"Never Play Fair" by Leah Cupps is a sports romance novel that follows the relationship between two characters involved in a competitive world. While the book contains moments of passion and chemistry, the overall execution lacks originality. The plot follows a predictable trajectory, and the character development feels somewhat superficial, hindering reader engagement. However, fans of sports romance may still find enjoyment in the dynamic between the main characters and the familiar tropes explored in "Never Play Fair."

Never play fair is very well written. The book first grabbed my attention when I first saw it on netgalley and then again when I started reading it and never let go. I couldn’t put the book down. I finished it in one day. I for sure am going to recommend it to all my friends on instagram and goodreads

Never Play Fair, the second book in the Sydney Evans series is the explosive follow-up to the exciting series debut, What Lies in Paradise. Though this entry can be read as a standalone, reading the previous book first is recommended. Sydney is emotionally-spent after caring for her grandmother during her final months of life, but truth be told, her PTSD from a wedding fiasco in Jamaica had already worn her down. She and Alex have a romance that has quickly gotten serious; however, Sydney is second-guessing her feelings and ability to commit to a relationship again after what she'd gone through with Jack.

Jack is back, and so is his brother, Ethan. The story unfolds not only from Sydney's point of view but that of the two brothers as well, and readers are privy to the guys' more honest thoughts and feelings. I loved this triple view of the events occurring in the story.

The action got going quickly, and the story flew by without slowing down. The prologue is an absolute attention-grabber! There are also some very tantalizing glimpses of Costa Rica's west coast that give the action a sultry, noir feel at times.

With a fascinating triumvirate of characters providing the narrative and a plot that takes off like a speed boat, I recommend NEVER PLAY FAIR to mystery readers who enjoyed the first book in the series and those who like fast action, good guys that aren't so good, and stories featuring online gambling.

Never Play Fair by Leah Cupps was a bit of a slow starter but damn once the prison van crashed, it was full steam ahead.

I picked it up based on the blurb and boy did it deliver

Filled with interesting characters, plot twists and plenty of action, this mystery thriller was the perfect quick Saturday night read.

Read if you enjoy:
♦️ Suspense
♠️ Plot twists
❤️ High stakes
♣️ FBI mysteries

Sydney Evans is back again and this time she may be unharmed physically, but truth be told she is still suffering from PTSD and a whole lot of traumatic baggage, and sadly in her personal life too as her grandmother has died, one of her best friends is now no longer talking to her and the other is dead. Her ex-husband came back from the dead, her ex-brother-in-law killed her best friend and tried to murder her and her other friend and now her new boyfriend FBI agent Alex Birch is MIA after being sent on a mission to Costa Rica. All Sydney wanted was to curl up at home and be cut off from the world, but when she arrives home the FBI is waiting for her. They need her to contact Jack and help her locate Alex. Sydney is then thrust back into a world; she had hoped to never be a part of again and made to do things to survive. I have to admit I didn't care much for any of the other characters including Alex. I just felt so much for Sydney, as they are making her relive the pain over and over again and messing with her emotions and feelings, not to mention putting her in an impossibly dangerous situation with her already-developed diagnosis of PTSD. Crazy right? I do hope they leave poor Sydney alone after this or she may just be like her namesake Sidney Prescott from the Scream, where the nightmare just is never-ending and no matter how hard she tries to run from it, they just keep pulling her back into the mix of things. Never Play Fair, book #2 was another action-packed read that kept the reader intrigued as the pages were one bang after another. I now have the prequel of this series to read and looking forward to it as hoping to have a bit more of an insight into Jack and Sydney's marriage before it went South and Jack faked his death.

Ahh this book was amazing! Very well written, and it captured my attention right off the bat! Loved it.

Sadly I have not read Sidney Evans #1 yet, they can be read as a standalone thriller but now I am definitely planning to.

Never Play Fair by Leah Cupps was one amazing fast-paced thriller.
It grabbed me right from the start and wouldn't let go. I almost didn't want it to end, but I really wanted to know how it ended.
Suspenseful and intriguing.
I enjoyed the characters way too much. Sydney was amazing, her demeanor and attitude was great.
The writing kept me engaged and wanting more. I read this book very quickly as I had to find out how this one ended... And it did not disappoint.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Vision Forty Press,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

another great entry in the Sydney Evans Mystery series, I enjoyed the first book a lot so I was glad the series was continuing. This book had what I enjoyed from the first and I think improved on it. It was such a well done story and I enjoyed getting back to this universe, the characters still felt the same and I enjoyed getting back to them. I hope the series will continue,

Incredible thriller that immediately pulls the reader into the plot. I absolutely enjoyed this story and could not wait to enjoy the rest of the book

Never Play Fair by Leah Cupps

This is the second book in the Sidney Evans series. Sydney still getting use to what happen last year and struggling with PTSD. Now her boyfriend is missing will Sydney be able to find him with the power of Soical media. Put in a dangerous situation to save Alex. After meeting her ex husband again Sydney believes Jack can help her find her man.
It was enjoyable seeing the pov from both angles of the spectrum.
This would be great for someone who enjoys slow paced reading. Would recommend for those that enjoy thrillers and mystery.

#NetGalley #bookstagram#bookreview #LeahCupps #Neverplayfair #thriller #Mystery

Good book! Wow! What a heart pounder! Lol this book had high suspense, tons of action, murder, mobsters, and great undercover police work! The storyline was very interesting and had me glued to my Kindle! I highly recommend reading this book! It was a great read! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

Thank you so much Netgalley and Leah for the advanced copy!

It was a nice quick read, a bit predictable but engaging all the same. I knew I would like it from the blurb. Mysteries involving family members or loved ones have always piqued my interest. It's their reactions that intrigue me, how each detective or police officer react when people they love are at risk. In this case, it's actually the FBI agent boyfriend who was missing and it's up to Sydney, an Instagram influencer to save the day. I think I love Alex. Since I didn't get to see him in action much, (he's a prisoner in most parts of this book) I can't tell for sure. But if Alex is half as caring as Sydney believes, this man is a gem.

Now my feelings for Jack and Ethan are complicated. I totally misread Ethan (Not very happy about that). His character isn't hard to understand once I knew their backstories. I can't say I like him very much but I applaud the last decision he took. It was brave. On the other hand, Jack actually earned a soft spot in my heart. He may have done a lot of bad things but I daresay he's good brother. We all mess up every now and then, no?


I wish I had read the previous book because there are a lot of references and I felt like I was missing out a lot. It didn't pose any problem in understanding the story tho. The fun part is I didn't realize this Leah is the same Leah who wrote the Harley James series. After finishing the book when I saw her picture, I was like wait, whattttt. Anyways, good book! Recommended ❤️

(Btw, great cover.)