Will
Football was always simple—follow the playbook, make the sacrifice, win the game. I lived by that rule for decades, and it cost me everything. My marriage. My daughter.
By ten, she believed I loved the game more than her. Now she’s back in my life—with a family of her own—I fight every day to show her I’ve changed. Then I fumble it all by falling for her best friend.
Amanda is strong, stubborn, and raising her daughter alone after her husband’s betrayal.
One kiss becomes something neither of us can ignore. She wants to keep it secret. I don’t. Because this time, I’m willing to risk the play. I won’t lose my second chance at love.
Amanda
I always knew I wanted to be a mother. I just never planned on doing it alone. But when my ex got his assistant pregnant, I stopped, waiting for the life I thought I’d have—and choose motherhood for myself.
Now I’m a single mom doing my best to build a quiet, steady life with no drama and no risks.
Until my best friend’s father becomes the one risk I can’t resist.
Coach Warner is disciplined, respected… and completely off limits. Watching him fight for his daughter only makes falling for him more dangerous.
We tell ourselves it’s just once. But one reckless kiss turns into a night we can’t take back—and a secret we definitely can’t afford to keep. Because if we’re discovered, I could lose my best friend…And he could lose his daughter all over again.
Falling for me was never part of his playbook.
(ARC Read)
There’s just something about a big, intimidating football coach turning into a complete softie for the people he loves that gets me every single time, and Coach Will Warner absolutely had me melting. Risk the Play was tension-filled and wrapped in the kind of promise that keeps you turning pages just waiting for these two to finally give in. Every lingering look, every quiet moment, every excuse to be near each other had that delicious “this is definitely going to blow up eventually” energy, and I loved every second of it.
Will is the definition of a man trying to make up for lost time. Football ruled his life for years, and rebuilding his relationship with his adult daughter Bellamy after everything they lost carries so much emotional weight throughout this story. You can feel how badly he wants to be present now, not just for his daughter, but for his granddaughter too. And then you throw Amanda and little Mia into the mix? This man never stood a chance.
I swear, every scene with Will and the girls had me soft. He’s this huge, burly football coach, but around Mia and Coral he turns into the world’s biggest teddy bear. The way he slows down for them, pays attention to every little thing, and naturally steps in to help Amanda without making her feel incapable was honestly one of the sweetest parts of the entire book. There is just something about a man being completely wrapped around a little girl’s finger that sends my ovaries into absolute overdrive.
“There isn’t a play I wouldn’t risk for you.”
Amanda was so easy to love, too. After being betrayed by her ex and suddenly navigating motherhood on her own, she’s spent so long convincing herself she has to carry everything alone. Even surrounded by people who love her, there’s still this loneliness sitting underneath everything. Watching Will slowly become the person she could lean on without fear was honestly so emotional and comforting at the same time.
Their relationship develops naturally over a few months, making it all seem very real. It starts with the quiet moments—helping with Mia at family events, checking in on her, rescuing her when she needs help—and slowly turns into something impossible for either of them to ignore. The tension between them builds so well too because they both know exactly what’s at stake. This isn’t just a forbidden romance for the fun of it. Bellamy and Will only recently rebuilt their relationship, and the fear of damaging that again hangs over everything between them.
“I didn’t mean to fall for you.”
“You didn’t fall on your own, and you never have to worry. I’m right here waiting to catch you. Both of you.”
Neither of them rushes into things carelessly. They fight it because they know how messy it could become. But the more time they spend together, the more obvious it becomes that this connection is so much deeper than attraction. These are two lonely people finally finding someone who makes life feel lighter.
She wants this. Not because it’s forbidden. Not because it’s reckless. Because it’s me. She wants me.
And once Will falls? Oh, this man falls hard. Completely all in. I loved watching him realize that for the first time in his life, something mattered more than football. The way he loved Amanda and Mia, with patience, consistency, protectiveness, and absolutely no hesitation; it was genuinely beautiful to read.
This is riskier than any play I’ve ever called. You have to take the risk to reap the reward, though. Amanda and Mia, they’re my reward.
Can we talk about the duality of this man for a second? Because Will is out here completely melting for Mia and Coral, letting those little girls wrap him around their fingers without even trying…but the second he’s alone with Amanda? Whew. The soft teddy bear disappears real fast. This man had some serious possessive, take-control energy behind closed doors, and the contrast between sweet, attentive grandpa Will and the confident, dominant side he brings to Amanda was honestly so good.
“You can touch me anytime you want, in any way that you want. Your hands on me, that’s not something that I will ever refuse.”
The found family aspect of this series continues to be one of my favorite things about Kaylee Ryan’s writing. The Nashville Rampage crew truly feels like one big family at this point, and getting one final story with all of them together felt equal parts comforting and bittersweet. I laughed, I cried, and I’m not ready for this series to end.
Risk the Play was heartfelt, emotional, sexy, and full of so much love and healing. Such a perfect ending to a series that completely stole my heart.
Release Date: May 19th, 2026
Thank you to Kaylee Ryan for the ARC read!