Not every book is what you think it might be.

This is one of those.

I thought the cover and the blurb sounded/looked great, and so I wanted to give this one a read, however it wasn't the awkward cute love story you would think. Or the forced proximity that makes a relationship happen.

It was a lot about cheating and that tied up feeling on a past relationship due to financial circumstances.

I was definitely hoping for the cute romance read, but this was not it.

Thank you NetGalley and Hera Publishing for my E-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Night-time heart to hearts and midnight meals lead to an unexpected entanglement between a star tennis player and the chef hired to cater to skewwhiff metabolism. Unfortunately for Elle's heart, Nicky is not only focused on his sport, but also comes with one rather unpleasant fiancée.

This was a sweet, swoony and gripping read. Right and wrong get mixed, and passions become blurred, and Elle fights to do what she should, instead of what she really wants.

Written beautifully, this is well worth a read - especially coming into Wimbledon season!

In the wake of Challengers, I was so excited for this book. Tennis is cool and sexy again and I couldn’t wait to read a romcom book on tennis. But, I was so disappointed by this book mainly because I couldn’t root for Nikki and Elle because they were cheaters! Regardless of how hatable Mac was, it didn’t redeem Nikki and Elle. I spent most of the book just wanting to yell at them both to pull it together. The book was well written and I would read this writer again, but I do hope she’ll drop the romanticizing cheating storyline for future books.

I absolutely loved this! Super cute, easy read but the chemistry made me swoon and the banter had me laughing out loud!

"Love Game" by Emma Rae is a charming rom-com filled with witty dialogue and heartfelt moments. With relatable characters and unexpected plot twists, Rae crafts a delightful story that will leave readers smiling. It's a joyous read for anyone seeking a dose of love and laughter.

I really enjoyed this book. I felt that Elle was a really likeable character and was glad for the first person POV.

I did find that it took some time for Elle to realise her self-worth, being cheated on by her ex and then becoming the other woman made her seem a little insecure. But I’m glad that by the end she had made strides in changing this about herself.

I don’t know why, but I found the whole eating at all hours quite funny. Wifey material to be whipping up those meals in the early hours!

I found Nicky a little immature, in the way his attitude came across to Elle at the start, and in a sense having his cake and eating it by keeping his fiancée but falling for Elle too. I didn’t quite understand why as soon a she left his finances Elle left him, as to me that was the whole point. But I’m glad they eventually ended up together and Nicky and Elle both grew as people.

I enjoyed this forced-proximity, forbidden love book and am grateful to have been given the opportunity to have it as an ARC.

Elle, is a Brit, which both sets Love Game apart from its peers and is good for heightening the sense of her being a 'fish out of water', somewhat isolated amongst the Americans who dominate the cast. I'd say that the main theme is a more positive one: that of self-determination. Both Elle and Nicky must find the strength to stand up for themselves in their individuals lives before they're able to achieve their HEA, so it feels earned when they get there. In all, the emotional and moral themes are mature both in nature and in how they're written, which makes for a refreshingly nuanced story. I also enjoyed the secondary characters, and the story was well-written; I'll definitely be looking out for further titles from Emma Rae, and would recommend the book to fans of New Adult and romance titles as well as those of sports romance more specifically.

Thank you Netgalley for this eARC!

I honestly didn't love this book and thought it missed the mark for me a few times. I am not a huge fan of romance novels that incorporate cheating into the plot, however I went into this book knowing that would be a part of it. I didn't love this component, but it is what it is and I was able to move past it. What I didn't love was the main male character, which made it even harder to get past the cheating components. He was really just unlikeable in my opinion and Elle deserved better.

If I had known going in that this book heavily featured cheating I would have gone into it with a different mind set. But I didn’t and so I therefore found it very frustrating at times because there was only so much self loathing and guilt that I could take before I found it getting a bit repetitive.

I feel like this book was also limited by being single POV because it was hard to really get a grip on who Nicky was as a character, it was hard to understand what his motivations were and he seemed a bit emotionally stunted and also as a result Mackenzie also very a bit like a pantomime villain.

The third act was actually the next part of the book for me because it actually allowed for a lot more character growth that could be seen from both Elle and Nicky and so that made their reunion reach a satisfying conclusion,

The writing style of this book was really engaging and it moved at quite a quick pace overall.

