As I delved into the pages of Play Dirty, I couldn't help but feel the undeniable chemistry between Poppy and Jack. Their connection sparked with intensity, but as their story unfolded, I found myself yearning for a deeper exploration of their relationship. While Poppy's fiery personality and Jack's 'Fifty Shades of Grey' allure kept me on the edge of my seat, I couldn't shake the feeling that their bond needed more depth to truly resonate.

Amongst the steamy scenes, which were undeniably hot, I noticed some repetition that left me craving more variety. Additionally, the frequent shifts in perspective felt like a whirlwind, pulling me between viewpoints at rapid speeds.

It's worth noting that while I enjoyed Poppy's narrator, I found Jack's to be a bit harsh and not very pleasant to listen to.

In essence, Play Dirty offers a thrilling mix of highs and lows, perfect for fans of military romance with a twist of covert operations. While there are areas for improvement, such as the need for deeper character exploration, the undeniable tension between Poppy and Jack and the well-crafted spicy moments ensure it's an entertaining read for spicy romance lovers.

This was my first DNF. I couldn’t get past the fake accents, changing of voices, and talking in third person. I found it hard to listen to and finally had to throw in the towel.

It had so much potential but it fell flat for me for several reasons. I enjoyed the FMC she was likeable. The MMC was overly unlikeable and overly possessive/controlling, like so much it became cringe where he was way worse than an alpha a-hole. I love smut and alpha a-holes, but the way he's put about is a huge turn off. I also disliked that the female narrator did the MMC's parts in a strange "deeper?" voice. It would've been better of the narrator used her own voice or they had a male narrator to do the MMCs voice. Then the story felt redundant at certain parts, pretty repetitive that it didn't keep my full interest the entire time. The premise has so much potential but this execution wasn't it for me, I'm hoping it's better for you.

I received this ARC in audiobook format from NetGalley and Macmillan Audio to listen/review. All of the statements above are my true opinions after fully listening to this audiobook.

The AI relation to this book just felt weird. The rest of the story was decent. The second chance romance was cute, but I felt like there was too much not telling the FMC what was going on.

Started off strong with a fantastic childhood friends development then teens to adult lovers story. This book would’ve had great potential if the author stuck with that one storyline between Poppy and Jack. It became extremely confusing and a bit all over the place once other characters were introduced and a weird Navy Seal mission. There was a lot going on that felt like I was reading 5 different stories in one book. I gave this book a two star rating because it was not engaging. It took me over a month to finish listening compared to my normal 24 hours of finishing an audiobook. The smut was over the top extremely graphic then bounced right into that Navy Seal mission. I didn’t even have a chance to comprehend what I just listened to. There was no recovery after the smut. It was just too much bouncing between storylines.
The narrator did an amazing job! I loved the raspiness of their voice. They did a great job with the female and male characters.

Poppy and Jack had been in love since they were teenagers. They shared a deep and passionate connection that only grew stronger with time. However, Jack had to leave for some time which made it difficult for Poppy to hold onto their love. Despite this, she moved forward with her life, trying to forget the love of her life.

One summer, after graduation, Jack returned and everything changed. He saved Poppy's life, her soul, and her heart. Poppy was celebrating her graduation, waiting for Jack to meet her at the river's edge, a tradition they had always followed. When he didn't show up, she decided to walk home through the woods, not realizing that this would be a decision she would soon regret. That night, she was not only violated but also became a murder. Jack saved her, hid the body to be found at a later time, then disappeared again, and Poppy leaned on her friend Sage for support. However, Sage turned out to be a betrayer who betrayed both Poppy and Jack's love. Sage worked with an AI that was built from the memory of the father; that was murdered after making her and after she had an accident and gave birth to a baby boy.

Jake learns there is a bounty out on a old friend that puts Poppy in danger; the close proximty makes it hard for Jake to stay on the task at hand; find the drug dealer, the guns and get his freedom. However, the desire and need between Jack and Poppy gets so intense, sensual, and fiery that there is no going back once they start and for Jack, that was when he was just a boy, Poppy has alway been the only one, and he vowed that there would never be anyone else. To his surprise, Poppy had also loved him for just as long. Jack was Poppy's first love, and he was determined to be her only one. Lora Leigh did a fantastic job of creating a frenzy in the reader's mind by describing their utter bliss through words, descriptions, and imagery that makes the reader crave for more.

This book contains some explicit content that some readers might find vulgar or crude; however, when you picture Jack and Poppy, the words, descriptions, and imagery are tantalizing and keep you on the edge of your seat throughout the book. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a great audiobook experience. It's an excellent choice for those who want to indulge in some "alone" time, whether it's during a relaxing bath or while working out or driving. Overall, Play Dirty by Lora Leigh is a book that you won't want to miss!

I have read other books by Laura Leigh, Unfortunately, this writing was not to my liking. It was too steamy and not enough good interaction between the two main characters. Drugs, AI’s and a confusing plot also led to missing the mark. But the narrator was good, especially having to work at all the different characters.
I appreciate the opportunity from NetGalley and McMillan Audio to listen to this arc. Unfortunately, I would have enjoyed more of a decent plot and less steamy scenes. This is my honest review.

I really tried to get into this one, but it just did not live up to the expectations I had, I did not enjoy the storyline, I could not get into it at all. It was chaotic, the plot was hard to follow and all over the place. I just could not enjoy this book unfortunately. The narration was also off for me and it did not help my enjoyment. I never felt compelled to continue. I had to DNF this one.

