Review: Just the right amount of Sweet and Spicy
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 05 1, 2014
Ooh, I'm really loving this series!Mal is complicated. Like, seriously complicated. And yummy. He turned out to be so much deeper than the fun guy he was portrayed as in Lick. He has an almost manic side hiding under all that snarky fun attitude. Despite the moods and manic behavior, I found myself constantly smiling because of his antics. Turns out he has quite a romantic side, and he's darn near impossible to resist.Anne was at a point in her life where she needed a change. Enter Mal, who makes her take a serious look at her life. He can see right away that she is a push-over and a people pleaser, so he wants to help her toughen up and not be taken advantage of. I could understand where Mal was coming from with his assessment of Anne, but I think he started overstepping his boundaries by being too aggressive and forward with Anne. I was so happy that she stood up to Mal and didn't let him get away with any crap. Go Anne!!!!Mal and Anne never expected to develop a relationship, and they certainly weren't looking for it, but somehow they managed to fall in love. They were complete opposites, and I think that was what made their story so believable and made their interactions so wildly entertaining. They both have serious issues they are dealing with, and neither one wants to push the other too far. As they spend time together, they slowly learn to trust each other and open up. I thought their differences created a lot of conflict that they had to learn to work through. It wasn't smooth sailing for them, and I appreciated that they learned how to communicate with each other.As much as I love Mal, I have to say that David is still my favorite Stage Dive member. There. I said it. I can't take it back. David and Ev and the rest of Stage Dive make their appearances in Play, and I love the tight, family-like relationship that they have going on.I thought Play was a fantastic read that went by really fast, and I found myself wanting more! I would have preferred a little bit more resolution to Mal and Anne's original issues. But overall, this was a pretty cute read, sweet and spicy, with the right amount of angst and romance.While I am excited to read the next book in this series, Lead, I have to admit that I really didn't like Jimmy in the first book. He started coming around a little bit for me during Play, so I'm willing to give him a chance. It's just hard for me going into it not knowing if he can redeem himself in my eyes. Time will tell.