Playing Dirty: Monkey Business Trio

C. L. Parker

May 2015 · Monkey Business Book 1 · Sold by Bantam

About this ebook

From C. L. Parker comes the start of an irresistible new series in which competition is the ultimate seduction.
 
“Loaded with wit and snark, great characters, and lots of hot, steamy, naughty sex, Playing Dirty is sure to satisfy.”—New York Times bestselling author J. Kenner

Shaw Matthews plays to win, and he intends to snag a coveted partnership at San Diego’s hottest sports agency by signing America’s top athlete. Only one woman stands in his way: rival agent Cassidy Whalen. But eliminating the competition will be Shaw’s pleasure when he concocts an ingenious plan to seduce Cassidy and show the beautiful ballbreaker who’s the better man for the job. That is, until Cassidy turns the tables—and their steamy encounters start breaking all the rules.
 
Cassidy has worked hard to make it in a man’s cutthroat arena, and she isn’t going down without a fight, not even against the six-two alpha hunk whose rock-hard body awakens desires she’s never known before. As Cassidy shares night after night of unending passion with Shaw, the game begins to change. Now Cassidy stands to lose everything—unless a fiery contest of wills can become a winning proposition for two people who keep raising the stakes.
 
Playing Dirty is intended for mature audiences.

Praise for Playing Dirty
 
“Fun, action-packed . . . Readers will be eager to read the sequel, hoping for more rough and dirty sexual acrobatics, friendship, backstabbing, and empathy.”—Publishers Weekly
 
“This snappy, sexy novel moves at breakneck speed, with abundant snark and sports euphemisms. . . . Parker’s penchant for dry humor and vivid, voracious sex scenes breathes life into a well-trodden premise.”—Library Journal
 
“Parker writes intense storylines that anyone can relate to. Her characters are complex, with long and sometimes turbulent pasts that they have overcome, that still continues to affect their present. . . . I cannot wait to see where she takes this new series.”—Fresh Fiction
 
“Playing Dirty is [a] top ten hottest book for this year.”—Under the Covers
 
“Smokin’ hot, toe-curling, yummilicious! Yup . . . just a few words to describe this hot, hot read.”—The Reading Cafe
 
“A story and characters that are unforgettable and equally super hot, intense and emotional!”—Collector of Book Boyfriends

Ratings and reviews

This book was fantastic. I just FLOVED the hero, the heroine and the whole story! Cassidy Whalen and Shaw Matthews have been at each others throats at work since Shaw started working at Striker Sports Entertainment. Both of them being sports agents they are very competitive and are constantly trying to one up each other. When one of the managing partners of the company decides to retire, the gauntlet is thrown down....between Cassidy and Shay, whomever gets Denver Rockford to agree to sign with the company and let them be his agent, will get the partnership. And the war begins..... These two were so entertaining trying to outwit the other. There were many laugh out loud moments between these two and their banter was just awesome. What these two didn't expect was to be attracted to each other because of the competition. They hated each other but still lusted after each other....and the sexy times were HOT! Shaw thinks she is and ice queen and has no emotions whatsoever. Cassidy thinks he is a playboy that flaunts his wealth. What neither of them realize is that they are both alike in so many ways. I loved the way their relationship progressed and how they slowly started to realize things about each other that they had taken for granted. I loved how each of their groups of friends, were also friends. When Denver's finally ready to make his decision, things change in a heartbeat because of call Cassidy receives from back home. She must now fly back to Stonington, Maine because of her mother. This doesn't sit well with Shaw. He doesn't know why she left, but he decides to hop a plane from San Diego and follow her. I was surprised by the big reveal at the end and also can't wait to see what happens next. I loved this story and just could not put it down!

Playing Dirty is a smart, tension filled, adrenaline charged, sensual read. I received an ARC for an honest review. From the very first you feel the heated sexual tension jump off the page. C.L. Parker does a exceptional job of drawing you in to this emotional tug of war between her two main characters. I also loved the first person narration and how it alternated between the two characters. Through the narration you were able to get the viewpoint straight from Shaw and Cassidy themselves. It added to the realism of the story. This was a very entertaining read that was well worth the time.

OK, I think I'm calm enough to write this review now. I've retrieved my kindle after it hit the wall at the end of this book! I didn't realize it had a cliffhanger and the story continues in the next book so be warned. That said, overall I really enjoyed this very steamy and well crafted story. The writing was great although I did think it was slightly drawn out. Really loved the characters too. The secondary characters really help make the story. The quick and witty banter between Shaw and Cassidy was hilarious at times. It was laugh out loud funny at times and heart touching at others. Overall a really good read and I would definitely recommend it.

About the author

C. L. Parker is a romance author who writes stories that sizzle. She’s a small-town girl with big-city dreams and enough tenacity to see them come to fruition. Having been the outgoing sort all her life—which translates to “she just wouldn’t shut the hell up”—it’s no wonder Parker eventually turned to writing as a way to let her voice, and those of the people living inside her head, be heard. She loves hard, laughs until it hurts, and lives like there’s no tomorrow. In her world, everything truly does happen for a reason.