Playing for Keeps audiobook

Playing for Keeps is book seven in the Heartbreaker Bay series by Jill Shalvis. Wow, Jill did it again with this one. I was in love in the first chapter. Not only did I fall in love with these two main characters, but also, I fell head over heels in love with this little dog. Mercedes Alyssa Lane, otherwise known as Sadie Lane is a struggling tattoo artist. To make ends meet, she also has to work at a day spa, so twelve hour days are her norm. She works in the Pacific Pier Building and has known Caleb for almost a year now. They have several mutual friends. Whenever they are around each other, she feels that there is some sort of a charge between them, so she turns it around and treats him with sarcasm, anything to keep him at a distance, because the last thing she needs is a man in her life, especially a man who regularly wears fancy suits and drives expensive cars. She’s been off of men for three years now and has no interest in changing that.Caleb Parker grew up sickly and bullied. But he turned it all around and now turns heads wherever he goes. He can’t explain the feeling he gets whenever he is around Sadie. She clearly wants nothing to do with him but there is that zing between them. Then, on a cold, rainy, February San Franciscan night, in the court yard of the Pacific Pier Building, he sees a little dog cowering in a corner. She’s scared to death. Sadie notices as well and between the two of them, they coax the little thing out of her hiding place. They both fall instantly in love with this little sweetheart that Sadie names Lollipop. So the only thing to do is agree to co-parent her. “You’re not an easy woman, Sadie.”“I am a handful. But that’s why you have two hands.” The sparks fly between Caleb and Sadie and they can no longer resist them. But both of these two have built up such walls around themselves that they make it nearly impossible to break through them, especially Sadie. Her past and the way her mother is broke my heart. Caleb seemed like it was a bit easier for him to admit his feelings. But his three sisters who love their little brother to pieces, get involved and nearly ruin it for him. “I don’t want to ever be the thing that holds someone back.”“You don’t hold me back. You make life more.”“More what?”“More everything.” So, when you have two main characters that both have some past ghosts to overcome, two overbearing families, and a little special needs dog that wants you to hold her hand, what does that all add up to? A book that will steal your heart, make you smile, make you swoon, and give you all the butterflies you can handle. I want to add in here a couple of secondary characters that won my heart. First, Ivy, who owns the taco truck at the Pacific Pier Building. She was Sadie’s go to person and she really did come through for her. Then there was Kel, Caleb’s cousin. He lives and works in Idaho and seems like he is a bit of a cowboy. We all know I have a thing for cowboys! It seems like there might be a story there! One I am hoping with all my fingers and toes crossed, that Jill is going to explore in the near future.So, yes, I loved this book. But I might possibly say that with every Jill Shalvis review. But I mean it every time. If you haven’t started this series, you are truly missing out! Each book can be read as a stand alone but they do have recurring characters. Every book will win your heart and make you smile. A Jill Shalvis book always makes your day just a little bit brighter. If you want more about this book and so many more, come and join me at Carol's Crazy Bookish World.https://www.facebook.com/groups/44036...

Favorite Quotes:Sadie listened with half her brain, the other half wandering off.Sometimes life really bit a girl on the ass. Thankfully she had enough padding there to take the hit.“So she can be bribed.” “You just fed her a fortune in fancy cuts of meats and cheeses,” she said. “Anyone could’ve been bribed with that. Hell, I’d have jumped into a stranger-danger van for that.”“She dumped me. Twice. Women should come with instructions.” “What would be the point of that?” Sadie asked. “I’ve never actually seen a man read any instructions.”He sighed. “It’s hard to meet the good ones.” “That’s because they don’t usually frequent the dives you frequent. Go to Target. The female to male ratio is ten to one and they’re already looking for things they don’t need.”Rocco offered his fork with a grape on it. She shook her head. “I don’t consume wine in pill form.”She’d long ago taught herself how to take a mental step back from her family and treat them like . . . well, entertainment. She was no longer part of the circus but just an audience member.My Review:Every time I have finished a Jill Shalvis book I remind myself of the objective to clear my calendar and read the rest of her listings, which would take a chunk of time, as she has been quite the busy bee; Goodreads lists thirty books to her credit. I was late to this party but I have every intention be that nightmare type guest that never leaves. I am greedy and want them all, past, current, and future works. I am totally enamored. I adore her clever wit and humorous banter as much as her insightful observations and emotive reflections. Her writing is so stunningly agile she can have giggle-snorting and sniffling on the same page. Playing For Keeps was a heart-clenching tale yet well-balanced with levity, swoon-worthy romance, and sumptuous sensuality. I delight her wordplay and worship her altar of used printer cartridges.

