For the Win

ARC received in exchange for an honest review. I'm a pretty loyal person. I take my men one at a time. I loved Adam from Brenna Aubrey's "Gaming the System" series; he was the perfect nerdy boyfriend. He had it all, looks, charm, money, passion, and to top it all off he was a big fat nerd and the CEO of his own gaming company. I admit to being skeptical about her newest novel, For the Win. I wasn't sure how I would like Jordan, especially because he came off as such an a-holeish guy in the first three novels. Keeping an open mind, I dove right into Book 4 and WOW, even I was impressed. Surprised, shocked, even disturbed wouldn't be enough to describe how INTO JORDAN FAWKES I was, and that's saying something. Here I thought no one could surpass Adam Drake...well...I may have been wrong. Intern April Weiss is in big trouble. After the company's big weekend at Comic-Con, a sex-video somehow went viral on the internet featuring two cosplayers dressed up as characters from the infamous game, Dragon Epoch. What's most alarming is that one of the cosplayers happens to be April. If anyone finds out she was one of the participants she would be publically humiliated, and worse, fired. To make matters even more complicated, April has been promoted to assistant to the company's CFO, Jordan Fawkes, who isn't too happy about the arrangement either. For the last couple of years, Jordan has been working on getting the company to go public on the market and has finally convinced Adam to get on board. However, all his hard work will mean nothing if anyone finds out he's the other cosplayer in the sex-video. To make matters worse, he has to keep an eye on April and make sure she doesn't do anything stupid - even though she doesn't know that he was the anonymous man she had sex with. Jordan has always been a playboy and not the type to fall for any of his partners, but for some reason he's addicted to April and can't get her out of his head. The more time they spend together the more consumed they become, and sooner or later the truth, like it always does, will out. Let me just start off by saying that this book BLEW ME OUT OF THE WATER. Not to be too much of a cynic, but I never have high expectations for sequels or spin-offs just because they never really live up to the expectations set by the original. I loved the first three Gaming the System novels that featured Adam and Mia and believed they would always be my favourite... Now... I'm not so sure. I tried to force my eyes away from his chest, his bulging arm muscles, that sexy-as-hell tattoo. God, he was just too yummy to be real. Was it a requirement to have hot male-model looks in order to run this damn company? And be filthy rich and brilliantly intelligent on top of it? Oh, and to be so perfect that he was arrogantly and insufferably full of himself. I reminded myself not to forget that. I'm not going to lie, I was the first to jump up and say JORDAN FAWKES IS AN A-HOLE! That was my opinion of him before I read his book. Even now, Jordan is still an a-hole and a jerk and a meanie pants and wow if I was April I would probably be the most mousiest assistant of all time. But I have to give April props, girl's got some serious balls to be able to stand working for him. I'd be downright terrified. He's COCKY, ARROGANT, sometimes downright rude and pretty obnoxious, but in the end means well. "Oh so you can be a jerk as long as you mean well? Because Beast in Beauty and the Beast almost back-handed Belle but it's okay because he was in love with her." No, that's not what I'm saying at all....okay...maybe it is kind of what I'm saying, but I think that's because I have problems. I think I like that sort of abuse where the guy is sort of an ass to the girl but it's only because he cares a lot about her.... Wow... I clearly have problems. Maybe I need to go revaluate my life and taste in men. Aside from the scandal, the hot CFO, and the cute intern, the Gaming the System series has to be one of my favourite series of all time, because of the sole fact that it RESONATES WITH GEEKS. Being a huge nerd, I related a lot to this book and the series because of how DOWN-RIGHT NERDY it is. From her Star Wars and Doctor Who references, to the struggle of being up till four AM playing an MMO and asking yourself, "Where the hell did the time go?", Aubrey integrates her vast knowledge of geek culture into a book that all geeks can relate to. I figured I'd play for another half hour or so before throwing in the towel and getting some shut-eye. The next time I looked up at the clock, it was four a.m. Four. Freaking a.m. And I had to get ready for work in two hours. The game had sucked hours of my life in immersive amusement and I hadn't even realized it. At all. Man, this stuff was better than crack. No wonder so many people loved it so much. The last thing that I wanted to touch on only because it hit so close to home was April's character and her development in the book. Many people would see April as... not the strongest most independent female lead, but I will admit she has balls and develops well over time. She wants to break from her goody-two-shoes persona and wants to be more outgoing - although I don't know if a sex-video going viral was what she had in mind - but the reason she wants to break free is because she's tired of being walked all over or seen as weak. A lot of her personal growth comes from Jordan and his belief in her. He teaches her that she's worth more than she thinks and has the ability to stand up for herself if she wants too. Sometimes all we need is a good push and someone to believe in us. And to me that is something extremely attractive in a partner. If only we could all meet some hot nerdy guy to play video games, have wild sex with and believe in us too....that is the dream.... I had my reservations about For the Win but now I'm completely on board! Jordan Fawkes is as addicting as he is annoyingly arrogant, but I'll GLADLY take him arrogance and all. I IMPLORE all geeks to pick up this book and the rest of the Gaming the System series as they are truly fantastic reads that I'm sure will hit close to home. 6/5 Hearts of Love Check out the rest of my reviews at http://www.akiikomorireading.com

As you may or may not know, I am a HUGE GEEK! And I’m known to like geek-themed romance novels every now and then. And when I found the Gaming the System series I instantly fell in love. Here was an author who was a genuine geek and that made me excited. With every book I grew more and more attached to the series, the characters, and in the fifth installment, Brenna Aubrey has not lost her touch at all! She’s moved me with her in-depth characters and engaging storyline that glued my eyes to my e-reader every single time. This book hit a little close to home as well as moved me in very emotional ways. If you’re into all things Renaissance, knights and ladies, and fighting for love and honour, this book is DEFINITELY for you. William Drake is a very peculiar person. He likes things done a certain way and has a very specific routine to his life. But he’ll throw all of that out the window for a chance to be with Jenna Kovac. He missed his chance with some bad advice from his cousin’s best friend, Jordan, but now he’s trying to redeem himself by getting back something precious to her and fighting to win her affection. In order to help William with his upcoming duel against her ex, Doug, Jenna will do everything she can to teach William how to better handle being in crowds. Even though he frustrates her sometimes, Jenna tries to be patient and ends up opening her heart to him. But a difficult past something people can’t overcome very easily, and Jenna and William have to be open with each other in order to truly help one another. But secrets that define you and make you who you are, are hard to share and even harder to come to terms with. UWAH~ I just. This book. It made me so excited. I can’t even tell you. The inner nerd in me was way too excited about this book, like I could barely contain myself. I’ll try to stick to the point and talk about the book and not just how excited I was about the Renaissance Faire bits. But as a nerd, I’ve always wanted to go to a real renaissance fair, I swear I’d lose my inner geek self and just not know how to contain myself. I’ve always be fascinated by period-play, especially the gowns and clothes women wore back in the day. The chivalry the romance, the simplicity, the manners – a lot of research went into getting all the details right! (And I know too because I’ve spoken to Aubrey about all the detail that went into this book. So jealous. The closest I’ve been to anything like that is Medieval Times and that isn’t anything….really – no offence). So aside, from the Renaissance stuff that appealed to my inner nerd, this story was extremely emotional for me in terms of the struggles the characters went through. Both characters struggled and both characters needed the other to help find a solution – whether they knew it or not. I don’t want to spoil too much but let’s just say that both characters had UNDERLYING problems aside from their surface problems, and it’s those problems that are hardest to talk about and the hardest to move forward from. My heart-ached at the end for William and Jenna, like I can’t tell you how it hit me in the feels. All I can say, hopefully without spoiling too much, is that I know how hard it is to forgive people who you felt have wronged you. THAT’S IT! THAT’S ALL I CAN SAY! I pride myself on being spoiler-free! **I will say this, and it’s not a spoiler. Think of William as Drax from Guardians of the Galaxy (which is where I’m guessing Aubrey got her inspiration :P), in the sense that William understands words in their most literal sense and doesn’t understand figure of speech. So it was very easy for Jenna to get frustrated with him when he didn’t understand what she was saying. It’s very difficult to communicate with someone on a literal level when we’re so used to communicating figuratively.** What I found very interesting and a new change of pace was that the guy was actively pursuing the girl. Sure, there are books in male povs, but I find it rare that the guy is the one chasing the girl – it’s usually the other way around where the girl falls for the guy. I’m not saying this DOESN’T happen, but in most books I find it’s more common to see the girl trying to get the guy to be with her. In this case, William has deep affection for Jenna (that we learn about in For the Win), and in this book we can see how much he really wants to spend time with her and try to make her happy (to be worthy of her) – even if he’s uncomfortable with the situations she puts him in. In a lot of ways I relate to William, but I share some similarities with Jenna so I can understand both of them on an emotional level – their fears, their anxieties and what keeps them apart. But when has the good Knight never not won the heart of the princess? I think this story opened me up just a little bit, and I think it can open readers up too to the possibility of forgiveness. Now I just have to wait for the next book! Too long of a wait! 5/5 Hearts of Love

