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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
DNF i don’t remember much i think it was okay? i couldn’t finish tho obviously
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Grief
Minor: Cancer, Death, Infidelity
Super angsty ❤
Story: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Trope: ONS
Angst:
Story: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Trope: ONS
Angst:
LOVE THIS SO MUCH IT IS SO CUTE!!!!!! diving into the right player asap!!
funny
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was really cute and a lot of fun! I enjoyed this fast and easy read. I felt like I was watching a movie while reading because this book pulled me into the pages and didn't let go until I finished it.
I will say that in the first 50% I was sure this was going to be a 5 star read, but it did loose a little bit of steam in the second half. Don't get me wrong, I loved this couple and I loved seeing them together but the tension in the first half was a highlight.
Thank you to the team at Arndell for sending me an advanced reader copy of this book before the trad re-release.
I will say that in the first 50% I was sure this was going to be a 5 star read, but it did loose a little bit of steam in the second half. Don't get me wrong, I loved this couple and I loved seeing them together but the tension in the first half was a highlight.
Thank you to the team at Arndell for sending me an advanced reader copy of this book before the trad re-release.
Oof, this one was way longer than it had to be, with lots of filler. I ended up skimming. I've read some of the author's newer books first (Red Zone Rivals series), and they are excellent. Her writing has leveled up incredibly in the interim. This particular book just isn't that great.
emotional
funny
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This book was a pleasant surprise! I really didn't know what this book was about but I saw it on Libby and decided to dive right in. After the death of her husband, Gemma is left with 2 season tickets for her favorite NFL team. Gemma and her best friend come up with a plan. Join a dating site and take a new date to each game, no strings attached. They devise their plan in a bar where the bartender Zach overhears. He volunteers to be Gemma's test run and they go to the home opener together. They totally hit it off, but Gemma is determined to see her plan through. It's now up to Zach to prove that he's worth taking a chance on.
I absolutely loved Zach's character. I'm a sucker for a boy obsessed and this man was in looooove. I love watching the guy chase the girl and Zach did a lot of chasing. I also love how open he was with his feelings. I think he might be the first hero I've read that straight up admits he loves love. This was such a cute read and honestly at some parts a little heartbreaking. My heart went out to Gemma for her strength and omg that note? MY heart cracked in half. That shit HURT. Zach was like the sunshine that Gemma needed to heal and they were adorable together. Definitely recommend!
I absolutely loved Zach's character. I'm a sucker for a boy obsessed and this man was in looooove. I love watching the guy chase the girl and Zach did a lot of chasing. I also love how open he was with his feelings. I think he might be the first hero I've read that straight up admits he loves love. This was such a cute read and honestly at some parts a little heartbreaking. My heart went out to Gemma for her strength and omg that note? MY heart cracked in half. That shit HURT. Zach was like the sunshine that Gemma needed to heal and they were adorable together. Definitely recommend!
🏈 Sports Romance
😈 Enemies to Lovers
🔥 Slow Burn
🗓️ Dating Challenge
🍸 Bartender Love Interest
💔 Grieving Protagonist
🎯 Only One Tries
😂 Witty Banter
🚫 No Strings Attached
🏠 Forced Proximity
👀 Jealousy Games
🧱 Emotional Walls
🧡 Healing Through Love
Star: ⭐⭐⭐⭐️.25
The Wrong Game by Kandi Steiner delivers an emotionally charged, slow-burn romance that blends heartache with humour in a fresh, football-themed package. As the first book in the Love of the Game series, it follows Gemma Mancini, a recently divorced woman not ready to love again. To help herself move on, she devises a plan: use the football season tickets she bought for her ex to go on dates with different men at each home game. No strings, just a harmless way to re-enter the dating scene.
But things quickly derail when Zach Bowen, her bartender, insists on being her “practice date” — and then every date after that. Zach is charming, pushy in a maddeningly endearing way, and completely uninterested in playing by Gemma’s rules. He’s determined to prove he's the only man she needs, while Gemma is equally determined to keep her heart off the field.
