Though shy, introverted physics professor Meghan Marshall would never have expected to catch the attention of a guy like Dean Ulrich, she is intrigued when the buff, handsome football coach offers to help her prepare for a major presentation. They hit it off right away and things heat up quickly, but Meghan soon discovers that Dean is an old-fashioned man who will not hesitate to take a misbehaving woman over his knee for a bare-bottom spanking when he feels it necessary.
Despite Meghan’s reservations about surrendering herself completely not only to Dean’s bold dominance in the bedroom but to his firm-handed discipline as well, Meghan cannot deny her body’s response to his strict correction and masterful lovemaking. But as their relationship blossoms into a passionate romance, will their bond prove strong enough to survive both idle gossip around campus and the malicious lies of a vindictive woman set on tearing them apart?
Publisher’s Note: Calling the Plays includes spankings and sexual scenes. If such material offends you, please don’t buy this book.
I really enjoyed this but it has some issues. I like Marlee Wray a lot but her contemporary books do seem to have a bit of a consent issue.
Some of the things I don't like about this book is that it is 100% about Dean - it his story, not Meghan's story. Dean has a background and a history. I know a lot about him: Dean's been domineering since HS; married to his college sweetheart; played in the NFL; a big time college coach; details on the destruction of his marriage and his current relationship with his ex-wife; interactions with his team and his assistant coach.
In comparison, Meghan is (as a character) completed by Dean only. She doesn't stand by herself. I know she had at least two long-term relationships that were mean to her – including 1 ex-fiancée who might have been the one who cheated. Her mom and prev. relationships body shamed her; and she’s an associate physics professor. That’s it – that’s all we really know about her. Everything else in her life comes from her interactions with Dean.
With the above being said, I still found this to be a rather hot book and I enjoyed it. ;)
Physics professor starts relationship with dominant sports coach. The philosophy that women are biologically designed to submit to men is RIDICULOUS AND LUDICROUS as if he knows everything. In which case he should have known that you can't have a relationship with your ex-wife and your current girlfriend. And the whole jewelry thing was just awful. What a d-bag.
Loved that the female lead in this story isn't your typical submissive. Not only is she not your stereotypical petite sub but she's a badass scientist and she owns her submission in her way.
The Physics professor and the University Football Coach hot and intense. Interesting and moves along. If you don’t like graphic sex or domestic discipline then this isn’t for you
I found this book to be on the steamy side as predicted by the blurb. I thought her reactions were believable and somewhat expected due to his intense command of her. The story was entertaining and enjoyable.
I'm not completely sure how I feel about this book. I initially thought it was a D/s spanking tale. After I read more of it, I wasn't sure if Meghan was truly submissive by nature, or she was trying to be submissive because that is what Dean wanted.
As I continued to read, the question stayed in my min. Was her fear of Dean leaving the relationship what kept Meghan accepting his dominance? She was conflicted. I have read other books where the woman was not sure if she was submissive, was conflicted about the difference between her body and her mind, or was really interested in exploring a different lifestyle. I just never got such a strong sense that someone was more worried about being left then they were about submitting.
To give Dean credit where credit is due, I guess, he very firmly out what he wanted on the table and was very honest about it being non-negotiable. It seemed a bit harsh, but, it was honest. I did feel like when she wanted to discuss something at the beginning of the relationship about his needs, Dean wasn't very open to the discussion.
Anyway, as the story moved forward, Meghan was more open and accepting, so I guess they both got what they wanted. This is one of those books you have to read and judge for yourself. It wasn't a bad book. I just had conflicting feelings about it.
I imagine that it takes a very dedicated, dominant and demanding Head Coach to lead a successful University football program. Dean Ulrich is such a coach and it doesn't hurt that he is also handsome with a well muscled body to boot. Meghan, an associates Physics professor, catches the eye of the head coach with her attractive looks and curvy body. Dean initiates a relationship with her and applies his dominate and demanding personality to their relationship. He knows what he wants and it is Meghan along with her obedience. Despite the discipline he insists on inflicting on her plump bottom, she falls for Dean and I fell for both of them. They have a rocky start, and I like that the author showed those difficulties. I also loved the way the coach was shown to also be a leader to his team, on and off the field. But the story is about Dean and Meghan and it is sensuous and romantic story, with ups and downs, feelings of betrayal, but ultimately love. It was an enjoyable read.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
If you are looking for something not too deep but a little silly, this isn't a bad choice.
