Two Can Play by Ali Hazelwood Review

This is a spoiler-free review! You can read my review of Not in Love on my blog, now!

I told myself that I would read more Ali Hazelwood books, and yet this is now only my second one. My first read of hers definitely put a good taste in my mouth, so I was hopeful this novella would live up to the expectations I now have in place. With the upside of me wanting to find something short and quick to read, this was the perfect time to dive into more of her work. Even though my video game knowledge does not go beyond Webkinz or Club Penguin, the premise of this novella gave an enemies to lovers vibe that I simply could not resist.

When Viola discovers the co-lead designing her dream video game is in fact her number one enemy, Jesse, she is faced with confronting the past and figuring out how to move forward in the present in order to design the perfect game. Why does Jesse seem to want nothing to do with her when they basically have only interacted once in the past? I found Jesse to be an interesting character - in contemporary romance books, we see the female lead take on the more "meek" role of not wanting to approach the male lead, but here we see the opposite. I liked the mystery behind Jesse, and while Viola certainly wanted to get to the bottom of things, it was nice to see things play out on their own terms.

The smut is as good as it will get for a novella - it could have been better all things considered, and with the limited pages we did get, it was still enough to leave readers wanting more. Considering we went about over half way through the novella before anything relatively spicier came into play, I was hoping for more to make up for the shorter story. A lot of the dialogue was bordering on being cringy and while I can usually look past it, it was really standing out to me this time around. On that note, I felt as though this novella ended very jarringly - it did not feel tied together and I was unsatisfied with Viola and Jesse's story and relationship. What happens next? This definitely could have been a full-length novel instead of a novella - there was potential for a fully fleshed-out relationship to be explored here.

If you need a little romance to speed along your reading journey, this novella could be the exact filler read you are looking for before tackling a longer book. While this did not deter me from any future reading of Hazelwood's works, it certainly has made me a touch weary of what lies ahead and if I should be lowering my expectations moving forward.

You can add Two Can Play on Goodreads now, and follow the author to stay up to date on releases and publications.

You can catch up with me and my current reads by friending me on Goodreads and following this blog, my Twitter (X), and my Instagram in order to stay up-to-date with any reviews, blog tours, and more!

Not in Love (Not in Love, #1) by Ali Hazelwood Review

This is a spoiler-free review!

I have gone back and forth over the years deciding if I should dive into Ali Hazelwood's books, and I am honestly glad that this one was my first read of her work. I love a good forbidden romance, and throwing the workplace in there? Even better. Rue and Eli meet before they are thrown into a diverging working environment, as Eli and his business partners actively work to acquire the company that Rue works for - the very company her friend created. Hazelwood provided us with a dual perspective in this book, which is very much appreciated from me - I love to see the male lead's perspective, and Eli's chapters certainly clear the air for so many obstacles that come their way.

Rue has set boundaries when it comes to sex and hook ups - never the same man twice. Amongst her other preferences, she is very clear on what she likes and what she is willing to try. When Eli and her match on a dating app, it provides an opportune moment for her to continue her non-committal endeavors. However, Eli's presence soon becomes much more than a one-and-done situation when Rue's personal life is thrust out into the open during their meet-up, and becomes even more entangled when he is part of the group seeking to take ownership of the biotech company. You can literally feel their sexual tension on every page, and with Eli giving off major lover-boy vibes and Rue giving grumpy vibes, they are an opposite match made in heaven - at least in Eli's eyes; in his mind, Rue will eventually get there.

I loved how involved Rue's friends were with her - they were concerned for her when they thought she was entering dangerous territory with her situationship with Eli, and supportive towards her when it came to her familial struggles with her brother. On the other hand, Eli's friends and business partners were just as involved in his life as Rue's friends were in hers - they checked in on him, and almost always tried to talk some sense into him, even when it was not the best advice or uncalled for commentary. His friends were definitely focused on the business acquisition when it came to their conversations, so they fall slightly lower on the supportive scale when comparing friend groups.

Eli and Rue's backgrounds were heartbreaking and intriguing at the same time - they both went through so much at young ages, and seeing how that impacted their current lives created much more fleshed-out characters than what I had expected from this book. Eli was so incredibly obsessed with Rue throughout this entire book, and it was low-key so funny to see her ignore him - we love women in male-dominated fields! In all seriousness, it was fun to see the female lead be the grump in the relationship, and to have such a gold retriever male lead follow her around no matter what was refreshing. Their spicy scenes were also top tier, and good lord Eli had my jaw on the floor.

This was a fun read that unexpectedly got very deep at times, while still maintaining an air of comedic relief. You will breeze right through this book and experience a whirlwind of science, secrets, and a touch of spice. I definitely would have loved to see Eli and Rue's relationship develop a little bit more before the epilogue, but it became a satisfying ending. I would definitely recommend this romance if you are looking for something fun and not afraid to lean towards erotic romance rather than the typical contemporary romances Hazelwood appears to have leaned towards.

You can add Not in Love on Goodreads now, and follow the author to stay up to date on releases and publications.

You can catch up with me and my current reads by friending me on Goodreads and following this blog, my Twitter (X), and my Instagram in order to stay up-to-date with any reviews, blog tours, and more!