A review by joyousreads132
Tempting the Player by Jennifer L. Armentrout

3.0

Public Relations nightmare Chad Gamble is on the brink of losing his contract with the Nationals. Between his drinking antics and his womanizing prowess, the only thing that could save him now is to show the media, the public and his team that he could change. Enter Bridget – the unsuspecting bystander blackmailed to help Chad clean up his act. Bribery and blackmail. This is not going to end well. But heck, the road to hell is paved with…steamy base plays and a series of grand slams [wink, wink, nudge nudge].

I’ve always looked forward to Jennifer’s endeavor out of the YA and into Adult Romance. How could I not? I just know that she’s going to excel in writing some pretty steamy scenes. I have to admit that [b:Tempting the Best Man|13614836|Tempting the Best Man (Gamble Brothers, #1)|J. Lynn|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1336112984s/13614836.jpg|19215651] was a bit of a let-down for me but I wasn’t ready to give up.

Thank goodness I didn't. I liked this one better than the above mentioned book. I think she worked out the kinks from her debut as an adult fiction writer. The first book was just okay; it wasn’t mind blowing but it wasn’t bad either. Both books are fast reads as books from this genre tend to be. I have to mention that there were some hair-raising, cringe-worthy scenes at the beginning. The pick-up schtick at the bar was, er, a cheese-fest.

The base of a great romance book is always about chemistry and these two sure had plenty of it. I do miss the snark between her characters though. They had some banters but it wasn’t the signature Jen we’ve come to love. But maybe I’m being unfair. I’m sure any author would be annoyed too if her characters were compared to the ones from her other books. It’s called giving them their own personalities and I have no idea why I’m complaining. Sorry.

Plot-wise, I think her story is plausible enough. In a perfect world, Bridget would tell Ms. Gore to shove her proposal where the sun didn’t shine. Or any other woman wouldn’t even think twice about hooking up with the hottest baseball player to ever play the majors. I guess her reasons were a combination of both: curiosity about the Gamble brother and her wanting to keep her reputation intact. It certainly made for an entertaining read.

This book was fun and sexy and everything you’d be looking to in a romance book. It had enough of happy mixed in with a bit of sad. If you’re a fan of contemporary romance, this one is a must-add-on to your shelves.