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The Player and the Pretender

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Playing the Player is a sexy fake relationship rom com with pro football player Miles Williams and a feisty private investigator.

262 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 7, 2022

60 people are currently reading
63 people want to read

About the author

Erin McCarthy

215 books4,821 followers
USA Today and New York Times Bestselling author Erin McCarthy sold her first book in 2002 and has since written over a hundred novels and novellas in teen fiction, new adult, and adult romance. Erin has a special weakness for high-heeled boots, beaches and martinis. She lives in Ohio with her family, two grumpy cats and a socially awkward dog.

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5 stars
85 (38%)
4 stars
84 (37%)
3 stars
43 (19%)
2 stars
10 (4%)
1 star
1 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
Profile Image for Sabrina.
4,217 reviews2,384 followers
June 19, 2022
Get it here:
Amazon US * Amazon UK

I've enjoyed this series so far, and I liked this one as well. But something felt like it was missing in this story and it started to drag at times. The characters were fun to read about, though, and I'm definitely looking forward to reading more from some of the side characters.
Profile Image for Robin Reviewer.
995 reviews13 followers
June 21, 2022
Boring and filled with irritating banter - read on KU

I enjoyed most of book 1. I liked the characters in book 2 and liked that we were starting to see the group together but found the story to be pretty boring. I liked the banter in book 3 but also found the story to be lacking. The story in this book is bad. I don't like either character. I especially don't like Toni. She's too prickly. It seems she does things just to be irritating. I'm not sure what either person saw in the other. I got about 60% of the way through and couldn't do it any longer. By that point, they hadn't even done anything with his stalker, which could have been really interesting.

This story just drags on and in with no chemistry and no promise of anything to make it better. It even had a lackluster ending. The sex scenes were even less interesting than her average ones. I absolutely do not know how this author gets the ratings she does. This is the 4th book of hers I've read. The best was average. The others subpar.

She also needs to work on grammar. She makes a lot of errors with personal pronouns. "Me" should never be used as the subject. And the expression is "couldn't care less." If you state you "could care less" tha means you care some. The point is to say you don't care at all. I think she has made this mistake in two of the four books in this series.
Profile Image for Jennifer Artiles.
465 reviews6 followers
April 26, 2022
Miles and Toni

This is an upbeat story in The Legends series that has its serious side as well. The characters are fun with witty dialogue and real-life problems. The only issue I had was with the spelling, incorrect word usage and punctuation in several places. Still highly recommended.
1,426 reviews9 followers
April 15, 2022
Laugh out loud funny

This story of Toni and Miles is FABULOUS!!! I laughed, cringed, cheered and squealed throughout this read. Erin McCarthy is on top of her game! A fun, flirty and a wee bit dirty read!
708 reviews3 followers
January 27, 2023
Good story

Toni is the youngest of three girls and the shortest. She works as a PI with a group of her guy friends. She meets Miles by accident at a Halloween party. The dynamic between the two is instantly comical. Their story made me laugh and swoon.
737 reviews
February 11, 2023
I have enjoyed the entire Legends series and this one was so much fun. I loved Toni and Miles, they’re crazy meet cute and all. I thought their banter and chemistry was so good. A few twists for drama and I was hooked from beginning to end. Ni would definitely recommend this series to others.
Profile Image for Leslie.
142 reviews1 follower
May 22, 2022
Started out fun but the storyline was rather silly and for some reason Miles and Toni together were dull. Also I don’t think the supporting characters got enough development.
Profile Image for Johanna.
1,271 reviews36 followers
November 28, 2023
LOVED!

This was so fun! Their relationship blossomed so fast and it was so beautiful to watch.

They fit so well together ❤️❤️❤️

It was fun to see the precursor to Cash and Sera’s story also and put it all into perspective since I had read their story first lol

While all of these stories technically stand alone going back and reading the three I hadn’t read yet in rapid succession has all the pieces fitting together lol

Great story and a great series
Profile Image for Karen.
587 reviews
May 4, 2022
I loved Miles and Toni's story. It was funny, hot, intense, and did I mention hot!!

These two are couple goals but it takes a minute to get there.

Miles is a professional football player and Toni is a private investigator. They meet while at a Halloween party, Miles is a guest and Toni is on assignment. Little did they both know that that night they would become inseparable. Miles is not used to be told no, he loves the chase, Toni has many rules when it comes to dating, but she wants to break them all when it comes to Miles.

These two are HOT, HOT, HOT!! They burn up the pages and know how to have fun too. I laughed, I cried, and swooned. I loved their love story and how sometimes it's ok to break the rules, especially your own when love is on the line.
Profile Image for Heather Caldwell.
181 reviews
October 4, 2025
Leather & Lark offers a fresh and intriguing story that blends rich characters with an atmospheric setting. The writing is engaging, and the plot unfolds in a way that kept me curious and invested throughout. The chemistry between the main characters feels authentic, adding depth to the narrative.

While a few parts felt a bit slow, the overall story was satisfying and well-paced. The blend of themes and emotions made this book stand out in its genre.

If you’re looking for something different with heart and nuance, Leather & Lark is definitely worth a read.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews

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