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Playing Games (Franklin U Book 1) Kindle Edition

4.5 out of 5 stars 5,295 ratings

Brax
Tyson Langley thinks the
king in Franklin University Kings is in reference to him. Star lacrosse player and God’s gift to the female and male population, there’s nothing the spoiled jock can’t have.

It’s impossible for us to be in the same room without talking crap to each other. But I also have a secret… As much as I despise Ty, I want him too. I revel in our banter and in never knowing what he’ll say next.

I’ve spent too much time on the wrong side of the law for someone like Ty, though, and if I want to make it through college and escape my past, he’s a distraction I don’t need.

Ty
Braxton Walker needs to learn to lighten up. If you search
brooding online, his name pops up. He’s the bad boy with a leather jacket and a scowl. We couldn’t be more different.

Finding ways to annoy him is like the longest foreplay session of my life. And when we end up working together, it gets harder to deny how hot he makes me.

What’s a little hooking up between enemies?

We weren’t supposed to become friends or share secrets. We weren’t supposed to understand each other and all the complicated stuff we’re going through.

I’m used to playing games, only the more time I spend with Brax, the less it feels like playing around and the more it becomes something real.
**
This series takes place across a calendar year. The books have been released in chronological order but are all stand alones and can be consumed in whichever order you choose.
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0B3D8LVKG
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Riley Hart (August 25, 2022)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 25, 2022
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 5.3 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 255 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 out of 5 stars 5,295 ratings

About the author

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Riley Hart
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Riley Hart’s love of all things romance shines brightly in everything she writes. Her primary focus is Male/Male romance but under various pen names, her prose has touched practically every part of the spectrum of love and relationships. The common theme that ties them all together is stories told from the heart.

A hopeless romantic herself, Riley is a lover of character-driven plots, many with flawed and relatable characters. She strives to create stories that readers can not only fall in love with, but also see themselves in. Real characters and real love blended together equal the ultimate Riley Hart experience.

When Riley isn’t creating her next story, you can find her reading, traveling, or dreaming about reading or traveling, and spending time with her two perfectly snarky kids, and one swoon-inducing husband.

Riley Hart is represented by Jane Dystel at Dystel, Goderich & Bourret Literary Management. She’s a 2019 Lambda Literary Award Finalist for Of Sunlight and Stardust.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
5,295 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers enjoy this book for its snarky banter and heartwarming story, particularly appreciating Brax and Ty's frenemies-to-lovers romance. Customers praise the character development, with one noting how personalities "jump off the pages," while another highlights the well-developed side characters. The book receives positive feedback for its low-angst approach, and customers find it a great start to the series, with one review noting it sets up well for future installments.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

63 customers mention "Enjoyment"63 positive0 negative

Customers find the book enjoyable, describing it as a terrific and sweet read with snarky fun.

"...interaction between them through their happily ever after, it was simply wonderful. They start off just irrating the heck out of each other...." Read more

"...Except to bust out laughing. The banter between Ty and Brax was absolutely hilarious, but also so swoon worthy. They are the cutest couple ever!..." Read more

"...A perfect, low angst read. Ty and Brax had me rolling so many times. I love good banter, and theirs was top tier...." Read more

"...All in all, this was a fun read and I can't wait to see what else is there at Franklin U." Read more

53 customers mention "Humor"53 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the humor in the book, particularly the banter that makes them laugh, with one customer specifically mentioning the fun verbal foreplay.

"...So sweet, so swoony, and so steamy. It gave me butterflies and made me smile so much!..." Read more

"...This is a low angst story with lots of humour and secret sweetness. The epilogue tied everything up nicely." Read more

"...The nicknames Ty gave Brax were everything and made me laugh everytime. Ty said it best "Our love language is insults."..." Read more

"...Ty and Brax had me rolling so many times. I love good banter, and theirs was top tier. They way they just flowed with each other was chefs kiss...." Read more

34 customers mention "Angst level"34 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the low-angst nature of the book, with several noting it has plenty of heart.

"...They were both such kind and caring people. They were so perfect for each other and taking the journey with them to this realization was fabulous!..." Read more

"...This is a low angst story with lots of humour and secret sweetness. The epilogue tied everything up nicely." Read more

"...A perfect, low angst read. Ty and Brax had me rolling so many times. I love good banter, and theirs was top tier...." Read more

"...It was hot, swoony and sweet. There was not much angst in the book just some adorable love and family drama, mostly off-page...." Read more

33 customers mention "Romance"33 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the romance in the book, appreciating the sweet couple and frenemies-to-lovers storyline, with one customer highlighting the cute banter between the characters.

