An all-new GAME ON sports romance from BookTok sensation and New York Times bestselling author Kristen Callihan with high emotional stakes and a slow-burn, steamy heat level.
A ‘fake’ wife is just the trick to help a bad-boy football player clean up his image and let his career take off. Trouble is, there’s nothing ‘fake’ about the way August feels about his pretend wife. Game on.
August Luck, known to fans as “Luck”, is on the brink of top draft pick, tons of money heading his way, talent galore, but he keeps messing it up with bonehead moves and looking out of control in public. Problem is, he can’t get out of his own way. To clean up his image and calm him down, his agent decides Luck needs a temporary ‘wife’.
Penelope Marrow, the girl next-door he's known since they were kids, is the safe option. Pen is the only person who's ever put him in his place, and she disapproves of him, so there's no chance she'll cling. He didn't count on wanting her to stay. Question is, will she play ball? Just the idea turns his knees to jello.
Game on...
The GAME ON series by Kristen Book 1: The Hook Up Book 2: The Friend Zone Book 3: The Game Plan Book 4: The Hot Shot Book 5: Only on Gameday
A ‘fake’ wife is just the trick to help a bad-boy football player clean up his image and let his career take off. Trouble is, there’s nothing ‘fake’ about the way August feels about his pretend wife. Game on.
August Luck, known to fans as “Luck”, is on the brink of top draft pick, tons of money heading his way, talent galore, but he keeps messing it up with bonehead moves and looking out of control in public. Problem is, he can’t get out of his own way. To clean up his image and calm him down, his agent decides Luck needs a temporary ‘wife’.
Penelope Marrow, the girl next-door he's known since they were kids, is the safe option. Pen is the only person who's ever put him in his place, and she disapproves of him, so there's no chance she'll cling. He didn't count on wanting her to stay. Question is, will she play ball? Just the idea turns his knees to jello.
Game on...
The GAME ON series by Kristen Book 1: The Hook Up Book 2: The Friend Zone Book 3: The Game Plan Book 4: The Hot Shot Book 5: Only on Gameday
Title: Only on Gameday (Game On #5)
Author: Kristen Callihan
Publisher: Mira
Expected Publication Date: January 6, 2025
Review:
Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this title to read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
I have been waiting years for Callihan to write this story! I absolutely love her Game On series. I even re-read it last year when I heard she was going to be publishing #5. And it was just as fun the second time around. While I was expecting this one to be tied more tightly to the others, it was not. This book can absolutely be read as a stand alone, whereas the other four do have character overlap. As a matter of fact, it didn't seem to be tied in at all to the other books other than the football vibes. There is a wink to a character in another series Callihan wrote, but if you didn't read that series you would never know. As a matter of fact, this book took on a life of it's own with all new characters, including siblings who, can I say, should all get their own books!
August Luck and Penelope Marrow grew up together but were never really friends. They floated around each other. As a matter of fact, each though the other disliked them because they never did spend time together. When August proposes a plan to Penelope that will help him get his act and image together and help her save her grandparent's home, they dive in. They don't expect to become friends. And they certainly don't expect to catch feels!
Can I just say I love August. He is just so sweet. Gruff NFL player exterior with a mushy heart that just craves love. And he treats Penelope with so much respect and adoration. It was fun to watch their relationship and chemistry grow throughout the book. One of the tropes I love best in romance books is when siblings are close and support each other. This book had that and more. The family dynamics were a lot of fun to watch. There was great banter and sarcasm between all the characters with so many tender moments in between. All the moments moved the story along at a great pace. There are some moments of flashback which become important to future points in the book and I appreciated them for how they helped the story and characters grow.
Callihan does hit on some important topics including loss and grief, coming into oneself, allowing others to care for you when you need it, and keeping your heart open.
If you enjoy books with fake engagement/dating, childhood friends, and family antics, pick this one and give it a try.
Author:
Kristen Callihan is an author because there is nothing else she'd rather be. She is a RITA winner and three-time nominee and winner of two RT Reviewer's Choice awards. Her novels have garnered starred reviews from Publisher's Weekly and the Library Journal, as well as being awarded top picks by many reviewers. Her debut book FIRELIGHT received RT Magazine's Seal of Excellence, was named a best book of the year by Library Journal, best book of Spring 2012 by Publisher's Weekly, and was named the best romance book of 2012 by ALA RUSA. When she is not writing, she is reading.
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