5 reviews for:

Playing to Win

L.M. Reid

4.07 AVERAGE

danii1503's review

5.0

After previously meeting at a party in which Ashton panics and throws Claire out. They meet again 3 years later.

Ashton is mourning the person he believes his heart belongs to but he knows that what he felt the first time he laid eyes on Claire that first night was special.

Ashton plays to win and  he intends to win over Claire

Playing to win is an enemies to lovers/ fake romance but only one of them is faking

I love how the author manages to get more than one trope into the stories. I always enjoy reading books from this author and look forward to reading more from her in the future.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

read_on_reader's review

5.0

Ashton and Claire have a tad bit of a history that ended in disaster so when her friends try to fix them up she can’t help but let all her anger she has held for him out. Ashton has never forgotten his night with Claire she was special to him and it scared him because he has secrets. Ashton’s secrets still haunt him and he has never really recovered from his grief yet he can’t help the way he feels towards Claire and he wants to be with her more than anything but can he truly be with her? Claire hates she still has feelings for Ashton after all these years but the time she spent dating her ex was way worse so when Ashton steps up to help her surely they can pretend date to throw her ex off or will Ashton play to win her over? Their back and forth was fun to read yet it also hurt to see Ashton hurt over her words and the way Claire kept pushing him away, yet Ashton can’t seem to let her in all the way. This book was sweet, fun, and emotional because of his past Ashton held onto to so much, he loved Claire but never turned to her and kept running from her. He hurt her so many times it was frustrating and made me hurt for her, so I was happy she was there for him yet refused to play second best to a ghost. The ending and epilogue sealed the deal for me because we got to see Ashton moving forward and showing Claire how much she truly meant to him and we see Claire loving him with everything she has.

read_on_reader's review against another edition

5.0

Ashton and Claire have a tad bit of a history that ended in disaster so when her friends try to fix them up she can’t help but let all her anger she has held for him out. Ashton has never forgotten his night with Claire she was special to him and it scared him because he has secrets. Ashton’s secrets still haunt him and he has never really recovered from his grief yet he can’t help the way he feels towards Claire and he wants to be with her more than anything but can he truly be with her? Claire hates she still has feelings for Ashton after all these years but the time she spent dating her ex was way worse so when Ashton steps up to help her surely they can pretend date to throw her ex off or will Ashton play to win her over? Their back and forth was fun to read yet it also hurt to see Ashton hurt over her words and the way Claire kept pushing him away, yet Ashton can’t seem to let her in all the way. This book was sweet, fun, and emotional because of his past Ashton held onto to so much, he loved Claire but never turned to her and kept running from her. He hurt her so many times it was frustrating and made me hurt for her, so I was happy she was there for him yet refused to play second best to a ghost. The ending and epilogue sealed the deal for me because we got to see Ashton moving forward and showing Claire how much she truly meant to him and we see Claire loving him with everything she has.

mhmhoneyreads's review against another edition

4.0

This is my favorite of the "Making the Play" series so far! Your heart really goes out to Ashton. He was such a sweet man who was dealing with the heartbreak and pain of his past. Claire was the perfect girl to show him how to live again. This book followed the tropes of: enemies to lovers, second chance romance, and fake date. While the 3rd book it can be read as a stand alone. I definitely recommend this book!

sparklebunny's review against another edition

emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

5.0

Holy guacamole Batman! Talk about an amazing series. Each book in L.M. Reid’s Making the Play series somehow surpasses the last! 

Just a heads up, Playing to Win takes place during the same time period as Playing the Field. It had my goldfish brain a tad confused at first so I thought it be good to point out for other goldfish brains. Haha! 

I swear for someone who hadn’t ever read a fake dating book before Feb of 2022 I just can’t seem to get enough of this series! The characters in each book are captivating and you truly become invested in each couple’s story. 

I must admit that I didn’t check to see who’s story this would be going in… Funny enough tho I had been hoping for Ashton and Claire to get together after meeting Ashton in Playing the Field. I still never would’ve suspected the way their story went tho, and I do love to be surprised! 

Playing to Win was honestly even better than I ever could’ve imagined. I loved the heartbreak, okay that’s a lie I wasn’t a fan of crying at midnight in my living room. Even with the emotional damage, I still found Ashton’s backstory beautifully written and well executed. (You can make me cry anytime you want L.M. Reid!) I REALLY did love watching him heal and watching Claire heal as well. While their pain may have been incredibly different they still healed each other in the end. I think that’s what made their story so beautiful if I’m being honest. Anyways I’m going to stop rambling now. If you haven’t already, I highly recommend reading this series!