A friends-to-lovers story with a broody misunderstood Navy Seal, sign me up!

I had the pleasure of reviewing the book and the audio. I really enjoyed the story and the narration. The story follows the FMC, Poppy, and the MMC, Jack. Poppy and Jack have a bond that many others can't understand. They are bonded and intertwined by their experiences. Jack's possessiveness and drive to protect Poppy mixed with the love and confidence that Poppy holds for Jack creates the perfect romance novel with just the perfect amount of spice. This story has it all- friendships, love, danger, betrayal and more tied up in a pretty bow. The Epilogue also revealed a twist that I never saw coming!

The Narrator did a good job with pacing and matching the voices of the characters which I believe were from West Virginia. I absolutely adored Poppy's voice. She sounded like a sweet little southern belle. The Narrator was also good at creating distinct voices for the male and female voices. I read and listened at the same time and feel like listening to the audio added to my reading experience.

If you're looking for a quick read or a well narrated book, give Play Dirty a shot!

“She was his light in the dark. Always guiding him. Always ensuring he didn’t lose his way.”


I’ve always loved Lora Leigh’s books! To have been able to have done a ARC read of a audiobook given to me by @netgalley is just such an awesome experience!


I did however only give it a Four Star rating. It didn’t snag my attention and make me not want to put it down like past books. But I still loved the book. Made me feel a little iffy however when the AI was introduced into the storyline.

Besides those two things, I loved and enjoyed the audio!! Definitely buying the physical copy when it comes out later this month!!!

What did I just read? The storyline was so confusing. I had no idea what mission Jack was on and I had no idea what all of the AI talk was about. I was confused the whole time. The relationship between Poppy and Jack was just weird. He was an egotistical, controlling man. He treated her like she was property. The pet names he called her were very cringy. The book was also full of very vivid and descriptive sex scenes that I wasn't expecting. I felt that this storyline was a little overdone. I don't typically choose to read those types of books, so I wasn't expecting it to be so spicy. I listened to the whole story

I’m halfway about the book. I like half of it and disliked the other half. I love love love audiobooks but I couldn’t get over the narrator for the characters. It just didn’t match with how the characters were described and felt a little silly to listen to.

DNF at 23%. I had a hard time getting into this one but I gave it a real chance, I swear! I wasn’t feeling anything for the characters and the narration wasn’t a favorite of mine. But then a brother was talking about his sister’s sex life? Then the man who came to rescue her from assault basically assaults her? No, I’m done. Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to review!

Play Dirty by Lora Leigh is a good fit for those seeking a passionate and protective romance featuring childhood friends reuniting under dangerous circumstances, with a strong emphasis on trust and possessiveness.

Thank you, Netgalley, the author, and MacMillan Audio for the gifted audiobook! ❤️ #gifted. My review is comprised of my honest thoughts.

Read this book if you like: Dual POV, friends to lovers, second chances, spicy 🔥

The spice is the good part, but even some of the scenes were odd. Some rubbed me the wrong way. Virginity stuff is always cringey to me. Yikes. The story is a bit scattered and hard to follow. The sci-fi was not needed. I needed more.

Although I cannot even begin to understand the AI story line of this book, I love the relationship between the male and female main characters. Poppy and Jack were destined to be soul mates, after their first meeting you could not help but to root for the happiest of endings for their relationship. I am so happy that the author allowed Poppy to trust in Jack even when it looked like he was going to have to make some tough decisions at the end of the story.

Thank you to NetGalley, and the author, for the opportunity to read and review this title!

Overall I think this book will potentially land well received in darker romance reader groups as the spice was well-written and included many on-page scenes. However, for me, I just wanted more explicit consent between the two main characters, especially given her background of being a SA survivor (rescued by her now love-interest). There was also next to no character interactions to allow for a connection/relationship to develop so the characters felt one dimensional to me and I had a hard time being invested in the spice.
Audiobook wise, I thought the narrator did a nice job. I did not have difficulty following the dual POVs and thought her Southern accents were realistic.

I appreciate the opportunity to try this one, but unfortunately it was not for me and I will not be featuring on my socials.

ARC reader for NetGalley

This one’s for the romance girlies who love a military bad boy with all the red flags and girl next door tropes.

I stepped out of my typical fantasy romance genre for this one and was pleasantly surprised. The narrator did a great job with the voice acting. The first half of the book built up the characters, their relationships and the secondary confidential mercenary military ops plot. The second half of the book is what surprised me as I did not predict that ending. It was like taking a Tom Clancy novel and adding spice, which ended very nice. It’s the first of the triton series so I’ll be looking out for the follow-ups. I would love to see all the guys from Jack Bridger’s team get their own spicy love story.

Spice level 🌶🌶🌶

Trigger Warnings
S.A.
Military violence
Death

*spoilers*

I would like to say that i am having a hard time reviewing this book as the person who was reading it, i just could not get over Jack's voice or any male voices. I know Jack is young but he sounded like a dirty 80 year old man. It just was not fun to listen to. It made the sex scenes really creepy to me.

I feel that there was a purpose to the beginning of the book, then in the middle it lost it and the end was inconclusive. Maybe this author is not my cup of tea.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC.

I'm not really a fan of this one. I felt like the themes were all over the place and it got really weird at the end. I think the narration also threw things off for me because the voices were all very similar. I think this one just wasn't for me. I usually love dark romances so this enticed me. I think it could've been executed differently.