Toooo cute. I love when long time crushes finally come to be in a relationship. Definitely one of the best feelings in the world. It was definitely sad to see the back and forth between Sienna and Gavin since they both wanted it so badly for themselves, but after another slow burn masterpiece from Monica Murphy, we get the relationship we were waiting for all book. I continue to love the camaraderie and love the boys have for each other, as well as new friends Ever and Sienna. They all look out for one another and only want the best for each other. To see Gavin grow confidence in himself after years of being put down, and Sienna learning her worth after feeling constantly overlooked, was so rewarding. Loved this book!

Play It Off is the second book in the college romance series Kings of Campus by Monica Murphy.

This story follows Sienna Cooper and Gavin Maddox. He is the college star quarterback and his main goal is to bring his team the win and make it into the NFL, with no distraction. Which is not easy for him, because his best friend's younger sister, Sienna, is all he can think about. They had a moment together during her freshman year and every since then, they try to not be around each other. But it’s easier said than done and it’s getting harder and harder to stay away.

I love football, and I love a good college romance. If you mix it up with a brother’s best trope, I am sold! I loved tension between Sienna and Gavin and the kinda forbidden vibe it comes with their story. I live for the secret moments between them!

Sienna is a strong and independent woman, but she also has some moments where she is insecure. When I read the previous book I thought he was the player next door, but he really isn’t. He is loyal and protective of his friends and I just love how possessive he becomes of Sienna! They become each other's person and it’s so beautiful to read how they open up to each other!

Monica is my go to author when I need a good football college romance and I can’t wait for the next book!

Play It Off is the second book in the Kings of Campus series. It's a college brothers best friend trope with years of pining, football, teammates, and sneaking around. Fast paced, angsty with great characters, no cliffhanger and has a HEA. These books doesn't need to be read in order and I look forward to reading more in this sweetly sexy sports romance.

I would sincerely like to Thank @valentine_pr_ and Monica Murphy for my ARC and in return I voluntarily promised an honest review.



Sienna Cooper's friend group is small since she doesn't trust easily, she's been used in the past by girls who just want an "In" with her football celebrity brother. She's off limits to her brothers teammates but she has a crush on his best friend, Gavin, who acts like she doesn't exist, except that one night freshman year.

Gavin Maddox is the UCSM Dolphins QB who is considered The Golden Boy. He just wants to play football with no distractions and make it to the NFL Drafts. Gavin is loved by all and tries to keep his emotions under control but when it comes to his best friends sister, Freckles, she blows his mind and he can't quit thinking about her.

Sienna is tired of being not good enough and pushed away by Gavin. When she starts putting herself first and someone else shows interest she tries to move on but Gavin is in pursuit mode now and to keep their relationship a secret they must Play It Off as being frenemies.

What is it about a brother’s best friend romance that just pulls you in and keeps the pages turning. The characters Sienna and Gavin are amazing. Their connection and chemistry is so raw and real.

I loved how these two were drawn to each other but kept it as friends, worried about messing things up between them. Gavin is a good guy, who thinks he doesn’t deserve someone like Sienna. But he eventually gets to a point where he is all in!

The way these two open up and talk, and they are with each other is absolutely everything.

3.5/5⭐️
Despite Sienna’s clear attraction to Gavin, Gavin finds it difficult to move beyond friendship. The push and pull between them remain blazing hot and I was eagerly awaiting THAT moment when he would finally succumb.

Honestly, it took a bit too long for them to finally get together. I was also upset with how immature they both were in how they communicated with each other. So many assumptions were made and it made the pacing a bit draggy.

When Gavin finally wised up and did the right thing, it was amazing to see how well they fit together. I liked their late night deep conversations where they could share their pain and their dreams with one another.

Monica Murphy is one of my InstaBuy Authors.

Her books have so much feeling in them, the love, frustration and even anxiety jumps off the pages and into my chest, like I’m the character in the book.

I lose myself in the pages of Murphy’s books, and Play It Off was no different.
Forbidden romance, secret love, high angst and spicy 🌶️ moments that will make you drool and beg for your very own Gavin. If you haven’t started the Kings of Campus series, I highly recommend this 5⭐️ series!

Nothing about Play It Off was significant to me as a reader. I didn’t bond with or particularly like the characters, Sienna and Gavin, and I found the plot very similar to other football/best friend’s brother romances that I have read. Everything about this book, including the plot and the characters’ stories, felt like something I had already encountered elsewhere.

I found Gavin to be quite unlikable and his back-and-forth attitude simply annoying. I also felt there was hardly any real romance between Gavin and Sienna; they only seemed to have sexual chemistry. I was unmotivated to continue reading and even skipped the epilogue due to a lack of interest.