"...They are the cutest couple ever!..." Read more

"...That being said, the book was fine. There were a couple cute moments, but all in all, whatever story and eggs there was felt largely self-imposed by..." Read more

"This is a feel good story. Low angst. Easy to read with comedy and hot scenes...." Read more

"...They are both adorable and a pleasure to spend time with." Read more

31 customers mention "Character development"31 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the character development in the book, with one mentioning how the personalities jump off the pages, while another notes how the side characters are well illustrated.

"...It gave me butterflies and made me smile so much! Add in the wonderful cast of characters, from Ty's friends to Braxton's Grandma, and this book was..." Read more

"...Riley Hart is a phenomenal author and it really shown through with this one...." Read more

"...The side characters were also great bringing some much needed depth into our MCs...." Read more

"...Riley Hart is a really great author and I tend to have higher expectations for her books...." Read more

22 customers mention "Story quality"22 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the story quality of the book, particularly appreciating Brax and Ty's narrative, with one customer noting its sweet ending.

"This is a feel good story. Low angst. Easy to read with comedy and hot scenes...." Read more

"...genre before, but I must say - it’s just hot enough and the storyline progresses enough to make it so you not only don’t want to put the book down,..." Read more

"...grandmother are also well developed and bring both energy and insight to the novel." Read more

"Plot 4/5 Spice 2/5 Dual and 1st POVs Such a cute story! The brooding bartender and the outgoing jock! The banter was great!" Read more

20 customers mention "Sweetness"20 positive0 negative

Customers find the book sweet, with one noting its good banter and spice, while another describes it as steamy romance.

"...So sweet, so swoony, and so steamy. It gave me butterflies and made me smile so much!..." Read more

"...This is a low angst story with lots of humour and secret sweetness. The epilogue tied everything up nicely." Read more

"...They had fantastic chemistry and the spice was definitely spicing. I adored Ty’s friends and how supportive they were...." Read more

"...It was hot, swoony and sweet. There was not much angst in the book just some adorable love and family drama, mostly off-page...." Read more

17 customers mention "Start"17 positive0 negative

Customers praise the book as a great start to the series, with one customer noting it sets up well for future installments.

"...It was the absolute perfect way to start out this series...." Read more

"An absolute delight of a start to the new shared universe series of Franklin U. Playing Games is the first of eight books in the series, this one..." Read more

"I’ve been so excited for this series and I’m so happy it started off so good! I’m a Riley Hart fan and she did not disappoint...." Read more

"What a fantastic start to the Franklin University series! I immediately fell in love with Braxton and Ty...." Read more

Great start to the Franklin U series!
4 out of 5 stars
Great start to the Franklin U series!
An absolute delight of a start to the new shared universe series of Franklin U. Playing Games is the first of eight books in the series, this one centering around Ty and Brax, total opposites with extreme chemistry. This is an opposites attract M/M romance with tons of verbal battles (or should I say foreplay), two clueless idiots falling in love and swoony and mushy moments they will deny till the end of time! Ty is a rich guy, a lacrosse playing jock and an overall spoiled individual with daddy issues. Brax has a scholarship and works his butt off to to go to university. Ty is loud and bright and outgoing. Brax is a loner, broody and grumpy. They are so different it should not work. Their banter and teasing from the beginning was absolutely delightful. I loved their little verbal back and forth... also the chemistry between them was sizzling from the start and was also noticable to everyone in their lives. I loved their dude-bro hookup, pretending its not real, having no idea what those gross feelings are relationship grew. It was hot, swoony and sweet. There was not much angst in the book just some adorable love and family drama, mostly off-page. The side characters were also great bringing some much needed depth into our MCs. Ty's teammates and Brax's sweet, wise grandma were the best! All in all, this was a fun read and I can't wait to see what else is there at Franklin U.
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on August 25, 2022
    I don't even know what to do with myself now that I'm done with Ty and Brax's story! I could have kept reading about them forever. I loved every word of this! From the first interaction between them through their happily ever after, it was simply wonderful. They start off just irrating the heck out of each other. The back and forth, the barbs and quips, the sarcasm...just all on point and so entertaining! They spend more and more time together, convinced they both find the other supremely annoying, and just keep evolving into friends and then more. Watching all of that unfold was such a joy. There was such a strong connection between them. They were both dealing with some issues surrounding their family and their future. They were both such kind and caring people. They were so perfect for each other and taking the journey with them to this realization was fabulous! So sweet, so swoony, and so steamy. It gave me butterflies and made me smile so much! Add in the wonderful cast of characters, from Ty's friends to Braxton's Grandma, and this book was just perfect all the way around! What a great way to kick off a new shared world series. I am so excited for the rest of the books to come!
    4 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on December 29, 2024
    I really liked these two banter between these two! Despite being complete opposites in so many ways they just fit. This is a low angst story with lots of humour and secret sweetness. The epilogue tied everything up nicely.
  • Reviewed in the United States on August 25, 2022
    Playing Games just easily took over as my favorite read of 2022. I don't think I quit smiling from the first page to the last. Except to bust out laughing. The banter between Ty and Brax was absolutely hilarious, but also so swoon worthy. They are the cutest couple ever! There is no doubt this will be a book that I go back to read again when I just need something to put a smile on my face. Riley Hart is a phenomenal author and it really shown through with this one.

