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Brit Boys Sports #1
The Play
Playing ball is easy. Falling in love is complicated.
I want her. There’s just one problem. She’s my doctor, and she says it’s a no-no. I’ve never been one to play by the rules.
But she’s not falling for me. Olivia is the challenge I have to beat.
With her lush curves and her by-the-book attitude, all I want to do is show her exactly what she’s missing. Again and again and again.
I’ll bring her to her knees…in more ways than one. I didn’t count on her bringing me to my knees.
*A full-length standalone sports romance.
I want her. There’s just one problem. She’s my doctor, and she says it’s a no-no. I’ve never been one to play by the rules.
But she’s not falling for me. Olivia is the challenge I have to beat.
With her lush curves and her by-the-book attitude, all I want to do is show her exactly what she’s missing. Again and again and again.
I’ll bring her to her knees…in more ways than one. I didn’t count on her bringing me to my knees.
*A full-length standalone sports romance.
250 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 14, 2017
1577 people are currently reading
1931 people want to read
About the author
J.H. Croix
203 books1,492 followersUSA Today Bestselling Author J. H. Croix lives in a small town in the historical farmlands of Maine with her husband and two spoiled dogs. Croix writes steamy contemporary romance with strong independent women and rugged alpha men who aren't afraid to show some emotion. Her love for quirky small-towns and the characters that inhabit them shines through in her writing. Take a walk on the wild side of romance with her bestselling novels!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 277 reviews
November 1, 2020
2,5/3 il nulla regna sovrano.
January 8, 2021
After Liam had some “issues” in England, the star soccer player is sent across the pond to play for an American team. Shortly after he arrives he is injured and needs the help of a top surgeon.......enter Olivia.
Olivia is one of the best surgeons and the only one Liam wants to treat him.
There are definitely sparks between these two from the very beginning. But clearly there’s a line they shouldn’t cross due to their professional relationship.
I thought Liam was a good guy, but honestly the “British lingo” seemed like the author was trying just a little too hard to bring out that side of him. Something about it didn’t always feel authentic.
I felt things between these two moved too fast and it was hard to buy into a solid connection when they weren’t even forthcoming about their pasts. There were important background issues that they glossed over. These two had both suffered some losses in their past but they didn’t talk about. Other people did, which is how I gleaned most of the background. But it was disappointing that they didn’t discuss what happened and get everything out in the open. The background was important to understand them as individuals and it was treated as an afterthought.
Then there’s the drama......which also didn’t feel like it was organic to the story but just rather thrown in because drama was “needed”. I think if their past losses were used as the “drama” element it would have worked better. An author can really milk some reader emotions when a character suffers loss. Anyway, I felt the the drama element wasn’t really developed, fully resolved nor did it seem like it really fit.
Because their relationship moved so quickly and there wasnt a great deal of heart to heart conversations, i missed their connection and I really wasn't invested in these two.
Olivia is one of the best surgeons and the only one Liam wants to treat him.
There are definitely sparks between these two from the very beginning. But clearly there’s a line they shouldn’t cross due to their professional relationship.
I thought Liam was a good guy, but honestly the “British lingo” seemed like the author was trying just a little too hard to bring out that side of him. Something about it didn’t always feel authentic.
I felt things between these two moved too fast and it was hard to buy into a solid connection when they weren’t even forthcoming about their pasts. There were important background issues that they glossed over. These two had both suffered some losses in their past but they didn’t talk about. Other people did, which is how I gleaned most of the background. But it was disappointing that they didn’t discuss what happened and get everything out in the open. The background was important to understand them as individuals and it was treated as an afterthought.
Then there’s the drama......which also didn’t feel like it was organic to the story but just rather thrown in because drama was “needed”. I think if their past losses were used as the “drama” element it would have worked better. An author can really milk some reader emotions when a character suffers loss. Anyway, I felt the the drama element wasn’t really developed, fully resolved nor did it seem like it really fit.
Because their relationship moved so quickly and there wasnt a great deal of heart to heart conversations, i missed their connection and I really wasn't invested in these two.
June 19, 2017
This book was part of the book " Dark Desires: A Contemporary Romance Collection Full of Bad Boys, Bikers, Billionaires…"
The anthology is quite a bargain with 22 novels for just 0,73 Euro/0,82 Dollar - at first glance. Once you start reading you’ll notice that the authors did without anybody proof reading, editor or somebody with a knowledge of grammar. There are so many mistakes in regard to sequence of tenses, difference of your and you’re, spelling errors (he went passed (meaning:past) his car), not to mention comma placement even evident for a German reader that I had to reread some passages to get the meaning. I suppose authors participate in anthologies to pull in new readers, but they should do so with a good"product" not a sloppy "here you go, that's good enough for the bargain".
Nice sport romance about a British football player and his orthopedic surgeon Olivia. Well known story line with no surprises.
Why did the author pick soccer/football as sports? For a German reader it is quite obvious that she knows nothing whatsoever about European football/soccer. European players cannot be traded at the whim of the clubowner but decide by themselves with which club to sign the next contract. Successful players have long lasting contracts the clubs cannot terminate and Liam as “one of the world’s best forwards” or his best friend Alexander “one of the worlds best goalkeepers” would never play in the US when still in their twenties. Besides they would make a lot more money in the Spanish or Italian league.
