Playing for Keeps by Jill Shalvis

Narrated by Vivienne Leheny

It’s been a while since I’ve read a Jill Shalvis novel so I decided to dive into the Heartbreaker Bay series with Playing for Keeps after trying the narration sample which impressed me. While it’s clear there is some history between the main characters from previous books in the series, Playing for Keeps stands alone pretty well. I certainly had no trouble understanding the dynamic.

Sadie Lane is a budding tattoo artist who is developing her clientele and so also works at a Day Spa in the Pacific Pier Building in San Francisco. Even so, it is difficult for her to make ends meet and she’s working a lot of hours for little reward. One rainy night, she sees Caleb Parker, hot billionaire and all-around good guy (think Elon Musk but hotter, younger and far less problematic), the man she calls “Suits” (because he’s always wearing one) crouching down before something in the rain.

The something is a young dog, abandoned and scared, likely abused by her previous owner. Lollipop (as she is quickly christened) has only three legs but she gets around just fine. She falls in love with Caleb at first sight and with Sadie very quickly thereafter. Caleb and Sadie decide to “co-parent” Lollipop and this puts them in close proximity and thus sets the scene for a romance between them to finally blossom. It’s clear it’s been simmering below the surface for the year they’ve known each other. They have friends in common and keep crossing paths, but Sadie has barriers more impenetrable than Alcatraz and it takes a lot for Caleb to make any headway.

Caleb falls harder and faster than Sadie but he has his own barriers. Plus, his four sisters are extremely overprotective of him and this causes some difficulties in the budding relationship as well. The sisters are well meaning but overstep from time to time.

Sadie had troubled teen years and has never felt like she fit with her “normal” family. She has a history of cutting and this may be triggering for some listeners. I felt it was handled sensitively but I’m certainly no expert here.

I was pleased to hear Black and queer secondary characters popping up in this series. I was a little uncomfortable with the representation of Caleb’s erstwhile sensei who had overtones of Mr. Miyagi (there was even a “wax on, wax off” joke in there so the link was explicitly drawn). Naoki was a cipher and seemed to be present in the story only to show what a good guy Caleb was.

Sadie is very prickly. She swore off men some three years earlier after a bad relationship experience and she does a fair bit of relationship-sabotage in this book. I found it understandable and didn’t get impatient with it but I suspect some listeners may feel differently.

It helps that the narration is very good. Ms. Leheny has a pleasant timbre to her voice and differentiates well between the various characters, including the female cast. Caleb’s voice has a deep note to it which sounded authentic.

Ms. Leheny also delivered on the emotion of the story. I felt for Sadie’s difficulties with her family and her sense of isolation and disconnect and a lot of that came from the narration.

Some things Caleb did were a bit too high-handed for my taste and it surprised me that Sadie didn’t make more of a ruckus about them but the connection between the pair as their relationship developed between acquaintances who rub each other the wrong way to being each other’s “lobster” was very apparent in the listen.

Playing for Keeps is an entertaining enough listen but it was the narration which elevated it the most.

Kaetrin

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Buy Playing for Keeps by Jill Shalvis on Amazon