Thank you to @readforeverpub & @shameezwrites for the gifted copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: Playing Flirty
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: Shameez Patel
𝐏𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬: 352

𝐒𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: San Diego, CA
𝐌𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬: Rose designed a fantasy board game when she was younger but never did anything with it even though it was her dream to be a Board Game Designer. She took the safe route, becoming an Investment Analyst. She works with her best friend, Shaun who is about to marry her other best friend, Neema. William, Shaun's half brother/roommate is a videogame designer. He has playboy tendencies and always needs to make things into a competition with Rose. When Rose decides to finally submit her game to a contest, she seeks William's help.

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐡𝐚𝐬:
• Rivals to Lovers
• Best Friend’s Brother
• Second Chance
• Nerdy Vibes - cosplay, D&D, LOTR, Hobbit, etc
• Found Family
• Forced Proximity
• Lots of Flirty Banter

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐋𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐝:
• Game Nights with friends!
• Ongoing competition between Rose & William
• When Patrick gets the boot
• The towel scene 🥵
• “Meetings” on the balcony
• Rose’s mom was hilarious
• Great side characters

𝐀𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬: I absolutely loved this book! The characters, the side characters, the story…everything! The chemistry between Rose & William was fantastic!

I had a feeling at the beginning of Gandalf's identity! I was really hoped that Rose would figure it out sooner!!! I wanted to jump into the book and smack not only Patrick but Jeffrey Markham too! I really appreciated how they were dealt with.

My only complaint is that in the middle it started to drag a bit.

𝐂𝐖: Workplace Harassment

What a charming geeky rom-com

Rose has her life all planned....down to the spreadsheet, but can this work for someone with such a fun and game loving spirit?

Just when she thinks she will begin marking her life goals her 2 BF's get engaged. Leaving her questioning everything.

Her BF's brother William is a good-looking and grumpy game designer that has always eluded Rose. When the opportunity to submit a board game she's invented comes up, William is the natural choice to help her.

It was very relatable how much both William and Rose doubt themselves and feel unworthy of true love and connection. Using "games" to hide their feels.

A great story of growing and finding long lost love, connection and direction.

This is a delightful read for fans of lighthearted, geeky romance who enjoy stories about found family, board games, and the thrill of competition, making it a perfect fit for readers who crave a charming and humorous tale of love and self-discovery.

This book was the absolute cutest with some steamy romance and an absolutely incredible cast of characters. From the very beginning, I was just absolutely hooked and the way that I ate this book up...! I've never read anything by Shameez Patel before but that will absolutely be changing!

The tension, the banter, the witty comments were all so well done. I also absolutely loved all of the gaming talk - that nerdiness just truly touched my soul. There was some workplace tension that was a bit of a subplot, but I do feel as though it was handled decently!

Thank you to NetGalley, and Forever (Grand Central) publishing for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

Playing Flirty was absolutely delightful! It’s cute, fun and full of nerdy references with a rivals-to-lovers romance.

Between her love of games and struggles with both her personal and professional life, Rose was incredibly relatable. It was so easy to root for her to succeed with her board game (which sounds like it'd be A LOT of fun!) and her budding romance with William.

Rose and William were adorable together! Pretty much all of their interactions had me smiling, especially once they started their game of “playing nice". I just loved how competitive they were with each other. The banter and tension between them was perfect so seeing their relationship evolve was amazing.

I loved all the gaming and LOTR references! They made me want to rewatch the movies (again) and finally start reading the books.
I really liked the found family vibes from Rose’s friend group. Their game nights were definitely a highlight.

This is the perfect rom-com if you’re a lover of all things nerdy! I'm looking forward to reading whatever Shameez Patel releases next!

