Entertaining read. It took a different turn them what I thought it would. Linc and Em had amazing chemistry. They both grow as a couple and do fall in love in a short amount of time. At least it didn't take a week to fall in love. This couple had known each other for months when the story begins. I was dying to get to the part where the bet was discovered. I did feel like something was missing. I still enjoyed it.

4.5 - "You have a lot of balls" Stars!

Amy Andrews, returns to the Sydney Smoke Rugby series with book three, and the affable Lincoln Quinn’s story.

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If you have read the previous two books, you will know that Linc is known as being somewhat the ladies’ man, a label he wears with quite a bit of pride, and I must admit I do have a particular soft spot for the reformed bad-boy trope.

"There aint’ nothing that can keep this groin down."

For the most part Amy delivered up a story that worked in that regard. The opening chapter left me with a little concern as to how the story would play out with Em because a relationship built on a (view spoiler) is one that starts on a slippery slope in my opinion.

"I believe in rugby and money and sex. There’s honesty in those things. They’re not things that involve feelings and airy fairy promises. They’re things you can control, and they don’t pretend to be something they’re not."

But as the book progresses, you quickly start to see that, that part of the story has very little relevance to the relationship that grows between Linc and Em, and is used more as a catalyst to jump-start their story. And when it is bought to the fore, the author turned it on its head rather than turn it into unnecessary drama, which I really liked too.

"Guys like you don’t stay."

As they get to know each other on a deeper level (as well as having plenty of dirty-hawt sexy-times), you also see that there are a lot of similarities between them and their upbringings that they keep away from the public eye with their larger than life personalities. It doesn’t take long for them both too see past the façade the other projects to the true person they are with though, and I really enjoyed that aspect of the story as well.

He’d opened up to her, shown her his hurts and his scars, and the beliefs that sprung from them.

After the inevitable clash of wills, everything was wrapped up pretty quickly in this one, no huge drama’s played out and nothing was overdone, which for me is a massive plus, so much so that at this point in the series, this is my favourite book from it (so far), and I cannot wait to see which Sydney Smoke player is next to meet his romantic match!

ARC generously provided via Netgalley, in exchange for the above honest review.

4.5 "...she prayed like hell her underwear didn’t burst into flames" Stars

Considering this book contains a trope that I'm that not fond of--a bet--Playing the Player played out exceptionally well and has become my favourite in the Sydney Smoke series to date.

"Maybe the man actually was an angel. A dirty, dirty angel."

I have to admit the opening chapter of this book does neither the story or the characters any particular favours, because what I'm sure was intended to be amusing banter between the guys just makes them look like a bunch of prats with zero respect for women. But Amy Andrews quickly turned this on its head by creating a fantastic rapport between the Sydney Smoke's resident ladies man, Lincoln Quinn and high school teacher, Em Newman. I may not be a fan of one of the tropes, but all isn't exactly as it seems and it was counterbalanced by one I absolutely love: the reformed rake, and Linc does himself proud in his quest to woo Em.

"He was in her control."

Together they generate some serious heat and were a welcome surprise; based on how he's come over in the previous books, I wasn't expecting Linc to be quite the thoughtful, funny, deliciously dirty charmer he was and I loved Em's inability to resist those charms regardless of her stubborn determination, because she's really no pushover. And I admit I'm a sucker for man who falls, and falls from a great height when he meets the right person.

"You don’t have to do anything to find a way into my heart. Somehow you already snuck in and set up house in there. There are curtains in my heart."

As for the banter between the boys, let's call that first chapter a little hiccup as the dynamic between them otherwise was spot-on and they were hilarious. Amy Andrews has taken two characters and given them the right story; sizzling, sexy and low-drama, which isn't entirely unpredictable, but completely enjoyable. Looking forward to seeing who'll be next to lose their heart.

Copy received courtesy of Entangled Publishing via NetGalley for an honest and unbiased opinion.

"Playing the Player" is a great, quick read.
If I had to sum it up in one word I'd call it "Authentic". The characters and setting are believably metropolitan Australian.
In a genre that can lean toward stereotype characters and formulaic plots, Amy Andrews has created a hero and heroine who are fully rounded, imperfect people. The characters each mature through the story and their transformation occurs in a credible fashion - with each remaining true to themselves. (Neither character is 'weak' without the other.)
The writing is particularly strong - there is one scene in particular where the suspense is built beautifully. It's very clear where it's going but the degree of anxiety I felt for the characters almost had me putting the book down!
This was the first Amy Andrews story I've read - but it won't be the last! The only improvement I could suggest is that Sydney Smoke should play AFL! ;)

PLAYING THE PLAYER by Amy Andrews is the lastest installment in the Sydney Smoke Rugby series and Em and Linc burned up the sheets as well as my kindle. And while that hot lovin' was good, it was the fun that I had reading this made the story so memorable.

High school teacher, Em Newman is done with wasting her time on the wrong guys. She wants it all: the husband, the kids, the happily ever after, but she's always choosing the men who don't want to stay around. So, she decides that she's going to go on a man-hiatus until she finds a man who is willing to go the distance. And if she happens to be ridiculously attracted to the the exact wrong type of man she's looking for, she'll just have to get over it. Even if it happens to Lincoln Quinn, star rugby player for the Sydney Smoke.

Linc loves women, he loves rugby, and he feels that he excels at both. But the one thing he will never do is settle down. It doesn't' work. His own parents showed him that. So, why is it that he can not seem to get the hot little teacher Em out of his head? And why is he willing to jump through all sorts of hoops to be with her?

Both Em and Linc know that acting their attraction is inevitable, but it's what comes next that has them both changing their outlook on relationships.

So PLAYING THE PLAYER was cute and sweet. I loved Linc's character. For a guy who admitted to being emotionally stunted, he sure did have great insight. He wasn't all the way there (or else he wouldn't have messed up), but I thought he was much more deep than anyone gave him credit for. I loved that he was willing to show that part of himself to Em.

I thought it great that Em was not willing to give in the goals that she wanted for herself but it kind of ticked me off too. She's twenty-three years old in this story and she wasn't willing to give Linc more than two months to plan the future. Linc was the one who was supposed to be emotionally stunted but it seemed like Em was in that category too. I get that they both had their baggage but, two months didn't seem like long enough for them to have it all worked out.

And while those emotional landmines gave me some issues with he storyline, PLAYING THE PLAYER was an extremely fun read. Between the sexy banter, the insane amount of chemistry between Em and Linc, and the trouble that Linc went through to guess Em's given name (it's worse than you can possibly imagine), I zipped through this one in one sitting.

PLAYING THE PLAYER is the third installment of the Sydney Smoke Rugby Series which centers around the players a rugby team of the same name, but you don't have to read the other stories to enjoy this one. There's enough back story given to enjoy this as a standalone. This series is far from over and I am excited to see who is going to fall next!

This is only my second book by this author (I read book two in this series and enjoyed it), but it won't be my last. I enjoy the fun that Amy Andrews has with her characters. And I love the fact that she takes pity on Americans like me and gives me a glossary of the Aussie terms used in the book. How cool is that?

*Advanced Reader's Copy provided by NetGalley and Publisher in exchange for an honest review*

Loved this!! Linc was one of those characters in the prior books that I didn't really care for but I must say Amy Andrews wrote a story that changed my mind about him. Linc is an unrepentant man-whore and has no plans of changing. He's young, not bad looking, and his profession has women lining up for him. Yet the one woman who turns him down has him intrigued. Yes there is a bet and yes men are idiots. But the bet isn't what is driving Linc to pursue Em. Taking the time to really get to know her before hitting the sheets seems to have made all the difference. Still, Linc isn't the marrying kind and Em is ready to settle down. Could these two ever work??

I definitely enjoyed this one and would recommend to everyone.

What started out as fun and flirty ended up to be full of love. Playing the Player was a good addition to this series. The rugby boys are sweet and full of surprises.

Linc and Em had an easy going relationship. They liked each other and wanted to be with each other. Even when she found out about the bet she rolled with it. It wasn't until she was looking for more that their relationship had to be reevaluated.

While I enjoyed the book it could have used a little more drama

Unfortunately, this was a DNF for me. Love the other books, but the set up for this one had a pet peeve of mine, so I bailed.