I enjoy forced proximity romances. The cheating is forgivable because Nicky and Elle's connection was so compelling that it was evident he was with the wrong woman from the start. The narrative offered a blend of sweet, spicy, and humorous elements. Incorporating a dual POV to share Nicky's perspective would have enhanced the story. I would be thrilled to see a sequel or a standalone series featuring Tag and Syd!

My gratitude to Netgalley and Emma Rae's publishing team for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I honestly had a very hard time trying to write this review. The book's premise centers around cheating and tries to loosely base itself around Jane Eyre. Elle is the main character and like Jane she too is an orphan. Elle depends on her lackluster boyfriend, Jamie, (who is also knowingly cheating on her with multiple women!) for housing and living conditions because she is unemployed. Unlike Jane she does not carry a sense of self worth, dignity, or integrity. She lands a job as a personal chef for a very famous and handsome tennis player, Nicky Salco. The job provides a hefty stipend, housing and travel accommodations but comes with a catch. She must feed Nicky at unusual times during the late hours of the night. We’re talking 1:30am to 3am because like the name suggest Nicky is self entitled little man who has to be fed on demand because he’s starving and a metabolism of a 15 year old growing boy 😑. Nicky is rude to Elle, mocks her, and plainly just uses her for her culinary skills. The book tries to paint Nicky as a moody Mr. Rochester and handsome Paul Bettany (Wimbledon circa 04) but it falls flat. Nicky is engaged and openly planning his wedding to his equally bratty fiancé McKenzie who is also cheating on him!!! Don’t even get me started on homegirl because she is just the worst.
Y’all I hate a cheating trope and this book is glitter soaked and caked in it. Throughout the story Elle and Nicky fall in lusty love, because what they have ain’t love it’s just pure physical attraction. Yet, despite Elle being cheated on by Jamie she decides to bypass her Jane Eyre integrity and just go after Nicky. I feel for Elle because she has no moral compass, parents to lean on or a nurturing relationship with her sister Josie who is just plain rude. I wish the author would explore these avenues for Elle and talk about how she can grow as a character or put her with a therapist!
I honestly thought the book had good bones as a Jane Eyre inspired novel but the constant cheating from SO many characters was a huge no factor for me.
Thank you NetGalley, Emma Rae, and Hera Books for the ARC Copy of Love Game. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Elle's love language is food. But finding the right kind of work in her industry is difficult. After multiple different stints and temporary work, she lands her dream role: a personal chef to huge tennis star, Nicky Salco. It's just a bonus that he's handsome and athletic...but totally off limits.

In general I would say that the book was well written and it was refreshing reading a sport romance with a tennis player! This book wasn't for me for the principal trope I would say because the cheating trope it's simply not my cup of tea,however the book can still be enjoyable for different aspects!

Thank you to Netgalley, Emma Rae, and Hera Books for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

A charming story with a whirlwind plot it is incredibly hard to catch up with! The main character is upset because her boyfriend is cheating on her, gets new job and then immediately participates in an affair with MMC? not my bag - it was somehow so fast-paced and far too slow at the same time. I did however enjoy it!! I liked the characters a lot, I just didnt always like the things they did. Also, generally, sports rom-coms have the whole 'here for the person not the player' moment. This book kind of had the exact opposite so do with that info what you will

Thank you for the ARC!

This was... not great. I went into the book blind so imagine my surprise when I find out the characters are cheaters. I have always hated the cheating trope so immediately I did not enjoy this book. How did Elle go from getting cheated on to becoming someone else's mistress? Where is her self respect wanting Nicky to leave his fiancee? Why is Nicky cheating to begin with?? I don't care how miserable his fiancee may be, why does it have to resort to cheating?

Thank you for the opportunity to read this.

Thank you to NetGalley, Her Publishers and Emma Rae for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book earned a solid 3.75 rating for me, rounding up to a 4 star rating.

This book gets a lot of things right. Overall, it is engaging, entertaining, and emotional, all things that keep readers invested in the characters and reading. There is a significant character arc and waves of emotion in this book as the characters come together, come apart, and come back together and I genuinely became engrossed in their story and wanting more.