The anthology is quite a bargain with 22 novels for just 0,73 Euro/0,82 Dollar - at first glance. Once you start reading you’ll notice that the authors did without anybody proof reading, editor or somebody with a knowledge of grammar. There are so many mistakes in regard to sequence of tenses, difference of your and you’re, spelling errors (he went passed (meaning:past) his car), not to mention comma placement even evident for a German reader that I had to reread some passages to get the meaning. I suppose authors participate in anthologies to pull in new readers, but they should do so with a good"product" not a sloppy "here you go, that's good enough for the bargain".
Nice sport romance about a British football player and his orthopedic surgeon Olivia. Well known story line with no surprises.
Why did the author pick soccer/football as sports? For a German reader it is quite obvious that she knows nothing whatsoever about European football/soccer. European players cannot be traded at the whim of the clubowner but decide by themselves with which club to sign the next contract. Successful players have long lasting contracts the clubs cannot terminate and Liam as “one of the world’s best forwards” or his best friend Alexander “one of the worlds best goalkeepers” would never play in the US when still in their twenties. Besides they would make a lot more money in the Spanish or Italian league.
August 4, 2019
I received this book from the New Adult Book Club in exchange for an honest review. I was looking forward to reading and reviewing this book, because I love books that combine medicine and sports...and when there's a bit of steam, even better. However, this book fell short of the mark for me. I had difficulty connecting due to the huge red flags thrown everywhere after their very. first. meeting. I mean...whoa. Conflict of interest?!? She's a professional. I mean, don't get me wrong, there was definite steam, and it was hot, hot, hot! But I think due to the huge risk professionally Olivia was taking, it struck such an unbelievability chord for me, and then everything else just unraveled from there. The pacing was unbalanced, the British terminology got repetitive real quick and it honestly just needs a thorough edit and proofreading. I did finish because I was interested enough to continue and see the story through until the end. 2 stars.
May 14, 2018
The Play by Author J.H. Croix
I really enjoyed this book, it was very HOT to get to know each and every move that the two characters Liam & Olivia made :) Can't wait to read more by Author J.H. Croix :) *****5 STARS*****
I really enjoyed this book, it was very HOT to get to know each and every move that the two characters Liam & Olivia made :) Can't wait to read more by Author J.H. Croix :) *****5 STARS*****
July 29, 2019
This was an okay read. I like sports romances a lot, especially when the athlete is a hot British footballer. I liked the way Liam pursued Olivia and pushed her to give him a chance. I did feel like the plot was pretty simple, it needed more drama or something to set it apart from other sports romances. The sexy scenes were good and there were several which I liked. It just wasn't that memorable of a story.
October 14, 2020
3.5
Si tratta di un passionale Contemporary Sport Romance, che rientra un po’ nel filone fiabe moderne con un amore contrastato dall’appartenere a mondi differenti e in questo caso con l’aggiunta della questione del rapporto medico/paziente. Infatti, seguiamo la nascita della storia d’amore tra Liam Reed, famoso calciatore di origine inglese, che dopo un evento che lo ha duramente segnato, si è trasferito insieme al migliore amico, anche lui sportivo, nella squadra di New York e Olivia Bowen, chirurga ortopedica famosa per la sua bravura e per la professionalità nel settore. Liam, che è un po’ il classifico sportivo donnaiolo che cerca di nascondere i propri sentimenti, durante una partita subisce un infortunio al ginocchio, che lo costringerà proprio a un intervento e alla successiva riabilitazione. Questo triste evento nella sua carriera gli farà però incontrare il primo grande amore. Instantanea è l’attrazione che nasce tra lui e Olivia, che è quel tipo di giovane donna che è sempre stata totalmente concentrata sulla sua carriera e non vuole avere nulla a che fare con uomini come Liam. Peccato che entrambi dovranno rimettere in gioco tutte le loro scelte.
Il testo è piuttosto breve, è una lettura piacevole e sono super curiosa di leggere i companion collegati a questo primo romanzo, ma secondo me aveva del potenziale che poteva essere sfruttato un po’ di più: ho trovato l’evolversi della relazione un po’ frettolosa per i miei gusti, avrei voluto quella maggiore analisi dei sentimenti dei personaggi, sopratutto in riferimento al background e mi aspettavo un po’ di slow burn con una trama che approfondisse la relazione nel contesto medico. Detto questo, nel complesso, è assolutamente una lettura piacevole, ma è mi mancato qualcosa.
Si tratta di un passionale Contemporary Sport Romance, che rientra un po’ nel filone fiabe moderne con un amore contrastato dall’appartenere a mondi differenti e in questo caso con l’aggiunta della questione del rapporto medico/paziente. Infatti, seguiamo la nascita della storia d’amore tra Liam Reed, famoso calciatore di origine inglese, che dopo un evento che lo ha duramente segnato, si è trasferito insieme al migliore amico, anche lui sportivo, nella squadra di New York e Olivia Bowen, chirurga ortopedica famosa per la sua bravura e per la professionalità nel settore. Liam, che è un po’ il classifico sportivo donnaiolo che cerca di nascondere i propri sentimenti, durante una partita subisce un infortunio al ginocchio, che lo costringerà proprio a un intervento e alla successiva riabilitazione. Questo triste evento nella sua carriera gli farà però incontrare il primo grande amore. Instantanea è l’attrazione che nasce tra lui e Olivia, che è quel tipo di giovane donna che è sempre stata totalmente concentrata sulla sua carriera e non vuole avere nulla a che fare con uomini come Liam. Peccato che entrambi dovranno rimettere in gioco tutte le loro scelte.
