Review: "Playing it Cool" by Amy Andrews

Harper Nugent might have a little extra junk in her trunk, but her stepbrother calling her out on it is the last straw… When rugby hottie, Dexter Blake, witnesses the insult, he surprises Harper by asking her out. In front of her dumbass brother. Score! Of course, she knows it’s not for reals, but Dex won’t take no for an answer. Dexter Blake’s life revolves around rugby with one hard and fast rule: no women. Sure, his left hand is getting a workout, but he's focused on his career for now. Then he overhears an asshat reporter belittle the curvy chick he'd been secretly ogling. What's a guy to do but ask her out? It’s just a little revenge against a poser, and then he'll get his head back in the game. But the date is better than either expected. So is the next one. And the next. And the heat between them…sizzles their clothes right off. Suddenly, this fake relationship is feeling all too real…

Thank you very much to Entangled Publishing via Netgalley for the free review copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Wow, this book was so much better than I expected it to be! It was funny (hilarious, actually!) sweet, romantic, steamy, and well written, plus it had a whole bunch of Aussie slang thrown in that I loved! Honestly, I couldn't ask for more in a contemporary romance!

I really loved Harper, if I'm being truthful! Dex was great, but Harper is someone I want to hang out with. She would make a great bestie, and that's shown over and over throughout the book. She knows she's a bigger gal, and she's mostly okay with it, but she still has moments of self-consciousness, especially when her family gets on her case about her weight. I hated the way her stepmother and stepbrother treated her, but I was also able to understand why she couldn't simply break all ties with them.

Because this book is written with both Dex and Harper's points of view, the reader really gets a good look inside Dex's mind. For us, the readers, it's very obvious how he feels about Harper. I really wanted Harper to believe that Dex's feelings for her were true, but at the same time, I could understand why she was hesitant and needed to hold back a bit, especially when Dex was trying to keep everything on the down low! He had his reasons, and they were legitimate, but still...let's just say that I'm glad Harper laid down the law in the end!  

If you love contemporary sports romances (and I'm starting to think this might be a new favourite genre for me!) something along the lines of Elle Kennedy's "Off Campus" series, then you definitely need to check out these Sydney Smoke Rugby guys - I guarantee, if the rest of the series is anything like this one, you will love it!

My rating: