Line Change

A Second-Chance Romance (The Playmakers Series Hockey Romances, Book 0)

By: G.K. Brady

Narrated by: Ryan Lee Dunlap, Aubrey Vincent

He loved her in silence, lost her in secrets, and now, he’s haunted by both. He’d give anything for one last shot. I've always been the wingman, backing up my best friend on and off the ice. Fighting for every shift, I never minded his easy wins or his rise to stardom … until Claudia Campbell walks into our lives. She’s a game-changer.

Itching to escape her stifling family’s grip, Claudia’s not looking for anything serious. But when the campus hockey star makes his move, she puts her dreams on hold. Me? I’m the bonus, the solid guy she can trust. Marty LeBrun, the best friend who’s always there. But I want to be more than that, even if it means keeping quiet about my buddy’s wild side. You know secrets can’t stay buried forever, right? Yeah. So do I. Now.

When my best friend’s fame takes off, he begs me to cover for him, and I’m torn. My loyalty toward him has never wavered, but now it’s tangled with something deeper for Claudia. I keep his secrets to protect her, but eventually, it all comes crashing down. She finds out and walks out of my life.

Years later, fate throws us together, and I realize I’m still haunted by the one who slipped through my fingers. This time, I’m ready to fight for her—for us. But Claudia’s been burned by my betrayal before. Just when I think we might have a shot, a new truth surfaces—one that could cost me everything, all over again.

©2022 G.K. Brady (P)2024 G.K. Brady

Recommend!!! So worth the credit!

Line change by G.K. Brady

This book had me in a roller coaster of emotions. One moment, I was happy, then next I was mad and then I was sad and so on. I had to take my breaks while listening to this one because, I felt everything both main characters were feeling. We do have a happy ending which left me so satisfied. Especially after going through every feeling. At some point I felt like I was watching a telenovela. Which if you ask me, that is impressive. The narrators Ryan Lee and Aubrey Vincent did a fantastic job. I absolutely recommend this book or audiobook. Both versions won’t disappoint.

Missed opportunities

This is my favorite of the series! 2 people perfect for each other who, by bad luck, missed the opportunity to be together. Settling for friendship, this story evolves over a few years with some emotional heartbreak that leaves you rooting for love. Once I started this story I couldn’t stop until the end. Perfection!!

Sweet Friemds To Loversds

Line Change is a friends to lovers romance, also a very frustrating and sweet love story. I immediately liked Marty and Claudia, two college students. I felt bad for Marty for most of the book, always wanting what he couldn't have. I'm just glad it ended right, it was so heart warming. The narrators did an awesome job bringing everything to life. I'm gonna have to listen to the whole series again. This series is a good sport romance if someone is looking for one.

A Tangled Romance

I was entertained by this prequel to "The Playmakers" series. Marty and Zach met Claudia Campbell on the same night, and both were interested in her. Zach and Claudia became sweethearts. Claudia and Marty became best friends. This story wandered down many tortuous paths which kept my interest. There were times when I just wanted to tell the characters to wake up and stop being so blind. There were some steamy scenes. Ryan Lee Dunlap's and Aubrey Benson's dual narrations were a pleasure to listen to, and their performances kept my attention. I was given a free copy of the audiobook, provided by Home Cooked Books, and I have voluntarily posted this review which reflected my opinions.

Love in the end

This story had characters you love and characters you love to hate - well, really one in particular. Marty always seemed to be getting left in the dust compared to Zach, so why shouldn’t Zach get the girl? Lots of drama to this story. I enjoyed listening as much as I did reading. Nice choice in narrators.

Really long but builds good characters

Really really long! Maybe a little shorter in Part 1 and I would have enjoyed that part more. While I liked it at times it was taking way too long since I already knew what was going to happen. We meet all the characters while they are young and that sets their relationships up. How close a few were and others who thought they were close. The author does a good job building the characters and their connections to others. That helps bring out all the emotions for each one from the reader. I went through a large array of emotions from disgust to happiness. I saw dreams grow and other become squashed. The second part was my favorite as was Marty my favorite character. I really wished him well from early on.

I listened to this on audio. Aubrey Vincent and Ryan Lee Dunlap do a wonderful job on the narration. Very enjoyable to listen to.

Second chance romance captured my heart

If you’ve already read or listened to the engaging, swoon-worthy Playmakers series by author G. K. Brady, you know who Marty and Claudia are: the perfect Colorado Blizzard coach with the wonderful wife and terrific kids, the happily married couple who can’t keep their eyes and hands off each other even if they are now almost “oldsters.” But there’s a heart-stopping, heart-breaking, heart-warming story about how they became that contented couple, and Line Change is it. (If you haven’t listened to the series yet, get going, start anywhere. The beginning is the best but all the stories will bewitch you.)

The story starts with the mother of “what-if’s.” If any teeny, tiny thing had gone differently that first night . . . but it didn’t. Marty and childhood best friend Zach are at college on hockey scholarships. Claudia is also on a scholarship to become a teacher. The boys meet Claudia and her best friend Meghan one night at a local hangout. Claudia is stunning so both he and Zach notice her, but Marty’s reaction the first time he sets his eyes on Claudia is like a Shakespeare love sonnet: her smile, her eyes, everything about her is sunshine, flowers, sunbeams. He’s enchanted, overcome with wonder. He can barely look at her or croak out a word. Which doesn’t bode well for the college-boy bet Zach talked him into about who would end up with Claudia. Meghan and Zach are too similar and don’t hit it off. Claudia misinterprets Marty’s inability to function around her as interest in Meghan, so shifts her attention to Zach. What if? What if?? What if??? Even though little what if’s will pop into Claudia’s head for a long time, Zach says Claudia is the one for him and Marty is too good a friend to Zach to let his true feelings show.

