Two short and spicy reads. I love how Katee manages to bring some major heat to her stories without losing the plot, and these two were great examples of it. Strong female main characters, male main characters that are the things of some GOOD dreams 😅 and a story to keep you entertained. Loved both!

Easy smutty romance to get lost in when you need a brain candy break!! I don't think it was high literature - but nor was it meant to be! It's easy to want to read till the end of this one because the stakes are so high for a woman-run company that helps women! I love the premise of this - decent on-page open-door spicey moments as well.

I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is comprised of two novellas. I enjoyed the first book with Gideon and Lucy. I enjoyed the romance and the smut in it. I found it engaging and loved that they got an HEA at the end. The second book with Allie and Roman had a good start and good smut but I got very annoyed with Allie and her reasons for pushing Roman away. It didn't feel as genuine to her character for her to push Roman away for the purported reason that she did with not much of a background for us, the readers, to be able to understand and empathize with where she was coming from in her reaction. I feel like if she was able to have the week with him she had this shouldn't have been her knee jerk reaction at the end. I also was hoping we would get a better reason when we were told there was information from her background but it didn't really shed any light on her later motivations in my opinion.

Katee Robert never misses in my eyes! She is an automatic buy and these books are no exception! Thanks to the Publisher and NetGalley for this arc. I will definitely recommend this to anyone who will listen.

Katee never disappoints me. Great smutty romance, quick and easy read with low plot. When that’s what I’m in the mood for, this author is my go to.

This book is 2 short stories combined. It follows 2 different couples but is vaguely interconnected.

Lucy and Gideon’s story is the first. She needs to find a husband in order to impress the partners at her law firm. He is a head hunter with connections to eligible bachelors. She was traumatized by her ex, who was Gideons best friend. In addition to being a matchmaker for her, Lucy wants Gideon to give her lessons “in bed”.

Yeah it’s ridiculous but just go with it.

The second couple is Allie and Roman. She owns a women’s shelter and woman only gym both of which are struggling to stay afloat. Roman works with investors to buy out or help struggling businesses. They meet on vacation at a secluded island and spend a week banging in paradise.

Suspend reality for a bit and let yourself just enjoy these stories for what they are. Smutty goodness :)

I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley. Thank you to the author and publisher for the opportunity to review!

Katee Robert owns my soul. They write a book, I will read it no questions asked, sometimes multiple times within a few months. Katee's books have so much heart and fleshed out characters its impossible not to have a good time.
These books are fun popcorn stories about successful business women and the love they find along the way.

Harlequin and Katee Robert. A match made in heaven and it mostly was. For some reason though, it took me forever to get through this book. The characters were great as were the plots and the revisit to the world she’s built. Instalust, instalove novellas so if that’s not your thing, it’s not for you. Aside from that though, assuming you like spice and plenty of it, this is a recommend.

Thank you to Harlequin, Katee Robert, and NetGalley for allowing me the chance to read this book and share my honest thoughts and opinions with others.

I absolutely loved these books!
I loved how they were somewhat short and you fall in love with the characters! This is my first for this author and it for sure will not be my last! I would recommend!

*ARC*
3.5 🌟
3.5 🌶️
Enemies to lovers, forced proximity contemporary romance. Two stories in one. Super spicy which is usual for Katee Roberts. Endings were pretty abrupt but enjoyed it overall.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨ (4.5/5)

*First and foremost, thank you NetGalley for sending me this ARC in exchange for an honest review*

"Forbidden Games" by Katee Robert is an exhilarating, totally spicy journey that packs two books into one and takes readers deep into the world of high-stakes passion and forbidden love. This book is an open-door, no-holds-barred romance set that keeps you hooked from the first page to the last, with both couples defying all odds to fight for the love they deserve.

If you’re a fan of Robert’s Illicit Temptations, you'll love the way Forbidden Games adds depth and complexity to characters who we've come to know and adore. The romance is intense, the stakes are high, and the chemistry is absolutely off the charts. Each couple’s story unfolds with tension, tenderness, and an unhealthy dose of sizzling spice that will leave you wanting more. These stories are written to read easily and are fast paced.

The interconnected relationships and intricate backstories only add to the intensity. It's a wild ride of desire, redemption, and the kind of love that makes you believe anything is possible. Forbidden Games is a perfect mix of romance and heat, showing just how far love can take you—even when the odds are stacked against you.

