STOP. IT. Just... stop it, Staci Hart. I swear, there are very few authors that when I read them, they make me feel so inferior that I want to throw in the towel and never write a word again -- Staci is one of them. And Player is a perfect example of why. These characters, this love story, this entire Red Lipstick Coalition gang is just... perfection. And Staci Hart is still and forever the queen of romantic comedy.

I just want to start with Val because I can't NOT start with her. This is the first time I've ever seen so much of ME in a heroine that I cried in her monologues because I GOT HER SO HARD. No, I'm not hispanic and no, I'm not being swept off my feet by a gorgeous Sam. BUT, I faced all the same things she did growing up -- being teased about my curves and my weight, fighting that inner voice that told me men wouldn't want me because I wasn't a size zero, wanting to hide my body under baggy clothes so I could just blend and disappear. BEEN THERE, GIRL. It's been a long and winding journey for me to find some comfort in my skin, and even today, I battle insecurities with my weight and my curves.

And Staci Hart nailed that feeling.

So often, we fall into the romance in these books -- and trust me, the romance in this one is POW POW BAM. I mean... if you can get through the scene where Sam helps her go down on him without needing a fan blowing on your undercarriage, then you're just not human.

BUT, Player is more than a romance. It's about a woman finding inner strength and beauty, about her accepting who she is and standing tall and proud. It's also about swing dance, and friendship, and family. This book encompasses so much, and maybe that's why it was nearly impossible for me to put the book down once I started it. It's one you want to devour in the same measure that you want to take it in slowly, like a cookie or a piece of well-earned cheesecake.

Why am I suddenly hungry?

ANYWAY, let's switch gears to talk about Sam. Because I mean REALLY, STACI HART?! As if her Heros in past books haven't been absolutely perfect, she had to go and create this smirky son-of-a-b**** who just makes me want to throw my panties in a fire. Sam likes to come off as this unattached player, but he's actually this soft, sensitive, and yet possessive little teddy bear. The way he cares for Val, the way he does anything he can to make her feel safe and beautiful? Ugh... I mean, isn't that what we all want as a woman? A partner who makes us feel safe and worthy of love?

The two of them together are just magic. The entire book, I was laughing and smiling and flipping pages with an immovable pair of heart eyes permanently attached to my face. And that little cliffhanger about what's to come in Amelia's story?

GIVE ME NOW.

Anyway, if you take one thing from this review, let it be this: Player is one romantic comedy you do not want to miss this fall. Move your TBR around, sacrifice some others and make room for a romantic, heartfelt story that will penetrate you bone deep and make you believe in love again. Staci Hart wins all the gold stars for this one.

If, as Hart says in the book, "Love is music," then Player is the song you put on repeat for days on end when you're feeling that certain someone in your heart. It's the melody you can't get out of your head, the lyrics that speak to your soul, and the band so talented you can't fathom what it would be like to actually see them play live. Player is a musical masterpiece -- and therefore, a masterpiece of love, too.

#TopRec