Linc is a playboy and there is no woman he can't charm, except for Em. When his friends bet him, he knows it's a crazy idea, but his competitive spirit doesn't let him say no, and he accepts the bet.
Though Em is attracted towards Linc, she is done with players and wants a guy who can give her everything, and Linc is totally against marriage.
What started because of a bet and mutual attraction soon grows to be something more. But can these two people with different wants find a middle ground ?
Warning - once you start this book, you will not be able to put it down. It was funny, steamy and sexy. I have read all the 3 books in the Sydney Smoke Rugby series, and they keep getting better and better. Can't wait for the next one.
I voluntarily read and reviewed this ARC from Netgalley.

Rating: 3*

Trope: Sports romance

Chemistry: Low Boil

One-Sentence Summary: A player gets reformed

Review: 4 months of no sex and she's acting like it's the longest man fast ever?!

Yeah so that had me rolling my eyes.

I liked Linc, especially the thoughtful present he gave to Em. Also liked how Em's reaction to finding out about the bet was different to how you would expect it to be

Not a fan of multiple time jumps in romances generally and felt we missed some key points to convince me how Em managed to go to avoiding and distrusting men to wanting to marry one in a few months.

And finally, there was Linc! I've loved Linc in the 2 prior books in this series. He's irreverent, funny, sexy, and a complete, unrepentant man-whore. His little quips have been big comic relief so far in this series, and I was looking forward to seeing him fall!

Lincoln is a great rugby player. He's got everything going for him, and he uses it to his full advantage. Including, but not limited to, sleeping with many, many women. He's a great guy, and a great friend to his teammates. But, he had a screwed up upbringing, and he has no intention of ever settling down with anyone. Ever. He meets Em at a gala. She's there with her best friend Harper, who was the heroine from book 2. She's getting over a bad break up, and he comes on to her, and asks her to dance. She tells him she'd rather drink poison.

So began my love affair with Em. I won't spoil the reveal of her full name for you. It's a doozy! Suffice it to say I understand why she chooses to go by Em! She's worked on herself a lot in the last 4 months, post-most recent breakup. She has finally realized that her daddy issues are showing, and it's affecting her dating and relationships in a big way. She resolves to no longer get involved with any dead-end men, who can't commit. She wants her happily ever after, and is finally determined to go about getting it. The right way, this time. She is extremely attracted to Linc, but he's the EXACT WRONG guy for her, and she's determined to stay away. Famous last words...

I really loved the development of Linc and Em's relationship. It was fun, and sexy, and believable. These 2 people really fit each other, more than they could have known at the start, and it was lovely to watch it unfold. I also like how it wasn't all a complete whirlwind. The story takes place over months, not days or weeks, and I appreciated the difference that made. There were a couple different times when I thought that the conflict would show up, in a cliched way, and the author proved me wrong. One specific incident really endeared me to Em even more, and showed me that she was truly an adult woman, and didn't fly off the handle at the drop of a hat, but actually THOUGHT about things before reacting. It was fantastic when she proceeded to completely turn that same situation to her own advantage. Then, when conflict did come, it sneaked up on me like a suckerpunch, and it was hard to watch.

One of the things I really like about this series is the rugby team guys' friendships. They truly are like brothers. They laugh, and joke, and fight like brothers. And, when one of them is in a tough spot, they help each other out with advice, honesty, tough love, or anything else required, like brothers. I really enjoyed in both books 2 and 3, how getting advice from one of their trusted friends, really helped the hero to realize how to fix his own situation. Harper and Em's friendship was also really great, and showed everything right, and good, and strong about a close female friendship. Even the WAGs aren't painted as the cliche jealous holier than thou witches that I've seen in other stories. They are portrayed as real women, with their own issues and flaws, who aren't all out to get one another. This friendship focus, as a big aspect of the story, put the book from 4 up to 5 stars for me! I love realistic relationships in the book that aren't only between the hero and heroine.

I'm really, REALLY curious about several of the other side characters in this series, and I'd really love to see it continue. Val, the coach's daughter is VERY intriguing to me, and many of the other guys on team as well, especially Ryder! This is another very enjoyable entry in this series, and I can't wait to see where it goes from here!

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

Three stars? Three and a half stars? can't decide.

Harper's best friend Em is a teacher. After a spate of bad news boyfriends where she was picking out wedding china while they were legging it out the door she has sworn off men. Four months of abstinence have helped her get a perspective although the delicious Lincoln Quinn, her best friend's fiancee Dex's team mate sorely tests her resolve.

Lincoln loves women, rugby and gambling - not necessarily in that order. He fancies Harper's bubbly best friend Em but she won't give him the time of day, thinks he's too much of a player. When his team mates lay bets on how quickly he could get the frosty Em into bed at a poker game he isn't interested, but then his competitive interests come to the fore.

This started off really well for me. Em was feisty and fighting against her natural instincts, while Linc was learning how to actually get to know a woman and think about what she wanted - outside the bedroom.

But then just over half way through I started to feel like this was more of a erotic novella than a novel. Not a lot seemed to happen (except sex in unexpected places), there was no angst, no development, and every chapter seemed to start "one month later ...". I didn't even see any conflict until 87% into the book! Although I am not a rugby fan, nor do I understand any of the jargon, this didn't even have much rugby in it - more of the WAGs watching from the stands.

So overall, this series has been a mixed bag for me. I detested the first book [book:Playing by Her Rules|30639529], mainly because I thought the hero was a tool; I adored the second book [book:Playing It Cool|31559311], perhaps because the hero was SUCH a great guy but this one I was a bit meh. Maybe this book suffered in comparison to Rosalind James' Escape to New Zealand series (about New Zealand All Blacks rugby players finding love) which I have binge-read over the past few weeks.

Anyway, Amy Andrews is still an auto-buy for me (or auto-request), but this was just pleasant enough.

Loved this book! This is a very sexy romance between Em and Linc. Linc is a player and never gives a woman more than a night. Em always picks the wrong guy and has stopped dating while she gets over her most recent broken heart. Too bad that Linc is so hot that he could make her forget her own name. ...

This is a very hot and sexy novel that fans of the genre will love (it is among the spicier of this author's work). While this is part of a series, it is a stand alone novel. The author is on my must read authors' list.

*I received an ARC of this from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I'm gonna be blunt here. I read the summary and I thought, here we go- another cliché book about a player with a nice girl reforming him of his player ways. I was skeptical. I was sure that I wouldn't like it... not that I don't love a good cliché deep down in my bones, but this one is severely overplayed.

I was utterly shocked to my core when I found that I couldn't stop reading- couldn't stop turning the pages to get every last juicy bit of this book. Not only was it NOTHING like I was expecting, but it was sexy and exhilarating to its core.

Em-short for a name that shall not be named because she hates it- is a girl who always ran after the wrong guy. Deeply rooted from some daddy issues, she chased after all the men who wouldn't stick around longer than a few rolls in the sheets. She made a promise to herself that she wasn't going to be that girl anymore- that she was going to go celibate because she couldn't stand to endure another heart ache from loving the wrong man. That is... until Linc.

Linc is a professional rugby player who only saw women as a means to an end; using them for sex to fulfill his needs. He didn't believe in love, and he didn't believe in marriage. Yet something drew him to Em. He found himself fighting harder for her affections; going against everything he believed in just to win her over.

Throw in some seriously hot sex scenes that trump Fifty Shades of Grey ANYDAY and you have yourself this little nugget of golden goodness.

I was so engrossed in this book, I stayed up until two a.m. reading it. I instantly fell hard for Linc, despite all of his jock tendencies and his witty tactics to get into Em's pants.

Going on Goodreads, I find this is book three in a series, and let me tell you I'm going on Amazon as soon as I finish reading this and I'm buying them ALL!

Amy Andrews is a brilliant author who deserves five star reviews for her emotionally epic book. This is a MUST read if you're a hopeless romantic like me.

Find the book here in the coming soon category: http://entangledpublishing.com/playing-the-player-amy-andrews/

For more information about the author: http://www.amyandrews.com.au/index.html

I mean it... read this... you won't regret it.

Playing The Player by Amy Andrews is the third book in the Sydney Smoke Rugby series and the sizzle that explodes between Em and Linc cannot be denied. Em and Linc are the focus this time around and at many times, they were entertaining to read. Their initial tooing and froing - the will they, won't they, kept the pages turning. With both high and low points, the story had many rollercoaster moments for this reader that at times were a bit taxing to read. A novel that continues the antics of the Sydney Smoke Rugby characters, but for this reader, didn't attain the same level as the previous books within the series.
Review copy received from Entangled Publishing via Netgalley