Loved this!! It's sweet and silly, and the writing flows and pulls you right into the story. There was also a thoughtful content warning at the start.

While trying to close a deal, Kingston is told he must prove his commitment to the community before the man will make a deal with him. This prompts his assistant to post a job listing for a PR & Marketing position that will focus on community outreach.

Willa works in freelance PR & Marketing. Kingston owns a company that is buying up commercial real estate in their small town. Burned out and looking to slow down and work an office job, Willa takes a job at his company. Only, she doesn’t know it's his company.

Admittedly, the cat cafe isn’t a central location in the story. The idea for it comes up around the 50% mark, and they visit it a few times.

This was an absolutely delightful addition to the "All's Fair" series. The plot was well-paced and captivating from start to finish. The characters were charming and witty.
Filled with humor, fun, and witty dialogue, this book was just too cute to put down. I found myself laughing and smiling throughout the story, and when I finished, I was left with a warm and fuzzy feeling inside. The characters were well-crafted and lovable, and I was rooting for them the whole time. Kingston and Willa had such great chemistry and I enjoyed seeing them together. A super sweet story that is not to be missed!
I highly recommend this fun and quick read! I can't wait for more from Carina Taylor.

Thank You NetGalley and Lit and Write for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Play Me Once is the sequel to Forget Me Twice. It can be read as a standalone story, although characters from the first book do show up in this one. Willa and Kingston were introduced in the first one as well.

This has enemies-to lovers vibes as well as workplace romance. There is banter and tension between main characters.

Read the author's content warnings. There is some mild language and a few topics that may be triggering for some. (disordered eating and neglectful families) I thought everything was tasteful addressed.

One of my favorite parts was the animals! I won't go into any more detail so that I won't be tempted to give spoilers. But they had my heart!

Thanks to Netgalley and Carina Taylor for the complimentary copy of the book. I am happily and voluntarily leaving my honest review.

I just couldn’t get into it, try as I might. The tropes failed me on this one. Enemies to lovers? Not at all, simply two people who have different thoughts on dating. Office romance? Barely. He falls first? Doesn’t really count if he continues to push her away. There are some fun moments and a unique, lighthearted vibe, but something was off for me the whole way through. I’m sure there are readers who are going to love this one, but it wasn’t a win for me.

The story follows Willa, a consultant who is ready for a more stable job. She decides to apply for a position at one of the biggest companies in her small town, not realizing that her new boss is the man who has been trying to convince her to go out with him. Though Willa acknowledges that she and Kingston have chemistry, their plans to go on a date went awry when Willa overheard him saying that they’re just going to have some temporary fun. Kingston never meant to hurt Willa’s feelings - and he would still love to have that date - so he’s excited by the prospect of having Willa come work for his company. As the two spend more time together, the attraction between them is tough to ignore.

I guess I saw this one playing out differently, I just didn’t love that Kingston continued to pursue Willa even when he had no intention of starting up something real with her. I was genuinely confused by his motivations at times, though I guess he was too. There was also zero conflict about him pursuing his sister’s best friend (not to mention his new employee) for something that he wholly intended to be temporary. Seems ill-advised. But I also didn’t feel the chemistry. There were definitely some good moments of banter and an overall playful tone, but some of the scenes fell flat. I’ve got nothing against closed door romance, but sometimes it gets in the way of the story. All in all, I've read better by the author and simply didn't love this one. I received an early copy, and am voluntarily leaving a review of this lighthearted romance.

✨📖 ARC REVIEW 📖✨
Rom Com ❤️
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Though this book is the second book in the All's Fair series it can definitely be read as a stand alone. It was the perfect combination of sweetness and banter. Being a rom com makes this a lighter hearted read even with deeper topics being discussed such as eating disorders and family issues. Willa and Kingston have a complicated relationship, but even so the way they interact with each other is amazing and hilarious. I love the way Willa calls Kingston her nemesis in the first chapter. Both MCs are very relatable and realistic, Willa being sweet and sassy and Kingston being charming, ambitious, and cheeky. Not going to lie, I have a major soft spot for Kingston after finishing this book.

If you are looking for a light hearted rom com with characters that are relatable and filled with chemistry this book is definitely for you!


* Thank you NetGalley and Carina for this opportunity and giving me this ARC in exchange for my honest review. *

I will say in fact this book and this author is not for me.

this book has a trigger warning for disorder eating a the beginning and like it is mentioned but the story feels flat to me.

Tbh I nearly dnf'ed a couple of times, but then a funny incident would happen and it kept me reading. This is a fun read if you want something low-angst and wholesome, with found family and cats!

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

...

Filled with banter, sweet romance, and amazing characters this book was exactly what I needed

Thank you so much carina taylor and Netgalley for this arc .
This book was SO fun I read it in a day. I can always count on carina Taylor when I need something sweet and funny

The chemistry between Willa and Kingston was AMAZING. Their interactions with each other HILARIOUS
and my favorite scene involves a certain golf cart ...

When I tell you Kingston fell hard I mean HARD
I mean him wishing she would run him over with a golf cart (again) because he's that obsessed
And him keeping the suit he was wearing when she run him over ....it was so funny 😭

Willa is one of my favorite characters EVER . She was such a badass and her relationship with Meyer is everything <33

it was so nice to see Meyer and Archie again <33

As much as this was a sweet closed door romcom it also discusses heavy topics like eating disorders/dysfunctional families so keep that in mind .

