“I want you to be my boyfriend. For like three weeks.”
Tennis player Isaac Husdon isn’t gay, but when a photograph of him kissing another man makes its way to social media, he doesn’t have the heart to correct the speculation and disappoint all the people it means so much to. Still recovering from a shoulder injury, he decides to play the part and enlists the help of his childhood best friend to be his temporary boyfriend.
Julian has been in love with Isaac since they were kids. Knowing his friend was off-limits helped him keep his feelings hidden, but now that he’s supposed to pretend to date him…
Well, things are getting a little tricky in the feelings department.
After a few surprisingly intimate dates, it becomes obvious that Isaac is less interested in faking it and more interested in trying it.
Throw in a few steamy moments, and soon enough, Isaac finds himself falling into bed with his best friend.
But can Isaac figure out his feelings in time to see what’s right in front of him? Or will his player past come back to haunt him and take away his best chance at happiness?
Player is a stand-alone gay romance with a HEA and no cliffhangers. It does, however, contain: boys kissing, more than one tennis-related injury, the sexy application of various ointments, a Lego car, explicit sex scenes, a heart-shaped tennis trophy, and true love conquering all.
Sean Ashcroft likes rainy days, white hot chocolates (don't knock it 'til you've tried it!) and boys kissing in books. He currently resides in Australia, all the way down at the bottom of the mainland in a sleepy little seaside town.
He writes sweet, hot books about sweet, hot boys who absolutely deserve each other.
“I’m gay,” Julian said. “Right, and I’m straight, so between us we make one bisexual.”
I’m going, to be honest here, this book wasn’t great. But it also wasn’t horrid. It was just “okay”. There was nothing too amazing about the actual story or about the characters themselves. As always, my thoughts and opinions are my own. You do not have to share my opinion, and I respect you for that. However, respect my opinion as well.
So, tennis player Isaac Hudson is adamant that he is not at all gay. But one night of too many drinks and slightly mixed signals resulted in a one-sided kiss that got photographed. The image is fast to circulate over social media and gets all sorts of negative attention. But mixed in with the negative attention, there are those few comments calling Isaac a role model. Isaac, who doesn’t have it in him to disappoint all those he is now inspiring, concocts a plan that enlists his childhood best friend to play the part of his boyfriend for two weeks. Julian, said best friend, had been in love with Isaac since they were kids. Wanting to get back into Isaac’s life, he finds himself agreeing to Isaac’s idiotic plan. But things don’t go as well as they planned, as the two friends start rediscovering the comfort of their friendship that was forgotten, and the newly discovered feelings towards each other. Will Isaac learn to embrace his feelings, and come to terms with something he was hiding throughout his childhood? And will Julian be able to walk away if Isaac decides to break things off after the two weeks?
Okay, so first things first. I need to speak about the main characters. I don’t know I it was just me, but I couldn’t connect to the main characters as much as I wanted to. This book is written in alternating POV, which means we get a decent look through the eyes of each character. But neither of the two characters really held my interest in too long. I found Isaac to be a very childish, vain and an egotistical young man who doesn’t really put himself in another person’s shoes unless he is forced to. Julian was a sweet and kind man, who was just hopelessly in love with his best friend. It would have been okay, if he wasn’t sometimes annoying in how nice he was. I hate to be that person, but no one is that much of a saint.
There was very little in terms of secondary characters, so I can’t say too much about them. Other than Isaac’s mother and his ex-girlfriend, this was just a story focused on the two main characters.
Plot wise, I usually love the old friends to lover’s trope. And this was like that. I enjoyed the plot idea and the way some of the story was written. I even liked the tennis aspect of the story. I just wish that things had been better expanded on in some parts, especially considering this whole story takes place over like two weeks? Some parts just felt like they were glanced over and hardly elaborated upon. I would have liked to see the ex-girlfriend’s reaction after Isaac and Julian reconcile. One thing I also would have wanted was to see more in terms of their everyday lives before they become friends again. It was almost as if neither of the two main characters had friends or lives outside of tennis and office work.
The writing style and flow of the story was okay. There were a few inconsistencies in terms of the character names being mixed up once or twice. It was an easy read, which I liked.
My final thoughts on this book were that it was a decent read but wasn’t especially memorable. I liked that it was short and easy but couldn’t find myself becoming invested in the characters. It didn’t help that there was very little in terms of character and relationship development. So, I guess my final thought was that this was not a horrible book, but it didn’t exactly stand out. So my rating is 2.5 stars out of 5.
