We often get romances between an athlete and pop star, but I’ve never read one between between their publicists! So I was definitely intrigued by Playing for Keeps. Today I want to tell you about the book and what I thought!
A big thank you to Netgalley and Avon for providing me with an eARC to read and review. This doesn’t affect my opinion in any way.
Lambda Literary Award winner and national bestselling author Alexandria Bellefleur returns with a steamy Sapphic rom-com about two rival publicists who are forced to work together when their mega-famous clients—a popstar and a quarterback—begin to date.
Poppy Peterson’s life is finally back on track and she’s thriving as the publicist of the NFL’s most promising quarterback (and her childhood best friend), Cash Curran. So, she doesn’t appreciate when he makes an impulsive and public pass at America’s popstar darling, Lyric Adair. When Lyric’s notorious publicist Rosaline Sinclair reaches out, Poppy is ready to face her wrath, but instead learns that Lyric is equally interested.
As Cash and Lyric embark on their ill-advised whirlwind romance, Poppy and Rosaline are forced together, each determined to protect their own client from the other. Poppy is frustrated by Rosaline’s cool demeanor, while at the same time, as a legend in the industry, she’s determined to impress her. But, no matter what she does, she can’t shake the feeling that Rosaline doesn’t like her.
That is until one steamy night, when the two women contend with their unexpected feelings and begin a messy romance of their own. But with paparazzi, tabloids, and stalker fans nipping at their heels, Poppy and Rosaline’s loyalties will be tested in ways they could never expect.
A high energy, Sapphic, and deeply sexy romance, Playing for Keeps has everything listeners expect from Alexandria Bellefleur and more!
Review
Playing for Keeps is a romance between two publicists and that’s definitely something I haven’t read before. I’m used to stories between the athletes and stars who have publicists. I enjoyed the pop culture references, blog articles, and parts of Twitter feeds we got throughout the story. This felt very realistic of how the world is and I love things like that incorporated into books.
Poppy is new to the job as publicist and when her NFL player best friend ends up dating a popular pop artist, things get serious. She has to start working with Rosaline, who is more experienced and very protective of her client. I loved the mix of them dealing with Cash and Lyric while also slowly getting close. The tension definitely jumps off the page and I enjoyed them together.
I will be honest and say I missed having Rosaline’s POV. I’m someone who prefers dual POV when it comes to romances. Also, the third act break up felt a bit much for me. It didn’t feel necessary. All in all, I did have a great time with these characters and I’ll definitely continue reading Alexandria Bellefleur’s books.
Even though this wasn’t my favorite book by this author, I still had a great time reading Playing for Keeps. Have you read any books with a publicists romance? Let me know in the comments. I’d love to hear from you!
