I received this book for free from the library in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Source: the library
The Perfect Play
by
Jaci Burton
erotic romance in Paperback edition that was published by Berkley HEAT on February 1, 2011 and has 324 pages.
Explore it on Goodreads or Amazon
Other books by this author which I have reviewed include Mountain Moonlight, Unlaced, Riding on Instinct, Riding the Night, Fall Fury, Changing the Game, Heart of a Killer, Forbidden Fantasies, Taking a Shot, Playing to Win, Nautier and Wilder, Wild, Wicked, & Wanton, Thrown by a Curve, One Sweet Ride, Straddling the Line, Melting the Ice, All Wound Up, "Hot Holiday Nights", Unexpected Rush, Hot to the Touch
First in the Play-by-Play erotic sports-romance series. The couple focus is on Mick Riley and Tara Lincoln.
In 2012, The Perfect Play tied for the All About Romance Annual Reader Poll for Best Erotic Romance.
My Take
This was just so wholesome! There is a bit of erotica, but it’s mild.
Both characters are good role models. Yeah, Mick is really hot and has a pretty jetset lifestyle but it’s all surface. Strictly for the publicity. He falls so in love with Tara and he enjoys spending time with Nathan and his friends. He’s supportive and proud of her career; his family adores her! And Tara has a practical head on her shoulders. Her son is the most important person in her life. She knows that she’s just a summer fling for Mick and she has no intention of falling in love. Except, he’s just too nice. Not to mention hot in bed!
Burton has created a warm story that you want to read over and over with a nice blend of the exciting jetsetting, welcoming family, concerned adults, and supportive from almost all the angles.
The Story
Pure luck had the Sabers’ team summer party scheduled for the date that their regular team planner was already booked. It’ll be a real boost for Tara’s fledgling business and so far, it’s a big success. It soon becomes even more of a personal success when Mick Riley takes an interest in her.
An interest that simply grows and grows. Enough so that Mick insists on taking Tara and Nathan home to meet his family. Enough that he demands that his agent only book promotional events when Tara can be his date. The only problem is that Tara keeps insisting that this is just a summer fling and bolts at the least sign of infidelity.
The Characters
Tara Lincoln was an unwed mother at age 15 and has done a marvelous job of raising her son Nathan. She’s worked her way through college and building up her events planning business, The Right Touch. Nathan is going on 15 and plays quarterback on the JV team. He also has all the stats on those sports figures whose careers interests him. Imagine his delight when his mom starts dating one of ’em! Maggie, Karie, and Ellen work for Tara at The Right Touch.
Mick Riley is the star quarterback for the San Francisco Sabers football team and he is so tired of models and actresses who obsess about themselves and don’t eat. Gavin is his brother and plays on a Major League baseball team — naturally, Nathan knows his stats, too. Jenna is his sister and seems less than content to be working behind the bar at the Riley family’s sports bar in St. Louis, Missouri. His parents are Kathleen and Jimmy Riley. Elizabeth Darnell is his sports agent; the woman responsible for arranging all those endorsements and the publicity which keeps him in the public eye. She’s also a scheming woman who doesn’t like Tara in Mick’s life.
The Cover and Title
The cover is definitely man candy! Woo! It’s a hard-bodied, sweaty Mick in profile wearing sweats low on his hips. A glove on the hand clasping that football. Yum!
The title is The Perfect Play ’cause Mick does just that to get Tara in his life.