A story of sexual experimentation (after a lie) and falling for your best friend, this was pleasantly low angst and instead a sweet story of love.
Julian has the curse of being stuck, having fallen in love with his best friend years ago and never quite moving on. When said best friend, Isaac, comes out as bisexual, Julian is a bit hurt he wasn't told first, but mostly just proud. It turns out Isaac doesn't actually think he's bisexual- the kiss he had was a misunderstanding- but he doesn't want to let down anyone looking up to him. Isaac reaches out to Julian to play fake boyfriends for a charity event to make it all seem real.
Julian knows his best friend very well. He is seeing that Isaac had an interest In the kiss that happened and that interest is paving the way for experimentation. Julian wants to be there as a best friend and the best support he can be and has no problem with being Isaac's experiment. The part that is hard to see is his own insecurities of look; Julian can't imagine actually being anything past an experiment as much as he loves Isaac. Still he stays for Isaac as a rock while things change and shift.
Isaac really is a good guy trying to do a nice thing, even if the way he goes about it is clumsy and questionable. When Isaac gets fan mail that is so happy to see him out as bi and still playing tennis, he doesn't want to crush those dreams. What takes him longer to acknowledge is the fact that it could be true. From the start Isaac rather liked the kiss he received from a man. When he starts fake dating Julian, Isaac remembers fantasies he had as a teenager. All of it brings up the fact that he may actually be bi. This doesn't make Isaac stress over his sexuality or future decisions, just over his friendship and the need to be a good role model. It was very sweet and quite refreshing to watch him work things out.
An easy flowing read with two easy to love characters, this was a very good book!
Love this story about two childhood best friends who wind up back in each other’s lives after Julian sees a pic all over his Twitter feed of his “straight” friend kissing a guy at a bar.
Although they were the best of friends growing up, somewhere along the way they’d lost contact with one another. Isaac has been pursuing a successful tennis career, so anyone could agree that the amount of practice, dedication, and travel would take up a considerable amount of his everyday life.
Julian is the sweetest guy who has secretly pined for Isaac most of his life. I couldn’t help but think how frustrating and kinda sad that must be knowing those feelings will never be reciprocated.
But c’mon, this is a Sean Ashcroft novel! There’s always a happily ever after!
What I do love about all of Sean’s books is that his characters jump right in—head and heart first—whether or not they think it’s the smartest thing to do. There’s plenty of inner conflict with all the feels, which make his guys somewhat vulnerable and extremely lovable.
This book had it all—sexy, sweet characters, an easy storyline, and just the right amount of angst. It was well-written and editing top notch. Easily a five star read for me!
The book wasn't terrible, but it wasn't much of anything, really. The premise was a good start, but it doesn't go anywhere. Isaac enlists his best friend to pretend to he his boyfriend to pretend to be bi so he can be a role model for kids who need it. Great. That would have been awesome. But instead of that, we get Isaac and Julian mostly just hanging around with a lot of inner dialogue and she encounters. No media blitz. No leaving their apartment really for this narrative he wanted to construct for the media. Most scenes jumped from one spot to the next, in one moment they are kissing in the living room and the next they are on the bed prepping for fun times- but no where in there do we hear the conversation of how they decided who would bottom, or those little bits of conversation that add value and chemistry to a situation. It was rather me. The main problem is them admitting it's real and a little extra girlfriend drama that was a tad contrived. The book was boring, and didn't really add to the genre. Even if both if the main characters were sweet, it was just... Meh
Isaac and Julian were great together, but it was Isaac's journey into finding out who he is, with and without Julian, that really set this story apart. When Isaac is kissed by a man and it was splashed all over the press, Isaac takes advantage of the opportunity by posing as bisexual for three weeks before a tennis tournament so he could show kids that it's okay to be who you are. In order to do this, he asks his best friend, Julian, who has been with him through thick and thin, to pose as his boyfriend.
I love how things get complicated from the beginning with these two. Isaac realizes that even when he was a kid he harbored feelings for Julian that he suppressed, and he might not have been as straight as he thought. And as his relationship with Julian develops, you see another side to Isaac and you root for the two of them.
It's a sweet and sexy read, but the relationship between the two best friends are what you read this book for. Isaac and Julian are perfect for each other.