Il testo è piuttosto breve, è una lettura piacevole e sono super curiosa di leggere i companion collegati a questo primo romanzo, ma secondo me aveva del potenziale che poteva essere sfruttato un po’ di più: ho trovato l’evolversi della relazione un po’ frettolosa per i miei gusti, avrei voluto quella maggiore analisi dei sentimenti dei personaggi, sopratutto in riferimento al background e mi aspettavo un po’ di slow burn con una trama che approfondisse la relazione nel contesto medico. Detto questo, nel complesso, è assolutamente una lettura piacevole, ma è mi mancato qualcosa.
March 10, 2018
Nice enough sports romance with well developed characters. Still there was a little depth in the story missing for me but I assume that is just me and many others will enjoy it just as it is
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dnf
April 4, 2021DNF @24%
The hero’s insistence and persistence in trying to fuck the heroine — who, by the way, is his surgeon — crosses the line into skeevy for me
The hero’s insistence and persistence in trying to fuck the heroine — who, by the way, is his surgeon — crosses the line into skeevy for me
February 25, 2023
The Play is book one of the Brit Boys series of football (Soccer) romances.
I was interested to see how this mix would work; a British football player in America. It constantly made me think that this had been vaguely based on David Beckham. However, he only went to America at the end of his English career, not during his younger days when he was top of his game.
The romance began very quickly and was a little hard to accept considering Liam's supposed 'star' status and Olivia's professional relationship with him. Lines were crossed which were a little hard to believe.
The chapters alternated between Liam and Olivia, but I thought a big opportunity was missed in portraying Liam as British. Chapters from his point of view could have had subtle English wordings and mannerisms. The only words used to 'show' Liam was British were calling Olivia 'Luv' and inserting the word 'Bloody' as often as possible into dialogue. It made for cringe-worthy reading.
I wanted to like this story, but for me Liam just bull-dosed his way into Olivia's life and more or less ordered her to love him. I wanted more depth to the romance and a believable build up. Perhaps the characters in the next books in this series will improve.
I was interested to see how this mix would work; a British football player in America. It constantly made me think that this had been vaguely based on David Beckham. However, he only went to America at the end of his English career, not during his younger days when he was top of his game.
The romance began very quickly and was a little hard to accept considering Liam's supposed 'star' status and Olivia's professional relationship with him. Lines were crossed which were a little hard to believe.
The chapters alternated between Liam and Olivia, but I thought a big opportunity was missed in portraying Liam as British. Chapters from his point of view could have had subtle English wordings and mannerisms. The only words used to 'show' Liam was British were calling Olivia 'Luv' and inserting the word 'Bloody' as often as possible into dialogue. It made for cringe-worthy reading.
I wanted to like this story, but for me Liam just bull-dosed his way into Olivia's life and more or less ordered her to love him. I wanted more depth to the romance and a believable build up. Perhaps the characters in the next books in this series will improve.
September 18, 2020
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Recensione a cura di Luceliu
Oggi vi parlo del romanzo di J.H. Croix “ Il gioco” edito Queen Edizioni, è la storia di Liam famoso calciatore inglese, presuntuoso, irascibile e chi più ne ha più ne metta e di Olivia, dottoressa concentratissima sul suo lavoro, incontra Liam quando deve rimetterlo in sesto a seguito di un infortunio.
La loro storia no sarà facile, Olivia non ne vuole sapere di un calciatore arrogante e cerca in tutti i modi di non lasciarsi trascinare dall’attrazione che prova per Liam.
Non voglio raccontarvi di più, voglio che conosciate i protagonisti di questo bel romanzo leggendo tutto d’un fiato questo bellissimo libro, che vi coinvolgerà dall’inizio alla fine è non riuscirete a smettere se non alla parola fine.
Uno stile accattivante, divertente l, ironico ma anche scorrevole hanno reso la lettura piacevolissima, i personaggi descritti e costruiti perfettamente, insomma dovete ASSOLUTAMENTE LEGGERLO.
Recensione a cura di Luceliu
Oggi vi parlo del romanzo di J.H. Croix “ Il gioco” edito Queen Edizioni, è la storia di Liam famoso calciatore inglese, presuntuoso, irascibile e chi più ne ha più ne metta e di Olivia, dottoressa concentratissima sul suo lavoro, incontra Liam quando deve rimetterlo in sesto a seguito di un infortunio.
La loro storia no sarà facile, Olivia non ne vuole sapere di un calciatore arrogante e cerca in tutti i modi di non lasciarsi trascinare dall’attrazione che prova per Liam.
Non voglio raccontarvi di più, voglio che conosciate i protagonisti di questo bel romanzo leggendo tutto d’un fiato questo bellissimo libro, che vi coinvolgerà dall’inizio alla fine è non riuscirete a smettere se non alla parola fine.
Uno stile accattivante, divertente l, ironico ma anche scorrevole hanno reso la lettura piacevolissima, i personaggi descritti e costruiti perfettamente, insomma dovete ASSOLUTAMENTE LEGGERLO.
