The Player And The Pixie by L H Cosway and Penny Reid
Plot:
Lucy Fitzpatrick has a little secret.
She’s kind of a Kleptomaniac.
Forget the “kind of”, she truly has a problem.
It’s an obsessive-compulsive disorder and it seems she has it under control when she can keep her demeaning mother at bay.
She also believes in people inner goodness, even when they might seem irredeemable.
Sean Cassidy has a secret too.
His “bubble butt – blond hair – blue-eyed” exterior deceive women every day.
This irish rugby player looks like sex on a stick but he’s so very bad in the sheets.
He’s also an asshole. THE BIGGEST POMPOUS ASSHOLE EVER.
Lucy’s brother Ronan might be right.
Maybe Sean is irredeemable after all.
Or not.
Personal Thoughts:
At first, I certainly wasn’t convinced I could change the horrible impression I had of Sean in the previous book of this series.
Two things made me curious about The Player And The Pixie:
1 – The hero being horrible at sex. (Haven’t read a book with such scenario before!)
2 – L H Cosway and Penny Reid’s writing.
I’m glad I did because I enjoyed it but I also had a few issues with the MC.
I’m not a fan of “pushover heroines” and, unfortunately, Lucy was a bit of one and not only with her mother.
In 2 occasions people use her “little secret” to obtain from her what they want and she passively accept the situation.
One of them is the hero that sees her shoplifting and “blackmails” her into their first dinner together.
I wasn’t happy about it, even if it was a one-time thing and she wanted to go out with him without the “blackmailing” thing.
She’s also sweet, caring, sassy and fun though:
She nodded, her smile wide and impish. “I never get tired of hearing those words.”
“It’s fucking gorgeous?”
“No. You’re right, Lucy.”
ehehehe
Another thing I wasn’t very happy with, was the explanations given for Sean permanent assholish disposition before meeting Lucy.
His lonely childhood was sad and I understand all the issues that situation brings but… he’s all grown up and he has become a successful man!
Acting like shit toward EVERYONE just because he had a shitty childhood is not a good enough excuse.
Setting those things aside, I actually enjoyed everything else about this book.
The writing, all the secondary characters (expecially Lucy’s BFF Broderick), how the relashionship between the MCs grows beyond lust.
Lucy does not shy from the task of helping Sean out…
Sean’s inability to put his body to good use was a crime against all womankind.
She looks right through his assholish disposition and she teaches him a thing or two…
“See? You just did it, you just flirted with me accidently.”
“I did?”
“Yes. You did. And you did a good job, too.”
I frowned. “What did I do?”
“That thing with your eyes, and the chin.” Lucy deposited her bag on the sofa and crossed to stand in front of me. “And the small smile, and the cheeky remark. All good things. Much better than dragging me back to your lair and clubbing me over the head with your big cock.”
The magic spell that is foreplay…
The champ needed some serious help! XD
Together they find all the acceptance and love they were looking for and they learn how to make it work beautifully.
“I love when you look at me like that,” he said huskily as he came and lifted me by the hips. A second later he’d flipped us with a fluid movement so I lay on top of him.
“Why?” I asked, still all mushy-headed.
“It’s territorial. A look that makes me feel like I’m your man. I like the idea of being yours.”
And I loved the lesson Lucy learns at the end:
“Listen, I’m not defending Sean or what he did to you, I’m just trying to explain a person who is a lot more complicated than one action. He is more than a spoiled brat.” […]
“We all have issues. Human beings are flawed, and all we can hope for is to work toward making ourselves better. Not perfect, just better.”
This was a sweet, sexy and humorous story.
Talking about humorous…
Sean trying to come up with compliments for Ronan was hilarious!
I took another bite of my steak, chewed, swallowed, and wracked my brain for a serviceable compliment so I could cross it off my list and end this farce of a dinner. Perhaps something like:
Your enunciation is exceptional for a primate.
Kudos to you for not flinging your excrement at the dinner table.
You smell not terrible.
Sean & Ronan? A bromance for the ages!
Kind of ;D
⭐ 3 / 3.5 stars ⭐
* You can find my review of the next book “The Cad and The Co-Ed (Rugby #3)” in this series here.
~ My Ratings ~
Writing: 4 /5
Plot: 4 /5
Hero: 3 /5
Heroine: 3 /5
Secondary Characters: 5 /5
MC’s chemistry: 3.5 /5
Triggers: No big triggers. The hero unsatisfying sex life before Lucy is mentioned, there’s a scene about his typical “morning after” situation with no details on the actual night together.
Recommended to: Adult Romance Readers
The Player And The Pixie by L H Cosway and Penny Reid
❤❤ Are you looking for a specific mix of ingredients for your next read?
FIND YOUR BOOK MATCH HERE!