The novel excels in its execution of the enemies-to-lovers trope. The tension is real and deliciously frustrating, with razor-sharp dialogue and sparkling chemistry between the leads. Zach’s relentless pursuit and Gemma’s emotional walls create a dynamic that keeps the pages turning. There’s no insta-love here — instead, Kandi Steiner takes her time, building every moment of connection with careful, emotionally honest strokes.
At its core, The Wrong Game is about grief, vulnerability, and the courage it takes to open up again after devastation. Gemma’s journey is both painful and relatable. Her resistance to love feels authentic, shaped by trauma and loss rather than tired clichés. Zach, too, is more than the charming flirt — he’s patient, emotionally intelligent, and willing to wait for Gemma to come around on her own terms.
The football backdrop isn’t just a gimmick — it becomes a symbol of growth, tradition, and healing. Each game brings new challenges and emotional milestones, mirroring the ups and downs of their evolving relationship.
This isn’t a fluffy rom-com, though there are funny and light-hearted moments. It’s angsty and introspective, sometimes heavy, but always heartfelt. Kandi Steiner doesn’t shy away from emotional messiness, which makes the eventual payoff all the more satisfying. Some readers may find the slow pacing a bit frustrating, particularly those looking for instant gratification, but for fans of a well-earned romance, this story delivers.
The Wrong Game is a standout in the sports romance genre, perfectly suited for readers who love emotional depth, compelling characters, and the kind of love story that earns its happily-ever-after. It’s a powerful reminder that sometimes the best plays in love are the ones that come unexpectedly — even when you think you're playing the wrong game.
😈 Enemies to Lovers
🔥 Slow Burn
🗓️ Dating Challenge
🍸 Bartender Love Interest
💔 Grieving Protagonist
🎯 Only One Tries
😂 Witty Banter
🚫 No Strings Attached
🏠 Forced Proximity
👀 Jealousy Games
🧱 Emotional Walls
🧡 Healing Through Love
Star: ⭐⭐⭐⭐️.25
The Wrong Game by Kandi Steiner delivers an emotionally charged, slow-burn romance that blends heartache with humour in a fresh, football-themed package. As the first book in the Love of the Game series, it follows Gemma Mancini, a recently divorced woman not ready to love again. To help herself move on, she devises a plan: use the football season tickets she bought for her ex to go on dates with different men at each home game. No strings, just a harmless way to re-enter the dating scene.
But things quickly derail when Zach Bowen, her bartender, insists on being her “practice date” — and then every date after that. Zach is charming, pushy in a maddeningly endearing way, and completely uninterested in playing by Gemma’s rules. He’s determined to prove he's the only man she needs, while Gemma is equally determined to keep her heart off the field.
The novel excels in its execution of the enemies-to-lovers trope. The tension is real and deliciously frustrating, with razor-sharp dialogue and sparkling chemistry between the leads. Zach’s relentless pursuit and Gemma’s emotional walls create a dynamic that keeps the pages turning. There’s no insta-love here — instead, Kandi Steiner takes her time, building every moment of connection with careful, emotionally honest strokes.
At its core, The Wrong Game is about grief, vulnerability, and the courage it takes to open up again after devastation. Gemma’s journey is both painful and relatable. Her resistance to love feels authentic, shaped by trauma and loss rather than tired clichés. Zach, too, is more than the charming flirt — he’s patient, emotionally intelligent, and willing to wait for Gemma to come around on her own terms.
The football backdrop isn’t just a gimmick — it becomes a symbol of growth, tradition, and healing. Each game brings new challenges and emotional milestones, mirroring the ups and downs of their evolving relationship.
This isn’t a fluffy rom-com, though there are funny and light-hearted moments. It’s angsty and introspective, sometimes heavy, but always heartfelt. Kandi Steiner doesn’t shy away from emotional messiness, which makes the eventual payoff all the more satisfying. Some readers may find the slow pacing a bit frustrating, particularly those looking for instant gratification, but for fans of a well-earned romance, this story delivers.
