The Player (The Game Maker Book 3)

The Player by Kresley Cole is the final book in The Game Makers series. In this installment of the series we are fully introduced to Dmitri, the younger brother of the three and while we knew he too suffered terrible abuse we didn’t know the extend of it.If you read book #1 & 2 of the Game Maker Series you have a complete understanding why these Russians have us ladies fanning ourselves. They are just too hot and too alpha. The Player is the final book in the Game Maker Series and it is not less amazing than book #1 & 2. I probably sound like I am rambling and perhaps I am but this book was so hot I had to walk away a few times. Dmitri is rich, powerful and intelligent, the only thing missing in his life is the love of a woman. As his brothers he has suffered immensely in the hands of someone who has supposed to protect him, he also suffered abandonment by his brothers and though their story is entwined every one of them is completely different.Dmitri has secrets and with every secret there are consequences and the risk of pain and heart break. Dmitri story comes with a very deep and sad foundation. While we have learned of what happened to the brothers when they were kids, we don’t necessarily know the details of Dmitri’s past, we are however given a clear glimpse into his life as a recluse, a loner who does not need or want company. Cole did a superb job in this story, not because she was able to tease us with a predetermined idea of what Dmitri was like, but she was also able to give us a story that explored these characters life in a way in which was not only surprising but also twisted & entertaining.The Player explores the what if’s in life. It explores the reality of many people, the contradictions of life, the obstacles and the ultimate reality that we have the reigns of our own destiny only if we are ready for it. It also takes us into the world of a woman whose job isn’t necessarily typical. Victoria as well as her family deal in a world of crime and where the next job could easily cost their life. I enjoyed Victoria/Vice, her character is matured, her skills and her street smarts made her unique in a way that I haven’t seen before. Cole managed to explore her mind and her feelings so beautifully without taking away the essence of her good nature and her devotion and loyalty to her family. Dmitri on the other hand gave us mystery, uncertainty and a glimpse into his world that while it wasn’t always clear as to what his end game was we did get to enjoy his machinations, manipulations, his dirty talk, his extravagance, and his streets smarts which allowed him to sneak his way into Vice’s world.While it is difficult for a reader to get over the lies and nature of Vice & Dmitri’s love story one should also consider that these characters aren’t perfect, their decisions and choices in life determined their present but it didn’t necessarily pre-set their future. I enjoyed how Cole managed to create so many differences between these two characters, from their backgrounds to the way in which they saw life and how they lived it, but while at the same time bringing these characters together in an amazing way that left no doubt as to how and why they both deserve redemption. Dmitri is a fantastic character, conflicted, tortured, manipulative, smart, extravagant and with a deep need for intimacy and closeness that only Victoria can give him.The Player demonstrate how the interaction between characters is what determines the quality of a story. The interaction between these characters was explosive, beautifully developed and well played out. I enjoyed their sexual escapades and scenes, the details, their dialog and their dirty talk was explosive. Each character gave the story a certain balance, each with their own story to tell and each found on one another the needed support that made it all happen. Of course not without going through the aggravations and conflicts that would make it all worthwhile at the end. This story is fun, perhaps not as dramatic as The Professional & The Master but not less intense and sexual.Kresley Cole has proven to be at the top of her game, I can’t recommend this series enough. Read The Game Maker series if you want to experience quality story telling and characters that will swoon you with their charisma, sensuality and dirty talk.

