Forbidden Games ARC
I received an ARC copy of this book and plan on buying a physical copy. I loved this book. This book does contain two shorter stories instead of one long one but they do connect and have overlapping characters. This book is a contemporary romance and not like the darker romances (neon gods/wicked villains) that Katee Robert has written. Short and spicy!

The first story is Make Me Want which covers Lucy and Gideon’s relationship. Lucy is old friends with Gideon and asks him to set her up with someone for her to marry so she can get a promotion at work. He accepts so she asks him for another favor and it’s to teach her things in the bedroom due to some insecurities. It reminded me of Lexi going to Mark’s apartment in Grey’s Anatomy and tells him “Teach me.” Then Gideon has a whole “Pick me, choose me, love me” moment too and it was fantastic.
Tropes: friends to lovers, matchmaking, rekindling relationship, ex boyfriend’s best friend

The next story is Make Me Crave which covers Allie and Roman’s relationship. Roman is trying to buy out Allie’s failing business for an investor so Allie decides to instead ghost him and go on vacation. Roman follows Allie then they have a vaycay hookup. There relationship is very Aphrodite and Adonis (It’s brought up in the book.)
Tropes: enemies to lovers, hookups, he falls first, insta-lust

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin - Romance for giving me early access to this book! All opinions are my own.

This was exactly what I wanted to read. Two spicy romances, low stakes, with impeccable writing. Katee Robert can’t do wrong! 5⭐️

Katee Robert has this wonderful way of allowing her readers to get caught up in the fantasy and just enjoy for a while, and she's done that again here. There were a few continuity errors against the last book (Becka and Lucy's parents being mentioned as being decent people when we know already this is not the case comes to mind), but as of my reading Forbidden Games still isn't out yet so I'm hopeful those get caught before the book hits shelves. Overall it is always a joy to pick up the new Katee Robert. The steam is unmatched, and she doesn't make a habit of using "ick" words, which is so desperately important in romance as a genre. Learning more about Lucy, Gideon, Roman, and Allie was wonderful after loving them through Becka's eyes in the last book. Overall, a hit!

Fast paced and addicting. Low on drama and high on heat, we get two short stories perfect to lay back and just read.

Forbidden Games is the second volume of the Make Me series. Each volume contains two books from the Make Me series and Forbidden Games contains book #1, Make Me Want , and book #2, Make Me Crave . The first volume, Illicit Temptations , includes books #3, Make Me Yours , and #4, Make Me Need .

I was not the biggest fan of Illicit Temptations , so I was pleasantly surprised by Forbidden Games . I ended up liking it so much more than the first volume! The first half, Make Me Want , is about a headhunter, Gideon, being hired by his old crush, Lucy to find her a husband. She thinks she needs a husband to get a promotion at work. Lucy is a bigshot lawyer in NYC that is recovering from being cheated on by an ex-fiancé, who used to be best friends with Gideon. The book starts off with a bang and keeps going! Our poor guy Gideon has to consistently fight off his jealousy by doing what Lucy hired him to do, and find her a husband. Lucy has to also guard her heart due to her past as well as juggle with Gideon’s playboy past. Ugh, I loved these two and their predicament.

The second half, Make Me Crave, might just feature my favorite couple of the series. It was sizzling! The characters got to live a vacation fantasy and finally let loose a little from their stressful NYC jobs. This half of the book is about Allie who owns a failing business and Roman who represents an investor who is strongly interested in Allie’s business. Allie wants nothing to do with sleazy investors and does her best to avoid them at all costs. Unfortunately for her, Roman is a man on a mission and follows Allie to a remote island vacation. He only knows of her and not what she looks like or who she is. Once on the island, they have a deliciously hot hookup before they learn of each other’s identities. AWK-WARD haha! The chemistry between them jumped off the page. Reading this was a breeze and it was interesting to watch them struggle with their feelings for each other while putting business on the back burner.

Overall, Forbidden Games is a win in my book and I had so much fun reading about both the couples featured in this volume! Definitely my favorite of the two volumes!

Happy reading!

Thank you to Harlequin for providing this book for review via NetGalley!

Remember way back in the beginning of September when I reviewed Illicit Temptations, volume one of the Make Me series by Katee Robert, and I said that I couldn’t wait until I could get my hands on volume two? Well, thanks to some kind soul over at Harlequin I was given an e-ARC of Forbidden Games, and I can safely report that it is just as good as book one!
Forbidden Games is a bind up of two loosely connected novellas, Make Me Want and Make Me Crave. For me, these two plots felt a lot more connected than the ones in Illicit Temptations, perhaps because there was so much more prevalent character crossover in the form of Roman—a key side character in Make Me Want, who then becomes a protagonist in Make Me Crave. In actuality, Roman ended up being my favourite character, so I will say that I did prefer the second novella, but both were great and chock full of that amazing dialogue and character dynamic that I have come to expect from Katee Robert.
All things considered, Forbidden Games does a worthy job of continuing the precedent set by Illicit Temptations. I like the fact that each novella seems keen to explore one or two different fun romance tropes. In this case, ‘he falls first’, sex lessons, anonymous/not so anonymous hook-ups, and relationships with expiration dates. Both this and Illicit Temptations are the perfect books to pick up when you’re craving something short but spicy, that also doesn’t skimp on the plot.
I will add that despite this being the second volume, all the novellas can be read as standalones. So feel free to read in any order you see fit. Personally, Make Me Yours remains my favourite out of the series, but I would still recommend all of them, so if you read and enjoyed volume one, definitely go out and get volume two. I know I will.

I absolutely love everything that Katee Robert writes. And this is no different. It was spicy and a good read. I would 100% recommend this to anyone who wants a sexy and light read!

