Review: "The Playmaker" by Lane Swift
Note: This ARC was provided by Less Than Three Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Meg's life appears to be the stuff other women would envy: a potential career as a teacher, a longtime boyfriend who loves her unconditionally, and a chance to play a sport she loves with the Brentley Women's Rugby Team. But there's a lot that remains hidden behind the seemingly close to perfect facade--her non-existent relationships with her father and brother, her growing distance from her boyfriend Fraser, and the undeniable crush she has on her teammate Jacqueline, who just happens to be in a long-term relationship of her own with her girlfriend and other teammate Luisa.
When Meg and Jacqueline share a kiss one night, Meg's world begins to shift and she finally begins to take stock of her life. Does she want to keep traveling down the safe route but all the while knowing she isn't being a hundred percent honest with herself or those she cares about? Is she ready to risk everything that she's grown used to in order to address her feelings not just for Jacqueline but about her dissatisfaction with where her life is headed? It's time for Meg to become the playmaker in her own life and see decide who and what it is she truly wants and if she's ready to take that chance.
The Playmaker is an LGBT romance novella from Lane Swift and is a pretty quick read about a young woman at a crossroads in her life. Everything appears to be mapped out for her, ready for the taking, but when she meets and spends time with a teammate of hers, things begin to change and she questions who she really is and what it is she wants and needs.
Both Meg and Jacqueline are in committed relationships but there's a mutual attraction that both try to keep under wraps. Now, kissing may not be considered cheating by some but the others, it's even more intimate than actually having sex with someone, so did Meg and Jacqueline cheat when they shared that kiss? In my humble opinion, yes, they did.
Naturally, there's a great deal of sympathy that I feel for both Fraser and Luisa because it wasn't as if they were terrible partners for either Meg or Jacqueline. My heart broke for poor Fraser because he seemed so loving and kind yet so clueless. Still, the cheating itself was handled realistically and with a sense of maturity that I very much appreciated.
Overall, I liked that the idea of cheating wasn't glamorized and that the story was about one woman's journey of self-realization, needing to be honest with herself and with those around her. Both Meg and Jacqueline were by no means perfect but they felt real and that made them easier to relate to. I'm giving The Playmaker four stars out of five.
Release Date: 08 April 2015
Date Read: 07 April 2015
Learn more about Lane Swift here.
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