Review: Holiday Playbook

REVIEW: Giana Lockett is the brains behind marketing and branding for the Atlanta Cougars football franchise. She has her eyes set on getting an endorsement with LEAN, a sports drink company owned by Wynn Starks. It would be a huge win and help her father take her seriously. She is continuously proving herself in a male dominated field. Wynn has worked hard to build his company. He is uninterested in meeting with Giana, who he considers to be a rich, spoiled brat.

Giana is persistent and tracks Wynn down where he works and plays. He is in the middle of working out some stress when Giana shows up and has him wound up all over again. As much as his mind is telling him he’s uninterested in doing business with the Lockett’s, his body is deceiving him as it relates to Giana. Wynn likes that Giana shows “grit and determination”. The pair continue to cross paths and end up in a situation where Wynn is forced to listen to Giana’s sales pitch. Let’s just say he also gets something out of the deal.

Things escalate quickly. Wynn goes from being uninterested and dislikes what Giana represents, to being on fire for her. It happened fast and all it took is one kiss. Giana is equally attracted to Wynn, with his deep brown eyes and five o’clock shadow. He is direct, straight to the point and Giana finds his arrogance sexy. They explore what is happening between them and discover they are a match physically and in business. Their chemistry is explosive.

As the story progresses, we learn that Wynn has trust and abandonment issues. Unfortunately, someone from his past still impacts him in a negative way. He overreacts to an interaction and causes a scene. As the hero of this story, Wynn has a character flaw that poses an issue. He is a boss in the boardroom, but there are a couple examples where his handling of situations are unrealistic, considering his success and stature. It’s problematic.

Giana is stubborn and breaks down Wynn’s walls. Of course Giana’s protective brothers step in to interrogate Wynn whenever they get the opportunity. Their interactions with Wynn match their personality.

Supporting characters round out the story. Wynn has strong relationships with men who have impacted his life, especially his best friend and father. In contrast, Josiah Lockett, the meddlesome patriarch, strikes again. The conflict is a bit predictable, but HOLIDAY PLAYBOOK is an enjoyable read. The stage is set for the next book in the series, which I look forward to reading.

12th Feburary 2022 | romcol@caribsurf.com