“Full of emotional depth and strong characters who are full of passion, pain, and so much love, Bitter Play is another captivating story by this author.” – Amy, Goodreads Reviewer

Bitter Play, second chance, friends to lovers romance by Alison Rhymes is now available!
Release Date: February 7th

Blurb:

Reed Turner has loved his sister’s best friend, Leighton, for damn near a decade. He’s given her space to grow in her career and her life. Now he’s ready to claim the woman he’s always believed was his. It’s too bad another man in her life keeps getting in the way.

Leighton Ward has never been in love. Now, just as so many things are changing in her life, she finds two men vying for her heart. Both hold strong ties to her future and making the wrong decision comes with heavy consequences.

He knows what he wants.
She’s as confused as ever.

Download your copy today or read with Kindle Unlimited!
https://mybook.to/BPAR

Excerpt

“Have I ever told you how much I like it when you blush?”

“I don’t,” she says; a hand going to her cheek.

“You don’t with anyone else that I’ve ever seen. But with me, it’s often.”

“Make your point, Turner,” she bites out, embarrassed and frustrated now, but at least she’s no longer about to bite my head off for the display I put on earlier.

“My point, Ward, is that I’m here. Really here. Understand? I’m ready whenever you are.”

“Ready for what, exactly?” she asks around a bite. I smile at her crudeness. The important thing is she’s eating.

“I’m ready for the beginning of us. Whatever that looks like to you. You want to take it slow? We can do that. Jump right in? We can do that, too. If you want to keep dating strange assholes, we’ll draw up some parameters that fit the both of us.”

I watch as she quietly stands and paces the small kitchen. Her temper rises in increments as she squints, sets her jaw, clenches her fists.

Moving to stand toe-to-toe with her, I cup her heated cheeks in my palms.

“Calm down.”

“No, I will not calm down. You don’t get to come in here and boss me around.”

“I’m trying to negotiate,” I tell her.

“Negotiate my dating life?” She almost growls it out. I’ve rarely seen her temper, but it’s fucking hot. I’m half hard from her glaring at me like she wants to murder me.

“Yes. Because whether you want to admit it or not, we’re destined to end up together,” I say, making eye contact and rubbing my thumb over her tight jaw. “I get that you need time to wrap your hot head around that. I’ll give it to you, but only if you understand a few key things.”

“Like what?”

“Every date should occur in crowded, public, safe places. You have fun, but you make no long-term commitments. Most importantly, you don’t share this gorgeous body with any of those men, Leighton. You need to get f*cked after a date, you come home to me.”

“And you’ll f*ck me?”

“Better than you’ve ever had, Love.”

Her eyes drift close and her body slumps in my hands, for the briefest moment. Then she straightens, and when her eyes open back up, they’re glowing mad.

“Get the f*ck out of my house, Reed.”

Bitter Play by Alison Rhymes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

***Review copy requested and reviewed on behalf of OMGReads Blog***

Bitter Play is book three in the False Start Series. This is a frenemies to lovers, best friends brother, second chance romance. This journey focuses on Reed and Leighton. I definitely advise starting with book one of this series.

Reed was not what I was expecting. He was very alpha and he actually reminded me of Noah, so much so that I felt they could have been brothers. I liked his determination, devotion, and altruism when it came to Leighton. Leighton was sassy and independent, but we also see her vulnerable and insecure side. She lets past trauma sow doubt into her life.

Rhymes writes bold, original, extra spicy, and unconventional stories and she executes them well. She doesn’t sugar coat and she goes head on with uncomfortable situations. Rhymes really portrays the reality of life never going as planned. I couldn’t help but be a little heart broken for Reed but he shows us what true love is. This series has been unpredictable and I know Rhymes mentioned this was the last book in the series, but we can’t leave Connor hanging….right?

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ABOUT ALISON RHYMES

Alison lives somewhere in the shadow of a Pacific Northwest Mountain, bordered by the Puget Sound, and not too far from the country roads she grew up on.

When she’s not writing, she can be found avidly reading, traveling with youthful wanderlust, or slowly turning the inside of her home into her own personal houseplant jungle.

Find more books from Alison Rhymes here: https://alisonrhymes.com