Mad Rivals

The Bradley Legacy, Book 1

De: Lisa Suzanne

Narrado por: Dane Anderson, Avery Caris

A steamy Pro Football, Business Rivals, Enemies to Lovers Romance from Amazon Top Ten Bestselling author Lisa Suzanne.

Pro football legend Madden Bradley was never supposed to be anything but my enemy. With one season left on his contract, he’s set to take over his family’s empire, and I’m his business rival. Forced into a partnership we both resent, the last place I should be is tangled in his sheets.

Now we’re stuck working together, and the more we clash, the more explosive the tension becomes…until it finally detonates.

He’s maddening, charming, and completely addictive. And when he murmurs exactly what he’s going to do to me, I forget that he’s supposed to be the enemy.

Our forbidden romance has to stay between us. Our families can’t find out. Our companies can’t know. The truth could destroy everything we’ve worked for.

But when we discover a buried secret together, Madden faces an impossible choice:

The legacy he was born to lead… or the woman he was never supposed to fall for.

©2025 Lisa Suzanne (P)2025 Lisa Suzanne

Fun New Series

I enjoyed diving into the Bradley brothers, and am looking forward to all their stories! What I really liked about this story is that it focused on what comes after football and left Madden really questioning his future and how he wanted it all to play out.

I enjoyed the rivalry, but loved when they decided to work together so much more!

The narration was great! I loved both narrators!

Very good!

Madden Bradley pro football star just recently traded to another team. CEO hanging in the rafters ready to fall right on top of his head. Company rivalries but maybe it's not just rivals maybe it's something darker ...

Kennedy Van Buren eager for INDEPENDENCE ... but one kindle & dinner money thief away from another life. One Starbucks order conveniently the SAME DRINK is just the beginning ...

I liked this book, I really thought this was gonna go in a different direction and I was pleasantly surprised by the little twists and turns it's brought. Will definitely read the next book in the series ... I wonder who its about?? Dex maybe??

Madden and Kennedy great start to a new series!

I thoroughly enjoyed Mad Rivals, book 1 of Lisa Suzanne’s newest sports romance series, The Bradley Legacy. Madden Bradley is the oldest of 7 siblings of which all the brothers are professional athletes and their two sisters work for the family business during the offseason. Recently Madden was traded to the San Diego Storm and really isn’t too happy about the trade. Madden is tasked to win a big contract by his father (who is not a good guy). Kennedy Van Buren is the daughter of Bradley Group’s biggest rival. Kennedy is very similarly tasked to win the same contract as Madden. Will these two rivals keep everything all business or will they act on the instant and intense chemistry between them? I thoroughly enjoyed the characters (main and secondary) along with a few visits from the Nash Brothers. Dane Anderson and Avery Caris are the narrators that bring Madden and Kennedy to life. Both narrators are brand new to me and do a really great job portraying Madden and Kennedy. If you like a sports romance with lots of spice, siblings that have your back, teammates that also help create great friendships, and found family tropes then I think you will thoroughly enjoy this new series by Lisa Suzanne.

4.5 Can Rivals Really Work Together Stars?!

I love it when a favorite author starts a new series and we get introduced to an entirely new family. With this first book in her The Legacy series, we meet Madden Bradley and Kennedy VanBuren who’s family are archnemesis in the construction world in the Chicago area. Although their fathers know each other, surprisingly neither of them have met before until a fateful morning in a Starbucks in what is one of the best meet-cutes!

There’s a chemistry between the two of them, and just when they thought they’d never see each other again, because no numbers were exchanged, their lives change irreparably when they both end up on a build site to provide a bid for a new development of a commercial and residential area. When they end up having to work together, well, we get Ms. Suzanne at her witty best because these two go back and forth both with words and facial expressions that culminate in an oh so sexy escapade at a gala they’re both attending with their respective families. And this is the start of a relationship that moves quickly and finds both Madden and Kennedy questioning things they know and thought they knew.

The draw they have to each other is what neither of them knew they needed. As the story moves along and their love grows, they face some challenges with Madden’s football season starting and Kennedy making big changes so she can be with Madden and take on the roll she’s been groomed for since she was young. There’s also a twist that I wasn’t expecting that added an element to the book that challenges everyone and everything and it kept me on my toes because it’s a doozy and I was there for every little detail because holy moly I wasn’t expecting that!

I was lucky enough to listen to the audiobook of this story and the new to me narrators, Dane Anderson and Avery Caris did a fantastic job of bringing these characters to life. They embodied Ms. Suzanne’s words letting me fall into all the emotions of this book. The witty banter, tender and swoony moments, and oh so steamy sexy times are that much richer thanks to their expert narration. Listening as both Madden and Kennedy grow both individually and together was a fabulous listening experience.

This book moves at a lightning pace which fits the story perfectly. Throughout the book we meet most of Madden’s siblings, and of course both of their parents, which also sets the tone for future books in this series. I fell hard and fast for these two and I think you will too! I think I know who the next book is about, but I’ll hold my opinion to myself just in case I’m wrong LOL!

Mad Rivals: An Absolute Touchdown!

Mad Rivals by Lisa Suzanne, narrated by the talented Dane Anderson and Avery Caris, is an absolute home run. This steamy, pro-football, enemies-to-lovers romance introduces readers to the Bradley family and their legacy, and what a start it is.

