Dare To Play

4.25⭐ Dare to Play book three in Carly Phillips Dare Nation series, was another fast-paced and welcoming addition. With baseball player and ladies man Jaxon Prescott taking centre stage, and after causing yet another headache for his manager Bri and agent Austin, who also happen to be his sister and brother Jaxon has the crazy idea to marry his sisters closest friend Macy who desperately needs Jaxon's help after her step mother returns ready for a custody battle over her fifteen-year-old half sister Hannah. And what starts as a mutual deal to help each other out of a sticky situation quickly becomes more, as Jaxon realises his brother was right, and there is such a thing as love at first sight. Which made Dare to Play a quick, fun, sexy and at times emotional read; and honestly by far my favourite of the series. As Ms Phillips really struck a chord with the history of these two characters, the connection they shared, and the romance which easily had me turning the pages. Would happily recommend. **I was kindly provided with an ARC via BookSprout in exchange for an honest review**

DARE TO PLAY by Carly Phillips. This tells the tale of Jaxon and Macy. Jaxon, a professional baseball player, needs to straighten out his act and Macy, an independent woman working hard to raise her teenage sister on her own. They both need each other to get what they want but will their marriage of convenience turn into more? I loved Jaxon - he is uber sexy and the sweetest guy. There are many layers to this man and Ms. Phillips did a great job of removing them. I liked Macy too. She works hard and is doing her best to help her sister, Hannah, which isn't easy. Hannah was a bit much for me, I really wanted to throttle her several times. The writing flows effortlessly and it is so easy to follow. The story itself is filled with a lot - there is happy times and angst filled times, moments of uncertainty and moments of love. This was a truly delightful read and I look forward to reading more by this author in the future.

DARE TO PLAY is the third instalment in Carly Phillips’ contemporary, adult DARE NATION erotic, romance series a spin off from the author’s DARE TO LOVE series. This is twenty-eight year old, professional baseball pitcher Jaxon Prescott, and twenty-eight year old, Web Designer Macy Walker’s story line. DARE TO PLAY can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous instalments is revealed where necessary. You do not have to have read the previous series to understand or follow the current timeline but like the original series, there is a back story involving the Dare family, and by extension, the Prescott family as well. Told from dual third person perspectives (Macy and Jaxon) DARE TO PLAY follows the marriage of convenience between twenty-eight year old, professional baseball pitcher Jaxon Prescott, and twenty-eight year old, Web Designer Macy Walker. Macy Walker is the guardian of her fifteen year old half sister Hannah since the death of their father eight months earlier but the return of Hannah’s mother is suspicious as the woman has not acknowledged Hannah’s existence in a number of years. Jaxon Prescott is the bad boy of baseball, and his off-field antics have pushed management too far- issuing our hero an ultimatum-either Jaxon settles down including a possible marriage, or face suspension or a trade to another team. A one-night stand with his sister’s best friend Macy results in a paparazzi nightmare for both Jaxon and Macy. In an effort to assuage team owners and thusly his family, by mutual agreement, a marriage of convenience between Macy and Jaxon would solve both of their problems. What ensues is the building romance and relationship between Macy and Jaxon, and the potential fall-out as their time together comes to a close. The relationship between Macy and Jaxon is a best friend’s brother/ little sister’s best friend relationship that begins as a one-night stand. When both of their lives begin to implode, a marriage of convenience is the best of scenarios in an effort to ease both of their problems. One week of wedding preparations, and the ongoing threats by Hannah’s birth mother, culminate in a destination honeymoon where our couple begin to fall in love but all is not well upon their return home as Hannah’s mother begins to show her true colors. The $ex scenes are intimate, erotic and intense without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text. We are reintroduced to Jaxon’s siblings: sister Bri (and Macy’s best friend), Austin and Quinn (Dare to Desire), Damon and Evie (Dare to Tempt #2) and Dr. Braden Prescott, Uncle Paul, as well as the introduction of Macy’s half-sister Hannah, and her mother Lilah. Braden’s story is next in DARE TO STAY. DARE TO PLAY is a novella-length story of family and friendships, relationships and love; a marriage of convenience wherein our couple will quickly discover they have more in common including falling in love. The character driven premise is sexy and inviting; the romance is seductive and captivating-the chemistry is spicy and strong; the characters are dynamic and colorful.