Such a cute cosy read! I have loved this whole series and this one was a perfect ending. Short sweet and to the point. I loved it! Defiantly recommend this series!

This was the best series!
I devoured each and every one.
Playing to Win by Sasha Lace was just so good!
Every last bit of this story was just phenomenally done to me.

Final installment in the Playing the Field series, but this story works well as a standalone.

Unlike the first three books, this one takes place with new characters and is primarily set in Wales over Christmas—I was not expecting a holiday romance when I picked this up, but I’m definitely not mad about it!

Madison is Gabe River’s newest recruit to the Calverdale’s women’s football (soccer) team and hails from Kentucky where just was just jilted at the alter on her wedding day. Now in England hoping for a fresh start, she’s struggling to connect to her team and is grieving her old life. Uninterested in spending Christmas with her family or team members and inspired by her parents stories of their wedding in Wales, Madison decides to spend two weeks at a small town Welsh inn/pub.

Geraint is an ex-professional Welsh rugby player who retired after a career ending knee injury and now runs the inn/pub he inherited from his father. The beloved inn is struggling to make ends meet, especially between his medical bills and exwife bleeding him dry of all his professional sports earnings. Imagine his surprise as the sole guest in the inn over the holidays might be just the person he needs to thaw out his heart…and maybe he could be what she needs too.

Both characters in this novel were a little grumpy, but it was cute to see them come together. The HEA is hard earned and all the more satisfying as both FMC and MMC are pretty stubborn.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publishers for this eARC in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you to Montlake, Netgalley and Sasha Lace for allowing me access to this ARC. I have been struggling with this series but have been wanting to finish it. I don't like not finishing a series halfway through.

My feedback remains the same as previous 3 books. More depth, more emotion and character growth.

2⭐️ Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for a copy of Playing To Win.

Madison is recovering from being left at the altar when she is approached by Gabe Rivers to play football in England. She decides she needs a change so she goes. She ends up spending Christmas in Wales at an Inn owned by Geriant. They end up falling for each other but Madison is scared to commit so she leaves him for her new life in England. But she is trying to figure out if she is truly happy.

This is the fourth and last book in the series. Again it was just an okay read for me. It was hard to get into this book.

Everything you want in a romance is right here. The Calverdale Ladies are back, this time a jilted bride withdraws while a retired rugby player fans the flames. Both have baggage, both need to overcome loss and insecurities, and everyone around them is there to assist. Great storyline, great group of characters throughout the series, just read them all.

Loved this love story between Madison and Geraint. Sasha Lace wrote another winner. A tad different than the other 3 books but I didn't mind one bit. You feel for both characters as they get past things to move forward.

Thank you NetGalley, Montlake and Sasha Lace for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was not sure what to expect since I didn’t know either main character going into this book (which I haven’t experienced in a series) but I was pleasantly surprised.

Madison and Geraint were adorable. Maddie was understandably “broken” and standoff ish. Geraint was awkwardly sweet and so patient.

I enjoyed their progression to get together although the timeline was short so it’s a little crazy but luckily crazy makes a fun story!

The Welsh vocab lesson at the beginning of the book seemed daunting but the words were used in a way that helped describe them without bringing me out of the story.

I think this was my second fav book of the series which is crazy since the other characters from the series were only in the first 10% and last 15% of the book.

Open door.
Running away from heartbreak.
Just a fling, only physical.

In this heartwarming Christmas romance, Geraint, a former rugby player, struggles to keep his late father’s pub in Wales afloat. He feels a sense of duty to honor his father’s memory despite the pub’s lack of success. Madison, another American soccer player, is also dealing with heartbreak after being left at the altar. She joins a UK team but struggles to fit in. Seeking a Christmas escape, she travels to Wales, hoping to find solace where her parents married. There, she meets Geraint, whose past injuries ended both his career and marriage. A snowstorm brings them together, leading to a memorable holiday connection.


The story weaves themes of healing, connection, and found family, with a cozy holiday backdrop. Geraint and Madison’s unexpected romance blossoms, and Madison’s journey brings a sense of closure to the series, ending with the characters celebrating Christmas in Wales.

5 ⭐ 3 🌶️

I can't believe it's over 😭 I'm absolutely obsessed with these Calverdale ladies and their golden retriever beaus. They have made my insides all gooey time and time again and Gerailt was no different. This Welsh Wonder was so dang sweet and perfect for Maddie and I loved them both to bits.

While I was ever so slightly disappointed we didn't get much time in England with our other besties, the time we did get there was so perfect I forgave Sasha rather quickly. This story takes place mostly in snowy Wales, where G and Madison learn to love again and find themselves while they're at it.

I don't know what I'm going to do now that I've not only finished this series, but also Sasha's backlist... But I'm so excited to see what's next for her.

This was such a fun Christmas romance! I have loved this entire series and this was right up there with the rest of them. We are getting the black cat/golden retriever vibes in this one that just worked so well. Madison and Geraint are just swoon worthy and I couldn't help but smile with these two.

While this is book 4 in the series, I don't feel like you will miss too much starting here. They are very well written as interconnected standalone within the series.

