Not My Match

The Game Changers, Book 2

By: Ilsa Madden-Mills

Narrated by: Summer Morton, Alexander Cendese

Length: 9 hrs and 21 mins

Publisher's Summary

Wall Street Journal bestselling author Ilsa Madden-Mills delivers a smart and sexy romance about a professional football hottie and the girl he’s sworn to never touch.

Homeless and heartbreakingly innocent, Giselle Riley walks into my penthouse and chaos follows.

I shouldn’t have invited the girl genius to live with me, but it’s clear she needs my help - not only for a place to lay her pretty blonde head but in finding real love, which she’s not going to get with the crazy men she picks up online.

Too bad she’s a twenty-four-year-old virgin and I’m a bad boy wide receiver. She’s off limits for a hardcore player like me - and we’re just friends.

Instead, I’m her matchmaking service, no matter how jealous it makes me when I tag along on her dates.

I can keep my self-control. Right? No way will I give in to everything inside me that dreams of a girl like her in my world.

I may be the best wide receiver in the country, but how could I hold on to a girl like her?

©2021 Ilsa Madden-Mills (P)2020 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Narration is key!!!

OK someone needs to let this author know that she could make so much more if she invested in better narrators. Her stories are pretty good all by themselves but would be exceptional with the right voice behind it.. I am not completely done with this book but had to get this out. Alexander's voice is so annoying I am having to pace myself. I want to finish this book but he just throws me off. Ugggh

Struggled through but prevailed

I normally don't write in reviews so this is very different for me. I love this author and have enjoyed her books for awhile. I was excited to see this book for audible so I purchased it. Summer Morton, I think, did a great job for the Gisele. I have heard other stories from her and was equally impressed. Alexander Cendese was new to me as far as narration. I struggled with him a lot in this book. He made the main female sound very like an airhead. He seemed very rushed throughout the whole story. I would sometimes get lost in what was being read because there was no different tones being used.
I will continue to listen to this author but I might be a little apprehensive if Alexander Cendese is reading.

Give Love a Chance

Great follow up to Not My Romeo. We met Giselle Riley and Devon Walsh in Not My Romeo.

Both Giselle and Devon are drawn to each other, but neither thinks that they are right for the other person because of their past or childhoods. Circumstances find them sharing a living space. Things turn physical, but they are still reluctant to share emotions. I loved the journey to their HEA. It was also fun hanging out with her family and his football friends.

I hope we get a book for some of the other players on the team.

Great narration on this one.

Enjoy IMM's story, but AC is a problem...

I really did enjoy IMM's story - the Tigers and Daisy world she created is populated by some memorable and wonderful characters and not just the mains, though Devon and Giselle were indeed a joy both together and apart. Their romance hit a lot of my favorite beats - H who can't stay away; forced proximity; adorkable h (love her multiverse theories!); and then there's that epilogue, which put the perfect bow on the package that was their story. So much to love in the writing here; IMM is truly talented!

Now for the narrators. Summer Morton did a good job; she kept me engrossed in Giselle's POV and the story in a satisfying way. I've only listened to a few of her performances, but have always enjoyed them.

However, Alexander Cendese's performance was a problem for me. This is unfortunately not a new thing - it's mostly due to his staggeringly poor female voice impersonation. When he voices the male parts and the general narration bits, he's okay - he'll never be a go-to narrator for me, there are too many others who just blow him out of the water; but, he is serviceable when he's operating in his range of male voices. Then he reads dialogue from female characters, and any patience or goodwill I have for him is gone - it is just painful to listen to those bits. What is worse, it really interferes with my listening flow and just takes me right out of the story, which is the total opposite of what should be happening.

I am sure he's trying, but it might be best if he sticks to either MM or duet narration rather than dual narration when working in the romance genre - anything that requires him to voice less female characters. It's gotten to the point where I refuse to buy books he narrates and will only listen when they are available through the library or audible catalog. Thank goodness this one was a read and listen through KU; I would have hated to miss out on what really is a lovely IMM story.

IMO not worth a credit, but worth it if you can listen thru your library or KU.

Fun story, well written, narration not so much

Recently discovered this author & find her stories well written & fun to read. I was looking forward to this book, the story line was fun but the narrators are hard to listen to. It’s read like every scene should have exclamation points which was a disappointment. Advising to get this story on you kindle.

Not My Match

Not My Match is the second book in the Game Changers series. This book could be read as a standalone, however the characters in book one do show up in this book. This book is told from Giselle and Devon. Giselle is brought up in book one as well since she is the sister of the main girl in book one, and Devon is the main guy's best friend.

This book is adorable and it had me laughing so much. I love the banter between both characters. Giselle's apartment catches fire, and she has no where to go. Devon invites her to stay with him. They start to have feelings for each other, but Jack (book one) told Devon to stay away from Giselle because she is off limits.

As the book goes on they can't stop their feelings for each other. Giselle's mom is trying to set her up, and Devon has to battle with those other guys to see if he can be everything for Giselle. When an opportunity of a lifetime comes up for Giselle, they must discover if they will end it, if they can make a long distance relationship work, or if the opportunity is really worth it.

I really enjoyed this story, and hope there will be more in the series!

Great book! Great series!

Great book! Great series! I switched back and forth between reading & listening to this one. Boy, it didn’t disappoint. I love this book, these characters & this series!

Entertaining story

Devon and Giselle met when his best friend, Jack meets his now wife (Giselle’s sister). Jack has also warned all of his teammates to stay away from Giselle. Giselle is trying to figure out her life after a broken engagement, but Devon is there for her as events unfold for her. She ends up living with him, which makes it harder and harder for them to stay away from each other. This was a great follow up to Not My Romeo and I really enjoyed this story. From an audio standpoint, the narration was good, but the male voice seemed to speak in a rushed voice, which was a little hard to adjust to when switching from the female narrator.

awful

Storyline went on and on. The book was predictable. The narration is what reallhbvp4y tanked this book for me. Both narrators sounded horrible!!!

Charming!

Not My Match, follows Not My Romeo, with the story of superstar wide-receiver Devon Walsh, and Giselle Riley, brilliant researcher, sci-fi romance author and teacher. She can't forget that Devon was there when her ill-fated engagement to Preston went off the rails, but she must admit that she feels something special for him. Devon thinks she's gorgeous, but has been warned to keep his hands off of her. After all, Giselle's new brother-in-law is Devon's best friend and quarterback, Jack Hawke. Jack wants to protect her from players like Devon, but what he doesn't know is that there's a side to Devon that he doesn't know and that has been influenced by the dreadful family dysfunction he endured. Giselle is not one bit the uptight prim and proper lady she appeared to be in Not My Romeo, but a witty and imaginative friend. Both Giselle and Devon have their dreams and hopes for the future and that's where I felt Giselle acted out of character. Yes, she dreamed her entire life of being a research scientist with the opportunity to study at CERN in Switzerland, but she's in love with Devon and their future is right within her grasp. How is the choice as angst-ridden as she makes it? She has her reasons and it was just a small blip in the road. Their story ended well, especially since it's only beginning!
The narration is beautifully done by Summer Morton with her dynamic voice and clear intonation, bringing each character to life.

Cute and funny

Kooky, cute and funny. Less angsty than the first book. The romance is a slow burn from friends to lovers.