Playing Dirty cover art

Playing Dirty

A Miami Piranhas Novella

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Playing Dirty

By: Beth Bolden
Narrated by: Darcy Stark
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About this listen

All Wade Lewis wants during rookie preseason camp is to play great football and to make it to the final 53-man roster.

He absolutely does not want Tristan Nicholson.

His complete and total opposite.

His teammate.

His competition.

And his roommate.

During the day, Tristan unexpectedly proves to be helpful on and off the field, but at night, when the lights go out, Tristan also becomes the only man he can’t resist.

First he’s a friend, then astonishingly, he becomes a lover.

And then he becomes the last thing Wade ever expected: everything.

©2022 Earl Gray Publishing LLC (P)2023 Earl Gray Publishing LLC Contemporary Contemporary Romance Romance Sports Feel-Good

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All stars
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Listener received this title free

Story = 3.5 stars
Narration = 4 stars

This was a quick one. It is listed as 0.5 in the series so I expected it would be. It was a grood introduction to the series and was sweet. What I got out of it mostly was the world building. All the guys seem really nice and there were a few that stood out and intrigued me so I'm looking forward to the rest of the series. I liked the 2 main characters, I just didn't feel like they were developed enough for me to really feel for them. The romance was instalove and I would have preferred more development and longer time spent there too. They were a good couple but I just didn't feel that meant to be feeling. It seemed as though they were like hey we share a bedroom, were both gay and both hot so why not. Maybe it's just me. I am looking forward to the other books though and I did like that there was no angst or drama and that this team and coach are all supportive. I dont read alot of sports books due to the stereotypical discrimination, so this book was a pleasant surprise.

The narrator had a pleasant reading voice and sounded age appropriate which I really appreciate in narrator selection. He expressed all the emotions really well. He did use the same tone of voice for both the main characters and the other narrative voice but did give Wade an accent so it was very easy to follow the story. I own about 7 or 8 other books narrated by him and really enioyed all his performances. I wouldn't list him as a favorite though.

Nice start to the series

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Listener received this title free

Beth Bolden’s Playing Dirty is the prequel novella that kicks off her highly entertaining Miami Piranhas series. Wade and Tristan are both rookie NFL players who room together at training camp. Tristan is out and proud, but Wade is bisexual and closeted. The story doesn’t dig deep or give any twists and turns to their romance, but they are a really cute couple with great chemistry. One of the things I like about Bolden’s football stories is that she puts a lot of on-field football action and off-field strategy into the plot. If you aren’t a football fan, you may not enjoy that level of detail. Personally, I think it lends the story authenticity, and I enjoy seeing how the men interact both on and off the field.

Darcy Stark narrates the audiobook and does a nice job. He’s clearly skilled and embodies the characters well. I found his style to be a bit stilted, though. The reactions and emotions didn’t flow as naturally as I would have liked. His slow methodical pacing compounded that. Once I sped up the playback, the audio flowed better, and I enjoyed listening to this absorbing story.

Enjoyable start to the series

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Listener received this title free

Darcy Stark does a great job with this (American) football romance. There's a large cast and unless they're related they all have distinctly different accents, and even coach and his son, Beau, are easily distinguished.

The story itself is a sweet sports romance with little to no angst. Tristan is out and proud, an advocate for LGBTQ players on social media and advertising. Wade already knows he's bisexual so it's more a question of 'should we be doing this' than 'why am I attracted to you'.

There's a bevy of players who are/may be gay and I know plenty of sequels exist, although I haven't read any yet. I'll wait for the audio and hope they're as enjoyable as this one.

Sweet football romance

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Listener received this title free

Enjoyed the follow up books to this story so much. I read this one a while ago and loved it. Tristan and Wade are a delightful pair, talk about young love! They really are charming, and Tristan is as mad as a box of frogs! The pair were made for each other, and totally made me smile. You can find out how they get on, by reading the remainder of the series. I loved the audible version, and how it brought the guys to life x

Great start to Football series x

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Listener received this title free

I enjoyed the prequel to the Miami Piranhas series. Beth Bolden's writing style is easy-going and lively.
Not only did she describe the insta-love between Wade and Tristan well, but also the scenes at practice and on the field. I liked that a lot.
Tristan is openly gay. Wade isn't. Both meet at training camp. I found them both very sympathetic and I also liked the coach's reactions and support.
I found this novella very entertaining. Tristan and Wade are very cute together.

