I've said it before and I will keep saying it: if Katee writes it, I will read it and that absolutely includes gruff millionaires and workplace romances and books filled with heat and heart in equal measure.

Make Me Want: bedroom lessons? say less
Make Me Crave: give me no strings attached vacation shenanigans all day every day but oops the shenanigans' become feelings, oh no!

Two great short fast paced reads!!! Lucy will go to extremes to get in bed with the man she desires! Little does she know he wants her just as much! And Roman and Alley …: whew!!!
Great for one of those times you want a hothead with not a lot of time on your hands’

Two fantastic quick reads in one book. The first novella is Make Me Want. A wonderful friends turned lovers with a twist scenario. I loved the added elements of crappy ex's best friend and the "teach me" plot line.
The second novella is Make Me Crave. A fun vacation fling between strangers that turn out to be business rivals. Lots of tension and spice.
Both stories are steamy and well written. I really enjoyed this 2 for 1. ❤️❤️

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin - Romance for the opportunity to read Forbidden Games by Katee Robert. This book combines two previously published stories by the author, offering readers a double dose of romance.

Both stories are light and quick reads, making them perfect for fans of fast-paced romance. Of the two, I found myself more engaged with Lucy and Gideon’s story. Their chemistry and dynamic felt more compelling On the other hand, while Allie and Roman’s story had its moments, it felt a bit bogged down by plot points that stretched the boundaries of realism, which made it harder to fully immerse myself in their narrative.

That being said, Katee Robert’s signature style of creating emotionally charged relationships and steamy moments shines through in both stories. While these didn’t capture my heart quite as much as her Dark Olympus series—the stories in Forbidden Games still provide enjoyable escapes into the romantic worlds she crafts so well.

Make Me Want

3.5⭐, 3🌶️

I enjoyed this book, but just didn't feel like it was anything extraordinary - I liked the story and characters at times, and at other times I just felt myself zoning off cause I wasn't grippe by the storyline. The third act breakup was pretty standard, and didn't feel like Gideon groveled (really at all) to win Lucy back/ . It's a fast aced ex-boyfriends best friend romance here Lucy is looking for a marriage and enlists Gideon, who's a headhunter, to help find a suitable husband. But in the mean time, she also asks him for some "teach me" lessons marking off some experiences from her Saucy Bucket List.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for an ALC of this book in exchange for my honest and unpaid review!


Make Me Crave

3.75⭐, 2.75🌶️

I realllllyyy liked the premise of this book being Roman "hunting" down Allie on vacation to get her to agree to a business deal. The reality of him then losing all understanding and having a "one night stand" with her without getting her name, and then them having a sexual relationship and ignoring the business deal was wildly unrealistic (but its fiction so I'm not criticizing this too much) . As it was a novella it was hard to get too attached to the characters because of the fast pacing and lots of spice, but overall it was a nice read, and maybe my favorite of the four books.

I LOVED that they called each other Greek mythology names - Allie was Aphrodite - because I just found it entertaining that Katee clearly has vibed with the Greek spin offs for so long (this is a republishing of a series originally published in 2018, before the Dark Olympus books)

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin - Romance for an eARC of the Forbidden Games, a Volume of collection of books one and two (Make Me Want & Make Me Crave). This is my honest and unpaid review!

I love Katee Robert. These two novellas are, as always with Robert, sweetly spicy and very fun. Previously published but new to me!

While it may not be my favorite from Katee Robert, I still had a good time with these interconnected standalone novellas. I would have like to see a little bit more from the plots, but considering the length of each story, the characters were well fleshed out, and the spice was spicing. If you enjoy Katee's style and how she writes her romance (consent is sexy y'all) you will enjoy these quick reads.
3.5 rounded up.

Katee Roberts never lets me down. If you are looking for a fast pace spicy moment, no need to look any further.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin, and Ms. Robert for the opportunity to read an ARC of this title. An honest review was requested but not required.

This is a duet of two connected novellas. Of the two, I preferred Lucy and Gideon's story. Lucy is an emotionally damaged attorney who feels pressured to marry to present a more stable persona at work, which will enable her to make partner. She asks for help from corporate headhunter Gideon, who coincidentally was her ex-fiancee's best friend and the one who told Lucy that her ex was cheating on her. Of course, Gideon has been in love with Lucy the whole time, so when she asks for help being seductive, he steps into the role eagerly. Both of them had some real past guilt and trauma issues to work through but their connection could not be denied. I felt a real pull between the two of them. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The second novella featured Allie, a businesswoman who ran a tandem gym/women's shelter, and Gideon's business partner Roman, who was trying to connect Allie with an angel investor (whose identity had to stay secret due to NDA restrictions). It started off a little squicky with Roman pursuing Allie even onto her vacation, which I didn't care for. Then, Roman and Allie (without knowing each others' identities) met and decided to have a vacation fling. Once they discovered the truth they decided to continue the fling but just not talk business until they returned to New York.
This novella really suffered from lousy communication - if they had just TALKED!, ugh - and furthermore from Allie's bullheadedness. Her friend Becka counsels her that both Allie and Roman were in the wrong, but to me Allie's stubborn refusal to even countenance help "because they might harm the shelter" seemed short sighted. Wouldn't the CLOSURE of said shelter, due to Allie's incompetence, be the most harmful? And the women in the shelter aren't in jail; if they didn't care for the new management they could leave. Constant low-level disgruntlement at Allie sort of spoiled the carefree vacation vibe she and Roman were supposed to be having. I really couldn't get behind their ending as enthusiastically as I could for Lucy and Gideon. ⭐⭐1/2

Overall I'd say ⭐⭐⭐1/2 stars. I'll r0und up to 4 for GR though because Lucy and Gideon were so adorable together

This on didn’t click as most or Katee's books. The vacation thing was quite fast and not that deep. The ending was cute.