Playing Flirty is the ultimate love letter to gamers & nerds. There were SO many references and nods in this book that were fun to read as someone who identifies as both! 💖

I love a rivals to lovers story, and Playing Flirty absolutely crushed it. Rose and William’s personalities complement one another so well, and it was so sweet getting to see their relationship shift and unfold. (Also as someone who is super competitive when it comes to board games/competitions in general, I deeply resonated with both of their competitive energy 😂)

This book is a great fit for you if you agree with any or all of the following:
- love rivals to lovers (+ in particular: secret initial relationship)
- enjoy reading about a solid friend group that gives found family vibes
- find yourself getting way too worked up over games and/or competitions (👀)
- are looking for a story that perfectly encapsulates the chaos that is figuring out what you want from your life when your “perfect” 5 year plan turns out to be a wash
- want a romance that will have you smiling at the end because of how everything comes together :)

This book was such a fun read, and I am thankful I got a chance to read it early. If this sounds like your kind of read, it came out yesterday, so you should go pick it up !!!! 💖

i can’t express just how much i loved this book, so i’ll do my best!!

let me start with the characters - i felt like i knew them so deeply, their personalities, their interests, their quirks and flaws. it was so refreshing to see so much of the character building on page!

the whole setting and vibe was also incredible - as a girl who considers herself a gamer (even if it’s just of the cozy and goofy variety) the vibes we’re actually immaculate the entire time. board game nights with friends are one of my favorite ways to fill my cup in my own personal life, so i loved living through theirs as well!

now for the romance - the PINING!!!! the tension started so early on, and while it was a fun grumpy sunshine trope, it was nice because William was like the epitome of “grumpy except when they’re alone” kind of energy. their tension was amazing, their banter was incredible, their relationship was beautiful to watch blossom. and his protective nature was so hot LOL

I also really liked the family aspect - both in William's and Shaun’s relationship with their father and with each other, as well as arose and her parents and getting to know more about their upbringings.

last thing… the epilogue?! MY GOD MY HEART. sobbed. so cute!!!

thank you Forever for the eArc of this novel!

Thanks to librofm + Netgalley I was able to read an ARC of this enemies to lovers romcom full of gameplay and nerdy joy. I loved how the game nights were such a big part of this title, and how Rose who’s always had her life planned out finds a way to embrace change and fall in love.

Patel wrote great tension between Rose & William with witty banter and a fabulous group of friends and co-workers that made this story fun to read. I always adore Forever Publishing titles and was thrilled to listen to this one, the narration made it even better! I've loved seeing an uptick in books with a focus on gameplay and females going after what they want in the industry and the growth between the main characters.

This was such a cute nerdy romance. And when I say this is nerdy, I mean NERDY. The book centers on the characters love of board games and video games and there are hobbit and comic con references and I absolutely adored that. A charming romance about Rose, who is a corporate worker during the day but fantasizes about getting her board game made into a real game. The highlight of her week comes during her board game nights with her delightful group of friends and of course William who always seems to have it out for her. Rose and William have a competitive and fun relationship and although she thinks he hates her (of course) the two grow closer throughout the book due to their love of games.

The highlight of this book is just how charmingly geeky it is and how well the characters get to know each other. For it being a relatively close door romance, the book is not lacking in sexual tension and once Rose realizes that William is interested in her, the book really takes off. I also loved Rose's journey through this book as someone who realizes that she doesn't have to give up on her dreams and what she wants and I admire the way she takes her future into her own hands.

Thank you very much to Forever and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

This geeky romance will steal your heart with witty banter, fun loving characters and a budding romance.

Rose Marie Jones lives for game night with her friends. Her best friend's half brother is her arch nemesis. He may be fine looking, but his personality does not match his good looks. He is actually rather grumpy. William Ashdern is a game designer who is serious about life and has no time for silly things. Rose is a happy person, but she has recently gotten her heart broken. She has resigned herself to the fact that romance is not in the cards for her now, so she will just enjoy fun game nights with her friends. In this process, somehow Rose has gotten under William's rather thick skin. These two were made for each other. They just do not know it yet.

This fun romance was the perfect start for the new year. If you want a fun romance with characters that you will fall in love with, you have found the perfect book.

Thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGalley for this ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This is my first book by this author, but the synopsis (and cute cover) had me intrigued. This is such a cute, nerdy, closed-door romance. I really enjoyed all of the characters and the dynamic of their friend group. I was able to relate to Rose in some ways so this made her a very likeable character. William is grumpy, mysterious and I do wish we had his POV. There were some things that needed to be more flushed out and I think would have given the story more depth. I read this in one sitting so I was definitely invested in the story and the characters. This is great if you are looking for a quick, cute romance and even though this is about gaming (different format of games) you do not need to be a gamer to enjoy this.