Darcy Stark is a new to me narrator and he did a great job. He has a pleasant voice, he read with emphasis and gave the protagonists different voices. I look forward to hearing more from him and the Miami Piranhas!

An entertaining prequel

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Listener received this title free

I can hardly believe that Playing Dirty is the first book I’ve read by Beth Bolden. While it was part of the free Your Book Boyfriend’s Boyfriend giveaway in 2022, I never got around to reading it. I also have a lot of her other books in my digital library and now I want to read more of them.

I’ve listened to several books performed by Darcy Stark and I really enjoy listening to his voice. He does an excellent job giving each character a distinctive voice.

This is a good introduction to the Miami Piranhas series. Two players assigned as roommates; one is out and the other isn’t. They are also competitors for permanent positions on the football team. I liked how the coach and team are portrayed as very accepting of LQBTQ relationships.

A complimentary copy of this audiobook was provided to me at my request; my review was voluntary and not influenced by the author and/or narrator.

I enjoyed this a lot.

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Listener received this title free

Playing Dirty is prequel novel in the Miami Piranhas series, a contemporary romance series about football players. The main characters are rookie NFL players who are at training camp. They seem to be as different as they can be: Tristan is proudly out of the closet while Wade still hides in one. Yet, despite the obstacles Wade’s closested secret creates, Tristan and Wade become a super cute couple. I love their relationship and how it progressed. There’s a lot of football action which is a nice counterbalance to the romance. I’m not a big football fan but I love learning about football through the actions of likable characters. It felt like it gave the story more depth.

The audiobook was narrated by the fabulous Darcy Stark who does a wonderful job. Darcy has a versatile voice that fit each of the characters and made it an enjoyable listening experience.

Training Camp Romance

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Listener received this title free

This is a great introduction to the Miami Piranhas world. Having read all of the series, I really enjoyed coming back to read how Wade and Tristan come together.
It's a very low angst romance with a good story on the two young men working hard whilst at training camp before the NFL season starts to try and ensure their place on the team. We are also introduced to the coach, his son, Bo, and other regular team members who we get to know really well across the series.
Tristan and Wade are adorable together, learn much about themselves and each other as they get roomed together at camp. Tristan is already out and proud, having quite a following on Instagram as well, whilst Wade has never come out to anyone as bi before. There's no hiding how they come to feel about each other or the attraction that burns hotter the longer they spend together. It's also great to see how Coach, especially, thinks of and treats everyone on his team but especially those who identify as LGBTQIA+.
An enjoyable prequel to Beth's series with a lot of football as they and the team work hard in the preseason.
Darcy Stark provides a good range of voices for everyone on the team. I'm looking forward hear the whole series.

Great intro to a brilliant series

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Listener received this title free

Tristan and Wade's story was such a fun read, with a great balance of football and romance to keep me engaged from start to finish. I've loved all of Beth Bolden's football romances, and it was so exciting to see a brand new team and series take shape around these rookie players at training camp. The chemistry between Wade and Tristan was nice and sizzly, even though they were super awkward around each other in the beginning, and I loved watching their connection snap into place. The hours they put in at practice were no joke, but somehow these two still found time to get to know each other and spend long hours exploring each other's bodies after dark. Apart from the romance, I also really enjoyed getting to meet the rest of the Piranhas and coaching staff and see the team dynamic they were building for the season. Tristan and Wade both had satisfying storylines regarding their skills progression and nerves about making the team, and it was exciting to see how much they grew over the course of the novella. I'm really excited to see which direction Beth will take this team next, and if the rest of these men get the same level of swoony happily ever after as Tristan and Wade, I know I'll love them all!

**I voluntarily listened to a free copy of this book. This review expresses my honest thoughts and opinions.

An entertaining football romance!

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Listener received this title free

Tristan and Wade are just such genuinely nice, lovely young men. Despite the very competitive world of professional football, when they start the pre-season camp in their rookie season, instead of fighting to get the upper hand, they just help each other to get better and cheer each other up. That was so good.
I loved this book so much and can’t wait to read more stories from the Piranhas guys!

How utterly adorable!

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