King of Jokers by Vyk Peters
King Series #3 (Novella)

Friends to lovers but always in love with one another ~ Short, sweet, sizzling novella

What I liked:
* Winter: insurance phone-help-line person, aspiring romance author, small town resident, adopted when young, sister, daughter, bullied, has anxiety, liked order, best friends with Jack
* Jack: professional football (soccer) player, made a mistake that impacted more than himself, on summer break, good friend and teammate, best friends with Winter
* That Winter and Jack have always been friends, supported, and understood one another.
* Thinking about timing and how sometimes one has to wait for the “right” time for everything to come together in relationships that are meant to be more than friendship
* The glimpse of the camaraderie and friendship of Jacks’ team
* The way Winter asks Jack for assistance in writing “scenes” for her romance, his reaction, and what it led to.
* That Jack never pushed Winter beyond what she was comfortable with
* The moment when Winter realized what she really wanted
* That Jack and Winter seem to be soul mates and that they finally managed to find their moment in time to move forward toward a happily ever after together
* That this is a standalone story

What I didn’t like:
* What I was meant not to like
* Thinking about the bullying that Winter must have endured, her anxiety, and need for rules

Did I like this book? Yes
Would I read more by this author? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for the ARC – This is my honest review.

3-4 Stars

4.5/5 ⭐. This book was such a cute Novella. I feel like I've fallen in love with this series. Its short, sweet and I adore the characters that I've read about so far. The one thing I wish, is that they were longer... I get so sucked into them that I want to keep reading about the MCs and how their life continues. Guess that's not a bad thing thought.

Okay a little about the book. At the start of the book, you find out that the MC's are best friends but have feelings to some degree for each other. I do love a good pinning after each other trope. The banter between them and the way they have such an easy-going relationship really confirmed how much I enjoyed reading about these two MCs. This book is a quick easy read with some steamy angsty between the two characters.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A heartwarmingly good little comfort read.

Winter & Jack seem to wrap you up like a big warm hug — and it was wonderful.

The story moves along seamlessly and even though a novella, the writer doesn’t leave you unfulfilled.

This is my first experience with this author, & I’m a fan!

Easy five star. I have never read anything by vikings Peter's. But these novellas were definitely a great introduction. Thank you netgalley!!!

This book may have been just a Novella but it still gave everything you wanted. This is the first time I’ve read a Novella so I wasn’t sure on what to expect in terms of the speed of the story. I liked that Jack & Winter had been longtime friends growing up next door to each other.
I really enjoyed the aspect of how they finally have that push to move things to the next step. Winter works from home but her true passion is writing spicy romance novels. Due to her lack of experience she’s struggling with the spicy parts. After a tough season of Australian football, Jack returns home and moves in with Winter for the Summer. Jack has made the most of his job and has plenty of experience in the department Winter lacks. Winter asks Jack to help her out with a summer of friends with benefits.

The fact that they both had liked each other since their teenage years but neither had said anything is tragic, but watching their relationship change from childhood/adult friends to friends with benefits to realising their true feelings and saying them was beautiful. This book may have been short but it was so well written it had me crying towards the end, I connected that much with the characters. The length of the book was perfect for their relationship and the only thing I would’ve wanted more from it is more at the end to see their relationship for a bit longer.

Thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing for the advanced reader copy of Kings of Jokers by Vyk Peters.

Kings of Jokers is a novella about Jack and Winter. Jack is an Australian football star for the Sydney Hearts. After a tough losing season, he takes a break and returns home, only to find his parents’ house under renovation. With nowhere else to stay, he moves in with his childhood best friend, Winter—who also happens to be his longtime crush.

Winter works remotely, but her true passion lies in writing romance novels. She's currently struggling with the romantic scenes in her latest book, and when Jack moves in, she sees an opportunity. What better way to find inspiration than by turning their friendship into a friends-with-benefits arrangement?

This novella is a light, enjoyable read that offers a refreshing glimpse into Jack’s life beyond the typical sports romance storyline. If you love the friends-to-lovers trope, this book is definitely for you!

This was the first book I’ve read by Vyk Peters and I was not disappointed!

The FMC, Winter, is an aspiring writer who’s in need of inspiration for her love story. When her childhood best friend, Jack, comes home for the summer, he can’t resist her offer when she asks him to show her what passion feels like. They both say it will be nothing more than inspiration for Winter’s story but can they both hide the feelings that they secretly have for each other.

I felt I related to Winter a lot. She is an introvert, who’s scared to leave the confines of her little town, doesn’t like crowds and stays to herself. I thought she was represented so well and complimented Jack’s outgoing personality. Jack is a fun and charming sports man, who has everything going for him but all he really wants is her.

Their friendship, which later transforms into love, really had me believing this was a real love story. I feel like this story is what every little girl dreams of having - boy best friend turned to lover. It was beautifully written and was such a captivating story.

Even though, this was a novella I don’t think it took away from how incredible this story was. It didn’t feel rushed and I thought it was the perfect length for Winter and Jack’s love to unfold.

Thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for the ARC 💌

I really enjoyed this novella! It was a very relatable story about best friends to lovers. The banter and spice really pushed me through this one. I finished it in 2 days, which could have been 1 if I didn’t have kids. Lol. This really was a good story that would be nice to read even if you haven’t read the other books in the series.