April 24, 2017
COPY RECEIVED FOR HONEST REVIEW
I really liked the story of Liam and Olivia.Nice story with characters with depth. Liam is a star soccer/football player He is from London but was traded to Seattle after a rough year. He is a superstar and everything is starting to fall into place until he injures his knee. When he meet Dr Olivia, there is instant attraction.Olivia who always follows the rules is concerned about the doctor/patient issue. However, after the surgery, Liam is no longer her patient. Olivia's back and forth was a little annoying. She kept trying to find reasons why they should not be together. I really liked Liam. He was sweet yet demanding. He gave Olivia her space but he also stayed true to wanting a relationship. I love sports romances and this did not disappoint.
I really liked the story of Liam and Olivia.Nice story with characters with depth. Liam is a star soccer/football player He is from London but was traded to Seattle after a rough year. He is a superstar and everything is starting to fall into place until he injures his knee. When he meet Dr Olivia, there is instant attraction.Olivia who always follows the rules is concerned about the doctor/patient issue. However, after the surgery, Liam is no longer her patient. Olivia's back and forth was a little annoying. She kept trying to find reasons why they should not be together. I really liked Liam. He was sweet yet demanding. He gave Olivia her space but he also stayed true to wanting a relationship. I love sports romances and this did not disappoint.
dnf
January 22, 2020Surgeon (female, way too young to be a specialist and didn't convince me that she was intelligent at all) and her soccer-playing patient (foul-mouthed, over-sexed douche): conflict of interest anyone?
I. Just.Couldn't.
I. Just.Couldn't.
November 18, 2020
Il gioco è uno Sport Romance di quelli che piacciono a me, con una bella storia, due personaggi coinvolgenti e lo sport a fare da contorno. I protagonisti del romanzo sono entrambi molto belli e interessanti. Liam e Olivia conquistano il cuore del lettore immediatamente.
Liam è un giocatore di talento che sorprende per il suo modo di fare sfacciato ma con stile. Ha intenzione di conquistare la bella dottoressa e, a lui, le sfide sono sempre piaciute. È inoltre una persona divertente, affascinante, tenero e molto legato alla sua famiglia. Il calcio rappresenta tutto il suo mondo e in questo è un vero professionista.
Olivia è un medico di alto livello, cura da sempre gli infortuni degli atleti, il lavoro è la sua vita e la professionalità è garantita. Cerca di resistere all’attrazione che prova per il bel centrocampista, anche se non sarà semplice. La sua vita, prima di conoscere Liam, navigava in acque tranquille e rassicuranti.
Anche i personaggi secondari mi sono piaciuti molto, specialmente Alex, miglior amico di Liam e giocatore come lui, e Daisy miglior amica di Olivia. Speciale menzione va al coach di Liam, una persona straordinaria oltre che un grandissimo allenatore.
L’amicizia ha un ruolo importante in questo romanzo, così come la famiglia e sono due qualità che, quando incontro nei romanzi, me li fanno apprezzare maggiormente.
La storia tra Liam e Olivia inizia in modo scoppiettante e inaspettato per entrambi. Mi è piaciuto particolarmente il modo in cui si evolve, sicuramente nessuno dei due pensava che l’amore ci avrebbe messo lo zampino, perché ciò che li lega non è solo attrazione fisica.
Lo stile di scrittura della Croix è fresco, pulito. Attraverso il Pov alternato il lettore può assistere all’evoluzione emotiva dei due protagonisti. La storia si sviluppa senza grandi intoppi e il rapporto che nasce tra Liam e Olivia mi è piaciuto molto. Ho trovato divertente il fatto che Liam fosse un giocatore inglese e che affascinasse con il suo accento. Del resto, come si fa a resistere all’accento British?
Ammetto che leggere un romanzo scritto da un’autrice americana e che parli di calcio mi ha fatto molto piacere. Tra gli sport statunitensi, il calcio non è molto seguito, nonostante diverse squadre della Major League Soccer (la nostra Serie A italiana) si stiano, col tempo, rafforzando sempre di più. Per lo meno per quanto riguarda il calcio maschile, quello femminile, al contrario, ha molto seguito e la Nazionale donne a stelle e strisce è decisamente forte.
Insomma, sono proprio felice di aver dato retta al mio istinto e di essermi buttata a capofitto in questa nuova serie. La Croix fa il suo debutto in Italia coi fiocchi, e non vedo l’ora di scoprire quali saranno i protagonisti del prossimo volume che non mancherò, sicuramente, di leggere. Adoro il genere sport romance e, questo romanzo, ha soddisfatto tutte le mie aspettative.
Recensione completa: https://virtualkaty.blogspot.com/2020...
Liam è un giocatore di talento che sorprende per il suo modo di fare sfacciato ma con stile. Ha intenzione di conquistare la bella dottoressa e, a lui, le sfide sono sempre piaciute. È inoltre una persona divertente, affascinante, tenero e molto legato alla sua famiglia. Il calcio rappresenta tutto il suo mondo e in questo è un vero professionista.
Olivia è un medico di alto livello, cura da sempre gli infortuni degli atleti, il lavoro è la sua vita e la professionalità è garantita. Cerca di resistere all’attrazione che prova per il bel centrocampista, anche se non sarà semplice. La sua vita, prima di conoscere Liam, navigava in acque tranquille e rassicuranti.
Anche i personaggi secondari mi sono piaciuti molto, specialmente Alex, miglior amico di Liam e giocatore come lui, e Daisy miglior amica di Olivia. Speciale menzione va al coach di Liam, una persona straordinaria oltre che un grandissimo allenatore.