The Wrong Game is a standout in the sports romance genre, perfectly suited for readers who love emotional depth, compelling characters, and the kind of love story that earns its happily-ever-after. It’s a powerful reminder that sometimes the best plays in love are the ones that come unexpectedly — even when you think you're playing the wrong game.
I had a hard time reading this book and it was all the heroine’s fault. It had great writing, great pace, and I loved the hero, he’s a wonderful book boyfriend, sensitive and considerate, hot and gorgeous, attentive and fun to be with. Zach Bowen was the total package, what any woman would want. But not Gemma.
Gemma married Carlo, her high school sweetheart, straight out of college. She thought they had a great life together, when she found out he was cheating on her. So after sleuthing and confirming, which entailed following him and finding him with the other woman, she goes and buys a condo, then comes home to tell him off. Except the joke’s on her because he tells her he has cancer and only weeks to live. And what does she do? Shut up, put up with him, and take care of him until his dying breath. WHY???? I can maybe understand taking care of him in his last days, doubtful the other woman was in for that kind of action, but shutting up? He didn’t deserve that consideration and pretty sure that’s why she’s such a basket case the rest of the book.
Gemma is a control freak, needs to make lists of everything, plans everything to the last detail, because she needs to be in control. After the death of her husband, she’s even worse. Her best friend Belle convinced her to use her season pass to the Chicago Bears football games to connect with a man for each weekly game and get her groove on again. Zach was her first tryout, it was a smashing success but he was shot down when he wanted a repeat. Gemma was on this crazy game of never again getting attached to another man. She was unreasonable, stubborn, in denial, and whenever she felt she was losing control, she also went crazy and made stupid decisions. Sometimes she was a great character, I loved her when she was in the football games, because she was a total fan. But she hurt Zach several times, trying to stay in her course of action, which was so wrong in many counts. I found her tiresome at times, adorable in others. The voice of reason was Belle and the heart of the story was Zach, a man who was in touch with his feelings and maybe was too forgiving with Gemma. His life story also had life and death drama but he was more mature handling his drama. At the heart of the story was the love for football, which both characters felt, and that is what gave life and purpose to the plot. The game times were the best parts of this story.
Gemma married Carlo, her high school sweetheart, straight out of college. She thought they had a great life together, when she found out he was cheating on her. So after sleuthing and confirming, which entailed following him and finding him with the other woman, she goes and buys a condo, then comes home to tell him off. Except the joke’s on her because he tells her he has cancer and only weeks to live. And what does she do? Shut up, put up with him, and take care of him until his dying breath. WHY???? I can maybe understand taking care of him in his last days, doubtful the other woman was in for that kind of action, but shutting up? He didn’t deserve that consideration and pretty sure that’s why she’s such a basket case the rest of the book.
Gemma is a control freak, needs to make lists of everything, plans everything to the last detail, because she needs to be in control. After the death of her husband, she’s even worse. Her best friend Belle convinced her to use her season pass to the Chicago Bears football games to connect with a man for each weekly game and get her groove on again. Zach was her first tryout, it was a smashing success but he was shot down when he wanted a repeat. Gemma was on this crazy game of never again getting attached to another man. She was unreasonable, stubborn, in denial, and whenever she felt she was losing control, she also went crazy and made stupid decisions. Sometimes she was a great character, I loved her when she was in the football games, because she was a total fan. But she hurt Zach several times, trying to stay in her course of action, which was so wrong in many counts. I found her tiresome at times, adorable in others. The voice of reason was Belle and the heart of the story was Zach, a man who was in touch with his feelings and maybe was too forgiving with Gemma. His life story also had life and death drama but he was more mature handling his drama. At the heart of the story was the love for football, which both characters felt, and that is what gave life and purpose to the plot. The game times were the best parts of this story.