A bittersweet byproduct of Zach and Claudia together is the development of a deep, true friendship between her and Marty. She trusts him, feels comfortable and safe. They spend a lot of time together and he is just happy to be near her. She makes him feel so alive, even if she is unattainable.

Although Marty and Zach have been best friends since childhood, they are opposites. Zach is that guy everybody notices – handsome, charming, talented, bigger than life. You want to be in his circle and it’s not until you’re there that you realize there’s not much behind that façade. Not much truthfulness or sincerity or honesty. But the charm almost always allows him to talk his way out of it. Marty is also handsome, charming, and talented but he’s not bigger than life. Instead, he’s solid and steadfast. He’s the guy you don’t notice until one day you think, “Where has he been hiding all this time?” And with Marty you get an overabundance of truthfulness, sincerity and honesty.

Zach is an incredible hockey player, making it to the NHL in record time while Marty struggles. It’s soon obvious to everyone except Claudia with her he-swears-he-loves-me blinders on and Marty with his I-owe-my-best-bud-from-childhood-the-benefit-of-the-doubt denial firmly in place, that Zach is overindulging himself in every aspect of his life. Claudia’s blinders shift a tiny bit to the side and she makes Marty promise he will tell her if Zach every actually strays instead of just skating on the edge. When Zach in fact does the unthinkable on the eve of his wedding, Marty is torn: stand by his childhood best friend who insists it will never happen again, or tell his best friend, the woman he loves, and put her through needless misery if in fact Zach is sincere. So Marty makes his choice, and it’s the wrong one because most things don’t stay hidden forever. When Zach is still Zach and Claudia finds out about the past and that Marty and others knew, she shuts him completely out of her life. So not only is Claudia heartbroken and humiliated anyway, but Marty has also lost his best friend.

Years pass, life goes on. Marty is a successful coach. And one day, when he has to take one of his players to the hospital, the unbelievable miracle happens: that blond nurse turns around and it’s Claudia. There are those sonnets again. Marty is literally speechless.

At this point in the story, just go and get yourself a cup of coffee, a box of tissues, and some ice for when you need to cool down. If you haven’t already been trying to listen to Line Change straight through you definitely aren’t going to take your earbuds out now. You’re in this until the end. Not kidding. Listening to the back and forth, the regrets, the apologies, the uncertainty, the hope . . . will this second chance live up to the dreams? Are there too many scars for it to survive?

Every Playmakers Series story I read becomes my current favorite. I love all the guys – Beckett, Gage, TJ, Mac, Blake, they’re all big tough guys with gushy hearts. Marty was just the coach to respect and admire. But now - Line Change is going to be my all-time favorite and Marty is #1. His heart is so true to Claudia, his devotion so strong and complete, apparent in every word he utters and every action he takes, even when he messes up. This is second chance romance at its best. Author G. K. Brady does a fantastic job of portraying the angst, the conflict, the emotions, the tension that even though it says “hockey romance” right in the title and you’re pretty sure of where it’s going, you can’t help but worry, want to shout at the characters to get things right. A very satisfying story and a welcome addition to the series that fills in the blanks about a special couple.

Thanks to Home Cooked Books and the author for providing an advance listening copy of Line Change. The narrators are amazing and listening is the best way to savor this story. Ryan Lee Dunlap IS Marty; the warmth, the frustration, the sorrow, the love and the absolute wonder and joy when he thinks Claudia may someday be his. He always gives such a marvelous performance that I know in advance I’ll love any audiobook he narrates. Aubrey Vincent perfectly captures Claudia’s fear and disappointment and anger, horror and humiliation when she finally sees the true Zach, as well as the wonder and relief when she and Marty meet again. Wonderful book, wonderful narrators, highly recommend. I voluntarily leave this review; all opinions are my own.

Emotional Second Chance

I absolutely love this series and this book is another fantastic addition. The narration was emotion filled perfection. I really enjoy these narrators and their performance. This book is an emotional, sweet and angst filled romance that has you rooting for Claudia and Marty to come together and get their HEA. These two definitely have their misunderstanding and secrets to overcome. Definitely a 5 star listen.

I was sent a free audiobook from HCB and am voluntarily leaving this honest review.

What goes around comes back around

Take me back in time and show me the young coach and how he got to where he was! I adored this book. So many ups and downs, Marty and Claudia had such a missed connection in the beginning. To see how it all unfolded for them was amazing. I loved these characters so much. A true roller coaster of emotions. The narrators were perfect! I can’t wait for the next one.

The heart wants what the heart wants!

Line Change is a prequel to The Playmakers series and I just want to say THANK YOU Ms. Brady for giving us Coach Lebraun's story! There was no way this man guided his players with so much understanding and not have a fantastic backstory. And this one is just that...fantastic. Marty has to work hard to play professional hockey, while his best friend Zach has natural talent. But big money and big egos slowly destroy their friendship. Claudia friend-zoned Marty, but Marty wanted Claudia from the moment he saw her. This HEA was hard earned and so worth it. There is so much in this story...secret love for your best friend's girl, sooooo much angst, steamy steam when that angst is over 😍, bad boy trying to do right, fun banter between players, heartbreaking disloyalty and lies, rediscovery of self and friends...a complete circle of feelings and emotions that wrap up a beautiful love story. This is a standalone, but sets the stage for this phenomenal series. I'm not sure if this is the end (well, technically the beginning) of this series. If it is, I'm sad to see this series end. Definitely on my re-listen list. Don't miss this series!!

The narration will push those feelings straight out of your body (in the form of tears, laughter, and yelling...lots of yelling). Ryan Lee Dunlap and Aubrey Vincent once again pair up with their stellar performance of Marty and Claudia. Love, love, love these two together. 5 untouchable stars!