Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: The Player
AUTHOR: Felice Stevens
NARRATOR: Blake Lockheart
PUBLISHER: Self-published
LENGTH: 10 hours and 20 minutes
RELEASE DATE: March 12, 2024
BLURB:
Friday night lights hide more than they reveal…
When retired NFL superstar Keller Williams returns to his small town to coach his old high school football team, he’s surprised how much he enjoys being out of the limelight and on the field with the kids. Even more surprising is his immediate attraction to the father of one of his players—single dad Niall Harper.
Problem number one: Niall Harper isn’t gay.
Problem number two: Keller isn’t out to the world.
Problem number three: Niall hates his guts. And Keller has no idea why.
High school librarian Niall Harper has always done the right thing. Except be true to himself. Divorced and raising his teenaged son, Niall is dismayed to discover the new football coach is none other than his long-ago Friday night fantasy and nemesis. Not that it matters—Keller doesn’t remember him. It’s nothing new; Niall has always been easy to forget. Now Keller wants to be friends. And more. Niall can’t deny the annoying man makes him laugh and feel things he’d only dreamed possible. But would a player like Keller be satisfied with a regular guy like him?
Being together is more than complicated, but they are willing to take the risk. Niall reveals he’s dating his son’s coach, and Keller comes out to the team, his fans, the press, and small-town gossips. Neither is prepared for the fallout, but that doesn’t stop them. It’s time to throw the Hail Mary pass of a lifetime and win the game of forever. And they’re ready.
REVIEW:
Keller and Niall have a lot of baggage when they are unexpectedly reunited 20 years after high school back in their high school. Their stories could not have been more different – the divorced single dad high school librarian and self-described nerd and the former NFL star now high school football coach taking over the job of his own venerated long time coach. Keller has been in the closet because of his career. He’s lost his mother. He’s lost his NFL career because of injury. He’s returned to living in his mother’s modest home in his small town.
When Keller meets Niall again, he realizes that he very attracted to the man that he doesn’t remember at all from high school. Niall is far less than thrilled to see Keller again though. His trauma from being bullied by other members of the high school football team back in the day is still affecting him. Niall is divorced although still best friends with his ex-wife. Angie realized that Niall does not love her the way a husband should. She’s moved on with her life in Chicago as a partner in a law firm and David, their son, has stayed with Niall to finish high school.
Keller wants to be with Niall, but Niall is very nervous. His coming out to his son doesn’t go as well as he had hoped. David is shocked and tries avoidance. Neither is ready to have their personal lives be the subject of rumors and gossip. There are jobs and kids to consider. Then there are the issues with the school itself and the kids on the football team some who are dealing with their own traumas and uncertainties and growing pains. Keller is doing his best to be a no-judgement support for all the kids and he’s got his hands full with that. One kid coming out, another hiding and dealing with parental abuse, confusion over parents and life in general keep him hopping.
Of course the course of love cannot run smoothly. The football team is doing well and that adds to the pressure – not only for Keller but for the kids, especially those who want or need to get a scholarship for college to play. When things come to a head, well there are some unexpected consequences and results.
Well this if definitely a bit of an angsty story. Niall has a lot of issues, particularly at the beginning. He has made a lot of assumptions about Keller. Keller’s life was nothing like Niall assumed. Keller understands more about Niall that Niall thinks he does. They go slowly since Niall has never been with a man. I enjoyed the pace of their romance. There are also some phenomenal supporting characters. Both men have couple best friends who are there for them. Angie, Niall’s ex-wife is a steadfast presence who really does care about Niall’s happiness. I loved how Keller dealt with the kids on his team and was there to support them. Having the story told from both MC’s points of view is very helpful in understanding their motivations and reactions and feelings. There is a pretty hard-won HEA here that was welcome after the drama!
Blake Lockheart does a great job performing this story. I haven’t listened to a lot of his audiobooks, but I have enjoyed those I have listened too. I really liked his voice choices for the MCs especially. The emotional nuances he imbued each character with I think really added to the story. Even his a$$hole performance of Bobby was spot-on! Highly enjoyable performance that kept the story moving forward. Highly recommended.
RATING: 
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