Review: Beautiful Player by Christina Lauren

Beautiful Player (Beautiful Bastard #3)
By Christina Lauren
Expected Release Date: October 29, 2013
Publisher: Gallery Books
Source: ARC gifted by publisher
Reviewed by: Jenn and Nahomi
Links: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Goodreads / IndieBound

*This ARC was provided by the publisher but it did not influence this review in any way.*

Jenn's rating: 4.5 stars out of 5 stars
Nahomi's rating: 4.5 stars out of 5 stars
Our overall rating: 4.5 stars out of 5 stars

Synopsis:
A bombshell bookworm. A chronic Casanova. And a lesson in chemistry too scandalous for school.

When Hanna Bergstrom receives a lecture from her overprotective brother about neglecting her social life and burying herself in grad school, she's determined to tackle his implied assignment: get out, make friends, start dating. And who better to turn her into the sultry siren every man wants than her brother's gorgeous best friend, Will Sumner, venture capitalist and unapologetic playboy?

Will takes risks for a living, but he's skeptical about this challenge of Hanna...until the wild night his innocently seductive pupil tempts him into bed - and teaches him a thing or two about being with a woman he can't forget. Now that Hanna's discovered the power of her own sex appeal, it's up to Will to prove he's the only she'll ever need.

Jenn:

If there’s anything I learned about reading Christina Lauren’s Beautiful Bastard series, is that there will be some (read: a lot) sexual tension, plenty of smexy times, a swoony guy and a feisty, know-what-she-wants girl. And while there were some modifications to Hanna in regards to what she wanted, Player lived up to its predecessors.

It was really fun getting inside Will’s head and learning about the man who “schedules his booty calls.” He’s a hot nerd, who knows his way around a woman’s body. And holy crap is Hanna a lucky girl. He’s a nice and confident guy but I love how patient he is with Hanna and how he’s willing to help her in discover what she wants. He never rushed anything but he just knew what needed to be done in order for her to be comfortable.

Hanna is a really fun character and it always made me giggle when she would ramble away when talking with Will. Out of the all the girls in the series, I feel like I relate more with Hanna by how naive and inexperienced she is. She is the lucky girl who gets to hang out with her childhood crush.

Will and Hanna are definitely something. Their time together left me in need of a cold shower and/or blushing. Like I said before, Will is very patient with Hanna and he let her control the pace but he was the one who took charge. And because of her inexperience, Hanna always asked him to “teach her.”

My only complaint of this book and of the previous two novels is that the conflict always ends up being the same: miscommunication. The guy end up lying for whatever reason or something happens that get him in trouble and then the girl find out or overhears about said secret and then takes off without talking. They won’t confront the situation until after someone tell them that they’re wrong. I feel like the miscommunication bit starting to get a bit old and I expect better from the characters.

I do love the ending, though. I love when authors give me epilogues. I think it ended in a wonderful place that could be easily be picked up in Beautiful Beginning. Beautiful Player certainly lived up to the hype and Will now has a place in heart, right along with Max. I can’t wait to see how Beginning will end this wonderful series.

Nahomi:

To say that I enjoy this series is an understatement. From the beginning, Christina Lauren captivated my attention with their great characters, witty dialogue, and their creativity. I feel like I’ve said this before but it must be said again: Christina Lauren outdid themselves with Beautiful Player, I really enjoyed reading this book.

The characters have a way of pulling me into the story. All I want to do is camp out and see what’s happening with them. I love that Hanna is a nerd workaholic, and that she has not filter when she speaks. Will is totally swoon worthy! He is attentive, sweet, pays attention to detail, and is a HOTT bad boy nerd. I love how we got to see the guys hang out as well as the girls in this novel. And there were definitely twist I wasn’t expecting.

There were a few things that I didn’t like, and it’s the same in almost all of the books. The lack of communication when things “go wrong” is a little upsetting. I feel like Hanna just labeled Will and was unable to look beyond that. And for all she can talk, she wasn’t talking to the right person about what she needed to do. Will was very upfront and honest about his relationships but he could have been more assertive and direct with Hanna about what was going on. With that said, let’s move on to my favorite part: the sexy scenes.

After having read the other books, I figured that the sex scenes would be different and steamy, but what I wasn’t prepared for was just how hot and sexy they actually are. I needed not just one cold shower but several long extended cold showers in order to get my “need” under control. I also felt a little exhausted in a good way because the scenes are really long and intimate. There were several but especially after the first scene at the party, and oh yea and Easter weekend. Curious? *winks* you’ll have to read the book and see.

All I have to say is: I want more Will and Hanna please.