I was really hoping to enjoy this read, as I have liked Monica Murphy’s writing in the past, but unfortunately, I didn’t connect with this book and it wasn’t for me.

Thank you to Monica Murphy and Netgallery for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

I love Monica Murphys books so much. She has such a way of drawing you in from the beginning and you are stuck till the end because you can’t put it down. I loved Gavin and sienna so much. The chemistry is insane. I don’t want to give spoilers but I would read the first book of the series just to get a feel for them. This story was so good I can’t wait for more books.

Play It Off is amazing. I loved this one so much. This is a brothers best friend romance that you will not want to put down. This is Sienna and Gavin's book. Sienna and Gavin have had a thing for each other for years and just trying to ignore the attraction. Sienna's life has always revolved around football thanks to her older brother so it's not a surprise she'd fall hard for a player. Gavin is the quarterback and aims to go be a leader and go pro. He has his battles when it comes to his parents but friends that support him so. There is no denying Gavin and Sienna's chemistry in this one. They get each other and are perfect together once walls all fall and they give in to their pull. I could not get enough of Sienna and Gavin. You need to read this now. Go one click this today.

Play It Off is pure swoony, angsty goodness. Sienna and Gavin's chemistry is off the charts — like, you can feel the tension crackling every time they're near each other. I loved how Sienna wasn’t just a passive "girl next door"; she’s strong and self-aware, even when her heart is in full meltdown mode over Gavin. And Gavin? Ugh. The perfect mix of cocky football god and sweet, secretly-soft-for-her idiot.

The forbidden aspect (because she's his best friend's sister) adds so much delicious stress to the story — every stolen glance, every almost-kiss feels 10x more intense.

Sienna’s journey is so relatable, too. She’s not just pining; she’s grappling with who she is outside of her brother's shadow, trying to be brave enough to want something (someone) for herself. And Gavin??? The golden boy with a self-sabotage kink??? I need a therapist after watching him struggle between being loyal to his best friend and realizing he is violently in love with said best friend's sister.

It’s not just all spice either — there’s real heart here. You see, both of them grow, figure out what they want, and fight for it. If you love college romance, slow-burn with big emotional payoffs, and messy, irresistible love stories, this book will totally hit you right in the feels.

I could not put this book down! The angst in this book! These characters had it all the supporting friend group the banter and loyalty among all the friends. The FMC and MMC had electric chemistry. The back and forth, will they, won’t they… so good!
The relationship between siblings was wonderful! Gavin, umm yes please! Sierra’s sassy strength, fantastic to see. This story is frustrating at times, extremely sweltering and so sweet. Some of the troupes are brother’s best friend, best friend’s sibling, football, friends to lovers, a tad enemies to lovers, possessive MMC and Alpha MMC.

Sierra is a college students trying to figure out what she wants in life, besides Gavin. Her big brother’s best friend and teammate.

Gavin is the star QB for his college football team. He’s in his senior year and is putting in all the work to win championships. He’s just needs to get his best friend’s sister out of his head! The last thing he needs is distractions, and she’s the biggest distraction.

I gave Play It Off 4 Stars and 4 Spice

I loved being back in the Kings of Campus world and seeing things in the same time line happen from a different perspective! Sienna and Gavin, how could you not love them? They are every bit of good! Monica has a way of pulling you into a story and making you absolutely consumed with the story that you don't wanna stop, and I love it! Although there weren't any huge dilemmas or problems other than Sienna being Coops little sister, this was still a 5 star for me! I can't wait to see what king is going to be next!!

Always a good time!

Let’s face it Monica knows exactly what she’s doing when she writes these stories. Sure she writes about colleges students, and she gives them maturity and responsibility but she also lets them make mistakes, and own up to them and make them right.

Gavin and Sienna have been denying their feelings for each other for a few years now, but something changed for them and all the reasons to be apart just don’t seem to be as important anymore. But can they actually work?

This is the second book in this world, and it actually follows the same timeline as book one, with the focus on a different couple, which I know could not have been easy for Monica to do, but she did it beautifully. I will never pass up a chance to read a book of Monica’s and you shouldn’t either!

I enjoyed Sienna and Gavin's story, there was good banter and chemistry. I didn't like the miscommunication and Gavin ignoring his feelings. He had some family issues that probably contributed to that but it wasn't talked about. Together, they were very supportive and loving of each other. When she revealed her business dreams, he never made her feel silly for it. When he was having problems with his dad, she made sure he felt her love.

