Playing for Keeps (A Novel of Family and Love) [Kindle Edition]

Kate Perry (Author)

Book Description

A Novel of Family and Love

Since her mother's death more than fifteen years before, Grace Connors has been the matriarch of her family. She's put her own dreams on hold to raise her younger sisters and keep her ex-marine father in line.

So when her sister Nell decides to get married, it's on Grace to make it a wedding their mother would have been proud of. It can't be hard to organize a party, right?

But then everything falls apart, including her budding romance with her sexy best friend Pete. Caught in the crossfire with the enemy at her back, will Grace be able to fix it all before she becomes a casualty of love?

Other Novels of Family and Love by Kate:
PLAYING DOCTOR
PROJECT DATE

PLAYING FOR KEEPS

And be sure to check out the Laurel Heights Novels:
Book 1: PERFECT FOR YOU
Book 2: CLOSE TO YOU
Book 3: RETURN TO YOU

Book 4: LOOKING FOR YOU

Book 5: DREAM OF YOU

Book 6: SWEET ON YOU

Fans of Bella Andre, Rachel Gibson, and Kristan Higgins will love this quirky romance series with strong, independent woman and sexy alpha heroes.

REVIEWS:
"Perry's storytelling skills just keep getting better and better!" -Romantic Times Book Reviews

"Can't wait for the next in this series...simply great reading. Another winner by this amazing author." -Romance Reviews Magazine

"Hot! Recommended!" -Bookpleasures

"Exciting and simply terrific." -Romancereviews.com

"Kate Perry is on my auto buy list." -Night Owl Romance

"A winning and entertaining combination of humor and pathos." -Booklist

Product Details

• File Size: 467 KB
• Print Length: 240 pages
• Publisher: Phoenix Rising Enterprises, Inc (June 6, 2012)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B0089H8AQ2
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,608 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 30 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Rules of Engagement June 20, 2012

By Ms. Eden

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is the second book I've read by author Kate Perry, and I'm just as impressed with this novel as I was with Return to You. Perry's strengths lie in her ability to tell a story and fantastic dialog. Storywise, the plot is believable without being predictable, which is what makes the story good- the characters are real people in real situations, allowing the reader to become immersed in the story. As for dialog, this is where the author's remarkable talent shines- it's more like eavesdropping on intimate conversations rather than reading words on a page. I'm happy to say that Kate Perry is now on my "must read" list. Excellent.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Adorable! Love Kate Perry! September 6, 2012

By Bethany

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

As with all of Kate Perrys books that I've read so far, this one is an adorable, steamy, dreamy live story. I downloaded it because it was free but it's even worth the $3 too! Download, read & enjoy! :)

44 of 57 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Had Potential But Tanked October 28, 2012

By DeeDee Brown

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

****WARNING - SPOILERS INCLUDED IN THIS REVIEW***

I'm going to approach this from a 'Pro and Con' angle.

Reasons to like this book:
1) George the dog...and Pete was okay

Reasons I did not enjoy this book:
1) Gracie (main character) is a doormat with a martyr complex
2) Gracie's family is selfish and irritating
3) Very slow beginning
4) Nell (extremely selfish middle sister)
5) The ex Marine father is portrayed as an offensive stereotype, e.g.- non communicative except when angry...which seems like most of the time
6) The story reads like a 16 year old's idea of what 'grown up life' is like
7) Riley (milquetoast fiance of Nell)
8) Gracie's trampy best friend, Celeste
9) Gracie's tramp-in-training little sister, Chloe
10) The story amps up about the same time Gracie starts wearing pants "...with a lot of pockets on the sides" and tank tops with no bra. Unfortunately, from then on we are 'treated' to an unnecessary amount of sex scenes and descriptions of the state of Gracie's nipples. This made me long for the slow beginning
11) The use of the term 'hooked up' - spare me, PLEASE
12) Again, Nell
13) Pot smoking, 'vegetarian' future in-laws who sleep in the backyard and steal pork products (Ummm, yeah...they have the munchies so of course they're gonna swipe your food)
14) Wendall - another Marine stereotype, e.g.- dumb as a box of rocks
15) Once more...Nell
16) When Gracie isn't having sex she's thinking about it...which gives us yet another opportunity to hear about her nipples, just in case we've forgotten she has them
17) The Big Misunderstanding - which actually wasn't very big...or interesting
18) The bachelorette party description - yuck
19) Gracie talking to some skeeve at a strip club about the possibility of him dating her little sister. That's classy
20) I'm sure you saw this coming...Nell
21) The rehearsal dinner description
22) The fact that it takes Gracie almost the entire book to tell her obnoxious family to shove it
23) The mix up with the phallus shaped 'wedding' cake. Really? If we're going with this level of maturity why not throw in some 'Pull my finger' jokes?
24) I could come up with more points as to why I really disliked this book, but I'll just end on this one: I cannot believe that the wedding actually took place after the way Nell treated her sister and fiance. They just forgive her and everything is all hunky dory? YEESH. In *my* fantasy version of the ending, Riley and Gracie both tell Nell to take a hike and turn the would be wedding reception into a 'Hooray, We're Not Spineless Weenies Any More!' party.
Also, there would be a wonderful epilogue where we learn that Nell has been convicted of insider trading and since she chose to attack the arresting officers with her Manolo Blahniks, causing serious injury, she is sentenced to the maximum time allowed in a high security women's prison where she is now the miserable girlfriend of a humongous, foul smelling inmate.

Obviously I am in the minority where this book is concerned. Based on this reading experience, however, I would not choose to read another work by this author.

More About the Author

Kate has tangoed at midnight with a man in blue furry chaps, dueled with flaming swords in the desert, and strutted on bar tops across the world and back. She's been kissed under the Eiffel Tower, had her butt pinched in Florence, and been serenaded in New Orleans. But she found Happy Ever After in San Francisco with her Magic Man.

Kate's the bestselling author of the Laurel Heights Novels, as well as the Family and Love and Guardians of Destiny series. She's been translated into several languages and is quite proud to say she's big in Slovenia. All her books are about strong, independent women who just want love.

Most days, you can find Kate in her favorite café, working on her latest novel. Sometimes she's wearing a tutu. She may or may not have a jeweled dagger strapped to her thigh...

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#64 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Romance > Contemporary

#69 in Books > Romance > Contemporary

#64 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Romance > Contemporary

#69 in Books > Romance > Contemporary