The Perfect Play (Play by Play, #1)

Feb 02, 2011 Shawna rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Fans of erotic contemporary/sports romance & to die for heroes

Shelves: contemporary-romance, erotic-romance-erotica-romantica, jaci-burton, sports-romance-hot-jocks, im-a-cover-hottie-ho, series-play-by-play, brothers-sisters-cousins-family, rt-book-reviews-top-pick, kindle, 2011-reads, 5-stars, angsty-dark-heavy-lotsa-drama, backdoor-action-lovin-playin, best-faves-of-2011, dirty-talk-turns-me-on, favorite-beautiful-lush-cool-covers, favorite-love-scenes, favorites, hero-addict-excon-lawtrouble-thief, hero-attractive-handsome-heartthrob, hero-bad-boy-playboy, hero-expert-skilled-voracious-lover, hero-i-wanna-marry, hero-im-gaga-over, hero-mix-of-alpha-beta, hero-stalk-me-baby-possessive, hero-stud-mantel-hall-of-fame, heroine-abused-traumatic-past-rape, heroine-kickass-spirited-strong, hh-actor-actress-celebrity-model, hh-addiction-recovery-sobriety, i-read-kindle, i-read-own-faves-keepers, kindled-my-kindle, pregnancy-fertility-baby-kids-drama, steam-5-scorching-x, yowza-hotness, hero-too-yummy-perfect-to-be-true, heroine-undeserving-of-awesome-hero, heroine-single-mom, hero-daddy-warbucks-wealthy, favorite-romance-series, hh-famous-celebrity, heroine-classy-lady, hero-bedroom-bad-boy, hero-sharp-dressed-man, heroine-sassy-full-of-attitude, hero-or-heroine-or-setting-irish

5 stars – Contemporary/Sports Erotic Romance

Thoughts Before Reading:

OHHH-MYYY-GAWWWD!! I have absolutely zero saliva left after staring at this epitome of cover HOTness! Seriously, call a doctor quick 'cause I think I've swallowed my tongue.

Thoughts After Reading:

I think a review for this book is about the equivalent of crotchless panties or raspberry sauce on chocolate cake...totally unnecessary. I mean with a tongue swallowing, eyes bulging cover like this, who really gives a @%*$ what the sto...more

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Jan 29, 2011 Auntee rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Fans of erotic sports romance

Shelves: erotic-romance, jaci-burton, sports-romance, i-ll-buy-for-the-cover-alone, 2011_reads, keepers

Just in time for the upcoming Super Bowl is Jaci Burton's smokin' hot new release, The Perfect Play. And what a perfect sports romance it is! Starting with the gorgeous cover...

(C'mon, how can you resist that cover model?)

Things just get better after that. The story has an almost Cinderella-like feel to it. Mick Riley (30) is Mr. Tall (6 1/2 feet), Dark (black hair, blue-eyed) and Sexy (killer physique); a millionaire superstar quarterback for the San Francisco Sabers. Mick's a hard working ath...more

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Oct 13, 2010 Jane Litte rated it 4 of 5 stars

God, I love this cover. Ahem.

Read the book last night (was sent to me by the author for review). I liked it quite a bit although I had a few problems here and there.

Tara is a party planner with a 14 (soon to be 15) year old son. She made a lot of mistakes as a kid and had crappy parents and she is trying to give her son the best possible life. She doesn't date, at all, and while she allows herself the freedom of a one night stand when pro quarterback Mick Riley comes on to her after an event sh...more God, I love this cover. Ahem.

Read the book last night (was sent to me by the author for review). I liked it quite a bit although I had a few problems here and there.

Tara is a party planner with a 14 (soon to be 15) year old son. She made a lot of mistakes as a kid and had crappy parents and she is trying to give her son the best possible life. She doesn't date, at all, and while she allows herself the freedom of a one night stand when pro quarterback Mick Riley comes on to her after an event she plans. When Mick tries to pursue something more steady, Tara keeps turning him down. She isn't really interested in his lifestyle and she is sure he doesn't want to date a woman with a kid.

I thought that there was a bit too much comparison by Mick between Tara and his past flings. He was always referencing how real she was v how fake the other women were. I realize that this was in an effort to show why Mick was into Tara rather than someone else and he did make a passing acknowledgment that maybe he had been looking in the wrong places but even in bed, his references to how much more awesome she was than others in the sex department became tiring.

Tara and Mick both use the phrase "fuck" to reference having sex and most of the time it didn't bother me, but later in the book, after the two were in a relationship and there were some heavy secrets being unloaded, I would have thought their language toward each other in the love scenes would have been a bit more tender.

My last complaint was that while the author clearly knows her sports (and thank god because this is a football book), she had Mick playing nearly three quarters in, I think, the first preseason game and I just don't think that would ever happen. 3 quarters in preseason wouldn't happen until the third preseason game.

This book is very hot but I thought the sex scenes were well done, varied, and in keeping with the storyline. I bought Tara's reluctance to dating Mick. His pictures were always in the tabloids with some super gorgeous woman so the "why me" question was very natural but she didn't dwell on it once it became obvious that Mick wasn't going to take no for an answer. I also thought that Mick's character, as someone who is very proactive and goes after what he wants, no matter the obstacles, was really well rendered and consistent throughout the story, particularly the emotional conflict.

Mick's interaction with Tara's kid was well done and I loved Mick's family. There is one scene toward the end where Mick has it out with someone who is trying to mess with Tara and Mick's relationship and it was one of the strongest emotional scenes in the book for me. I re-read that scene again. Mick's anger, his fear of losing Tara, and his strong desire to be Tara and Nick's family really sang. (less)

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Dec 15, 2011 D.G. rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary-romance, reviewed

*2 stars for plot and 1 star for the cover*

This book was the equivalent of a very hot guy who is dumb as a tack - great to look at but boring to listen to.