L’amicizia ha un ruolo importante in questo romanzo, così come la famiglia e sono due qualità che, quando incontro nei romanzi, me li fanno apprezzare maggiormente.
La storia tra Liam e Olivia inizia in modo scoppiettante e inaspettato per entrambi. Mi è piaciuto particolarmente il modo in cui si evolve, sicuramente nessuno dei due pensava che l’amore ci avrebbe messo lo zampino, perché ciò che li lega non è solo attrazione fisica.
Lo stile di scrittura della Croix è fresco, pulito. Attraverso il Pov alternato il lettore può assistere all’evoluzione emotiva dei due protagonisti. La storia si sviluppa senza grandi intoppi e il rapporto che nasce tra Liam e Olivia mi è piaciuto molto. Ho trovato divertente il fatto che Liam fosse un giocatore inglese e che affascinasse con il suo accento. Del resto, come si fa a resistere all’accento British?
Ammetto che leggere un romanzo scritto da un’autrice americana e che parli di calcio mi ha fatto molto piacere. Tra gli sport statunitensi, il calcio non è molto seguito, nonostante diverse squadre della Major League Soccer (la nostra Serie A italiana) si stiano, col tempo, rafforzando sempre di più. Per lo meno per quanto riguarda il calcio maschile, quello femminile, al contrario, ha molto seguito e la Nazionale donne a stelle e strisce è decisamente forte.
Insomma, sono proprio felice di aver dato retta al mio istinto e di essermi buttata a capofitto in questa nuova serie. La Croix fa il suo debutto in Italia coi fiocchi, e non vedo l’ora di scoprire quali saranno i protagonisti del prossimo volume che non mancherò, sicuramente, di leggere. Adoro il genere sport romance e, questo romanzo, ha soddisfatto tutte le mie aspettative.
Recensione completa: https://virtualkaty.blogspot.com/2020...
December 21, 2020
I like this soccer player (sorry, football) and his surgeon pairing, also a plus that he’s British in this. The wording choices were hella weird in this sometimes tho. 3.5
July 28, 2022
A cute, quick read that leaves you with a smile on your face and a relaxed vibe!
:༻🦋༺: Definitely deserves a try! :༻🦋༺:
:༻🦋༺: Definitely deserves a try! :༻🦋༺:
July 18, 2021
Carino
Classico sport romance, con lui che si innamora a prima vista di lei, relazione dapprima fisica e poi sentimentali con relativo scandalo, tutto sommato una lettura piacevole e adatta per un pomeriggio lieve
Classico sport romance, con lui che si innamora a prima vista di lei, relazione dapprima fisica e poi sentimentali con relativo scandalo, tutto sommato una lettura piacevole e adatta per un pomeriggio lieve
October 12, 2020
Recensione completa su https://www.allcoloursofromance.it/il...
Buongiorno Colours e benvenute a questa tappa del Review Tour organizzato da Monica Angiolini per la Queen Edizioni del romanzo da loro pubblicato di J.H. Croix, un’autrice che esordisce in Italia con Il Gioco, il primo capitolo della serie Brit Boys Sports.
Buongiorno Colours e benvenute a questa tappa del Review Tour organizzato da Monica Angiolini per la Queen Edizioni del romanzo da loro pubblicato di J.H. Croix, un’autrice che esordisce in Italia con Il Gioco, il primo capitolo della serie Brit Boys Sports.
Dopo diversi Sport Romance ambientati nel mondo dell’Hockey sul ghiaccio e del football americano, oggi vi parlerò di questo nuovo romanzo con protagonista un giocatore dello sport più amato da noi italiani: il calcio.
Liam Reed è uno dei calciatori più amati e talentuosi del Regno Unito, il centrocampista offensivo che, dopo la morte della madre, avvenuta qualche mese prima, ha “perso il tocco” e si vede trasferito nella squadra più famosa a Seattle: gli Seattle Stars.
Sexy, intraprendente e adorato da tutti, gli basta uno sguardo per avere ogni donna ai propri piedi e non disdegna la compagnia femminile anche se, tutto si riduce a semplici e fugaci relazioni da una notte.
«La vita di un giocatore di calcio di fama internazionale, o di qualunque altra star dello sport, non è semplice. È stancante e l’attenzione dei media è soltanto una distrazione fastidiosa. In realtà, trovare qualcuno che ci tenga a te è sempre un bene ma, in questa vita, ti dà qualcosa in più… qualcosa di più importante a cui pensare. La donna che ami diventa il gioco più importante della tua vita, nient’altro avrà mai la stessa importanza.»
Non dorme mai con le donne con cui si intrattiene e l’unica costante figura femminile della sua vita è sempre stata e sempre sarà la madre defunta.
Ma, qualcosa cambia quando, a seguito di un infortunio in campo, si trova ad avere a che fare con la dottoressa Bowen: il chirurgo che opererà il suo ginocchio.
Olivia Bowen, è una giovane, esperta ed affascinante chirurgo ortopedico.
Lo studio è sempre stato il suo unico interesse, è quella che si definisce: una brava ragazza.
La sua vita è stata segnata dalla prematura morte dei genitori quando era solo una bambina di dieci anni e, la passione per la medicina della zia, che si è presa cura di lei dalla scomparsa dei genitori, si è insinuata nella sua mente fino a diventare la sua professione.
