Title: Play Me
Series: Take A Chance, #3
Author: Diane Alberts
Published: July 29, 2013, Entangled Publishing
Format; Ebook provided for review (Thank you, Entangled!)
Even the best-laid plans can go awry.
Single-mom Kiersten Worth knows a bottle of champagne and night of hot, no-strings-attached sex is the perfect solution to her jilted bride blues…and Garrett Kelly, long-time friend and her teenaged son’s sexy basketball coach, is just the stud for the job.
Garrett wants more from the elusive temptress than a casual affair, but he never expects it to come in the form of an unexpected pregnancy. When he proposes an unorthodox solution—move in and raise their baby together—Kiersten has to decide whether to let down her guard and open her heart to the man who secretly loved her for years, or risk losing his tender embrace for good.
Play Me is the story of Kiersten and Garrett. I really fell for this story the whole way through. The writing was terrific and grabbed me right from the start. The storyline was smooth and quick moving. Everything was perfect.
Kiersten is a single mom. Well, sort of. When her sister was killed in a car accident, Kiersten stood up and took over and became the guardian to her sister’s son. The whole single mom aspect really spoke to me, since I am one myself. So right away I felt like I could identify with Kiersten when she felt it was easier to just go without – without men, without sex, without love. I mean, you have your kid, and that’s enough, right? Except she learns the hard lesson that sometimes it isn’t enough. So when she takes matters into her own hands and pins down her lifelong friend, Garrett, for a night of naked fun, I think “great!”
Except Garrett has feelings for Kiersten. He always has. And he goes along with the proposal because how could he not? But before the night is over, he realizes the mistake. And Kiersten is a stubborn stubborn woman. She made me mad. Garrett tells her he doesn’t want casual, he wants more – and she denies him! She denies him out of fear, nonetheless! Garrett does the only thing he can – he asks for distance to get over her.
This book tied me in knots! Kiersten kept making me mad, over and over. Garrett kept setting himself up for heartbreak. I wanted these two to get together so badly! And when Kiersten shows up pregnant, Garrett really steps up. I mean seriously, this man is doing everything right. Every move he makes, makes me want to love him more. But Kiersten? The woman is a rock! She kept crushing my dreams of a HEA, damnit.
I really like that Diane writes these flawed women, and men who are attentive and caring. I don’t always want to see the man as this tough as nails barrier between the woman and love. Because sometimes it’s just as much the woman’s fault. And even though this is only the second book in this series that I’ve read, I’m loving the way its going. I even hear the next book up is for a character from this book, Mike.
I really enjoyed Mike. He’s Kiersten’s brother and Garrett’s friend. He had some awesome one-liners and a strong position on “no love involved”. So seeing him getting bit by the love monster is going to be awesome, I just know it.
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