RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars
DON’T GAME ME (The Game Lords Book 2) by Zoe Forward is the second romantic suspense in The Game Lords series. I have been anxiously waiting to see what Symphis would do next to try to destroy NJ Legacy and its owners and I was not disappointed. The characters are all involved in the world of video gaming, creating and programming video games and I am not, but the romance and suspense plot are the focus of the story and kept me intrigued and turning the pages.
Becca Harrison is a brilliant programmer. She took a job in California to separate herself from her brother, Noah and his best friend, Jake who created NJ Legacy together and made it one of the premier gaming companies. When Becca becomes involved with an illegal gaming consortium, they blackmail her into using her new spy program to steal financial information from her brother’s company.
Becca is to return home to attend Noah and Tori’s wedding and Symphis has demanded she do anything necessary to get close to her brother’s business partner, Jake to get the financial information she needs to destroy NJ Legacy. Becca has always secretly wanted Jake, but if she does what Symphis wants she knows she will only have one night with Jake.
Jake Allen has a reputation. He is a rich, brilliant businessman, but he only does one-night stands with beautiful women. When Becca returns home and asks Jake to be her wedding hook-up, he does not know what to do. He has secretly always wanted Becca, but he has been afraid of his past and of losing his best friend and the rest of the Harrison family if he crossed the line with Becca.
Becca and Jake have an attraction that neither can ignore, but Becca’s plans to protect her family leave no room for a future with Jake.
I enjoyed this second story in the series as much as the first. I felt the threat level was heightened even more in this book and the surprise twist involving Symphis in the end made me even more anxious for the next book in the series. Becca and Jake’s romance is hot and intense as they learn to trust in each other and reveal their secrets and fears. The sex scenes were explicit and yet tender as Jake was especially responsive to Becca’s insecurities. I did feel a bit irritated at times when Becca held too much back from Jake (and the reader) in regards to her actual actions and plans with the NSA and FBI and they were only revealed after the fact. It was great to reconnect with the characters from book 1 and it is best to read the books in order to follow the overall story arc that ties them all together.
Overall, this is another fast-paced, suspense filled romance in The Game Lords series and I will be waiting to see if Michael is the next Harrison pulled into Symphis’ nefarious plan.