Bryce

The Player, Book 1

By: Nana Malone

Narrated by: Traci Odom, Sebastian York

Length: 5 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's summary

Money, power, prestige...failure. Bryce Coulter is...The Player.

Don't call it a comeback....Because no one else is. Poised to live up to his legacy, tennis player Bryce Coulter loses it all on one swing. Now, with the pressure on and his future in jeopardy, the last thing he needs is a smart-mouthed training partner with attitude and a killer swing - or maybe she's exactly what he needs.

Rich, spoiled, and moneyed - seen that, been dragged through the dirt behind that. Tami Ivey, gets enough of the bad boy trust fund kids at work. She doesn't need it in her sanctuary too. Playing tennis is the only way to connect to the girl she used to be before tragedy struck. The day Bryce Coulter turns up at her court, she turns on that classic attitude. If there's anything she's learned it's how to make a guy run. Except, he's not running. And maybe she doesn't want him to....

©2017 Nana Malone (P)2017 Nana Malone

On the edge...

Bryce Coulter is a tennis pro that has it all, money, fame, and gorgeous looks from head to toe. The only thing he doesn't have is someone who loves him. Will Tami, the poor girl from the wrong side of the tracks, be the one to steal his heart, or his money?

So the story goes, Tami Ivey is a born tragedy (isn't that how all love stories start out?). She was a rising tennis star when fate stepped in and changed the direction of her life very unexpectedly. So now she is working a low wage job, wearing tattered clothing and living in a rat hole of an apartment in a scary part of town. Along comes Bryce, strolling along through uncharted territory for him, and spots Tami, (love at first sight). Let the courting begin, (no pun intended, lol). Let's start with the story. It felt familiar somehow, and as the story was building up to this big blow out I had the light bulb moment! This is a slightly twisted version of the 1986 movie Pretty In Pink starring Molly Ringwald! Not that this is bad, cause I like that movie, but zero points for originality. The build up in the story was split between Tami facing her fears and opening her heart to true love, and a wolf amongst the sheep that was attempting to drive the couple apart. Well, the villains attempt fell flat for me. There was one attempt and it was pretty lame considering how hateful this person was supposed to be. He really needed to step up his game with the evilness of it all. Despite all this, I enjoyed the story enough to stick with it, but not to the point where when I finished I was blown away or even that I will remember it.

The character development was hit and miss. With Tami, the author did a wonderful job giving her life, a personality, and a background. She was very believable and I liked her, and even felt sorry for her. The pain from the loss and the trust issues from the betrayal was really felt, and Tami displayed how they affected her spot on. Bryce was the total opposite. He is very one dimensional, and I felt zero connection with him. He was simply the handsome tennis player without a life outside of that. Boring. So the whiplash from boring inner monologue to complex inner monologue was the only thing that kept me awake during Bryce's part. Bryce's father Brent was a very supportive and friendly addition despite how Bryce described him. His grandfather and siblings were a nice addition with minimal background, but enough for their parts in the story.

Narrator Review

Traci Odom and Sebastian York supply the narration for this story. Now if you are a follower of the blog, you know how much I love Traci Odom already! She does a fantastic job telling a story. Her tone of voice for the personality type of Tami's character was spot on, well done. This is my first experience with Sebastian York. I thought he was wonderful. His voice has the perfect combination of depth and attitude, giving the impression Bryce is more manly than he deserves. The sound quality was excellent, and oh my panties melt when Sebastian/Bryce was in the throws of passion! Excellent work Sebastian and Traci!
**Audiobook provided by the author for an honest review**