Kenyon
Ellis knows getting involved with Julian Anderson is an enormous mistake—but
from the very first night, he finds him annoying, intriguing and ultimately,
irresistible.
One, Kenyon is a player, and Julian is a reporter, so hooking up with
him, no matter how spectacular the nights are, is a terrible idea.
Two, he’s falling for him, even if Julian continues to be prickly and
impossible. But every time Julian’s walls shift, Kenyon sees the real man
behind the attitude, and he only wants more.
Three, between the Piranhas and the charity work he’s committed to,
Kenyon really doesn’t have the time for a relationship—but a relationship with
Julian turns out to be exactly what he wants.
Maybe even exactly what he needs.
But when Julian starts calling out his performance on the field, the last thing
Kenyon expects is his betrayal. But is it betrayal? Or does Julian see
something in Kenyon that he’s lost?
The answer leads him not only to love, but to the biggest crossroads of his
life.
The fifth and final Miami Piranhas book.
Don’t miss our reviews of the rest of the Miami Piranhas series!
For book one, Playing for Keeps, click HERE.
For book two, Playing the Player, click HERE.
For book three, Playing by the Rules, click HERE.
For book four, Winning the Season, click HERE.
Book
5
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~ Also Available with
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“You really didn’t know who I was, did you?” Kenyon asked.
Julian shot him a look. “I told you, you’re going to believe what you want to believe.”
“I want to believe,” Kenyon said, his voice a little unsteady, “whatever the truth is. That’s all. I promise.”
“What if the truth isn’t what you want to hear?” Julian angled his head, licked his lips. He was trying to be flirty again. Tough. Put those walls back up between them. Kenyon could see his technique now, easy as breathing.
The thing was, Kenyon could never hate Julian flirting with him. Even if it was because he was trying to deflect from the truth.
He pressed a palm right into Julian’s chest, felt the firmness of his pectoral muscles. He was slim, but he was strong. What would he look like naked?
Gorgeous, that’s what he’d look like.
Kenyon kept trying not to think about it, but instead, it was all he could think about, the possibilities fogging up his brain, obscuring every bit of good sense he had.
“Fine,” Julian said with a resigned sigh. Like he was finally giving in. “Fine. Okay. I didn’t know who you were.”
Kenyon curled his fingers into the cotton of Julian’s polo. This one was baby blue with a tiny white and red stripe through it. The man looked like the hottest goddamn American flag that he’d ever seen.
It should have been such an asshole move, like he was the guy who mounted a flag on the back of his giant truck, or hung one from the tallest mast of his fucking sailboat, and Kenyon should’ve been desperate to steer clear. But that wasn’t Julian. He knew it wasn’t. He could see just a flash, just a glimpse of the guy behind the polo. Behind the act. So, instead, he took another step closer. Until he felt the warmth of Julian’s thighs through the thin fabric of his shorts.
“Thank you,” Kenyon said. “I think we both deserved the truth, didn’t we? It was...” He hesitated.
There was another crack in Julian’s armor. A genuine smile, flashed quickly, Kenyon barely getting the impact of it before it was gone. “The best thing that could’ve happened and also the worst?”
“I think,” Kenyon said, dipping his head, so tempted to just end this ridiculous standoff by kissing Julian so thoroughly he always smiled at him that way, “we should just focus on the best part.”
Julian shot him an unimpressed look, clearly trying to pretend he wasn’t affected by Kenyon’s nearness, but Kenyon could feel the faintest tremor in his chest, just like he’d trembled last night and there was no denying it now. Kenyon wanted him to give in. Wanted to feel him shake when all that self-possession and self-control fell and the orgasm overtook him.
“It would be a terrible idea to do it again,” Julian said. There was a look in his eyes, though, that said he wouldn’t exactly mind it.
Kenyon knew it was a bad idea to repeat their initial mistake. But they’d done it last night, hadn’t they, and the world hadn’t stopped revolving. Coach hadn’t found out. Julian’s boss hadn’t discovered any deep, dark, dirty secrets about him.
