I was looking forward to getting to know Hugh, the youngest of the Braden’s as he seemed to flit in and out, being a racing car driver, and from previous books with him mentioned he liked his woman like he liked his cars, fast. But he wasn’t in a relationship. In Hearts at Play we see another side of Hugh, a Patrick Dempsey lookalike (Yes Please!), with a huge heart but never been wanting to settle down everything is new to him. e decides to go to a quite tavern where people probably won’t recognise him and meets Brianna. There is instant attraction there but Brianna is a single mother and does not want to get involved with anyone until her daughter Layla is 18.

This story is different from the other Braden’s love stories as this involves the delicate matter of single mother and her child and Brianna’s thoughts and feelings with getting involved with a man with a dangerous job but most importantly she puts her daughter above all else.

I am not going to give anything else away but it is so romantic, the bedroom scenes are steamy so not one for the kids to read ;)

This was another fantastic book to the series and is my favourite series to date. ( )

I liked this one quite a bit. I have slowly been working my way through Melissa Foster’s backlist and have recently been enjoying getting to know each of the Braden siblings. This time around we get Hugh Braden’s story. Each of these books work well on their own but fans of the series will enjoy seeing favorite characters make an appearance.

Brianna is a single mother with a 6-year-old daughter. She’s too busy trying to be the best mom she can while trying to make ends meet to even think about dating. Plus she has a plan to wait another 12 years for her daughter to turn 18 before looking for a relationship. Hugh doesn’t expect to be taken with the waitress working at the bar he visits but he is. He is a racecar driver and most of the women he dates seem to be more interested in his fame and status. Brianna doesn’t even know who he is so it is a different experience and one they both want to explore. I liked Brianna and Hugh and thought that they worked well together. I thought that they had a lot of chemistry with each other. I also really liked how they were both very focused on making sure that Brianna’s daughter would not be hurt by their relationship.

B.J. Harrison did a great job with the narration once again. I listened to this audiobook at 1.4X speed which worked really well for me. I thought that he did a great job with both the male and female voices and was able to bring a lot of emotion into the story. I believe that his narration added to my overall enjoyment of this story.

I would recommend this book to others. I thought that this was a well-done contemporary romance filled with great characters and a lot of emotion. I look forward to reading more of Melissa Foster’s work soon.

I received a copy of this audiobook from the author/publicist. ( )

Hearts at Play is part of a series, but I haven’t read all the previous volumes, so I started in with no preconceptions about the characters. That said, I was swiftly caught up the story of Hugh and Brianna; one a risk-taking driver known for his many women friends, the other risk-averse, eager to protect her fatherless child. Backgrounds are quickly and convincingly sketched, making this a great standalone romance, though it will probably encourage readers to find out more about the wonderful side characters.

With friends and fates conspiring equally, it’s hard to imagine how Hugh or Brianna might honestly fall in love, but romance has its own conspiracy, and this story proceeds with a pleasing sense of hope and mystery. Plans might be thwarted, but frustrations never rise too high, and gratification is sensibly delayed as true love brings real questions and doubts. “She’s different from anyone I’ve ever met. She’s more real. She’s responsible, sweet, careful. She’s very careful,” says Hugh. And this is a tale where love doesn’t have to leap into risk, though the bedroom scenes are complete and detailed with plenty of sensuality—and fun.

Life’s carousel spins full circle by the end of this novel, healing the past and offering a whole new outlook with even the chance to “believe in fairy tales.” It's a book that plays well, loves well, and reads like an enjoyable race into the happy ever after.

Disclosure: I can’t remember how I got it, but I’m offering my honest review. ( )