The story centers on Madden "Mad Brad" Bradley, a pro-football legend who has his world flipped upside down when he's traded in his final season. To make matters even more complicated, his final year is spent working with his business rival, Kennedy Van Buren. Kennedy, who is a force of her own, has just made a tough choice for the good of her family and is trying to navigate a new role in their company. From the moment they first clash, their chemistry is undeniable.

Madden is the kind of book boyfriend all others will be measured against. He's maddening, charming, and utterly addictive. The way he pursues Kennedy is a force of nature, and their forbidden romance burns up the pages. They're forced into a partnership they both resent, but the more they clash, the more explosive the tension becomes, leading to a connection that cannot be denied.

As Madden and Kennedy navigate their personal and professional worlds, they uncover a buried family secret. This discovery forces Madden to make an impossible choice: the legacy he was born to lead or the woman he was never supposed to fall for.

This book is a stellar start to the Bradley Legacy series, perfectly setting the stage for future books while introducing us to a family that will steal your heart. The narration is top-notch, and the story will have you completely hooked from beginning to end.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Kennedy & Madden

I love when one of my favorite authors has a series and it’s a sports romance. The way Lisa weaves a story always hits so good. The way she adds just the right amount of romance, spice and angst has me coming back for more. Add in sports and she has a great romance book.

Kennedy and Madden just mesh together. Their meet cute leads to a secret relationship that is beyond the chemistry but is soul deep. These two have more in common then they knew. It was beautiful to see their budding relationship blossom into so much more.

Both Dane Anderson and Avery Caris were new to me narrators. The narration was a little off , not fitting with Lisa’s characters, but it was still an enjoyable listen.

Mad Rivals was a fun, fast paced story that you will love.

Lisa kick started a new series that I am all for. I can’t wait to delve into more of the Bradley siblings and their family dynamic.

So good!!

Forbidden love
Enemies to lovers
Business rivals
Cinnamon roll hero
Spicy

Dual narration- Dane Anderson & Avery Caris
Very well narrated. Really enjoyed their voices

Madden and Kennedy work for their families development companies who are rivals companies. Madden is a football player who is nearing the end of his career so his dad is pushing him to raid in more of the business despite him not being sure thats what he wants to do. Kennedy is trying to make it in her own but when things get too tough she moves back home and starts working for her father.

These two meet by chance and then find out they are both going after the same project. They end up having to work together since the project gets split between the two companies.

Through forced proximity and a mural attraction things get spicy and you find yourself rooting for this couple to find a way to make things work.

A great listen. Truly enjoy Lisa Suzanne’s writing style. Easy to read and keeps you engaged in the story.

Fantastic start to this series!

This one doesn't quite focus so much on football as it does Madden working for his father's company. Madden's father has always said he was going to take over the company one day. Kennedy is in the same boat. Her father owns a competing company and she's set to take over as CEO one day too.

There is an instant spark between them when they first meet but shortly after, they realize they're business rivals. But that chemistry is too strong and they are drawn to each other. The banter was absolutely fantastic. I loved seeing them learn to trust each other and work together instead of against each other. I love seeing a man fall hard and Madden definitely did. This book was a great balance between sweet and spicy with some family secrets & mystery thrown in there too.

🎧Audio:🎧
This was a dual narration by Dane Anderson & Avery Caris. Dane had that whispery deep, growly voice that kind of reminds me of batman. 😂 Avery is a new narrator to me and I really enjoyed her! I would definitely like to listen to more books narrated by her. They both are fantastic storytellers.

"It was your beauty that first caught my interest but it was your personality that kept it."

loved this one

4 ⭐ 3 🌶️ 4 🎧

This was such a fun and sweet rivals to lovers romance. I loved that it was both a sports romance and a business world office romance, it added things I love about them both all rolled into one rom-com.

Kennedy and Maddon were so cute together. I thought their meet cute was great and then to turn out to have this huge family feud behind them was exciting. Their parents definitely stunk in the beginning, but I was glad at least a couple of them worked to redeem themselves in the end. We get a touch of suspense too as we got into the third act.

The audio was great. Dane Anderson and Avery Caris were both wonderful and I really enjoyed this listen. Thank you so much to Valentine PR and Must Love Audio for this advanced copy!

Appropriately Titled Book

Our MMC, Madden Bradley, plays professional football in his hometown of Chicago...until he's suddenly traded to San Diego. Madden is also the oldest of 7 kids and the one his father is grooming to take over the CEO positon whether he wants it or not. He runs into our FMC, Kennedy Van Buren, at Starbucks, mere hours before they run into each other again when they realize they're competing for the same design build project. There's a mutual attraction between the two, which she then tries to stifle once her father tells there's bad blood between the two companies because of something that happened in the past. Kennedy is an only child and so her father is also grooming her to take over the business when he retires. Although both of these characters have that in common, oddly enough neither of them is really particularly close to their parents. Knowing it's probably a bad idea to get involved, Madden and Kennedy finally give into the strong attraction.
This is the first book I've read/listened to by this author. The narrators were good for the main characters, but I didn't care for the voices of the other characters. I liked these characters separately and as a couple. I did find it a little hard to accept some of the details. Madden and Kennedy met and worked together on the project during his summer off season. However, once football season begins, I found it hard to believe that a professional football player had time to continue project managing a large commercial development project remotely. Additionally, I felt like the situation concerning his father resolved itself too quickly? This is the first book in the series so I don't know if this book was laying the groundwork for an overarching storyline? It's not clear so I guess we'll have to see in the next book. This was a solid 3.5 star read for me.