Thank you @netgalley, @macmillan.audio, @lora.leigh & @torbooks for an audio ARC & digital ARC of Play Dirty.

Release: March 26, 2024 (4 Stars)

The spice level was OFF THE CHARTS with this story! I love spicy books, so Play Dirty was perfect!

I love that Poppy & Jack had such a strong connection from very young ages (7 years old for Poppy). It did not progress to anything further until Poppy was in her late teens when they shared a kiss. And now, Jack has returned & they just can’t stay away from each other or their hands to themselves. The backstory & connection between Poppy & Jack really makes this book a standout. It is set at a quick pace, which will allow you to literally fly through this book. I do believe it is part of a new series, so I cannot wait to read more! My one & only teeny tiny irk was the overuse of the pet names. It was cute at first, but quickly became annoying. That is just me though since that type of thing irks me in real life, also. If you’re in the mood for some spice, add this to your TBR ASAP!

QOTD: If you read spicy stories, what is the spiciest book you’ve ever read? If you aren’t into spice, what is your line that separates what you are comfortable with & what is too spicy for your taste?

Synopsis Quoted: “She saved his life when they were kids & then he saved hers. When she became a young woman, Poppy knew she would never love anyone the way she loved Jack Lee Bridger.

But after a near tragedy, Jack left home to become a Navy SEAL & Poppy knew there wouldn't be another like him. Not for her. She remembered the way it felt when he looked at her with those smoldering eyes. The way he kissed her. Touched her...

Now it's years later & danger is dogging her footsteps & Jack is back.

And Poppy knows that he will do anything--absolutely anything--to keep her safe. She trusts him to protect her body, but can she trust him with heart?”

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A Review of Steamy Romance with Missed Potential
3 out of 5 stars

Lora Leigh's "Play Dirty" is a steamy romance with a promising premise: childhood friends reunited, undeniable chemistry, and a thrilling suspense subplot. However, the execution falls short in several key areas, leaving me with a feeling of unfulfilled potential.

Positives:

Steamy Scenes: Leigh delivers on her signature brand of passionate romance, with scenes that are both graphic and emotionally charged.

Intriguing Suspense: The underlying plot of danger and secrets adds a layer of intrigue and keeps the story moving forward.

Dual Perspectives: While not always seamlessly integrated, the dual perspectives of Poppy and Jack offer insight into their thoughts and motivations.

Negatives:

Weak Character Development: The characters, particularly Poppy, remain somewhat flat and underdeveloped. Their motivations and desires are not fully explored, making it difficult to connect with them on a deeper level.

Predictable Plot: The core romance follows a familiar formula, lacking the surprise and originality that would elevate it to a more satisfying read.

Clunky Dialogue: The dialogue often feels forced and unnatural, particularly in scenes of high emotion.

Unresolved Issues: While the book introduces a compelling suspense plot, it is ultimately left unresolved, leaving the reader with a sense of incompleteness.

Overall:

"Play Dirty" is a fast-paced, steamy romance with a thrilling undercurrent. However, its underdeveloped characters, predictable plot, and clunky dialogue ultimately limit its impact. While fans of Leigh's signature style may enjoy the familiar tropes and scorching love scenes, others may find themselves wanting more depth and originality.

Here are some specific points that left me wanting more:

Poppy's inner conflict between her love for Jack and her fear of commitment is never fully explored.

The reasons behind the danger Jack and Poppy face remain vague, leaving the suspense plot unresolved.

The secondary characters are largely one-dimensional, lacking the complexity needed to truly engage the reader.

While "Play Dirty" offers moments of heat and suspense, it ultimately falls short of its full potential. With deeper character development, a more nuanced plot, and more attention to detail, this book could have been a truly memorable romance.

Thank you Netgalley and Tor for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

*staring at the wall for the past 20 min after that ending*

WTF did I just read and how come I haven't read Lora Leigh before?!?!? She's the kind of unhinged romance writer my heart desires!

Ex-Navy Seal✔️
Childhood friends to lovers ✔️
MMC morally grey character ✔️
BETRAYAL and SECRETS ✔️
Suspenseful to the point of digging your nails on the edge of your sit ✔️
SPICYYYYYYY HOT DAMN LEVEL ✔️
Technology- AI themed ✔️
PLOT TWIST!!!! ✔️

All I know is that I need the next book in these series... You left me hanging like the iguana after I devoured {DEVOURED} this story in a day. Ex Navy seal Jack Bridges has been imprinted in my soul.