    These two have their eye on each other for three years, but finally give into chemistry they can't deny. They may be total opposites, but they are both dealing with family issues that just deepens their bond. I think I highlighted the majority of this book. The nicknames Ty gave Brax were everything and made me laugh everytime. Ty said it best "Our love language is insults." Honestly I could go on and on about this book for days. I feel in love with their story from the first chapter.

    Playing Games can be read as standalone but is the first book set in the shared FU world. It was the absolute perfect way to start out this series. If any of the other books are even written half as well as Riley wrote, Playing Games, they will be amazing. I can't wait to continue to meet these characters and fall in love with them. Though I don't think anyone will be able to be able to take away top spot away from Ty and Brax for me.
    2 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on November 20, 2024
    What a wonderful little palette cleanser from all the dark books I’ve been reading lately. A perfect, low angst read.

    Ty and Brax had me rolling so many times. I love good banter, and theirs was top tier. They way they just flowed with each other was chefs kiss. They had fantastic chemistry and the spice was definitely spicing.

    I adored Ty’s friends and how supportive they were. And Matilda was a favorite. She just stole all the scenes.

    Excited to get into the rest of this series.
  • Reviewed in the United States on August 28, 2022
    An absolute delight of a start to the new shared universe series of Franklin U. Playing Games is the first of eight books in the series, this one centering around Ty and Brax, total opposites with extreme chemistry.

    This is an opposites attract M/M romance with tons of verbal battles (or should I say foreplay), two clueless idiots falling in love and swoony and mushy moments they will deny till the end of time!

    Ty is a rich guy, a lacrosse playing jock and an overall spoiled individual with daddy issues.
    Brax has a scholarship and works his butt off to to go to university.
    Ty is loud and bright and outgoing.
    Brax is a loner, broody and grumpy.
    They are so different it should not work.

    Their banter and teasing from the beginning was absolutely delightful. I loved their little verbal back and forth... also the chemistry between them was sizzling from the start and was also noticable to everyone in their lives.

    I loved their dude-bro hookup, pretending its not real, having no idea what those gross feelings are relationship grew. It was hot, swoony and sweet.

    There was not much angst in the book just some adorable love and family drama, mostly off-page.

    The side characters were also great bringing some much needed depth into our MCs. Ty's teammates and Brax's sweet, wise grandma were the best!

    All in all, this was a fun read and I can't wait to see what else is there at Franklin U.
    Customer image
    4.0 out of 5 stars
    Great start to the Franklin U series!

    Reviewed in the United States on August 28, 2022
    An absolute delight of a start to the new shared universe series of Franklin U. Playing Games is the first of eight books in the series, this one centering around Ty and Brax, total opposites with extreme chemistry.

    This is an opposites attract M/M romance with tons of verbal battles (or should I say foreplay), two clueless idiots falling in love and swoony and mushy moments they will deny till the end of time!

    Ty is a rich guy, a lacrosse playing jock and an overall spoiled individual with daddy issues.
    Brax has a scholarship and works his butt off to to go to university.
    Ty is loud and bright and outgoing.
    Brax is a loner, broody and grumpy.
    They are so different it should not work.

    Their banter and teasing from the beginning was absolutely delightful. I loved their little verbal back and forth... also the chemistry between them was sizzling from the start and was also noticable to everyone in their lives.

    I loved their dude-bro hookup, pretending its not real, having no idea what those gross feelings are relationship grew. It was hot, swoony and sweet.

    There was not much angst in the book just some adorable love and family drama, mostly off-page.

    The side characters were also great bringing some much needed depth into our MCs. Ty's teammates and Brax's sweet, wise grandma were the best!

    All in all, this was a fun read and I can't wait to see what else is there at Franklin U.
    Images in this review
    Customer image
    One person found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on September 23, 2022
    If this book was by a different author, I might have given it four stars. Riley Hart is a really great author and I tend to have higher expectations for her books. There wasn't anything wrong with this novel, but it felt a little bit phoned in. There wasn't a ton of story. Admittedly, I'm not a huge NA fan. I prefer adults. That being said, the book was fine. There were a couple cute moments, but all in all, whatever story and eggs there was felt largely self-imposed by immature characters. This was fine, but the minute I put the final period on this review, I will never think of these people again.
    In a star juxtaposition, boyfriend goals was a book that pops to mind often. If you're looking for a fun bit of fluffy filler, this is a perfectly great choice. If you want a better intro to Riley hart, choose a different novel
  • Reviewed in the United States on November 13, 2024
    This is a feel good story. Low angst. Easy to read with comedy and hot scenes. Both men have their troubled past and once they start hanging out and getting to know each other they realize they have more in common than they thought. They are very good for each other and realize it’s ok to help each other and believe there is someone out there in the world to trust and love. Guaranteed HEA.