You can also find my review on goodreads ;)

This is such a cute romantic comedy! We follow two main characters, Willa and Kingston. Willa works as PR and wants to work for a company so that she can have something more steady than her freelance work. Kingston runs his own company who are looking for ways to help improve the community. While these two are enemies, they end up working together to help with all the stray cats in the community. I mean, who doesn't like a good cat café? The banter between these two as they grow to try to be professional while at work, the tension is there. (Work place love trope? Yes please!)

This is a fast paced, lighthearted rom-com book. But there is a trigger that should be mentioned.
This book does talk about disordered eating and may be sensitive for those who struggle with such topics.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc!

📖 ARC REVIEW 📖

Thank you @carinataylorauthor for an early copy of Play Me Once. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. 🤍

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Release date: January 10th, 2024

Blurb: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...

🛑Read on with caution; review may contain spoilers🛑

The sequel to Forget Me Twice, Play Me Once, is a fast-paced and swoon-worthy romcom! While most characters from the first book are mentioned in this sequel, it can be read as a standalone. They’re just as loveable as they were the first time around, but now with cats! 🐈

Play Me Once focuses on the two main characters Willa and Kingston, who couldn’t be more perfect for each other even though they weren’t dating for most of the book. They have this sort of enemies-to-lovers vibe, but I loved their banter. It’s less childish than most with the trope, and just shows how much Willa and Kingston challenge each other. It is also in their actions rather than words that show how they’re just perfect for each other, especially with Kingston being so persistent in most things, like dating Willa and reminding her to eat (FYI – check TW). Though this book doesn’t contain a lot of heavy drama, some heavy topics were discussed but not in much detail.

Carina Taylor’s new novel is an enjoyable, lighthearted read, filled with flirty banters and swoon-worthy moments. Plus if you love cats, you should definitely check this one out when it releases in a few days!

What a great book! I found this book to be so cute and I was actually laughing out loud while reading this.

I loved the characters in this book, Willa who's smart, funny, talented, and not a fan of Kingston after he said something rude about her to a friend. Kingston who is hot, funny and the king of putting his foot in his mouth and also a big fan of Willa from the very beginning.

This book overall was just a breath of fresh air.

And I mean, who doesn't love cats?

If you're looking for something refreshing, funny, and a cute little romance, here's your book!

I loved this book! It was the perfect rom com, fast paced, lighthearted, entertaining and swoon worthy!

Play Me Once is the sequel to Forget Me Twice but it can totally be read as a standalone. Most characters are from the first book but it’s a different story.

I loved both the MCs! Willa was sassy and loveable and so relatable. Kingston was charming and cheeky! He was so persistent
in wanting to go on a date with Willa, he just knew they were meant for each other and he was sooo right! The back and forth witty banter between the two of them had me laughing out loud. I also loved how he always made sure that she was eating after she told him about her eating disorder when she was younger. It was so heartwarming.

If you love rom- coms and cats then this one is defo for you since they open a cat cafe which is the cutest thing!

Although this is a lighthearted book it deals with some heavy topics like disorded eating so make sure to check out Carina’s trigger warnings before you give it a read.

Overall this was a sweet, funny and enjoyable read that I would recommend you read!

Play Me Once....

Kingston and Willa make a cute story. Kingston tries to sound like a cold hearted man but we know he isn't and he doesn't give up on asking Willa out again over and over again. Willa isn't ready to give Kingston another chance after what she heard him say to a friend after the they had a first date. It is not quite an enemies to lovers story as I didn't feel that vibe.
Overall, this was a sweet read that you can finish quickly. You start reading and can't stop. I have enjoyed all the books by Carina Taylor and this is another great one.

Play Me Once is a close door sweet rom com. I suppose it wants to be an enemies to lovers, but I never really bought the enemies part. The MMC is the billionaire businessman, that is cold hearted, but not really. And the FMC is a tough gal who knows what she wants. Sort of. He becomes her boss (because she doesn’t realize he runs the mega corporation where she gets hired, which would be believable if not for the small town aspect. But it matters not. Of course she gives him a chance and boom HEA. I bought it was a light sunny story, a beach read if you will. (I read an ARC)

Play Me Once by Carina Taylor is a fun hate to love second Chance workplace romance.

They went out once and things went awry but he’s her best friends brother so to her dismay he is not avoidable. He’s a commitment-phobic, cocky, fun loving CEO but he can’t help to want a second chance with her. I loved how fun this town is, the secondary characters, the fun storyline but I really liked Willa and Kingston’s dynamic. It’s fiery, full of banter, bickering, he flirts, she rolls her eyes and says no but he keeps fighting for a chance because the chemistry between them is undeniable. I actually really loved how he supports her, knows she’s smart and competent and supports her dreams.

Another thing about this book that I felt related with, is Willa’s relationship with food, body image and dealing with a parent that police’s what you eat and how you look like and how that affects you to your adult life. It’s a hard and sad thing to deal with but I thought Carina dealt with the topic with respect and accuracy. I loved that Willa goes on her journey of self love through her career and herself and the fact that she has a found family that is a support system for her. Kingston also goes through a lot of growth himself. He has to unlearn and change things that have affected him and stunted his growth and grow up and learn to move on and accept new things in his life without being scared. I loved the addition of the cats to the story. It was such a fun and lighthearted touch to the plot. Overall, this book is emotional, sweet, fun, steamy but two people learning to accept love, growing up, maturing and giving each other a second chance and I highly recommend this book.

A beautiful story of two people healing and falling in love

Kingston and Willa are hilarious and the chemistry was off the charts
I binge read in one evening because it sucked me straight in and now I have a new place I want to live!

Hoping we get a Lucy and Miles story🤞🏻