What do you think?
Rate this book
Sterling Shore #1
Hooked on the Game
Hooked on the Game by C.M. Owens
Everyone has secrets that define them, a past that has shaped them, and a game they play - whether they know it or not.
Despite the fact they live next door to each other, Kade and Raya have never made an effort to speak, until a wild party, four frat boys, and... a bulldozer.
Sterling Shore was supposed to be a new start for eighteen-year-old Raya Capperton. Everything was working out perfectly until her two roommates were expelled for a prank, leaving Raya with the house she couldn't afford on her own. Fate intervenes before she has the chance to find a new home, but she struggles to decide if it's divine luck or the devil's cruel sense of humor.
Twenty-one-year-old Kade Colton has his life planned out, and everything he does is an elaborate game to aid him with his future endeavors. Coming from money has made Kade's life easy, but he wants to build his own name - his own future. The thing he doesn't realize... when you only put forth superficial effort, you only acquire superficial friends.
Raya is torn between being amused or disturbed by Kade and his philosophy, but the drive behind his determination isn't what Raya expected. Little by little, her hatred fades and is replaced by emotions she never would have believed she could have for the rich jerk she desperately doesn't want to care about. Too bad you can't force yourself not to care.
The problem is... Kade's shiny name can't be tarnished, and Raya has a jaded tie she can't cut loose. Nothing about them can work, nothing about them makes sense, but nothing can seem to stop them from trying.
*Not suitable for anyone under the age of eighteen
**No cliffhanger
**New Adult Contemporary Romance
**Descriptive sex
**Language
Everyone has secrets that define them, a past that has shaped them, and a game they play - whether they know it or not.
Despite the fact they live next door to each other, Kade and Raya have never made an effort to speak, until a wild party, four frat boys, and... a bulldozer.
Sterling Shore was supposed to be a new start for eighteen-year-old Raya Capperton. Everything was working out perfectly until her two roommates were expelled for a prank, leaving Raya with the house she couldn't afford on her own. Fate intervenes before she has the chance to find a new home, but she struggles to decide if it's divine luck or the devil's cruel sense of humor.
Twenty-one-year-old Kade Colton has his life planned out, and everything he does is an elaborate game to aid him with his future endeavors. Coming from money has made Kade's life easy, but he wants to build his own name - his own future. The thing he doesn't realize... when you only put forth superficial effort, you only acquire superficial friends.
Raya is torn between being amused or disturbed by Kade and his philosophy, but the drive behind his determination isn't what Raya expected. Little by little, her hatred fades and is replaced by emotions she never would have believed she could have for the rich jerk she desperately doesn't want to care about. Too bad you can't force yourself not to care.
The problem is... Kade's shiny name can't be tarnished, and Raya has a jaded tie she can't cut loose. Nothing about them can work, nothing about them makes sense, but nothing can seem to stop them from trying.
*Not suitable for anyone under the age of eighteen
**No cliffhanger
**New Adult Contemporary Romance
**Descriptive sex
**Language
195 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 14, 2014
1085 people are currently reading
11853 people want to read
About the author
C.M. Owens
65 books8,816 followersC.M. Owens only writes romance, but she's a sub-genre whore.
She has two other pen names that she writes under.
Kristy Cunning for Reverse Harem and S.T. Abby for her darker/stabby books.
She has two other pen names that she writes under.
Kristy Cunning for Reverse Harem and S.T. Abby for her darker/stabby books.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 921 reviews
February 10, 2017
4 Stars - Which Should Have Been Five Stars, But Oh Well
This was fucking AMAZING.
Seriously though, I devoured the first 80% of this thing CERTAIN this book would end up landing on my "Top Favorites of All Time" list, I was enjoying it so much.
It was awesome.
And headed down Five Star Highway.
But then the wheels fell off the bus and we took the most unexpected- and fucking ridiculous - detour ever.
Seriously though, the two "twists" at the end were not in line with the rest of the book, in my opinion.
The tone was different, the pace was different...it just didn't match.
Plus....?
*
*
*
STUPID.
So, SO, STUPID, people.
In fact, so stupid, it almost derailed the entire book for me.
