Kristen Callihan

A beard-related dare and one hot-as-hell kiss changes everything. NFL center Ethan Dexter’s focus has always been on playing football and little else. Except when it comes to one particular woman. The lovely Fiona Mackenzie might not care about his fame, but she’s also never looked at him as anything more than one of her brother-in-law’s best friends. That ends now. Fi doesn’t know what to make of Dex. The bearded, tattooed, mountain of man-muscle looks more like a biker than a football player. Rumor has it he’s a virgin, but she finds that hard to believe. Because from the moment he decides to turn his quiet intensity on her she’s left weak at the knees and aching to see his famous control fully unleashed. Fi ought to guard her heart and walk away; they live vastly different lives in separate cities. And Dex is looking for a forever girl. But Dex has upped his game and is using all his considerable charm to convince Fi he’s her forever man.

The Game Plan

lexie

this maybe my favorite of the game on series. i love ethan and fiona so much. their relationship is nothing compare with those two.

melina25

Trish

this whole series was mediocre at best... oh well nothing like a little smutty romance novel to get you out of a reading slump.

Molly Morgan

This was a sweet contemporary romance. The conflict was.. annoying to me. Just not my bag and that's okay.

I think this would be a really good read for someone who enjoyed the back and forth tension. It has good spice and a virgin male mc.

Kathleen Tom

Rating: 3 Stars ★★★

HI BOOKLOVERS,

I love the character but I can't fine it in me to give more than 3 Stars. 

I'm enjoying this series so much. I love the characters. I mean I understand how hard it is to make a LDR works trust me I know. I get it so I don't really blame it on Fiona for being afraid that it won't work between them. But Dex is a man we want, a Hero we desire, a gentleman that always try to make it work. To make the hard go easy. I like his "TO TRY" attitude. But yeah no all man was given that kind of attitude so yeah. 

And I have a bad things about this book too, hehe. Everything was perfect from the beginning. It was all rainbows and butterflies but what I don't get it is why is the end LIKE THAT? I don't understand how at first Dex was mad his emotion was here and there and Fi ran away from him or like she's running away according to the writing but then suddenly he ran after her and she was actually out buying things for him. I was REALLY? And suddenly EVERYTHING WAS FINE? And I was what the hell just happen? Where the hell did the story go? 

I don't even know how to feel about all of this. But it was still okay.

Recommended! :)

xoxo. Kath!

Lover of Romance 

I read The Game Plan right after The Friend Zone, because quite frankly, I couldn’t resist the cover. There are many covers that appeal to me, but this one just draws me more than the other two covers!! This one is sexy but it also has a deep emotional quality to it that just draws me like a bee to honey. So what really surprised me about this story is that a sexy pro football player, is a virgin hero. It is always a delight to see this aspect in a romance…but a contemporary–very rare. So I just swallowed up this story like you couldn’t believe. I was interested in this aspect because we see a man that probably could have any woman day or night. But he only wants one woman and he wants to save that part of himself for her, despite all the media attention he tends to get. Man, our hero, Ethan Dexter is one solid man. Fiona, our heroine, has made it her policy to never get involved with football players. She has issues with her father, and refuses to be hurt in the same way. But Ethan is different, and after entering a dare they begin a unique relationship that turns out being long distance. Both Ethan and Fiona realize how solid their bond is to each other, after the distance. But the tides turn, when the media learns about Ethan having been a virgin, and Fiona and Ethan truly realize that love isn’t full of roses and daisies….its full of oppsotion and conflict and they will have to fight to keep it together and strong. What I was really drawn to was seeing how much their relationship gets strengthened in this one because they are tested in some of the most horrid ways but come out on top. This is a romance that is superb on every page.

Jennifer Eggleston 

Not Going To Take Away My Shot! 

Loved Ethan and Fiona’s story! The quiet gentle giant football player gets his girl and it’s fire. I love that they gave as much as they got.

