I don’t often get the pull to explore contemporary romance, but give me a childhood friends-to-lovers protective hero story and I’ll melt. Unfortunately this book wasn’t exactly as advertised, and the hidden aspects contained some of my more detested tropes.
Surface level, the synopsis for Play Dirty describes a woman in trouble seeking help from her childhood friend and long-time crush after they have spent years apart. What isn’t disclosed is that for a good chunk of this book the female protagonist, Poppy, doesn’t know she’s in possible danger and Jack, her former crush now turned undercover government agent, is there to seduce her for information. I hate a hidden identity plot, and this felt way too close to that, but somehow with more lying. Having all this occur and Poppy be unaware of it also felt like it stunted her character. A character that never felt that well-developed to begin with because the majority of her personality and devotion to Jack was because he comforted her after an attempted SA—yep, the “hero” of this novel is a guy looking to emotionally manipulate a naive trauma-bonded victim. But it’s cool y’all. He wants to protect her.
Admittedly, had this not been an ARC, I probably would have DNF’d it. Yet, because I did finish it I can confidently say that nothing that occurs in this narrative justifies Jack’s initial motivation. Ultimately, I would not recommend this.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishing group for an advanced copy of this book for an honest review.

This book was not for me. The storyline was confusing and all over the place. I found myself frequently having to go back and re-read parts to understand what I had missed.
It felt very rushed and unedited.

I’ve read quite a few of Lora Leigh’s books over the years: Dangerous Games, Hidden Agendas and Reno’s Chance.

Unfortunately for me this book was a miss. The timelines are all over the place and made it hard to follow. Additionally I did not love her decision to insert Poppy and Jack having a romantic moment after she almost gets SA. I get the desire to express closeness but it was a miss for me.

I would like to thank Net Galley and Tor Publishing Group for the ARC.

Play Dirty presents a promising romance premise but falls short on several fronts.

Primarily, the narrative rushes Jack and Poppy's connection, lacking the necessary time for their chemistry to blossom authentically. Jack seemed suddenly interested in Poppy and her acceptance of it lacks depth. While trying to portray Jack as 'Fifty Shades of Grey' he came off as too controlling and overly possessive. If the story had allowed these two characters to develop and form a bond and the chemistry it would have given the right amount of steam to their relationship.

While initially steamy, their intimate scenes lose their impact due to the lack of chemistry between the characters. Furthermore, these scenes become repetitive, with repetitive dialogues and actions.

How can I forget the jumping POVs!!? The frequent shifts in point of view, switching abruptly between Jack and Poppy, confuse the reader, making it challenging to follow whose thoughts are being conveyed.

Too many characters and too little plot made it weak. The too much technical jargon also made it hard to understand at certain points. I felt the AI part somehow didn't sit well with the story.

Overall, this book didn't quite live up to my expectations.

I would like to thank Net Galley and Tor Publishing Group for the ARC.

A friends-to-lovers story with a broody misunderstood Navy Seal, sign me up!

I had the pleasure of reviewing the book and the audio. I really enjoyed the story and the narration. The story follows the FMC, Poppy, and the MMC, Jack. Poppy and Jack have a bond that many others can't understand. They are bonded and intertwined by their experiences. Jack's possessiveness and drive to protect Poppy mixed with the love and confidence that Poppy holds for Jack creates the perfect romance novel with just the perfect amount of spice. This story has it all- friendships, love, danger, betrayal and more tied up in a pretty bow. The Epilogue also revealed a twist that I never saw coming!

The Narrator did a good job with pacing and matching the voices of the characters which I believe were from West Virginia. I absolutely adored Poppy's voice. She sounded like a sweet little southern belle. The Narrator was also good at creating distinct voices for the male and female voices. I read and listened at the same time and feel like listening to the audio added to my reading experience.

If you're looking for a quick read or a well narrated book, give Play Dirty a shot!

