“When you’ve been in the dark as long as I have, moy angel, there is no mistaking the light.”

FINAL DECISION:  Oh, how I ended up loving this book. The book was good until the last portion of the book which made me rethink the entire book.  I then found the book to be amazing because I was surprised and completely satisfied.  Plus, the book is really hot and sweet!

THE STORY: Victoria “Vice” Valentine comes from a long line of con-artists.  Desperate to help her family satisfy a deadly debt, Vice approaches the reclusive billionaire Dimitri Sevastyan. She intends on bilking him out of the money her family needs.  But there is something about the sexy Russian that tempts the “cold as ice” Vice to burn in ways she never suspected. Soon she is pulled between her loyalty to her family and the sweet man who seems to want only her and claims love at first sight.

OPINION:  This book didn’t end up where i expected.  I really appreciate a book that can surprise me in a good way.  This book was a 4.25 or 4.5 until the ending.  That pushed the book to a definite 5 for me!

Dimitri was a hero that I really liked.  Damaged and secretive, sexy and domineering but completely dedicated to doing anything for Vice, I loved him more than the either of the other men of the series (and they weren’t slouches). I loved how his painful past slowly was revealed. Who wouldn’t fall in love with a man who will do anything for you?  Vice, despite her best intentions, just can’t help herself.

Vice is a heroine who is herself imperfect and in fact might be more shady than the hero.  She is a con artist from a family legacy of the same. Even more, she is not repentant about her actions or those of her family.  Surprisingly, as a reader, I was rooting for these “bad guys”.  Her conscience begins to bother he as she realizes that Dimitri is a damaged but kind and caring man.  Her feelings for him begin to threaten her loyalty to her family.  The tension and conflict there works very well in this story.

Indeed, this book has beautiful pacing.  The relationship between Vice and Dimitri plays out in a winding and revealing manner.  Vice believes that she has the secrets, but Dimitri has a past filled with secrets.  As the story goes on, Dimitri’s secrets are slowly revealed to Vice and to the readers (although readers of the series will know some of the story).  I especially liked how the structure of the book reveals Dimitri’s secrets while forcing Vice to feel that she cannot reveal her own without risking the joy she is finding with Dimitri.  When the end of the book arrives, I was shocked and thrilled with the entire book.

And, oh this book is hot, hot, hot!  Vice and Dimitri just sizzle off the pages.  There is plenty of sex, but even better, it is all intertwined with deep emotional intensity which makes the book even sexier in my estimation.

This book ended up being my favorite of the series and definitely made me want to read the entire series over again.

WORTH MENTIONING:  Don’t read the spoilers for this book!  The payoff is amazing when read in context.

CONNECTED BOOKS:  THE PLAYER is the third book in the Game Maker series.  It can be read as a standalone.

STAR RATING:  I give this book 5 stars.