The problem with the plot was that there was no conflict. It’s basically the story of two people meet, have tons of sex, fall in love, the end. There were a few very small misunderstandings but nothing that would make you bite your nails thinking that they’re not going to make it. All the problems would have been cleared up if the heroine woul...more *2 stars for plot and 1 star for the cover*

This book was the equivalent of a very hot guy who is dumb as a tack - great to look at but boring to listen to.

The problem with the plot was that there was no conflict. It’s basically the story of two people meet, have tons of sex, fall in love, the end. There were a few very small misunderstandings but nothing that would make you bite your nails thinking that they’re not going to make it. All the problems would have been cleared up if the heroine would have asked the hero one single question but instead she wouldn’t let him get a word and would disappear in a huff. This behavior has put her in the running for "Dumbass Heroine of the Year."

Don’t get me wrong, both H/h had some challenge in their lives but neither was relevant to the present because they had already overcome those problems. I don’t want to give any spoilers of the ‘deep, dark, secrets’ (yeah, right!) so I’ll give an example instead. Imagine that you’re reading a book where the heroine is very shy but decides to run for office. Seeing her confront her fear about public speaking, meeting new people, etc. is very different from knowing that she used to be shy but that now she talks in front of crowds all the time. The former makes you sympathize and admire her courage, the latter makes you think “so what?” and that’s the feeling I got reading this book.

I did like a few things. The fact that the heroine knew something of sports and that we heard about the hero’s grueling workouts. (Most romance make it seem as if it’s normal for a hero to a get six-pack without exercising.) But that’s about it. The rest was just predictable and boring.

So if you want to imagine how it feels to be swept up your feet by a gorgeous, famous, rich man, then this book might be enough for you. If you’re looking for a bit more, then you should skip the book and just look at the cover. Like in the case of a handsome-but-not-so-smart man, it will preserve the illusion that something deep is lurking in that smoldering gaze when in reality, there’s nothing underneath. (less)

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Feb 19, 2012 Stacia ~ Mistress of Mediocrity rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: adult

What an overrated book. Nothing about the story was new or interesting to me. The sex scenes were hot, but if you want to read a hot sex scene, it's just as easy to pick up an erotica, which I'd rather do to be honest.

The story aggravated me on so many levels. It felt like I had fallen into a manufactured after-school special on the dangers of alcohol. I have a teen son and I'm telling you now, he would never be caught dead saying this : I didn't know. I just wanted to be cool like the other gu...more

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Mar 11, 2011 Pamela rated it 5 of 5 stars

4.5/5

First, let's just take a moment to savor this cover. Jed Hill is among the wonders of nature, and I will never grow tired of staring at his absolutely ripped physique.

Fortunately, the book lives up to the cover. Mick is a star quarterback at the height of his career and his carefully orchestrated fame. Tara is an event planner single mom with a 14-year-old son she gave birth to as a teenager. When the two meet at an event Tara plans, neither of them have any idea where they're going to end...more 4.5/5

First, let's just take a moment to savor this cover. Jed Hill is among the wonders of nature, and I will never grow tired of staring at his absolutely ripped physique.

Fortunately, the book lives up to the cover. Mick is a star quarterback at the height of his career and his carefully orchestrated fame. Tara is an event planner single mom with a 14-year-old son she gave birth to as a teenager. When the two meet at an event Tara plans, neither of them have any idea where they're going to end up.

Tara doesn't want a parade of men in and out of her life because of the bad example it will set for her son — and because she's never really had any reason to trust men. Her life is her work and her son. (That's something I can relate to!) Mick, on the other hand, is wealthy, famous, a star — but he's sick of the bulimic models and vain starlets his agent has arranged for him to "date."

Although this relationship starts in the bedroom — and it gets off to a sexy start, believe me — it quickly becomes more than just sex. Those of you who love erotic love scenes will enjoy the book, because there is a lot of super-scorching sex in this story. But the emotion isn't lacking either, and by the end you'll be delighted, as I was, when Tara opens herself to the possibility of being with Mick and Mick straightens out his priorities, making a firm decision about what matters most to him in life.

My only quibble with the book is that I wanted an epilogue. I wanted to see Tara have the family and support she's never had before. Given that the next book involves Gavin, Mick's brother, a pro baseball player, I'm guessing we'll get some of that then.

This is the first book I've read on Kindle, so that was an adventure, too.

I recommend this to contemporary romance fans, romantica fans, and those who love sports-star heroes.

A quick update: A reader friend e-mailed me privately to ask whether there was anal action in the love scenes because she doesn't like to read that. There is. I don't care for that either — just call me Little Miss Vanilla — but as I told her, I found that I was able to just skip a few lines and be fine. It's a great story, and I'd hate her to miss it for that reason.(less)

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Dec 30, 2010 Julie James rated it 5 of 5 stars

This says it all: I have a ten week-old baby who wakes up every three hours, so sleep is a hot commodity right now. Yet I stayed up late to finish this book because I so wanted to see Mick and Tara get their happy ending. Loved the characters, particularly the hero, who is protective and alpha without being overbearing or angst-y. And it's quite a hot read!

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Mar 20, 2013 Ingela rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: series-standalone-stories, a-nf-series-to-keep-on-first-book, romance-contemporary

Steaming hot, with two lovely protagonists, a good storyline and a good sweet love story.

Like it, 4 HOT STARS.

