139 reviews for:

Fair Game

Monica Murphy

3.53 AVERAGE


Loved this book! Jade is a tough heroine. She doesn't fall all over the campus hotshot, Shep. When Shep wins her in a game of poker, Jade makes sure he knows there is no way he owns her. Jade is a challenge to Shep who is use to getting ever girl he wants. I loved the banter between Shep and Jade which led to some great sexual tension. I really enjoyed this book and can't wait to read Gabe's story next!
emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Disappointing book. The same old bad boy falling for the good girl, only she is TSTL, lets him (and her ex boyfriend) use her .

I really liked this book. It sucked me in and I couldn't put it down. I loved both Jade and Shep and found them very enjoyable to read about. The writing flowed really well and was incredibly engaging. I loved that there wasn't any stereotypical stupidity. I can't waiting for a pointless misunderstanding or argument that came out of nowhere. It was really refreshing that didn't happen. When drama came their way they dealt with it together. There was one exception but I thought it was handled pretty well. My only real issue was that I felt there was so much left unresolved. I hope we get more closure as we read more in the series.
This was my favorite book of the author's since Drew and Fable's books. Definitely looking forward to more!

A most unlikely pairing: the rich, handsome manwhore, and the supposed plain girl. Thrown together by opportunity or fate, this poker game will change everything. The first book in this series focuses on one guy in this group of friends who will realize that everything he’s done in his past will become the focus, and it could hurt his chances with what he wants for his future.

Jade is a lot like the normal college girl. She works hard, has a loving family, and has some self-esteem issues, but overall is a normal, sometimes bitchy girl. She was given up as currency in a bet, won by Shep, the gorgeous manwhore, and she refuses to be his. Nope, she does not want him. She doesn’t want to be one of the masses, and she certainly doesn’t even begin to think that she’s worthy enough of being wanted by the gorgeous man. It’s this dynamic that, despite her best efforts, ends up backfiring in her face. Thou doth protest too much, is that the phrase? No matter how hard she tries, Shep works his magic to tear down that wall between them. Jade felt real, like how a lot of women in that situation would be, trying to push away something that you sort of do want, but are too scared to try just to see if it would come back. His stares, his touches, they drive her absolutely wild.

Shepard Prescott is wealth. His parents have it, his grandparents had it, probably even his great grandparents had it. It’s a never-ending line of pure wealth. He’s never had to want for anything, and he’ll never have to. His parents are the typical kind who have no love connection between themselves or for their son. And Shep did what any kid of that upbringing would do–he acted out a lot. And he’s finally come across something that isn’t thrown at him: Jade. She’s completely opposite of his type, and she wants nothing to do with him. Even with his upbringing, Shep carried a very real human quality to him. He was warm, caring, and loving in spite of the coldness of childhood. Sure, at times he was rude, standoffish and incorrigible, but that made him the guy who you love to hate and love to love. He walked both sides of that line, and it made him a lovable character. You wanted Jade to give in, you wanted to watch him seduce her with his hands and his dirty talk.

We have all the ingredients of a typical college-aged romance book, but what really sets it apart is Shep. He felt really down to earth and real, and you completely rooted for him. You wanted him to get the girl, and you watched him accept these changes within himself like a mature adult. It wasn’t angsty to be angsty. It had natural progression within the story of two people who are completely irresistible together. Their first real kiss? Good lord that scene was hot. Ms. Murphy, again, as always, creates an environment where you adore the characters, find the writing easy to read, and feel enough raw passion to really set fire. I am more than looking forward to watching the other guys in Shep’s group find the girl who is able to break through their manwhore ways.

**Received an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion**

3.5/5 stars with 3/5 steam.

This is a 4x book college romance series, with this 1st book introducing us to the wealthy popular jock; Shep Prescott & the introverted redhead; Jade Frost. This book can be read as a standalone with no cliffhanger.

Jade is in her first year of college, in a comfortable relationship & isn't looking for anything more exciting in her life. Until her current comfortable boyfriend puts her up as a prize in a bet against the infamous Shep. He instantly becomes her ex-boyfriend & when Shep wins said bet, Jade wants nothing to do with him or her ex-boyfriend. But Shep won't give her up that easy.

For the first 60% of this book, it is just Shep fighting for Jade who just simply won't give him a chance. She is anxious about him being the jock playboy, even if he does says sweet things & make her feel certain things she doesn't want too.

I did get annoyed at how bitchy Jade was. I understand she was cautionous but it left me feeling confused how Shep liked her when she didn't treat him nicely at all till about 75% in. Once Jade does let him in, a relationship begins & it was nice to read about them falling in love for the first time with their HEA almost perfect.

Would still recommend

Let me first say that I loved the banter. And overall I really liked this book. I do have some issues but they are probably just my opinion.
I didn't like the best friend Kelli. I don't feel like she was a ride or die for the MC.
And there wasn't a major conflict in this book. Still would recommend to other people.

2.5 stars for me, it got better towards the end. I found I had a hard time connecting to the characters and the side characters. Overall an ok read but I’m not sure I’ll read about the rest of the characters.

3 "Assholes can become sweet" Stars

I think the first sentence of a story is crucial. It sets the tone for the entire story. Readers can be hooked from that tiny little first sentence. And that is exactly what happened to me. The first sentence of this book sucked me right into it. What was it? This:

"I hate Shepard Prescott."



