I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. I liked this book because of how strong the main characters were. Got to love gurl power.

I would like to thank netgalley and Escape Publishing for a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Interesting to see a sports romance where the heroine is the athlete, though the ending was a bit of a let down.

Sadly this didn’t work out for me on this occasion, so I won’t be leaving a public review on any platform.

I loved the role reversals in FAIR GAME: how wonderful to read about a female athlete, one who really cares about her sport, whose sport is not a plot device but her reason for living. Levi is the massage therapist, and I also appreciated that there was no ethical fine line to be thread. I lived Levi and Darcy’s friendship as if it were my own; I loved the camaraderie between the female footballers; I loved how Levi and Darcy behaved like responsible adults in every aspect of their lives. Just a tiny little thing: would it be possible to have Genevieve’s story, even if only a short story, fifty pages? She was awesome! I just want more of the Women of W.A.R.

What more can I say? Super fast-paced; beautifully written as always; the sex scenes are steamy, passionate, and tender; the dialogues feel genuine, and the banter is great; and the romance happens in a realistic timeframe. FAIR GAME is yet another fabulous book by Amy Andrews!

Did not quite enjoy all the books in the series. Two books were excellent however the third one was so short and abrupt, it spoilt the entire experience

This is the third book in the series and was not a bad read. I liked Darcy she was a complete tom=boy and did not care what people thought of her. Levi who is her roommate is a massage therapist who specializes in sports injury and he had feelings for Darcy that have grown stronger over the past several years.I just loved Levi he was a great character and just made the book for me a really good read

I enjoyed this, it is the first in the Women of W.A.R series I have read and will be checking out the others. Darcy has been drafted to the Women's AFL and has lots going on, her ex comes back into her life as the coach and is quite and unlikable guy. Her flatmate is secretly in love with her and when Darcy's ex returns to the picture he in pushed to make Darcy aware of his feelings, at the same time Darcy realises she may have feelings for him. I enjoyed the characters, the sex scenes and romance were fun and hot, a quick read, but a good one.

Thanks to NetGalley and Escape Publishing for a copy in return for an honest review

Darcy Clarke’s dreams are coming true. She’s going to play for the Brisbane Banshees in the Women’s Australian Rules competition. The only cloud on the horizon? The new coach is her ex-boyfriend, who dumped her and broke her heart two years ago, and now seems to want back into her life and her bed!

Levi is her flatmate, the best friend whose shoulder she cried on when Tony broke her heart… and the guy she’s starting to realize she has feelings for beyond just friendship. Of course, she has no idea that Levi has been harbouring a crush on her ever since she was his best friend’s girl.

I’m not always a huge fan of friends-to-lovers romances (real-life bad experience!) but this was masterfully done, with lots of mutual pining and chemistry from both leads. There were a couple of really steamy sex scenes and a fabulous bit where Darcy told Tony in no uncertain terms what she thought of him. Levi was a gorgeous hero, the yoga instructor with a man-bun who is incredibly supportive of Darcy’s sporting career in a delightful role reversal to the usual tropes.

All of the books in this Women of W.A.R. series have featured some great female friendships, and I do hope the series doesn’t stop with these three books. There are plenty of characters here who could have great stories of their own. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed these three, each of which can absolutely be read as a standalone story, and am happy to give this one five stars.

Title: Fair Game
Series: Women of War Book #3
Stand Alone Title: yes
Author: Amy Andrews
Genre: Romance
Blurb: How to mend a broken heart...Darcy Clarke would do anything to play for the new Women’s Aussie Rules league, even put up with her ex, Tony, who just happens to be the coach of the Brisbane Banshees. Tony stomped out of their apartment – and all over heart – two years ago, but she’s moved on, and she deserves her jersey.

As his best friend’s girl, Darcy has always been out of Levi’s reach, even after Tony dropped her and moved out of the apartment they all shared. Now, two years on and still sharing the same apartment, she should be fair game. But Levi is no closer to getting Darcy to think of him as anything but a roommate and a friend.

