Tuesday, September 27, 2016

Book Tour for PLAY by Piper Lawson (Review & GIVEAWAY)


Readers who enjoy fun and flirty romances will enjoy the rocky relationship between a brilliant video game creator and the strong-willed woman trying to prove herself in a job where she's surrounded by men.  Keep reading to get a tempting taste of PLAY by Piper Lawson, along with my impressions of it, then discover more about this entertaining read by visiting the other sites hosting this tour.  In honor of the crackling connection between these compelling leads make sure to fill out the form below for the chance to win a Magic 8 Ball (an important part of the storyline) along with the ability to name a secondary character in the follow-up to this book too!

I’m Payton Blake. A successful, balanced twenty-something living the dream.
OK. So it's a big, shiny-ass lie. I could be all of those things. If I had friends outside of work. And if I didn't mainline watermelon slushies like they were a food group. It wouldn't hurt if I'd had sex in the last year, either. (My best friend insists Jorge the Nightstand Boyfriend doesn't count.)
But when you know where you’re headed, who needs to enjoy the ride? Even if part of me longed for a little between-the-sheets adventure, Max Donovan would be the last guy I’d call. Sure, he made the indie video game that broke the internet. His eyebrow piercing’s sexy, in an ‘are-you-in-a-band?’ kind of way, and fighting with him gets me off faster than Jorge on bezerker mode. But he’s arrogant. Presumptuous. Colder than a cactus and twice as prickly. And I’m not talking about his face, because the guy’s barely old enough to shave.
None of it changes the fact that I crave Max Donovan like a watermelon slushy on a hot summer day.
I should ignore him. But I can't, because he just became my biggest client. And whether he'll admit it or not, he needs me even more than I need him.
So what happens when the girl who lives to work goes head-to-head with the guy who was born to PLAY?

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MY IMPRESSIONS OF THIS BOOK:

Readers looking for a quick read to put a smile on their face will want to add this to their bookshelf for the fun and flirty connection between two very strong-willed people.  Add in trust issues and a bit of espionage and it all adds up to an entertaining read that had me turning the pages at a fast and furious pace. With steamy encounters making their presence known in the latter half of this book readers will soon find themselves on an enjoyable roller coaster ride watching Max and Payton's sensual battle of wills slowly evolve throughout the narrative.

Payton's life has always been a bit rocky.  From her father walking out on her as a child to her mother's cancer diagnosis, she's always tried to be the dutiful daughter to her mother and be successful to help pay the medical bills.  With her snarky friend Charlie by her side she traverses the male-dominated world of finance with fiestiness and aplomb until the day she meets gaming maestro Max.  From their first combustible meeting to interactions that teem with sensual tension, it's clear these two are meant to be together.  Desperate to see his plans come to fruition she burns the midnight oil by his side, helping him every step of the way, all the while trying to protect her heart from the sexy yet bruised man full of doubts and fears. Payton's immensely likable and her interactions with Charlie led to many laugh out loud moments as the two of them bonded in girl-power solidarity against an arrogant male co-worker.  It's clear Payton wants Max, despite the pain it might cause, and she's willing to take whatever he can offer her as long as he's honest and tries to open his heart once they finally commit.  Theirs isn't an easy romance though as he's quick to judge and keeps things hidden from her which all leads to a breaking point that only a Grand Gesture will fix. Payton's a loyal and kindhearted heroine who became very regimented in her life due to all her losses but who shows a carefree side once she starts spending time with Max and in turn he starts to let down the walls he's built over the years in a romance that's sweet and sexy that I rooted for every step of the way.

Max is an engaging hero who caught my eye from the very start.  He's a bit abrasive upon first meeting him and has a rebellious side too with an earring in his eyebrow who's always found escape in video games.  With parents whose marriage fell apart slowly, while ignoring him quite often as a child, Max has come to believe that love is a lie.  His divorce reinforced that belief and has him fighting his attraction to Payton wholeheartedly despite her slowly working her way into his heart.  With Payton he finds escape from the real world that he only found in games before but difficulties opening his heart puts his burgeoning relationship with her in jeopardy which will require him putting his heart on the line.  Max is an entertaining hero whose gruffness was very sexy along with his wild hair and vintage tees and Converse shoes.  He has one friend, Riley, he trusts implicitly but everyone else he sees as an enemy as spies permeate the gaming world.  His relationship with Payton is slow to combust but is full of fun and flirty dialogue to keep readers invested in them until the fireworks start. He's slow to show his softer side but once he does he's utterly charming and easy to fall for despite his inability to open up completely.  It's clear that he's a bit bruised and broken at the start but being with Payton allows his healing to begin and they're a formidable couple worth rooting for.

This was an entertaining read that nicely balanced romance with humor and dialogue teeming with sarcasm.  Max and Payton were a crackling couple whose interactions had me laughing one moment and blushing the next as their romance heated up.  Payton was a strong-willed heroine who stood by Max, helping him reach for his future, and asked for very little in return which had me admiring her loyalty and understanding nature regarding his painful past and fears.  Max is sexy and snarky and I wish we'd gotten more of the story from his perspective.  I wish we'd been able to see into his heart as the random glimpses readers saw captivated me.  Along with this immensely appealing main couple came a few secondary characters that I long to hear more from in the future. Charlie's the quintessential supportive friend who has Payton's back at every turn.  I'm intrigued by the office war she's engaged in with the arrogant playboy Avery which teems with sexual tension that holds all sorts of sexy promises for the future.  Max's lone friend, Riley, also caught my eye as he's opposite in personality to his friend.  He's outgoing, longs to find that perfect woman, and his interactions with Max and Payton were playful and lit up the pages.  Though he appears to have found love here I hope to see more of him as he's the perfect blend of studious and sexy and he deserves to have his story told.  From start to finish this was an enjoyable story with a pleasant pace.  Though Max and Payton were slow to get together the unrelenting sexual tension between them kept me fully immersed in their burgeoning romance.  The delightful cast of secondary characters further engaged me and together it all added up to a charming geeky romance that has me wanting to read more of this author's works in the future!

My rating for this is a B+/A-

*I got this book from the author for review in exchange for my honest opinion.

AUTHOR INFO:

Join my Insiders list now for a steamy exclusive excerpt!
I love reading and writing about sassy, sexy, smart women and the guys who fall hard for them. Schooled is the introduction to my Travesty series about ambitious girls who chase their dreams of a fashion label from California to New York and back again.
My main household expenditures include books, coffee and chocolate, not necessarily in that order. Coffee = life (and I’ll defend it accordingly). I have two business degrees, neither of which I’ve leveraged into a fashion label.
Home is Canada plus occasional sunny winter escapes. Come find me on the tennis court, at the beach, or on the web.


**********GIVEAWAY**********

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2 comments:

  1. I love the guy on the cover. Thank you for your impressions.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great review, Jody! This sounds like a good, character driven read! Glad you liked it! :)

    ReplyDelete