Nedu

Bethany Lacey

Link to Blog: http://laceysloveofliterature.blogspo...

This year the guy-craze has been man-buns and beards (lets be honest, tattoo's aren't a new thing). And I have been all over that (Brock anybody?) So I was beyond stoked to find out that Kristen's new hero in her series had tattoo's, a man-bun and a beard. This guy couldn't have gotten any hotter. 

BUT HE DID!!!

He was just so intense and adorable. I really loved Dex. I loved his intensity, his quietness, his unwavering adoration of Fi. Dex was just like this big loveable teddy-bear. I almost wept for him when I found out about his high school years, and how girls treated him. He didn't deserve that at all. I especially loved how loyal and helpful he was to Gray; I swear my ovaries wobbled a bit when he was looking after Leo, and showing Ivy and Gray how to handle him during that night scene. I... I just really freaking loved this guy.

Now, Fi. I liked Fi a lot. She was fun and the complete opposite of Dex (opposite attracts and all). But I guess you could say I didn't really connect to Fi like I did the previous two heroines in the series. She fought for what she wanted and I admired her a lot for that - she rocked.

I absolutely loved this book. It was an excellent addition to an amazing series. I cannot wait for what's next in this series.

b.andherbooks

I've been saving THE GAME PLAN for a special day, and I finally decided it was time treat myself! And damn. What a treat indeed.

Ethan Dexter is a hero of my dreams, and his giant, tattooed, pierced, body are just a small percentage of what makes him one of my new favorites. The man PAINTS. Paintings of his male friends that he gives them for wedding presents! He shows up, he says what he means, and means what he says, and he's just absolutely bowled over by a woman who is also one of my new favorites.

Besides a brief moment at the break which I felt was out of character for Dex ((view spoiler)[Dex punches a wall multiple times and trashes a bunch of his house when he gets angry and believes Fiona took the payout from the tabloid, scaring her AND ME mightily (hide spoiler)]), this is an absolute perfect romance from start to finish.

I appreciated the discussion of Dex's virginity, why he chose to remain a virgin, and why Fi was the one he was ready to be with. I also appreciated the complete lack of slut-shaming in this story. Fi is most decidedly not a virgin, and that doesn't matter at all. Also for being a football romance, the amount of football to story was just right for me.

I'll definitely be re-reading soon!

CW: violence, discussion of a really bad drunken sexual experience (not rape), public embarrassment of a character due to tabloids

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I thoroughly enjoyed the first two books in Kristen's Game On series, but from the minute I saw the cover for The Game Plan, I was dying to get my hands on this book. And the whole man bun havin' bearded football playin' virgin? Total grabby hands. If anyone knows where I can find a Dex of my own, send him my way. I'm not kidding. ;)

I just LOVED the characters in this book. Fi was fantastic. I have this THING for books where the female is the more sexually experienced person in the couple. I'm glad more authors are doing this because I really enjoy it, especially when it's done well like it was here. It was easy to relate to – and like – Fi. Dex? Well, Dex was nothing short of incredible. I fell in love with him nearly immediately. On the outside he was fierce and big (and bearded – *rawr*) but he was far more vulnerable underneath. Plus, hot damn, he was a kid whisperer. *big swoony sigh*

This book stands out from the pack for a lot of reasons, but one of the biggest ones by far was that the couple TALKED when issues arose. There's not nearly enough of that in new adult books and it often leads to misunderstandings and unnecessary angst. Hooray for a couple taking a more mature approach to communication! Now that's not to say they were perfect or that there wasn't still some drama, but it was manageable, more or less angst-free and I still appreciated them taking their relationship seriously enough to address problems. 