We meet the Event Planner Tara. She has herself raised a now teenage son Nathan and she lives for him and her own buisness. She usually don't have time and energy för more than that. At a party, arranged by her for a national (american) football club, she meets the famous football player Mick. He is a playboy and seducer who often appear in the press with beautiful models and actresses...more

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Apr 06, 2011 DarienMoya rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Erotic Contemporary Romance Fans

Shelves: 2011-reads, rrrc-challenge-a-to-z-2011

^^THE WAY ME AND THE GUY ON THE COVER PLAYED IN MY HEAD!^^

3.5

When I see this cover, I think of a few games I could play with Mick.
-Like pin my body parts on his peni…. I mean body.
- A little game of you touch mine and I will touch yours.
-Naked touch football, naked twister, naked wrestling Etc

You get my point this is one hot cover. Those abs would have me saving money, and hand lotion. I would be doing my laundry on those suckers; it is just one freaking HAWT cover. I am not really into muscle...more ^^THE WAY ME AND THE GUY ON THE COVER PLAYED IN MY HEAD!^^

3.5

When I see this cover, I think of a few games I could play with Mick.
-Like pin my body parts on his peni…. I mean body.
- A little game of you touch mine and I will touch yours.
-Naked touch football, naked twister, naked wrestling Etc

You get my point this is one hot cover. Those abs would have me saving money, and hand lotion. I would be doing my laundry on those suckers; it is just one freaking HAWT cover. I am not really into muscles and all that, but I am very into this cover model, and find myself hoping that he would come into…. I mean be into me.

Now for the story, I was like ‘Meh’ through it all, I really did enjoy the whole sexy man fall in love with girl next-door type. It gives me hope, that one day some sexy man will come and sweep me off my feet. I can say I enjoyed the book a lot more when they were out of the bedroom.

I have always said that something might be wrong with me, cus I am finding the sex between female/male of books to be tiresome. I read it without any interest, and this book was one of those. Just call me crazy, but I think Tara is like the luckiest woman in the world. This woman comes like three times in a row. I sound envious cus I am, just a little bit.

Mick I really liked, he seemed like a true genuine character, and as I said really liked the book when they were out of bedroom. I found the sex too plentiful, and tooo odd. By odd I mean, it just felt like they were trying to go too far with it, and then it just sort of fizzled out, by the third sex scene I was pretty much done for. Therefore, I had a hard time with the five-hundred that followed (not that much but you get my meaning). I really like the anal scene, ‘sue me, I love that shit’.

This one will be hit with most of GR friends; it was just an ok read for me. I loved learning about football because in reality I could care less. I am considering being a party planner, in reality not the best idea. I loved the whole single mother aspect of the book, as a mother myself I can easily understand the doubts with wanting to get into a relationship. The questions that go with it, will the man accept my child and be respectful. I thought Jaci Burton handled that part splendidly.

Overall, liked it just could have done without all the sex.

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Feb 04, 2011 Kris (KindleRomance) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: kindle, amazing, favorites-series

Phenomenal! Loved every minute. My favorite kind of love story. Lot's of emotion, romance, and super steamy sex with great dialogue and wonderful characters. I wouldn't change a thing about it and will definitely read this one again!

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Jan 22, 2011 Mandi Schreiner rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary

Tara Lincoln is an event planner and owner of The Right Touch. By chance, she lands the summer party of the NFL team the San Francisco Sabers. The party is a complete success and it is here she meets the Sabers' star quarterback, Mick Riley. Mick is usually seen with an actress or model draped across his arm, so Tara is shocked when he takes interest in her. He makes her dance with him, and later invites her up to his hotel room.

Mick is tired of his agent Liz throwing beautiful women his way. He...more Tara Lincoln is an event planner and owner of The Right Touch. By chance, she lands the summer party of the NFL team the San Francisco Sabers. The party is a complete success and it is here she meets the Sabers' star quarterback, Mick Riley. Mick is usually seen with an actress or model draped across his arm, so Tara is shocked when he takes interest in her. He makes her dance with him, and later invites her up to his hotel room.

Mick is tired of his agent Liz throwing beautiful women his way. He wants someone who is not after his money or fame – and when he sees Tara he instinctively knows she is “normal.” She interests him and he really just wants to get to know her. Being extremely physically attracted to her doesn’t hurt either.

Although they are perfect in bed together, real life always throws in more complications. Tara is a single mom, raising a teenager. It has always just been Tara and Nathan and she is not used to putting herself or anyone else first. Mick is known everywhere, and that fame is hard to deal with. Convincing Tara this is not a casual fling will be tough for Mick to do.

First let’s all just stare at the cover for The Perfect Play. Sexy, yes? Jaci Burton has been hit with the cover of all covers. I honestly don’t know if I could pass this book up if I saw it sitting on the shelves. *wipes drool*

I had a tough start with this book. Mick and Tara meet right at the start of the book, and they had never met before. By page ten, Tara states:

"The more time she spent with him, the more she liked him. Dammit. Why couldn’t he be an arrogant son of a bitch, full of himself and talking of nothing by his career and his stats? It would be so much easier to walk away from him if he was self-absorbed. But not only was he gorgeous, he was also funny and was interested in her and her career, and she liked spending time with him.”

So Tara knows all this about him by page TEN? Someone she meets on page FOUR. I just don’t think this is a realistic mind set someone would have after just meeting someone. How does she know all of this already? She wouldn’t. And then he takes her up to his hotel room and tells her he is not there to seduce her just to talk and get to know her. Which of course leads to sex. He comes off very pushy to start. Not arrogant as in – hey I’m famous and rich. But arrogant that Tara would naturally choose to be with him. He also assumes right from the beginning that Tara is not out for his money or fame. He makes this assumption without knowing her well enough.

So yes, I had a really hard time connecting with Mick at the beginning. but as I continued reading, after a few chapters I felt like the characters calmed down and their relationship took a much nicer turn. I enjoyed Tara’s conflict within herself. She has lived her life always so worried about her son, that just because she meets Mick and does develop feelings for him that doesn’t change who she is. She is still the worried mother. There is one particular scene towards the end where Nathan is used as a ploy, and Tara is hurt by this. And I think this is a great scene because it shows, no matter how much she cares for Mick, Nathan is still the most important thing in her life. She learns to accept other important people, but it really stays true to her character.

