Playing for Keeps, Book 1
From the publisher:
https://amzn.to/3MzXNJrIn the sizzling hockey romance that has taken TikTok by storm, the ultimate player turns romantic to charm the woman he is desperate to win over.
“Endlessly sexy and funny. Consider Me will have you fanning yourself and googling your closest hockey team hangout.” ―Hannah Grace, New York Times bestselling author of Wildfire and Icebreaker
The first book in the globally popular Playing for Keeps series.
For a shot at love, he’ll do whatever it takes…
Carter Beckett is the NHL’s best player―both on and off the ice. His career is at its peak, his friends are performing better than ever, and there’s no shortage of women to spend the night with. What more could he want?
Olivia Parker isn’t new to professional hockey players, thanks to her best friend’s boyfriend, but she has no interest in dating one herself―no matter how hot he is. And anyway, she loves working as a teacher and hanging out with her best friend, drama-free. Why would she want to spend her time stroking the ego of an arrogant athlete?
But once Carter meets Olivia, he can’t think of anything else. Too bad for him, Olivia is hellbent on keeping him at arm’s length, with no intention of giving into his charms. Perhaps it’s time for Carter to up his game…after all, nobody said he had to play fair.
Sparks will fly as Carter does whatever it takes for Olivia to consider him.
I have tried a couple of the “TikTok” sensation book series, or rather read the first book, or sometimes even only part of the first book, and not bothered with the rest. I didn’t have high hopes for this one, but I do like to try new authors and I figured eventually TikTok, or rather BookTok as it is affectionately known, would lead me to a good read. Becca Mack did just that.
Just to clarify – I rarely go on TikTok. I am a reader and not a fan of the short video. Or the longer, YouTube or whatever video. When I want to know how to reset the timer on my coffeemaker, I do not want to slog through a five minute video. Just tell me what buttons to push and be done with it. But I digress.
This book is the first of a series, I have them all on my Kindle, and I’m looking forward to the rest. That said, I do have some criticism here. The book is too long and too repetitive; he’s huge, she’s tiny, we get it and don’t need to be told that over and over and over. It is also searingly hot, so if you don’t like reading sex scenes, this is definitely not your book. I’d guess at least half the book contains sex scenes; if it isn’t half, it felt like half, so same difference.
This is a hockey romance, so I love that. Big, burly hockey players with a heart of gold and the willingness to do whatever it takes to get the girl works for me. Carter is a fun character; dorky, sweet, hot as hell, and willing to give up his man-whore ways for Olivia. Olivia, the best friend of Carter’s best friend/teammate’s fiancee who has been warned away – actually, they’ve both been sternly warned away from each other but attraction cannot always be held at bay.
Olivia is a petite woman whose hockey-player-possible-boyfriend has always gone out with tall supermodel types, which doesn’t help her insecurities. Nor does the fact that any time they are out together, or he is out with the team, women just throw themselves at him. She also has trust issues, so this is not going to be an easy road to a relationship. On the opposite end, Carter has never been in a relationship longer than a weekend, so this is all new to him. But lots and lots of sex and fun and Oreos later, Olivia and Carter reach their happily ever after. Next up: book 2, Play With Me.
9/2024 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch
CONSIDER ME by Becka Mack. Zando – Slowburn (September 3, 2024). ISBN: 978-1638932413. 480p.
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