This book made my nerdy heart so happy! It was so cute, I loved it. I loved all the Lord of the Rings references. Rose and William’s banter was *chef’s kiss*. While I was reading the book I was planning out my next con I want to go to. I definitely recommend this book if you love all things nerdy and slightly steamy.

Rose has been stuck in a career she doesn’t love with a boyfriend who is always too busy to pay her any attention. The only thing she looks forward to is her game nights with her closest friends, including the aggravating William. When Rose’s best friends ask her and William to plan their wedding the two are forced to put their rivalry aside. Most astonishing of all William offers to help Rose finish creating her board game and enter it into a competition. As William and Rose work on her game and the wedding sparks fly. But what happens when their friends find out Rose and William have been sneaking around and hiding things? Where will Rose and William stand after the results of the board game competition?

The are SO MANY things I loved about this book. The characters are dealing with real issues such as choosing between a reliable career versus one they are passionate about. Also navigating complicated parental relationships. Friendship and the importance of a strong support system were also strong themes. The romance and love of gaming and fandom was just the cherry on top!

Once a week Rose gets to forget the world (and her job) and to go to Sean's, her work best friend, for game night with all of her closest friends. Her game night arch rival is William, Sean's very sexy and nerdy brother and their competitive streak goes far beyond the chosen board game of the night. When Rose's life plan (which is actually a written out plan) is not going exactly as she had, well… planned, she decides to follow her game design dreams and enlists William's help (he’s a successful video game designer) and that's when their game gets serious.

This one hit at exactly the right time and I ate it up like a plate of cookies! I loved the nerdy quality of the main characters (I guess that says something about me) and since I worked at a game company before I went into law (and after actually as well) - the gaming element made the story super fun for me. When you read a romance it's always dicey if the storyline will be good and this one definitely was, my only issue is that I thought the ending was a little too neatly wrapped in a bow (even for a romance). Other than that I thoroughly enjoyed this read (I may have ignored real life to finish it)!

Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for the ARC to review

Playing Flirty is a great romance read for anyone who likes board games, video games, Lord of the Rings or basically anything slightly nerdy.

Rose is a girl with a plan. She has her list of Life Goals and she is sticking to her timeline. But when things aren't going as planned with her long time boyfriend Patrick and her job, she decides to go on some side quests. A long time game lover, she takes a leap and submits a board game she created to a competition. With the help of her biggest competitor William, she sets out to improve her game and along the way realizes she doesn't always have to follow such a strict plan for her life.

This book was a fun light read that had a lot going for it. One of my favorite parts was this group of friends were so sweet and reminded me of my friends I play board games with. I also enjoyed the banter William and Rose had and how their relationship grew over time. While this book was a good palette cleanser, there were several plot points I felt were not fully fleshed out including William and Shaun's relationship with each other and their dad. I also didn't particularly enjoy the subplot of the workplace harassment Rose faced. Additionally, while this was mainly a closed door romance, the few scenes with sexual tension I felt like were not written well and took me out of the story, especially the kitchen scene.

Tropes
* Frenemies to Lovers
* Found Family
* Nerdy Characters
* Working on a project together
* Opposites attract

3.5 stars

This book was soo cute!! It had me laughing, gushing, and kicking my feet in the air!! I will be asking my local bookstore to order it when it comes out!!!

3.75⭐️
Overall I enjoyed the book in a fluffy read that has great ties to “geekdom” fan bases. However it did have some misses for me along the way which had me taking longer than typical to read it.

I am thankful to have gotten an eARC for free from Forever Publishing through Netgalley to enjoy which gave me the opportunity to voluntarily leave a review.

I like the sort of enemies to lovers trope and how it unfolded (except the closed door spice was a bit awkward) as well as the game board special interest (although strange choice of games to play on game nights for gaming aficionados) and cosplay/ convention mentions.

I likes that the FMC doesn’t fit the stereotypical mold but unfortunately at times she fell flat. My biggest pet peeve was a particular subplot that didn’t really get resolved so it seemed like it was just thrown in for conflict sake.

But overall ai rounded up as it had enough positives that made it enjoyable and could be the perfect read for romance readers looking for something a bit different and clean.


My rating system since GoodReads doesn’t have partial stars and I rarely round up.

⭐️ Hated it
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, really not my cup of tea (potentially DNF’d or thought about it)
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but nothing special
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed it! Would recommend to others
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! Will circle back and read again

When I saw this book described as a geeky romantic comedy about two nerds who love playing games, I knew I would love it. And I absolutely did!

Rose is a quirky board-game lover with an absolutely lovely and supportive group of friends who gather weekly for game night. She works a corporate job and has an entire life plan typed in an excel sheet. She craves the stability that was missing in her chaotic childhood, and that dictayes her life choices. William is her best friend's brother, a hot, dorky video game developer and tester. He's a take life as it comes man with a lot of unresolved childhood trauma. The two of them have a friendly rivalry and love teasing each other and playing games together.