I really enjoyed the pages spent with Mick back home in St. Louis with his family. This is where I feel we get to meet the real Mick and where the story definitely picks up. Tara is able to see the other side of Mick, the one not playing football or posing for pictures. His brother Gavin and his agent Liz all have some nice scenes as well.

One thing I find no fault with are the sex scenes. Yes, look at that cover again – Jaci Burton writes very, very hot smex and the scenes are quite plentiful in this book. The smex scenes do that cover quite proud.

I ended up liking this book, it just took me a little while to get there. I believe the next book is about Mick’s brother and baseball star Gavin, and I am very much looking forward to his story.

Rating: C+
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Feb 04, 2011 Teryl rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ebooks, rating-r, read-in-2011, romance-contemporary

At first I added this book because of the cover (who can resist), then I read the synopsis. This book started out as a goody goody book with no conflict at all. Everyone had no issues with anyone's past happenings, in fact the past made the other person amazing and such...boring. So at one point I was just continuing to read because the sex scenes were so smoking hot, then about half way through it started to really pick up. The conflict started. I love good angsty conflict in my romance books....more

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Feb 03, 2011 Melissa rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011-reads, bad-boys, contemporary-romance, e-book, erotic-romance, favorites, jocks-are-hot-sports, series, smokin-hotness, steamy

I knew while reading the Wild Riders series that Jaci Burton had great talent. She is now a auto-buy favorite author must have for me.

I just loved this story about Mick & Tara. Their story was super hot and I just couldn't get enough. By the time I cooled down from the smokin' hotness it was back full course, not only was the sexiness awesome, but the story was too.

I really can't wait for Gaven's book, but that Liz sure is a b*tch

5++ Stars!! :)

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Oct 17, 2012 Susana rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, romance-contempor-neo, erotic

This ended up being, for me, one strange book...
In a way, this is the typical boy meets girl, kind of book....you have one hotshot jocks sport, rich, handsome and altogether a good guy, who suddenly has a change of..."tastes", you might call it...and decides that he's had enough with supermodels and actresses. What he wants now, its a real woman. Good for you, Mick.

Tara is a single working mum, who has placed her romantic life on hold, due to some ghosts of her past, and due to the fact that she...more

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Feb 06, 2011 Jae rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary, first-read-by-author, hot-shagging-action, 2011, studly-sports-man

Mick and Tara were at IT from the start and kept at IT every few pages. Lots and lots of smoking hot sex scenes, no surprise there. And I really was expecting them, what with a H.O.T cover like that.

But as far as story lines went, not much of a going on here. Just another story of boy met girl, boy jumped girl, girl left boy the morning after and thus boy decided girl was one very special lady to actually resisted his charm.

But the second book,

Changing the Game totally intrigued me. I just won...more

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Feb 13, 2011 Diana~ rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Jaci Burton fans, erotica romance lovers.

Shelves: erotica-romance, author-jaci-burton, contemporary-romance, 2011-reads

The cover alone would make any right-minded person pick up this book and read it right away! But even so, Jaci Burton has done it again by providing us a book full of heart, steamy love scenes, a hero to die for, and an intriguing plot. It almost seems like it's too good to be true for single mom, Tara Lincoln when she ends up meeting Mick Riley, a superstar quarterback at an event that she was planning right? Well, they do and things start heating up pretty fast! It almost reminded me of Stroke ...more The cover alone would make any right-minded person pick up this book and read it right away! But even so, Jaci Burton has done it again by providing us a book full of heart, steamy love scenes, a hero to die for, and an intriguing plot. It almost seems like it's too good to be true for single mom, Tara Lincoln when she ends up meeting Mick Riley, a superstar quarterback at an event that she was planning right? Well, they do and things start heating up pretty fast! It almost reminded me of Stroke of Midnight but it's definitely way hotter, better, and the hero is just a sweetheart with such a sad secret. I'm truly looking forward to Changing the Game, where Mick's brother, Gavin and his PR, Elizabeth Darnell get their HEA. We actually get a sneek peak of the book at the end of The Perfect Play, and boy... was it hot! A big five stars for this one!

The Characters:
Tara Lincoln is a single mom who has had some difficult struggles throughout her life while trying to raise her fifteen year old son. She ends up meeting Mick at a party that she planned for and things start out with a bang, literally. At first, things go pretty easy because she knows that there's no way that a superstar like Mick would ever want to hang out with someone like her when he can choose any woman that he wants... but of course, things change. One thing that I did not like about Tara is that even though she is a strong character, she doesn't have much trust for Mick. Even though she loves him, she doesn't want to put her heart at risk and she believes that they come from two completely different worlds―and that ends up hurting Mick towards the end of the book.

Mick Riley may seem like the typical jock or superstar quarterback at first, but underneath that layer lies a sweet, sexy person who has had a painful past and secret. He ends up being attracted to Tara at first sight and knows that she's different from all the girls that has been thrown at him by his PR, Elizabeth Darnell. I mean he's rich, a gorgeous guy, good with kids, and a pretty good lover to Tara. Who wouldn't want to snatch up this guy right away? I don't think I have any complaints about him because throughout the whole book, he was very loving towards Tara and I hated how she hurt him. In the end, everything worked out fine so that's all that matters!

The Romance:
Ohoho. Now let's talk about the romance department shall we? Let's just say that with a pretty nice looking cover like this one, we know for sure that there will be some steamy, sexy, and smokin' hot love scenes for this book. The chemistry was there and there was actually a love story going on so kudos for that! I have to say that the private island vacation was my favorite part and ahem, you'll know why when you read this. To sum it up, fans of Jaci Burton will definitely enjoy this first book in this series and any erotica romance fan who loves a sweet and caring hero in the daytime but a hot and sexy one at night will like it as well. ;)(less)

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Mar 06, 2011 Jan rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance, z-2011, contemporary-romance

I like sportsromances, but I don't know a lot about Football, I'm more of a rugby fan. But lets face it, I totally picked this up because of the yummylicious cover. Even if I normally prefer the lanky type over the mussled mountains.