Overall, 4.5 stars for a captivating, spicy read that brings both heart and heat in equal measure!

Woweeeeeeeeee, Katee Robert has done it again with these two short stories- Make Me Want and Make Me Crave!

In Make Me Want, Lucy is set to make partner at her law firm and knows that the way to secure this position is to get a husband. Here enters Gideon, an esteemed headhunter and Lucy's ex fiancé's former best friend. After not speaking for years, she hires him to help her find the perfect candidate to marry to appease her patriarchal bosses and get the promotion she rightfully deserves. Gideon reluctantly relents and accepts the position knowing Lucy will do this with or without his help. It's then that Gideon is surprised when Lucy also asks for his help in the bedroom as ex-fiancé has destroyed her sexual self-esteem.

In Make Me Crave, Allie Landers is on a secluded private island with her best friend taking a much needed vacation. Allie is the owner of a gym and women's shelter that is deep deep in the red and doesn't see a way out, but is trying to enjoy the time with her friend when she meets a handsome stranger and they have a wonderful night together. As he drops her off the next morning, they exchange names and it turns out this stranger is none other than Roman= a business man hired by an investor to buy her business who she has artfully avoided back at home. While Roman did come to this island to meet Allie and to convince her to sell her business, he had no idea what she looked like and he is also surprised to find that the woman he went to this island to hunt down ended up in his bed. From strangers to lovers to rivals... where will they end up before heading back to reality?

These were such fun short stories! The plot and spice were top-notch and such a welcome escape from reality. I'm excited to read the rest of them.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin - Romance for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Katee Robert’s Forbidden Desires is like a fast-pass to romantic tension and just the right amount of forbidden heat. Combining two novellas, Make Me Want and Make Me Crave, the book dives into both workplace and vacation romance with a heavy dash of spice.

In Make Me Want, we meet Lucy, a lawyer looking to regain her self-confidence, and Gideon, her ex’s best friend turned steamy confidence coach. Cue friends-to-lovers vibes and intense chemistry as Gideon tries to play it cool—despite having secretly pined for Lucy for years. Their "lessons" blur every line and make for a satisfyingly bold romance.

Then, in Make Me Crave, we get Allie, a gym owner, and Roman, an investor with all the Adonis-like charm you could want. They meet as strangers on vacation, only to find they’re actually business rivals. The paradise fling trope works its magic, though the lack of communication may have you wanting to yell, “Just talk already!” Still, their chemistry is undeniable, and the clash of business and pleasure is tantalizing.

If you’re after quick, sizzling reads with workplace, rivals-to-lovers, and friends-to-lovers tropes, Forbidden Desires hits the mark—just don’t expect deep character exploration. Perfect for a light binge!

This book just didn’t have the charisma of the first one and it was a little predictable and slow at times. Spice was delivered efficiently but it needed more.

After reading other books of Katee Robert's, this book fell a little flat for me. Forbidden Games contains Make Me Want and Make Me Crave. They can all be read as a standalone, but read better read in order. They are spicy and easy reads.

Make Me Want - Second Chance Romance - Spicy Help

Make Me Crave - I loved Allie. I definitely liked this story more than the other. - Stalkerish/Groveling

I enjoyed both stories. Lucy and Gideon was a cute story to me. However, I feel like Roman and Allie's story had a lot more fire and was a great lazy sunday read.

Make Me Want is the first piece of work that I’ve read of Katee Robert’s, and I have to say that I understand the hype surrounding her books. Her writing flows and is easily digestible, albeit predictable at times. The catch, however, is that this particular book, thematically, is a dime a dozen in the grander spectrum of romance novels. No less enjoyable, but certainly not the end all, be all of the romance genre.

The novel follows the story of Lucy, a well-respected and high-power defense attorney in New York. Within the first few pages, we learn that she’s seeking to be made partner but has some apprehensions about her eligibility due to her lack of spouse with the other lawyers of her firm being traditionalists who put their own perceptions ahead of what’s right based on track record or pedigree.

Enter Gideon, our male love interest, and a headhunter with a past connection to Lucy herself. Gideon is meant to serve the role of finding Lucy a husband, but in typical romance fashion, falls for the girl instead. Except, he had really fallen for her years prior when they were in college and Lucy chose Jeff over himself. Filter in some additional romance jargon and scenes and a plethora of steamy scenes later, Gideon reaches the conclusion outwardly that no one he knows, or will know, is worthy of Lucy and thus he’s the only man capable of both fulfilling the job and it not be part of some elaborate charade.

