The Right Player

By: Kandi Steiner

Narrated by: Mia Madison, Leon Nixon

I have a three-date rule - but it's not what you think.

See, I've been told I'm the "good time girl", not the one you take home to Mom. And while that label stung at first, I've since embraced it - living the wild and free life and sticking to a three-date max. That's just enough time to have some fun and snuff out the possibility of catching feelings. And it's been working for me for years.... Until Makoa Kumaka.

Sadly, he also has a three-date rule - and it's the exact opposite of mine. From the second I meet him, all I can think about is stripping down that six-foot-five Herculean hunk of a man. But like the gentleman I wish he wasn't, he's making me wait.

The more time we spend together, the more I feel those pesky emotions creeping in. I'm even tempted to trust him, but blame it on my past or my instincts, I can't shake the feeling that he's hiding something....

I've been playing the game forever, and no man has ever won my heart - which meant they never had the power to break it. But maybe I just hadn't met the right player.

Maybe I'll wish I never did.

Contains mature themes.

©2020 Kandi Steiner (P)2021 Tantor

5 stars all the way

The story starts with Belle dating the guy Gemma (from The Wrong Game) had taken to a football game with her season tickets. From the other book, we learn that Gemma’s date, Jordan, is a pediatrician but she wanted to be with Zach, and once she realized that Belle stepped in to avoid leaving Jordan high and dry at the football game. As Belle and Jordan dated they had an understanding they weren’t in an exclusive relationship until Jordan met someone he wanted to have a future with. That decision left Belle without a guy to do things with and she implements her 3-date rule: no more than 3 dates so there is no way she can catch any feelings.

THE RIGHT PLAYER
● Belle (32) & Makoa (27)
● interior designer / pro football player
● meet cute: when Makoa hires Belle to decorate his new place except he lied about his job
● M - is used to women only wanting him for his money and fame
● B - is used to guys only thinking of her as the ‘fun time girl’
● these two have trust issues with the opposite sex
● trivia night
● sports romance
● cinnamon roll hero
● standalone

’The Wrong Game’ is in the same world as this story. THE RIGHT PLAYER takes place AFTER the other book but these two books can be read as standalones.

Great audio with an okay storyline.

After reading the first book The Wrong Game, I couldn’t wait to hear her best friend, Belle’s story!! We knew from the first book that Belle had a 3 date rule so I was curious where that stemmed from and how it would play out! The book started off good as Belle is an interior designer and Makoa is her client. She doesn’t know he’s a football player and that intrigues him so he lies about who he is and they start seeing each other. For some reason, I didn’t click with this book like I did the first one. I did finish it but the storyline that ensues is Belle wanting to be done after their 3 dates even though she likes him and Makoa continuing with his lie as he finds out she hates football players. It’s an okay read that was hard for me to finish out of lack of interest so if I had to pick, I’d say to stick with just reading, The Wrong Game!

The audible was good, but the storyline just didn’t keep me hooked.

Narrators were monotone

As far as the Audible performance goes, these two narrators, especially the female were super monotone, and felt like their performance of the story was really dull and hard to get into

Belle & Makoa

I enjoyed this story line. It wasn’t my favorite of Kandi Steiner’s but it wasn’t bad. The narration wasn’t bad but it was definitely not as great as some of the other ones I’ve listened to in the past. Felt more monotones and lacked emotion

Makoa & Belle

Good narration from Mia Madison and Leon Nixon -

Belle had her heart broken by her football player boyfriend in college. His words made her believe she was just the girl the guys wanted to have fun with, not settle down with - so she embraced that for the next 10 years. She had rules - never more than 3 dates, it's all about the "fun", and NO football players.

One thing I thought was weird was that - if she dated a football player for at least a couple of years in college, shouldn't she know more about the game?

Makoa (Mak) is new to Chicago, a free agent hoping to get picked up by the Bears (da bears!). He's hired Belle to be the designer for his new condo - and the moment he meets her, he's attracted to her and wants more. But the women in his past were all about his bank account, so he's reluctant to disclose his profession to Belle right off the bat. Therefore - he lies.

It's a cute story, with a few great discussions between Belle and Gemma that wake Belle up to her own self-sabotage. Mak's just a total sweetheart in the body of a football god, and shows his emotions like it shouldn't matter (and you know, it doesn't). An emotionally aware guy is FIRE.

I enjoyed it - but I found Belle a *little tiny bit* annoying in both books ;) But, she learns, and redeems herself in the end.

Sweet Scale: 4/5
Spicy Scale: 3.5/5