Games of the Heart ('Burg, #4)

by Kristen Ashley

[stacey_is_sassy]

The Games were played and the Hearts were won.

Games of the Heart has always been a tricky one for me to love. In the back of my mind, I have the Mike and Violet shenanigans playing. I also struggle with how Mike acts for the first half of the book. Yes, I knew he'd dealt with an ex-wife that would make any man insane...but...SHE...WAS...HIS...CHOICE. Luckily, he moved on from her and managed to somewhat have his life back on track. But...the way he handled Dusty in the beginning...and stuffed up again...and again, well, I thought Dusty was a sucker for punishment and a wee bit too forgiving. Well, I'm glad it all worked out in the end.

So, while this may not be my favourite Kristen Ashley, it's still pretty damn good. Mike Haines (when he gets his finger out) is all kinds of great. Bossy, possessive, straight talking and HOT...it's very hard to stay angry at Mike, especially considering he's such a fantastic Dad.

And...this is where Kristen Ashley gets it SOOOO RIGHT. With her talent for writing long but well thought out stories, we manage to see her heroes at their bloody worst and then at their bloody best. But, we get to see the characters grow through that transformation. We see their thought processes, what makes them tick and what clicks within them to set them right.

Dusty is by far one of my favourite characters. She is strong, resilient, independent and loving. Any man should find it a privilege to be in her company. Unfortunately, Dusty has had her fair share of duds and one of them is finding it a wee bit hard to let go...after she wiped him off. Luckily, her friend and Mike help scrape him off and he stays scraped. I did think she was a bit too forgiving. I suppose, though, when the first man you ever fell in love with needs forgiveness, I'd be forgiving too.

The love story is sweet, very steamy and at times heartbreaking. I loved seeing their connection grow into love. I wanted their happy ever after and even when I was frustrated, felt that the issues were never too big for them to conquer together.

One of my favourite parts of the story was watching Finn (Dusty's nephew) and Clarisse's (Mike's daughter) teenage "first love" playing out. It was what every young girl hopes for, but not many get it. So sweet.

The audio was great. I think the narrator does a good job of portraying the characters feelings and I never had issues working out who was talking. All good.

Games of the Heart on audio was great and without hesitation, I can say that it will definitely not be my last from Kristen Ashley.