Series Name: Playing for Keeps, # 4
Review By Veronica
Fall With Me is a fun and swoonastic conclusion to the Playing for Keeps series.
Favourite Quote:
“C’mon, honey,” he murmurs, the soft words carrying across the frigid air, warming parts of me that have no business being warmed. He holds his hand out to me. “Get in the fucking car.”
Goodreads Synopsis:
It was supposed to be a one-night stand. But what if they can’t leave it in the past?
Jaxon Riley is exceptional at three things: starting fights on the ice, picking up women post-game, and going home to fulfill his role as the world’s best cat dad. Relationships, unfortunately, missed the list.
Lennon Hayes is supposed to be on her honeymoon. Instead, she’s alone and single, vacationing next door to a surly tattooed man who ran his date off the resort. When a run-in at the bar results in a night of bickering and cocktails, she finds herself tumbling into bed with the enemy next door, then sneaking out before the sun comes up.
Lennon’s plan to start over in a new city is going great, until she starts her new job. The job? The Vancouver Vipers’ new photographer. And the defenseman scowling at her from across the room? The one-night stand she wasn’t supposed to see again. Good thing neither of them are looking for anything serious… Right?
Jaxon may not be used to falling, but if he’s going to go, he refuses to go alone. If he falls, he wants Lennon to fall with him.
This series has been a wonderful and fun roller coaster ride. I’m sad that it’s over. This is the final book in the Playing for Keeps series; it can be read as a stand-alone. But I would highly recommend reading the first three books before diving into this book. The reason why I suggest this is because, one, they are fabulous, and two, the MCs from the previous books play a large role in this book, and it might be handy to have that background knowledge to help you keep up with what is going on in this book. This is another beast of a book; it’s just shy of 500 pages. But reading it doesn’t feel like you are reading a book with that many pages in it. This book is so easy to sink into and flows perfectly. It really is an easy, breezy book to fall into. A lot is going on in this story. You have the growing relationship between Lennon and Jaxon; then you have the past MCs’ side stories; then there are the hockey elements; and finally, the drama with Lennon’s ex-fiancé. There is always something going on to keep your attention.
Fall with Me (and all the other books in this series) is for those bookworms who like their romances spicy. There is a lot of banging going on in this book; there is lots of dialogue around banging and dirty talk, not just between Jaxon and Lennon but among all the characters. The core group in this series do not hold anything back when it comes to that dirty talk banter. So if spice and dirty talk aren’t your thing, then I would give this book a pass. The banter in this book is banana pants, which is crazy at times. If you are familiar with this series, then you know that whenever Carter or Cara are on the page, you are in for some craziness. These two characters have larger-than-life personalities, and you never know what they are going to do or say, especially Carter. They are great, fun characters and are sure to make you laugh. It was wonderful getting to hang out with past MCs and seeing what they have been up to. Whenever this group is together, chaos and crazy antics happen.
The final book follows the last man standing, aka Jaxon, who refuses to follow in his friend’s footsteps and fall in love. He loves being a cat dad and doesn’t want to let anyone get too close to him. Well, we all know that the universe has other plans for him. Lennon, who literally has just gotten out of a toxic relationship, also isn’t looking for love. What she wants is to find herself again and reignite that spark she lost. She wants to find her place in this world and make friends. These two first cross paths while in Mexico. Lennon is on her honeymoon (alone), and Jaxon is relaxing during his mini break during the hockey season. The sparks fly between these two right away. The banter between these two is sharp, witty, and fast. They keep each other on their toes and don’t hold back. After a few too many drinks, they have a one-stand that they will never forget, and they go their separate ways. But any romance bookworm knows that these two will, of course, cross paths again. And they do. Lennon has just taken a job with the team Jaxon plays for, and after a series of unfortunate events, Lennon becomes Jaxon’s roommate.
First, I have to quickly talk about Jaxon as a cat dad. My heart just exploded with happiness whenever Jaxon and Mitts were together. They had the purrrfect furry relationship. Mitts was an adorable and feisty feline. I also adored the fact that Mitts fell in love with Lennon right from the moment that he saw her. The mini-competition that started between Jaxon and Lennon for who could cuddle with Mitts the most was adorable.
I love this story. The relationship between Lennon and Jaxon was perfection. They have this weird frenemy thing going on between them. It makes for great banter and swoony moments. Both of them have no intentions of falling in love, which means they fight any feelings they begin to have for each other pretty hard. Poor, Jaxon really fights the good fight right until the bitter end. If you love a roommate-to-lover situation, then you will enjoy the book. Being roommates means there are plenty of opportunities for banging, and these two take advantage of those opportunities. But besides all the lusty spice, there are also tones of sweet and quiet moments between these two characters. Jaxon tries to come off as this gruff guy who has no feelings. But he is a big old softy. There are so many moments when he does something so surprising and sweet for Lennon that just had my heart melting. As we get to know Jaxon better, you start to see that some trauma from his past is the reason for him keeping everyone at arm’s length. He really is terrified of losing those he loves or being replaced by those he loves. My heart went out to him, and I just wanted to hug him. It was wonderful watching as those walls started to come down, and the constant and dependable love Lennon has for Jaxon really heals him.
Lennon is a fun, sassy, smart heroine. Her ex-fiancé was a real asshole and really messed with her head. It was great watching Lennon find her passion for life again and doing what she wanted to do. She took back control of her life and started living. It was sweet watching her make new friends with the girls from the core group of friends. Jaxon was also perfect for her. He constantly showed her how amazing and remarkable she was. It was great watching her bloom.
The romance in this book was hot, which is to be expected in a Becka Mack book. If you love a one-night stand, roommates to lovers, golden retriever heroes, frenemies to lovers, cat dad, and found family, then this book is for you. Jaxon and Lennon’s love story was everything that I hoped it would be. These two are super flirty, and I loved watching as their witty and sharp banter kept each other on their toes. Both characters stubbornly fight those big feelings, but gosh, even without admitting they love each other, these two will do anything for the other. They both love with all their hearts, and those romantic gestures (that Jaxon insists aren’t romantic) were so sweet and kind. Watching these two grow closer became a bit of an obsession for me. Everything about them clicks, and you just want them to give in to those lovely dovey feelings.
Fall with Me is a romance bursting with spice, laughter, and found family. If you are looking for a romance book and series to get lost in this summer, I highly recommend giving Becka Mack’s Playing for Keeps series a try.
Thank you, Simon and Schuster Canada for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
