The Game Changer Audiobook By Julia Jarrett cover art

The Game Changer

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The Game Changer

By: Julia Jarrett
Narrated by: Heather Firth, Connor Crais
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I hired a single mom to help make my small town fall in love with a baseball team. And now I’m the one falling in love…with her.

Buying a small town baseball team might seem an odd choice for a millionaire tech developer, but I welcome the challenge.

Moving back to my hometown and reviving the once-beloved Cedar Creek Thunder is an impulsive attempt to find a deeper purpose, and a life that is measured in happiness rather than dollars.

A chance encounter with the most gorgeous woman I’ve ever seen has my temperature rising from more than the tea she’s spilled on me. When she walks into my office for an interview later that morning, it quickly becomes clear there’s no one better suited for the job.

Isla Forrester should be off limits, but with a smile that pierces my soul, the single mom is fire wrapped up in sweet temptation. I’ve always had thick walls around my heart, but Isla and her son are breaking them down.

Now my sole purpose is getting her to believe that loving her is no challenge at all.

©2026 Julia Jarrett (P)2026 Julia Jarrett Sports Heartfelt Feel-Good Single Parent
Heartfelt Romance • Authentic Disability Portrayal • Flawless Duet Narration • Compelling Chemistry • Emotional Depth

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Listener received this title free

okay this was such a good introduction for me to this author! i ate everything about this up!

luca hires isla for a contract in marketing on a baseball team and these two build such a sweet relationship. luca has the same condition as her son and they build such an amazing bond and luca is so sweet towards charlie.

i love the way luca and isla interacted with one another and how feisty she was throughout this. luca wanted to help her constantly but she held her ground about her feelings about certain things and it was so sweet.

the way connor crais says “f**k” in one of the scenes did something to me. changed my brain chemistry. heather firth did such an amazing job as well. i love how it was duet narration, i’m always thrilled about reading those.

such a good romance!

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Listener received this title free

Julia Jarrett at her best! This single mom x boss baseball romance was EVERYTHING that I wanted. Jarrett's writing is witty and sharp. The Game Changer was a wonderful start to Jarrett's new Canadian Baseball romance series and I'm so excited to continue with the Cedar Creek Thunder. This team already has my heart!

The relationship dynamic between Luca and Isla's son, Charlie, was SO precious. This little family has my whole heart!

Connor Crais and Heather Firth bring Luca and Isla to life perfectly. Their duet narration made an already excellent story even better. This was a phenomenal audiobook and I know I'll be going back to this again and again on audio!

brilliant baseball romance

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Listener received this title free

I knew from the first look when Isla spilled her tea on Luca that these two were going to be fire. Their meet cute was chaotic & their second meet cute was unexpected for them.
After coming home and purchasing the small town baseball team, Luca is on the hunt for the perfect marketing manager to help him make the team relevant again. So when his dream girl from the coffee shop that morning walks into his office for an interview…he quickly realizes that her marketing prowess she can make his dreams come true in more than one way.
These characters had so much to unpack, but their hearts were perfectly in the right place. The way that Luca was able to bond with Charlie on a different level had me in the swooniest kind of tears. Charlie was such a big personality & I loved watching him come into his own with the help of his amazing mom & Luca.
I loved how Luca made it his mission to do anything possible to make both Isla’s & Charlie’s dreams come true. And boy did he succeed. And even though Luca was a millionaire, he & Isla were so relatable as characters. Their inner monologues & feelings of never being enough reflect very real qualities in the everyday man & woman.
I loved everything about Julia’s baseball world & can’t wait for more from The Cedar Creek Thunder world.

Audiobook Review:
Connor Crais was the absolute perfect choice for Luca. And Heather Firth as Isla was an even better choice. Their ability to completely become these characters truly set this audiobook on a different level.

Beautiful disability rep!!

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this was a super cute, satisfying story. I enjoyed the mature relationship these too had. I also love the relationship between the MMC and the FMC's son, Charlie. both have a limb difference. there isn't a 3rd act breakup up, so that was nice. I hate those.

the narration was top tier. you dont get much better than these narrators. they bring the emotion, humor and lust. When Connor Crais made his voice crack because that is what happens to Charlie. Gold. it was so authentic that I actually thought it was a production mistake. SO GOOD.

overall, this is a must read if you want a low angst, sweet story with a natural progression and no 3rd act breakup.

very cute, satisfying story

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Listener received this title free

You know the book you start and think, “I’ll just read or listen to a few chapters a day,” and eight-and-a-half hours later your pop your earbuds out and wonder what you missed, because the world just disappeared? The Game Changer by author Julia Jarrett and narrated by Connor Crais and Heather Firth is that book. I absolutely disappeared into the book; I was in Cedar Creek.