The banter between Rose and WilIam had me laughing and giggling throughout the book. And boy did those two have off the charts chemistry! One of my favorite parts of this book was how the author wove the theme of family all throughout the story. William and his brother had issues with each other, but their love was strong. And Rose had such a fun and special bond with her amazingly supportive, albeit unconventional, parents. And the found family of Rose's game night friends made me tear up.They were the best group of introverted nerds, with nothing but love for each other.

I was so impressed with the author's ability to draw me in and captivate me with her words. These characters leapt off the page, and I will be thinking about them for a long time. William in particular was the most open, honest and vulnerable MMC that I've read in a long time. He's definitely in the running for favorite book boyfriend! I can't wait for this book to be out in the world so that everyone can fall in love with it like I did.

Thank you Netgalley and Forever for the e-arc of this book in exchange for my opinions.

As someone who is a massive board game collector and regularly has game nights, I was SO excited for this one.

I also love a good enemies to lover and this gave me all of my favorite elements and more. It was so fun seeing the chemistry between Rose and William grow. The tension between them was OFF THE WALLS. William was such a good MMC. He had some mystery about him and was a man of few words but boy was he good at being a man of action.

Aside from the pop culture/game aspects and the romance, my favorite thing about this story was the found family aspect.

If you like slow burns, nerdy/gamer references, or enemies to lovers I definitely recommend this book!

Thanks so much to Forever Publishing and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Absolutely delightful. A romance full of great chemistry between the leads, Rose and William, plus fun banter, games of many varieties, and pop culture references that readers will love.

Shameez Patel's Playing Flirty playfully blends the nerdy, geeky pop culture elements with spicy, contemporary romance and does a fun job doing it!

If you are fan of the pop culture elements in this book (board games, dungeons and dragons, cosplaying, hobbit, lord of the rings, and so much more), you will absolutely find yourself eating up every little part of this book. I tend to find some of these books cringy if not executed well, but Shameez Patel did an amazing job keeping the quirky voice with the yearning elements of romance. I was laughing along in some parts and found the game developing processes that the characters go through to be interesting as well.

The found family in this book was so cute (and there is a lot of it)! Rose's interaction and relationship with her friends was my favorite part of the book and it really helped to build up the close relationship she shared with her gaming friends. Some of my closest friends are friends I game with FOR YEARS and I would have to say that this book did a great job capturing the depth of that relationship that doesn't get explored in other stories.

WILLIAM. UGH. I personally loved his character so much and the tension between him and Rose was so delicious. He was a mysterious man of few words, but always shined with his actions. The KITCHEN SCENE? HELLO??? HOW ARE WE STILL FUNCTIONING AFTER READING THAT?

I think this will also be a cute gift idea between friends who game together and I didn't think I would ever say that about a book, but here we are! The book explored heavier topics as well so please refer to the trigger warnings. I appreciated the different depths the story explored and absolutely loved the gamer representation!

Recommend if you enjoy:
- Geeky, nerdy, gamer pop culture references sprinkled throughout (a lot of LOTR, Hobbit, game nights, cosplaying, but also explores game developing world)
- MMC who is a shower (not like that guys) but he will take care of you, show you much he cares
- Found family!

Thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

Shameez Patel's PLAYING FLIRTY sings to my nerdy romantic heart.

Rose and William's long standing gaming rivalry gets put on pause when her best friend gets engaged to his brother. Now they have to "Play Nice" as their lives become blended, attraction gets heated, and hearts are on the line.

I loved how intimate Rose and William's relationship was. It was stolen glances, inside jokes, cooperation, and shared confidences that made them a couple I cheered for. Rose has hidden a lot of her desires to be stable and successful, but that's not serving her wellbeing anymore. With William though she can be her authentic nerdy passionate self.

I appreciated that their world had both low and high stake drama. A game developer competition alongside a thread of toxic family experiences. There is also a plot line in which Rose experiences harassment at work to be mindful of. You really get to see them grow to love and support each other through the drama.

For readers of Gabriella Gamez' "The Next Best Fling" and Tristen Crone's "Playing For Keeps". Highly recommend PLAYING FLIRTY for it's telenovela drama and its relatable nerdy life rep.

Thank you Netgalley & Forever / Grand Central Publishing for the advance digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was a really cute romcom. Rose loves game nights with her BFF every week. But her friends brother has been there too, and he can really get on her nerves. But eventually the sparks start to fly. Watching these two characters go from enemies to lovers was really fun. The chemistry between them slowly grows throughout the book and I actually really enjoyed these characters so much! The witty banter had me cracking up. Just an overall super cute, enjoyable romance that I liked right from the start.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the gifted copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Shameez Patel's Playing Flirty was the perfect tension-filled, sexy, nerdy book that I've ever read! From the first interaction between Rose and William, I was hooked with their flirty banter and William's nickname for Rose ("hobbit" and yes, there's more to this nickname than a slight insult to Rose's height).

