Review: “Player!”
This book is by a popular bestselling author and has loads of fabulous reviews, so I was pleased to dive in and looked forward to it. It’s a good enough read that I can easily recommend… but it just didn’t take me nearly as far into a “romance reader high” as I hoped it would.
The Pros & Cons
First, my likes: stylistically, it’s written very well. It opens with a catchy first few lines, and I was hooked! OMG, what an enticing open! I settled in for the story, thinking I was guaranteed the entire range of emotions from swoons to hair-pulling frustrations to emotional highs to crushing lows.
…But it just didn’t happen.
Notably, the sexy parts are sizzling, and if you’re looking for a sexy read that’s minimal on the story, this is perfect for you! But as it dealt with such a heavy, serious topic… the sexy bits seemed oddly placed at times.
Other readers noted (and I agree) that the dark-past-flashback moment shifted WAY too fast into the wild-sex… but that wasn’t even my main sticking point. For me, it was the more subtle things that stood out. Verbal self-deprecation in front of your boss prior to a business event??? Making the first move — on your boss — in public, after insistently turning him down prior to that? Er, okay. It felt like the character had done a complete 180-degree shift from independent-hard-worker to insecure-girl-in-lust. I expected more control… as she kept *saying* she was so controlled, so reserved, so cautious… but really, she wasn’t.
Also, based on the title, I thought there would be some “player” behaviour in the present, but he’s already reformed for awhile by the time he meets her… and her initial “hard to get” persona (which piqued my interest from the blurb) disintegrated disappointingly fast. I like saucy girls with swagger, so I was hoping for more frostiness before they actually get together… more drama, more verbal barbs… more something (their initial meeting was so awesome!). Also, the “mystery” of her dark past was revealed so soon… I had hoped for more build-up to this point!
So overall, though I was enjoying it and kept reading, I didn’t really feel the gut-wrenching drama I’d been looking forward to. The dark past was barely a blip of a shadow in their relationship, as they seemed to be falling over themselves in lusty love despite that. The “action” parts of the plot were subdued, her run-in with the guy from her past was over so quickly, and her parents’ re-entrance into her life was just too simple. There was POTENTIAL here to get me more involved emotionally, but there were parts where I felt like I was having the story told to me, rather than 100% feeling it myself.
Conclusion
I did, however, love the overall message of how love can redeem damage if you find your soulmate. I also really enjoyed the rhythm of the writing, the relationships we glimpse through friends and family, and the general premise of the story. There were also laughable moments (I loved her meeting of the other Walker brother!), and the dialogue throughout was engaging. And ooh… did I mention the sizzling sex? I think I did. So again, if that’s what you need… it’s here for you!
Overall, I enjoyed the book, and it was easy to read in its entirety in a short space of time. It also piques the interest for the other stories in the series, which seem intriguing and I’d be happy to pick up. I liked this one, but I just expected and wanted more drama… more “kaboom”!
*Side note… her panties are WAY too easy to rip off. What kind of cloth are they made of?????*