I really enjoyed the first book of this little duet. Lucy and Gideon just had the best connection imo and I really enjoyed everything about their encounters. The spice spiced perfectly and I loved the ending!

Make Me Crave didn’t really click as well as I would have liked. The whole vacation fling thing just moved way too fast and had way less depth than I needed. Yes, I know flings are basically depthless because it’s a fling but it just fell so flat for me. The ending was cute though!

I recommend these if you want 2 quick spicy novellas.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin publishing for this opportunity!

Katee does it again! I love this series, it's so spicy and fun, I can't get enough. Thank you so much for the early read!

4 Stars

This was a fun collection of novellas! It was nothing too special, but I still liked it. I would definitely say my favourite of the two was the first one, which was a friends to lovers romance, opposed to the enemies to lovers romance. I would also say that I liked this volume more than volume one.

I went into Forbidden Games expecting the kind of steamy, emotionally charged storytelling Katee Robert is known for, and I wasn’t disappointed. The book is a compilation of two stories, Make Me Want and Make Me Crave, and each brings its own unique take on complicated relationships and undeniable chemistry.

In Make Me Want, Lucy and Gideon’s dynamic is wild. I thought their relationship was insane at first, Lucy hiring her ex’s best friend to give her lessons in control? That setup had me raising my eyebrows. Lucy’s blunt attitude and insistence that this was just “research” to help her land a husband was a little irritating at first, but as the story progressed, she really grew on me. Watching her walls come down and seeing her confront what she truly wanted made her journey feel so much more rewarding. Gideon, though? His devotion and the way he quietly pined for her made the whole thing even better. Their chemistry was electric, and by the end, I was rooting for them hard.

Make Me Crave took a different spin but kept that same intensity. Allie and Roman had a dynamic that hooked me from the start, vacation sex turned real-life complications is always an intriguing premise. Their accidental island rendezvous gave me all the swoony, tropical vibes, and their return to reality added a layer of tension I loved. Allie’s dedication to her women-focused fitness company and Roman’s drive as a dealmaker clashed in the best ways. They challenged each other while also showing how much they complemented one another.

Overall, Forbidden Games delivers on all the emotional tension, steamy moments, and character growth I hoped for. Both stories had me invested, and even when the FMCs frustrated me, by the end, I loved seeing them embrace their feelings and find their happy ending!

Thank you Net Galley for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

2 books in one!

I loved both stories and the connections between the FMC and MMC in both stories they were both good matches that complement each other. I just wish we got to see more of the couple from book 1 in book 2.

Katee Roberts can be counted on for racy, fast-paced romance scenes and usually has complex characters. I felt like the male characters were given more back story and detail but I didn't think the women were very memorable. I really liked the sister and friend Becca, and look forward to reading her story.

Readers will enjoy the breakdown of two short stories, one which is set amid a paradise resort. The friendship of the men who are connected, as well as Becca who connects the two women made it interesting to switch into Roman's story. There was no lack of spice and action, and if in need of a book that doesn't require too much thought, this will fit the bill.

Thank you to Harlequin Books and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy of this book.

I want to preface that I LOVE Katee Robert and her books.

I am just a bit disappointed with the order in which these Volumes are being published. I like to read a series that incorporates prior characters and books in order; coming into the middle of a series is not ideal for me and loses some of the books luster. With that said, this title states that it is Volume 2 of The Make Me Series, so I downloaded and read Volume 1 – Illicit Temptations first. Well, that turned out to be not so good as Volume 1 is not truly Volume 1 – Volume 2 is Volume 1.

I liked the books and characters in Volume 2, but I think I would have enjoyed them so much more if I had read Volume 2 first. Knowing the outcome for Lucy and the outcome for Allie made the story lose its appeal. The spice level is on par with other Katee Robert books, but I am bummed that I really couldn’t connect to the characters like I normally do.

I will have to put away this series for a bit and then come back to re-read both volumes in the correct order : Forbidden Games THEN Illicit Temptations.

Two short stories with a bit of spice! While I enjoyed the both, I did prefer the second story a little more. As always, Katee Robert delivers a story with romance, great characters, tons of chemistry and steam.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Fun, sexy, tropey; everything we know and love Katee Robert for. I like this repub format with a less cringey cover and having two books in one made for a nice two-day read that both had me kicking my little feet. Wondering if the second story was what originally sparked the Dark Olympus series? Since the characters call each other Adonis and Aphrodite as pet names. Cute cute cute!

I enjoyed that these were two related novellas in the same package! The first novella was a modern day take on an arranged marriage. The second was a kissed a stranger and mistaken identity to lovers. Both had that trademark Katee Robert angst and spice. I definitely will be reading the companion novellas with the other characters we met in these novellas. An enjoyable and quick read! My thanks to Harlequin and NetGalley for access to an e-ARC!

This book was a great palette cleanser between genres for me. It was short, spicy, really easy to dive into. I rarely, if ever, dislike a Katee Robert book & I am so thrilled to say this one did not disappoint. These are stories of a group of friends each finding their love. The stories aren't super plot heavy, which is to be expected given the length but I didn't find that to be a hinderance to the story as a whole. All of the characters actually seemed suited to one another & not like they'd break up 5 chapters after the book ends.

This was a great, spicy, fast read for those who like these kinds of books.

Katee Robert is a must-read author for me, and I really enjoy reading all of her books. I like that this book was a little different from the others in her previous works but still sexy and steamy.

Forbidden Games is a passionate, intense romance that offers a mix of intrigue, heat, and emotional depth. Katee Robert is a queen at creating complex characters who are both morally gray and deeply compelling. The insane chemistry between Keira and Asher is undeniable. If you enjoy dark, forbidden love stories with high stakes and sizzling romance, this book is for YOU.