“Play Fake” by Lisa Suzanne: A Heartfelt Sports Romance You Can’t Miss

• Author: Lisa Suzanne
• Release Date: October 23, 2025
• Genre: Academia Romance
• My Rating:
• ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
• 🌶️🌶️/5

💋I had no clue what I was getting myself into with another sports romance and a runaway bride, but once again I fell in love with it. If you haven’t read a sports romance before, have been questioning if it is right for you or maybe you don’t like football or don’t know how the game works, that’s totally okay!

Spoilers Ahead

👰🏻‍♀️We meet Ainsley Riggs, recently graduated from college, not sure what to do or where her life is going. Her best friend encourages her to sign up to get married on national tv, but everything changes at the altar. Not wanting to be embarrassed anymore Ainsley takes off and literally runs straight into bad boy Dex Bradley-and her best friend’s older brother.

In four weeks, I fell in love.

Dex Bradley, a bad boy player, never thought of himself as a father considering he never had the greatest role model about a loving and caring father. He doesn’t even know where to start, lucky for him running into Ainsley was going to change his life.

He shrugs. “Life is full of choices and consequences. They’ll be there whether we worry about them or not. Sometimes you just have to let go, say fuck it,v and enjoy the ride.”

“By riding the rollercoaster?”

“By chasing a thrill. By having some goddamn fun once in a while.” He pays for two tickets and I guess I’m doing this whether I want to or not.

I think Dex is exactly the person Ainsley needed in her life. She needed  someone to push her a little to let go and have some fun, someone not to over think and just do what they want, instead of holding herself back. 

She nods. “So maybe we’re more alike than we realized. Except for the taking risks thing. I prefer to play it a little safe.”

“I can see that about you. But you yelled fuck it on that roller coaster. I’m bringing you over to the dark side.”

And I think Ainsley is rubbing off on Dex.

This was a great story about when life gives you lemons, you make lemonade. Especially when it’s your own family throwing the lemons at you. 

I was not expecting the family business to be an underground illegal gambling. Oh and of course this isn’t the first time Dex’s father has brought him into the “family business”, bringing it to Vegas so his son can bring in all the wealthy gamblers. Dex never really wanted to be part of the family business of illegal gambling making sure the Bradley Legacy lives on. But now with Jack and Ainsley in his life, he has realized that the thrill he used to chase has changed.

 Ainsley had nowhere to go and Dex and no idea how to raise a baby, but together through trial and error they found their groove. I may have wanted to punch Dex in the throat a couple of times for being so stupid, there is no nicer way to say it.  But boys won’t always be boys when the right person is around and that is Ainsley. 

🍼She was only supposed to be the nanny, help him with his career-make him more humble. But there is something about Ainsley that makes him want it all to be real. The sunshine to his rainy days. Wanting to do better for her and of course his son. This relationship between Dex and his son is precious and I loved how the author showed the emotional journey for Dex adjusting to having a child. The struggle of having a child and no real idea of what to do.   How he overcomes his own obstacles, and with Ainsley by his side, there isn’t anything he can’t do

“He’s yours.”

I blow out a breath.

We both knew it, but this is confirmation. He’s mine.

And before I know what I’m doing, I’m rushing over to him, pulling him out of his high chair, and squeezing him tightly against my chest in a hug.

I’m hugging my son, and now that I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that he’s mine, I’m not going to let him go

Excuse me while I clutch my pearls. This is so sweet, I can’t. Why is it so freaking adorable seeing men with children 

Favorite Scenes 

He reaches up and takes my face between his palms, and he kisses me gently “I just wanted to say that I think I’m past the falling stage. I love you.”

My eyes soften as they meet his, and I see all the sincerity in them that I need to see to know that this is real. “I love you too, Dex.”

“I came to tell you I love you, Ainsley May Riggs Bradley, and I will do anything to prove to you that we belong together. You were right. I was putting you and Jack in danger, and I came to tell my dad I’m out. The only family I care to be loyal to is the two of you. I walked away from my father, from the legacy, from the money. It’s behind me. I know I fucked up-” 

….

“Sorry.” I say. “I screwed up, and I want to be clear that I didn’t do this to look good. I did it because the two most important people in my world were put in danger because of me, and I will never put you in danger again.” 

Favorite Quotes

Innocence, maybe. Purity and kindness. Maybe a little slice of home 

It’s for me.

I’m taking a risk. Chasing the thrill.

Doing what feels good.

And kissing Ainsley Riggs feels real fucking good.

Once we do this, she’s mine forever.

I’ve never told a woman I’m falling for her, and maybe that’s what makes this so different. I thought it was because she’s a virgin, but hearing her tell me that she’s falling for me too made me realize it has nothing to do with her virginity and everything to do with the fact that there are actual real, deep feelings here between us.

I love reading about this from Dex’s POV, as it reminds me of my first time. I somehow got lucky (some may think differently) that I married my one and only. But I was not his, did it bother me at the time that he had slept with someone else or other people? Yes, how could it not? But the difference my husband told me was that he had these deep real feelings for me and the experience was nothing compared to sex he had before. 

It may have started as a play fake, but it’s ending with the happily ever after I never saw coming when I flew to Vegas to take part in a reality television show.

The Bradley Legacy

• Mad Rivals
• Play Fake

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