READ MY REVIEW ON THE BLOGJill Shalvis is hands down one of my top favorites and PLAYING FOR KEEPS is just another reason why I love her so much. She always puts a serious note into her books although they seem light-hearted with Jill's sense of humor generously sprinkled between the pages. And those themes make me think. Seriously think.Sadie is the square block that wanted to fit into a round hole when she was a teenager. She didn't fit. Not with her family. Not with her friends. Then she stopped trying and accepted that she's the one not going with the flow but that acceptance came with blood and tears so it is only understandable that Sadie created a wall around herself. A wall with barbwire.Admittedly, it takes getting used to her. She's abrasive for a long while and even after Caleb and Sadie become close she's quick to judge and condemn. Did I like her? Let me say this: I wasn't her biggest fan in the beginning but when her history came to light I could nothing but empathize with her. Sadie was a resilient and resourceful young woman, prickly, yes, but her bruised heart healed under Caleb's care and patience and I fell in love with her along the way. “I’m sorry. For hanging up on you.”“But not for the judging?”Dammit. “Maybe a little for the judging. But I’m not going to lie,” she said. “I’m probably not done judging you. I mean I’ll try to work on it, but it’ll be a process.”His mouth quirked. “Fair enough.” I think the reason why Sadie resonated with me is because she represents a type of woman most of us are familiar with. Her insecurities were deep-seated, and don't we all have those? The ones that rattle us and make us shut down?Caleb is the charismatic, genius-level-IQ, and a little mysterious entrepreneur I was intrigued by in the previous books and let me tell you - he did not disappoint. He, too, has the penchant to retreat emotionally, making himself vulnerable is a thing of the past. No wonder though, he was a scrawny, a little sickly, poor boy, bullied and antagonized but he grew into a force to be reckoned with. Rich, powerful and enigmatic and deeply private. What people don't know though is that he also has become a caring, thoughtful man, protective about the people in his orbit. He’d never put it into words before, the restlessness in him, but he did so now. He was sick of being alone. And Sadie knew what that was like. My most favorite interactions in PLAYING FOR KEEPS were Caleb and Lollipop, the three-legged rescue dog. He was adorable with her, being gentle with her because she was a scared, neglected, abused dog, holding her paw in the car because she was afraid. By these actions alone you get a sense what kind of man Caleb is. He showed the same gentleness and thoughtfulness with Sadie, which resembled Lollipop's demeanor in a way. She, too, retreated when she was scared but Caleb's endless patience, inert kindness and sweetness achieved what therapists couldn't. He broke down Sadie's walls and earned her trust. Their connection wasn't easy because they always challenged each other and it never would be but that didn't make it any less solid. You make life more.” “More what?” she asked. “More everything.”  The one person who drove me batty whenever we got a dose of her was Sadie's mom. What a horrible excuse of a mother. Sadie's inability to trust, her general disposition which, yes, wasn't the cheery kind, was ridiculed in a way. God, I despised her. It made so much sense that Sadie had become the way she was. On Caleb's side were four sisters who were nosy, meddling and a little high-handed. I can't say I liked them a lot but eventually they grew on me. Sometimes I like you so much I can’t stand it. My heart beats crazy fast when I know I’m going to see you, and then when you look at me, I feel . . .” “What?” he whispered. “You feel what?” “Lucky.” This seventh installment in the Heartbreaker Bay series hits all the spots. Heart-warming, witty but with a serious side note about a troubled young woman and an enigmatic man, it also has a little dose of angst and push-and-pull. I was coming off a book hangover and Jill Shalvis pulled me out of it. This author has become a fixture on my reading list and I always get giddy when I have a new story by her waiting for me. I can't wait to find out who WRAPPED UP IN YOU will be about. My money is on Ivy. “You look like the rest of my life.”

Amazon US * Amazon UKPlaying for Keeps brings readers back to Heartbreaker Bay with Sadie Lane and Caleb Parker. Sadie is struggling to make ends meet while Caleb is a successful businessman, but you know what they say about opposites - they attract. In the case, Sadie and Caleb attract a whole lot of sexual tension hidden under a bunch bickering encounters. I have to say, if I wasn't already a fan of this series I definitely would be now. I just adored this couple and I loved seeing how all of their arguing turned into something more. That tension quickly turned into something very romantic even as Sadie fought against it, not wanting to put her trust into someone else only to end up hurt. Caleb was so swoon worthy though as he just waiting for Sadie to accept him and wouldn't let her push him away. Bottom line, these characters made for one brilliant story. Their connection was riveting and had me unable to put this book down once I started. Also we had the added bonus of an adorable puppy and you can just never go wrong with a cute puppy in a book. ARC kindly provided in exchange for an honest review.

