Sheep Book Review: The Player (The Game Maker #3) by Kresley Cole

The Player (The Game Maker #3)

by Kresley Cole
April 12th 2016
by Valkyrie Press
Pages: 334
Erotic Romance
A madman with a shadowed past. . .
In Las Vegas, Sin City, Dmitri Sevastyan finds her, Victoria Valentine--sexy, vulnerable, and in need of a protector. Obsession takes root deep inside him. Despite a history tainted with violation and betrayal, he will stop at nothing to possess her.

A grifter with nothing to lose . . .

Descended from a long line of con artists, twenty-four-year-old Victoria, a.k.a. Vice, needs the score of a lifetime to keep her loved ones safe. She sets her sights on gorgeous and rich Dmitri Sevastyan. Even as the irresistible Russian toys with her body and mind, he tempts her heart.

Love is the ultimate wild card.

When Vice and her associates maneuver Dmitri into a hasty Vegas wedding, he refuses to protect himself with a prenup, trusting her with all that he has. But can she trust him? As secrets unfold, the newlyweds share days of doubts and nights of the wickedest pleasures. Yet once Vice discovers her husband's past, will she stay to fight for her marriage or cut her losses and run?

I don't know how/where Mrs. Cole gets her research for these books, but damn do I want to know! Talk about fanning yourself with the pages. I can't count how many times my inner sex-starved self was yelling "down girl." Someone grab the spray bottle stat because I need a cold shower to bring this all back down!

The Player once again reminds us all that we need any of the following. 1. A billionaire who may or may not be Russian. 2. A sex life. 3. A sex life with a billionaire and really who cares if he's Russian! Hot mama was this yet another hit to lock away with all my other Cole tales. There is just no other writer on the shelf today who hits this kind of dynamic caliber for me. That's really saying a lot, since there are so many great frelin writers! But when it comes to hot and heavy well planned tales, for this gal...yeah, I'm sorry, but Kresley is one talented author and has it on lock.

I sadly didn't get all the con lingo and by the end, still felt like a total noob, but the story moves along with or without you and you kinda just figure out what it all means by the end. It would have been nice for a tad more explanation, since I'm not out picking pockets or running cons. But that said, everything else was great. A fun twist at the end, which I did see coming but them's the breaks. I love this series, the three brothers, hot kinky sex and of course their ladies.

My girl boner is hard for Cole and let's just all leave it at that.

Review: The Professional: Part 1 (Game Maker Series book 1) 

Review: The Professional: Part 2 (Game Maker Series book 1) 
Review: The Master (The Game Maker Series book 2) 

Getting 4 and 1/2 bling-bling Sheep

KD

About the Author:

website-FB-twitter-tumblr

 Kresley Cole is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the electrifying Immortals After Dark paranormal series, the young adult Arcana Chronicles series, the erotic Game Makers series, and five award-winning historical romances.

A master’s grad and former athlete, she has traveled over much of the world and draws from those experiences to create her memorable characters and settings. 

Her IAD books have been translated into twenty foreign languages, garnered three RITA awards and a Hall of Fame induction, and consistently appear on the bestseller lists, in the U.S. and abroad.

She lives in Florida with her husband and far too many animals. 

Book Review: The Master (The Game Maker Series book 2) by Kresley Cole

The Master (The Game Maker Series book 2)
By: Kresley Cole
Pages: 368
Plot:
Everyone fears the Master...
Rich, irresistible politician/Mafiya boss Maksimilian Sevastyan prefers tall, obedient blondes to fulfill his...complicated desires. That is, until the icy Russian encounters a disobedient brunette whose exquisite little body threatens his legendary restraint.

Except her.
Catarina Marín was a well-off young wife until her world fell apart. Now she's hiding out, forced to start working as an escort in Miami. Her very first client is beyond gorgeous, but when he tells her what he plans to do to her, Cat almost walks out of the door.

If pleasure is a game, play to win.
After their mind-blowing encounter burns out of control, the lovers crave more. If they escape the deadly threats surrounding them, can Maksim overcome his past--to offer Cat his future? Only then will she tempt him with what he really wants: her, all tied up with a bow.

If you don't have time to read this book, then don't start it. This one needs a clear calendar to really sit back and enjoy. I stayed up way too late, and went to work in a daze the next morning. Take my advise and read it on your days off!

Mrs. Cole is far and wide one of the current authors I love to read, she's got me wrapped around her talented fingers. (That came out frisky, but I'm keeping the line!) She's whipped out the big guns for this series, it's off the charts with sexual situations. Some dominance and discipline, sexy toys and tons of steamy heat. There's a story thrown in there as well but the sex is going to be the main focus.

I do want to take a second to point out that this series, aside from the hot alpha men, is built on a world of infinite money. The brothers thus far are filthy stinking rich. I get that it's sexier to have access to all those funds but it takes away from the realistic side just a tad. This is a fantasy BUT I would like to feel that it sure could be real. That maybe I myself could possibly be the gal in this story. But that's just me and my need to live vicariously through these colorful characters.

Stubborn and high handed men tend to rub me the wrong way, Maksim does win my heart by the final chapter of the story. It was a long road to get there, and I almost gave up hope....but he does make that change!