But luckily, the first 80% was good enough to make the ridiculousness of 80-95% less painful.
So I will pretend it never happened and move on.
Find me at:
This was fucking AMAZING.
Seriously though, I devoured the first 80% of this thing CERTAIN this book would end up landing on my "Top Favorites of All Time" list, I was enjoying it so much.
It was awesome.
And headed down Five Star Highway.
But then the wheels fell off the bus and we took the most unexpected- and fucking ridiculous - detour ever.
Seriously though, the two "twists" at the end were not in line with the rest of the book, in my opinion.
The tone was different, the pace was different...it just didn't match.
Plus....?
*
*
*
STUPID.
So, SO, STUPID, people.
In fact, so stupid, it almost derailed the entire book for me.
But luckily, the first 80% was good enough to make the ridiculousness of 80-95% less painful.
So I will pretend it never happened and move on.
Find me at:
May 7, 2017
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️! Hooked on the Game (stand-alone) Hot & heavy opposites attract when girl on a scholarship moves in with a college heartthrob & heir!
Hooked on the Game (stand-alone) opens to college freshman on a scholarship Raya Capperton finding herself in need a living quarters, much thanks to fellow student and heir Kade Colton. LOL! Sparks fly in and out of the bedroom as these two polar opposites must share a home.
***
Hero: ★★★★
Heroine: ★★★★
Plot: ★★★★
Storytelling: ★★★★
Sexual tension: ★★★★
Sex scenes: ★★★★
Story ending: ★★★★
******************************************
OVERALL RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Angst: | LOW FOCUS |
Darkness: | LOW FOCUS |
Humor: | HIGH FOCUS |
Kink: | LOW FOCUS |
Romance: | MEDIUM FOCUS |
Sex frequency: | MEDIUM FOCUS |
Suspense: | LOW FOCUS |
Thank you to everyone reading & chatting on Shh… Shhurrender your TBR! https://goo.gl/yL04ud
May 30, 2015
DNF 13%
I hate being made to feel sorry for a character. These things should flow gracefully not be crammed in a paragraph to make us pity them from the start.
Newsflash!
That is not how you make a character likable.
Raya is judgmental from the start. Every rich person is a self indulged brat who only cares about themselves. They're all pricks and she's the only decent person that goes to this school.
Really?
She just had to be made into the ⇨special snowflake⇦.
And let's not even get started on her physique.
And finally the writing and the plot are atrocious. It feels forced and completely unbelievable. The basis for this story is just OTT ridiculous and too weak to keep on reading.
Seriously that rating? 4.14?
Life is too short and my TBR is too long to waste perfectly good time on a horrible book.
It's not like I can call my mom and gripe. She feels so guilty about so many things already, even though she shouldn't. I can't call my Dad's family, they'd do something incredibly illegal, like hack the files of everyone hassling me and give them failing grades. I can't call my best friend, considering she and my ex-boyfriend got together the second I moved out here. I have no one, and now I barely have myself.
I hate being made to feel sorry for a character. These things should flow gracefully not be crammed in a paragraph to make us pity them from the start.
Newsflash!
That is not how you make a character likable.
Raya is judgmental from the start. Every rich person is a self indulged brat who only cares about themselves. They're all pricks and she's the only decent person that goes to this school.
Really?
She just had to be made into the ⇨special snowflake⇦.
And let's not even get started on her physique.
I never had a problem with my curves or my chest until this place. It's amazing that big chests have been popular forever, but the second my breasts fill out, small chests come into style. My luck. Go figure.
And finally the writing and the plot are atrocious. It feels forced and completely unbelievable. The basis for this story is just OTT ridiculous and too weak to keep on reading.
Seriously that rating? 4.14?
Life is too short and my TBR is too long to waste perfectly good time on a horrible book.
January 29, 2015
4 Conned Stars.
Raya is the girl who has to work for a living. She came from a simple family, her father is a con-man doing jail time and she just want to go to college and have a good chance in live. Kade is the opposite, the son of a millionaire his life is nothing but parties after parties. Or so it seems.
