Playing It Close

by Kat Latham

[Cocktails and Books]

Liam and Tess meet on vacation while trapped in an elevator at their hotel. Both are trying to recover from past demons and find solace in each other’s arms. That is, until Tess leaves Liam’s bed unexpectedly leaving Liam far more disappointed than he should be.

Weeks later, Liam attends a work dinner to help his rugby team land a new sponsor when he comes face to face with Tess. Shortly after that, the two decided to start a secret affair. Everything seems to be going great until Liam shows up at Tess’s home unexpectedly and is awkwardly introduced to her family. Liam understands they want their relationship to remain a secret but is hurt when Tess can’t acknowledge him to her family.

Tess and Liam’s relationship becomes public in a brutal way when Tess denies Liam in front of her sister, her ex-boss and lots of reporters. Liam is heartbroken and so is Tess, especially when she realizes how much she hurt him…and how much she truly loves him. Can Tess sacrifice her pride once more to get Liam back, or has the damage she’s caused irreparable?

I thought Liam and Tess complimented each other very well. Tess and Liam taught each other the beauty of comfort, loss, acceptance and love. I was totally swooning as Liam showed Tess that she was perfect just the way she was and didn’t need to change her body for him or anyone else, including herself.

I wished that the timeline was more detailed in tying the two stories together. The timeline of this book overlaps with the timeline of the first book but some of the scenes aren’t mentioned in this book that were pivotal in the first book. I was looking for those scenes with Spencer and Caitlyn that were absent from this book and was a little disappointed when I didn’t see them. The story worked well for a stand-alone read but for those like me who’ve read the series, it was important to see the connection.

Overall, I enjoyed the story. There was a little too much angst for me, but that didn’t deter my enjoyment. I especially liked the calendar photo shoot and 12 of the London Legends rugby players in nothing but towels and skimping speedos. Thank you Kat Latham!

Reviewed by Elizabeth for Cocktails and Books