A huge thank you to @netgalley and @hachetteus for the E-ARC, it in no way influences my review.

4.5 stars!

I really enjoyed this. The characters in this book are gamers, and this is not something I have personally seen before. It's so reflective of todays society however, I think there is a huge population of people this would be true for. I really enjoyed this aspect of the story. Rose and William are great characters, and I loved our supporting cast and crew of game night as well. This is a book about finding one's self, learning to trust your feelings for others and has a wonderful happily ever after! It also features a diverse cast of characters which is important to me.

Overall, lots of fun! This is a new author for me, and I will be watching for more!

Playing Flirty by Shameez Patel was a wonderful rom-com!
The story is well-written, engaging and delightful on all levels.
The characters are realistic, funny and so very awesome you'll wish they were real.
Their banter was just amazing.

A great nerdy romance for board game fans. I really enjoyed the gaming aspect to this, and how the two main characters turned everything, including their feelings for one another into a competition. They called them getting along as the "playing nice game", and it was just really cute 🥰

🎮 Two Geeky Gamers
🎲 Rivals to Lovers
🎮 Best Friend's Brother
🎲 Found Family
🎮 Slowww Burn
🎲 He Falls First & Hard

I do have to say the beginning was a bit of a slow start. Nothing really drew me in until I hit like 15 or 20%, which is fair enough but still I could see someone DNF'ing quickly because of that slow start.

There was also a lot of storylines happening all at once, and instead of making the story complex, it sort of muddied the waters for me a bit.

The one shining star in this was the chemistry and banter between Rose and William. They really brought the TENSION from the very first moment. They both wanted to win constantly, and even at flirting with on another they constantly wanted to one up the other and it made their scenes together really fun. Also add in the fact that they were hiding any sort of romantic relationship from their entire friend group, and it just added to the saucy tension.

Rose and William's romance overall was super sweet, and honestly at a certain point I just wanted everyone else to just go away 😅. Don't get me wrong I really enjoyed the found family between everyone at game night, but sometimes I just wanted everyone to leave so the two of them could get back to being cute together lol.

Now this last bit is just a personal preference thing for me, but I did not realize that this was semi closed door. Not even closed door necessarily... I honestly might have preferred that. This was like wait until 90% thinking your going to finally get this saucy moment only to get like two sentences where it sort glosses over anything that happened and you wonder if anything even happened at all 🙃. ALL THIS WORK AND WHAT DID IT GET ME, NOTHING.

I'm being dramatic and it's not the authors fault. I didn't know I signed up for, so that's on me. I have seen a few people call this spicy too so maybe it's a me thing. If you are looking for a fairly clean romance, then this honestly would be a very good one. It's just not my typically my jam.

Okay and I know I said last thing already, but I have a little gripe with some side characters that I need to get out... If you want absolute zero spoilers than just stop here and disregard the rest of this review 👍🏼

Firstly, Shaun did not get enough grief for the things he said to William. Like he RIPPED into that man on two occasions and both were highly uncalled for. Then he thought he could make it up to William in the end by bringing their dad in and having daddy say "sorry" to him? Nope, hated all of that and Shaun can fall in a hole for all of that nonsense 😡

The second thing that confused the ever living crap out of me was Claire and Lincoln. I SWORE when the book started and they came to game night that they were a couple. Then later we hear about Claire and her husband Dean?? And their marriage isn't doing great (okay fine makes sense we're gonna put her and Lincoln together in the end I assume) but NOTHING! Unless the author is planning on doing a spinoff book for Claire and Lincoln idk what the point of all that nonsense was and it certainly distracted me from the main plotline.

With all of THAT being said, this was a really cute romance, that I read in basically two days (for me these days that's quick). Nothing revolutionary, but certainly a great book to read on the weekend when you want to decompress and dive into the minds of some horny nerdy gamers 🤭. AND for a debut but Shameez Patel it was really good. I'm very interested to see what this author writes next 🥰

Thank you Netgalley and Forever Publishing for an ARC of this one in exchange for my honest review 💞

Quick easy ready which will be especially enjoyable to people with an inner nerd like me. Decent chemistry between the leads and an interesting premise. 3 🌟

Thank you to Forever & NetGalley for the arc of this book!