The cheating trope was an interesting one to select, and then then I felt the author doubled down and most characters by that point were cheating on their significant others - no one was really with the person they seemingly wanted to be with. It didn't completely feel realistic in that sense, or maybe that's just my perception. I felt upset at the lack of communication between characters, especially when it came to being with their partners. The book attempted to make the cheating trope more palatable by making the partners the villains in the story, but sometimes, a character has to look at themselves and wonder if they are the villain in the other person's story. For example, while the fiance was not a likable character, it was still understandable that she was upset when she discovered the infidelity. We can't gloss over the fact that she was entitled to her feelings and emotions as well.

Nicky and Elle were solidly characters who made interesting choices. Nicky was not an entirely likable man for a majority of the book. A little spoiled, highly emotional and over reactive, his nickname on the court of Triple Salco is beaten to death throughout the book as we are reminded time and time again about his issues with anger and frustration on the court. There did not seem to be significant substance to Nicky for a majority of the book. It was hard to read and understand him, especially why he and Elle began their affair, since we did not get a solid look at Nicky's point of view or even really emotional standpoint in the beginning that launched their relationship. It just seemed a little bit that she made him food, he liked being taken care of, she liked how he looked and they threw themselves at each other. There was much more character development in the second half of the book and it shows Nicky's development from Triple Salco to someone poised and polished on the court. Elle, similarly interesting, had her moments where it was hard to understand her motivations and emotions. Despite her history with previous boyfriends, she puts herself into this situation with Nicky and allows herself to feel bad despite putting herself in a situation due to engaging in an affair. She understood how that felt, as her ex had done so previously on her. It just seemed like she had little backbone or self-respect at times throughout the book and she allowed herself to be trampled by men around her.

Overall, it was an interesting book that was well written in description and detail about plot. Nicky had some very emotional lines that I couldn't help but highlight to swoon over later. More detail about emotions would be beneficial. Also, in the end, I had a little trouble following along because I don't understand tennis, but the author made it palatable and not an integral deal breaker to the rest of the book if you're not a sports fan. I would read it again.

there was way too much cheating in this book. I do not condone cheating even if the partner that a character is cheating on is the spawn of satan.

3 Passionfruit Cheesecake Stars ⭐
Spicy Level: 🌶️🌶️/5

Okay. This book is the epitome of sometimes you don't get what you are expecting. I am not going to lie and say based on the blurb I was hoping for a cute little awkward love story of a chef and pro tennis player put into a forced proximity situation. Nowhere did I expect such a focus to be on cheating and feeling tied to a relationship because of a personal debt to that relationship and how these characters navigate out of that situation.

So this book follows Elle who has recently become the personal chef to Nikki Salvo, a professional tennis player with a slight temper problem. He also has a weird condition where he has to wake up in the middle of the night and eat food. So Elle is hired to be his personal chef and make sure that he is fed at 2 a.m. and while she tries to keep it strictly professional, he just can't keep his hands off of her even though he has a fiance.

Now, Elle is sweet and timid and in a rut. She has just left her cheating boyfriend who never took his time to actually give her a proper orgasm, and is alone, as her only family (her sister) lives in Spain. She is incredibly hard on herself and doesn't value or see her worth because of what has happened. She is vulnerable and forms a bond with Nikki, and soon her little crush develops into feelings and she acts on them knowing that he is attached to somebody else even if his fiance (McKenzie) is the literal spawn of satan, an awful spoilt bitch who totally views Nikki as an accessory and label that gives her clout, over an actual man with feelings.

Overall I don't really care that this book contains the cheating trope (However if you don't like this trope you won't like this book so don't pick it up and then bash it because of it) Sometimes there are stories where it happens. You don't necessarily have to approve of it in real life to enjoy the book. But the thing was, it was not the cheating that made this fall flat for me, it was that I think Elle deserves more from a man and Nicky was too unlikable for most of the book to persuade me otherwise.

It is these types of books that I actually despise being a first-person because the portrayal of Nikki and his side of the story was severely lacking and because you aren't in his mind, seeing him process - he just seems like an awful character. While he does redeem himself in the end, most of the book he is a horny selfish boy who doesn't respect Elle's boundaries or feelings and he is too scared to lose what has been handed to him. It's only on the threat of this loss that he changes his actions. He was just childish and unlikable and I didn't like that he didn't know how to stand up for himself. Overall he was a coward towards standing up for himself with regards to his sport and standing up against McKenzie, and finally - a coward for not fighting for Elle sooner! Overall I just didn't like him.

