{"product_id":"playing-the-game-neil-j-milliner-9798235618312","title":"Playing The Game: A Story of Healing, Hope, and Coming Home","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA small-town hero. A big-city betrayal. A second chance at the love he never should've lost.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen \u003cstrong\u003eCal Bennett\u003c\/strong\u003e leaves \u003cstrong\u003eWillow Creek\u003c\/strong\u003e to sign a massive contract with the \u003cstrong\u003eMetro City Titans\u003c\/strong\u003e, he thinks he's finally living the dream. But fame comes with a price he never expected. The Titans' PR machine controls everything - his schedule, his image, even his relationship status. And their first demand is the one that shatters him: \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBreak up with Mara James.\u003c\/strong\u003e The girl who believed in him long before the cameras did.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eForced into a fake relationship with a PR-approved \"image girlfriend,\" Cal becomes a stranger in his own life. The game he loves turns into a performance, and the people around him see him as a brand, not a man. And when the Titans sell him mid-season to the distant superclub \u003cstrong\u003ePacific Reign\u003c\/strong\u003e, Cal finally sees the truth: \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHe was never a star to them. He was a product.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSo he walks away from the fame, the pressure, and the lies - and returns to Willow Creek, the only place that ever felt real. But coming home means facing the woman he broke, and Mara isn't the same girl he left behind. She's stronger now, guarded, and not about to let him back into her life without a fight.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTo win her heart again, Cal must prove he's done letting others script his future - and that the man standing in front of her is the one who came home to stay.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA heartfelt, slow-burn sports romance about second chances, small-town loyalty, and choosing love over fame. \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFame took everything from him. Love - and the game he was born to play - might just give it all back.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Neil J. Milliner\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9798235618312\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Neil J Milliner\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 02\/23\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 114\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.31lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.50h x 5.50w x 0.27d","brand":"Neil J. Milliner","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":49174394208511,"sku":"9798235618312","price":12.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/playing-the-game-neil-j-milliner-9798235618312","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}