“You know what I think?” Kenyon asked.
“What?” He was still pretending. Kenyon could feel it, and wanted nothing more than to strip Julian down to the bare essentials, so he could see the real man behind the act.
“I think you want me.” He stripped off the practice jersey. Tossed it on the floor. Then reached over and tugged Julian’s polo out of his jeans.
Julian didn’t stop him. Just kept looking at him with those inscrutable eyes.
Like they could see right through him, see down to every single thing he kept close, every single thing he hid from the world.
It was all laid bare before Julian.
“I think you,” Julian said in a soft, damning voice, “want me.”
Shannan
– ☆☆☆☆
Playing Deep is the fifth and (sadly) final installment in the Miami
Piranhas series. It can be read as a standalone but it shouldn't. You need to
experience the past characters' stories to truly appreciate this one.
Is this my favorite in the series? No
But did I still really enjoy it? Absolutely.
Kenyon Ellis is a quiet guy. He's kept to himself, for the most part, in the
last two years on the Piranhas. But he needs some advice from his friends and
teammates when he finds himself in a situation he never saw coming. He sneaks
out during training to a dump of a bar, and he never expected to be hit on by
the most gorgeous guy he's ever seen. A quick hookup in the bathroom leads to
some confusion on the field the next day when Kenyon sees the guy he hooked up
with is a reporter. Sleeping with a reporter is definitely a terrible idea but
Kenyon can't seem to stop. And the rules they set in place aren't helping the
fact that Kenyon is falling hard for Julian. The walls Julian has put up to
protect himself aren't stopping Kenyon from wanting to get to know him better.
But when Julian gives an interview on a podcast calling out Kenyon's playing,
Kenyon feels betrayed and after seeing the footage, he's more confused if
football is something he still wants to do.
Here's why it wasn't my favorite. I never felt that connection with Julian. He
just seemed all over the place and his inner monologue drove me crazy. I did
enjoy the second half of the book when Julian started dropping some of the
walls, but I still didn't love him.
I still enjoyed the read and I am gutted that this is the last book in the
series. I've loved going on this emotional ride and it's like saying goodbye to
friends. (In my world, I'd be besties with the team. LOL)
I can't wait to see what Beth Bolden has in store for us next!
Ruthie
– ☆☆☆☆
This is the fifth book in the series, and I would recommend you read them in
order to get the full goodness, but if you want to start here and retrace your
steps, that's fine too! This definitely stands well on its own.
Kenyon cannot fight the temptation to take the preppy guy he meets in a bar out
the back. He shouldn't have slipped out of the training camp for a drink, let
alone for an encounter! The second comes back to bite him, when Julian turns
out to be a journalist who will be on the Piranhas case all season. The sense
of betrayal is deep, but actually Julian really did not know who he was... and
Julian hides a lot about himself in his choice of clothes and demeanour.
As we watch the football season unfold, we also get to see how their influence
on each other, whilst pursuing a secret friends-with-benefits arrangement. It
adds a level of complexity which neither need, and yet don't seem to want to
avoid until… well, you need to read it for yourself to get the full story, but
rest assured it is twisty, sexy, and ends just how we want all such stories to
end, with revelations to make the heart sing.
Another very good installment in this series. Thank you, Beth Bolden!
A lifelong Pacific Northwester, BETH
BOLDEN has just recently moved to North Carolina with her supportive
husband. Beth still believes in Keeping Portland Weird, and intends to be just as
weird in Raleigh.
Beth has been writing practically since she learned the alphabet.
Unfortunately, her first foray into novel writing, titled Big Bear with
Sparkly Earrings, wasn’t a bestseller, but hope springs eternal. She’s
published twenty-three novels and seven novellas.
Connect with Beth
Bolden
Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Instagram ~ Website ~ Goodreads
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Group: Beth’s Boldest
Hosted by
Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided
a free copy of Playing Deep (Miami Piranhas #5) by Beth Bolden to read and review.