Finally, another hit for Sean. Lately he and I were a miss. But I really liked this one. Simple, not too complicated and low on angst. I did feel like Julian was a bit of a doormat. He's been in love with Isaac forever, accepts every crumb he can get and is insecure as hell (Julian could have been a Julia). Still...the MC's were lovable and it was sweet and charming.
By the way: I don't think any professional tennis player eats as much crap as Isaac did in this book. Also...where is his trainer and food consultant? Most professional tennis players are on a strikt diet and look anorexic. This was the most unbelievable part of the book. But since I don't read MM for realism, I didn't care.
Isaac and Julian are best friends from childhood. Now Isaac wants to support the LGBTQ community by pretending to be bi after he’s caught in a photo with a guy kissing him. But, he’s straight. So, he gets Julian to help him by being his fake boyfriend.
As they rekindle their friendship, Isaac remembers more about his past attraction and feelings for Julian, which he was afraid of when they were teens. Now, he wants Julian, and once they start, there’s no going back.
Good story about friends to lovers, with some confusion, but lots of trust. I love that Isaac calls Julian “Jules” during a tender moment.
Love this beautiful friends to lovers story. Extremely well written and developed storyline that captivated me from the start and low angst but enough to keep you going. Julian and Isaac are wonderfully sweet and loving characters who are totally perfect together. I really love that above everything else they are the best of friends and always have been and are always there for each other. I really like this author's style of writing and I can't wait for more! I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book.
Sports friends to lovers dual point of view Standalone
Julian has always been in love with his best friend Issac even though Issac has grown distant as his tennis fame has increased. When Issac receives a ton of attention for being perceived as bi, he reaches back out to Julian to ask him to be his public boyfriend. This attention seems to have unlocked something in Issac and Julian has hopes that the two may be able to be together as he dreamed.
I felt there was a lot that happened off the page that needed to be on the page.
I'm never disappointed with the characters Ashcroft crafts and this was as expected: full of really likable characters. I was rooting for both Julian and Isaac to get their happy endings, that's how much I loved them both. I liked the genuine growth we see in Isaac, and that Julian grew to be able to be honest about his fears and concerns. Super enjoyable read!
This was a very sweet love story, almost a second chance, between two old friends with little angst and quite a few hot scenes, but I would have loved to get more description of their life outside of their home and their bed. Isaac is a tennis player but the author does not dedicate one scene to the game, except when the two MC’s practice together. So my rating is not a full 4*
Finding a true and lasting love is worth the wait. Loving your best friend and having that love returned is life affirming. Sometimes you have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find your Prince. Waiting can be hard but, the prize at the end (beginning?!) is more than worth the wait.
I liked this story fine and the proper rating it's a 3.5 Stars as it's a sweet and charming contemporary story . My rating it's based on a plotline that's a bit predictable and the behavior /actions/ reactions of the characters are those more of young/new adults 19 and 20 years old than those of 25 and 27 years old .
I thought Player was a sweet romance with friends to lovers and please be my fake ‘boyfriend’. I liked that the story really focused on their relationship and the whys and wherefores were just an impetus. It was fast paced, sexy and cute read. I totally enjoyed this story and would recommend it.
This is a sweet friends to lovers book. I loved Isaac and Julian together and the way Isaac discovers the way he really feels about Julian. What I didn't like was Isaacs ex and her hate.
I love happy endings with friends to lovers. From childhood to adults with a few years in between they meet again and after pretending to be boyfriends it became real. Another wonderful book by a great author
I usually pass on sports books, but I'm glad I didn't on this one. From friends to lover's, Isaac and Julian make the cutest couple. But with Isaac actually being straight and an ex-girlfriend who keeps showing up can their relationship survive.
I really enjoyed reading about Julian and Isaac. It was really sweet how devoted Julian was to his best friend and amazing that he was able to have all his wishes come true.
I like reading cute and romantic stories. This one was so sweet with just the right amount of angst. To realize you've known your soulmate most of your life but not until later on in life!
never got past the problematic premise - a political and moral bad judgment call. felt like it need more angsty friction to offset the sachharine moments along a predictable, but watery will-they-won't-they plotline. eh.
Quite an interesting read. Characters were beautiful, sensitive and hot. For each other that is. Lots of emotion as well there were lots of ups and downs. I enjoyed it right to the end.😅😅
Yay for the bi representation and not all GFY, but this is like the 3rd or 4th book in a row from the same author that is the same basic skeleton, gay friend in love with straight friend and pretend to go out for #reason, and they are all starting to blur into one.