È una donna intelligente, sicura di sé ed ostinata. Tutto deve essere sotto il suo controllo e nulla può essere lasciato al caso.
Immaginate voi cosa potrebbe accadere quando, una stella del calcio fa il suo ingresso nel suo studio e inizia a flirtare spudoratamente con lei e lei, che ha sempre ritenuto il corteggiamento, i baci ma soprattutto il sesso noiosi, si sente riscaldare dentro e inizia a provare una forte attrazione dei confronti del suo nuovo paziente?
Il caso di Liam non sembrava complicato, ma ero nervosa. Era lo sportivo più famoso che avesse varcato la soglia del mio ambulatorio, e provocava delle sensazioni strane al mio corpo. Non ero pudica. Per l’amor di Dio, ero un medico. Tuttavia, trovavo il sesso incredibilmente noioso. Non avevo tempo per le relazioni e non volevo averne. Eppure, seduta nel mio ufficio, si trovava una stella del calcio super sexy che non si creava problemi a chiamarmi con il nome di battesimo e a darmi del tu con un luccichio provocante negli occhi.
Ed è a quel punto che, inizia “il gioco”, un gioco fatto di tira e molla, di prendersi e mollarsi, di negarsi e attrarsi.
Se Olivia è ostinata nel non cedere alla corte di Liam, quest’ultimo non è per niente disposto ad arrendersi.
Lui è determinato a scoprire quel sentimento che mai prima d’ora aveva provato e desidera fortemente abbattere quel muro eretto dalla bella dottoressa che non lascia alcuno spiraglio ad un’eventuale relazione tra i due.
Bollente e sconvolgente erano termini più adatti. C’era qualcosa in lei che mi aveva colpito in un modo strano. Quando aveva detto che trovava il sesso noioso, era stato come se avesse versato benzina sul fuoco. Adoravo le sfide e non mi sarei mai permesso di lasciare andare Olivia. Lei stessa rappresentava una sfida, ma con quello che aveva detto me ne aveva lanciata una apertamente. Non c’era niente che mi piacesse di più delle sfide. E l’avevo baciata. Mi ero controllato ed ero riuscito a provocarla un po’ una volta finito, ma da quel momento avevo iniziato a sentirmi come se mi avessero atterrato.
Olivia, non si sente all’altezza del campione, è insicura, a tratti ansiosa e spaventata, non solo per la sua professione, che non vede di buon occhio le relazioni tra medico e paziente, ma anche per il timore di una possibile perdita, come quella subita anni prima alla morte dei genitori.
Tra le pagine di Il Gioco, troverete un solo ed unico antagonista, che remerà contro e cercherà di mettere i bastoni tra le ruote ad una relazione che si preannuncia esplosiva e carica di tensione sessuale, sto parlando di Olivia, si avete capito bene, la protagonista stessa.
I dubbi e la paura giocheranno un pessimo scherzo che, alimentata dall’assenza di un dialogo costruttivo e dalla macchina del fango, che si nutre del gossip con le celebrità come Liam, non sarà poi così semplice capire che l’Amore è Il Gioco più bello del mondo.
Con uno stile fluido e leggero, J.H. Croix, ci ha regalato una storia piacevole, appassionante e sensuale come quella che potrebbe vivere ogni nostro beniamino dello sport.
I personaggi, sono interessanti, Liam è dolce, sensibile e protettivo nei confronti di Olivia e dei sentimenti che per lei sta iniziando a provare.
Tutto quello che sapevo era che mi era bastato guardarla una sola volta per desiderarla con tutto me stesso.
Lei è… strana, ma anche ambiziosa e perfezionista, non ho apprezzato particolarmente il suo comportamento ma probabilmente ho troppa autostima di me per potermi immedesimare in lei così insicura e timorosa.
Mi faceva desiderare cose che non avevo mai preso in considerazione. Tuttavia, la mia posizione era precaria. Era pur sempre un mio paziente recente ed era anche una specie di idolo dello sport. Io ero solamente una ragazza di provincia che era finita nel suo mondo perché era stata abbastanza secchiona da laurearsi in Medicina e ottenere il lavoro dei suoi sogni. Non avrei dovuto pormi certe domande, come…
Interessanti anche i personaggi “di contorno”, Alex, Harper e Daisy – rispettivamente migliore amico e compagno di squadra di Liam e migliori amiche di Olivia – quelle poche briciole che l’autrice ha lasciato per la strada raccontano molto di loro e dei tormenti che hanno vissuto in passato e io non vedo l’ora di leggere la loro storia.
Consiglio Il Gioco?
January 10, 2018
I've had so many books to read lately that I seriously don't know were to start. Do I start a book from a new author, do I begin with a to go author? Do I start a new series? Or do I keep reading from a series that I've already know of?
Well... The choice isn't easy but I gotta start somewhere so... Let's dig in.
As you already know, but if you don't I'll tell you, I really love this author. Every single book from her is magnificent and intense. J. H. Croix is the one. Her writing is hot and sassy, simple and intense, and every story is way more engaging than the other. Have a look at it and let me know.
The Brit Boys Sports is the series that you can't miss. I've started it all wrong, since I've read book 2 first, so now I need to redeem myself and start this propertly.
The Play is the first book from this series and tells the stories of Olivia and Liam.
Liam is a soccer player that was traded from his country to Seattle. His life was normal until the day his mom died and he injured himself.