But when Darcy injures herself in play, Levi’s qualifications as a sports massage therapist are put to good use. Suddenly, their relationship becomes very hands on, and Darcy sees a whole new side of her old friend. A pity he seems immune to her charms. When Tony makes it clear he wants back into her life, she has a decision to make: between the man she once loved and the man who never left her side.
Favorite quote(s)/excerpt(s): Christ, if she wanted d$@k, she could have his. God knew, it was hard as a freaking rock at the moment. Granted it wasn’t bright pink. Or as big. But it was flesh and blood. It was real. And he knew what to do with it.
Thoughts: It’s always interesting to read a book with strong, physical female sports figures, and this one added one of my favorite troupe’s – friends to lovers. Levi has a had a thing for Darcy for forever, but for the majority of it she was his best friend’s girl…then his ex-best friend’s girl……and then he got placed in the ‘friend zone’. What’s a guy to do? But with the dreaded ex lurking back on the horizon again, Levi has the push he needs to make their relationship more. As we all know, it’s not that easy to switch from friends to lovers….at least not without losing your friend in the process. Overall a pretty god friends-to-lovers book, particularly if you’re a fan of sports themed books.
Rating: B
Other books in this series: Game On by Nicola Marsh Long Game by Catherine Evans

3.5 - ”I’m all for equal masturbation rights…” Stars!

The third book of the Women of W.A.R series stands head and shoulders above it’s predecessors, not a massive surprise to me though because Fair Game is penned by Amy Andrews, and in general this is an author that delivers for me when it comes to contemporary romance/erotica.

"Being with you on any level was better than not being with you at all…"

I won’t lie and say this is the best book she has ever written, but it was an easy-going read, about a couple who essentially both have the hots for each other but are frightened to admit it. That is until the villainous ex comes back into the picture, this pushes the adorable Levi Phillips to step out of his good-karma-yoga-zen mentality and go all alpha on Darcy Phillips, the woman of his dreams, seven years friendship and house share, five of which she spent with another guy, the last two they have both spent single.

This is a quick, easy, predictable read, the sexy-times are a little lower in quantity than you would find in a normal Andrews offering, but then it is not the longest book so to be expected. Worth a couple of hours of your time if you are a fan of this authors work.

This was a great read. Darcy is a strong, determined woman who isn’t afraid to go after what she wants, while Levi is everything – supportive, sexy and awesome. It’s friends to lovers in the best way, and I really enjoyed it.

Neither Darcy nor Levi are your typical romance protagonists. She’s the sporty go-getter, while he’s the sexy support, she’s the one who’s been hurt by love and unwilling to be hurt again, while he’s been languishing for her in the background. They stand all the typical tropes on their heads and they do it brilliantly. Plus, underneath it all, they’re really good friends – who happen to share some scorching chemistry.

Best of all: Levi is willing to stand back and let Darcy achieve her dreams, putting her wants and needs way ahead of his own. And Darcy isn’t an idiot when it comes to Tony. That was the plot strand that made me most wary of this book, but I’m glad it once again didn’t go in the obvious direction.

Having said all that, I felt a bit let down by the conflict. I expected better of Darcy than what she does, and as cute as the making up was… I still wanted to slap her for some of the things she’d said.

Which is a shame, because the rest of this book is great. It’s hot, Darcy is kick-ass and Levi is amazing. It’s Amy Andrews doing what she does best and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I love Amy Andrews’s stories and this one is a beauty, hot, steamy and so very sensual and sporty to boot as well. MS Andrews knows how to write a story that is sure to pull the reader in from the first page, her characters are easy to like, and they are strong, smart and fabulous, this is the third book in this series about woman playing Aussie Rules in their first national competition and in this one we meet Darcy Clarke who has been picked to play for the Brisbane Banshees and we journey with her to an awesome HEA.

Darcy is over the moon at being picked for the team, she loves her footy and has put everything into it, she has been single for the last two years after her boyfriend Tony walked out on her, she is still sharing the apartment with Levi Phillips who was Tony’s best friend and for two years they have become close friends they are there for each other and he is so easy to talk to. Darcy is determined to focus on her footy and winning the grand final but when her ex Tony is appointed coach of the team she puts the past behind and looks to the future.

Levi is a physio therapist and yoga teacher he has a man bun and is gorgeous but he is calm, cool and collected but he has always had feelings for Darcy during the years that she was with Tony but in the last two years that they have become friends and he is biding his time to finally let her know how he feels after the footy season, he knows what it means to her. But fate steps in and with Tony pushing and an injury to Darcy things happen a bit faster than was planned.