When an unexpected event brings them together and living under the same roof all their assumptions about the other are about to change. But Kade is still the rick kid and Raya is still the poor girl that tries to hide her past. But when they finally give in and get together, are they going to finally be happy together or realize that when two different worlds cross ways, they tend to crash?
I’m going to confess a reading guilty pleasure of mine: There are times when I love predictability. Sometimes I need a book that I know exactly what will happen next, where the characters and the plot are so cliche that there’s no way to go wrong with it. This was one of those books. It was very nice to read, well written… but it wasn’t exactly original, given that it was pretty cliche inside the “rich guy – poor girl” plot. In other words, exactly what I was needing. In the end of the day it made me feel, it made me smile and I have fun with it. And that’s pretty much all I ask from a book.
Rating: 4 Stars.
Characters Development: Wow, I was expecting Kade to be a stubborn hero with the cockiness syndrome, but he was in fact a real down-to-earth guy, sweet and pretty easy to like. It was clear from the beginning his feelings towards Raya, which only made me like him even more. Raya was good too. I liked how she wasn’t whinny nor “little miss innocent”. She was sassy and I liked her as well. There were a lot of nice supporting characters, I can’t wait to read their books!
Steam: Some hot scenes.
Sensible Subjects:
Love Triangle:
Cheating:
HEA:
Raya is the girl who has to work for a living. She came from a simple family, her father is a con-man doing jail time and she just want to go to college and have a good chance in live. Kade is the opposite, the son of a millionaire his life is nothing but parties after parties. Or so it seems.
When an unexpected event brings them together and living under the same roof all their assumptions about the other are about to change. But Kade is still the rick kid and Raya is still the poor girl that tries to hide her past. But when they finally give in and get together, are they going to finally be happy together or realize that when two different worlds cross ways, they tend to crash?
I’m going to confess a reading guilty pleasure of mine: There are times when I love predictability. Sometimes I need a book that I know exactly what will happen next, where the characters and the plot are so cliche that there’s no way to go wrong with it. This was one of those books. It was very nice to read, well written… but it wasn’t exactly original, given that it was pretty cliche inside the “rich guy – poor girl” plot. In other words, exactly what I was needing. In the end of the day it made me feel, it made me smile and I have fun with it. And that’s pretty much all I ask from a book.
Rating: 4 Stars.
Characters Development: Wow, I was expecting Kade to be a stubborn hero with the cockiness syndrome, but he was in fact a real down-to-earth guy, sweet and pretty easy to like. It was clear from the beginning his feelings towards Raya, which only made me like him even more. Raya was good too. I liked how she wasn’t whinny nor “little miss innocent”. She was sassy and I liked her as well. There were a lot of nice supporting characters, I can’t wait to read their books!
Steam: Some hot scenes.
Sensible Subjects:
Love Triangle:
Cheating:
HEA:
May 25, 2022
➥ 4 Stars *:･ﾟ✧
Maybe it's because I was reading this book while I was severely emotional + listening to "happiness is a butterfly" and "art deco" by lana interchangeably but this fucking book was exactly what I needed and it warmed my heart until I was no longer so cold.
This is the same author who wrote The Risk, just under a different pen name. In this book we have forced proximity and jerk/fuckboy-esque guy falling in love. One night, Raya's house is destroyed by a few drunk guys from Kade's party nextdoor driving into it with a bulldozer. Kade is wealthy whereas Raya was quite the opposite, doing her absolute best to make ends meet. Kade's father offers Raya the chance to live with Kade as both Kade's punishment and Raya's new residence.
I really fucking loved the characters, ohmygod:
I can't possibly explain to you why the romance in this book made me absolutely miserable because of how fucking perfect it was that I knew I would never have that. The romance developed so naturally, so perfectly, but with sweet tension so good that I was bashing my head into the wall every time Kade smiled at my girl Raya. When he smiled against her lips while kissing? Yeah, I collapsed. Every hand on the hip, every collarbone kiss, every breath that passed between their lips while they had their foreheads together, had me screaming, crying, and throwing the fuck up. The one-bed trope in this? Kill me now, my heart was ripped apart thanks.
