Brutal Play

False Start, Book 2

By: Alison Rhymes

Narrated by: CJ Bloom, Edward Black

Mistress. Whore.

Lorelai has been called every name in the book. Except for the ones she's always dreamed of.

My love. Mine.

Noah Anders is the only man to have ever owned her heart. But it's her soul he wants.

Theirs is a battle of wills, tempers, ego, friendship, and loyalty.

He wants retribution. She just wants to survive.

Contains mature themes.

©2022 Alison Rhymes (P)2023 Tantor

CJ is AMAZING

I am not going to lie.... I didn't want Lorelai to get a redemption! But I am glad I gave this book a chance, it was really to see Noah happy.

With that being said, this book was not easy to read. There were some disheartening situations. But in the end, it was all worth it!!

This story is Noah's and Lorelai, they get their HEA, but it isn't easy and there is some pain along the way. They both get a second chance when they thought that would never happen.

I listened to this audio in one sitting and I love CJ Bloom so much in this one.

Redemption never sounded so good.

I loathed Lorelai and what she did in Broken Play, but the redemption ARC was written so beautifully in her and Noah's story that you can't help but feel for her and all she had been through. I'm in no way making excuses for her actions and abhorrent behavior but you do understand her more, and why she did the things she did. Underneath it all, her intentions were to do the right thing by her mom and sister but she went about it in ALL the wrong ways. There is no world in which I condone cheating of any kind, but I am happy for Lorelai and Noah that they worked through their issues individually and as a couple, and came back together stronger than ever. They are building a family together and moving beyond the past. I think they both deserved the second chance they got.

CJ Bloom and Edward Black were amazing as this angsty, tormented couple. Diving into book 3 now!

Noah & Lorelai

Noah fell in love with Lorelai while they were in college but he was self centered around his career and didn’t communicate his thoughts and feelings to her. Lorelai also fell in love with Noah, didn’t communicate either, but she had some deep issues she was dealing with.
Some issues were cheating, lies, cult, BDSM, and child abuse. It must be an off day for me but, I’m sorry having sex with a married man for your needs whatever they are and wanting to help a married man/husband with his issues when your not a sex therapist is selfish and wrong. FMC doesn’t accept or acknowledge what she did wrong, it was a release - that is selfish. The verbal abuse she took from Noah, to me is justified and even though they do get a HEA, I wish she didn’t. I would have preferred Noah & June ( FMC) from book #1 to get together
and Drew (married) from book #1 who Lorelai had sexual relations with didn’t get a HEA because they have no redeeming qualities. Not sure if I’ll read book #3 because of the blurbs.
Narrators were great.

😩 ugh. Yawn 🥱

I don’t know… so boring compared to book one. If the kid wasn’t thrown into the story it would have been a super borreee