This really is a fabulous friends to lovers story, I absolutely loved Levi what a sexy hero he is so loving, caring and thoughtful and yeh he knows how to make a girl smile and Darcy what a heroine truly when Levi opens up to her about his feelings although shocked she is in and opening up about her feelings as well they make the perfect couple. This story will make you laugh and smile the banter between Darcy and Levi is the best and the sensual romance and journey to that stupendous HEA is so very good, thank you MS Andrews for another keeper, I highly recommend this one.

I requested this book because of reviews from two Goodreads friends. I’m so glad I did! I loved it!

Darcy Clarke is not a girly girl. She wears loose comfortable clothes and no makeup. She prefers junk food over healthy. She works for a market garden business doing manual labor and digging in the dirt. However, Darcy wants to play professional Aussie Rules women’s football.

Levi Phillips is a sports injury massage therapist who also teaches yoga, eats healthy and prefers comfort over form. He’s been attracted to Darcy for the last 7 years, but the last 2 have made him realize he loves her.

Darcy came to live with Levi when she and Tony moved in together. After 5 years of undermining her confidence, Tony pulls a dickhead move and leaves her. Darcy continues living with Levi. Over the next 2 years, they continue to become even closer friends. Levi is her staunchest supporter. Darcy doesn’t have time for a relationship or a social life because she is focused on making the women’s team and doesn’t want any distractions.

I am not a fan of the man bun, but Levi is so awesome, I overlooked his one flaw (IMO). He just got Darcy. He was patient, kind, understanding, supportive, encouraging and thoughtful. I struggled a little bit with Darcy’s insistence at keeping him at arm’s length. I loved how it was all resolved but really would have liked an epilogue. The ending was a little too abrupt for me.

The sex scenes? Fanning myself. The feelings and heat these two generate are amazing.

This is my first book by this author and I will be looking for more!

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher.

Fun romance! This one flew by and sucked me in during one sitting!

Fair Game takes us to Brisbane and the Brisbane Banshees, another women's Aussie Rules football team. This time Darcy has to see past Levi's friendship and support to the love beneath. Is she brave enough to embrace both his love and her desire to play professional football? Will she have to choose between the two?
I started out feeling impatient with Levi and Darcy as they danced around their attraction for each other. And then my frustration ratcheted up another notch when Darcy's ex came back into the picture and started making moves on her. That put a sour taste in my mouth and had me wanting to skim through the story. Her ex was a total douche canoe. Fortunately, Ms Andrews didn't linger there too long but at the same time, I wanted Darcy and Levi to get a move on.
I loved Levi. He's kind, supportive and understanding. He's total best friend material and unfortunately, while he's in love with Darcy, he's also friend-zoned himself. Willing to have her in his life any way he can. Levi has the patience of a saint. He really does. While he's waiting for Darcy to finish her football season and come to her senses about her feelings for him, he's willing to wait for her. And he's even willing to wait further when Darcy decides her football career is more important. That made me a bit cross with Darcy because why can't she have both? Women can multi-task and have a life as well as a career.
Darcy frustrated me, if you haven't guessed that already. She's dedicated and hardworking, and totally focused on her football career to the exclusion of all else. She doesn't think she can have both, it's either one or the other. When faced with a terrible injury, she was determined and focused about getting back into playing shape. I admired her willpower in getting over her injury. On the relationship front, I wanted to shake her.
I'm glad I took a chance with this series. I've enjoyed the stories and I've enjoyed learning more about the sport, and seeing the sacrifices these women have to make in order to play a sport they love and be nationally recognised. I've only recently come to realise that there's an Australian Women's Rugby League who represent Australia on the world stage. I think I'm going to have to find out more about them. They've been around since the mid-90s. I like it when real life and romance intersect. If you're looking for a sports romance and wanting a story that features women in sports, I recommend this series.

This is another winner from Amy Andrews! A bit of a slow burn, but really satisfying (although maybe a little rushed?) at the ending .

Darcy has just been recruited for the first national Aussie Rules footy team (I wish this book came with a set of YouTube clips, by the way), and her coach is an ex-lover Tony. Don't worry, he's boring and not that important to the plot. The love interest is Levi, her roommate for the past 7 years! More importantly, he's a yoga instructor and has a man bun. FINE.