Sometimes life circumstances and/or an abused drive people apart but utterly adorable puppy with three legs, can bring a two unlikely people together. In Playing for Keeps, Shalvis pens a strong family dynamic that intrudes, aggravates and strongly supports the bonds that form between the reader and the connection to the characters. In the end, Playing For Keeps completely sucked me. I loved the how these opposites attracted each other finding a common goal that brought them together. I received this ARC copy of Playing for Keeps from Avon Books. This is my honest and voluntary review. Playing for Keeps is set for publication Jan. 22, 2019.On Sale Date: January 22, 2019ISBN 9780062741882, 0062741888Mass Market | 384 pages$7.99 USD, $10.99 CADFiction / Romance / ContemporaryOfficial Author Website: http://jillshalvis.com/Official Author Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JillShalvis/Official Author Twitter: https://twitter.com/JillShalvis/Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Playing-Keeps-...Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/play...Itunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/play...

Title: Playing For KeepsSeries: Heartbreaker Bay #7Author: Jill ShalvisRelease date: January 22, 2019Cliffhanger: noGenre: contemporary romanceAccidentally on Purpose was my first read in this series, and Elle and Archer have remained my favorite couple since then. I officially have a new leading couple because Caleb and Sadie unexpectedly swept me off my feet. I adore Jill Shalvis' humor in her books. You can always depend on her to deliver belly laughs and chuckles galore. Playing for Keeps didn't skimp on the humor, but there was an added depth of emotion in this book because of Sadie's history. I know some readers said that it took them some time to warm up to her because of her standoffish attitude, but that wasn't the case for me. Even though it took some time to soften her sharp edges, I could always identify with where she was coming from and feel for her. After the previous book, I was really looking forward to seeing these two characters who've been in the background trading snark finally connect. On the surface they seem to be the epitome of two opposites attracting, but as we got to know them better we discover their similarities as well. Sadie is a tattoo/permanent makeup artist with two jobs, struggling hard to make ends meet. She's tattooed, has brightly dyed hair, and doesn't let very many people get close to her. She has trust issues a mile wide, especially when it comes to men. Yes, he was fun, flirty, and charming, but she was highly suspicious of all those things. Her idea of fun, flirty, and charming meant being as sarcastic as possible. It’d done the trick too, scaring men off for years.Sarcasm is her weapon of choice in deterring any unwanted attention. A previous boyfriend caused her to slip into old unhealthy habits, and that experience scared her away from romantic relationships. But when she faces off against Caleb, he gives back every bit as good as he gets. In fact, not only was he charming, but he seemed to be charmed by her attempts to scare him off. It wasn't until a three legged dog named Lollipop came into the equation that they actually began getting to know one another better. Jill Shalvis is an animal lover, and it really comes through in her writing. She often includes pets in her stories, but this dog was almost like another main character. When Caleb rescues Lollipop off the street, they decide to share "joint custody" so to speak and become doggy parents together. As much as she tried to keep her distance, she was upfront and bluntly honest with him from the very beginning. Which is one of her personality quirks that probably drew him in even more because he has some trust issues of his own. “I’m sorry. For hanging up on you.” “But not for the judging?” Dammit. “Maybe a little for the judging. But I’m not going to lie,” she said. “I’m probably not done judging you. I mean I’ll try to work on it, but it’ll be a process.” His mouth quirked. “Fair enough.”Sadie has always been the black sheep of the family, out of place and misunderstood by everyone. Because of their huge difference in personalities, her mother failed to understand her, and was completely insensitive to her needs. She didn't listen, she nagged her to find a man, and made her feel as if she was never good enough. I couldn't stand how she treated her from the very beginning. Caleb had his own family issues with his extremely overprotective sisters. While their hearts were in the right place, and their actions came from a place of love, they often crossed boundaries they shouldn't have. This causes some friction between the couple at one point, but Caleb doesn't hesitate to set his family straight and make amends. I absolutely loved this hero and his sensitivity in giving Sadie time to open up to him. He was wonderfully patient and you could tell that he accepted every part of her, even her broken pieces. She's a complicated woman who doesn't easily let people past her barriers, but somehow they were able to find more common ground than either could have anticipated. Maybe because no one cared to take the time to unravel Sadie and really listen to her before. And when he needed someone to carry his burdens, she stepped right up. Their differences and similarities complimented each other beautifully.His one flaw was probably being too pushy in trying to help her and not understanding her need to take care of herself. At the same time, when you care about someone, it's understandable that you don't want them to have to struggle when there's something you can do about it. With open communication and honesty between them, any issues they had were resolved pretty quickly. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It had everything I look for in a romance novel in one witty, romantic, feel-good package. It's one of those stories that leaves you with a warm glow of happiness after turning the last page. I highly recommend this one to everyone, even new readers to the series. It's a must read!“I knew the day I met you,” he said. “Which was just under a year ago now.” “Knew what?” she whispered. “That I was going to fall for you and never recover.” FOLLOW SMOKIN HOT BOOK BLOG ON:

