Author: Casey Cameron
Release Date: January 1, 2017
Blurb:
"Hate the player, love the game…or was that the other way around?”
Research biologist Neil Parkinson had to give up a lot in pursuit of his Ph.D–his friends, his music, his home town–but the one thing he managed to hang on to was Legendary Pairs, the hyper-competitive collectible card game that has propelled so many nerds just like him to fame and fortune. With a new job in a new city, loneliness drives him out of his apartment and into The Ogre’s Den–a haven for local players, amateur and pro alike. Neil never aspired to be a professional gamer, but that was before he met Robin.
“Why even play, if you don’t play to win?”
Robin Abboud is cocky, brash, argumentative…and absolutely gorgeous. He may be a lowly caterer with a crappy car, but this game is the one place where he’s a top dog, and boy does he know it. Robin’s end-game goal is to play in the Legendary Pairs Pro Tour; he’s got the skill to do it, and from the moment he meets Neil, he’s convinced Neil does too. His flirty bravado gets under Neil’s skin like nothing else, but he runs so hot-and-cold that Neil can’t figure out if the two of them are competitors, friends…or something more.
“Don’t tell me this is just a game to you. I know better.”
When Robin convinces Neil to join him on a road trip to a major tournament, there’s more on the line than just the cash prize. Even as the two of them clash on the field of the tournament, Neil’s feelings for Robin are growing impossible to ignore. But could Robin ever feel the same way? The longer they spend together, the more Neil risks showing his whole hand. Is a perfect match in the cards for these two, or will their in-game rivalry tear them apart?
Perfect Game is a 25,000 word stand-alone romance novella with lots of heat, deliciously nerdy sweetness, and a happily-ever-after ending with no cliffhangers.
4 Stars
*Copy provided by the author/publisher for my reading pleasure in hopes of an unbiased opinion, a review was not a requirement.*
Neil is a fresh transplant to Minneapolis from New York. As a hobby, he plays the card game Legendary Pairs. Looking for a new group of people to play with he makes his way into a local gaming store, where he meets Robin. Robin's goal is to become a professional LP player. Robin takes Neil to The Ogre's Den, a smaller gaming store where the more experienced players meet up to play and compete. Neil develops a crush on Robin. Now he just has to try to figure out if it's one sided or not.
Neil and Robin shared a chemistry that was "legendary", sorry, I couldn't help myself. Haha. The story is well written, and although it focuses quite a bit on the game, and I've never played Legendary Pairs, I didn't find the gaming talk overwhelming.
This was an enjoyable and captivating low-angst read, packed with friendship, sweetness, passionate hot sex, and love, that left me satisfied, but wanting more Neil and Robin! Highly Recommended!!
4 Stars!
Two things held me back when rating this cute, sweet, funny story. Number one is the fact that we only get Neil's POV. I really, really needed Robin's POV. There were quite a few scenes in which I felt like I was missing something vital by not having Robin's side of the story and that drove me a little insane. There is a moment in the story where he behaved badly and I felt like it wouldn't have made me so mad if I could've seen inside his head.
The second reason I held back a little was the fact that, while this story was fun and revolves around these men playing this card game, I was just a tad uninterested in the actual game. I know that probably seems ridiculous to say but, unfortunately, I just could not get into the scenes in which they went into detail about the cards. It just isn't my thing.
In the end, though, I still really enjoyed Perfect Game and loved how these guys went from friends to lovers over time and not after just meeting. I also liked the fact that they were normal, everyday guys and it made it so much more realistic. They were cute together and balanced one another out.
I would recommend Perfect Game for anyone who's looking for a light, fun, sweet read.
*Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie by the author/publisher for my reading pleasure in hopes of an unbiased opinion, a review was not a requirement.*
Connect with Casey
Twitter @caseybcameron
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