The Long Game: A Novel (1) (The Green Oak Series) Paperback – September 5, 2023

I really enjoyed this book. I am not a huge soccer fan, but once I got into the characters, I couldn't help but love Cameron. He reminded me of Roy from Ted Lasso so much. Gruff and blunt, but truly a loving softie, good with kids, and so supportive of Adalyn.The story was sweet, funny at times, and very emotional. It really tackled some big trauma issues. It was an engaging story with terrific side characters and a colorful small town setting.

Slow burn lovers, this one's for you! It's a long game indeed for these two instant enemies, with a quiet, soft story that takes its time before slowly cranking up the heat. The first half teases with smaller moments and potential-filled glances, leaving a trail of breadcrumbs towards the tension-filled romance that sparks in the back half. It gets richer and deeper as the story progresses, with a tender and intimate love story at the heart of it. These two are both grumpy at first glance, but peeling back the layers of their personalities and tearing down their walls allows them to understand the ways in which they’re perfect for each other. I loved that the hero was such a sweetheart underneath his initial gruff, and he made the ideal counterpart to the bossy, “cold” heroine. Together, they made a fantastic team, and watching them slowly connect was quite the journey.The story follows Adalyn, a woman whose father owns a professional soccer team. Adalyn has been working hard to prove herself, and that often makes people believe she’s cold and unfeeling. It’s not until a viral video ruins Adalyn’s reputation that she realizes just how little love she has in her life - punctuated by the fact that her own father has temporarily exiled her to a small town. Adalyn expects to be working with a smaller soccer team... and is dismayed to discover that it's actually a team of little girls. Even worse? Their coach is the grumpy stranger Adalyn may or may not have hit with her car when she arrived in town. The two started feuding the moment they met, and they continue to clash over how to run the team. But the more Adalyn and Cameron get to know each other, the more they realize that their initial assumptions were all wrong. They're both in town while grappling with some major changes in their lives, and Cameron's unexpected support is a balm to Adalyn's system.I ADORED The Spanish Love Deception, but the audiobook narrators ruined The American Roommate Experiment for me, so I was cautiously optimistic going into this. I wasn't sure what to expect. So this love story snuck up on me, especially with the exceedingly slow burn at the center of it. Though I was interested in Cameron and Adalyn's story the whole way through, the first half focuses on quietly tearing down their walls. As we learned more about each of them, I really grew to love them both as individuals - and it was easy to see the little kernels of connection. This truly is a slow burn romance that will require some patience from the reader, but it burns so good in the back half. Cameron reveals himself to be such a loving, supportive man, and I swooned over how well he understood Adalyn. He's definitely a man with layers, and I loved peeling back all of them. As with The Spanish Love Deception, the tension starts building later in story, with some intensely intimate and spicy moments between these two. I became more emotionally invested in the story with every page, and it ended up being a pretty stellar read.Audio note: The audio was great! I cannot even tell you how disappointed I was to jump into The American Roommate Experiment on release day and discover that the narrators were ALL wrong for the story. If I close my eyes and try to remember that book, I'm still haunted by the male narrator's over the top performance - it's honestly the only memory I have of the story. So I wasn't sure I was going to listen to this one on audio, but I'm glad I took the chance. This is my first experience with Frankie Corzo, but she does a phenomenal job. I loved her voice, and it was perfect for the story. I've never been the biggest fan of Shane East (the British accent doesn't do it for me, sorry), but I actually really enjoyed him here. Not sure if he's toned down the accent since I listened to him last, but his voice was right for Cameron. They both do a great job infusing emotion into the performance, so I ended up having a very successful listening experience. The runtime (13-14 hours) was longer than I could get through in a single day, but I became more and more excited to get back to the story every time I set it down. It would make a solid workday listen since the romance is such a slow burn and much of the story is upbeat, though there are several spicy moments later on. I ended up loving the audio, and it improved my reading experience for sure.

This one fell short for me. I went in expecting the same feels and magic of The Spanish Love Deception, but The Long Game didn’t deliver. It started off really well, but fizzled less than 50% in. I didn’t find the romance between Adalyn and Cam to be all that believable, nor did I think Adalyn gave off the “boss babe” vibes she was supposed to. She was whiny and timid and did little to advocate for herself. Cam’s European accent and tattoos were mentioned loads, but those alone failed to draw me in to him as a MMC. I also found the “big reveal” at the end to be unbelievable and underwhelming. I guess there was some foreshadowing throughout the book, but really?! I don’t think I’ll be picking up any other books in this series.

The Long Game is a very appropriate title for this book. This was the longest slow burn I have ever read. In other slow burn romances I’ve read, the main characters usually get together around the halfway point but not this one. I didn’t mind it though. I liked the tension and banter between Adalyn and Cameron. I liked the build up to their first kiss. Adalyn and Cameron didn’t get off on the right foot. Cameron wanted nothing to do with her and tried to get her to go back home. When they got to know each other, they realized they weren’t so different. I felt bad for how Adalyn thought of herself as boring and an ice queen, because that’s what other people thought of her. She didn’t like asking for help because she didn’t want to be inconvenience for the people around her. I’m glad that Cameron wanted to make her feel important, loved, and wanted to her safe. I loved that he wanted to be by her side and help her “slay her dragons.” I did not like the way her father treated her at all. It’s no wonder she thought of herself the way she did. Overall, I really enjoyed this book.