I really liked both Mike and Tara. Both have led less than perfect lives - Tara through her hard youth and upbringing, Mike through his own mistakes as a teenage hotshot. I really liked how both had overcome these issues and shaped their lives, even if occasionally t...more I like sportsromances, but I don't know a lot about Football, I'm more of a rugby fan. But lets face it, I totally picked this up because of the yummylicious cover. Even if I normally prefer the lanky type over the mussled mountains.

I really liked both Mike and Tara. Both have led less than perfect lives - Tara through her hard youth and upbringing, Mike through his own mistakes as a teenage hotshot. I really liked how both had overcome these issues and shaped their lives, even if occasionally the past came back to haunt them.

I really bought the initial attraction and developement of the relationship. It all starts with a one night stand, so there's some hot lovin' right from the start, but the transition from falling in lust to falling in love was done really well.

I also liked how both their careers got in the way sometimes. Even when meeting the love of your life, a job is still a job and takes plenty of time, something romance novels dare to forget sometimes.

There's plenty of little conflicts and misunderstandings throughout the story, and I thought it was great they solved those without breaking up first. When the big conflict at the end does break them up, it was for reasons I totally could agree with. And even though I rooted for Mike when he gave his scheming agent her comeuppance I understood why that wasn't enough for Tara. I would have my doubts as well.

(The comeuppance is truly epic though, I could really feel all Mike's anger and worry that he might loose his family, and it was wonderful and I read it thrice over.)

For a sports romance there weren't a lot of locker room scenes - I missed the boys will be boys friendships which are the main reason I love sports romances so much. In fact, neither Tara or Mike seemed to have real friends, though Tara did have good co-workers. Tara herself has no family, and Mike isn't very close with his siblings either. This makes it harder to get to know the characters in their own environment, which is a shame.

The only relationship outside his family which Mike seemed to have was his agent Liz, who was a totaly bitch, and even though she apologized in the end, I didn't really buy it, and wouldn't be able to forgive her myself. I was surprised that she's supposed to be the heroine in the next book, because my dislike for her is very, very deep, and I can't see myself wanting to read her story.

I also thought it was strange that the big conflict they both worry about throughout the story - that their lifestyles are too different and don't really fit together - never really got handled. I do believe that they will make it in the end, but it also felt like their story wasn't told completely. I wouldn't have minded another 50 pages, which speaks for the characters and the author :) I guess that's my general conclusion about the book: I wouldn't mind more.

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Mar 03, 2011 Mojca rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: cover-hunkiness, jaci-burton, gr-author, contemporary-romance, sports-romance, own, couch-potato-challenge, monthly-challenge-read-march, a-z-friends-challenge, hb, part-of-a-series, series-play-by-play

Yes, I admit it, I bought this book for the cover, and the cover alone. Who cares what’s written, when you can drool over the cover, right? Wrong. Because though I went in with very low expectations (I guess with such a cover there will be plenty of wild-monkey sex and virtually no story), it still managed to disappoint me.

I was wrong at least on one account. This book actually had a plot that drew the story forward, and that plot wasn’t at all bad. I loved Mick’s perseverance (and Mick in gener...more Yes, I admit it, I bought this book for the cover, and the cover alone. Who cares what’s written, when you can drool over the cover, right? Wrong. Because though I went in with very low expectations (I guess with such a cover there will be plenty of wild-monkey sex and virtually no story), it still managed to disappoint me.

I was wrong at least on one account. This book actually had a plot that drew the story forward, and that plot wasn’t at all bad. I loved Mick’s perseverance (and Mick in general, of course), I liked Tara (every heroine that doesn’t fall into the whiny, self-centered, TSTL category is a gem for me), the fact she had a teenaged son and wasn’t picture perfect was an added bonus, I loved to hate Mick’s agent, I adored the family time, I adored Mick’s slow and steady seduction, and I understood at least most of Tara’s reservations about entering a relationship with him.

That said, this book had three major problems for me. The first one was the predictability. I know, I know, it’s categorized as a romance, a certain amount of predictability is implied, since we all know from the get-go how it’ll end. Unfortunately, when the reader is able to anticipate every single hurdle (from the hero’s “big secret”, every single heroine’s issue, every single heroine’s reaction and misconception, to the big boo-boo committed by the hero’s frigid and bitchy PR agent) you can safely say the story is too predictable for comfort.

The second problem was the amount of wild-monkey sex scenes. I cannot believe I’m writing this, but I felt there were a bit too much of those in this book. Too much and leading nowhere. They f***ed for the sake of f***ing, but, at least in my opinion, it didn’t contribute to the story, to their growth, to their relationship. And it was always the same, bar the last scene (in the last few pages!), fast, furious, a little angsty…Sheesh, I wanted to see some passion, some sensuality, some meaningful sex...Alas, I didn’t get it, so I started skipping the sex scenes to concentrate on the story.

And the third problem were the style inconsistencies throughout the story. It actually read like a contribution of two different authors as far as language-use went. In “normal” circumstances Mick and Tara were two normal individuals you meet on the street every day, calm, rational, having rather deep conversations about their lives, their families, etc. Normal and pleasant. Unfortunately, they went all porn stars when they were alone and doing the horizontal (and sometimes vertical) Cucaracha. While I could’ve forgiven a few slips, it happened every effing time and it was jarring.

