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  • The Rivalry

  • Written by: Beth Bolden
  • Narrated by: Darcy Stark
  • Length: 12 hrs and 18 mins
  • 4.0 out of 5 stars (1 rating)

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The Rivalry

Written by: Beth Bolden
Narrated by: Darcy Stark
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Publisher's Summary

The first time NFL quarterback Heath Harris meets Sam Crawford, it’s just them, a luxury yacht, and a few days of fun in the sun. Sam turns out to be nothing like Heath expects. He’s kind and funny and irreverent - and also unbelievably, shockingly sexy. For three short, glorious, life-changing days, there are no rules.

The second time they meet, Sam has just been traded to Heath’s team, and instead of lovers, now they’re rivals. Heath has spent the last five years working desperately to be the best quarterback the Riptide could ever need, but when injuries threaten to derail his career, Sam is right there, standing on the sideline. Ready to take over, and ready to ruin everything Heath has given his life for.

Rival. Enemy. Teammate. Friend. Lover.

As their orbits collide, sparks fly, and Heath struggles to find the right label and the right box to shove Sam into, hoping to keep him contained. But Sam - and Heath’s feelings - refuse to cooperate.

Sam might not be just one of those things, he might be all of them, and so much more.

©2020 Beth Bolden (P)2020 Beth Bolden
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: LGBTQ2S+

What listeners say about The Rivalry

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Profile Image for RACHEL REED
  • RACHEL REED
  • 2021-09-05
Listener received this title free

Steamy sports romance!!❤️

Absolutely loved this opposites attract sports romance!!

The storyline was engaging and the characters were likeable and well fleshed out.

This was a fun listen and the audio delivery and on point.

Definitely recommend

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2 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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  • Reading*Renee
  • 2021-08-20

Angsty Journey of Love, Acceptance & Football

Having already read Rough Contact - the fabulous 5-star Book 2 in this series - I was curious about Sam and Heath's story. Their journey is an angsty rollercoaster ride, as both pro football players are deeply closeted, tangled in emotions after their steamy vacation hook-up, and competing for the same high-stakes starting quarterback spot.

Adding to the ongoing tension are unspoken feelings and miscommunication between the men, which is frustrating but also feels true to the characters - particularly Heath, since his complex relationship with Sam is also a sexual awakening for him, plus he's got some baggage to work through.

I enjoyed the slow-build of friendship between Heath and Sam as their rivalry eases and they build trust and understanding as teammates and more. Their HEA is hard won, packed with feeling, and ultimately worth the bumpy journey to get there. And cheers for a sports romance actually featuring a good amount of playtime.

Narrator Darcy Stark has a pleasant voice, and I enjoyed his performance. I especially liked the twangy drawl he gave to Heath's voice.

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  • Janet L Hunt
  • 2020-09-22
Listener received this title free

Good story

Heath and Sam are rivals on the same football team and are both in the closet. They have to find a way to work thru their own issues to be together. This was a good story although it did drag in a few places. The narration was fantastic!! Darcy Stark did a great job!

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  • Yvonne M
  • 2023-09-07

Wonderful story!

I loved everything about this book. The awakening, acceptance of who Heith was and the connection between him and Sam were awesome. The superbowl win was the icing on the cake.

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  • WeN
  • 2023-01-02

sweet story

sweet story, nice voice, a little drawn out at times, had to rewind and listen again because I got a bit distracted a few times.

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Profile Image for Patrick Gallanger
  • Patrick Gallanger
  • 2022-10-31

Almost painful

I have over 1,000 audio books in my library and very, very seldom write a bad review, but the production of this book is getting a very bad one.

The plot if this book has so much potential, it is a real shame that potential was not achieved. I think if I had read it instead of listening to this production I might have enjoyed it more.

The narration was terrible. A female voice reading a MM romance is not easy, but I have heard it done well. The character voices were so poor that I was not able to follow which character was saying what. In addition to poor narration, the dubbing, cut-ins, and volume changes made this a very difficult listen.

I made it about 1/3rd of the way through it before I had to shut it off.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • naty
  • 2021-05-04

Beautiful

Loved this book when I read it
Now with the narration- it was superb
The narrator was new to me but now I will certainly check other works of his
I
Keep hoping the next book in the series will be recorded, and by this narrator
Thank you!

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    4 out of 5 stars
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  • Goldenchels
  • 2020-10-26
Listener received this title free

Great Football romance

Powerful football romance, more angry that I normally like but it fits with this story so I didn’t mind. Heath and Sam are wonderful characters and it’s fun to see the little flashes of characters from other Beth Bolden books. The narration is fine, but the story is the highlight here

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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  • Karri
  • 2020-10-22

Alot of Angst

This book me a few days to get through. It wasn't that I didn't like it. It was just that the lead protagonist was such a mess. And a bit repetitive. I mean I loved him but there were so many hurdles he had to overcome it was kind of... exhausting. Not a lot of depth. Push me, pull you

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Profile Image for Stephanie VO
  • Stephanie VO
  • 2020-09-25
Listener received this title free

Great listen.

Now I don't like sports but I do love listening to a good sports romance story. I really like Health and Sam's story. They didn't have an easy time to their happy ending but I really like their journey. Darcy Stark did a great job with this narration. He brings a lot of feelings into this story that just pulled me right into this story.

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