The Silent Count

The League #3

by Meg Reading

Quiet. Reserved. Mysterious. Off limits.

Fortune Parker is the star wide receiver for the Miami Matrix and his coach has one rule for his players:

Don’t date my daughter.

As the public relations manager for the team, Lea Sterling’s entire job revolves around covering up the players’ darkest, dirtiest secrets with the press. She never minded that her dad set a precedent with his players to keep them away… until the day Fortune signed with the team.

It’s been nearly four years since then, and while the two of them haven’t talked much at work, they’ve spent hours messaging behind hidden identities.

Then, one night changes everything. And the only question is whether they should stay away from each other until his contract is up at the end of the season or risk ruining their careers?

**

The Silent Count is a full length romance that ends in a happily ever after. While it can be read as a standalone, it is recommended to read the first two books in the series as this book contains spoilers and has a partially overlapping timeline with The Red Zone.

Tropes:
Football Player xCoach’s Daughter
Pen Pals
Workplace Romance

Genres: Sports Romance, Romance, Sports, Friends To Lovers, Workplace Romance, Workplace, Football

216 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 25, 2023

Reviews

[hadiko · Rating 2 out of 5]

LOOOOL

[elle · Rating 2 out of 5]

i really wanted to like this, but i just couldn’t.

i didn’t read the blurb before starting this book (that’s on me), so i didn’t know going in that it was going to be a ~coach’s daughter~ trope. the fact that a woman’s father (or brother) would think that he should have ANY say in who she dates is so gross to me. there’s a line from the MMC in this book about “not respecting the boundaries” created by the FMC’s dad. why the fuck is the FMC setting HIS DAUGHTER’S boundaries? 🙄

while i did like both of the main characters + the pen pal plot, i couldn’t get over the characters’ insistence on letting the FMC’s dad control his daughter’s dating life. this trope is officially not for me.

[anna. ׂׂૢ · Rating 5 out of 5]

˗ˏˋ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆'ˎ˗

﹌﹌﹌
5 Stars! PLEASE, CAN I HAVE FORTUNE? PLEAEE 😊???

It didn't need to take two days to finish this book because it was that excellent. I passed out yesterday when I was on the second-to-last page. The other day, I was overflowing with homework. These are my entirely legitimate excuses. I'll get to the point now.

Lea is a natural leader, which is her best quality. Her keeping the team organized and trying her best to ensure everyone is on the same page is what makes her an excellent leader. She has a knack for delegating tasks and motivating others to give their best effort. She also has to take care of the team's image, which is hard, especially when she is the coach's daughter.

Fortune is a skilled player who is also the quietest person on the team. Despite his quiet nature, Fortune's skills on the field speak volumes. His ability to read the game and make precise passes makes him an invaluable asset to the team (this is me assuming based on some context). While he may not be the most vocal player, his actions and dedication inspire his teammates to step up their game.

Overall, Lea and Fortune complement each other so perfectly that my heart broke in the process, but it's well since they are adorable together. Now read this damn book people :)!!

﹌﹌﹌

[BRI · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a beautiful way to end the series ❤️

This was so cute how it started off. Lea being a Boss @$$ B and not being afraid of the many men in the locker room that she has to deal with as not only as the coach’s daughter but the PR extraordinaire for the Matrix. What started off as pen pals for 3 and 1/2 years lead to later them transforming that into a friendship/attraction in person where they had a wild night in the back of Fortune’s SUV. Talk about hot! 🥵 little did they know that they both knew they were messaging each other but didn’t know if the other knew about it. It was a mess and honestly made this more funny because like hello revealing secrets and gathering information without thinking the other person knows who you are. Such a good idea! I was scared there for a moment when Fortune’s dad found out about them and was gonna let that slip and be petty towards his son. Anyways such a great way to end the series and I just loved the friend group’s dynamic. 🫶🏼

[Crystal Holland · Rating 2 out of 5]

I cannot iterate enough how terrible this book was. I’m actually embarrassed to include it in my “read” list, but I have the mental capacity of a 17day old baby so reading is a challenge right now.

Anyways, I skimmed whole chapters and missed nothing because nothing happened in this book. Nothing. In fact, when it ended I was confused because it was so abrupt and I was still waiting for ANYTHING to happen. My only real note is that this is WILDLY spicy, gratuitously so. I’m not a “clutch-your-pearls” reader, but WOW. Reader be warned, I should’ve been.

[Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 / 5

A good palate cleanser, easy and quick read. It was friends to lovers and super chill.

tropes
🤍 football romance (nfl player)
🤍 workplace + forbidden
🤍 coach's daughter
🤍 friends to lovers
🤍 secret penpals

[Amélie · Rating 4 out of 5]

⋆⭒˚｡⋆ “𝘐𝘧 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘹 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘓𝘦𝘢, 𝘐’𝘮 𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦. 𝘕𝘰 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵.”

[Zoe · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good conclusion to this universe!

[Madison Glynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a nice feel good book. I’m glad Fortune and Lea got their happy ending. The whole them being pen pals thing for years was super cute as well.

[Mila · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pen pals- secret crushes- player and couch daughter - he falls first - no 3rd act breakup

I loved it ❤️ the perfect romance book to read as a medicine after a horrible book🙌

Loved both characters and their story🤩

An easy read, Non toxic , spicy 🌶️🌶️🌶️ and so damn sweet 🥰❤️

i recommend 💯

[Rachel Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Lea might not know it, but she's
one of my best friends. Arguably my best friend, depending on what your definition of "best friend" is

For me to say I have been waiting on the edge of my seat for this book is and understatement.. I love a coaches daughter trope. Meg did an amazing job with Fortune and Lea of the three book series this is my favorite. Also the ENTIRE time I was reading I kept seeing in my mind Travis Kielce and the Chiefs owners daughter (but with red hair of course )

Lea is a PR specialist for the same Football team that her father coaches for. Her dad gives the same speech to all his players "my daughter is off limits".
When Fortune signs with the team he has to decide if he wants to play or if he wants to go after the girl.

This was a fun, quick read and I really enjoyed it.
Highly recommend. Thank you Meg and I can't wait for you next book!

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Story 4/5
Spice 3/5
The Silent Count is book 3/3(???) of the The League series. This entire series is super cute. I always recommend Meg Reading for readers looking to get into the spicy sports romance world. These characters were so cute and fit so well in the world of The League. I appreciate that the "I have a secret" trope didn't bring down the momentum that the main characters had built. They approached the problem like REAL people and REAL adults in a REAL relationship. It nice to read two fully developed characters who could communicate and not get in their own way. And did I mention my very favorite part??? NO 3rd ACT BREAK UP. Overall-cute, quick read, and I really enjoy this series.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick and easy read. This friends to lovers book was adorable. Fortune and Lea were perfect for each other, even in the very beginning. It was so funny that they were under the impression neither of them knew who the other was in their pen pal situation. The way they found out about each other was so funny. It just slipped out. There were also some spicy scenes, but I didn’t feel like it was too much, or like it overshadowed the plot. I also liked how supportive her dad ended up being. The two of them were expecting to be yelled at, and Fortune relight he’d be kicked off the team, but that didn’t happen at all. It was the opposite. He was just upset that Lea felt like she couldn’t tell him.

[Nele · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really liked the first two books but this one wasn't as good. Everything was very fast paced and I felt like many of the more important scenes were either very short cut or not even in the book. The book only had 200 pages or so and I think that is the reason why I just didn't like it. It had so much potential and I think if Meg had written a hundred pages more, the book would've been great. I really liked the dynamic between Lea and Fortune and would've loved to see more of them. The same goes for Lea's dad.

[Julia (Jules) Yang · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75/5 Stars

Let it be known that I liked this book significantly more than the previous one. First off, I liked how unique the twist was. I liked that both of the characters knew about each other's secret identities but were too nervous to reveal themself to the other person. It made the stakes a lot higher and helped the trope that was implemented feel not as tired. The characters also reacted to the reveal well, and the writing for the reveal was decent so no notes on that front from me. However, I will say, that one thing that did NOT change from book two to this book is the amount of grammar and spelling mistakes in the books themselves. I'm not sure if these books are self-published or not, but the author really needs to get a proofreader or a sharper beta team because this is a continuous issue. Overall, this book was okay, but felt very repetitive halfway through since most of the book’s conflict was resolved rather early on. Vince (Fortune's father) felt almost cartoonish in his villainy, which cheapened the overall effect of the book. It’s definitely no Hemingway, but it’s also not supposed to read like a Hemingway, so I guess it worked out fine. In conclusion, this book just squeaks by, but even then, it's still LEAGUES ahead of book two.
_
Despite hating the ever-loving guts out of the second book in this series, it seems that I never learn my lesson because I will be attempting to read this book out of the sheer fool-hardy hope that the characters in this book will be FAR better than the last one. Will keep y'all updated.

