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The Game Plan
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About the author
Kristen Callihan
29 books14k followersKristen Callihan is an author because there is nothing else she'd rather be. She is a RITA winner and three-time nominee and winner of two RT Reviewer's Choice awards. Her novels have garnered starred reviews from Publisher's Weekly and the Library Journal, as well as being awarded top picks by many reviewers. Her debut book FIRELIGHT received RT Magazine's Seal of Excellence, was named a best book of the year by Library Journal, best book of Spring 2012 by Publisher's Weekly, and was named the best romance book of 2012 by ALA RUSA. When she is not writing, she is reading.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 13, 2025
ARC Book Review: The Game Plan
Title: The Game Plan (Game On Book 3)
Author: Kristen Callihan
Genre: Sports Romance, New Adult, Forbidden Romance, Virgin Hero, Best Friend's Sister/Sister-in-Law
Rating: ★★½ (2.5/5) | Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️ (Hot 🔥)
The Pour: A Glass of Initial Lust, Lacking Longevity
This book starts with an incredibly promising premise: Ethan "Dex" Dexter, the controlled, tattooed NFL center, is finally acting on his quiet yearning for Fiona "Fi" Mackenzie, his brother-in-law's sister. It quickly delivers on the hype of the virgin hero and the immediate, scorching chemistry.
However, despite the high proof in the early chapters, the overall pour doesn't sustain its strength. The intensity of the initial lust overshadows the genuine development of the relationship, leading to a narrative that, while hot and sweet at moments, felt thin in the middle and struggled to make the high-stakes commitment feel truly earned given their differing lives.
What I Sip and Savored 🥃 (The Smooth, Brief Start)
The parts of this pour that went down well:
🥃 The Dex Factor: Ethan "Dex" Dexter is undeniably a magnetic hero. His gentle giant, virgin hero status is a massive hook, and his focused, attentive personality makes him incredibly appealing. He is certainly the best part of the story.
🥃 Immediate, High-Proof Spice: The book delivers fast and furiously on the heat. The sexual tension and subsequent scenes are explicit and passionate, successfully conveying the immediate, intense physical attraction between the leads.
🥃 Good Conflict Resolution: The couple manages to approach their long-distance challenges and career issues with a decent level of maturity, avoiding unnecessary drama and manufactured angst, which is a positive element.
What I Side-Eyed 🥃 (The Watering Down)
The areas where the pour felt watered down:
🥃 Lack of Relationship Depth: The immediate and intense lust felt disproportionate to the emotional foundation. The author tells us Dex has been pining for two years, but when they finally connect, the relationship sprints to commitment without the necessary deeper conversations or experiences to bridge the gap between their different cities and lives.
🥃 Low-Stakes Conflict: The central conflict—making their long-distance relationship work amidst career and location differences—felt repetitive and low-stakes. Fi's internal struggle over quitting her job, while understandable, wasn't compelling enough to carry the majority of the narrative's tension. 🥃 Fi's Character Arc: While Fi is a pleasant heroine, she often felt overshadowed by Dex's commanding presence and internal intensity. I struggled to connect with her motivations beyond the initial physical attraction to her "forever man."
The Finish
The Game Plan is a sports romance with an incredible hero and high-level heat, but it falters in building a compelling, fully realized relationship between its leads. The rush toward the HEA, fueled primarily by immediate lust, left the story feeling underdeveloped. It's a quick, hot read for fans of the trope and the series' returning characters, but it's not the standout pour I hoped for.
The Perfect Pairing
Pairing: A Shot of Kentucky Tavern® Special Reserve Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey. Why? It's strong and gets right to the point, delivering a quick hit of heat and immediate excitement, but it lacks the smooth complexity and prolonged finish of a true top-shelf experience.
Tropes: Sports Romance (NFL), Virgin Hero, Gentle Giant, Forbidden Love (Best Friend's Sister-in-Law), HEA.
(I received an advance reader copy of this book from Netglley. All opinions are my own.)
Title: The Game Plan (Game On Book 3)
Author: Kristen Callihan
Genre: Sports Romance, New Adult, Forbidden Romance, Virgin Hero, Best Friend's Sister/Sister-in-Law
Rating: ★★½ (2.5/5) | Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️ (Hot 🔥)
The Pour: A Glass of Initial Lust, Lacking Longevity
This book starts with an incredibly promising premise: Ethan "Dex" Dexter, the controlled, tattooed NFL center, is finally acting on his quiet yearning for Fiona "Fi" Mackenzie, his brother-in-law's sister. It quickly delivers on the hype of the virgin hero and the immediate, scorching chemistry.