I did however absolutely adore Elle. I really loved her growth and how she was able to set boundaries for herself, set boundaries for Nikki, and really intrinsically think of what she needed in life to make her happy and what was good for her.

One problem that I had with this was that the pacing felt off. There's a lot of time passing where I wish we could see a little bit more of the development of the two characters and how Nikki fell in love with her. I saw more of how side characters fell in love with each other than the progression of Nikki and Elle. This is because there are a lot scenes thrown in, passages that explain time passing and references to things that had happened, but we weren't shown those aspects happening overall. You are told and have to believe and not shown.

Trope Summary:
▶ Forced Proximity
▶ Sports Romance
▶ Workplace Romance
▶ Secrets and Lies
▶ Secret Pining
▶ Chef X Tennis Star
▶ Cheating

In the end, I love that Elle had a chance to grow and find happiness, I appreciate that Nikki was able to get his head out of his ass and realize what a selfish child he was being and shape up for Elle and prove to her what she means to him.

It took me a few chapters to get over the main reason why she gets the contract to cook for him. I thought that it was somewhat unrealistic and repetitive but as I kept reading it stopped bothering me and got to focus more on the actual plot.
The book overall was fast paced and entertaining. The banter was also fun even though I would have enjoyed more conversation between the MCs so that I could feel a genuine connection.
In the beginning I really liked both characters but as the story progressed I couldn't ignore some of their actions and ended up loving every character except for the two main ones.
I think that there should be a warning in the chapter 5 due to SA.

ch. 7: I'm from Argentina and I found a couple of mistakes when Lonzo speaks spanish.
In spanish we have two ways of the verb "to be" which are "ser" and "estar" the correct way in this case would be "Estás muy linda hoy" instead of "Eres muy linda hoy". Also the verb "daré" is not really used with abstract nouns such as "phrase", we would use "enseñaré" (will teach) or "diré" (will say).
He also says "cariña" when it should be "cariño".

I couldn’t put this book down! I started it yesterday evening and I’ve just finished it! Such an easy fast read!

The book follows Elle who is a personal chef and lands a job cooking for a huge tennis star Nicky Salco. The terms of the job is that she has to wake up in the middle of the night to cook for him, this causes the two of them to get close and attraction develops - the only issue is Nicky already has a fiancée.

I loved seeing the development of their relationship play out and at some points I really didn’t know what the next step was going to be, so it really kept me on my toes. If you’re looking for a quick, cute, summer read that will 100% get you out of a slump, THIS IS THE BOOK! The book did have quite a few spice scenes, so just a warning incase you prefer closed door romances.

The Love Game was one of the most unbelievable, predictable books and not in a good way.

Take out every character cheating and add in some more tennis action and it would have been a fantastic read.

Overall, at minimum this book needs a warning that it’s a cheating trope because it’s not mentioned in the preview at all. But honestly it’s so unbelievable that this woman would go from being cheated on to IMMEDIATELY being the other woman and standing for that. It also adds absolutely nothing to the story. The whole first 20% could be cut out and it would be a 3-4 star read depending on if you go for the cheating trope or not. Keep the first 20% in and it’s a 1 star read… if you manage to get through it at all. Also, there’s minimal tennis action which is disappointing from a book that appears to be a sports romance. Then to make this book even worse the last words are “And Reader… he did.” Which might be the dumbest ending to a book that I’ve ever seen.

To sum it up… everyone in this book is cheating on their significant other, there’s minimal tennis action and a lot of food description.

Elle is a personal chef hired to feed Nicky the tennis pro while he is at different tournaments. He has a bad habit of getting up at night to eat a full meal. Elle and Nicky form a relationship during these late night meals. Nicky has a terrible run of form and crashes out of each tournament he plays in.

Eventually, Nicky’s fiancée, Mackenzie accused Elle of trying to steal Nicky from her and throws Elle in the pool. Elle runs off and Nicky breaks off the engagement. However, Elle is so offended that Mackenzie threw her in the pool she refuses to go back with Nicky and runs off to Spain… yes even though the entire book she wanted Nicky to break off the engagement she now says it’s not good enough.

More tennis failures, Elle gives Nicky an ultimatum and then they get the happily ever after.

This was not the book for me but I appreciate the arc provided by NetGalley and the publisher!