So, while I enjoyed most of the story and loved the characters, the above-mentioned three problems keep me from giving this one a higher rating. And I’ll probably end my Play By Play reading career with this (first) story. I’m not really interested in what will happen to Gavin, especially since his heroine will be Liz (the Ogress), no matter what his cover looks like.(less)

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Mar 02, 2011 Mahlet rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: eagerly-anticipating, erotic-romance, athletes-sports, series

ummmmm....that's quite possible one of the BEST COVERS EVER!!! *fans-self*
I love the premise, too. Something to look forward to :D
----------------------------------------
actual review:

You can’t deny…this sport-themed contemporary has one of the hottest romance covers. EVER. But I actually enjoyed the story, too, despite occasional irritations with the heroine.

First off, I’m not huge American football fan. I only enjoy high pressured games towards the end of the NFL playoffs, and I occasionally...more ummmmm....that's quite possible one of the BEST COVERS EVER!!! *fans-self*
I love the premise, too. Something to look forward to :D
----------------------------------------
actual review:

You can’t deny…this sport-themed contemporary has one of the hottest romance covers. EVER. But I actually enjoyed the story, too, despite occasional irritations with the heroine.

First off, I’m not huge American football fan. I only enjoy high pressured games towards the end of the NFL playoffs, and I occasionally get excited about the Superbowl matchups. But like author Susan Elizabeth Phillips’ Chicago Stars series, The Perfect Play had just a small sprinkle of football scenes & lingo. This book remains focused on the developing romance between San Diego Sabers’ star quarterback Mick Riley and single mom and “event planning” business owner Tara Lincoln.

Mick comes from an Irish family that’s blessed him with an irresistible combination of jet black hair and gorgeous blue eyes. He’s nearly 30 years old, just like Tara, so he’s feeling the pressure of the new young and eager backup recruits just salivating at the opportunity to step in. His aggressive but talented publicist Liz (more on her later), has been throwing models & actresses at him for years. The photo ops get him on magazines and help fill those stadium seats, but Mick’s sick of the meaningless relationships and he’s yearning for something more.

Within the first chapter, this story jumps in with Mick’s seduction, something he’s not accustomed to. He begins flirting heavily with Tara while she’s overseeing the Sabers’ team party. With all the more glamorous beauties in attendance, she can’t quite believe he’s even attracted to her, so it’s a big ego boost any woman would enjoy. Tara does her best to keep it professional that night, but when Mick surprises her by waiting hours for her – until all her job duties are complete and even all the hired staff have gone home- the chemistry and conversation continues upstairs in his suite…Later, Tara pulls a gangster disappearing act in the morning that had me cheering :)

Tara’s had her one fantasy night with a hot NFL star – and even though it was the most incredible night of sex in her life – she wants nothing more from him because she’s afraid Mick will quickly get bored or toss her aside once the regular football season kicks in. But like his athleticism, Mick’s persistence pays off. He begins inserting himself into all aspects of her life, even developing a relationship with her teenage son, Nathan. Tara’s doubt and hesitancy continue to plague the relationship. But you have to cut her some slack as a protective mother coming from rough beginnings. She’s never before introduced a man she’s dating to her son. And the almost hero-worship her son feels towards Mick is enough to make any woman nervous. Breakups are bad enough, but when your son's heart is clearly involved? Even worse.

My annoyance with Tara came from her blaming Mick or her relationship for ridiculous things – like her son getting drunk at a party. Tara’s line of thinking and her often brash reactions irritated me, but Mick’s patience and just general yumminess more than made up for it. He’s not a selfish lover – which is what you’d expect from a star athlete who never has to work for it. I would say the length and style of these love scenes falls somewhere in between romance and erotic romance. Not quite 15 pagers or anything like that, but they do escalate in boldness as the story progresses and the scenes were evenly spread throughout :)

My only complaint with Mick was him making one too many comparisons of Tara and the other women he usually dates. Don’t get me wrong – it’s about how Tara’s different in a good way and all completely complimentary. For Mick, it’s usually shallow women chasing him and relationships just for show and PR (beneficial to both sides he admits). With Tara, she’s a competent, independent business woman who isn’t even interested in a relationship with him. Still, there was just one too many comparisons to past lovers/dates. Women don’t like to hear about how they compare to other women you’ve dated…even if it’s good.

The best part about this story was that Burton convinced me that this hot shot athlete had really fallen in love and wanted to settle down. As a bonus, we get to know the series’ next heroine, Liz, who has a bitchy, cutthroat exterior but some depth lurking underneath. The preview contained in the back of this book was very hot and explicit and one of the biggest TEASE teasers I’ve ever read. I can’t believe she stopped there! I’m definitely continuing this series with Changing the Game. (less)

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Feb 03, 2013 Pınar rated it 1 of 5 stars

Bu kitapla ilgili söyleyebileceğim şey bayağı olur sanırım. Rachel'dan sonra sporcu karakterlere alternatif olur diye düşünmüştüm ama feci şekilde yanılmışım. E. L. James'e laf etmiş biri olarak bu kitabı beğenmemin mümkümatı yok. Hele son 100 sayfası o kadar kötüydü ki iyice atlayarak okudum. Kitaplarda cinsellik olmasına alıştık ama bunun üzerine oynanıp araya bir iki konu sıkıştırmak yanlış ve cidden okuduklarım arasında en iğrençlerinden biriydi. Sadece gri gibi yarım bırakmayıp zorla da ols...more

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Feb 10, 2011 Kathrynn rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance-contemporary, erotic, nook, own, 2011, reviewed, theme-hero_heartthrob, theme-heroine_hard_to_like, theme-heroine_tstl, theme-sportsstar

A very nice looking cover helped inspire me to read The Perfect Play, and it was my first NookColor book! The story had so much potential and was moving along very nicely, but the heroine "totally" ruined "it" for me.