Top reviews from other countries

  • Lailita
    5.0 out of 5 stars Ty & Brax
    Reviewed in Brazil on September 20, 2022
    They are opposites in every single aspect and even so, they are in such alignment, balancing each other and supporting each other’s back.

    It’s always cool when I get a nice Enemies to Lovers plot and this one is very well written.

    The story is romantic, it has the correct amount of steam and it’s adorable, with just the right pitch of drama and an amazing HFN that makes us believe that will lead smoothly to a HEA.

    I would definitely recommend this book to everyone.
  • book.lover.so_fantastic
    5.0 out of 5 stars Loved it !! Amazing start for this series
    Reviewed in France on September 1, 2022
    Rhoooooo this series is gonna be awesome !!! And that first book was so so great love it so much.

    Tyson is the star of the Lacrosse Team and loves to verbally spare with the Shenanigans barman and fellow student #badboy Braxton. Braxton has to deal with so many things, college, tuition, his job, his brother, and his grandma; he doesn’t have the time to care about Tyson and his little jock friends. But this little frenemies feud will be tasted as love and hate are pretty similar sometimes.

    Tyson and Braxton are just so cute, everything was well written and I just want to read it all over again 😍❤️
  • Silvana
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic read!
    Reviewed in Spain on September 2, 2023
    How I love a good enemies to lovers with lots of good sassy banter! These type of books sooo do it for me! And I love the fact that even when they got together they still kept the banter and sass going on. Had lots of fun reading this one for sure!
  • Jess Ann Saunders
    5.0 out of 5 stars Brax and Ty
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 2, 2025
    “𝑺𝒉*𝒕. 𝒀𝒐𝒖’𝒓𝒆 𝒈𝒐𝒏𝒏𝒂 𝒌𝒊𝒄𝒌 𝒎𝒆 𝒐𝒖𝒕, 𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒏’𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖?” “𝑯𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒅𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒐𝒚 𝒎𝒆?” “𝑩𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒆. 𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒕’𝒔 𝒖𝒔𝒖𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒊𝒕 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒔.”

    5/5⭐️
    - MM
    - Opposites attract
    - Jock x Nerd
    - Lacrosse
    - Grumpy x Sunshine

    “𝑰’𝒎 𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒕𝒚 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒄𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝑰 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒈𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒏 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒉𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒄𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝑰 𝒅𝒐𝒏’𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒏𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈.”

    This was such a cute and easy read and I fell in love with it instantly. Brax and Ty had a lot of banter between each other with moments that had me actually laughing out loud...Thank god I didn't read it in public! There are also some very sweet moments where they both open up to each other and help each other deal with the problems they are facing.

    Ty reminded me of much of a hyper puppy and he was just so sweet even when dealing with all his personal family drama. I also loved how he called Brax 'Sunshine' when he was in fact the sunshine throughout the whole relationship.

    Brax is the grumpy bartender who is not the biggest fan of Ty to begin with but even though he doesn't like him, he still wants to sleep with him..Obviously! Brax looks like a bad boy and he was at one point but that's not who he is anymore and he is just determined to get through college whilst dealing with his brother and taking care of his gran. I loved that Brax was grumpy but as he and Ty got closer, he showed his soft side. Also the way he helped his gran who is also one of my favourite characters from this book! I will say this though, I didn't like Brax's brother and nothing will get me to like him.

    This is a book to pick up if you want a fast paced romance with some great funny moments and some spice thrown in too!
  • randysandy
    5.0 out of 5 stars Love it!
    Reviewed in Germany on March 21, 2023
    Brax is a brooding loner and he is trying to get his life together. His only confidant is his absolutely sweet grandma. He meets Ty, the star lacrosse player who is successful everywhere he goes. Both hate each other, but also can't do without teasing each other. But as time goes by, Brax also discovers that Ty is more than an idiot and tries to steer his life in the right direction. And Ty discovers Brax's helpful, loving and sweet side. Both grow into a relationship together before they even realize it and neither can do without the other anymore. A truly wonderful enemies to lovers story about trust and the fact that you should always look behind the facade.

    Book 1 of 8. Please read it in the right order - Trust me😊
    Playing Games
    The dating desaster (best end)
    Mr. Romance
    Bet you
    The glow up (the cutest)
    Learning Curve (my favorite)
    Making Waves
    Football Royalty

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