Book Review - Playing For Love by Jeevani Charika

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Title: Playing For Love

Author: Jeevani Charika

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: HQ

Publication Date: 11th February 2022

Rating: 5 Stars

When Sam’s not working on her fledgling business, she spends her time secretly video-gaming. Her crush is famous gamer Blaze, and she’s thrilled when she’s teamed up with him in a virtual tournament.

But what Sam doesn’t know is that Blaze is the alter ego of Luke, her shy colleague – and he has a secret crush too.

Luke has a crush on Sam.

Sam has a crush on Blaze.

How will this game of love play out?

The inner geek and gamer girl inside of me loved every second of this book, even more than the rom com fan part of me.  And the two alter egos and the complicated situation is utterly delightful and amusing. 

But it was the descriptions of SyrenQuest this new video game that Blaze and Bravura are playing that had me completely hooked.  I couldn't get enough of it, and it was so well described that I could see it so clearly in my head, and almost wanted one of the Syren 3 Headsets in order to play it myself! 

And then there is Luke and Sam, who work in the same building and whose paths keep crossing as Luke is helping Sam with her handbag insert business, in trying to get it off the ground. 

I loved both sets of interactions but it really was the gaming side of it that captured my imagination.  Especially the fact that Blaze is a well known gaming youtuber, and I've been known to watch gaming streams myself, and then the whole gaming convention with cosplay elements.  Well I've been to a ComicCon so have a good idea how all of that works too. 

This book was just a sheer pleasure to read, I thoroughly enjoyed spending time in my garden, with these fabulous characters, and it is so refreshing to read a book where women are allowed to be a bit more geeky than they are often portrayed as. 

Thank you to HQ and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.