I will come back to a full review closer to release day ... March 2024

Play dirty is the start of a brand new series by powerhouse romance author Lora Leigh and it won’t disappoint any reader of hers!

Play Dirty while a new series is also set in the same world as her previous series Tempting Navy Seals and while you don’t need to read her previous series to understand the plot or the characters in Play Dirty I do recommend at the very least reading Killer Secrets since you do get to see Ian and Kira quite a bit throughout the book.

But put aside seeing old Familiar faces and this book is an instant Lora Leigh suspenseful romance novel. The Hero and former SEAL Jack Bridger has been described as a sociopath by multiple military doctors but there’s more than meets the eye with that one and when a job comes up that involves his hometown but also the girl he left behind and never had, he jumps at the chance to finally claim what’s his.

Surviving a sexual assault attempt makes no one a push over and that certainly goes for our Heroine, Poppy. she’s always had a crush on the boy who had a rough upbringing and it solidified the moment he came to her rescue all those years ago. But now that he’s finally back in town and trying to claim what his she’s determined not to make it so easy on him.

The spice level is standard for a Lora Leigh novel so if you’ve read one of hers you know what you’re in for. If you haven’t read her yet then just know that Lora has a way of writing THOSE scenes that will leave you needing a gallon of ice water to quench all that heat.

Jack and Poppy are a fantastic set of characters. I wasn’t expecting the twist at the end and look forward to the next book in the series.

A former Navy Seal with a tortured past is back in town to thwart the baddies. Reconnects with the woman who saved his life. Does he deserve her?

Absolutely he does! Read this. It was a fantastic story with twists and turns.

I thought that this was another great read from Lora Leigh

I thought it was a brilliant storyline, and the characters were really well developed, had some great personalities and some cracking interaction between them.

Action, romance, intrigue, a sexy story with a twist at the end!

The book certainly had the wow factor for me

It is 5 stars from me for this one – very highly recommended!

I DNF’d at 10%, usually I’m okay with dark and heavy content but I just couldn’t get into it and I felt parts were confusing and required me to reread the paragraph multiple times.

I feel like ARCs are usually far more polished. This one needs heavy line editing. I stopped after chapter 1 (6%).

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor/Bramble for the ARC.

Playing Dirty was an amazing start to a new series by Lora Leigh. Lora Leigh continues to amaze me with her world building, character development and overall addicting stories. It's a great new start to a new series from an all-time favorite author of mine. Playing Dirty is full of action, sizzling romance and suspense. Poppy and Jack's story was an amazing childhood love story that wasn't not the expected type. The dynamic of Jack being a Navy Seal but considered a psycho by military doctors was a great twist. Jack to me isn't the typical kind of hero and it's not a childhood crush to love story either. For lovers of Lora Leigh's writing, I would highly recommend this book. I can’t wait for the second book in the series.

I have always enjoyed Leigh’ book and loved the main characters’ interaction from the beginning. I loved how they bonded and their verbal sparring. I loved watching their connection evolve into friendship and then something more. There is also a bit of intrigue that keeps you in limbo until the end. A very solid read.

Jack and Poppy's story is full of nostalgia, steam, and alpha male meets tough but vulnerable chick vibes.

Nothing super unique about this story, but it has all the classic Lora Leigh elements that fans of her would like.

3.5 stars.

*I received a review copy from the publisher/author via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

This is the first in the Tempting Seals: Triton series. I really enjoyed this story and found it full of action, sizzling hot romance and suspense. Leigh grabbed you from the first page and kept you wanting to read until the last page. I can’t wait for the second book in the series. Poppy as a young girl saved Jake and Jake saved her as a teenager. Jake went on to become a Navy Seal and saw very little of Poppy, but she has always been in love with Jake no matter what type of reputation he has had over the years. Jake was arrested for killing three men that were raping and killing women overseas. He has been given a get out of jail free card if he completes this assignment for the government. Part of that assignment is to get close to Poppy again because of where she is working. One of her bosses or both are involved with drug trafficking and money laundering but now and is now accepting an artificial intelligence killer in pieces through the company to be put together and sent out to kill that Poppy works for. Jake not only wants to find and destroy this killer but to keep Poppy out of danger. Find out if Jake can find the killer and save Poppy and have a life with her after this job. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for providing an advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.