The Way We Play by Tia Louise
The Bradford Boys #2
Contemporary Sports Romance
Release: October 7, 2024
Why you need to #ONECLICK this book…
💕Small Town Romance
🔥Sports Romance
💕Enemies to Lovers vibes
🔥Close Proximity
💕Roommates
🔥Grumpy-Sunshine
💕Virgin FMC
🔥Protective Alpha Hero
💕“Lessons”
🔥Single Mom Vibes
💕Workplace Romance
🔥Found Family
💕Wounded Hero
He’s a grumpy, retired kicker who says he only breaks things. I’m a thirty-year-old virgin with something he can break (and I don’t mean my heart)…
How does one get to be a thirty-year-old virgin?
In my case, start with being risk-averse and cautious, focused on building your career, then inherit your 12-year-old, special-needs brother. Done!
Zane Bradford appeared at the perfect time.
He takes my brother to equine therapy, he gives me rides to work, and he rescues me when I collapse in the shower. (Yes, he saw me naked.)
He says he only breaks things, but I only see him fixing everything. Heck, his job is as a repair man.
This grumpy, angry god with lean muscles, silky dark hair, and ice blue eyes has taken himself out of the game.
But massage therapy is my job, and I’m ready to play.
Rachel Wells is ruining everything.
She walks into my workplace and argues with me, talks back, defends herself.
She gives me romance books to “improve my mood,” and insists on massage therapy to ease my pain.
Chronic pain isn’t my problem—she is, with her bright green eyes and sassy attitude.
Then she tells me she’s never been kissed. (What’s wrong with the men in Birmingham?)
The more she tempts me, the more I feel my resolve weakening.
She wants to play, but I’m not going to break.
(THE WAY WE PLAY is a small-town, grumpy-sunshine, sports romance with close proximity, enemies-to-lovers vibes, and a virgin FMC, and an over-protective alpha hero. No cheating. No cliffhanger. No third-act breakup.)
✔️ 𝗔𝗠𝗔𝗭𝗢𝗡-𝗞𝗨: https://mybook.to/PLAYamz
✔️ 𝗠𝗢𝗗𝗘𝗟 𝗣𝗕: https://mybook.to/PLAYmodpb
✔️ 𝗔𝗨𝗗𝗜𝗕𝗟𝗘: https://geni.us/PLAYaud
EXCERPT:
Exhaling a groan, he gives me a little nudge. “What are you thinking?”
“I kind of threw myself at you.”
A noise rumbles in his throat, almost like a laugh. “You knew what you wanted.”
“Are you laughing?” Leaning back, I cut my eyes up at him. “I said please. I stripped naked for you. It was so embarrassing.”
“If it makes you feel any better, I was holding on by a thread every time. You have no idea how hard it was to walk away from you. If you hadn’t been a virgin—”
“You didn’t want to sleep with me because I was a virgin?”
“Correction. I didn’t want to f***k you against a wall or on a massage table because you were a virgin. Now, however, all bets are off.”
The Way We Play by Tia Louise
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I am absolutely smitten with the Bradford clan!
Why yes, I am 5 hours into this audiobook that just released yesterday even though I’ve read the story! LOL Why you ask? *sigh* I’m just special like that :) Also, I’m in my audiobook era and I love Tia so … *shrug*
Zane Bradford’s story wasn’t easy-breezy, and what I mean by that is that he takes *grumpy* to a whole new level, plus, he’s angry at the world so … But you know what? I was already drawn to him from the few pop-ins he had in The Way We Touch and I love a good challenge! ;) AND I already knew the sparks were gonna fly between him and Rachel for the same reason!!
I know I haven’t officially finished the audiobook so I probably shouldn’t be making my official assessment of reading vs listening but I’m pretty confident already in my decision, so I don’t think it’s going to change with just a little over 4 hours to go. I love this audiobook, I really do, but I’m not sure Marcio Catalano was the best fit for Zane. His voice was so ”smooth” that I’ve had to remind myself that Zane was grumpy! So, while I wouldn’t say the audio experience was not good, my reading experience was a lot better. FOR ME. Let us all remember this is 100% opinion. Okay, let’s move on.
This story had me all up in my feels all the time! I was feeling in one way or another and isn’t that exactly what we should be striving for from our reading experiences? 👏🏻👏🏻standing ovation to you Tia Louise!👏🏻👏🏻 Incidentally, that’s what made me fall in love with Tia’s writing. Her stories are heartfelt, realistic, and relatable. They are realistic fiction with circumstances that need depth, and she delivers on that every time, with respect and knowledge. I’m no stranger to “special needs” circumstances and Eddie’s character was a balm to my soul. Not once did my eye twitch (IYKYK) so props on that! The push pull between Rachel and Zane was electric and humorous at times and it always sparked off the pages. Rachel’s strength, endurance and determination exhilarated me and just made me so darn proud of her! Like I said, I felt everything all of the time and it was glorious!
I’m loving this Bradford world that Tia is creating in this small town and I’m looking forward to not just the rest of the siblings getting their HEA but also seeing cameos of all the Bradford siblings and their significant others in each other’s books! It’s my favorite part about reading a family series!
Meet Tia Louise:
Tia Louise is the USA Today best-selling, award-winning author of super-hot and sexy contemporary romance.
From former military alpha-rolls, to arrogant bosses needing to be taken down a notch (or two!), to cocky playboys with hearts of gold, she’ll steal your heart, make you laugh, and melt your kindle.
If you like spicy romances that will make you laugh and cry, pull up a chair and enjoy!
Connect with Tia Louise: https://linkin.bio/ig-authortlouise
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