Reviewed by Jen B.
TITLE: Played
SERIES: Auctioned #4
AUTHOR: Cara Dee
PUBLISHER: Self published
LENGTH:
RELEASE DATE: July 15, 2021
BLURB:
Book 4 of 5 Romantic Suspense Hurt/Comfort Action Family
The Auctioned Series is a journey packed with action, nail-biting suspense, family, and love. In Gray and Darius’s fight for freedom and a future where they aren’t haunted by the ghosts of their pasts, they’ll make you laugh, cry, possibly yell at your e-reader, and swoon just a little bit.
One last mission. One last operation—and the stakes had never been higher. Truth be told, Darius was exhausted. He didn’t want his past mingling with the life he was building with Gray and the kids, but he had no choice.
They were facing their biggest threat yet, and in order to even stand a chance, Darius had to revert to the man he’d once been. He had to set aside fatherhood and love and be the grunt, the private contractor, the soldier who went deep behind enemy lines.
It was time to rally the troops. With Gray by his side, Darius cashed in the last of his favors and put together a crew that would hopefully help them bring an end to this chaotic year. The desert waited for them. Again. So did Las Vegas.
The problem with Vegas…?
Just when you thought you knew how to play the game, it played you.
This story takes place in Cara Dee’s Camassia Cove Universe, a fictional town where all books/series’ stand on their own, unless otherwise stated. The Auctioned Series should be read in the following order: Auctioned, Stranded, Deserted, Played, and Finished.
REVIEW:
This book is a continuation of the Auctioned story and follows Gray and Darius now that they are moving on with their lives. They are now making a life for themselves living somewhat off the grid and adjusting to life as fathers of foster sons Justin and Jayden. Before they can fully sit back and enjoy life, they need to take out the head of the trafficking ring, Alfred, and they will soon be in position to do so.
So, with the help of many of Dare’s friends, his brother, Ryan, and sister, Willow, aka Squeaky, along with a few from some of Ms. Dee’s other stories, such as Casey and Boone from the Job, of which this story slightly overlaps, the Tenley Twins from the Game series and a few others, the plan is set in motion.
For me, this story dragged on a bit in the beginning with what seemed like idle chit chat that didn’t add much to the overall story. I found myself wanting to skip ahead to get to the real meat of things. I also felt like I missed a bit, such as when Gray became so comfortable being around family and friends again when that was one of his major hurdles after being rescued. And while I know some people find it cute and sweet, the use of the Knucklehead nickname was a bit overdone for me.
That being said, once the raid was underway in the last 20% of the story, I was on the edge of my seat and things happened very quickly. Now I felt like we were back into the Cara Dee story I was missing. Not only did things happen fast, but there were twists from out of nowhere, followed by a whopper of a cliffy. I loved seeing the other characters again, and I’m dying to see how the rest of this series plays out. Hopefully, Ms. Dee doesn’t make us wait too long to find out.
RATING:
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