Olivia is an orthopedic surgeon that had lost so much. She had lost her parents when she was really young and after that she was raised by her Aunt. She focused on her studies and now she's the best surgeon in the country.
When their life's collide they can't deny the feelings that were being invoked. But can the persue it?
I knew I would love this book and I'm super happy for it.
The plot is amazing, fast paced and super light. The interation between the characters is beautiful and sweet but it tends to be explosive, to say the least. The hot stuff is there even if someone was trying to deny it, but Dayum... Hot hot hot.
This book has it all, insecurities, love, loss, passion, friendship and loyalty.
Sometimes we have to see outside the box and go for it. Life can't be always black or white. Sometimes it has to he grey.
J. H. You nailed it again. Now I need to read another book from this series.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
Well... The choice isn't easy but I gotta start somewhere so... Let's dig in.
As you already know, but if you don't I'll tell you, I really love this author. Every single book from her is magnificent and intense. J. H. Croix is the one. Her writing is hot and sassy, simple and intense, and every story is way more engaging than the other. Have a look at it and let me know.
The Brit Boys Sports is the series that you can't miss. I've started it all wrong, since I've read book 2 first, so now I need to redeem myself and start this propertly.
The Play is the first book from this series and tells the stories of Olivia and Liam.
Liam is a soccer player that was traded from his country to Seattle. His life was normal until the day his mom died and he injured himself.
Olivia is an orthopedic surgeon that had lost so much. She had lost her parents when she was really young and after that she was raised by her Aunt. She focused on her studies and now she's the best surgeon in the country.
When their life's collide they can't deny the feelings that were being invoked. But can the persue it?
I knew I would love this book and I'm super happy for it.
The plot is amazing, fast paced and super light. The interation between the characters is beautiful and sweet but it tends to be explosive, to say the least. The hot stuff is there even if someone was trying to deny it, but Dayum... Hot hot hot.
This book has it all, insecurities, love, loss, passion, friendship and loyalty.
Sometimes we have to see outside the box and go for it. Life can't be always black or white. Sometimes it has to he grey.
J. H. You nailed it again. Now I need to read another book from this series.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
August 28, 2019
Soccer star
The Play by J.H. Croix
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
The first part of the book was a little off and didn’t flow well for me but then, as I got further into the book, I found it enjoyable. I loved the relationships Liam had with his coach and his friend Alex. Likewise Olivia’s friendships with her friends Daisy and Heather. I really liked the side characters. The story was good overall and had an HEA. There were some grammatical errors and missing words but not an unusual amount and they weren’t a distraction that is a problem for me with books that are full of them. My major complaint was the overuse of the word channel. It was used around 35 times and only about 5 of them were in regards to television. This was my first book that I’ve read by this author and plan to read other books in this series. I received this book in exchange for an honest review.
Heat level 3.5
View all my reviews
The Play by J.H. CroixMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
The first part of the book was a little off and didn’t flow well for me but then, as I got further into the book, I found it enjoyable. I loved the relationships Liam had with his coach and his friend Alex. Likewise Olivia’s friendships with her friends Daisy and Heather. I really liked the side characters. The story was good overall and had an HEA. There were some grammatical errors and missing words but not an unusual amount and they weren’t a distraction that is a problem for me with books that are full of them. My major complaint was the overuse of the word channel. It was used around 35 times and only about 5 of them were in regards to television. This was my first book that I’ve read by this author and plan to read other books in this series. I received this book in exchange for an honest review.
Heat level 3.5
View all my reviews
April 23, 2017
This is the first book in the Brit Boys Sports Romance series and I must say it starts the series off with a winner. This book is about Liam Reed, a British football STAR player who has been assigned to a US soccer team because of an injury. This injury has him waiting to see renowned orthopedic surgeon Olivia Bowen. Olivia, an orphan from a young age has concentrated on her career and has no social life. When she and Liam meet for the first time, sparks fly and the attraction is there for both of them. She refuses to act on it because she is his Doctor and she really has no experience in the field of love.
This is a beautifully written story with two adorable characters and chemistry that's off the charts. Lots of twists, turns, suspense, action, passion and persistence. You will love this story. J.H. Croix has done it again. I received a free copy of this book in a promotion and voluntarily chose to review it.
This is a beautifully written story with two adorable characters and chemistry that's off the charts. Lots of twists, turns, suspense, action, passion and persistence. You will love this story. J.H. Croix has done it again. I received a free copy of this book in a promotion and voluntarily chose to review it.
July 11, 2017
Turned out to be pretty good
I wasn't sure I'd finish this when I first started reading it. I didn't like Olivia, and I definitely didn't like her lack of professionalism. I also wasn't overly fond of some of the odd terms and descriptive words the author used. I suppose they were "British", but they seemed odd and out of place. I definitely got tired of Olivia's constant and very repetitive inner dialogue about why she needed to keep pushing Liam away.
I'm glad I forged through though, because what saved this book for me was Liam. What a terrific character. I loved watching him fumble his way through dealing with these foreign "feelings", and he was just a truly honest character. It was charming to see how shocked he was to realize he was in love.
So overall, the book turned out better than I had first expected, and I plan to read book 2.
I wasn't sure I'd finish this when I first started reading it. I didn't like Olivia, and I definitely didn't like her lack of professionalism. I also wasn't overly fond of some of the odd terms and descriptive words the author used. I suppose they were "British", but they seemed odd and out of place. I definitely got tired of Olivia's constant and very repetitive inner dialogue about why she needed to keep pushing Liam away.
