Book Review | Change The Play – Kaylee Ryan (Nashville Rampage Series, Book Five)

Change The Play
By: Kaylee Ryan

Series: Nashville Rampage
Book # In Series: 5 of 6
Genre: Sports Romance (Football)
Publisher: Kaylee Ryan
Publication Date: March 3rd, 2026
My Rating: ✮✮✮✮✮
My Reading Format: I received a copy to review honestly

Synopsis:

NYT and USA Today Bestselling author Kaylee Ryan brings you a new standalone series surrounding the Nashville Rampage football team. Change the Play is a found family, forced proximity, workplace, sports romance.

Foster

I learned early how to survive on my own. Keep my head down and my past locked away.

My childhood taught me that nothing lasts and no one chooses you forever. So I built a life free from love—and pain.
Football gave me discipline. Success gave me distance. Silence kept me safe.

Then Eden walked into my house.

My new housekeeper. Someone meant to clean my messes and remain on the edges of my life.

Except she didn’t stay on the edges. She saw me—really saw me—and didn’t look away. Her laugh somehow turned my empty house into something that felt like a home.

With her, the walls I spent years building began to crack.

Loving her means risking everything. It means believing I’m worth choosing. She makes me want to stop hiding… and change the play.

Eden

I know what it’s like to grow up unwanted. To pack your life into boxes and pretend it doesn’t hurt when no one ever unpacks them for you.

Loneliness taught me independence and resilience, to build a family from the people who stay. I never expected more.
Then I met Foster.

He’s quiet and guarded, carrying the weight of a past he refuses to name.

Working for him was supposed to be simple—do my job, keep my head down, don’t cross lines.

But the more time we spend together, the more I see the man beneath the armor. The one he hides from the world.
We weren’t looking for love. Yet somewhere in the stolen moments, we chose each other.

And for the first time, I’m not just building a family—I’m finally home.

honey-script.light

Change The Play is the fifth book in the Nashville Rampage series by Kaylee Ryan. Foster and Eden’s story can be read as a standalone, so if you are new to this series and want to start with this book, that should be fine. But, be warned, you may have a strong urge to marathon this series once you start this book. The characters and the storylines in the Nashville Rampage series are all so addicting! I can’t seem to put these books down once I pick them up!

Anywho, we are here to talk about two people and one great love story today. If you’re a fan of slow burn romances with a little extra charge tension, this one should be your next read. Foster should be having the time of his life. He has four best friends, he considers brothers, he’s a professional football player, and he has the security that comes with a multi-million dollar contract. But something is missing, something has always been missing, and the guilt resurfaces every time he thinks about not fighting to keep that one element that is missing. Growing up the way Foster did, he came to an early conclusion, rejection lives within you forever.

Eden hasn’t had a charmed life. Growing up in the foster care system taught her one thing, you have to work for what you get out of life. She’s also learned about rejection and all the emotions that come with it. That’s why Eden doesn’t allow anyone to get close. That is, until she meets the man of her dreams who shares those fears and a similar background. The only issue, He’s a professional athlete, and she happens to be working for him. Nothing good can come from her getting closer to him, or can it?

My Thoughts:

Kaylee Ryan has done it once again! She’s forced my hand and made me fall head over heels for, yet another, one of her book heroes! Foster swept me off my feet, and Eden helped pick me up! I couldn’t put this book down!!! Kaylee Ryan added just the right touch of emotions throughout this novel. I felt my heart hurt and heal moment after moment.

Let’s start with Eden. I loved the strength Eden showed throughout this novel. I also loved the fact that there was a vulnerability that lingered just behind the surface. Her character is as independent as they come. Growing up, in a way that she grew up, forces you to be independent. I also adored the fact that she didn’t let her childhood and teenage years define her negatively. My heart adored Eden’s personality and Eden’s ability to grow and flourish into the person she is today!

And then we have Foster. Where Eden had grown from her past. Foster kind of pushed himself to hold onto that fear of rejection and fear of the unknown in a way that no one was going to be able to hurt him again. My heart shattered for Foster and his fear of letting anyone in again. I think Kaylee Ryan executed these emotions flawlessly.

I adored Eden and Foster’s story. The thing I loved most about this novel was Foster and Eden sharing similar backgrounds, and in that retrospect, Eden helped Foster through all of his pent up emotions. She helped him see that he could trust again, that he could love again, and that he could have hope once again. And those moments were so inspirational! I knew from the very moment I picked this book up that it was going to be my favorite. And that notion wrang true! I loved every single moment!

Let’s not forget about the spice! Change The Play is somewhat of a slow burn romance. Eden and Foster took their time to develop a friendship that garnered trust and adoration. The more time they spent together, the more this fire burned between them. The more time the brighter the flames got. And this is the moment that had me really feeling a connection between the two. I loved the getting to know each other phase, and they grew a strong foundation of trust before any sexy time was introduced. But holy crow, the sexy time was just as sweet as it was spicy!

Overall, my heart adored Change The Play by Kaylee Ryan. I’m thrilled to have found another five-star read within this series, and I’m so happy to say that Foster is the ultimate book boyfriend and hero in this series! My heart couldn’t get enough of this man and all the growth he went through during this novel! I loved every moment!!

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