Make me...

A two book collection from the Make me series.
This little steamy contemporary bundle of two books includes Make Me Want and Make Me Crave.
Its Katee, so its steamy, there's drama (of course there is!) and leads that are at odds with each other.
Recommend, babes!

Gideon and Lucy's story was a friend's to lovers story. He's always wanted her even when she was with his best friend. She enlists him to help find her a husband but their feelings keep getting in the way.
I liked what a strong but vulnerable woman she was and how alpha make he was. Made for a good give and take.

Book 2 was Allie and Roman. She needs help with her business but is unwilling to ask for it. He has the right investor. He tracks her down on vacation and sparks fly! It's an insta attraction, vacation sex story with learning how to lean on someone book.

Forbidden games do exactly what the previous titles suggest: Make Me Want & Make Me Crave. *Read this book before Illicit Temptations* The book is broken into two separate short, interconnected storylines. First part of the book follows Lucy & Gideon in a matchmaker + lessons storyline. Lucy is trying to make partner at her law firm, and she thinks the last thing she needs is a husband. Que Gideon who has been holding a flame for her since his horrible (ex) best friend broke her heart and spirit. The story follows their battle between losing a rekindled friendship and taking a chance on love. Nice little spice and a HEA. The second part of the book follows Allie & Roman (Gideons Bestie) while they battle a very spicy enemies-with-benefits/enemies-to-lovers situation. The steam really heats up in this part of the book. Allie is an independent business owner and Gideon is a broker that is trying to acquire Allie's business. Allie sees it as a hostile move meanwhile, Roman's investor is exactly what she needs- but he can't tell her that. We follow their journey into realizing they're both more than surface level personalities. Steamy and HEA. Thank you to Netgalley & Katee Robert for an advanced copy of this book to read.

This is a combo of two books the author had already released, but I never read those. Im glad I read this because it made perfect sense for a rerelease. Anyway, thank you, Netgalley for an arc of this and I would recommend reading it. I rated this a 4.5 stars.

Forbidden Games by Katee Robert

The stories were previously published as Make Me Want and Make Me Crave.

The stories are loosely connected by the characters, but both connections are ancillary characters in the other book.

Gideon is a good guy, even if he doesn't think so (yes this is a theme in both stories). And Lucy has been his ideal, but circumstances caused them to no longer be part of each other's lives. Until she comes to him with a proposition, help her find a husband. Oh and can you teach her to be sexy? I mean really what hot blooded man is going to turn down the woman of his dreams? What could possibly go wrong?

Allie makes me want to scream! I mean I get wanting to do things on your own, but for pity sake, store your high and mighty I can do it myself attitude and understand asking for help is not a character flaw.
Okay I feel better, if you can get past that truly annoying issue with the main, then the week in the private island might make it all worth it.
Roman is determined and who doesn't want the hot guy fling?

This book just isn’t holding my interest. I’m annoyed with both of the main characters at 18% in because they’re awful at communicating effectively.

Forbidden Games by Katee Robert is two books in one! Make Me Want and Make Me Crave

Make Me Want:
- We meet Lucy an attorney hoping for partner at her law firm. She had a really sh!tty break up that has left her with insecurity and little desire to re-enter the dating world. However, it's unlikely she'll make partner unless she's married. Enter, Gideon, a head hunter - oh and her ex's best friend. In desperation she asks him to help find her a husband... oh and to ensure she's better in bed...

Make Me Crave

We meet Allie, a struggling nonprofit and women's gym owner, as she embarks on a week's vacation in the caribbean with her friend, Becca (Becca is Lucy's sister from book 1). Enter Roman, he follows Allie on her trip to convince her to sell her company to his private client. They have one steamy night before they realize who each other are - can they set aside their feelings?

Both books are 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ spicy!
I think book one flowed better and the storyline just flew by. I liked their chemistry. Book two was decent overall but I didn't vibe as much with the characters - they had a bit of insta love.

Averaging out my ratings for each book gets me 3.6 which I'll round up to 4 stars.

I so badly wanted to adore this. I mean, it's Katee Robert! Her Neon Gods series was like crack to me when I read it. After not loving the last one I read from her though and now this one, I'm thinking that maybe she isn't for me anymore. Hopefully its just a fluke though! I've never been HUGE on short stories, anyways - and a short story romance especially because everything just moves so fast (obviously) and I don't get the tension and yearning that I devour every single time. I'm excited to give Katee another go with a full length book hopefully soon!

Hot, spicy, just what I needed. I am fan of this author and looked forward to this read. The characters, plot were all *chef kiss*. Another one to add to my favs!

Tropes: enemies to lovers

Make Me Want - Lucy Baudin’s ex did a number on her self-esteem, but she’s about to make partner at her law firm and it’s time to get her groove back. So she hires Gideon Novak, cutthroat headhunter and her ex’s best friend, to give her lessons in control. Gideon has pined for her for years, and now, teaching her about touch, trust and letting go is opening up a world of risks. Is this a mistake for them both? Or will they each find something they never knew they wanted?

Make Me Crave - Of all the private islands in all the world, he kayaked into hers. Allie Landers just enjoyed the best vacation sex with an irresistible stranger—only to find out he’s no stranger. Dealmaker Roman Bassani has been pressuring Allie into taking on investors for her women-focused fitness company. After that accidental encounter, they agree to put business aside for one week. Then it’s back to the real world—and their real rivalry. What happens to their opposing interests when they return from paradise?

Call the fire department! 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

I love the characters. I love the stories. Robert is a masterful storyteller. Chef's kiss perfect. 5⭐

I received an advanced complimentary digital copy of this book from Netgalley. Opinions expressed are my own.