4 - "You’re different…" Stars!We return to Heartbreaker Bay for the seventh book in the series; Playing for Keeps giving us Sadie and Caleb’s story. Star of the show for me, and jelly that held this particular relationship sandwich together was three legged mutt Lollipop a.k.a Poops-a-lot."You have your superhero armor… and I have mine"We have stepped somewhat away from the original crew now, and this far along in the series, Jill has started giving stories to some of the characters who have been more on the periphery of things. Caleb as you would expect is your usual Shalvis type of Hero, plenty going on up top, easy on the eyes in general, and an absolute sweetheart when it comes to the new dog and woman in his life. He was breaking down her walls one brick at a time-or so he hoped- but he knew he still had a long way to go... Although Sadie isn’t actually that new in his life, they have been skirting around each other in passing for a good twelve months before connecting over a stray animal that in the end leads them into a joint custody arrangement of sorts. And it doesn’t take Sadie long to realize that Caleb is nothing like her preconceptions of him, and he challenges a lot of the things she believes about herself, in a good way as well."You’re a puzzle, one I can’t seem to solve… That doesn’t happen often.""… You can’t solve a woman."Closing herself off from the world and life in general has been standard protocol for her over the years, and the issues as to why are pretty deep, deeper than you generally find with a Shalvis novel, and while handled respectively, I hope that the author/publisher have the foresight to add a trigger warning at the beginning of the released book, just so that readers are given the option to decide if they want to follow Sadie’s particular story and the issues it covers. "I knew the day I met you…""…Knew what?""...That I was going to fall for you and never recover."Understandably due to her past and ongoing familial treatment, Sadie is what you would class as ‘prickly’ when it comes to other human beings, and the opposite sex more so especially when a really nice guy, shows her some interest. Her first instinct at everything Caleb does is to initially treat him with suspicion and often misjudge his intentions. I have to admit, although the author as expected gives her readers all the information they need to understand why a character behaves they way they do, Sadie was at points a difficult woman to warm too."You don’t scare me…"That said I pretty much read this book in one sitting (with a nap in between!) there are parts of the book where I was laughing so hard I had to put my Kindle down to wipe my eyes, and the story-line is easy to get along with in general. Shalvis gives great animal, and the entertainment value added from that inclusion, lightened up many points of the story where darkness potentially threatened to overwhelm. Another good addition to the series, and a great start to my 2019 Jill Shalvis reading binge."It’s always been you… And it’s always going to be you."ARC generously provided by the author, in exchange for the above honest review.

This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life in Books.I loved this book! This is the seventh book in the Heartbreaker Bay series but it can easily be read as a stand-alone novel. Fans of the series will enjoy checking in with some much-loved characters. I have enjoyed all of the books in this series so I was pretty eager to read this newest installment and it did not disappoint. Once I started reading this book, I didn't want to put it down and felt swept away by the story.Caleb and Sadie are the focus of this book along with their little dog, Lollipop. The book opens with Caleb and Sadie finding a stray dog in the rain. They both are ready to accept responsibility for the dog and end up deciding to share custody of the pup. Of course, this means that the pair will be seeing a lot of each other as they pass the dog back and forth.Caleb and Sadie are both great characters. Sadie's past was rather heartbreaking and her relationship with her family wasn't great. I think that learning about her past really gave the reader a lot of insight into her personality. She is very independent and refused to ask anyone for help. Caleb is rich and highly intelligent. He is also a very hard worker and quite generous. He is very close to his family but has spent a lot of his life being protected by them.I loved watching this pair fall in love. I think that they had great chemistry with each other and I enjoyed all of their interactions. Caleb wants to take care of Sadie when he sees that she needs things but that didn't mean that he thought she wasn't capable. I liked that they both had to give and take a bit and when they were upset they talked about it.I would recommend this book to fans of contemporary romance. This was a heartwarming romance with fantastic characters and an adorable dog. I can't wait to read more from Jill Shalvis!I received a digital review copy of this book from Tasty Book PR via Book Funnel.Initial ThoughtsI thought that Sadie and Caleb were great together. They had a lot of chemistry and seemed to be exactly what the other needed. Lollipop was adorable and I liked how she helped to bring them together. They were both scared at times and their families were not a big help. It was great to see them work together to make a relationship work. I do wonder who the next book will be about....maybe Ivy?

