This is my first CL Parker book and it was great. Funny, sexy, hot. I read it voraciously! The characters were a hoot. I loved all the sarcastic and witty banter, all the sexual innuendos and entendre, and the competition between Shaw and Cassidy.
I am a sucker for a good cliffhanger and I can't decide if this is supposed to be one or not. I know it's part of a series titled Monkey Business, but I don't know if it's all about Shaw and Cassidy or about their company, friends, people we don't yet know...
The main objective of the story was good ole fashioned competition. Who ever landed this particular sports hero's contract got the position of partner. And it became an all around knock-down drag out free for all. It was hilarious! So easy to read, so entertaining, funny and then sooo sexy.
But when the competition is over, a winner declared...where is the gloating? The rubbing in? Where the hell is Cassidy? This is where it kind of lost me. The objective of the story was met
but relationship wise we are just left in limbo. I wish there would have been a strong cliffhanger (if there's supposed to be one) or an epilogue to end the story if there's not. So the ending kind of fell flat for me. That is what brings this great, funny read down to 4 stars.

It was a hot, fun read. There was a lot of raw sex without romance, but the drama was great, and the secondary characters and their romances were exciting. I'm looking forward to the next book and the confrontations between Cassidy and Shaw.

I understand that this is supposed to be a steamy sexy book. But it's basically a guy who doesn't like that a girl is better than him and he wants to beat her once and for all. Then they have sex. Then she has to deal with that and him and others betraying her because she's a girl in sports. Not a fan.

I don't remember ever requesting this book back in 2015 but it's affecting my review rating which is preventing me from getting new ARC books now. I'm no longer able to download the book to read five years later so i can't write a review. I apologize for any inconveniences this may have caused.

Five stars because i must give a rating and i don't want to hurt the average of a book I haven't read.

Thank you for the opportunity to review this title. Unfortunately, I found it difficult to connect to the story. As I didn't completely finish this book, I will not be publishing a review. We do not feature uncompleted books on the blog. Although this title didn't work for me, I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

PLAYING DIRTY - C.L. Parker

HOT BUT NOT A LOT OF SUBSTANCE - 3 stars

#1 in the Monkey Business Trilogy

Plot - 3 stars - The main plot is that Shaw and Cassidy are both sports agents who are trying to land a football superstar. Although they both work for the same company, they are major competitors who have been stacked against each other to win the prize. No holds barred! When it says they are playing dirty, they really mean it. They will both use whatever means they can to land the account. I realize they both want to become partner, but they were both incredibly nasty to each other, especially Cassidy, and I found it surprising since they were both also very attracted to each other, as became obvious by their intimate relations.

Writing - 4 stars - I was caught up in the story right away. It is easy to read, full of excitement, and Parker sure knows how to write a hot sexual scene.

Characters - 2.5 stars - Shaw is handsome and successful, although he has a very definite alpha "I'm taking what I want" attitude toward women that only makes him attractive in a romance book. He grew up tough, apparently, and is a self-made man, which is why he's so determined to win. Cassidy, on the other hand, is more mysterious. We hear a little about her childhood in a small fishing town in Maine, but it's hard to see where her drive comes from. She's so "in-your-face" that she becomes unattractive--butting into Shaw's life and ignoring the fact that he obviously doesn't want her to get so close. And she tries to justify to herself that she's basically using her sex appeal to get ahead, claiming that her boss "told" her to do it.

Title - 3.5 stars - The title makes sense. There are no holds barred in this battle to win the partnership.

Cover - 2.5 stars - Nice cover of a beautiful couple embracing. But nothing special, nothing to draw the eye.

Overview - 3 stars - I enjoyed reading this book. There were plenty of hot scenes, and the story flowed smoothly. That being said, I felt like there was something missing. It was almost like a porn movie--all about the sex, with a story loosely holding things together. There's nothing particularly wrong with that style, but it felt like the plot was secondary to the extremely combustible chemistry between Shaw and Cassidy, and I wanted more than that. And I absolutely hate a cliffhanger, especially when there's really no good reason for it. I was happily reading, then all of a sudden the story ended. It wasn't a particularly exciting moment, and I could easily put the story down and forget all about it, but since I already have the next in the series, I'll continue...

Playing Dirty is in a category all its own. It’s not an enemies to lovers romance it’s enemies that ARE lovers! You can feel their hate for each other pour off the pages. There are no hearts and flowers during any of their conversations. Cassidy and Shaw are pitted against each other to land a high sort after client and the winner will make partner. That’s when things start getting dirty. I loved every minute of this book. It was funny and sexy and I also enjoyed the side characters. They were all quirky and I am looking forward to seeing more of everybody.

Cassidy and Shaw are both sports agents for the same company. They are definitely competitors on the field but off the field is another story. This is sort of a enemy to lovers story. Cassidy and Shaw are both in a hurry to secure an interview with NFL player, Denver Rockford. The person that does secure the interview first will become partner at Striker Sports Entertainment. Shaw is a charmer and likes to sweet talk his way to getting what he wants. His looks give him a one up on everyone too. Cassidy is determined to get this job at all costs. Will this job come between these two or will it bring them closer?

Even though Cassidy and Shaw try to keep their relationship professional, you can feel the sparks fly between them and when they do give into them it is pretty steamy! Cassidy and Shaw have an awkward relationship. The hate each other but they can't stay away from each other either.

There are plenty of side stories going on in this read as well that makes you wonder where this trio series is going. This read ends in a cliffhanger so if you are not fond of those then you might want to stray away from this one until the others are out. I can't imagine where C.L. Parker is going to take us with the next two books in this series but I am ready!

I really enjoyed this contemporary romance featuring work adversaries Cassidy and Shaw. I wasn't sure what I would think in the beginning, as I'm not that big of a fan of people who hate one another jumping into having sex right away. As the characters and storyline were developed a little more, I started to like the book quite a bit. I ended up thinking that the characters were good ones, and the storyline kept me interested. I would have enjoyed the book a little more if the beginning had gone a little differently, but overall, I thought it was a very good book.