Strong Side

Walker University Stallions, Book 3

De: Ava Sutton

Narrado por: Sarah McEwan, Thomas Oakley

She's always been my strong side. The one I protect, the one I lean on, the one I can't stop playing for.

Because I've never wanted anything more than to earn her as mine—for real.

Noelle James is my best friend, has been for years. And we've never crossed that line, even though I've thought about it more times than I should.

But when her ex becomes a problem she can't shake, I step in as her fake boyfriend. No big deal, right?

Only it is a big deal. Because being hers, even just pretending, feels way too real and like everything I've ever wanted.

Then she drops a bomb: she wants help building confidence in the bedroom. She wants to practice…with me.

Suddenly, we're tangled in sheets, secrets, and something that feels a lot like love.

Tropes: best friends-to-lovers; fake dating; friends with benefits; spicy lessons; who did this to you?; he falls first/always been you; football romance.

©2025 Ava Sutton (P)2026 Podium Audio

Best Friends to Lovers w/ Spicy Lessons!!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Spice: 🌶🌶🌶
Narrating: 🎧🎧🎧🎧.25

This is the 3rd book in the Walker U Stallions series. We've got the teasers in book 1 and 2 about how Casey has feelings for his best friend, Noelle, but she always had a boyfriend. Well, this is there story and it's filled with all kinds of feelings coming to light. I was ready for these 2, and the author brought her A game for this book!

Tropes:
🏈 College Sports Romance (Football)
🩵 Best Friends to Lovers
🏈 Fake Dating
🩵 It's Always Been You
🏈 He Falls First & Hard
🩵 Teach Me/Spicy Lessons
🏈 Hidden Feelings
🩵 Protective/Possessive MMC

Narrators: Thomas Oakley & Sarah McEwan
These two narrators did a good job. I actually enjoyed their voices as a whole and the way they sounded. I just wished there would have been more emotion/action behind certain parts. Like during the spicy lessons/spicy times, when there was moaning the person's name or gasping words, they just read the parts with very little emotion behind it. More so her than him, but that's just because he didn't have to read those moments often.

Also, I say this often but stand firmly behind my words; I wish this book was done in duet narrating. It's hard to find a great narrator that that can sound both male and female during this line. Visa versa as well. Since duet narration came out, it's changed audiobooks 100%. All books should be done that way now. The female narrator in this book didn't do a great job sounding male. It was ok, but not great like others I've heard.

Casey feels more for Noelle than just friendship. He's been in love with her since he was old enough to actually understand what love was. He wants more than friendship with her, but is scared that she doesn't feel the same and that he's just going to be friend zoned forever.

Noelle is going through a breakup in this book to get loser ex, Trey. She caught him cheating with her roommate, Zoey at the end of sophomore year. So she turned to the only person that's always been there for her, Casey to help her.

Trey is a narcissist and such a terrible person. Even though he was cheater, he pretty much blamed Noelle and her lack of skills in the bedroom. He was always putting her down and making snide comments to her about her looks, her friends, pretty much everything in her life. Noelle ended up believing a lot of those things and it tore her down.

Now starting their junior year at Walker, Trey won't leave Noelle alone. He's following her around campus and waiting on her after her classes.

Noelle is done now, and won't take him back. So she blurted out to him one day after he followed her from class that she was dating someone else now and have hot, wild and raunchy s3x with him. When Treyv blew up wanting to know who, she blurted the first person that came to get mind, Casey.

Now Noelle thinks she'll have to talk Casey into fake dating her, but he jumped at the opportunity. He thought this was his one chance to actually convince her that they will be perfect together and show her how a real man should treat his woman.

Casey is the perfect boyfriend and I loved how he loved Noelle. He wasn't scared to show her and when Noelle asked him if he'd teach her s3x lessons, it took their relationship to the next level.

Casey was her protector and always wanted to fix her problems for her. She figured out this wasn't healthy for them or their relationship. Trey pretty much did some major things to her way of thinking and feeling about herself. And when she sees Trey at the ball field one day... let's just say that this part will blow your mind. I did not see this past coming at all.

After seeing what she did, Noelle realized just how much damage he'd done to her and wanted counciling to help her self esteem and to be the best partner to Casey that he needed. I agree with her seeking help, because she did see herself in such a negative light.

I don't necessarily agree with what she did when she decided to get help. I always thought you were supposed to surround yourself with positive people during times like this. Only have people in your life that love you and want the best for you. But that's not what happened. Poor Casey during this time. Just when he thinks he's got the girl, something else happens to separate them.

I loved this book and the real life issues in it. It had real world issues in it that I'm sure a lot of people could relate to. I'm glad Noelle was able to overcome her ex and wise he done to her. It was more damage that she led her family and Casey to believe. When she decided to get help to be the best partner to Casey, I love her mindset and her reasons behind everything. I'm also happy her blinders were lifted and she could see and feel the love from Casey in more than friendship way.

This is a must-read book. It can be read as a standalone, but I recommend the series. It doesn't matter what order you read them in either.