Meghan is a College Professor who doesn't know very much about College Football who ends up with a College Football Coach. One of the things she didn't know about is how much he makes: her worries over the money were cute. (His team won the Sugar Bowl the season before so you can expect he was making major bank).
At one point, I thought he should probably wait until the off-season. But then I realized he probably wasn't going to be there because a coach who takes a school no one ever heard of to a BCS Bowl isn't going to be there long enough to wait.
This actually could support a sequel if his assistant coach is also a Dom. Guess we will wait and see.
This was a very sweet story. I loved the way the author captured the excitement and nervous energy that accompanies those first few weeks of a new relationship. I really liked Meghan, I think her blend of confidence and sneaky insecurities made her a character a lot of women can relate to. Dean was a nice male lead, he was a good blend of stern alpha male and caring friend. The pace of the story was perfect, enough detail to keep it interesting, but not so much to slow the story down. This is my first book by this author, and I'm definitely looking forward to reading more from her in the future.
I received an ARC of this book from Stormy Night Publications
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I started reading this book as it’s the first time reading this author. I found the plot interesting and the characters were fairly likable, and they had great chemistry between them. I found the author’s writing style to be easy to follow and I think she did a good job with this book. I found it entertaining and shall be happy to read more in the future from this author. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
An enjoyable story with a few twists. It is an interesting premise with two highly intelligent people learning to overlook stereotypes and accept each other as they are. I really liked how Meghan took the time to understand the game. In spite of not really liking it. A lovely story to keep you up late at night. I volunteered to read and review for SNP.
I enjoyed other titles from Marlee Wray and I thought based on the premise that I would like this one. Honestly wasn't into the sexy physics professor that everyone lusted over just because she put on a tight-fitting dress. As STEM girl, I was put off by the kind of wishy washy behavior the female protagonist exhibited. I wish I could say the sex was hot but it felt like formula.
I really enjoyed reading this book. The story was interesting and I found myself looking for the next chapter impatiently. Both the spanking and the erotic scenes were well integrated in the storylines. The limits were pushed but without crossing the line into abuse. Worth it.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Meghan is too introverted and self concious of her own body, but sometimes life does not allow to hide yourself... Coach Dean knows what he wants and never fails... Meghan just have to learn to accept his dominance. I totally loved it!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
As another reviewer said, it never seemed as though Meghan was submitting because she wanted to, but, rather, because she was afraid Dean would leave her. There was absolutely no discussion, negotiation, compromise, or communication between these two. Instead, Dean just kept issuing ultimatums to Meghan, saying that he would end the relationship if she didn't do what he wanted. This is emotional blackmail, manipulative, and a huge red flag for the health of any relationship, d/s or vanilla.
But the real reason I'm leaving one star is Ms. Wray's completely unacceptable depiction of the African-American characters in this book, who are nothing more than a collection of racist stereotypes. By and large, the BDSM/dd genres are white, middle-class, young, and abled. Come into the 21st century, authors; the world is a much more diverse place than you represent in your books.
This was a great read! A re-read for sure. She fought him through the end. At times when she really didn't want, what he wanted in the bedroom. He eased off. He didn't force it on her. I loved that the most! Kudos to the author.👍 I was happy, I stumbled upon this author. This is my honest opinion.
On this one, I'll stand up! Who ever sees this. Read the book for yourself. Don't let the bad comments dis-sway anyone from checking out this story. The bad comments are just their opinion. Not fact. I'm a smart, open minded reader. My comment above stands!
Meghan is a professor at the same college that Dean coaches football for and when he spots her at a college function he wants to get to know her better. She is in definite need of some discipline and structure in her life and Dean is definitely the man for the job. This is a great read and I highly recommend it!
Dean is the intense alpha who is ready to spank Meghan anytime. This is her first time bring with such a dominant man and she questions it while loving it. A good smexcy read where you love the characters.