I loved how relatable Rose was and saw bits and pieces of myself in her as I read on. Her phone calls with her parents cracked me up and they reminded me of how goofy parents can be sometimes. I also loved how William tried to be all nonchalant when it came to Rose, but he was down bad for her from the first scene between them.

This book is definitely on the more closed door side, but don't let that stop you from reading it if you're usually more of an open door person. The slow burn between Rose and William is more than enough to keep you interested in the story. I mean, the kitchen scene alone left me drooling. I'll never be able to have a certain pancake topping again without thinking of this scene.

Thank you Forever and NetGalley for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. And everyone else, grab your copy on 1/14/25 and fall in love with Rose and William like I have.

Enemies to lovers + board games? Sign me up! Rose lives for Game Night! The only downside is that her best friend's brother, who has a way of getting under her skin, is always there to join them. When she finally chases her dream of board game creator and enters a board game competition, who better to help her than the resident gaming expert, William, who also happens to be said best friend's brother. What starts as a battle of wits quickly turns into sparks flying. Rose is so sassy and had me laughing out loud. The banter is also top tier. This was a rom-com with a bit of a nerdy twist! Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the free eARC. All opinions in this review are my own.

Instagram review will go live 06-Jan-2025.

4.25 stars
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TW: Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Sexual content
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Where can I get myself a friend group like this one? They meet up regularly for game nights and it just seemed like they had so much fun. This is penned as an enemies-to-lovers romance, I just didn't view Rose and William as enemies, but perhaps would classify them more as rivals. Regardless, there was a lot of tension between the two of them.

Rose is your typical character, she goes to work, spends time with her friends, and tries to keep the spark alive with her boyfriend. When she's not doing any of that, she's focusing on her dream of developing the board game that she's been working on. When she suddenly finds herself single, she throws herself into planning her best friend's wedding and continuing the development of her game.

I loved seeing a supportive friends group, you could tell that they would do anything to help each other out and supported all the choices Rose made. This one is certainly a slow burn, although the two of them do share a few flirty moments. Rose knows that William is the only one who can help her win a competition that would see her board game released to the public.

These characters are geeky, and I loved it. There are so many nods to fandoms, video games, and mythical characters. It was nice to see a nerdy female character who's also strong and can stand up for herself. Overall this was a great read, and I wish it didn't have to end!
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I would like to thank Forever (Grand Central Publishing) | Forever, Shameez Patel, and NetGalley for a copy of Playing Flirty in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Playing Flirty is scheduled to be published on January 14th, 2025. Pre-order your copy today.

‘Playing Flirty’ is a quick and easy rom-com that is nerdy, sexy and fun. I wouldn’t really classify this as an enemies-to-lovers story, because it is clear from the beginning (even when they refer to each other as ‘rival’ and ‘arch nemesis’) that the main characters genuinely like, and are attracted to, each other. The rivalry is gamesmanship. Their charged, playful banter is filled with joyful humor. And they have terrific chemistry. It is really enjoyable to watch their relationship evolve and progress.

The story is rounded out by a wonderful and supportive friend group, their weekly game nights, plenty of ‘Lord of the Rings’ references, and geeky costumes. And though it is integral to the plot, you don’t have to be a gamer or LOTR fan to enjoy this warm and light-hearted book. Even where the story ventures into some serious (and somewhat unnecessary) side plots, it never gets too bogged-down or loses its essence. And though the plot can be predictable, it avoids some of the most common and over-used relationship obstacles, providing a very welcomed freshness. It’s not complicated; it’s just cute and charming and a great choice for a feel-good romance.

Thank you to Forever/ Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review. [‘Playing Flirty’ comes out on January 14, 2025.]

Reading this book was like a warm hug. I absolutely devoured this. I could barely put it down. It was the perfect mix of nerdy and sweet, i was kicking my feet and giggling the whole time. I could have done with a little more on page spice but honestly, the romance was so swoon worthy it wasnt even needed. Such a phenomenal read!

Shameez has quickly become one of my favourite fantasy authors, and I wasn't sure what to expect for her debut in a new genre - but she DELIVERED.

This book has heart and laughs and nerdy references and games and I'm obsessed with Rose and William.

The building tension and feelings were so well executed, and the conflicts were real and grounded with room for a happily ever after - the most important part of any romance!

This books was exactly what I needed. It is a super sweet nerdy romance with tons of Cos play and LotR moments. It is swoon worthy and full of tension and slow burn moments. As always I love my nemesis to lovers books and this one doesn't disappoint. Enjoy this. I highly recommend.

A very cute rom com. The characters were enjoyable and endearing. I want to know more about them and the fun games they played. Overall, it is a fun read as we got to know Rose , her friends and William.

Thank you to NetGalley for the great book!