Finally Caleb's book. And Sadies's of course! ☺Sadie is working at the day spa and at the tattoo shop in our beloved building. And Caleb. He's a bit mysterious. He sold some apps and made a massive amount of money, and now he's got a huge venture capital comany that he's running with his sisters.Sadie and Caleb have always rubbed each other the wrong way. They're friends with the same people, so they see each other a lot. But it's always weird. But which is - obvious to the reader - their huge attraction. It takes those two - and their new dog - a long while until they realize that there could be something very good and serious between them....But the reader has an amazing time watching them fall for each other!!!════════════════ Ugh!I just love Jill Shalvis stories. This series is sooo adorable!Such a beautiful city. This amazing building with all its unique residents.Just perfect.This was another sweet and sexy and heartbreaking love story.Both Sadie and Caleb - and their new mega adorable dog - have been through a lot in their lives. But now they're finally all about to find their ever after place in life.I adored the story. I hope this series never ends!!!!PLAYING FOR KEEPS was such an adorable and sweet and sexy romance! Run to your nearest amazon for your own Caleb - this one is MINE! ♡ ♡ ♡

I will openly admit to you right now, that I love Jill Shalvis' books. She always has the right balance of humor, steam, and warmth, with just enough heartbreak and drama to keep it interesting. The other thing I love about her companion series are the wonderful groups of found-family she creates, and that was definitely one of the draws for me when it came to the Heartbreaker Bay books.This go around we have not ONE, but TWO heavily armored characters. Both Sadie and Caleb kept themselves emotionally detached. Though they sought this form of protection for different reasons, the results were the same - no successful romantic relationships. That was until a three legged dog changed their plans.As I have grown to expect, Shalvis gave us a fun and adorable doggie meet-cute. Caleb and Sadie had actually known each other for a year or so, but they never really interacted until they decided to "co-parent" a stray dog, Lollipop. I won't lie, Lollipop endeared herself to me, and I loved what she brought out in Caleb and Sadie. She helped us see that softer side of Sadie, while clearly revealing that carefree and loving side of Caleb. It was so wonderful to see all three of them on-page together, and I loved the way Shalvis utilized an awesome dog to ignite this romance.In case you couldn't already tell, Sadie and Caleb were sort of complicated. Sadie had a lot of pain in her past, which still overshadowed her present, and this made her weary of Caleb and his advances. Caleb had been taken advantage of in the past, and this made his sisters, who he lovingly referred to as "the coven", overprotective of him. Ghosts of their pasts and family drama of their present cause a few bumps in the road, but it was working through those things, that clearly showed these two belonged together.Sadie was cool, fun, salty, and sassy, but I think it was Caleb, who made me love this story. Though he may have been sort of closed off to most of the world, he loved his inner circle fiercely. He was able to open his heart a lot quicker, than Sadie was, and he was also more vocal and demonstrative. Sadie was not an easy woman for him to love, and I really liked seeing him fight a little for her."You're not an easy woman, Sadie.""I am a handful," she agreed, her pulse kicking into gear. "But that's why you have two hands."One thing I got a little excited about was the mention, over and over again, of Caleb's cousin Kel. Kel is a character from the Animal Magnetism books, which I adored, and the way he kept coming up was making me think that we might get some crossover action (?). If that's where Shalvis' muse is leading her, I am wholly onboard.OverallI definitely got what I have come to expect from Shalvis: a great romance, that was heartwarming, funny, a little emotional, and a little hot. It was stacked with a hero and heroine, who were both interesting and complex, and who I grew to care about. And, don't forget the adorable dog.*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review. BLOG | INSTAGRAM |TWITTER | BLOGLOVIN | FRIEND ME ON GOODREADS