Raya's daddy issues actually had me bawling my fucking eyes out I couldn't breathe. My baby's dad was a con but he's just a guy who loves his lil girl and messed up. He lost everything but he never stopped loving Raya, never stopped playing cards with her when she went to visit him in prison, and his eyes bled emotion when he realised his little girl now had a boyfriend and fuck, man. Fuck. When he told off Kade because he wouldn't leave Raya alone? When he told Kade he wasn't good enough for Raya because of the motherfucking angel that she is? Someone call 911 for me rn.
Yeah, excuse me while I ugly cry thanks. The way Raya still calls her dad "Daddy" (affectionately, not weirdly) makes me want to hug her sfb, she deserves the world. We are all just little girls, sorry. Ily, Raya <33
There were a couple of critiques I had for this book too but they're quite minor. There is a misommunication trope in the last 20 pages but it's handled really quickly and Raya's Dad's speech was fully fucking worth it. Also, I felt that there was a waste of opportunity at times. They had to sleep together while they were at their parents' house and after they said they were going to the room, we were just told that now it's the morning and that they're on the drive home. That could've been a great moment for tension, for being in eachother's arms, anything really. I also didn't quite care about the plot addition towards the end but it didn't bother me that much.
I fucking love this book, don't talk to me rn.
"You do have your tongue pierced," I murmur to myself. "I thought so."
His grin slides up, and I look up to see his eyes intensely focused on mine. "You've been trying to get a look?"
My face heats, and he leans in closer, making this even more intimate. He rolls his tongue in his mouth so that he can shove part of the bar between his pearly whites, and then he bites down on the metal so that it's the only thing I can see other than his perfectly straight teeth.
The bar slinks back into his mouth, and his grin returns. "You could have just asked."
━━━━━━━━━━━ ♡ ━━━━━━━━━━━
Maybe it's because I was reading this book while I was severely emotional + listening to "happiness is a butterfly" and "art deco" by lana interchangeably but this fucking book was exactly what I needed and it warmed my heart until I was no longer so cold.
This is the same author who wrote The Risk, just under a different pen name. In this book we have forced proximity and jerk/fuckboy-esque guy falling in love. One night, Raya's house is destroyed by a few drunk guys from Kade's party nextdoor driving into it with a bulldozer. Kade is wealthy whereas Raya was quite the opposite, doing her absolute best to make ends meet. Kade's father offers Raya the chance to live with Kade as both Kade's punishment and Raya's new residence.
I really fucking loved the characters, ohmygod:
➺ Raya is such a sweetheart. I have so much love for her. She's a lovely fmc and I just wanted to hold her and tell her everything would be okay sometimes. She's so strong, smart, and deserves only good in life.
➺ Kade reminded me a lot of Garrett Graham, he's a cocky but sweet guy who grins and smirks like there's no tomorrow. Oh, and did I mention he has a fucking tongue piercing? Guys having one iconic piercing is my weakness, sorry. He's husband material, ugh you should've seen how polite, how kind he was when meeting Raya's family, someone slap me rn.
➺ Courtney, die thanks.
I can't possibly explain to you why the romance in this book made me absolutely miserable because of how fucking perfect it was that I knew I would never have that. The romance developed so naturally, so perfectly, but with sweet tension so good that I was bashing my head into the wall every time Kade smiled at my girl Raya. When he smiled against her lips while kissing? Yeah, I collapsed. Every hand on the hip, every collarbone kiss, every breath that passed between their lips while they had their foreheads together, had me screaming, crying, and throwing the fuck up. The one-bed trope in this? Kill me now, my heart was ripped apart thanks.
Raya's daddy issues actually had me bawling my fucking eyes out I couldn't breathe. My baby's dad was a con but he's just a guy who loves his lil girl and messed up. He lost everything but he never stopped loving Raya, never stopped playing cards with her when she went to visit him in prison, and his eyes bled emotion when he realised his little girl now had a boyfriend and fuck, man. Fuck. When he told off Kade because he wouldn't leave Raya alone? When he told Kade he wasn't good enough for Raya because of the motherfucking angel that she is? Someone call 911 for me rn.
