Release Day Launch & Review: Fair Game: Monica Murphy
Bad enough Jade Frost's boyfriend drags her to a boring poker game. Even worse that he actually threw her into the betting pot during an intense round...and lost. Talk about the perfect excuse for Jade to make him her ex-boyfriend.
Now she supposedly belongs to the ultra rich, extremely gorgeous Shep Prescott. He could have anything he wants yet he seems to be in hot pursuit of her. No matter how rude, how snarky, how impossible she acts, it doesn't stop him. More like her horrible behavior seems to make him want her more.
When she finds herself starting to fall for him, Jade's confused. There's more to Shep than the carefree rich charmer he portrays. No way could he want a serious relationship with her...or could he?
Jade’s boyfriend (make that ex-boyfriend) loses a pivotal hand of poker, a hand that he staked Jade as part of his bet. When Shep wins the hand, he is looking forward to collecting his winnings, in whatever form he can.
Jade is rightly pissed. Shep has a reputation on campus. Beyond running an illegal casino with two of his friends, he doesn’t do relationships, but has a way with the ladies regardless.
Jade is a closed off, slightly sheltered college freshman. She’s had two boyfriends, doesn’t date outside serious relationships and doesn’t do casual sex. The only aspects of college life she participates in are those to which her roommate drags her. At times she is an outright b**** and I couldn’t believe Shep was pursuing her despite the attitude she threw out at every chance.
On the flip side, the Shep introduced at the beginning is an outright a$. He is living up the arrogant, rich kid persona without a thought to anything beyond his own pleasure and wants.
But somewhere along the way I softened to both. They each dropped some of the sharp edges and as we learn more about each back story, I found myself loving Shep and genuinely liking Jade.
As Shep’s best friend and cousin, Gabe and Tristan share similar traits to Shep. But where Shep initially read as an a-hole, these two just felt bored and jaded. I am curious to see who runs into these two to make them reconsider the rules they gave Shep so much grief for breaking here when we get to their books.
I found myself wanting more. More intimacy (not just sex), more back story, more. But I also think that the more will play out to some extent during Gabe and Tristan’s books because if those boys are around each other as much in the future as they are now we will definitely see Jade in the mix too. There were also moments where the games they played were just a little too much.
This was a good, mostly entertaining introduction to a new series and a new group of college students. Beyond the hot and cold games, there was an element of so many different types of books -- rich guy falls for regular girl, harsh family expectations and flaky family communication.
Jade is rightly pissed. Shep has a reputation on campus. Beyond running an illegal casino with two of his friends, he doesn’t do relationships, but has a way with the ladies regardless.
Jade is a closed off, slightly sheltered college freshman. She’s had two boyfriends, doesn’t date outside serious relationships and doesn’t do casual sex. The only aspects of college life she participates in are those to which her roommate drags her. At times she is an outright b**** and I couldn’t believe Shep was pursuing her despite the attitude she threw out at every chance.
On the flip side, the Shep introduced at the beginning is an outright a$. He is living up the arrogant, rich kid persona without a thought to anything beyond his own pleasure and wants.
But somewhere along the way I softened to both. They each dropped some of the sharp edges and as we learn more about each back story, I found myself loving Shep and genuinely liking Jade.
As Shep’s best friend and cousin, Gabe and Tristan share similar traits to Shep. But where Shep initially read as an a-hole, these two just felt bored and jaded. I am curious to see who runs into these two to make them reconsider the rules they gave Shep so much grief for breaking here when we get to their books.
I found myself wanting more. More intimacy (not just sex), more back story, more. But I also think that the more will play out to some extent during Gabe and Tristan’s books because if those boys are around each other as much in the future as they are now we will definitely see Jade in the mix too. There were also moments where the games they played were just a little too much.
This was a good, mostly entertaining introduction to a new series and a new group of college students. Beyond the hot and cold games, there was an element of so many different types of books -- rich guy falls for regular girl, harsh family expectations and flaky family communication.
I was gifted a copy in exchange for an honest review.
“I hate Shepard
Prescott.”
“Of course you do.
Heaven forbid you’re normal and think he’s hot like the rest of the female
population on campus.” Kelli rolls her eyes, flicking her long, perfectly wavy
brown hair over her shoulder. I dodge out of the way before all that glossy
perfect hair smacks me in the face.
“Do you really
think he’s hot?”
The pointed look
Kelli sends my way is answer enough.
It doesn’t matter
if I think or Kelli thinks he’s good looking because he just is. There’s no
denying that fact. But his arrogant attitude and smug personality cancels out
the sexiness.
“Seriously. He’s
an asshole.” I stare at the back of the asshole’s head. His hair is this
streaked golden brown that almost looks like he paid for those highlights,
which I really hope he didn’t because oh my God, that would make him even more
pretentious. Though I’m sure he received those naturally glorious blond streaks
by sailing on his family’s yacht or whatever. Or perhaps sunning himself on the
beach during one of the many tropical vacations he no doubt takes.
To say we run in
different crowds is putting it mildly. He’s older than me by two years. He’s in
a frat and I’m not in a sorority. He’s rich as hell and I am most assuredly not.
There is absolutely no reason whatsoever for him to know I exist and I’m fine
with that.
Really.