"When you've been in the dark as long as I have, moy angel, there is no mistaking the light."FINAL DECISION: Oh, how I ended up loving this book. The book was good until the last portion of the book which made me rethink the entire book. I then found the book to be amazing because I was surprised and completely satisfied. Plus, the book is really hot and sweet!THE STORY: Victoria "Vice" Valentine comes from a long line of con-artists. Desperate to help her family satisfy a deadly debt, Vice approaches the reclusive billionaire Dimitri Sevastyan. She intends on bilking him out of the money her family needs. But there is something about the sexy Russian that tempts the "cold as ice" Vice to burn in ways she never suspected. Soon she is pulled between her loyalty to her family and the sweet man who seems to want only her and claims love at first sight.OPINION: This book didn't end up where i expected. I really appreciate a book that can surprise me in a good way. This book was a 4.25 or 4.5 until the ending. That pushed the book to a definite 5 for me!Dimitri was a hero that I really liked. Damaged and secretive, sexy and domineering but completely dedicated to doing anything for Vice, I loved him more than the either of the other men of the series (and they weren't slouches). I loved how his painful past slowly was revealed. Who wouldn't fall in love with a man who will do anything for you? Vice, despite her best intentions, just can't help herself.Vice is a heroine who is herself imperfect and in fact might be more shady than the hero. She is a con artist from a family legacy of the same. Even more, she is not repentant about her actions or those of her family. Surprisingly, as a reader, I was rooting for these "bad guys". Her conscience begins to bother he as she realizes that Dimitri is a damaged but kind and caring man. Her feelings for him begin to threaten her loyalty to her family. The tension and conflict there works very well in this story.Indeed, this book has beautiful pacing. The relationship between Vice and Dimitri plays out in a winding and revealing manner. Vice believes that she has the secrets, but Dimitri has a past filled with secrets. As the story goes on, Dimitri's secrets are slowly revealed to Vice and to the readers (although readers of the series will know some of the story). I especially liked how the structure of the book reveals Dimitri's secrets while forcing Vice to feel that she cannot reveal her own without risking the joy she is finding with Dimitri. When the end of the book arrives, I was shocked and thrilled with the entire book.And, oh this book is hot, hot, hot! Vice and Dimitri just sizzle off the pages. There is plenty of sex, but even better, it is all intertwined with deep emotional intensity which makes the book even sexier in my estimation.This book ended up being my favorite of the series and definitely made me want to read the entire series over again.WORTH MENTIONING: Don't read the spoilers for this book! The payoff is amazing when read in context.CONNECTED BOOKS: THE PLAYER is the third book in the Game Maker series. It can be read as a standalone.STAR RATING: I give this book 5 stars.

Just Amazing! I love this series!! You can’t go wrong with this read. The three brothers are supreme individuals and bring so much to the table.

Dimitri is socially awkward similar to his brother Aleks, but probably to a crippling scale. He is however very smart and when he sets his mind to doing or getting something there's no stopping him. His character was almost childlike at times which conflicted with the successful ruthless billionaire entrepreneur. This grated me somewhat and left me a little detached from the story. But as always it was very well written, with good banter and great chemistry between Vice and Dimitri. I really hoped there would be a book with Jess as the h, because she was so crazy and funny throughout... I'm still hoping.

I enjoyed the first two Sevastyan brother books and went into this one with high hopes. Grifter Victoria Valentine is trying to con Dimitri Sevastyan to pay off a family debt to the Mexican cartel, but she gets much more than she ever bargained for.For most of the book - say 80% or so - I didn't think the novel was a strong as the first two in the trilogy. I didn't like Victoria as much I as like Lucia, the main character from the second book. The plot seemed to be going in Victoria's favour too easily. I felt there was no drama.And then... BAM! There was a huge plot twist that I did not see coming, and which changed my view of the whole book. Suddenly, weird plot 'breadcrumbs' made sense and I 'got' why Dimitri had acted in certain, strange ways.This is by far and away the cleverest of the three novels in the series and well worth a read if you like happy ever after billionaire romances.

Oh how I love Cole's Sevastyan brothers... First Aleks, then Maksim now Dimitri.. So dark, so brooding, so sexily screwed up! This time around Dmitri, the tech genius and former drug addict falls for con artist Vicky Valentine, aptly nicknamed Vice. The sex between these two is off the charts, but the story takes a deeply romantic turn right from the start as Dmitri goes the full obsession and chases after the woman he's fallen in lust with at first sight... What happens next gets hot and ... Well, HOTTER... As Vice tries to play him, while he seems determined to be played. A great addition to the series, particularly liked Vice's family of grifters. Here's hoping her sister Karin and Walker, the elusive millionaire dad of her little boy, get an outing next... Please? Pretty please.

Kresley Cole's Game Maker Series is a favourite and this addition does not disappoint. The last Sevastayan brother, Dmitri, is perhaps the series' most appealing hero to date and Cole gets it right in the first few pages with Vice's - the heroine's - observation that he is like a beast in a fairytale... Beauty and the Beast would spring to mind because there are palaces and vast treasures for Vice as their story unfolds and at times she feels trapped in a gilded cage. While it felt a bit like a stretch at times to believe some of the plot tensions I really enjoyed the book and how it played out. Great plot twist/climax. Fun to read from start to finish, and while I didn't enjoy this book quite as much as The Master - if only because Lucia was such a strong heroine - anyone who enjoyed other books in the series will want to read this.

A brilliant finale for the brothers with Dmitri taking centre stage and a plot with a superb twist I never saw coming.I adored Dmitri so much, my heart ached for him. And Vice was truly likeable in the end, though not a patch on Cat from the previous book. Which is maybe why the watch bothered me so much. That no one brought it up was very odd. That I came round to liking Vice so much after that, stranger still! Guess that's the power of a good writer and great characterisation.