I'm glad I forged through though, because what saved this book for me was Liam. What a terrific character. I loved watching him fumble his way through dealing with these foreign "feelings", and he was just a truly honest character. It was charming to see how shocked he was to realize he was in love.
So overall, the book turned out better than I had first expected, and I plan to read book 2.
May 21, 2019
I loved this! I would have liked a bit more story, but overall it was good. The issue I had with it was that it needed to be better edited. There were spelling mistakes, open ended sentences going nowhere, and several missing words from sentences.
Liam is a transplanted Londoner in Seattle with his friend Alex, who have been recruited to play soccer (football to Liam) and he has torn his ACL. He has to have surgery and meets with the surgeon, who happens to be a single, beautiful woman who has no idea she is beautiful. He flirts with her, she tries to brush him off, but mistakenly tells him she's not interested as she finds having sex and the like very boring. He decides to take her up on that challenge, and sparks fly.
I enjoyed this quite a bit and will continue on with the series. Just hoping that the editing issues get better in the next books.
Liam is a transplanted Londoner in Seattle with his friend Alex, who have been recruited to play soccer (football to Liam) and he has torn his ACL. He has to have surgery and meets with the surgeon, who happens to be a single, beautiful woman who has no idea she is beautiful. He flirts with her, she tries to brush him off, but mistakenly tells him she's not interested as she finds having sex and the like very boring. He decides to take her up on that challenge, and sparks fly.
I enjoyed this quite a bit and will continue on with the series. Just hoping that the editing issues get better in the next books.
August 12, 2019
This is the first book that I read from this author and it was an ok read for me. I love sports romance and that made the story an enjoyable read for me but it still felt a little off to me. Olivia is a doctor when she meets Liam who is required to get surgery on his ACL. It created a bit of a forbidden romance because as a doctor, Olivia couldn’t get involved with the patient but that didn’t seem to stop Liam from pursuing her. It did have some very hot scenes so that was a plus. Olivia and Liam were able to get their HEA.
I received an ARC of this book and I am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received an ARC of this book and I am voluntarily leaving a review.
August 13, 2019
Received a copy for an honest review
This book was such cute love story! I loved how the book jumped in from the start without a whole lot of build up. Olivia and Liam had chemistry right from the start. I thought it was very bold of Liam to kiss her the very first time they met, but it definitely brought the heat to the book. I really enjoyed the secondary characters as well. I loved how Olivia's friends were there to encourage her in her feeling for Liam. I do wish there was the scene where Olivia's aunt Lorrie met Liam and her reaction and I also wish there was a scene where Liam's dad met Olivia. Overall I would give this 4 1/2 stars!
This book was such cute love story! I loved how the book jumped in from the start without a whole lot of build up. Olivia and Liam had chemistry right from the start. I thought it was very bold of Liam to kiss her the very first time they met, but it definitely brought the heat to the book. I really enjoyed the secondary characters as well. I loved how Olivia's friends were there to encourage her in her feeling for Liam. I do wish there was the scene where Olivia's aunt Lorrie met Liam and her reaction and I also wish there was a scene where Liam's dad met Olivia. Overall I would give this 4 1/2 stars!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 26, 2021
This is an ok book. It wasn't bad but it wasn't wow either.
The story-line has been done before, and will be done again. Sport guy who has never been in love, 'proper' girl who is focused on her career and suffers from the usual 'he's too good for me, he is way out of my league, I don't know what I'm doing'.
The most annoying thing about this book was the over-use of the phrase 'lust cracked through me like a whip', I swear the author used it every single time the male character was turned on. Please, find a different descriptive phrase!
I wouldn't not recommend this book, but it's not high on my list.
The story-line has been done before, and will be done again. Sport guy who has never been in love, 'proper' girl who is focused on her career and suffers from the usual 'he's too good for me, he is way out of my league, I don't know what I'm doing'.
The most annoying thing about this book was the over-use of the phrase 'lust cracked through me like a whip', I swear the author used it every single time the male character was turned on. Please, find a different descriptive phrase!
I wouldn't not recommend this book, but it's not high on my list.
February 6, 2019
⚽💙
Liam and Olivia were absolutely perfect! He definitely knew he wanted something with Olivia and he never gave up on her. Olivia finally found someone to get her out of comfort zone and Liam was the right guy for it. Such a great book. Can't wait to read about Alex and Harper next! 💙
Liam and Olivia were absolutely perfect! He definitely knew he wanted something with Olivia and he never gave up on her. Olivia finally found someone to get her out of comfort zone and Liam was the right guy for it. Such a great book. Can't wait to read about Alex and Harper next! 💙
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September 13, 2024Could not get Into this book. Stopped reading at 31%.
I don’t know what it was that didn’t catch my attention. I just started noticing myself having to re read pages as it just was not engaging enough, I also kept looking at the percentage and dreaded when the number just wasn’t increasing fast enough.
I don’t know what it was that didn’t catch my attention. I just started noticing myself having to re read pages as it just was not engaging enough, I also kept looking at the percentage and dreaded when the number just wasn’t increasing fast enough.
Read
June 13, 2017This book felt to much like another story I had read. Didn't really get into it.. Other than, every word or action taken, my mind wouldn't focus on the book but rather trying to figure out where i had read this before. Only read the first chapter..
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