
731 reviews10 followers
November 5, 2025
4.5/5
Layla and Levi have a rocky start when he makes assumptions… It takes only a short conversation elsewhere for Levi to realise his mistake, and my, oh, my, does he change his tune…
This had a super sweet chase for the hero, and due to her history, the heroine was understandably holding out…
I loved the side characters - the BFF was a bulldozer, for sure (!), while the families themselves were much the same, yet it was obvious that it came from a place of caring.

Some ‘push/pull’, a few bits of drama, some big decisions to make, and an all-round sweet read with a little bit of spice.

Thanks to Nikki for giving me the chance to read this story in advance
Profile Image for Elizabeth.
39 reviews4 followers
November 13, 2025
This book was good. The characters had chemistry from the beginning. Even when he was a jerk, she forgave him. They worked out their problems and got to know each other.

Levi was trying to get back to baseball after suffering an injury. She becomes his physical therapist and helps him navigate and get better before he has to get back to his team in another state.

They start falling for each other and things happen along the way. They even have some obstacles, of course, but it all works out in the end.
2 reviews
November 14, 2025
Baseball romance with professional player, Levi, and small town physical therapist, Layla, that starts with a strike out blind date.

After getting injured during the last season, Levi goes to stay in Love Canyon with his aunt and uncle to recover. His aunt then sets him up on a blind date with high school physical therapist, Layla, who isn’t interested in dating at the moment. Their blind date was rocky, to say the least, but someone wants a second chance to see if their relationship can work.
Profile Image for Rebecca Cockrell.
65 reviews1 follower
November 14, 2025
Once again, Nikki A Lamers has done an amazing job. I love her sports romances because it dives into the sports as well as having a great equal amount of romance.

Levi is a baseball player, who is currently out for an injury. Layla is a physical therapist who knows how to help heal and prevent further injury. What starts out as a blind date gone wrong, turns into a relationship that ends just right. With the help of each other, they learn to open and trust each other and overcome their past struggles.
Profile Image for Lou Li Reads.
458 reviews11 followers
November 5, 2025
The story of Layla and Levi - the chemistry between these two was great. Levi is a player, not just on the field but off it too, so he needs to redeem himself for a chance with Layla. Set up on a blind date that doesn't quite go to plan - these two have all the banter! Slow burn with the best HEA for this steamy read.

I voluntarily reviewed a free advance copy of this book provided by the author. The opinions expressed are my own
Profile Image for Debby.
275 reviews16 followers
October 16, 2025
Swoony, Steamy, and Utterly Addictive
I’m already counting down the days for Love Canyon! Just from the teaser, I can tell this #BookBoyfriend is going to steal hearts and never give them back. Expect irresistible charm, small town heat, and all the feels. If you love romance with heart and humor, this one’s a must read. Bring on the Canyon love.
Profile Image for Dina.
Author 8 books47 followers
November 5, 2025
Blind Date with a #FormerPlayer by Nikki A. Lamers is pure perfection. Levi and Layla are absolute couple goals! What starts as a simple blind date turns into a beautiful, heartfelt love story about second chances and finding real connection beyond fame and heartbreak. It’s fun, romantic, and full of emotion.
228 reviews7 followers
November 13, 2025
Blind date with a #FormerPlayer was a good short read! This is the second book in the Love Canyon series.

Nikki Lamers delivers a story full of heart and laughter. Finding passion—on and off the field.

The meddling book club ladies add the right touch of chaos and comedic relief.

Thanks to the author for the opportunity to be a part of her ARC team to read and review her work.
Profile Image for Alyssa Skaggs.
Author 2 books13 followers
October 28, 2025
Amazing story! Loved the characters and how Levis’s playboy images changed throughout the book and the chemistry between Levi and Layla was great. The book flowed smooth and if you didn’t k is much about baseball this book had the major details so you could follow along with ease.
116 reviews2 followers
October 29, 2025
Even being semi predictable the story itself was adorable, and the writing was fantastic. I enjoyed how timid Layla was, even though she was frustrating at times. Levi just needed to find the right girl to hold jim down. Their love story was super cute and the spicy scene though rare were great!
Profile Image for CONNIEBENNETT26.
147 reviews5 followers
November 1, 2025
Levi and Layla story is short and sweet with heart warming moments that only Nikki A. Lamers can pen seemingly effortlessly.
I loved the sparks, laughter and storyline.

"I've got to get Levi to agree to the blind date first.This will be fun."
Profile Image for Josslynn Borders.
147 reviews4 followers
November 13, 2025
I loved reading Blind Date with a #formerplayer by Nikki Lamers. This is the first book I have read in this series, and I'm eager to read more. This is a series of standalones. This is book 6 in the series, I believe, and I have not read any of the others, and I do not feel like I have been missing anything. I really loved getting to see Levi and Layla's story and getting to know them. I love a nice small-town romance story. I thought the world-building and the character development were amazing. I could not put the book down!

This is more for 18+ readers, as there is some content that may not be suitable for some readers. I loved reading Blind Date with a #formerplayer, I highly recommend it!
Profile Image for The Baker and the Bookmark Nikki Montalvo .
152 reviews5 followers
November 13, 2025
I am a sucker for a good sports romance! I received this as an advanced read and am voluntarily leaving a review. Levi and Layla’s story is fun and full chaos. I love the reading club and how the ladies scheme and plot!! Great read, great characters! Loved it!
Profile Image for Anneke Boshoff.
Author 25 books65 followers
December 2, 2025
I absolutely adored this book. I've only ever read one other Baseball romance, and I have to say it might be my new favorite. Levi has been through so much and still fought to make it to where he wants to be. I loved the book and would recommend it to anyone.
2,249 reviews18 followers
November 7, 2025
A fun small town and charming read. I enjoyed the characters, the banter and the steamy slow burn chemistry. It’s an entertaining and engaging read.
12.6k reviews189 followers
November 16, 2025
A blind date, a surprise and more. Will this turn out to be something more, who can tell. This book needs to be read, absolutely fantastic.
Profile Image for Kasey.
115 reviews
November 6, 2025
A perfect example of how a bad first date can be turned around and book boyfriends are real.
Levi & Layla's chemistry is right there from the start, and have you cheering them on. I loved the personal devleopment and how the relationship bloomed.
Funny and heartfelt, this will have you laughing along the whole time.
Thankyou Nikki and Twisted Chaos PR for the arc opportunity.
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