If you are a self-proclaimed nerd, a lover of Lord of the Rings, or a gamer (of either video games and/or board games), then you will likely LOVE this book!

A few things to note:
* the banter is top notch and the tension is HIGH
* the times when things would get spicy are fade to black, which usually isn’t my thing, but it really worked in this book and the yearning was so good that I didn’t even care
* this book does contain a workplace harassment subplot (take care while reading)
* the side characters are some of the most amazing and supportive friends ever, and I love them!

Overall, this was a super fun read. I loved the first 75% of the book but felt like the last 25% was a bit rushed and slightly over the top in my opinion. However, the banter and my love of the characters kept me invested! 4⭐️

Playing Flirty by Shameez Patel is a cute rom-com with a playfulness I didn’t expect.

William and Rose take center stage, but their romance takes a while to evolve. There’s a lot of gaming, board games, best friends, laugh-out-loud moments, and some steam, too. There’s also a lot of goal setting, plans, dreams, and details that add layers to the story and the characters but they don’t always gel.

Rose is best friends with Shaun, a coworker she shares an office with, and Neema, her roommate. Rose introduces them, and the rest is history. William is Shaun’s half-brother, and that has its own issues. William and Rose can often be found sniping at each other, but does it cover up other feelings? Their group of friends meets weekly for game night, a central theme, and they are definitely nerds.

Multiple stories were told, and some were addressed better than others. There are a few surprises along the way and lots of doubts and misunderstandings. Communication is key and was sometimes nonexistent. There is also some workplace harassment. The epilogue gives a lot of closure, but I wish it had been a little longer. There are several happily ever afters that were nicely portrayed.

Playing Flirty is a rom-com with friends who are there for each other, whether playing games or dealing with more serious situations. Sit back with your game controller or a board game and enjoy the fun.

The review is posted on NovelsAlive.

This was my first book by this author and I look forward to reading more! I loved the banter and tension in this enemies to lovers with a twist rom-com! This also definitely had the trope/s of he-falls-first/he-falls-harder, which is always a reader fave! "Playing Flirty" uses the theme of gaming to bring the FMC and MMC to work together on a novel board game idea. And although these two characters are absolutely delightful (100% cheering them on!) all of the beautiful adult friendships that surround these two are phenomenal. The author does such an incredible job of blending real-life with fiction in this one. Easy 4-star read!!! *I received a complimentary audio copy from the author/publishing company via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts & opinions are my own.

This was such a fun and cute book. I really loved the game design and play aspect of the story. Rose and William had such fun and flirty banter. This was relatively low on the spice front but still had a lot of longing and chemistry. I loved all of the side characters too. While this was fun there were still some serious aspects involving workplace harassment involving Rose and her boss. This appears to be a debut novel by the author Shameez Patel. It was so enjoyable that I will be keeping an eye out for what she does next!

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for the ALC in exchange for the honest review.

3.5 stars. A fun, nerdy rivals to lovers story.

Rose Marie Jones has her Life Goals, with her whole future all mapped out. She ends up entering a contest with the board games she's been secretly working on her years. Her best friend's half-brother, William Ashdern, brings out her hyper-competitive side, but he's also the best person to help her perfect the game. As they spend more time "Playing Nice" and working together, their feelings start to change. Will Rose risk it all?

The concept of this book is so strong. I love that we get to read about a board game nerd, since so often nerdy gamers are into video games (although we also get that side with William). Their friend group is also very strong, and I enjoy all the secondary characters. Rose grows a lot during this book, which also helps readers connect to her.

I think to me the pacing is the biggest struggle. Rose and William start having feelings very early (this is not really enemies-to-lovers, despite how it's pitched) and the conflicts feel a bit contrived. I wish we got to see a bit more of them bantering and working on Rose's game, which also ends up a secondary plot in the story.

Overall, I did really enjoy the story and I would be very interested to see more of their world and read other books by this author. I recommend this book to anyone who loves nerdy characters and fun romances; it's a great vacation read as well.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for providing an advanced copy of this book for review. All opinions are my own.