"Sorry," Kade says, almost sounding amused. "Mr. Capperton, I'd really like to have a chance to apologize. Raya is wrong about us. I-"
"You hurt her," Dad says simply, interrupting him again. "She trusted you and you hurt her, because you, like all the other morons she meets, judged her based on my actions. She's a good girl. She has a heart like you'd never understand. She's the most forgiving, understanding, and compassionate person I've ever known, and you hurt her. She doesn't want to talk to you."
Tears fill my eyes as I sit down and draw my knees to my chest like a scared little girl.
"I didn't judge her. Mr. Capperton, I fucked up. You don't understand. If you'd just let me-"
"What? Let you in? Let you stalk my daughter more? You're lucky I'm not calling the cops. Believe it or not, I've actually got a few friends in that department. You have your vineyard, your plans can move forward, and your life will be as fucking shiny as you like it. You're the one who doesn't understand. "You didn't fuck up because of what you said once. It's what you've preached about. Your life is supposed to be perfect. You want that. And you've made Raya feel as though she's inferior. My daughter is a better person than you'll ever be. Ever. She doesn't deserve to feel as though she's a lesser person because of decisions I've made, because of the money she didn't have handed to her, or because of where she came from. She's strong, and you damn near broke her. Now, go. The fuck. Away."
Yeah, excuse me while I ugly cry thanks. The way Raya still calls her dad "Daddy" (affectionately, not weirdly) makes me want to hug her sfb, she deserves the world. We are all just little girls, sorry. Ily, Raya <33
There were a couple of critiques I had for this book too but they're quite minor. There is a misommunication trope in the last 20 pages but it's handled really quickly and Raya's Dad's speech was fully fucking worth it. Also, I felt that there was a waste of opportunity at times. They had to sleep together while they were at their parents' house and after they said they were going to the room, we were just told that now it's the morning and that they're on the drive home. That could've been a great moment for tension, for being in eachother's arms, anything really. I also didn't quite care about the plot addition towards the end but it didn't bother me that much.
I fucking love this book, don't talk to me rn.
━━━━━━━━━━━ ♡ ━━━━━━━━━━━
June 24, 2024
This was a cutesy little novel that sadly didn't really stand out from the million others
The cheesy rich playboy Kade who secretly has a better work ethic and a strong connection to a certain family member that betters him in the heroine's eyes. The poor honor student Raya barely scrapes by and somehow becomes dependent on the playboy and keeps him out of trouble.
The thing that kept this from being totally cliche was Raya's past of criminals that she utilized in the end.
However the writing style was not my favorite as it was the classic mistake of telling not showing.
Readers were told us over and over again, she has a passstttttt with the only hints through her great card playing skills and visiting her dad in prison like once....I mean there's gotta be more to that story.
The romance was cute: built up to happiness, playboy finds out about past, girl feels below him, etc.
But the finding her scene was pretty swoon worthy:
“Not this time, Raya. Even if you forced me out, I wouldn't give up. I'll jump from that fucking ridiculously scary tree every day if you make me. Just try to leave the window up for me from now on. It's hard to hang on and force a window up."
His playful grin doesn't match his serious eyes”
Overall a cute read though it did make me curious about Tag which is book 2, so maybe keep going on the series if I have nothing else to read.
The cheesy rich playboy Kade who secretly has a better work ethic and a strong connection to a certain family member that betters him in the heroine's eyes. The poor honor student Raya barely scrapes by and somehow becomes dependent on the playboy and keeps him out of trouble.
The thing that kept this from being totally cliche was Raya's past of criminals that she utilized in the end.
However the writing style was not my favorite as it was the classic mistake of telling not showing.
Readers were told us over and over again, she has a passstttttt with the only hints through her great card playing skills and visiting her dad in prison like once....I mean there's gotta be more to that story.
The romance was cute: built up to happiness, playboy finds out about past, girl feels below him, etc.
But the finding her scene was pretty swoon worthy:
“Not this time, Raya. Even if you forced me out, I wouldn't give up. I'll jump from that fucking ridiculously scary tree every day if you make me. Just try to leave the window up for me from now on. It's hard to hang on and force a window up."
