She's been playing it close...

Ara Martin and college football star Ty Masters have been best friends since the first day of school when Ty literally ran her over. She fell for him immediately, but having lived under the shadow of her famous father, she knows a relationship with irresistible Ty would only end in heartbreak. For four years, she’s kept her feelings hidden. But one drunken encounter weeks before graduation is about to expose Ara’s biggest secret and destroy her most treasured relationship. 

He’s been playing for keeps…

Ty is about to be drafted into the NFL, but his personal life is a mess. He’s got an agent he doesn’t like, a brother who can’t stop offering his opinion, and a beautiful woman he craves but can’t have. He can fire his agent and ignore his brother, but he’s not sure what to do about Ara. Ty’s been able to run down every quarterback he’s faced, but his sexy, stubborn best friend keeps slipping through his fingers.

Luckily, he's not one for giving up, and once he gets his hands on her, he's never letting go.

Played by Jen Frederick is the fourth book in her Gridiron series and it’s the story of Knox’s twin brother, Ty as he falls madly in love with his best friend, Ara.

Ty Masters is on the verge of entering the NFL draft and he’s got a lot on his plates. He’s got an agent that he’s not a fan of, bad press following him everywhere he goes because of a jealous ex-girlfriend and some pent-up sexual frustration because he wants his best friend and she has made it more than crystal clear that he is staying in the friend zone. He’s also dealing with the pressure of measuring up or doing better than his twin brother did the year before. Everyone has an opinion and Ty is bound and determined to do it all on his own.

Ara Martin is the daughter of a famous artist and like Ty, she’s determined to make her own way in the world on her own merit. She’s got a lot on her plate as well but the biggest hurdle of her senior year seems to be holding her best friend in the friend zone.

Rowena: Alright, Ames. Let’s do this. Played was good but not my favorite of the Gridiron bunch. I loved Ty though. Like, a lot. Ha! What did you think?

Ames: Same, it wasn’t my fave of the series but I still enjoyed it. I liked Ty – he was so gone for Ara. I like that he didn’t give up on her. And when he walks back into her apartments and says “Fuck the friendship seal”?? SWOON. I loved that.

I like how blasé Ara was about telling the twins apart too. And I liked how they both grew. She was a coward but she ovaried up and he relied on his brother when he really needed to.

Rowena: OMG, ME TOO! When Ty storms out and then comes back?? I read that part twice before moving on in the book. Swoon for real. I especially loved it because he was mad at her but he loved her too. Gah. Homie was going to fight for his girl.

I really liked Fleur. She was a great friend and support system for Ara. She’s the friend that everyone needs in their corner. She was there when Ara needed to get drunk and forget her problems and she was also there when Ara needed a swift kick in the ass because she was being dumb. Seriously, I love Fleur.

Same, and what she tells Knox at the coffee house? I wanted to stand up and applaud her. She had great reasons for being blase about telling them apart. Ara frustrated me more than Ty as far as them getting together but I’m glad she ovaried up and I loved the part where she calls Remy to help her and he’s like, nope. When he told her that he’ll still wear black with her on Wednesday? I laughed out loud. I loved it.

Ames: I liked Remy! And Fleur. They were good secondary characters that made Ara and Ty get their heads on straight when they needed to. View Spoiler »OH I loved that everyone knew they hooked up except for Ty. « Hide Spoiler That cracked me up.

Rowena: LOL, yep. I loved how pissed he was that nobody told him. And I love his text messages to her,

“I know you think this campus is big enough that you can hide from me until graduation but you’re wrong. You might as well come home and face the music.”

I seriously love friends to lovers storylines and Jen Frederick does this one justice.

Ames: I know. Haha It had some good moments but there was just something about it that didn’t fully hit the mark. Ty was freaking hot stuff though.

I think that’s a good quote to show how Ty could recognize Ara’s BS and call her on it. At the same time be alpha enough to be uber hot and not come off as a douche. LOL

All right, I’m giving Played a 4 out of 5. It’s a friend to lovers romance which is my ultimate fave and I liked the characters. There were swoony moments, LOL moments and good character growth. I know I said this wasn’t my favourite of the series but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a fun book to read. It totally was!

Rowena: I’d give Played a 4 out of 5 rating because it was still an enjoyable book despite not being my favorite. There’s plenty to recommend it. I laughed, I happy sighed and I fell in love with the characters all over again. Good stuff.

Gridiron Series