Forever Player by R.C Stephens is the final book in the Player series. It delivered a sizzling hockey romance between a commitment phobe heroine and the playboy hockey hero who cannot stop thinking about her. Secrets, fears, and surprises abound, leading to drama, angst, and the eventual happily ever after.
I never thought I would see her again… yet here she was at my game sitting with another man. I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. This post contains affiliate links you can use to purchase the book. If you buy the book using that link, I will receive a small commission from the sale.
Title: Forever Player
Author(s): R.C. Stephens
Series: The Player #5
Also in this series: Anti Player
Published by Self Published on May 4. 2024
Pages: 331
Genre(s): Contemporary Sports Romance
Source: Publicist
Format: eArc 
Purchase: Amazon
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It was like a slap shot to the heart.
Until Willow, the only thing I cared about was playing professional hockey.
After our wild and passionate night, I knew she was different— and one night would never be enough.
But she walked away leaving me with an unfillable void.
I couldn’t stop thinking about her and what we shared.
Little did I know she was keeping a big secret.
One involving two pink lines.
I want to do the right thing—by them both—but Willow has built impenetrable walls around her heart.
Before I can show her how good we could be together, I’ll have to tear down her defenses.
Winning her love is the game plan, but forever with her is the ultimate goal.
In Forever Player, Stephens examined the complex nature of love, forgiveness, letting go of past hurts and embracing change. This instalment focuses on Brett Noble, whom we met in the previous book, Antiplayer. It was clear from then that something was going on with him. In Forever Player, his life experienced a major change when the woman who rocked his world several months ago reappeared with news that changed the trajectory of his life.
Brett and Willow had a passionate one-night stand. One where they shared snippets of their troubled past. That night, they discovered that neither of them were looking for love nor did they have a burning desire to settle down. Brett, however, could not forget Willow. Due to crazy circumstances, the two didn’t get the chance to reconnect. Then Brett learns he is a dad.
I loved how Brett stepped up to the plate on learning of his fatherhood. He never questioned the authenticity of Willow’s claim. He was all in from the get-go. His caring and thoughtful nature went beyond that of his little girl. The way he jumped in to care for Willow as well had me swooning. His connection with his daughter created even more swoon-worthy moments.
Now, while I understood Willow’s fears, I didn’t like the way she ran hot and cold with Brett. He went out of his way so many times to prove to her how serious he was about wanting more than being a co-parent. The man went above and beyond and still couldn’t trust his feelings. One minute she is all in, then she sees something on social media relating to his past, and she shuts down. Her family didn’t help the situation either. Her fears got the better of her and the walls went higher. Eventually, those walls started falling, block by block. Soon, a more positive side to her started to slowly reveal itself, and what a sight to behold.
Forever Player explored several themes, with an emphasis on forgiveness, healing and the power of love. Fans of contemporary romance will love what this tale of second chances has to offer.
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- Face Off With the Captain: R C Stephens - September 12, 2024
- The One I Didn’t See Coming : Piper Rayne - September 10, 2024
- Meant for Gabriel: Natasha Madison - September 8, 2024
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
Hockey romance has been very in demand this year! I don’t think we have this series in stock at my store, so might have to jump on that.
I need to get back into my sports romance phase! I also just finished a book with the surprise pregnancy trope and I enjoyed it a lot. So glad you liked this–Brett sounds so sweet and genuine. <3
That does sound like a special guy to hang in there while she worked out her fears.
This sounds good. I love the different themes the author focused on, Great review!