The Perfect Play

by G.S. Carr, Trei Taylor (Narrator), Ryan Kailbourne (Narrator)

In this romantic comedy novella, the sexiest player in the NFL and a small-town librarian prove that when opposites attract, their chemistry can be game changing.

Simone Thompson wakes up in a Vegas hotel suite to discover three things:

Her headache might kill her.
The guy spooned behind her isn’t some random Vegas hookup—it’s James Sumner, the NFL’s bad-boy wide receiver and her twin brother’s teammate.
There’s a ring on her finger—you know, the finger.


As part of a football family, Simone knows all about the game, the good, the bad, and the ugly. That’s why she joined her brother’s trip to Vegas in the first place—to keep an eye on him, not to end up entangled with her crush. Her very out-of-her-league crush.

James has always had the hots for Simone and now that they’re married, he sees an opening to prove to her that he's more than just a playboy and that they really do belong together. But if he’s going to win over his bookish princess, he’ll need to execute the perfect play…

Genres: Audiobook, Romance, Contemporary, Novella, Contemporary Romance, Sports, Sports Romance

3 pages, Audible Audio

First published June 10, 2021

About the author

Raised in Charlotte NC, G.S. Carr has always enjoyed indulging in her imagination. At a very young age she had a thirst for reading and the many possibilities it helped come alive in her mind’s eye. She consumed books like they were the air she needed to survive. It seemed inevitable that her love of reading would transcend into a desire to create her own stories. She began writing poetry and stories at the age of 10. By the time she was thirteen she found her passion in the romance genre and has not looked back ever since.

Reviews

[chan ☆]

i'm on a romance novella kick rn and thought this would fit the bill. it was... fine. i'm glad i got to try a new author and nothing stood out about this as bad but i won't be able to remember it tomorrow. i think smut > rom coms for me for novellas (and novels tbh but that's another story lol).

[Ms. Woc Reader · Rating 1 out of 5]

A small-town librarian and an NFL wide-receiver wake up married in Vegas. Secretly Simone and James both have had the hots for each other for awhile. Will this weekend in Vegas be a game-changer?

I don't ever really expect romantic-comedies to be funny because I find that term is overused because rom-com flows easier than contemporary romance. I went into this hoping for a hot and sexy romance to pass 2 hrs. This wasn't as sexy as the premise made me believe.

I also have to like the characters in a contemporary romance to enjoy it and I didn't like either one of them. Especially Simone. She was one of those "Not like other girls" characters. She's a librarian who tags along with her NFL player brother as his baby sitter to keep him out of trouble. She will be in the club reading at the bar vs twerking like everyone else. Books are her entire personality and classic titles define her. Of course James who has access to all types of women wants her!

And James is a football player but he's smart! He likes to read too and wants to become a lawyer so he can save the world. And he's looking forward to reconnecting with his Syrian side he's neglected. Basically he's perfect too! A playboy with a heart of gold! And he got close with Simone's twin brother just so he could know everything about her. On top of stalking her IG. Just because reading books in the club is so sexy.

The writing style in this also bugged me because the entire time it tried so hard to be cute and land jokes.

Take a listen if you already have Audible and need something to listen to while passing the time. If not just check out Waking Up Married by Reese Ryan instead. Similar premise but a little bit longer and done so much better.

https://womenofcolorreadtoo.blogspot....

[Lisa (Remarkablylisa) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars! This one was fun and I enjoyed the plot despite waking up married in Las Vegas isn't my fave. But brothers best friend and a bookish heroine are some of my faves!

[Bethany (Beautifully Bookish Bethany) · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun little romance novella that isn't quite long enough to adequately resolve all the drama, but still a good time. The sister of a football player accidentally gets drunk and marries her brother's teammate who she had been crushing on...

[Kameel · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a little dry, boring and vanilla for me...the female narrator was decent; however, the male narrator was a bit creepy.

[Cheri · Rating 3 out of 5]

A small town librarian wakes up in a Las Vegas hotel room, and when she opens her eyes, realizes she's not alone. Her head is pounding from a bit too much liquor the night before, and there's one of her brother's team mates in the bed next to her. Oh, yes, and there's a ring on her finger. And on his.

I was looking for a short audible, and while this one was entertaining - and probably those who love romance novels would enjoy this more than I did - it was just entertaining enough to keep me listening.

[Steph's Romance Book Talk · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Stars / 2.5 Steam Fans

Video review available in Week 21: May 22 – May 28, 2022, total weekly book reviews on Steph's Romance Book Talk Patreon or coming soon for free.

For other bookish content, check out my YouTube Channel: Steph's Romance Book Talk.

[Anna ʚɞ · Rating 2 out of 5]

𐙚⋆.˚ Actual rating: 2.5★ (rounded down!)

I was a bit sceptical when I noticed the overall rating for this book, since I don’t think I’ve ever read something with such a low score before. That said, it honestly wasn’t that bad. I wouldn’t call it revolutionary or anything, but it was entertaining enough to get me through it while cleaning my makeup brushes 😂

That being said… I did raise an eyebrow when the MMC said, “Toothpaste mouth has never been my favourite way to see a lady.” Like — why? Why did that need to be there? It felt completely unnecessary, and if he’s supposed to be a gentleman (and not a douchebag), that comment is just so contradictory. Everyone brushes their teeth, bro 🤨.

