Tempting the Player

J. Lynn

Publisher: Entangled (Brazen)
Publication Date: Oct 23, 2012
Genre: Adult Contemporary
Source: Purchased

Chad Gamble, all-star pitcher for the Nationals, is one of the best players on—and off—the field. And right now, the notorious bad boy wants Bridget Rodgers. But with her lush curves and snappy comebacks, the feisty redhead is the kind of woman a man wants to settle down with…and that’s the last thing Chad needs.

When the paparazzi catch them in a compromising position, Chad’s manager issues an ultimatum: clean up his act or kiss his multi-million dollar contract goodbye. To save his career, his meddling publicist says he’ll have to convince everyone Bridget isn’t just his flavor of the week, but his girlfriend.

Being blackmailed into a fake relationship with Chad Gamble isn’t easy, especially when the sizzling physical attraction between them is undeniable. With a month to go on their arranged pretense, it’s going to take every ounce of willpower they have not to fall into bed together…or in love.

Goodreads Summary

I’m BAAAACCCKKK!!! Poor Barbara has been doing the lone ranger thing while I’ve been packing and moving for the last month or so. We are SO happy to be out of Memphis and back home in the great state of Texas. There hasn’t been much time for reading lately, and with the massive to-do lists constantly running through my head, I haven’t had much brain power for reviews either. Now we’re here, we’re settled, mostly unpacked and my reading mojo has returned. Yee-haw!

It’s a well known fact that I love JLA’s work, and I’ve been anxiously awaiting the release of Tempting the Player since I found out she was writing books for the two remaining Gamble brothers (the youngest, Chase, was the hero in Tempting the Best Man).

I loved both Chad and Bridget in this book. Chad is a professional baseball player and is a bit of a bad boy with an ego big enough to fill the stadium he plays in. If there is one thing JLA does well, it’s her bad boys. Chad’s sexiness oozes through the pages, and I couldn’t help but love him despite his faults. Bridget is quirky and off-the-wall weird (at least her clothes are anyway), but it somehow works for her. She isn’t Chad’s typical style, being tall and curvaceous instead of model thin, and she’s anxious about it at first but after realizing that Chad wants her just as she is, she gets over it real quick. I would too if I had an uber sexy baseball player looking at me with lust in his eyes. Ahem.

The chemistry was typical JLA – and therefore amazing – but I wasn’t a big fan of structure/plot of the story. They meet in a bar, then lose track of each other until a chance meeting throws them together again, and when Chad is photographed kissing Bridget in public, Chad’s publicist basically blackmails Bridget into being his fake girlfriend. The pretend dating scenario not my favorite trope, and I wish there would have been a lot more tension in the beginning. It all seemed too easy. Also, JLA tends to use a lot of common slang in her writing, and normally it’s hilarious. The slang was a little over-the-top in this book, and it felt like she was trying too hard to bring in the humor. But that’s a super minor issue and definitely not a deal breaker.

I really enjoyed the book, it was a quick read and I’d recommend it for those of you looking for a love story with a ton of sizzle on the side. The next book in the series will feature Chandler, the oldest Gamble brother, and I believe we were introduced to the next heroine in Tempting the Player, but don’t quote me on that. If I’m right, I’ll be very interested in finding out how JLA is going to pull off making her look good. She was hideously awful in this book, and not anywhere close to being likable. *shudders*

My Rating: B+