Now, despite that lackluster description and watering down of Make Me Want’s plot, remember that I said I enjoyed this. As a piece of romance fiction, it was very enjoyable to read. Sure, it fell into some pitfall traps often showcased within the romance genre, but as a gateway into the genre proper, as well as into the world of Katee Robert’s mind, I would argue this was a splendid first foray, and I’m eager to see what else Robert has in store in her bibliography.
Would I recommend this? Yes. Would I also recommend going into it with low expectations and just for something on the simple side to read? Also yes.

Overall, I’d give this book a 3 out of 5 moons. The bones are there, I just wish there was a bit more meat.

Rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑 | 3/5

―

The “sequel” to the previously installment, Make Me Crave is a steamy, vacation-centric, “enemies”-to-lovers story that follows Allie Landers, a business owner, and Roman Bassani, an intermediary that works for a larger corporation to broker deals and takeover investment opportunities for his client.

From the jump, there is a bit of a chase, as Allie is elusive and difficult to get ahold of, some might even say she’s outright avoiding Roman which, to a degree, she absolutely is. His tenacity, however, knows no bounds, as he ends up following her to the secluded private island resort where she’s staying for vacation. A non-disclosure agreement keeping Roman from sharing his motivations and identity with Allie, the two embark on an idyllic and fast-paced romance in a paradise setting.

Between the first two installments of the “Make Me” series, Make Me Crave was the more enjoyable of them. The weaving of the two’s romance, paired with the nature of their encounter and the overall tension between the two characters was, somehow, far more believable. Both parties are staunchly independent, and to a degree, view the potential of a love connection and intimacy to be wholly compromising of their character and its exactly this vulnerability that makes the story enjoyable and easy to identify with.

Overall, I’d give this book a 4 out of 5 moons.

Rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑 | 4/5

―

As for the collection, Forbidden Games, as a compilation of these two installments, I’d give it a 3.75 moons out of five, rounded up to four.

Rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌖🌑 | 3.75/5

☠️

Not my favorite of Katee's books, but still scratched that itch that only Katee can! This is a bind up of two of her previous books. I feel like I might have read these out of order. They standalone, but the characters build up as the series goes on. They are good and steamy, but nothing super groundbreaking like her newer work!

Make Me Want" and "Make Me Crave" offer readers a double dose of passion, power dynamics, and personal growth. The two stories are tied together by a common theme: characters caught between desire and professional stakes, making for an intriguing setup.

In "Make Me Want," Lucy Baudin is on the brink of a career milestone and determined to reclaim her confidence. Her decision to hire Gideon Novak, her ex’s best friend, adds an undeniable tension. Gideon's lessons in control, trust, and touch are both steamy and risky. While their chemistry is evident, the moral implications of Lucy’s choice can feel a bit murky, adding complexity to an otherwise sizzling plot.

"Make Me Crave" transports readers to a more exotic, secluded setting, where Allie Landers and Roman Bassani explore unexpected romance on a private island. The blend of vacation bliss and cutthroat business stakes creates a compelling dynamic. The push-pull between their personal desires and professional ambitions kept me turning the pages, even if the rivalry sometimes felt repetitive.

Overall, these stories offer a blend of escapism and complicated romance. If you enjoy tales where characters must confront their boundaries, this duo might just be your next guilty pleasure read.

Part 1: Really enjoyable book, except for the parts where I wanted to shake the main characters 😅 Oof, I kept wanting to tell Gideon to get his head out of his ass so many times! The groveling made up for it though in the end, haha.
The phone sex 😍 chef's kiss!
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️/5

Part 2: lust at first sight!
Both books had the theme of one character believing the couple had irreconcilable differences despite their strong physical connection.
I did like the portrayal of flawed MC's, who (finally!) realized their mistakes and apologized.
🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
While the intimacy in both books was steamy, it wasn't way out there. I was kinda expecting more based on some of the author's other works, but that's ok.

I’ve been reading more Katee Robert lately, and this was a great one to get into! I really enjoyed it, and I am eager to read more from this series. I’m grateful to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me the chance to read it!