Dating the Defensive Back is the latest offering from Lisa Suzanne in her Vegas Aces Football Team series. This one is slightly different as they other books have been 5-book series with cliffhangers between them, this time it’s a single, standalone book. I received an audio ARC of this story to review which was also unusual as normally an ARC is either a physical book or ebook (as has been my experience).
That being said, this is the story of Grayson and Ava. Grayson is the brother of Lincoln Nash, the Vegas Aces head coach and Ava is the younger, little sister of Grayson’s best friend. Grayson has just signed on to play for the Aces and is moving to Las Vegas. Ava has had a crush on Gray for years and when they first cross paths in Las Vegas, she instantly recognizes him but he has no idea who she is or that they have a history. Their attraction is instant and they spend the night together – she gives him a nickname when he asks to see her again so he still doesn’t know exactly who she is once they part the next day. When Grayson’s best friend asks him to check on his “little sister” Ava – he is shocked to learn that Ava is all grown up and the woman he recently spent the night with and can’t stop thinking about. Despite everything, their connection and off-the-charts chemistry cannot be ignored. Through a series of circumstances they decide on a “fake relationship” that is mutually beneficial to both of them and hopefully keeps the brother/best friend/family drama at bay. Though this budding relationship is “fake” in name only, they are trying to fool everyone, including the media. Ava has wanted to open her own bakery for years and her talent is second to none. This fake relationship definitely benefits her as new connections are made is she is repeatedly being hired to provide goodies for various, new events.
There are many layers to this story, twists and turns in their relationship, trust issues, baggage from their past as well as drama involving their interactions with both family and close friends. It’s quite the ride! This book did not disappoint and I am looking forward to the next Nash brother’s story. I will also say this – and this is probably an unpopular opinion – I did not care for the male narrator for this audio book and found his narration of the various characters to be a distraction. I listen to audio books regularly and cannot recall that happening before. Despite that – I enjoyed Ava and Grayson’s story immensely and recommend it.
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lisa429
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