Set in 2010ish, Mick (Michael) Riley was a famous quarterback for a fictitious football team and Tara Lincoln was an "event planner." I thought too much filler for Tara's job bogged down the story. Tara and Mick met and sparks flew--this was an erotic read. Plenty of steamy scenes....more

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Feb 03, 2011 Guilty Pleasures rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle-amazon, re-read-ebook, top-of-the-top-favorites

MICK...makes me think "OH MICKEY YOUR SO FINE" =)

This book went straight to the top as one of my favorties.

Mick is super sexy, super caring with a secret that made me fall even more in love with him. I fell in love with him when the cover first came out, who wouldn't ;)

Tara - WOW, what a strong woman and the way she grew up and the results were amazing!!! I can relate to most of her feelings and thoughts about Nathan.

I read this book on the coldest night of the year yet and it definitely kept m...more

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Dec 29, 2010 Holly rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 144-books-in-2010, december-2010, read-in-2010

I really struggled with the first few chapters of this book. I had to work hard to suspend disbelief when it came to the actions and opinions of both main characters. I'm glad I persevered because the novel turned out very well, but the overall conflict still bothered me somewhat.

I liked that both Mick and Tara had baggage - it wasn't just one or the other. The chemistry between the two was off the charts, but there was a lot of emotional depth there, too.

3 likes · like · see review

Oct 04, 2011 Pamela(AllHoney) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: athletes-sports, contemporary-romance, the-habanero-shelf, 1st-in-series, my-4-star-romances

A hot and spicy read. It wasn't bad when I could actually tear myself away from the cover long enough to read.

3 likes · like · see review

Aug 03, 2011 Crystal ♥ RBtWBC rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: best-of-2011, all-time-favorites, genre-erotic-romance, length-novel, rating-5-star

Jaci Burton delivers a riveting tale of absolute perfection in The Perfect Play; with a romance so captivating it will steal your breath!

Mick Riley is the star quarterback of the San Francisco Sabers but at the age of thirty he is starting to feel the strain and must work twice as hard to keep in the game. Never having to chase a woman though, Mick is intrigued when Tara Lincoln shows up. Seemingly uninterested in his star status, Mick turns on the charm and finds more than just a beautiful woma...more Jaci Burton delivers a riveting tale of absolute perfection in The Perfect Play; with a romance so captivating it will steal your breath!

Mick Riley is the star quarterback of the San Francisco Sabers but at the age of thirty he is starting to feel the strain and must work twice as hard to keep in the game. Never having to chase a woman though, Mick is intrigued when Tara Lincoln shows up. Seemingly uninterested in his star status, Mick turns on the charm and finds more than just a beautiful woman under the surface but someone he can have an actual conversation with, not like the other women constantly being thrown his way. After a wild night in his hotel suite Mick wants more, lots more, but he must convince Tara that the passion they shared deserves more than just one night.

Being a young single mom with a difficult past and a new small business, Tara Lincoln doesn’t have time for a relationship. Her son, Nathan, and her career come first and leave little time for anything else so when NFL player Mick Riley hits on her at the team party her company organized Tara sees nothing more than a fun one night stand. But when Mick comes back for more and won’t take no for an answer, Tara can’t refuse.

Losing their selves in the summer and the off season, Mick and Tara are just having a good time. When feelings start to deepen though and their relationship turns serious, can Tara trust and depend on him when so many have let her down in the past? And can Mick come to terms with his feelings for Tara and reveal his past, or will she run when Tara finds that Mick’s perfect veneer hides a painful secret?

This is my first read from author Jaci Burton and I am proud to say that after reading this, I am her newest stalker. J The Perfect Play has been on my TBR list for a while now, long before its release, when the cover was first revealed. I mean, can you say drool worthy or what? This my friends was not a cover to be regulated to my Nook, no, it was a cover to be licked *ahem* I mean looked at up close and in person. So after a rather embarrassing, and now laughable, incident in the book store with my two young children I finally purchased The Perfect Play and being a cover hussy has never paid off as much as it has with this stellar novel! The only words I could spit out of my mouth after reading this was ‘Wow’ and it has taken me almost two months and a re-read to get an intelligible review out, it was that damn good.

Mick Riley is perfect in every. Single. Way. I mean seriously ladies: 1. Sexy as hell. 2. Driven. 3. Rich. 4. Star quarterback – hello! 5. Good with kids. 6. Understanding 7. Everything you could wish for between the sheets. 8. Protective. 9. Smart. I can go on but let me just say that he is your fantasy of the perfect male come true. And Jaci Burton has created his character in such a masterful way you aren’t rolling your eyes at his perfection, you’re swooning over it!
Tara is quite plainly a woman to admire; rising from practically the streets and becoming a successful business woman and a wonderful mother purely on her own ambition and determination.

The plot was emotional and highly erotic, only emphasizing my total inability to put this book down. The main character’s, Mick and Tara’s, passion is palpable in each scene together, leading to mind blowing love scenes that will leave you weak in the knees and panting for more. I was enthralled by their relationship and character development; laughing at their witty banter, my heart breaking with their struggles and fist pumping the air when they finally got it right. The secondary characters of Tara’s friends and Mick’s family added a fabulous dimension to the story, each capturing a bit of my heart and I cannot wait to see more of them in future installments. Jaci Burton has woven deep and rich characters along with the world built around them, giving readers a swift moving plot that never allows for a lull in the story and is relatable to readers.

The Perfect Play has earned a Best of 2011 spot here and is a must read that I will be recommending to anyone and everyone I encounter and raving about for a long time to come! Fun, exciting, romantic and sexy as all get outl; this book had everything I was looking for and more! Seriously though; you want this book, you need this book, you must have this book. Now go forth my book loving friends and purchase it today!

