Bryce

The Player, Book 1

By: Nana Malone

Narrated by: Traci Odom, Sebastian York

Money, power, prestige...failure. Bryce Coulter is...The Player.

Don't call it a comeback....Because no one else is. Poised to live up to his legacy, tennis player Bryce Coulter loses it all on one swing. Now, with the pressure on and his future in jeopardy, the last thing he needs is a smart-mouthed training partner with attitude and a killer swing - or maybe she's exactly what he needs.

Rich, spoiled, and moneyed - seen that, been dragged through the dirt behind that. Tami Ivey, gets enough of the bad boy trust fund kids at work. She doesn't need it in her sanctuary too. Playing tennis is the only way to connect to the girl she used to be before tragedy struck. The day Bryce Coulter turns up at her court, she turns on that classic attitude. If there's anything she's learned it's how to make a guy run. Except, he's not running. And maybe she doesn't want him to....

©2017 Nana Malone (P)2017 Nana Malone

On the edge...

Bryce Coulter is a tennis pro that has it all, money, fame, and gorgeous looks from head to toe. The only thing he doesn't have is someone who loves him. Will Tami, the poor girl from the wrong side of the tracks, be the one to steal his heart, or his money?

So the story goes, Tami Ivey is a born tragedy (isn't that how all love stories start out?). She was a rising tennis star when fate stepped in and changed the direction of her life very unexpectedly. So now she is working a low wage job, wearing tattered clothing and living in a rat hole of an apartment in a scary part of town. Along comes Bryce, strolling along through uncharted territory for him, and spots Tami, (love at first sight). Let the courting begin, (no pun intended, lol). Let's start with the story. It felt familiar somehow, and as the story was building up to this big blow out I had the light bulb moment! This is a slightly twisted version of the 1986 movie Pretty In Pink starring Molly Ringwald! Not that this is bad, cause I like that movie, but zero points for originality. The build up in the story was split between Tami facing her fears and opening her heart to true love, and a wolf amongst the sheep that was attempting to drive the couple apart. Well, the villains attempt fell flat for me. There was one attempt and it was pretty lame considering how hateful this person was supposed to be. He really needed to step up his game with the evilness of it all. Despite all this, I enjoyed the story enough to stick with it, but not to the point where when I finished I was blown away or even that I will remember it.

The character development was hit and miss. With Tami, the author did a wonderful job giving her life, a personality, and a background. She was very believable and I liked her, and even felt sorry for her. The pain from the loss and the trust issues from the betrayal was really felt, and Tami displayed how they affected her spot on. Bryce was the total opposite. He is very one dimensional, and I felt zero connection with him. He was simply the handsome tennis player without a life outside of that. Boring. So the whiplash from boring inner monologue to complex inner monologue was the only thing that kept me awake during Bryce's part. Bryce's father Brent was a very supportive and friendly addition despite how Bryce described him. His grandfather and siblings were a nice addition with minimal background, but enough for their parts in the story.

Narrator Review

Traci Odom and Sebastian York supply the narration for this story. Now if you are a follower of the blog, you know how much I love Traci Odom already! She does a fantastic job telling a story. Her tone of voice for the personality type of Tami's character was spot on, well done. This is my first experience with Sebastian York. I thought he was wonderful. His voice has the perfect combination of depth and attitude, giving the impression Bryce is more manly than he deserves. The sound quality was excellent, and oh my panties melt when Sebastian/Bryce was in the throws of passion! Excellent work Sebastian and Traci!
**Audiobook provided by the author for an honest review**

What an interesting family we meet!

Nana Malone always brings a fun, sizzling romance to me! This is the first of the player series, but can be read as a stand alone(I have not listened to them in order). Blake, the oldest of the Colby kids is a professional tennis player who is recovering from an injury when he spots "novice" Tami Ivey on the court. Instant heat, this couple is destined to be together. Or are they? There are so many differences...the is competitive, she is not, he is from a wealthy family, she is not, he is a professional athlete..she is not. There explosive chemistry is off the charts and when they finally do decide to make a go of it, the great Colby family comes into play. I love this family...they love fiercely, both their significant others, as well as their siblings.There is a little twist with Tami's past and the conflict with the older generation is old fashioned, but getting to know them is all part of the plan with the build up to the next book. Meeting the others, especially Echo makes you want to continue with the series and find out what is next for this family.