“Even his name makes
him sounds like an asshole. And his nickname is stupid too. Shep.” I grimace. All rich dudes have
stupid nicknames I swear. “Sounds like a dog’s name. ‘Here boy. Here Shep.
Mommy’s got a treat for you’,” I sing song then roll my eyes. “Ridiculous.”
“I just bet
Mommy’s got a treat for him,” Kelli says, her droll voice dripping with
sarcasm.
“Pfft. Please. He
wishes.” I wave my hand, sending a cautious glance in Shep’s direction. I may
be mocking his ass but the last thing I want is for him to actually hear me.
“You’re on a roll
tonight aren’t you?” Kelli sounds bored. That’s because we are bored. Holed up
in a crappy little underground poker palace run by the supposedly legendary gambler
Shepard Prescott and all of his rich, asshole friends. Our boyfriends brought
us here so they could play against Shep and his gambling posse because they
have a reputation. As in, they bet big so they tend to win big. But more often
than not, they lose. Really big…
Our boyfriends are
counting on the losing really big part.
“I can tolerate
maybe two more rounds of this and then I’m walking,” I mutter before I finish
off the rest of the warm beer in my requisite red Solo cup. Grimacing, I set
the cup on the table behind me and heave a big sigh, earning a quick glance
from my boyfriend. Pretty sad he recognizes my irritated sighs but we really
haven’t been getting along lately so it’s no surprise. He flashes me a tense
smile before returning his gaze to the cards in his hand.
“He looks
stressed.” Kelli nudges my side with her pointy elbow, making me yelp. Does she
sharpen those things or what? “Joel. Look at him.”
I’m looking at
him. And she’s right. Joel does look stressed. What else is new? “He’s been
wearing that look a lot lately.” Lack of funds will do that to a person.
Instead of saving the money his parents gave him at the beginning of the
semester to bail him out since he lost his part time job, he went and blew it
on stupid stuff. Like that pair of designer sunglasses he promptly lost when he
was at one of those lake parties, got drunk and went swimming with them on. In
February.
My boyfriend
doesn’t always make the best choices.
“He doesn’t have
very many chips left either,” Kelli mentions, leaning in close to me so she can
see past Shep. But who can really see past that guy? He has shoulders as broad
as a mountain. And all that wild does he
pay for highlights or not hair that sort of springs up as if it has a mind
of its own.
“Good. Maybe that
means we can leave soon.” I grab my cup from the table and bring it to my lips
only to realize it’s empty and I frown. Not that I want more warm beer but…
“Get her another.”
Shep raises his hand above his head and snaps his fingers, his finger pointed
backward.
Right at me.
“How the hell did
he do that?” I ask no one under my breath, glancing up at the barely dressed
girl who’s suddenly standing in front of me, fresh Solo cup in hand outstretched
toward me. I take the drink from her with a mumbled thank you and she flashes
me a toothy smile before she bounces away.
“Look.” Another
nudge from Kelli’s pointy elbow—that should be an illegal weapon—before she’s
pointing at the wall across from us. There’s a mirror mounted there.
And Shepard
Prescott is looking right at us, a smug grin stretching his lips wide,
revealing perfect white teeth.
Stuck spending the summer with his screwed up family, Gabriel Walker is bored out of his mind and looking for an adventure. And he seems to find it with the hot girl who lives next door. The attraction between them is instant. Electric. Soon they’re spending every stolen minute together. Talk about the perfect summer fling…
Lucy isn’t what she seems. She doesn’t live next door—she’s the maid who’s been hired to house sit for the summer while the family goes on a worldwide vacation. If Gabe wants to believe she’s a spoiled rich girl looking for some fun, she can go along with that. After the summer, she’ll never see him again.
They don’t count on running into each other at college. Now Lucy must keep up the pretense of being a rich girl—and it’s exhausting. She knows she’s falling in love with Gabe and she’s scared he feels the same. Will he still care about her when he discovers the truth?
coming November 3, 2015
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Newly broke girl Alexandria Asher just wants to live a normal life. After her parents are sent to prison on embezzlement charges, she enrolls in college under her mother’s maiden name and tries her best to pretend she’s someone else.
Tristan Chadwick is everything Alex is trying to avoid. A seemingly egotistical, lazy, rich jerk, she dumps her beer on his head when he comes on to her one night at a party. This only spurs Tristan into action. He loves nothing more than a challenge. And the beautiful Alex is exactly the type of challenge that intrigues him.
Tristan Chadwick is everything Alex is trying to avoid. A seemingly egotistical, lazy, rich jerk, she dumps her beer on his head when he comes on to her one night at a party. This only spurs Tristan into action. He loves nothing more than a challenge. And the beautiful Alex is exactly the type of challenge that intrigues him.
Despite her reluctance, Alex finds herself quickly involved with Tristan. Underneath that playboy exterior is a good guy, a sweet and sexy guy who she is undoubtedly falling for. What they both don’t realize is the actions of Alex’s parents are the reason for so much tragedy in Tristan’s family. And when Tristan discovers who Alex and her family really is, can he forgive and forget?
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Monica Murphy is a native Californian who lives in the foothills below Yosemite. A wife and mother of three, she writes New Adult and contemporary romance for Bantam and Avon. She is the author of One Week Girlfriend and Second Chance Boyfriend.
She also writes romance as Karen Erickson.
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