[Alice Bloomfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I have loved The League series and the way different characters were introduced, had their stories and helped in others. The thread of the coach telling the players to stay away from his daughter, the PR manager, and this player being besotted was a nice through line in the series. I wish this book was longer, everything was there but more detail and side chats with the girls and guys would have been nice.

[Karina · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a quick read and I have to say that I enjoyed it for what it was. There were some typo's and I wish the editor had done a better job, but overall the story was good. It's nice to see a powerful business woman stand up to all the alpha males that she encounters in her line of work and how Fortunate was the perfect fit for her. His patience and caring nature was well established and he wasn't the "alpha" male that other athletes are portrayed to be in books.

[donna :) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I DRAGGED myself through this

Honestly when I was having a really hard time getting through a sports romance I should’ve just dnfed but I powered through it. I remembered liking the other books in this series but this one just dragged on and on. I didn’t really care about any of the characters and there was no real satisfaction within any of the plot resolutions. I don’t know how this was such a miss but it certainly was.

[Sukriti · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The Silent Count" by Meg Reading is the third book in "The League" series. The story follows a group of rebels fighting against a corrupt government. The main character, Clara, discovers her unique ability to manipulate time, which she must use to save her friends and uncover secrets. The plot is fast-paced and filled with twists, keeping readers engaged. Meg Reading's writing is clear and descriptive, making it easy to visualize scenes. The characters are well-developed, and their relationships add depth to the story. Overall, "The Silent Count" is an exciting and compelling addition to the series.

[Aisling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute

I love this series so much. I wish we had seen some more of what went on towards the end with Fortunes dad, but all up it was a really good read. I felt faster than the other books and kind of like there was stuff missing, I wanted to know more, hence the four stars instead of five. Definitely read this series in order!

[juhi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short read, it helped wrapped up the trio in this series. It had a lot of troupes, office romance, pen pals, he falls first and falls harder, coach's daughter, etc. My only big issue was a personal pet peeve in that I hated that they called the football league "The League" often and conversationally, it was a little too dramatic. Overall, a light and easy read.

[Alexa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tell me why I forgot this was part of a series and it only clicked at the end when they were at the dinner lmao!! But this series is hands down one of my favorite! Football is just such a cute romance trope and I love football so I’m biased. This is the only series so far that all got the same rating?! 5/5

[elise | bookingthroughlife · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

I love the first two books of this series & I love Lea and Fortune!! but…. this book was definitely not as good as the first two. it was sweet but like I feel like we missed out on them falling in love?? I felt like we just jumped right into it. and the major conflict like wasn’t even major. but overall still a great read!

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This felt very rushed and the storyline was nowhere near as developed or interesting as the other books in this series, I wish they'd taken a bit more time before pushing out another in the series to make this book feel as good as the others and a good conclusion to the series

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is too cute. There’s not a lot of spice but the storyline is fast paced and keeps the pages turning. This is the type of book you read to get out of a rut or if you need an easy romance after a long book.

[Caitlyn Moody · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5* - bit of a disappointing read after the first two books were so good. I think one reason why I didn’t like this book as much was because it seemed a bit like insta love vibes so that also links into the fact I didn’t feel connected to the couple.

[Lauren Lopez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought I loved Abel…

The story of Lea and Fortune was superb. This was a fantastic book to complete the trio of friendships. I love rom com books with sports. It was seemed and easy to read. I am fan of Fortune and Lea!

[Delaney Szekely · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the other books in this series and was really anticipating this one, but it fell a bit short. There were times I felt like the vibes from the other books came through, but this story felt a bit rushed.

[Maren Wheeler · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5!! This book is a sweet and short pallet-cleansing sports romance! I loved the tropes in this book, but I felt like it was very rushed with not a lot of depth. It was still a great romance and I loved Fortune and Lea and how sweet their story was. Overall a quick and easy football romance!

[Keeona Franklin · Rating 3 out of 5]

good book overall but there was really no problem the couple faced except her dad not wanting players to date his daughter. I was craving more action so bad, but never got it. loved the pen pal aspect though, and the fact that they both knew who they were messaging.