It's a total slow burn, he's been in love with her forever but doesn't want to ruin what they have. She's blissfully unaware of his interests, but has been noticing him more and more. This felt like a long delay to them hooking up, and then a pretty short turn around to the HEA. Nevertheless, a book I enjoyed, as always, with Amy Andrews.

Fair game by amy andrews.
Darcy clarke always wanted to play professional football. Now she gets her chance. Levi phillips has been trying to get with darcy but she keeps turning him down. Will they get together and fall in love with each other?
A very good read. I liked darcy. I liked the ending too. 4*.

Fair Game by Amy Andrews is a best friends to lovers read with many scorching moments. This is the third book on the Women of W.A.R series. A series that has showcased some likeable characters, including Darcy and Levi from this instalment by author Amy Andrews.
Review copy received from Escape Publishing via Netgalley

I’m going to remember ‘Fair Game’ as one of Amy Andrews’s best. For not just the unusual portrayal of a hands-on, sporty, low-maintenance market gardener and the unusual man-bunned, sports therapist, yoga-loving man but also proving, in the world of alpha males and women who sometimes struggle to understand them, that non-stereotypical roles can not only function but function brilliantly.

Who would have thought that an understanding of anatomy would be so useful?

But the best of all? It doesn’t take a footy fan to understand the development of the relationship between Levi and Darcy; Andrews writes their friends-to-lovers journey with a sweet but raunchy and believable build-up, concentrating on characterisation instead, up to the point where you’re convinced that the clothes have to come off (and thankfully they finally do). Levi came across as one of the best top blokes - understanding, supportive and so thoughtful - I’ve had the privilege of reading about and while I didn’t exactly understand Darcy’s initial insistence that a relationship would detract from the many things that were going on in her life, I’m glad that this was resolved fairly easily and quickly with a conclusion that I thought could have benefitted from an epilogue.

Still, ‘Fair Game’ left me a happy camper and considering the reading slump I’ve been having so far, this just made my day.

Four and a half stars.

So, last year I got mentioned by Amy Andrews in her newsletter because of my comments on one of her books (and not in a good way), TBH I was flattered but it did make me hesitate over requesting this book from NetGalley - would I be disappointed by the sex to plot ratio? Good news for me, I lurved this book, maybe not so good for those who like Amy at her raunchiest ...

Anyway, this is the third book in the series Women of W.A.R. (Women's Australian Rules football), each book is by a different author, I loved the first book but wasn't thrilled by the blurb for the second so I gave it a miss but liked the blurb for this and, usually, love Amy Andrews' books so I requested it and I can confirm that you can easily read these books as stand-alone novels. The back-story (which is explained) is that a brand new women's league has been created and the women in each novel are players in the inaugural season.

Darcy Clarke has shared a house with Levi Phillips, her ex-boyfriend Tony's ex-friend, since she and Tony were an item and for two years after that. In a bit of a gender stereotype reversal Darcy has a hard physical job as a market-gardener (think lugging huge sacks of compost) and plays the physically demanding game of Australian Rules football (which is not soccer) whereas Levi is a yoga teacher and is all about the wheatgerm and eating clean. However, he is also a total hotty and just the descriptions of him and his messy man-bun brought me out in a hot flush (although these days walking upstairs does that too!).

Darcy and Levi have spent the last two years in a great platonic friendship, eating cheese and Vegemite toasties while watching Netflix on their giant sofa is their go-to evening in. But everything starts to change when Darcy finds out she has been selected to play for the Brisbane Banshees. Everything looks good until Darcy discovers that the coach for the Banshees is none other than her ex, Tony Cameron.

I'm not going to spoil the development of the romance between Darcy and Levi, I mean who doesn't love a friends to lovers novel? Let me just say, I loved Levi passionately, he was kind, generous and totally deserving of Darcy. The sex was hawt (fans self) AND romantic and totally balanced with the plot. I loved the camaraderie between the women on the team, the interactions with Tony were brilliantly done and never strayed into unrealistic territory.

Overall, this was sublime. After giving out two and a half stars left right and centre for most of 2018 so far it was a joy to read this fast-paced, funny and romantic novel - I only wish it had been twice as long!

I received a free copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.