The Playboy

Book Blurb:

Wanted: Sexy sun-kissed surfer for hot summer fling.

Innocent Alexia Burton needs to become sexually confident for an upcoming acting role, and that means taking a lover.

Someone she’s attracted to. Someone who’ll teach her what she needs to know, but not ask for more than she's prepared to give. She needs to learn the intensity of true desire and then have him walk away.

Parker Hargreaves is determined to make amends for treating Alexia badly all those years ago. He's changed and wants her to think better of him. If that means letting her sharpen her sexual moves on him, so be it. He’ll do it. His playboy reputation certainly won’t suffer.

He just doesn't count on walking away being so hard. 

My Review

I love the setting of The Playboy!  The ocean, the sand, the salt, and the heat...I could feel it all!  Madeline's descriptions took me right there to where the waves are.  Are more waves than just in the ocean!

Alexia and Parker have a history, and not one for the memory books.  But Parker is no longer the teenager Alexia once knew, and she has a hard time seeing this.  He made assumptions then, and now Alexia is the one making assumptions.  Parker's outlook on life, his goals, his ambitions have changed remarkably since they were teenagers.  He has goals and is an asset to his community.  He has thought of Alexia over the years, and seeing her again brings back the attraction, but in a more mature way.  He seeks forgiveness for the past, but can Alexia forgive him?

Alexia is one determined lady with goals and a life ambition of her own.  She is not back for real fun, but 'research'.  When it seems Parker is the perfect match for her research project, can she follow through?  Alexia doesn't want forever or romance...and even though she feels way more than she thought she would for Parker, can she have a vacation fling with no regrets?  Parker is ready to give it his all for the time they have, romance and everything.  Their lives are continents apart, and love is not on Alexia's list of things to do...

I liked the prologue to The Playboy, I felt it set the story up well for the lead in to modern day Alexia and Parker.  I liked the unique story line and the smooth flow of The Playboy.  The main characters have a very obvious attraction to one another, even if one of them is not looking for anything more than a vacation fling.  The chemistry they have is palpable.  While neither of them really jumped off the page to me, the issues they were dealing with had a realistic feel and it was interesting to watch their characters evolve.  I liked the strong secondary characters, Dee and Josh and wouldn't mind if they had a story all of their own!

Just the right length for the story being told, I'd recommend The Playboy to contemporary romance readers looking for an entertaining, quick read.

3/5 stars

Purchase from Amazon.com