Review of Playing for Keeps (Glasgow Lads #1), by Avery Cockburn

by Avery Cockburn

4.5 stars

Rule One: No Drama!

Fergus Taylor is damaged goods. Reeling from a brutal breakup, he’s determined to captain his LGBT soccer team out of scandal and into a winning season. For that, he needs strict rules and careful plans. He does NOT need a brash, muscle-bound lad messing with his head and setting his body afire.

John Burns has a rule of his own: Don’t get attached. Boyfriends are for guys with nothing to hide. Nobody—not his university mates, not the men he beds—knows his family’s shame. Now his double life is starting to unravel, thanks to a certain Highlander whose storm-riddled eyes turn John inside out, who wears a kilt like he was born in it.

Fergus is the first man John wants to share his secret with—but he’s the last man who could handle it. John knows the truth would shatter Fergus’s still-fragile heart. But how can he live a lie when he’s falling in love?

We have fallen in love with the Lads of Glasgow.  Playing for Keeps is a different sort of sports romance; a rugby romance, with sexy accents and men is kilts – all good good things!

Fergus Taylor is reeling off a horrendous break-up, and wants nothing more than to forget his pain and focus on mending his broken rugby team.  Love isn’t for him, and he is fine to lick his wounds by himself.  But, while planning a charity rugby match he happens upon John Burns a closeted man, living a double life.  John is struggling with the pressures for his father, being closeted to almost everyone and how to be the man Fegus needs him to be.

What do we love about this series?  Avery Cockburn doesn’t shy away from real life, particularly topics that are relevant in today’s Scotland.  Religious differences, independence vote and the violent fervor of sports team dedication.  It is fascinating, and we loved it.  It felt like these are real men, living real lives, with real everyday struggles.

This is so much more than a sports romance.  Fergus is Catholic and John is Protestant, and even though we think that’s not such a big deal, but for them it is a big deal, religious differences and hatred are a reality of their loves, Catholics vs. Protestants.  We loved that Fergus and John are born to hate each other, born as essentially rivals, but because John essentially hides who he really for fear of losing Fergus, they see past what they are born to hate about each other.  And although the first rule is; no Drama, this book gives it to us in SPADES.  It is masterful how Avery has woven a love story of 2 very different men, born to hate each other, and with even all the road-blocks in their way, they still find love.

Fergus and John are smoldering together, they are sweet, sexy and ignite the pages.  Seriously, if you have every had a men-in-kilts fantasy than you NEED to read this book.  The sex is molten, and you can feel the passion between these men. 

So things that may turn you off reading?  The language – they is quite a bit of local Scottish words.  A few times they left us scratching our heads.  But all in all they tended to add to Playing for Keeps, they immersed us in Fergus and John’s world and made us believe we were really in Glasgow.  And one of our most hated tropes – hiding something important, because really what makes for drama other than keeping the truth from your lover to find out about and break up with you.  But, we digress.  John keeps who he really is locked away from Fergus for fear Fergus will walk away. However, we didn’t hate it.  John has so many things stacked against him, not only his family and his religion, but Fergus has been badly burned before and is so wary of letting him in.  Although still not our favorite, it worked here, you can see why John is keeping secrets and you feel his strife, angst and disappointment in himself in not being able to tell the truth.

This is our first Avery Cockburn book and we LOVED it.  LOVED!  Canna say enough – see what we did there?  Playing for Keeps tackles hard topics, religion, politics, family expectations, all things that aren’t romantic, but truly makes this book a real look at 2 men form very different world, and against all pressures falling in love. This is the first of a long series that is as great as the first book – spoiler – we loved it so much we devoured the rest of the series already!