Playing Dirty

A Miami Piranhas Novella

By: Beth Bolden

Narrated by: Darcy Stark

Length: 5 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's summary

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

Too much football, not enough relationship

I liked this audiobook, but could have done without all the detailed descriptions of the football stuff. Maybe some readers like it, but I personally just don’t care much about that aspect.

fun couple, great start to the series

‘Playing Dirty’ is a prequel novella which I originally read as part of ‘Your Book Boyfriend's Boyfriend’ Prolificworks giveaway and it was wonderful to experience it all over again and through the smooth tones of Darcy Stark. It’s a shame Darcy Stark isn't as prominent an MM romance narrator as some because he has a lovely voice and it is always enjoyable listening to him.

Tristan is an out and proud football player well known for his Instagram following and LGBTQ+ advocacy work; and Wade is a closeted bisexual guy who has yet to experience anything with a man despite wanting to. They are both rookie players who end up rooming together during training camp and support each other and build up each other’s confidence wonderfully on the field, and off the field their mutual attraction cannot be denied. They are super adorable together and two MCs I really like and would happily read more about.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this audiobook.

Adorable roommates to lovers

Book-

Wade and Tristan are both genuinely nice guys who are attending summer training camp (preseason football thing) as first year draft picks. Tristan is out and proud whereas Wade knows he's bisexual but has never acted on it. They are assigned a room together and as they get to know one another, they not only develop feelings but they also build up one another regarding their talent and self esteem. The way they treated each other was honestly my favorite part.

Nice guys and a solid plot built around football and love- as always, Beth worked her magic and made me love a book about a sport I have zero interest in actually watching. This book introduced all the heroes for The Piranhas series without distracting from Wade and Tristan's romance.

Performance-

I loved this so much! I read the book prior to listening so I already knew the story was fabulous but listening was such a great experience! The performance of this book definitely delivered. Wade's accent, Tristan's cheekiness, and all the sweetness I loved from the story were done perfectly. Nothing felt rushed or exaggerated or out of place.

And oh lordy, I cannot tell you how spot on Coach Asa's Alabama accent is! I'm already stalking Audible for the release of that audiobook because I know it's going to sound amazing!

Overall, I enjoyed and would recommend the audiobook.

Loved All the Playing...Could've Used More Dirty

It'd been a while since I'd listened to an audiobook narrated by Darcy Stark, and listening to "Playing Dirty" reminded me how much I enjoy his voice. He delivers an engaging performance of this sweet teammates/friends-to-lovers novella.

Tristan and Wade, both rookies trying to make it on the Piranhas roster, are paired up as roommates during training camp. Theirs isn't an "only one bed" scenario, but sharing close quarters certainly helps fuel the would-be teammates' budding romance. That they formed a genuine and supportive friendship along the way added to the sweetness of their story.

One thing I always enjoy about this author's sports romances is the amount of actual on-page sports time they contain, be it in practice, training, or actual competition. This isn't an in-name-only football story, and including some on-the-field time helps flesh out the characters and add some realism to them being elite athletes.

So, while there is a fair bit of Playing at play here, there's not nearly enough Dirty. But, like I said, it's a largely sweet story, and it effectively sets up the rest of the series. I received a free review copy of this audio book and have left this honest review voluntarily.

Absolutely adorable.

Absolutely adorable. Just a couple of rookies, busting their asses to make it in the big league whilst finding an instant connection and chemistry with a team mate. Luckily, on top of all of that, they are roommates. Wade and Tristan made for a great start of these Piranhas players finding their soulmates.

Darcy Stark did a great narrating. Great voices and inflections. Would definitely listen to him again.

Such a great prequel !

Playing dirty introduces us to Tristan and Wade. Both football players hoping to make it to the final roaster of the Piranhas NFL team. I appreciated the dynamic between the two with Tristan being an out and experienced gay man and taking Wade the inexperience bisexual man under his care. Only, the relation that builds between them gradually makes Tristan able to be more vulnerable and Wade to be more confident! Darcy Start did an amazing job at narrating this audiobook ! I cannot wait for the next book in this series.

Amazing series starter!

Wade and Tristian are hilarious and so sweet together! Their chemistry is off the charts from the very beginning and it was amazing to see how they navigate their developing relationship during their rookie seasons! While on the surface these two don't have much in common, it is quickly clear that what they do share is what really matters. I loved seeing Wade discover an entire new side to himself with Tristan and get even more comfortable with who he fundamentally is. Tristan was so outgoing and confident from the very first page but it was wonderful for him to see just how much he has to offer to the world besides his looks and social media presence. I love Beth Bolden's books but I really love this series! They are always so amazing, full of characters you just can't help but fall in love with! The only negative I have is that I wish it was longer! This was a fantastic introduction to the Miami Piranhas world and there are already to many characters I want to see find their HEA in future books! I loved the end of this novella and hope we will get to see even more of these two in future books! This is the first book I have listened to narrated by Darcy Stark but I loved it! They did a fantastic job of bringing the story to life without being a distraction from the characters and storyline. I hope they will narrate the rest of the series!

So enjoyable!

Darcy Stark does a wonderful job of bringing Playing Dirty to life.
I really enjoyed this book. I love sports romances, and as a football fan, this was so much fun to listen to.

If you’re looking for something low-angst with two really adorable guys being young men, living their dreams, and finding love, then you can’t go wrong with Playing Dirty.
Wade and Tristan are trying out and at camp for a NFL team in Florida. They share a room at camp and feelings develop that neither one was expecting!
I enjoyed their immediate attraction to each other and how sweet their chemistry is together.

I enjoyed this very much

This Audiobook was amazing. I absolutely loved Wade and Tristan's story. The chemistry and character development is top notch. The Narrator did a fabulous job. The attention to detail in the book is appreciated, I loved it. Sports romance at its very best.

Great MM romance set in the NFL world

I’ve read this author before. I listened to the audio book. This is a contemporary MM romance set in the USA in the American Football world. Wade and Tristan are trying out and at camp for a NFL team in Florida. They share a room at camp and love blossoms. As an Aussie, I know nothing about The NFL but still enjoyed this book.

An entertaining prequel

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!

Sweet football romance

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.

Training Camp Romance

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.

Enjoyable start to the series

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.

Delightful listen

Bolden has ingeniously created a series that I have fallen for! Between the storyline, Bolden has managed to capture the reader and draw them into Tristian and Wade’s world. Stark’s brilliant narration brings these characters to life. I cannot wait for the next book.

Nice start to the series

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.

Great intro to a brilliant series

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.

An entertaining football romance!

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.

How utterly adorable!

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!

Team and love

A sweet, positive story about pursuing a career in football and finding love between your teammates.
It’s a lot of spicy thoughts from the very beginning which is not my favourite, but they have a nice dynamic between the two of them and most of the team. It made curios now about future couples, specially Beau and Sebastian, I liked this two.
The narrator is pretty good.

«Everyone always talked about how expressing your feelings was tough, but Wade was beginning to figure out that they were full of shit. He hadn’t been able to do it before, because he hadn’t felt anything worth expressing before. But now, when he did?
He wanted to tell Tristan everything».