Playing It Safe

Amy Andrews

Sept 2021 · Sydney Smoke Rugby Series Book 7 · Sold by Entangled: Brazen

About this eBook

Donovan Bane loves playing rugby for the Sydney Smoke. And if that means he has to keep his sexuality a secret, that’s a sacrifice he’s prepared to make—for now. He’d rather be known for his footy skills than being the first actively pro rugby player in Australia to officially come out. And that means no dating, no relationships, no sex. Nothing but playing ball.

Until Beckett Stanton changes everything.

Beck is out and proud—and not looking for a guy who isn’t. Been there, done that, total disaster. He certainly can’t afford to compromise his new job for the Sydney Smoke just because he’s locked eyes with Donovan Bane.

Big, gruff, and athletic isn’t usually Beck’s type, but for some reason this man is ticking every box.

Maybe he’s the one to show Donovan everything he’s been missing...

For the first time, Donovan isn’t playing by the rules. With Beck, he’s indulging in things he knows he can’t have. But when their relationship gets serious, Donovan faces a showdown between the career he loves and the man he’s falling for.

How can he possibly have both when losing is not an option?

Each book in the Sydney Smoke Rugby series is STANDALONE:
* Playing By Her Rules
* Playing It Cool
* Playing the Player
* Playing With Forever
* Playing House
* Playing Dirty
* Playing It Safe
* Playing It Tough

Ratings and reviews

Donovan Bane is a big tattooed half-Maori professional rugby player. Divorced, with a daughter who lives with her mother in New Zealand, he is devoted to being the best player he can be for the Sydney Smoke. Donovan is hiding a big secret, he's gay, but there are no openly gay professional rugby players out there and he doesn't want the furore of being the first one to come out, so he's resigned to staying in the closet until he retires a few years down the line, anyway it's not as if he has any experience with men, not since a disastrous first encounter years ago when he was still married. Then pow! Donovan is sitting with two of his teammates' wives and baby having a coffee when the women spot a sexy guy called Beck wearing a Sydney Smoke lanyard. Donovan can't take his eyes off this sexy accountant, which is a surprise because he always thought he would be attracted to a sportsman or someone more outdoorsy, and Beck can't take his eyes off Donovan, although he seems to understand that Donovan is hiding his sexuality and doesn't flirt with him. It might have been the most innocent of meetings but Donovan can't help thinking about Beck, about how he had the courage to be totally honest about his sexuality, about mentioning his ex-boyfriend to relative strangers, about how gorgeous he was. Heck obsessing about Beck is putting him off his game, the most reliable player on the field! Beck has been in a relationship with someone who keeps his sexuality a secret and he doesn't want to do it again, but this big, sexy rugby player is so cute and so sexy he's breaking his own rules. This is the bit where Amy Andrews calls me out in her newsletter (again), of course the sex scenes are H.O.T., I just felt that there wasn't enough story/plot linking the sex scenes, not enough tension, no plot twist, no misunderstandings, no homophobic friends/teammates/family, no grit. I thought Kate Meader did it better in Undone By You, and yet it's a shorter book. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Playing it Safe, book seven in the Sydney Smoke Rugy series by Amy Andrews is her first endeavor with the M/M genre and she did not let her readers down. Donovan and Becket are total opposites; one a closeted, strapping, hot rugby player with a daughter and ex-wife and the other an out of the closet, proud to be gay, handsome CPA. These two share an amazing, off-the-chart chemistry, electricity, and magnetic attraction. This story has it all, an amazing slow burn build up, mutual respect, consent, shared hopes and fears as Donovan and Becket explored what was drawing them toward each other. It was difficult understanding Donovan’s over-thinking all the time. Ms. Andrews delicately explored all the things at stake if Donovan came out: his career, unwanted pressure on the team, the impact on his daughter, Miri, the entire media circus. At the same time, it’s difficult not to move forward when one falls in love; sometimes even worth all the craziness that ensues. Ms. Andrews hit on everything I love about sports romances and opposites' attract tropes in this book. She provided a tale with sizzling chemistry, laugh-out-love scenes, well defined characters and fabulous secondary characters supporting Donovan and Becket. I highly recommend Playing it Safe to other readers. I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

ARC for honest review with no compensation Received from NetGalley and Entangled 4 stars Playing it Safe is book 7 in the Sydney Smoke Rugby series by Amy Andrews and her first M/M book. I felt this book was well written showed heart, steam and how to navigate the world when you have hidden your true identity but know that it’s time to reveal all!

About the author

Amy Andrews is an award-winning, USA Today bestselling, double RITA®–nominated Aussie author who has written eighty-plus contemporary romances in both the traditional and digital markets. She’s been translated into more than a dozen different languages as well as manga. Her books bring all the feels from sass, quirk, and laughter to emotional grit to panty-melting heat. She loves frequent travel, good books, and great booze—although she’ll take mediocre booze if there’s nothing else. For many, many years she was a registered nurse. Which means she knows things. Anatomical things. And she’s not afraid to use them! She lives in a sleepy seaside town with her husband of thirty years. Visit her online at amyandrews.com.au.