Jen’s review of Playing by the Greek’s Rules by Sarah Morgan.
It’s time to throw away the rule book…
Idealistic archaeologist Lily Rose craves a fairy-tale love, but in her experience it always ends in heartbreak. So now Lily’s trying a different approach—a fling with her boss, infamous Greek playboy Nik Zervakis!
Anti-love and anti-family, Nik lives by his own set of rules. There’s no one better to teach Lily how to separate sizzling sex from deep emotions! But while Nik has the world at his feet, he also has dark shadows in his heart…
It starts as a sensual game, but can Lily stick to Nik’s rules? And what’s more, can he?
While I would not call myself a dedicated Harlequin Presents fan because the formula doesn’t often hold my interest, I read them occasionally, and I always read the ones Sarah Morgan writes. (Frankly, I’d probably be happy to read Morgan’s grocery list!) She has a way of writing heroines that seem fully realized while still working in the very prescribed HP framework. This book was no exception.
Lily Rose is an archeologist working on a dig in Greece. (She also has a business internship and cleans houses on the side. I don’t know where she finds time for it all, but just go with it.) After dumping her a-hole boyfriend, she realizes she is too trusting and emotionally invested in relationships. She decides she needs to work on self-preservation and separating sex and love. After a serious I Love Lucy type moment while on a house cleaning job, Lily ends up attending a function as the date of the wealthy Nik Zervakis, who has a reputation for never letting his emotions get involved in anything. Much to Nik’s own surprise, he finds himself wanting more than one night with Lily, and he invites her along to a difficult family event. Can Lily and Nik both follow the rules of no emotional attachments? I bet you know the answer!
Lily is an adorable heroine. She is a fundamentally optimistic person, despite having a difficult life. She’s not stupid or naive–she just makes the choice to look for the good in life, even though she knows it’s not always wonderful. She tends to blurt out whatever she’s thinking in a way that’s funny and heartwarming. It’s clear she says things to Nik that no one has ever said before, and at first he is equal parts horrified and enthralled by her. Seeing his confusion and curiosity at the stuff that came out of her mouth was hilarious. Nik lovingly calls her “marshmallow-coated sunshine,” and normally that would mean saccharine, but the fact that Nik is so enchanted and enriched by the light she brings to his life makes her seem sweet but grounded. Even better, she isn’t just some weak-willed damsel that Nik steamrolls. She pursues him at the beginning and is definitely the most sexually forward heroine I’ve seen in an HP. My favorite scene is after they first have sex. Nik is in the shower worrying about how he can ditch the clingy female who is obviously going to insist on a relationship now. When he gets distracted by a phone call, Lily just ghosts! I loved it. Nik is completely, utterly flabbergasted that HE was the one left behind, and of course he is a goner at that point because he can’t let her go.
I also felt like Nik was a little more complex than your average HP hero. Yes, he’s brooding and cold, but he actually has some valid reasons for his reluctance to get emotionally involved with anyone. While his dad isn’t exactly finely drawn, we get more details about him than you usually do with side characters in HP books. Another first (for me) in an HP: we get a strong female friendship in the form of Brittany, who is the heroine in the second book of Morgan’s new Puffin Island series. I loved me some Brittany, and I will definitely be checking out her book!
This book is the perfect example of why I love Sarah Morgan. Based on the premise and characters, it ought to sound exactly like every other Cinderella-type HP story, but Morgan manages to transcend the cliches and create a story that, while not revolutionary, still feels fresh. I suppose if you read HPs because you don’t want them to ever deviate from the standard formula you may be disappointed in this book, but I personally like the boundary pushing and thoroughly enjoyed these characters.
Grade: 4 out of 5
This book is available from Harlequin Presents. You can purchase it here or here in e-format.
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