ARC Review of King of Jokers by Vyk Peters
* * * * *
A little steamy addition to the series featuring Jack, who finally gets his time to shine in this best friend to lover romance!

Jack, our lovable sports man, decides to head back to his hometown and chill out after some conflicting times and a little remorse. What he didn't plan for was falling deeper into his feelings with Winter, his beautiful and sweet best friend.
Winter is focused on her goal and sticking to her little bubble. She missed her best friend, and is thrilled to spend time with him. What she didn't plan for was evolving feelings. All she was feeling was meant to be for her book, and now, it was coming off the page.
One little kiss started it all.

A sweet read on how friendships with untold feelings can unravel due to simple actions, and how they handled those actions. Hot showers, private fantasies, a lot of lube. Winter's book was starting to affect them both, and it was funny reading how they handled the story of 'Jackson and Summer'. There is also the anxiety and uncertainty of their feelings, on top of anxious feelings towards other matters in their life, that affect the bubbling romance. Facing those issues is what will resolve their problems into happiness.
Great read!

Though this book was shorter than my usual fare, I appreciated the story not being dragged out like some romance stories. This story had more spice than I expected from a friends-to-lovers story, but I didn't mind at all! I loved reading about the couple's shared history and felt the anxiety in which Winter felt when confronted with the idea of leaving her safety net and venturing out past her "safe zone."

This was overall a good read. Thank you for the advance copy to enjoy!

What a tasty little slice of heaven this novella was! This is a small town, friends to Lover's romance that had me feeling like a giddy teenager falling in love for the first time. It was sweet, swoony and the banter had me snort laughing so much that Im grateful I'm already married because that 💩 isn't attractive and I don't even care 😆
On the other hand, I feel like my husband is also lucky to have me, because Jack, with all his calm and protectiveness, would have a real chance if he didn't.

Thank you @Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for the ARC. King of Jokers is the 3rd book in the King series by Vyk Peters. It is a short novela but has all the romance and spice as a full novel, you will not be disappointed. Jack and Winter are best friends and they have feelings that they did not share with each other because they are each others person. Yet, Winter decides that she needs Jack help with showing her what it means to have passion for a book she is writing. OMG!! Let the lessons begin.

when i saw this one i need this one so much
book 1 was amazing
this is a new author to me and i got addicted to the writing

Thank you @NetGalley and @Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for the Arc of King of Jokers. This is the first book I have read in this series and I devoured it. I love friends to lover troupe and all the spicy that this book had. This book made me laugh, cry and cheer for them. My heart melted when Jack told Winter about his tattoo and what it meant. Wow!! I will definitely be reading all the books in this series by Vyk Peters.

Ohhh that was a fun short read. Thanks publisher and netgalley for the e-arc. Even though i haven't read anything about the series this belongs to, i could totally read it and still not be lost with names. I love their banter, and her made up names to call him everytime. This is the cliche teachme bestfriends with benefits type of plot but what made it different is that even though there was spice, they focused more on their friendship and have the deeds done at night while platonic in the daylight. There is some sweetness in the childhood bestfriends trope here that one can easily get lost into. Love it!

I received this e-book as an ARC and I am so happy I did. This is my first read from this author. King of Jokers is a novella is a series and can be read as a stand alone. It is a dual POV which I love. I can relate to the MFC as she is an introvert, avoids loud crowds, cares what everyone thinks, loves her parents, and overthinks way too much. She secretly has been in love with her childhood best friend and is super excited he is coming to stay with her for the summer. MMC is an athlete who also has been in love with his BFF. This is a short read and it will captivate you to want to finish to learn how everything plays out. There are some spicy scenes that were on fire. Tropes: friends to lovers, small town, soul mates. I highly recommend and will be reading the rest of the series.

ABSOLUTE MAGIC.

Vyk knows how to write romance, with humour and heartbreak that will have you shocked. Pure bliss reading this book and I can’t believe I was lucky enough to read an ARC of this absolute masterpiece.

Winter and Jack are what I dreamed of as a child. To have a male bestfriend who becomes my love. I have no words for how amazing this story is, even better for a new author!!

I just wish it was longer!! So much to love

👑 A Short but Sizzling Friends-to-Lovers Romance ♠️🔥

Winter is Jack’s happy place. Jack is Winter’s safe place. In this short but impactful story, Vyk Peters pulls you into their world, where deep-rooted friendship transforms into something undeniably intense.

The connection between Jack and Winter is beautifully written, making their bond feel real and heartfelt. And the spice? Absolutely scrumptious! 🔥 If you love a friends-to-lovers romance with passion, warmth, and just the right amount of heat, King of Jokers is a quick yet satisfying read.

Five stars isn’t enough for this series and this novella i literally stayed up till 1 am reading this and book 2 in the series. I cannot get enough of this series or these characters. Chefs kiss best friends to lovers has never been written better!

I really enjoyed this book. I have read King of Clubs, and enjoyed it very much. I love the name Marlee. Anyway, this was a nice short read. Winter and Jack made a cute couple. There was plenty of nice spice and a HEA, which is always a plus.