Fi and Dex were fantastic together. I was hooked from their very first hook up scene. So much chemistry! And banter! And smokin' hot sexy times! I loved that he only had eyes for her and was finally admitting it to himself – and her – after all this time. And did I mention the sexy times were hot as hell? Because they were. There's something about reading a guy experiencing all the things Dex was experiencing for the first time that is just... damn. Also? Dex might've been a virgin but he had a dirty, dirty mouth that I appreciated when he put to use. *eyebrow wiggle*

Sexy times aside, I really did love Fi and Dex. What they had was real and they worked hard for it. They both had to let themselves go a little to go after it and they were definitely better together than they were apart. Long distance relationships suck, but they made the best of it. I got so many warm fuzzies from these two. 

The other thing that gave me all the feels was seeing Gray and Ivy (and their little one!) again. I loved them and their story in The Friend Zone so it was great to catch up with them here. Drew and Anna also made an appearance, which made my Hook Up lovin' heart happy, too. This is seriously such a fantastic series. I hope you're reading it. If not, add it to your TBR and get to it... you won't regret it. You'll just wish you started sooner. 

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Lacey

Originally posted at Booklovers For Life

My god. I don’t know how Kristen Callihan does it, but each book in the Game On series (easily one of the best NA series I’ve ever read) gets better and better. I didn’t think I could love anyone as much as I loved Gray from The Friend Zone (my review here), but oh, how wrong I was. Dex is just… perfection. An absolute wonderful hero I’ve fallen so, so, sooooo hard for. AH, I can’t even fully describe how much I love him! And this series!!! This is truly one of the top NA series that I’d recommend to EVERYONE. The lovable, mature characters, the fantastic writing, the humor, the heartache… Kristen Callihan mixes all of these into a potent combination that will steal your heart and take your breath away.

I see Ethan Dexter; he shines for me. And I burn hotter than the sun when I’m in his orbit.

We previously met Dex and Fiona in The Friend Zone, and they were quite the opposites. Dex is quiet and reserved, the go-to guy when his teammates need advice. Fi is an out-going, feisty girl who doesn’t hold anything back. He’s a virgin and a football player; she’s open about her sexuality and hates dating football players. Fi doesn’t really notice Dex, but he’s had his eye on her since the moment they first meet. And for two years, Dex has kept to the shadows, always watching her from afar, but one dare and kiss changes everything, and this sexy lumbersexual is determined to fight for the one woman he wants.

“You’ve ruined me, Fiona. I’m not sure I know how to live without you anymore.”

I’m just a pile of melted goo now, after finishing this book. Dex makes my heart practically SING – he’s romantic, sweet, thoughtful, patient. He’s just the perfect man for Fi, and she’s the perfect woman for him. Fi gets Dex to open up and show his true self only to her, while Dex gives Fi an anchor, a foundation. God, I seriously loved this couple. The two of them truly bring out the best and most out of each other. You can’t read this book and NOT smile and clutch at your heart at seeing them interact with each other, at them being TOGETHER. Oh, and did I mention how freaking HOT this book is!? You will seriously need a fan because the chemistry between Dex and Fi is off. the. charts. And Dex’s dirty mouth… *flails* I loved it!

“Being with you. Loving you—You make me feel everything.”

I haven’t rated a book 5 stars in quite a while, but what better way to get me out of my book funk than with Dex and Fi!? The Game Plan is another brilliant, heart-wrenching, utterly romantic addition to this series that I will forever adore. Fi and Dex’s story isn’t perfect, as they have their ups and downs, but their story was written perfectly and I couldn’t imagine it better. I honestly never wanted this book to end. And, another plus, we get to see the other couples from the previous series, and the new NFL teammates! The banters, the bromances, and the camaraderie were all a joy to read. Gah, this book. Just thinking about it makes me smile. I loved it with my whole heart – I can’t recommend it enough!

“I love you. I don’t say that enough. Just know that whatever I do, wherever I am, it is a constant refrain in my heart. You color my world, Fi.”

Thanks to the author for generously providing me an ARC to review.

Quotes are taken from the ARC and are subject to change in the final version.

Amazon Ebook: http://amzn.to/1XgDVtD

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The Game Plan

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