Monday 11 April 2016

Review - The Player by Kresley Cole


Title: The Player
Series: Game Maker #3
Author: Kresley Cole
Release Date: April 12, 2016


In this searing stand-alone installment of the erotic Game Maker series, #1 New York Times bestselling author Kresley Cole brings readers a tale of a man wracked with dark desires and the beautiful young woman who could sate him at last. 

A madman with a shadowed past . . .

In the City of Sin, Dmitri Sevastyan finds her, Victoria Valentine—sexy, vulnerable, and in need of a protector. Obsession takes root deep inside him. Despite a history tainted with violation and betrayal, he will stop at nothing to possess her. 

A grifter with nothing to lose . . .

Descended from a long line of con artists, twenty-four-year-old Victoria, a.k.a Vice, needs the score of a lifetime to keep her loved ones safe. She sets her sights on gorgeous and rich Dmitri Sevastyan. Even as the irresistible Russian toys with her body and mind, he tempts her heart.

Love is the ultimate wildcard.

When Vice and her associates maneuver Dmitri into a hasty Vegas wedding, he refuses to protect himself with a pre-nup, trusting her with all that he has. But can she trust him? As secrets unfold, the newlyweds share days of doubts and nights of the wickedest pleasures. Yet once Vice discovers her husband’s past, will she stay to fight for her marriage or cut her losses and run?






I told myself, when I opened The Player on my Kindle at around 6pm on Friday evening, that I would just get started. Get a feel for the book, and hopefully, be finished by the end of the weekend—children willing. 

It's now 1:45am Saturday morning, and I just closed it. With only brief breaks as I made dinner, or acknowledged that I actually HAD kids, I read every page, poured over every word, gasped and grinned at the twists and turns, and fell completely in love with Dmitri Sevastyan. 

To be clear, when I say completely, I mean totally and utterly. Gruff, broken, off-center—and very possibly off-balance—at first glance, this Russian billionaire is not your typical book boyfriend. Except...his protective extravagance, his dirty words and dominant tendencies, and his passionate obsession for Victoria were beyond sexy. Beyond swoonworthy. Dmitri Sevastyan was decadence, indulgence; a dark and scorching hot fairytale Beast come to life in the pages of one hell of a good book. 

No, wait, not good. FABULOUS. It had me, to borrow a turn of phrase from the con artists that feature in this slightly over-the-top book, in its thrall. I'm the gull. The Player is the grifter. And I have been (happily and willingly) ensnared. 

And I would be again. There's no doubt in my mind, I will be re-reading this book. Actually, all three of the Game Maker books. Why? Maybe the stellar writing. Perhaps the temperature-rising sex. Possibly the secondary characters that blend humor with emotion, making it easy to fall in love with them. DEFINITELY because the heroes and heroines in these books are sublime. Strong but broken. Smart but plagued by bad decisions and choices. Beautiful but far from perfect. 

This book now marks three times in a three book series that I've found myself fully immersed in the insane and incredible world of the Sevastyan brothers. And as the clock ticks ever closer to 2am, and my eyelids start to droop (I'm hoping sleep will bring with it dreams of Dmitri), I can say with certainty that the next time I'm faced with a book by Ms. Cole, I'll be sure to start it in the early in the morning, so I'm not finishing it...early in the morning. 
~ Review by Beth




Kresley Cole is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the electrifying Immortals After Dark paranormal series, the young adult Arcana Chronicles series, the erotic Game Makers series, and five award-winning historical romances. A master's grad and former athlete, she has traveled over much of the world and draws from those experiences to create her memorable characters and settings. You can learn more about her and her work at KresleyCole.com or Facebook.com/KresleyCole. Sign up for Kresley's email newsletter to receive the latest book release updates, as well as info about contests and giveaways (KresleyCole.com/Newsletter).



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