Play Dirty is a good fit for those seeking a passionate and protective romance featuring childhood friends reuniting under dangerous circumstances, with a strong emphasis on trust and possessiveness.

The opening of this book instantly pulled me in, bouncing between two high stress events early on in the characters life was an intanst attention grabber. This also gave me a good understanding of the characters' backgrounds, motives, and deep connection. However, once we made it to present day, I felt the story slowed down immensly. There were many side characters, who slowed the story development without adding to the plot.

Overall, the tension between the two main characters kept me interested and left me wanting more. The plot was enjoyable and the spice was so well done!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is a steamy romance featuring an ex SEAL and the girl who loved him since he was young and abused. Now years later they're brought together again but this time he's not going to let her go despite the lies he'll have to tell her to do his job.

The romance part of this book was just ok for me, lots of steam and open door romance. The AI storyline lost me completely. I wanted to love this one but unfortunately it didn't work for me. Others who understand AI a bit more will enjoy this one more then I did!

There's not much I can say here other than, this won't be coming into my Library or read by my students.

What did I just read? The storyline was so confusing. I had no idea what mission Jack was on and I had no idea what all of the AI talk was about. I was confused the whole time. The relationship between Poppy and Jack was just weird. He was an egotistical, controlling man. He treated her like she was property. The pet names he called her were very cringy. The book was also full of very vivid and descriptive sex scenes that I wasn't expecting. I felt that this storyline was a little overdone. I don't typically choose to read those types of books, so I wasn't expecting it to be so spicy.

⛓️BOOK JAIL with no chance of parole🔥


I came real close to giving up halfway through because of how much talk there was about his mission and AI (SO much AI talk it almost turned into a tech case study) and so much subplot but it was short enough to be over with it in an evening. now let me explain why this is going straight to book jail for the rest of its life 👹


- tied her up to the bed and started 👅 her BEFORE she woke up ‼️‼️ the police has been dispatched to their location

- 50% chapters at either one's place and 50% chapters at the bar. they barely set foot any other place it's like the budget was too low to get another location except it's not a movie but a book 🤑

quotes time, let's pull out the receipts 📜🧐


- the line "like a ninny.” do I need to say more

- "She’d expected him to grip her arm and tug her after him; men liked to do that where women were concerned. Instead, he surprised her again by holding out his hand to her." you don't understand he's a GENTLEMAN for not dragging her out by her hair 🔥‼️

- “I’m fucking tired of this argument.” He dropped his hand from her neck. “Wash that crap off." yes girl hurry remove your (neck) makeup asap‼️ bro acting like her pimp🙏

- "Unlike most women, she truly didn't believe her lover needed to live in her pocket or her in his." GUYS she is NOT like other girls 🤗

- "Poppy, I could bathe in the blood of anyone that dared to attempt to hurt you and step out of it feeling good about myself and what I'd done." the only good quote in there tbh I smiled a lil

- "Grief could be a terrible thing, Poppy acknowledged after-" 🫨 an intellectual!! a philosopher!!! inspirational quote of the day💯😩


as always, no hate to the author, to each their own and this just wasn't my own........


[review posted on goodreads]

Play Dirty is a captivating story full of passion and an enthralling encounter between an alpha male and a resilient yet vulnerable woman. This story truly captivated me as it seamlessly blended action, scorching romance, and suspense. From the very first page, Leigh effortlessly grabs hold of your attention, leaving you yearning to devour every word until the final page. I eagerly anticipate the release of the second book in this remarkable series. Thank you to the publisher and author for allowing me to share my thoughts on an ARC copy of this book.

I found the majority of this book well written. I felt like the beginning of the story felt a bit rushed and the latter and bit drawn out. The equalization of the story could be better.

A few icks….. Sugar baby as a pet name…..likely just me…..but none the less……ick! Secondly, him being 14 and her being 8 when they first meet. This inherently I know isn’t pedophilia but when he continues to discuss him being hers from the moment they met…….it gets real pedo real quick. She could have been 12 or closer in age but the gap at that age, I don’t think can be over come.

