Book Review: Played by Clare James

 Title: Played

Author: Clare James

Publisher: Entangled Brazen

Release Date: October 19, 2015

Series: Elite PR #2

Genre: Contemporary Romance

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Play. Or be played.

The music should be enough. End of story. But Aaron Major is finding out it's not, and now his agent has hired a firm of suits to help launch his debut album, turning his life into a goddamn circus. Smile here. Play there. Be nice. Well, screw that. If Aaron wanted to spend his time shaking hands and kissing babies, he would've gone into politics.

Helping launch the career of country singer Aaron Major should be a cakewalk for PR pro Melody Sharp. Aaron is charming, sexy, and oh-so-appealing when he's on stage. Off stage, though, he's her worst nightmare. A stubborn, ornery, reclusive nightmare without a lick of business-or fashion-sense. The only way he's going to make it in music is with a serious makeover-and quite possibly a personality transplant.

Soon, they're engaged in a game of give and take, and though it's Melody calling the shots, it's Aaron who holds all control...

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

“She had always wanted to be Scarlett O’Hara, unconventional and brave, a woman who made her own rules.  Unfortunately, she ended up coming off more like Celia Foote from The Help – a pretty, ditsy caricature of a woman who was about as smart as tree bark.”

My Review:

Clare James was a rather recent discovery for me and I am now a big fan and plan on working my way through her body of work.  She has mad skills and her books generally contain all my favorite elements - romance, smart characters, clever dialog, witty banter, and deliciously steamy sensuality.  Played is an entertaining story about a young woman who needed to find her footing, and she found it only after losing nearly everything else.  Despite the heavy premise, the story was actually a light and quick read that was well written, entertaining, and enjoyable from beginning to end. 

I received a copy of PLAYED through NetGallery and Entangled Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

Empress DJ

About Clare James:

Clare James writes contemporary romance and new adult novels with spunky heroines and sexier-than-sin heroes. Her books have made several best-selling lists including the tender love stories in the Impossible Love series; the steamy romantic comedy Dirty Little Lies; and the touching family drama Wednesday. She’s also the author of a new series with Entangled’s Brazen line about the women of Elite PR and their very naughty clients. The first two books in the series are out now!

A former dancer, Clare still loves to get her groove on – mostly to work off her beloved cupcakes and red wine. She lives in Minneapolis with her husband and young son, and is always on social media chatting with readers.

Connect with Clare:  

Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads

Rafflecopter for Virtual Tour Giveaway:

 Clare is offering some exciting prizes during the Played Virtual Blog Tour event. One lucky Grand Prize winner will receive a $25 Gift Card for Amazon or B&N (winner’s choice), two winners will win a paperback set of Clare’s Elite PR series (US residents only), and two winners will have their choice of an eBook copy of one of Clare’s titles!

To enter, simply fill out the Rafflecopter below: 

a Rafflecopter giveaway