Playing the Game

Playing the Field, Book 1

By: Sasha Lace

Narrated by: Shane East, Lulu Russell

She dominates on the pitch. But he’s the boss in the bedroom.

Miri

I’ve always dreamed of playing professional football, so when the new director of Calverdale Ladies wants to sign me, I should be ecstatic. But renowned billionaire playboy Gabe Rivers doesn’t just want me as his new striker…

I need to get to the top because of my talent on the pitch, not in the sack. So I can’t be another prize for Gabe. Even if he is infuriatingly gorgeous.

Gabe

Do I care that the press have decided I’m a heartless womanizer? Not one bit. I’ve never given up anything I want, and that includes Miri Forster.

She’s the most talented player I’ve ever seen, and sexy as hell. I know I can get her out of my system—I just need one night. And I don’t care what it costs me…

When it comes to playing the game, her billionaire boss might be out of Miri’s league, but it’s Gabe that’ll find himself out of his depth…

Playing the Game is the first book in the Playing the Field series—addictive romances full of heart and steam, perfect for fans of T L Swan.

Revised edition: Previously published as Playing the Billionaire, this edition of Playing the Game includes editorial revisions.

©2023, 2024 by Sasha Lace. (P)2024 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Audio makes this story come to life!

The narrators' performance and accents took an already spellbinding story and brought it to the next level! I love how this story and this series showcases women as the athletes. Definitely worth a read and a listen!

LOVE THE ACCENT!

Favorite Quote - “Is it just me or do you feel this?” His free hand hovered by my cheek and he brushed a line over my jaw with his thumb. My skin tingled under his touch. My breath hitched. He watched me with fascination. “It’s electricity. Chemistry. Who knows what causes that? It feels like we’re meant to be touching each other. That doesn’t happen often. Not for me anyway.”

Rating – 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Spicy – 🌶️🌶️🌶️

Main Characters – Gabe Rivers & Miri Forster

Author – Sasha Lace 😍😍😍😍😍
Title – Playing the Game
Series – Playing the Field: Book 1
Standalone/Interconnected Standalone

Narrators – Shane East & Lulu Russell
Narration Type – Dual
Shane East - 💙💙 💙💙💙
Lulu Russell - 🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷

Genre – Contemporary Sports Romance
Tropes – Men with Accents – AlphaMale – Frienemies to Lovers – Sassy FMC – Can’t Stay Away

Story - 🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶
Chemistry - 🌟🌟🌟
Banter - 💬🗨️💬🗨️
Plot - 📚📚📚
Side Characters - 👨‍🤝‍👩👨‍🤝‍👩👨‍🤝‍👩👨‍🤝‍👩

Hero – Gabe Rivers - 📘📘📘📘📘
Humor - 😂😂😂
Jealousy - 😡😡😡
He Grovels - 🙏🙏🙏
Growth - 🏋️‍♂️🏋️‍♂️🏋️‍♂️

Heroine – Miri Forster - 📕📕📕📕📕
Humor - 😂😂😂
Strength - 🏋️‍♀️🏋️‍♀️🏋️‍♀️🏋️‍♀️
Sweetness - 🍬🍬🍬🍬
Sassy - 😉😉😉
Date Read –6/4/2025
#59/2025

love this book

I really enjoyed reading this author.  I look forward to reading more books by this author in the near future.

Really didn’t like this one.

⚠️ Spoiler Alert
⭐️⭐️ 2 stars | 🌶🌶–🌶🌶🌶

I had a lot of mixed feelings about this book. While it was occasionally entertaining, the more I read, the more frustrated I became with the characters and the overall premise.

Both main characters repeatedly make choices that felt unrealistic and poorly justified. The FMC is presented as intelligent and principled, yet continually puts herself in situations that completely undermine those values. Her decisions are framed as empowerment or necessity, but the story never convincingly explains why these were her only options. Borrowing money from a clearly disreputable loan shark without considering the consequences was especially hard to believe, as was her failure to consider the very real risks of exploitation or privacy violations. These choices made it difficult to respect or root for her.

The MMC is portrayed as a “good guy,” but his behavior—especially given the extreme power imbalance—was hard to overlook. The handling of consent, authority, and sexual dynamics felt glossed over and, at times, deeply uncomfortable. Serious issues were normalized rather than thoughtfully explored, which negatively affected my enjoyment.

I went into this expecting a moderately spicy romance (about 2–3 chili peppers), but the heavy focus on sex quickly became the primary driver of the relationship, replacing meaningful emotional or relational development. Several scenes crossed into cringe-worthy and disrespectful territory, particularly moments involving family boundaries that felt unnecessary and uncomfortable.

This was also marketed as a sports romance, yet there was very little actual sport involved. The side characters added little depth, and much of the plot relied on questionable decisions rather than organic conflict.

Final thoughts: I didn’t enjoy the characters, the execution, or the themes, and I came close to DNFing out of sheer frustration. I’m giving this 2 stars because I respect the effort it takes to write and publish a book, but this one ultimately wasn’t for me. The concept had potential, but the execution left me disappointed.