However, despite the high proof in the early chapters, the overall pour doesn't sustain its strength. The intensity of the initial lust overshadows the genuine development of the relationship, leading to a narrative that, while hot and sweet at moments, felt thin in the middle and struggled to make the high-stakes commitment feel truly earned given their differing lives.
What I Sip and Savored 🥃 (The Smooth, Brief Start)
The parts of this pour that went down well:
🥃 The Dex Factor: Ethan "Dex" Dexter is undeniably a magnetic hero. His gentle giant, virgin hero status is a massive hook, and his focused, attentive personality makes him incredibly appealing. He is certainly the best part of the story.
🥃 Immediate, High-Proof Spice: The book delivers fast and furiously on the heat. The sexual tension and subsequent scenes are explicit and passionate, successfully conveying the immediate, intense physical attraction between the leads.
🥃 Good Conflict Resolution: The couple manages to approach their long-distance challenges and career issues with a decent level of maturity, avoiding unnecessary drama and manufactured angst, which is a positive element.
What I Side-Eyed 🥃 (The Watering Down)
The areas where the pour felt watered down:
🥃 Lack of Relationship Depth: The immediate and intense lust felt disproportionate to the emotional foundation. The author tells us Dex has been pining for two years, but when they finally connect, the relationship sprints to commitment without the necessary deeper conversations or experiences to bridge the gap between their different cities and lives.
🥃 Low-Stakes Conflict: The central conflict—making their long-distance relationship work amidst career and location differences—felt repetitive and low-stakes. Fi's internal struggle over quitting her job, while understandable, wasn't compelling enough to carry the majority of the narrative's tension. 🥃 Fi's Character Arc: While Fi is a pleasant heroine, she often felt overshadowed by Dex's commanding presence and internal intensity. I struggled to connect with her motivations beyond the initial physical attraction to her "forever man."
The Finish
The Game Plan is a sports romance with an incredible hero and high-level heat, but it falters in building a compelling, fully realized relationship between its leads. The rush toward the HEA, fueled primarily by immediate lust, left the story feeling underdeveloped. It's a quick, hot read for fans of the trope and the series' returning characters, but it's not the standout pour I hoped for.
The Perfect Pairing
Pairing: A Shot of Kentucky Tavern® Special Reserve Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey. Why? It's strong and gets right to the point, delivering a quick hit of heat and immediate excitement, but it lacks the smooth complexity and prolonged finish of a true top-shelf experience.
Tropes: Sports Romance (NFL), Virgin Hero, Gentle Giant, Forbidden Love (Best Friend's Sister-in-Law), HEA.
(I received an advance reader copy of this book from Netglley. All opinions are my own.)
November 15, 2025
Hey guys...did you hear? IT IS FOOTBALL SEASON! Okay, it is always football season when it comes to my guilty pleasure reading, which is why I love this Game On series more than I'd like to admit.
While the first two books focused on a team of players at a vague southern College, this one is the first where the players are in the NFL. The team from the previous books is obviously scattered, but Drew, Anna, Gray, and Ivy--the subjects of those books--play roles in this one as well. I appreciated that Callihan was able to write these characters into the story in a way that they aren't just "there" but they also don't overshadow Dex and Fi's story.
I love everything about football...sexy book boyfriends...and romance. A book that combines all of the above, by a great author? Pure, unadulterated reading bliss. As she did in The Hook Up and The Friend Zone, Kristen Callihan works sports-romance magic again with The Game Plan. Game on.
While the first two books focused on a team of players at a vague southern College, this one is the first where the players are in the NFL. The team from the previous books is obviously scattered, but Drew, Anna, Gray, and Ivy--the subjects of those books--play roles in this one as well. I appreciated that Callihan was able to write these characters into the story in a way that they aren't just "there" but they also don't overshadow Dex and Fi's story.
I love everything about football...sexy book boyfriends...and romance. A book that combines all of the above, by a great author? Pure, unadulterated reading bliss. As she did in The Hook Up and The Friend Zone, Kristen Callihan works sports-romance magic again with The Game Plan. Game on.
January 18, 2026
3 stars
A virgin hero football player who suddenly finds himself unable to resist his friends sister...who doesn't date athletes.
This opposites attract story tackles work issues, the fear of being left behind, and finding a way to trust.
If you are looking for a sports romance that tackles the nuances of dating an athlete while navigating your work-life balance this book is for you.
Always honest, always my own, and thankful to Harlequin Trade Publishing for the advance reader copy.
A virgin hero football player who suddenly finds himself unable to resist his friends sister...who doesn't date athletes.
This opposites attract story tackles work issues, the fear of being left behind, and finding a way to trust.
If you are looking for a sports romance that tackles the nuances of dating an athlete while navigating your work-life balance this book is for you.
Always honest, always my own, and thankful to Harlequin Trade Publishing for the advance reader copy.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews