To Win Her Smile, Mackenzie Crowne

Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews

Genre:  Romance,

I didn't realise this was book five in a series, but its one of those where each story is a stand alone, and connected by the characters so I was able to keep up OK ;-) 

I really enjoyed this read, loved Piper, understood her desire to keep the family estate intact, it sounds a wonderful place and there's so much family history attached.
Times are tough though, and she's facing a fierce financial deadline, so when offered the chance to earn enough to clear it she jumps at the chance. Its using her beloved photography skills too, she's been running the estate as a posh B&B but photography is what really is her preferred way of earning, she loves the magic found in the right picture. 

She's working for Wyatt though, as well as his team, and gets to know the group well. Wyatt makes it clear he's wants more than just her there as his lucky charm...more than her taking pics for the charity calendar, and soon they're into a hot and steamy relationship for the five weeks she's there working. 

I loved Wyatt too, talented, a great team mate and player yet his father, just starting a bid for Presidency, doesn't see how well he does, can't see he's doing what he loves, he's simply irritated that Wyatt hasn't followed him into politics. He wants him around solely to back up the family image, to boost his own career. He needs squeaky clean family, and as usual his employees are checking into every part of their lives.  
Secrets beware! and of course we all have them. 

Of course just when everything is going well it isn't...and in a way that brought the story down for me.
I saw this angle coming way, way off, as soon as something happened right back in the early part of the book, but thought it was so obvious and clunky that maybe the author had thrown it in to distract form the real story line. As we got closer to the end more clues came in, almost spoon feeding us to the event.
I still kept hoping that it would be something else, this was too easy, too simplistic and surely Piper as a professional would have taken measures to ensure it couldn't happen. 
But no...Sigh...I was right :-( and that brought the story down a star. 

I was so angry with Wyatt, but understood his reaction, absolutely loved the way he was made to work for redemption, the way it covered months in the story, not juts one of those sorry, I goofed, effed up and its all happy, happy, happy on the next page. 
I do like my characters to have to work hard for forgiveness, love the leads to be feeling really sad, upset, distraught, and Piper was all those. 

Its got the perfect ending too. If only that reveal had been less clumsy, less obvious it would have been a full five star read for me. 

Stars:Four, a great read, just brought down by a too obvious story line. 

ARC supplied for review purposes by Netgalley and Publishers

LOVED IT!! Wyatt and Pipper'so chemistry is off the charts smokin hot. This book is so heartfelt. This book is well written and flowed together perfectly. I highly recommend reading this book.

Desperate times call for desperate measures…but the British stiff upper lip makes it difficult for the Baroness Piper Darrow to allow anyone too close to the reality that is her life. Beautiful, titled, rich in ways that define a person, yet broke financially, Piper clutches at the chance for a paycheck that will help her save the land she holds dear. On the eve of losing her home, her heart and her legacy, Piper will use her talent as a photographer to capture a Marauders football event for posterity.

Marauder Wyatt Hunter needs a lucky charm to recapture his quarterbacking mojo…and then they connected, or rather Wyatt’s pass connected with Piper’s nose and his “A” game is back. Now Wyatt will do anything to keep his lucky charm around with the Super Bowl in sight, because even big, bad quarterbacks can be superstitious! He thought cost was no object, but little did he know what he stood to lose.

So, let’s do the math: One hot jock + one cool goddess + one big secret + the unknown factor = another love story that only Mackenzie Crowne could write! TO WIN HER SMILE is a journey through the hearts, minds and pride of two people who can’t just wave the flag of surrender and take the plunge, no matter how much they may want to! Why not? In part, Wyatt just happens to come from big money and hard-hitting politics and Piper has kept her lofty title a secret from him, due to her empty coffers. She also hides the true warmth of the woman she is when she retreats to her own world across the “pond.”

Once burned, twice shy, when Wyatt learns of Piper’s true heritage, as well as her circumstances, he is blinded to the woman who has rocked his world in every way. Yep, man angst is an ugly animal that will cost him is happiness, heart and the woman he loves. Will he become just a bad memory for Piper as she struggles to save her legacy?

Mackenzie Crowne has nailed two hearts with the precision of Cupid, separated them with the barbed wire of doubt, not to mention a rather large ocean, doing so with some heartwarming moments and some cold-hearted interference, all while holding me captive to every word! Take the bittersweet plunge into one of her best stories yet as the scoreboard ticks down the final seconds for love.

I received an ARC edition from Mackenzie Crowne and Kensington Books in exchange for my honest review.

Series: Players - Book 5
Publisher: Lyrical Shine (July 18, 2017)
Publication Date: July 18, 2017
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
For Reviews & More: http://tometender.blogspot.com

Loved this book

This book was great. If want a hot and fun book then this is a perfect book. Piper is great, she is a poor photographer visiting the US and her friend CC. Yes, the CC married to Kevin and whose story was in a previous book.

Wyatt meets Piper and well falls hard but she is leaving town to go back to England. Or is she? V, another character from another book gets involved and hires Piper to take more pictures of Wyatt and his football team. Which Piper thinks gives her time for a fling with Wyatt and money she desperately needs for an inn she runs in England and money she owes a cousin..

But Wyatt is also the son of a wealthy politician who decides to run for president and well thats when the fun starts. I loved Piper and Wyatt together. They have romance and chemistry and yes even friendship. I have loved this entire series and I enjoyed this story just as much as the other books.