Traci Odom and Sebastian York are the team dually narrating this book. Both are wonderful and will draw you into the family drama and make it so you want to continue to get to know this family.

Will he have the Comeback, Love or both?

Loved Bryce.. there is nothing like a man discovering the heart of why he played. it is not just the sports legacy but the passion for the game. he rediscovers himself in the eyes of an unexpected source, Tami Ivey

A Nana Malone romance-always a winner.

I enjoyed the dual narration, male and female voice for male and female characters. Tami is making it, just barely. Her dreams ended with the death of her mother. She'd taken care of her mother and ended training for a possible tennis future. Bryce is recovering from an injury on the court. His future is a question. Will he ever recover enough to compete again? It isn't your normal meeting over coffee for them. Rescuing Bryce from a robbery takes the last connection to her dream away. Her racket made a pretty good weapon.

Replacing the racket is nothing to him. But she is proud and has good reason not to want anything from a wealthy man. She insists on doing it on her own. Bryce wants to do more than replace her racket. He wants Tami. The battle is a tough one, families, pride, history, all war against love. What will win? Is there a future for them?

A good sports romance from Nana Malone who never disappoints.

Some Coulter's had some sense and respect . . .

Perk up and pay attention to this hot, swift, wicked serve. Tami has the goods and don’t mind showing them. She serves a wicked ball and a bit of ice to chase it down. But that does not stop Bryce. This was an introduction to a new series that has grabbed my attention from the jump start of the blurb, prologue, and then as I continued to turn each new page. Tami and Bryce have some serious chemistry and make a fantastic team.

I was excited to see that Nana had returned to tennis again. She gave a good solid growth to love with the subtle hints at attraction for the game, the serve, the feeling, the couple. Things did not just steam roll over you and jump you straight to the chemistry brewing between them. They taught one another and things grew from there. The passion. The drama. The next page, please.

York and Odom did the job required of them. They transported the read to the world of Legacy, Coulter, Tennis.

Bryce and Tami - Perfect Match

Nana Malone is my absolute favorite author and I have been anxiously waiting for this series to be released in audio version -- and this did not disappoint -- Ms. Malone does such an amazing job with contemporary sports romances that I know I'm in for a treat when she writes in that genre. Tami and Bryce feel an instant attraction for each other but they each have their own reasons why a relationship between them would not work out. But Tami makes Bryce feel alive so he continues to pursue her much to his Grandfather's dismay. There's always trouble when family brings drama. Tennis brings Bryce and Tami together but will it be enough to keep them together. I love this first book in the series and can't wait to listen to Dax.

Perfect narrators -- Traci and Sebastian complement each other's style well. They made this a very enjoyable listen. While I prefer the duet style narration, these two did such a wonderful job, I gave them all the stars.

Absolutely worth the credit. I'm off to listen to the next book in the series.

ubrupt end

ok, light sports story. not a complete novel. author may be relying on the rest of the books in series to complete many loose ends. that's why it lost stars from me.

Love is learning to accept help

If you could sum up Bryce in three words, what would they be?

sweetheart, with an ego

What did you like best about this story?

I liked the chemistry between Tammy and Bryce despite the ways they grew up.

What does Traci Odom and Sebastian York bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

They gave the characters a little more life.

Not my favorite

I am a Nana Malone fan and it was great to see some of the characters from other series show up here but I felt like I had read this story before. With a few exceptions it was the same storyline as Mix Match. I hope the next book in the series is better

Truly enjoyed this book

The storyline was based on an injured athlete, his wealthy family, and finding love. A wonderful story and having great narrators made it even a more enjoyable read.