Don't you immediately want to know more? Well, I did. Good job Monica Murphy on that one! Good job on this entire book actually, I liked it a lot. Loved it? Maybe not. But I liked it a lot for sure. Now, before we get into the "Whys" let's start with a little synopsis, shall we?

Fair Game starts when Jade, a freshman in college, has been dragged by her boyfriend to the most boring game of poker ever. Literally. He wanted her there for support, I guess, but it turns out he doesn't pay her any attention. And attention is exactly what she gets when her boyfriend accepts to bet on her during a round against Shepard Prescott... and then loses it. Prescott supposedly now owns her. Fantastic. Right? But who's Shepard Prescott? Oh, you know, just one of the most gorgeous guy on campus, that also happens be super rich and has a list of hook ups longer than the actual Great Wall of China. You know, an asshole. The ULTIMATE asshole who so happens to have won her. And Prescott always collects his winnings...



I'd say this story was sort of the "typical college romance" on many aspects, but surprisingly, it didn't bug me as much as I thought it would. The main difference certainly being how the two meet. I mean, he wins her over poker, isn't that interesting and different? Well, I thought so. Anyway, the rest of the story was quite predictable, but in a good way, if that even possible? I'll try to explain; It was an easy, sweet and fun read. It was hilarious. I didn't think this book would be funny, but there was a lot of humor, and certainly a lot of "laugh out loud" moments on my part. That, for me, balanced the predictability of the book, making me still want to know more. I can't remember the last book I read that made me laugh, so its humor was quite welcomed!



I can't say I LOVED this book, and that is because of a couple of reasons. First, I thought some parts were dragging a bit. Some felt redundant and a bit, I don't know, boring? Or, annoying? The story felt too slow paced, and I just think it could have been a bit shorter. Especially near the end. But that's just me. Someone else might think it was totally necessary. Who knows? The other thing that bugged me a bit was that I wish Shepard had stayed a bit more like the asshole he was supposed to be. He became sweet really fast in my opinion. In the poker game, he was all intense and assholish (that's not a word, but you get the idea) and suddenly he was all sweet and wanted no one but Jade. I mean, we're talking about a guy who's motto when it came to hook ups with girls was "One and done". Well, I don't feel like I ever really saw that part of Shepard… And I would have liked to see it more.



However, even though there was some aspects I didn't like, I definitely do want to read more from this author. The least I can say is that Monica Murphy's humor and wittiness absolutely won me over!

I Can’t wait to read Gabe’s story!







Renery, 5 stars:
This is why I love Monica Murphy. The way she writes just amazes me and leaves me on a high every time I finish reading her books. And I am definitely on a Shepard Prescott high right now. I might have mentioned before how weak I am when it comes to guys who change, find their defining moments and leave their bad habits behind. Add on the sappy, ovaries-exploding, panty-dropping ways this guy has, and I was a goner. I died and totally melted into a puddle. I’m actually surprised I can still type right now. I feel like I’m floating. I want to dive right into the book and actually steal Shep away from Jade. That’s just how much I want and love him. I’m sorry, I don’t know if everybody will love this book, but as far as I know, I got sucked right in.

Shepard Prescott is the typical rich playboy who doesn’t give a shit about the world in college. He has this one and done rule when it comes to girls and he runs and watches over an illegal casino together with two of his best friends. That pretty much sums up his junior year in college. Hold up, wait, that’s it? That’s all I have to say about this weirdly named guy? I’m not even close to being done. Just so you wait.

Jade Frost is a freshman who hates Shep. Like literally hates his bones. She despises his arrogant, cocky asshole demeanor. Though Jade's smart mouth is a winner. I just loved her snarky, feisty attitude. While her hard to get moments could've been annoying, I surprisingly kind of embraced it instead. I get it. She has her insecurities, most specially she's a redhead with freckles. Lots and lots of them. Like scattered all over her entire body. She also thinks she has this performance anxiety. When it comes to sex, it’s like she hides back into her shell and all that confidence just fades away. So she knows how out of her league a guy like Shepard Prescott is—not only in the physical and financial departments, but in the sex department as well. Imagine her surprise when he finally notices her and actually bets her against her own boyfriend in a game of blackjack. Yep, that’s actually where everything started. What an asshole, right?

But, nooooo. This is where the cliché—“looks can be deceiving”—comes in. I can’t tell you enough how much Shep stole my heart and made me fall for him, not just once, but multiple times. The way he describes Jade is just too poetic and sweet. It should somehow irritate me that he speaks about her in this certain way that if you don’t feel him, you’ll think all he says are just lies to get into her panties. But nope, I totally fell for it all. The way he pursues her is so exciting and interesting and it will definitely leave you wanting to know every move each of them will do next. The way he’s so enthralled with Jade’s freckles, to the point where it nearly became his obsession. The way Shep just started to change and become this softhearted gentleman when it comes to Jade. It obliterated me. God, Shep is such a sweet, smooth, dirty talker. The way he's so different when it comes to Jade. How he finally found his defining moment through Jade. That’s my weakness right there. Oh, and damn! In those last moments where Shep stood up for and defended Jade with such intensity and passion during that dinner. I freaking died and gone to heaven. Yep. My heart just leapt right out of my chest. And him throwing around that Jade is his girlfriend just makes my heart clench. It’s just not something you’re expecting to come out especially from someone like him.