Parker discarded his jacket, tossing it onto the leather sofa before sinking down into its depths. He loosened his tie and undid the top button of his shirt, then rubbed a hand over his face in one of the few gestures of tiredness I ever saw him make.

Getting to my feet, I crossed to an antique highboy that used to belong to Parker’s grandfather. It was where he kept his liquor. Opening the front panels, I took out a crystal old-fashioned and the decanter half-full of scotch. I poured an inch or so into the glass, replaced the decanter, and walked to the sofa.

Parker was watching me as I set the glass on the table at his elbow. It was a ritual we often had on evenings we both worked late. Personally, for as hard as he worked I thought Parker deserved a drink far earlier in the evening, but he never touched a drop until after nine o’clock. I wished I had half his discipline and self-control. 

Leaning forward, he rested his elbows on his knees as he picked up the glass. His gaze dropped to my bare feet and I was absurdly glad I’d had a pedi recently, my toes a sparkly Cozu-Melted-In-The Sun pink.

We didn’t speak, but the silence was comfortable to me as I resumed my spot on the floor. Parker and I had an understanding. At least, I understood him. He made me feel needed—necessary—and as an only child who’d never been really needed by anyone, I liked that. And I liked him.

My mom had been bugging me lately to “get a real job” that actually pertained to my degree, but I’d brushed her off, even when she’d intimated my father “knew people” who could help me. I wanted to get a job on my own merits. Besides, I had plenty of time to worry about my career in art history. For now, I was content being an executive administrative assistant to Parker, and times like this reminded me of why that was the case.

Dragging another box down from the now shorter stack, I began sorting through it, scooting between my piles as I labeled and made notes. The only sounds were that of the music, the quiet beep of my scanner, and the shuffle of paper. It was a companionable moment, just the two of us. Then he had to go and ruin it.

“I saw you and Ryker tonight,” Parker said out of the blue. 

I glanced around to see his gaze steady on me.

“Earlier,” he continued. “You were leaving with him.” His tone was difficult to read, his expression impossible.

Unsure how to respond, I opted for the truth, and considering their earlier hostility toward each other, vagueness. “He asked me to dinner,” I said with a shrug. “So, I went.”

Parker took a large drink of scotch before replying. I watched the exposed skin of his throat move as he swallowed.

“Ryker’s not a bad guy,” he said, his gaze focused on his drink. “Just perhaps not your type.”

My eyebrows climbed at that. Not my type? A hot guy with abs of steel wasn’t my type? “And you know what my type is?”

Love triangle…

Two former friends…

The bad boy detective vs the sexy alpha boss…

Which one will get the girl?

Team One: Parker Andersen, Sage Reese’s Financial Investment Banker boss and ongoing addiction. The one and only man Sage literally gives up her "life" for, including dates/boyfriends. 

Team Two: Dean Ryker, the detective investigating the Russian Mafia embezzlement case Sage and Parker are currently entangled in. Sage’s newly acquired love/sexual interest, and Parker's ex best friend. 

Parker and Ryker grew up together, entered the Marine’s together, and were brothers of the heart—that is until their love of the same girl exploded their brotherhood to hell. Years later, Parker and Ryker find their past repeating itself. Once again, they both ache to own the same girl, Sage Reese. 

I enjoyed both male protagonists, but I am without a doubt Team Parker. Ryker was wicked sweet and hot as all get out, but that is where it stops for me. While he was an engaging character, his development and potential as a competitor for Sage’s love was not there, Snow dropped the ball here. Furthermore, we really don’t get to experience him and Sage together very much, which made it hard to connect with the idea of Ryker and Sage as a believable couple. Honestly, I felt as though Ryker was a runner up to Parker. The “idea” Sage turned to when Parker could not or refused to give her what she wanted or needed. Ryker was the man she used to make Parker jealous. He was a game piece pitted in the middle of Parker and Sage’s foreplay. Due to this, I did not feel any tangible chemistry between them, emotional or sexual. Which sucked because I was never able to emotionally connect with their romance. Therefore, while I loved the idea of a love triangle and Ryker, I think I would much rather see him with a different chick than Sage Reese. 

Parker, on the other hand, even with his righteous indignation and ass hat moments, was an empowering character. The tension—emotional and sexual—between Sage and Parker was beyond palpable. Their moments sizzled across the pages, leaving me yearning for more Sage and Parker scenes. It didn’t take me long to dread the moments she spent with Ryker, and I definitely wasn’t feeling their “special” time together. I seriously wanted to beat someone with my tablet. Parker ensnared me. I was intrigued with his strong, blatant dominating ways, and the way he was forever fighting his need vs want for Sage. As a reader, you most often times had to look below the layers of Parker's egotistical, self centered ways to find the man worthy of our heroine's obsession. 

Power Play was a fast-paced read, with lots of tension, suspense, and romance. However, I wasn’t able to give this a solid 4, as I had a few issues. One of those being the execution of Ryker’s potential. Another one is the fact that sometimes the story could get bogged down with too much details; e.g. her Starbucks order, her clothing, the guys sweat…etc. Not to mention, the moments I wanted to smack some sense into the characters, especially Sage! She rode my nerves when she would run from Parker’s arms straight into Ryker’s when things didn’t go her way. 

Tiffany Snow is a first time author for me. I’d say Power Play was a great start to the series. I quite enjoyed the overall feel of this book, as well as Ms. Snow's writing style. I'm actually looking forward to September and continuing with the series. 

The ultimate question is whether Sage is Team Parker or Team Ryker. Unfortunately, it is also one the readers won’t know until the third book in the series. Yes, you read that right; Power Play is a trilogy that ends in a cliffhanger. 

Thank you, Forever (Grand Central Publishing), for the complimentary copy of Power Play.

A native of St. Louis, Missouri, Tiffany Snow earned degrees in Education and History from the University of Missouri-Columbia, before launching a career in Information Technology. After over a decade in IT, she switched careers to what she always dreamed of doing - writing. Tiffany is the author of romantic suspense novels such as the Kathleen Turner Series, which includes No Turning Back, Turn to Me and Turning Point. Since she's drawn to character-driven books herself, that's what she loves to write, and the guy always gets his girl. She feeds her love of books with avid reading, yet she manages to spare time and considerable affection for trivia, eighties hair bands, the St. Louis Cardinals, and Elvis. She and her husband have two daughters and one dog.

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