Find this review and more at kimberlyfaye reads . The first three books in Brenna Aubrey's Gaming the System series definitely had its ups and downs for me. As much as I liked Adam and Mia and enjoyed the nerd angle (which was, admittedly, what drew me to the series in the first place), I felt like it was too drawn out. Their story could've been told in one or two books, IMHO. But, I liked the world she built, her characters and writing, so when I learned she was writing a fourth book for the series, this time following a new set of characters, I was all in. Especially after the tease at the end of At Any Moment with the sex tape. Cosplay and sex tapes? Yes, please. Jordan and April were a fun couple to follow. I enjoyed the forbidden angle of their romance. I also liked watching them come to realize that they were already WELL acquainted with each other. They had tons of chemistry and their sexy times were HOTT. It was easy to root for them, even as I occasionally wanted to wring Jordan's neck. April struggles during the book, which only endeared her more to me and Jordan comes through and winds up being a great guy. Both Jordan and April grew quite a bit during this book, which only made it that much better. This was a quick read and a well-written book. I'm anxious to see what Brenna will do with Will's story in For the One. I'm already looking forward to it. I received a copy of this book from the author, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Originally posted at Booklovers For Life This book was so much fun to read! It’s the typical boss/assistant trope, but with a fantastic twist that I loved – the boss and assistant unknowingly end up starring in a sex tape that goes viral. ;) The blurb of this book hooked me in and I wasn’t disappointed. I may not have LOVED everything about For the Win, but it was a worthwhile read that I enjoyed a lot. It’s hot and sexy, with tons of sexual tension between the main characters, and there’s a good amount of witty banter flying between them too. I was rooting for Jordan and April from the very start. April Weiss is in trouble – the hot hookup she recorded at Comic-Con was uploaded onto the Internet without her knowledge and has gone viral, and the company she’s interning at is in hot water because of it. They don’t know that she’s the star of it, but she’s terrified of losing her internship if they find out. Not that her internship is going so well either – she’s assisting the boss from hell: Draco Multimedia’s CFO Jordan Fawkes. Jordan relishes making April’s life a living hell, but with a specific reason. He’s the one she recorded her sex tape with, and he had no idea their encounter was ever even recorded. He’s furious at April, but she doesn’t know she slept with him, and he intends to keep it that way. What Jordan doesn’t expect is the insane chemistry that just keeps getting hotter as they keep working together. Jordan wants April bad, and try as he might to resist, once with her just wasn’t enough. “I can’t get that night out of my mind,” he ground out as he kissed his way all over my neck and exposed chest. “I think about it all the time.” His fist tightened again in my hair, as if with renewed frustration. “How hot it was to fuck you. All i can think about is how much I want to do it again.” For the Win can be read as a standalone, so reading Mia and Adam’s first three books in the series isn’t necessary. We get both Jordan and April’s POVs in this novel, which I liked. Jordan was a supreme ass to April as her boss, which I didn’t like. He grew on me later on, becoming a better man, but he was certainly a jerk to her multiple times. April surprised me – she was a pushover who let people walk all over her, but she manages to grow a backbone and fight for herself. I admired how much she changed and her character grew throughout the book. I enjoyed a lot of this book, but my only complaint is how slow the romance was between April and Jordan. I liked their characters and I liked the writing, but plot-wise, it moved a bit too slow for me. I wanted to see MORE of the romance – but that doesn’t mean that I didn’t enjoy the romance at all, because I did. The tension between Jordan and April was well-written, and they’re explosive in bed. So other than the romance being slow, For the Win is still a highly entertaining read. Quotes are taken from the ARC and are subject to change in the final version. Thanks to the author for generously providing me an ARC to review. Amazon Ebook: http://amzn.to/1QsErEY Amazon Paperback: http://amzn.to/1GadhYn Liked this review? Subscribe to Booklovers For Life for more!