I recently described another author's books as always ending up less than the sum of their parts. That was my clumsy way of saying that while this other author's prose, dialogue, characterization, themes etc. were all stellar when evaluated as individual components, somehow they came together as disappointingly lackluster novels as a whole. Jill Shalvis's books are actually the exact opposite for me: while objectively the prose, characterizations, plots, etc. tend to hover at or just above mediocre (in my opinion, of course!) if assessed on their own, somehow they magically combine to make for such spirit-boosting, mood-lifting, endorphin-raising books as a whole. As others have noted, some of the subject matter is a bit darker in this one, but I found the book was still full of the warmth, heart, and goodnatured humor that makes her books an auto-buy for me no matter how frustrating I find certain individual elements of them along the way. I deducted one star for the usual Jill Shalvis lapses in grammar, syntax and punctuation (what is up with her editors?! Certain passages are written really well while others are always marred by misused words, conspicuously absent commas, etc.) I also wish the book had been at least 100 pages shorter, but to be fair, I find myself thinking that nearly ALL romance novels could and should be more concisely and tightly written, so that's certainly not unique to this book! There's not always enough plot to sustain the momentum, and it sometimes feels like our heroine and hero's feelings change arbitrarily rather than based naturally on events that occur in the story, but again...that's true of so many romances that I'm almost immune to that by now :)As I've come to expect from Jill Shalvis, the book had some memorably amusing and/or insightful lines. I can see why some found Sadie too negative and abrasive, but for some weird reason I love the way Jill Shalvis writes the more seemingly 'bitchy' and attitude-ridden heroines (Sadie, Amy from At Last, Aubrey from Once in a Lifetime, Molly and Elle from this series, etc.), all of whom have secretly loving hearts, of course. Many of the other heroines she writes tend to lack clear and well-defined personalities to me, but I love the way she writes these comparatively 'problematic' heroines who have dark pasts and slowly become more open and ready to love. Maybe it's because we're so used to heroes meeting that description rather than our heroines that I find it so refreshing...? I can also see why some thought Caleb was 'too perfect', but after reading a bunch of romance novels where I felt like the nearly perfect heroine was way, way, WAY too good for the 'allowed to be a complete and total ass for at least 90% of the novel' hero, I actually liked the subtle gender reversal here, how Caleb was the kind, patient, comparatively optimistic one. And I did find him a more layered character than others did, in part because of his background and his deliciously geeky passion for tech innovation. We get so many of the nearly exact same types of heroes from Shalvis over and over, and Caleb, with his ingenious brain, large bank account and more charming and 'smooth' exterior, was a welcome departure from her usual male characters. (I do like her usual male characters, but they all sort of run together as one identical, interchangeable "semi-alpha blue collar bad ass commitment phobic guy who's stoic but brave, overprotective and with a secretly good heart'!) As with most Jill Shalvis books, I probably won't reread the entire novel, but I WILL definitely go back to reread a lot of warm, funny, insightful and/or sigh-worthy sections of it, which means I definitely consider it a worthwhile purchase. If you have any interest in reading about a troubled but badass and snarky heroine, a smooth but genuinely sweet and highly intelligent hero, and one of the most adorable fictional dogs you'll ever be lucky enough to meet, I'd definitely recommend Playing for Keeps!

4.5She calls him Suits. They're living in the same neighbourhood but keep their distance, rubbing each other the wrong way. He's a tech genius who sold the apps he invented and she's a tattoo artist who also work at a spa, doing makeup. Then one day, she sees Caleb hunker down outside in the rain. Curiosity didn't kill the cat but brought her a special dog she'll share custody with the hero.When I saw a few reviews saying that this Jill Shalvis was more darker than her usual, I was wary. But I wouldn't say it was darker, just that yes, the humour factor is less present, and some details about the heroine's past are more somber but it was still the same writing style that make me fall for her characters each and every time. Sadie was maybe more abrasive and jaded than the typical heroines. She use sarcasm to keep people away but I don't think she had a bad attitude. Her trust issues are deep and that made her do the one step forward and two steps back routine with Caleb, but it also let her see what a patient and understanding man he is. The hero overcame a childhood of being bullied and even if he liked to think he was closed off to emotions because of that, Sadie gave him the perfect opportunity to show he's very attentive to other's people well being and do every he can to help people. Both MC don't do well with being vulnerable so their leap of faith was even more satisfying to read about. "Humor me.""Alright. Well, you're extremely smart.""Is that it? I'm start.""Started with the obvious. You're also a sucker when it comes to animals and women who can't always make ends meet. And there's the thing I didn't expect.""It's that I'm a great kisser, right?""It's that you see me."