Sienna and Gavin had quite the road to happiness. Gavin just kept getting in his own way. I enjoyed the storyline and I liked all the characters. I'm hoping for more books in this world. Overall a good story I read in a couple of hours.

I loved this book and devoured it in one binge session. I'm such a sucker for a forbidden romance, brother's best friend and sports romance. Monica does such a great job of storytelling and having such fun characters. While also creating such great MMC! He was a boy obsessed, possessive, alpha and all things yummy. The banter and friend group had me laughing and spice was spicing through out!

If you love these tropes then I know you will love this book!
Gavin was a top tier MMC who fell hard for his girl even when fighting it! Sienna was a breath of fresh air and a like-able FMC!

Tropes:
Football romance
Forbidden
Found family alpha male
College romance

Play It Off is book 2 in the Kings of Campus series by Monica Murphy and I am here for it! This is a brother's best friend, forbidden, sports romance. It has the fun, the spice, the chemistry.
Gavin is the hot, football player, not a relationship type of guy. Sienna is his best friend's sister and off limits. The two have chemistry that is apparent to everyone.
A secret hookup leads to avoidance, until the two can't and don't want to avoid each other anymore. Once they give in to their feelings, their connection jumps off the page.
There is so much to love about these two. They understand each other and respect each other's wants and needs. I just loved how much they cared about each other, almost to a fault.
Monica Murphy did a great job with developing these characters as you watch them grow and mature throughout the story. I also loved Sienna's relationship with Everleigh. And getting more glimpses of Nico and Everleigh in this story (they are in book 1).
I loved Play It Off!

This is the sports romance that Murphy knows how to deliver that makes me feel all swoony inside. I was sweet, it was steamy, and it was full of great characters.

Gavin Maddox and Sienna Cooper have a constant - will they, won't they...as these two have it bad for one another from the start, but as circumstances make it where neither one really acts upon their attraction, after an initial incident that shall go untalked about, their chemistry builds behind the scenes into a secret romance that kept me turning pages late into the night.

Both Sienna Cooper and Gavin Maddox are relatable characters. I rooted for them from the beginning and I felt that they both desperately deserved happiness. It was easy to classify them as friendly, outgoing, and charismatic, except when they were in the same room around each other for years, but little did everyone know, it was an act. These two had been harboring feelings for one another and did a great job of hiding it. Their story is one of the best kept secrets on campus and it's written with perfection. Beginning from Sienna’s freshman year, woven through Everleigh's arrival on campus and into Sienna's Junior year of school. This book covers a lot of ground, but it's also an intimate look at the relationship between Gavin and Sienna.

Sienna has grown up under the spotlight of her brother, whom she adores, but she wants to be liked for herself, not for her connections or to be tossed aside once a moment of bliss passes. She likes Gavin and knows she doesn't want to mess it up. Hence, keeping things friendly-ish since he's the QB on campus. Sienna knows what life has been like living with her brother and she isn't sure she's ready to live back under a microscope again. Does she like Gavin...100%, but is she willing to risk everything for him...time will tell.

Gavin is best friends with Coop, Sienna’s brother, and he too doesn’t want to mess up his friendship for something quick, nor does he want to mess up a good thing with Sienna. He knows she's special and he knows he's not ready, or if he ever will be. He likes her a lot, but is it enough. Gavin grapples with this a lot, but I feel it's an adult decision and not in any way playing with Sienna's feelings. At the end of the day he's a really good guy and it shows with every person he comes in contact with. Eventually his big feelings become too big even for a guy like him, but is the big guy on campus ready to make his play...time will tell.

Play It Off felt like coming home to one of Murphy's classic sports romances. It had all the comforts of what I love to read when I'm settling in to read a good college sports romance book.

I liked this book. I especially liked how strong and sensible Sienna was when dealing with her feelings for Gavin. And Gavin was your normal silly guy, although he fell pretty hard for Sienna. Their chemistry was great, and the peripheral characters were perfect. I wish there had been more continuity towards the end of the book, though. I feel like we skipped several chapters and lost details to the story. Although we read Everleigh and Nico's story in End Game, if this was to be a true stand alone, there should have been more to their story in this book. Overall, I enjoyed this story. I was sent a copy and these are my personal thoughts on this book.

Play It Off is book 2 in the King of Campus series featuring Sienna and Gavin who we were introduced to in the End Game and this book didn’t disappoint. Full of angst, drama and chemistry as we learn about Sienna and Gavin’s past encounter and the reasons for their hostility. This is a brother’s best friend college football romance with a fabulous cast of characters who truly help make this story. I truly can’t wait for the next book in this wonderful series. Highly recommend!