After being left at the alter, Maddison, a professional soccer player, decides to escape to spend Christmas alone. She booked the last available room, in an inn with very bad reviews, where she meets Geraint. He isn't looking for any commitment, because he is entirely committed to running his father's inn.
This black cat/golden retriever romance is book 4 in the Playing the Field series. It's the first book I read in the series, but I didn't feel like I've missed anything since they are all interconnected standalones. I've read this series being compared with T L Swan books. They may be as steamy, but I think the ressemblance ends there, at least for this book. I am not a fan of FMCs who are "absolutely done with men" and then fall for the first man they happen to stumble upon. I hated the third act break-up, based on miscommunication and assumptions and unsaid things... All in all, though, I did enjoy the read and the Chrismas feel to it!
I received an advance review copy of this book for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

My favourite in the series! I loved the snowy Welsh countryside and rural pub setting, the black cat/golden retriever energy of the protagonists, the found family vibe of the supporting characters, the parallel in emotional journeys of the mc's and the way the author tied the series up with connections to the earlier books.

This is an absorbing story, infused with introspection and growth. Two very different people brought together by fate and a snow storm, who have no intention of forming a connection - but we all know about good intentions and roads to hell! The author remains true to her style and there are many layers and lessons to this story, built around characters with hidden pain to be worked through and resolved. That is the aspect I most enjoy about Sasha's books - she gives us people in trouble and lets their strength and resilience shine through, as they find their way to a solution, relying on their own tenacity plus support from a special someone.

One of the rawest lines I have ever read is in this book and it was enough to stop me in my tracks. Geraint lays his heart bare and makes himself incredibly vulnerable when he says to Madison " 'Just let me be with you until you leave me.' " But then to counter that there are the lighter notes of the Tom Jones jokes!

On a cheeky note, I luuuurved how the author used the term "beast" to describe Geraint's size! Sigh!! If that doesn't help the imagination, I don't know what will!

This really is a wonderful Christmas story, with a likeable couple in a beautiful setting earning their hard won HEA. The author has tied it all together by finishing the soccer season with the Calverdale Ladies in a very enviable position on the table (as Gabe promised Miri 3 books ago), Reece cooking/hiding in the kitchen (much to Skylar's affectionate amusement) and Lana no longer the wild child but a caring step-mum. As always, I recommend anything Sasha Lace writes!

The last installment in the series and it was a good one. I had a bit of an issue with the FMC but I still enjoyed their relationship. The authors writing is truly what keeps me so hooked and gripped to her stories. This was such a great series overall, and definitely should all be read !

I really enjoyed this fourth and final book in this series. I think it was my favourite one! It had an unexpected (for me) Christmas storyline in a cute pub in snowy Wales, with previous characters making their usual appearances. I’m a massive football fan and it was lovely reading about the Women’s side to football. I’m gutted I’ve finished this series now! I’d recommend this series. You can read them as stand alone books, but reading them all in order you grow with the characters through other main character stories which I enjoyed reading. Thank you for accepting my request for an honest review, I loved this series!

"Playing to Win" is a delightful winter romance that captures the warmth of unexpected connections. Madison seeks solitude after heartbreak, but a snowstorm strands her with the charming Geraint at his Welsh pub. Their agreement for a no-strings fling quickly becomes complicated as genuine chemistry ignites. Geraint’s commitment to his family legacy contrasts with Madison’s career ambitions, raising the stakes for both. Sasha Lace expertly balances humor and heartfelt moments, making the story engaging and relatable. This revised edition is perfect for fans of steamy, character-driven romances, proving that sometimes the best plans are the ones we don’t make.

I want to read other books by this author, that says something, right?

Geraint, a former rugby player, runs a pub in Wales, not particularly successfully but since his father’s death he feels he owes it to the man who was always there for him. Madison experienced a broken heart and, if we’re being honest, a lot of embarrassment and she shut herself off barely functioning, until the owner of a football team (soccer for some of you) comes to her and asks her to play for him in the UK. She is not interested in that and thinks she’s lost her edge because her mind isn’t in the game, but she knows she needs to do something. She takes up the offer, plays a bit and when Christmas break approaches she doesn’t want to go home (the US). She decides to go to Wales and ends up booking a stay at Geraint’s pub. Which she discovers is his after he helps her from being stranded in a blizzard and she runs down the pub and its staff. But we all know this is going to change…..

Look, I am a great lover of forced proximity and the broken man/woman tropes. The way these characters relate to each other, even when it wasn’t romantic was lovely. There are elements of found family, or at least allowing people in and I thought that was nice for both characters. Yes, there is probably a hint of instalove/instalust, but this isn’t an issue for me because it happens people, whether you like it or not, sometimes people meet, click, and that’s it.

This is a cozy love story. I loved Geraint and thought Madison grew as a character.

This is a cozy love story. I loved Geraint and thought Lana grew as a character.

I'm sad to be at the end of this series and as much as I loved the soccer elements in the previous books this one was my favourite as it was so different to the rest in the series and really focused on the romance between the two main characters

Via Netgalley, I was given the opportunity to read the four books in the "Playing the field" series written by Sasha Lace:

Playing the game
Playing to score
Playing for keeps,
Playing to win

As I had all four downloaded, I read them all one after the other. They are quick, feel-good reads, bringing back my own footballing memories from playing for one of the top women's teams in my country.

Lane has created some great 'book role models' for aspiring young female footballers. The male lead characters are supportive, sweet, suitably geeky and all round cinnamon roll book boyfriends...

Madison was excited to leave behind home and play for the Calderdale Ladies football team. On a break from the team, she is snowed in at a pub with the sexy owner, Geraint. When they give in to their mutual attraction, Madison makes it clear that she won't be around for long and is only interested in a physical relationship. Geraint agrees but quickly starts to wish they could be more.