𐙚⋆.˚ pre read:
i wasn't feeling any of my other audiobooks atm but I saw this one and hopefully it's gonna get me back in the vibes again

[aarya · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read via audible plus (narrated by Trei Taylor and Ryan Kailbourne).

[Lois · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was light, short and sweet.
Perfection!

[Lexy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought that this book was good

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Perfect Play

I Picked Up This Book Because: Needed to get some use from AudiblePlus membership.

Media Type: Audiobook
Source: AudiblePlus
Dates Read: 9/11/21
Stars: 4 Stars

The Characters:

Simone Thompson:
James Summer:


The Story:

Super quick but super cute.

Narrator(s):

Great narration.

The Random Thoughts:

[Quinn's Quippy Quotes · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so much fun and super cute!

I rarely give out 4 stars for this quick Audible Originals, because how can you really develop enough of a story in a few short chapters, but this one was a solid 4 star read! Definitely give it a try especially if you love sports romances.

[Antonella · Rating 2 out of 5]

who reads a book in a club? apparently our heroine... girl please it doesn't make you special...
short, light rom-com shouldn't be this annoying...
tropes:
- accidentally drunken night married in Vegas
- brother's best friend

[Jacque · Rating 2 out of 5]

this felt like it had potential, but by the end i didnt buy the HEA and i felt like it had some significant weak spots. perhaps if it was longer those could've been corrected

[Jamie (Books and Ladders) · Rating 3 out of 5]

See this review and more on Books and Ladders!

I thought this was a little too easy for me. The fact that there was no real ramifications in terms of the media and everything wrapped up a little too neatly. I would have preferred a more open "Happy For Now" instead of more of a "Happily Ever After" ending. I thought a lot of the relationship was too superficial.

But it is free on Audible with membership, so I'm not too mad about it!

Like my reviews? Buy me a Ko-Fi!

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This could've been great but was underwhelming because it was just so damn short.

[Heather Button · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was cute and light. it was super short.

[Stacie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 "Woke up Married" Stars!

This was good. Very short and mostly sweet.
Happy reading! (Listening)

[Katy O. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super cute novella about a librarian and an NFL player - best combo ever! Narration was excellent.

[Debby *BabyDee* · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audiobook Review:
"The Perfect Play" is a first by new author G.S. Carr for this listener. For a two hour listen (novella) it was short and delightful, however I wished the author would have put a little bit more with developing the characters into their love relationship for one another. It was a bit rushed for me in that area but did not detract from the intent of the story as it was understandable that they both had a crush on one another that somewhat solidified their current circumstances.

I thought the characters were likable. New to me narrators Trei Taylor and Ryan Kilbourne were a mix-matched...I thought the female narration was done very well, but the male was a bit stale...sounding like just a read w/o emotion. Was hard to adjust to the voice for the story. Will try another read/listen by this author.

[AK✨ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I chose to listen to this soley because I wanted to support the author this month. My expectations were not that high due to other reviews, but I did secretly hope it was going to be a treasure find. But to my dismay, the plot was unoriginal, the characters lacked personality beyond their careers, the humour was flat and it was starved of any real romance. Many of the events were cliché or made me cringe. So sadly, the only highlight is that The Perfect Play is a short and easy listen.

[Maida · Rating 3 out of 5]

I appreciate the multicultural setup and the cute brother’s best friend premise but I thought the push and pull was overdone for such a short story. I especially didn’t like Simone’s “martyr”-like reason for rejecting James. I was disappointed by the low heat and the lack of comedy. The narrators were okay.

[Lynn Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

The way I'd be excited if I got drunk and accidentally married a hot rich NFL player. Unlike Simone I'd divorce him for the SETTLEMENT 🥴🥴. In fact, universe, please make this happen asap. I need more money to buy more books. 😌Thanks!
- From management.

[Kay · Rating 2 out of 5]

The cover was so cute but the story was not good. Maybe if it had been a full length novel it could’ve worked, but there was too much packed in. Also, these grown NFL players wouldn’t be acting like this.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Can one complain about a novella lacking depth or is it expected due to length? Side note I will listen to anything Trei Taylor will narrate, she was fantastic!! I'm in an audiobook rut so flipping through Audible Originals until I have a spark of interest.

[Toya (thereadingchemist) · Rating 3 out of 5]

As far as romance novellas go, this one felt incomplete. I didn’t dislike this one but I can’t say it’s enjoyable either.

[DahlsBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 1/2 ⭐️s - If you are looking for a cute, short & simple romance read, this novella is for you. NFL player meets librarian and they end up getting married in Vegas after a crazy night.

[Jen (mrs-machino) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute and fun novella, a librarian wakes up
In Vegas married to her brother’s teammate. Kisses only, no steam.

[LostinaLibrary · Rating 1 out of 5]

This man is legit a stalker 🤔