Note: This is an erotic romance consisting of scorching five-alarm-fire love scenes that will have you sweating and in need of a cold shower.

http://readingbetweenthewinesbookclub...(less)

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Apr 05, 2011 Isis FG rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Isis FG by: previously read author

Shelves: published-2011, format-trade-pb, 2011, info-full, reviewed, genre-romance-erotic, series-play-by-play, stars-3-5, condition-new, bought-barnesnoble

To follow the thoughts of many other reviews...WHAT A COVER! I mean, wow. I just wanted to keep flipping back to stare at the yumminess ;) And hey, the book was pretty good, too. Maybe not a favorite among Jaci Burton's books, but it was decent.

Series:
First book in Burton's "Play By Play" series...which is a sports-centered erotic romance series.

Summary:
Mick Riley is the star quarterback for San Francisco's football team. he's getting older now and no longer wants all the partying and women that...more

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Nov 11, 2012 Natasha ツ marked it as did-not-finish

One word... meh :(

Sorry GR friends, but I just couldn't get into this one. I am disappointed, because I wanted to like this one. I love the premise of the story: hot football star that is tired of being setup with models/actresses and falls in love with a single mom that has a teenage boy.

I just didn't connect with the heroine or hero and didn't find the chemistry between them believable.

DNF (55%).. maybe I will give it another go after my current books.

2 likes · like · see review

Dec 03, 2011 Linds rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010s, contemp-romance, read-in-2011, sports, romance, this-book-sucks, alcohol-drugs

This book scored really high on the Goodreads best of 2011 romance list, so I was looking forward to it. I'm really out of step with everyone else because I thought this was a really cliche, flat, with two dimensional characters.

The hero is a football star. He's gorgeous, talented, sweet, rich, modest, loves his family, and is perfect in every way. There's nothing wrong with a "perfect" guy like this falling for a normal woman, that can make a great story. But the author gives no catalyst, no r...more

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Sep 09, 2012 Lazy Jeff rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-read, contemporary, erotica

Never ever make this book your one night stand! Yeah, you’ll get a lot of hot sex which at some point will get boring and will exhaust you. You’ll come out disappointed and feeling betrayed because you’ll feel like something was missing. You should date with the book. My guess, five of six dates will be the perfect solution. Date with this book, make it your holiday love affair. In this case, it’ll work as it should.

I was reading ‘The Perfect Play’ for 5 days, each time for couples of hours befo...more Never ever make this book your one night stand! Yeah, you’ll get a lot of hot sex which at some point will get boring and will exhaust you. You’ll come out disappointed and feeling betrayed because you’ll feel like something was missing. You should date with the book. My guess, five of six dates will be the perfect solution. Date with this book, make it your holiday love affair. In this case, it’ll work as it should.

I was reading ‘The Perfect Play’ for 5 days, each time for couples of hours before I finally went to sleep. It was like TV-series every day: they meet, they have sex, they resolve some problem and… to be continued. I know for sure, I would have given up this book if I had had it as my weekend read with two free days ahead. The problem is, there’s so much sex that you start to feel like there’s no plot. But it is. End it’s good, actually.

Tara Lincoln is the single mother with the teenager son, she works as event planner and organizes a huge party for the NFL team. Mick Riley is quarterback of that team, the famous athlete and big womanizer whose face appears regularly on the magazine covers. Their romance starts as a quick bang but slowly grows into something a lot more. Steel-magnolia-Tara turns out to be fearful, vulnerable and, yeah, jumping to conclusions type and Mick reveals himself as a caring, mature man, who has huge inner strength to fight his own demons. The plot is nothing extraordinary: they see each other, they fall for each other and try to figure out what exactly do they want and how can they get it.

The thing is I do love the heroes who jump to conclusions. Hahaha, yeah, I do! Guilty as charged. I guess, I like the drama of the action when some hypothetical ‘she’ sees some hypothetical ‘him’ with another woman and all her world crashes (they are highly hypothetical personages *winking*). Then she learns that all that wasn’t what she thought - so everything is okay now. It means that nothing bad happened in reality. The bad thing happened only in one’s head. I guess, for me the ‘head’ bad is always better than ‘real’ bad. It means the hypothetical hero remains decent.

I loved the supporting characters of ‘The Perfect Play’. In that moral-supporting team we have Mick’s brother Gavin, baseball player and lady-killer, who provides the brother/friend shoulder to Mick to cry on and stimulates him with agitation speeches like ‘go get her, dickhead!’. On our side also play: Mick’s sister Jenna The Though Bartender, Mick’s parents and Nathan, Tara’s son, who’s there to show how good Mick is with kids. For the rival team plays Liz, Mick’s and Gavin’s agent who doesn’t want Tara anywhere next to Mick. I don’t think there’s some reasonable human being who’s able to love her (in the first book, anyway). Everyone thinks she’s a heartless bitch and she does everything to keep that title.

In the second half of the book there’re a lot of quite emotional moments: when Tara jumps to conclusion and dismisses Mick for the first time; when Mick reveals his secret; when Tara jumps to conclusions and dumps Mick for the second time (Gee, poor guy, he gets a lot of shit from her to deal with), when Liz tries to destroy Mick and Tara relationship and Mick goes very harsh at her. Yeah, there’s a plot and it’s quite strong :) I’m eager to read the second in the series. I even read the sneak peek (usually I don’t do that) and was so frustrated – one cannot end the sneak peek at the moment like that – that’s inhumanly violent!!! LOL
(less)

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Feb 02, 2011 Robin *loves sexy books* rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

Loved it!! Jaci can do no wrong. Can't wait fir the next book. I hope Mick and Gavins sister gets one too, she was cool.

Mick was sweet and funny and I loved him with Tara. I couldn't put it down.

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Should LIZ be forgiven by mick and Tara in the end??	13	83	Feb 24, 2013 01:18pm
next book realease	3	38	Dec 05, 2012 02:44am
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Dangerous Hero Ad...: April Group Read: The Perfect Play by Jaci Burton Spoilers	11	57	Apr 15, 2012 11:55pm

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