I will reserve posting by review until after the book is released.

Overall I think this book will potentially land well received in darker romance reader groups as the spice was well-written and included many on-page scenes. However, for me, I just wanted more explicit consent between the two main characters, especially given her background of being a SA survivor (rescued by her now love-interest). There was also next to no character interactions to allow for a connection/relationship to develop so the characters felt one dimensional to me and I had a hard time being invested in the spice.

I appreciate the opportunity to try this one, but unfortunately it was not for me and I will not be featuring on my socials.

I wasn’t sure what to make of this story. Did I enjoy it? Kinda. Would I recommend it to someone? Ehh probably not. Why? Because I honestly don’t know what I read. The plot was kinda hard to follow throughout and it just seemed a bit all over the place. Partly due to the changing of pov mid chapter. The sub plot lines were a bit too unrealistic to me to make me believe the events taking place could be real situations. The book is spicy however I wasn’t a fan of the lack of consent in the bedroom. I mean did I miss where she said yes to being tied up while she slept or something? I don’t know it came off weird to me. Unfortunately this story wasn’t for me.

I generally enjoy Laura Lee romances because I like the combination of suspense and steamy scenes. Jack and Poppy have had a connection since childhood and now Jack, who is an ex seal is back to both protect poppy as well as deal with a situation with AI. There is definitely, an intricate plot, which keeps you guessing about who is the bad guy throughout the book. The suspense does not take away from the development of poppy and Jack’s relationship. It was interesting to see how Jack was balancing his work commitments, while struggling with the fact that he’s keeping secrets from Poppy. Poppy and Jack have great chemistry and this is a true, romantic suspense book
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This book is infinitely better and hotter than fifty shades of grey., I will tell you that. I read this book with legs crossed. I loved how different our main characters were and how their personalities meshed. Despite knowing each other their whole life, they never acted on their feelings until years later. So there is a good dose of angst and yearning.

There is also a forbidden aspect to this romance so if that is your jam, knock yourself out. This was my first Lora Leigh book but it’s definitely not going to be my last. Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for generously providing me an arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. It was almost 5 stars for me, but the ending left me a little confused and I felt the pacing was off some. Other than that, the story kept me wanting more! This is book one, so I will read the second when it comes out. Also, Brianna Bronte did a great job with the narration!! There should be a trigger warning as there is a scene at the beginning of the book where the FMC is captured and mentions sexual or attempted sexual assault. There is also mentions of murder and torture.


Tropes:
Friends-to-Lovers
Military/Seal
Second Chance Romance

this was a pretty good read! i liked the writing and i will probably add this to my library's collection when i can

First thought: An intriguing storyline. If you’re looking for an action packed, morally grey, dark romance this one’s for you.

Poppy saved Jack when he was 14years old. Then a few years later he rescued her when she was being attacked. He was always there for her, to protect her and keep her safe. Poppy knew she was in love with him that day and will always be. But Jack knew she was too innocent and couldn’t be his.

Now years later Jack many years serving in the Navy Seals he was just given a mission that would take him back home. Him and his team had to intercept a deal and recover a new form of Artificial Intelligence, that threatened the safety of all. His connection in town would be Poppy as she worked for the men secretly brokering the deal. He however couldn’t let her know his mission and to do that he had to play a part and in doing so would betray her.

But when Jack got to town he couldn’t resist Poppy, she was everything he craved and his need to have her and protect her would make this the hardest mission of his life.

This was the first book in a series so after reading the epilogue I can see a vision, but this one just needed a bit more for me and it missed the mark. I don’t do half stars but it was a 3.75⭐️

Literally Themes you’ll find:

* Morally Grey
* Ex Navy Seal
* I’d Kill For You
* Secret Mission
* Artificial Intelligence
* Your Mine
* Dual POV
* Dark & Spicy 🌶️