The Game Changer is the first book in Jarrett’s new The Cedar Creek Thunder baseball series. It perfectly sets the stage for what I hope will be many books to follow. Luca and Isla and the supporting cast are irresistible, Cedar Creek is charming, and the underlying story of congenital limb difference and amniotic band syndrome is sensitively told, informative and educational, often heart-breaking but also just as uplifting.

The first chapter is hilarious and will hook you: single mom Isla, whose last up-close-and-personal encounter was about twelve years ago when she became pregnant with her son Charlie. She’s not unaware of handsome, sexy men but she felt harshly judged as a pregnant teenager and doesn’t want to open herself up to any possible judgment ever again. Besides, Charlies needs her. We’re a bit into the story when we realize Charlie has congenital limb difference; his right arm never developed below the elbow. They’ve adapted but he has been bullied. Isla is hoping for a fresh start for both of them if she gets the job as temporary marketing director for the newly-revived Cedar Creek Thunder small town baseball team.

Remember I said although Isla is a bit (ahem) inexperienced but still notices handsome, sexy men? Enter one such man who she unfortunately spills hot tea on. And who, even more unfortunately, is the new owner of Cedar Creek Thunder and the man interviewing her for that marketing job,

Luca is a millionaire tech developer who just sold his company and has moved back home with a plan to return the Thunder to its previous glory as an integral part of the Cedar Creek community. He’s re-forming the team and refurbishing the stadium and Isla’s vision for the team aligns perfectly with his, which makes her the perfect candidate for the position. He fervently hopes an inner mantra of, “She’s not that beautiful, she’s not that beautiful, she’s not smart and creative and funny and no I do not have ‘those’ thoughts about her,” will allow him to remain professional. Cue the humor because we know how this is going to go.

Luca also has congenital limb difference; his leg never developed below the knee, but he’s not as open about it as Charlie. He’s had some bad experience and doesn’t want to be judged or receive special treatment or be identified by it so very people know. As for relationships, he’s cautious. Very cautious. Some women have been more or less okay with it; others have almost run out of the room screaming. Not exactly confidence-inspiring.

So two talented, attractive people with a lot to offer who think romance, not to mention true love, is just not in the cards. Isla is going to wait until Charlie is grown up – or maybe forever – to even think about it, and Luca wants what his parents have but doesn’t think that’s possible. That instant attraction in the coffee shop, however, is turning into something more, even though there are so many reasons they can’t be together: Isla has to put Charlie first; there is an age gap between them; she works for him. Fighting is futile, though, so sit back and enjoy.

Connor Crais and Heather Firth bring The Game Changer vividly to life through their flawless, excellent duet narration. Crais puts so much emotion – love, desire, yearning, fear, desperation, sadness hidden under his calm, mature demeaner – into his deep, warm, rumbly portrayal of Luca that you will be captivated, and he then transitions effortlessly into 12-year-old Charlie, cracking voice and surly pre-teen replies and all. Firth’s portrayal of Isla is soft and a little breathy, making her seem vulnerable, but then Firth puts enough steel in her voice to show us just how strong Isla really is, and Firth’s voices for the other female characters are remarkable varied. The audio version of this book makes an engaging, captivating story even more appealing and satisfying.

The Game Changer is a great start to this new series, introducing the characters and the town of Cedar Creek, weaving a likely mostly unknown physical condition seamlessly into the story and setting up possibilities for further books. Bonus: references to and appearances by Vancouver Tridents folks we already love. I knew I would enjoy this story because of my past reading/listening experience with Jarrett’s work, but I was very pleasantly surprised at how quickly it drew me in and enfolded me in its warmth, love and spice. I received advance reading and listening copies of The Game Changer. Definitely recommend and can’t wait for the next book. I voluntarily leave this review; all opinions are my own.

Fantastic beginning to a wonderful new series

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