If you enjoy some kink, rich men, sexy situations, fiery females and well written stories then grab this series. You can start from this point without any issues but why miss out on book one? It's equally wonderful in all the right ways. Russia, here I come!
Review: The Professional (Part 1)
Review: The Professional: Part 2

Getting 4 1/2 Sheep 

KD

Sheep Book Review: The Professional: Part 2 by Kresley Cole

The Professional (Part 2) 
The Game Maker Series
By: Kresley Cole 
121 pages
Erotica 

Plot: 
He makes the rules . . .
Mafiya enforcer Aleksandr "The Siberian" Sevastyan’s loyalty to his boss is unwavering, until he meets the boss’s long-lost daughter, a curvy, tantalizing redhead who haunts his mind and heats his blood like no other. Ordered to protect her, Sevastyan will do anything to possess her as well—on his own wicked terms.

Rules are made to be broken . . .
PhD student Natalie Porter had barely recovered from her first sight of the breathtakingly gorgeous Sevastyan before the professional hit man whisks her away to Russia, thrusting her into a world of extreme wealth and wanton pleasures. With every day she spends under his protection, she falls deeper under his masterful spell.

Are you ready to play?
Yet all is not as it seems. To remove Natalie from an enemy’s reach, Sevastyan spirits her into hiding. From an opulent palace in Russia to the decadent playgrounds of the mega-wealthy in Paris, the two lovers will discover that even their darkest—and most forbidden—fantasies can come true…

Here we are at second novella in this three part series, and I find myself taken in by the story overall, but put off by most of the rest. 

The sexual tension between these two starts to become the focal point of the second story. Natalie wants some BDSM in her life and Alex wants to make a good girl NOT turn bad. Unlike Robin Thicke. 

The story is largely about cravings, dark yearnings and hungers, but no fulfillment. We also miss out on a lot of the mafia aspects to boot. The book seems to just circle round the runway, but never lands. Our lead couple now struggles with trying to communicate better and figuring each other out. Maybe, just maybe they could have done all this chit-chat getting to know you BEFORE jumping to the sexual escapade bits. But hey, it's erotica and a fictional story, so I can deal. 

What I don't like is; the lack of this book making much forward momentum. It felt very strongly like a 'book 2 filler story', which is fine I guess. Though, I would have enjoyed more progression in the overall story arc. More laughs and adventure situations. 

Cole is keeping the final result of this one close to the chest. Which leaves me wondering how epic the final installment will be. It better be amazingballs! Cause at this point, I want very, very amazing balls to satisfy my hunger. (Take that comment as you like.) 

Overall, buy this one. Read the saga thus far and then go back and read everything Cole has ever written. She's that damn good! 

Getting 3 'just spank me already!' Sheep
KD

Sheep Book Review: The Professional (Part 1) by Kresley Cole

The Professional: Part 1
Game Maker Series 
By: Kresley Cole 
140 pages
Erotica 

Plot: 
He makes the rules . . .
Mafiya enforcer Aleksandr "The Siberian" Sevastyan’s loyalty to his boss is unwavering, until he meets the boss’s long-lost daughter, a curvy, tantalizing redhead who haunts his mind and heats his blood like no other. Ordered to protect her, Sevastyan will do anything to possess her as well—on his own wicked terms.

Rules are made to be broken . . .
PhD student Natalie Porter had barely recovered from her first sight of the breathtakingly gorgeous Sevastyan before the professional hit man whisks her away to Russia, thrusting her into a world of extreme wealth and wanton pleasures. With every day she spends under his protection, she falls deeper under his masterful spell.

Are you ready to play?
Yet all is not as it seems. To remove Natalie from an enemy’s reach, Sevastyan spirits her into hiding. From an opulent palace in Russia to the decadent playgrounds of the mega-wealthy in Paris, the two lovers will discover that even their darkest—and most forbidden—fantasies can come true…

For so many reasons, I'm on the fence about erotica novels. I can love them or hate them. Some tend to take me past the point of believability, others are just about raunchy humping till the sheep come home. I like PNR, I like romance all mixed up with the action. Sexy men kicking butts and taking names. I also love the paranormal setting, the fantasy element and darkness that comes with it. Erotica, can at times, be too "hard core" for me. 

Saying that, this is Kresley Cole and I worship her writing magic like no other. Hands down, if she's written something I will read it. I don't care what it is. Reading the alphabet in super slowmo, underwater basket weaving step by step guide, sure, I'm in. That's how much I love her style. 

Cole lays before us a young college student who finds out who her biological parents are. She's a small-town farm gal, with spunk and fire, but she's now thrust into a world of gun tooting mafia men with bald heads. I like a shiny bald head, so I was in! How awesome would it be to find out your father is one of the richest men in his country? Pretty cool right? Sure, till your life's in constant danger from his Russian rivials. Maybe then, you would want to re-think the whole deal. 

Some secrets are better kept lost and Natalie is trying to make sense of it all. Meanwhile she's obsessed with her, one second hot-one second cold, bodyguard Aleksandr. But don't think this is a Whitney/Costner movie remake, this is so far beyond that you'll be whipped and spanked! 

There is always going to be a little too much sex play for me in erotica. Too much dirty name calling, too many whips and male dominance in the bedroom. I don't like a lot of it, when it comes to those parts. The intimate moments feel less investing, it's often a whambam kind of situation. I'm just not a fan of hit it and quit it. 

No matter how I feel about the sexual nature of the story, I'm reading part 2 and 3. It's surely not enough to turn me off from the seires. Those that like erotica will REALLY enjoy this one. The story is anything but boring, plus since these are novellas, they fly by. 

Part 2 is out now, this is absolutely the perfect time to pick this series up! 

Getting 3 and 1/2 Sheep 
KD