His Favorite Player (Portland Piranhas #1) by Alie Nolan

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Blurb

Ryan has been living a lie his entire life in fear of losing his NFL career, because of who he is behind the lie. Football is all he’s ever wanted, the thing he loves most in the world—until he meets a gorgeous man in a bar, with bleached-blond hair, a sexy British accent, and a Piranhas hat, who changes everything.

Alec doesn’t understand American football—why would he? The cute stranger in the bar doesn’t need to know that though. What starts as a simple white lie about his favorite NFL player, turns into so much more.

Living in a new city, thousands of miles from his home town, the last thing Alec expects is to be swept up into a secret romance with one of the Portland Piranhas’ biggest stars, but is falling in love enough for Ryan to risk losing his career by coming out? Is it enough for Alec to go back in the closet until Ryan retires?

His Favorite Player is a 43K word MM romance that includes nosy families, food fights, and secret relationships.

𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘗𝘪𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘦. Ryan has been living a lie his entire life in fear of losing his NFL career, because of who he is behind the lie. Football is all he’s ever wanted, the thing he loves most in the world—until he meets a gorgeous man in a bar, with bleached-blond hair, a sexy British accent, and a Piranhas hat, who changes everything.

Alec doesn’t understand American football—why would he? The cute stranger in the bar doesn’t need to know that though. What starts as a simple white lie about his favorite NFL player, turns into so much more.

Living in a new city, thousands of miles from his home town, the last thing Alec expects is to be swept up into a secret romance with one of the Portland Piranhas’ biggest stars, but is falling in love enough for Ryan to risk losing his career by coming out? Is it enough for Alec to go back in the closet until Ryan retires?

His Favorite Player is a 43K word MM romance that includes nosy families, food fights, and secret relationships.

𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘗𝘪𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘦.

Ryan has been living a lie his entire life in fear of losing his NFL career, because of who he is behind the lie. Football is all he’s ever wanted, the thing he loves most in the world—until he meets a gorgeous man in a bar, with bleached-blond hair, a sexy British accent, and a Piranhas hat, who changes everything.

Alec doesn’t understand American football—why would he? The cute stranger in the bar doesn’t need to know that though. What starts as a simple white lie about his favorite NFL player, turns into so much more.

Living in a new city, thousands of miles from his home town, the last thing Alec expects is to be swept up into a secret romance with one of the Portland Piranhas’ biggest stars, but is falling in love enough for Ryan to risk losing his career by coming out? Is it enough for Alec to go back in the closet until Ryan retires?

This is the first book in the Portland Piranhas series, but can be read as a standalone.

Review 

My Rating - 5 Stars!

I was so damn excited about this Portland Piranhas series by Alie Nolan. The first book, His Favorite Player, hooked me from the start and I couldn't put it down. 

It has athletes, regular folk, and just a small amount of sports moments. I love it. Absolutely love it. 

It starts in a fun way, as Alec doesn't know who Ryan is when they meet. Ryan's a closeted NFL player who's too afraid to ever even hook up, but he's super intrigued by the makeup wearing Alec. 

The tale is full of romance, as Ryan struggles with his fear of coming out. It's definitely full of some heat and spice, as the two start getting involved. They are wonderful together, naturally fitting into one another's lives, and the sex just makes it better. 

One of my favorite storylines is that of a closeted athlete struggling with coming out. This book is just that. There's angst, but it's only a little. I never felt heartbroken by their struggles, but I was definitely rivited by them. 
The writing is fantastic, as the author manages to capture the readers' attention despite it being a shorter story with only a little character development. That slight development is more than enough to please the reader, keeping them invested in the relationship. Told in alternating 1st person pov, I was hooked. 

I can't recommend His Favorite Player enough. It's perfect when you're in the mood for a fun, fast-paced sports romance. And now I am super excited to read about more of the team's players!