His playful grin doesn't match his serious eyes”
Overall a cute read though it did make me curious about Tag which is book 2, so maybe keep going on the series if I have nothing else to read.
February 16, 2017
So, at first I'd rated this book five stars... but then had to drop one because I'm trying to be a little more selective and because after a couple of weeks, this book hasn't really stayed with me the way a five stars should do.
Now, it was definitely an enjoyable read. Kind of a guilty read, though. Why so? Because we have an heroine who, for how sassy and spunky, kinda has an inferiority complex and for the whole book cannot fathom why the H wants her. She keeps referring to herself as the conman's daughter, as if she could never be anything more. She pretends to be strong and unaffected by the mean people in her life, but she fails measerably... and the hero almost always has to comes to the rescue.
This is why this is a guilty pleasure. Because I shouldn't like a heroine who needs saving, or who needs a H to protect her from the nasty rumors or stuff like that. I shouldn't like an H like Kade, who's an alpha through and through, without abyss-like depth. And yet this book worked for me. Was the h kind of a damsel in distress sometimes? Yep, yet I liked those scenes. Was the H OTT at times? Yup.
This book is the definition of a very enjoyable read that makes you swoon for sure, even if maybe it doesn't leave an imprint. I kinda liked the ending, with the h finally showing some of her mad skillz, but didn't appreciate how little we saw of Kade in that part of the book.
The plot all in all was fine, a tad make-believe sure, but fine. Also, the whole situation reminded me a lot of "Paper Princess" and the Royal trilogy in general, with a very influential family and the "white trash" girl crashing in their lives and changing them, amid scandals, posh trips and secrets. All of which may not be realistic, but hell if I don't love this kind of things.
Lastly, I loved their group of friends and can't want to read about Tag and all the others!
Now, it was definitely an enjoyable read. Kind of a guilty read, though. Why so? Because we have an heroine who, for how sassy and spunky, kinda has an inferiority complex and for the whole book cannot fathom why the H wants her. She keeps referring to herself as the conman's daughter, as if she could never be anything more. She pretends to be strong and unaffected by the mean people in her life, but she fails measerably... and the hero almost always has to comes to the rescue.
This is why this is a guilty pleasure. Because I shouldn't like a heroine who needs saving, or who needs a H to protect her from the nasty rumors or stuff like that. I shouldn't like an H like Kade, who's an alpha through and through, without abyss-like depth. And yet this book worked for me. Was the h kind of a damsel in distress sometimes? Yep, yet I liked those scenes. Was the H OTT at times? Yup.
This book is the definition of a very enjoyable read that makes you swoon for sure, even if maybe it doesn't leave an imprint. I kinda liked the ending, with the h finally showing some of her mad skillz, but didn't appreciate how little we saw of Kade in that part of the book.
The plot all in all was fine, a tad make-believe sure, but fine. Also, the whole situation reminded me a lot of "Paper Princess" and the Royal trilogy in general, with a very influential family and the "white trash" girl crashing in their lives and changing them, amid scandals, posh trips and secrets. All of which may not be realistic, but hell if I don't love this kind of things.
Lastly, I loved their group of friends and can't want to read about Tag and all the others!
January 6, 2015
“Ember is almost forgotten as I stare into the endless pools of blue that suddenly carry such a meaningful depth instead of a guise of shallowness.”
With a line like that, you know it’s going to be a fabulous book.
Oh, wait, sorry, I was being sarcastic. That’s actually the line that made me put this book down. I honestly couldn't keep reading.
The main character is flat and shallow, making fun of all rich kids for being shallow pricks when she herself is shallow as hell for thinking that.
The entire plot set-up is preposterous. Her neighbor holds a party and random drunk guys bulldoze her house, so the neighbor’s dad forces his son to let his daughter live with him? And he owns that student house? And four cars? Rich people aren’t rich because they throw around money like idiots.
There are a lot of typos. I tried being lenient, but in the first few chapters I found multiple instances of missing quotation marks (lots of them), mixed up words, missing words… too many things to ignore. Considering the lack of indentation, quotation marks become more important to keep the story from not making sense.
Nothing that the characters did seemed genuine. Overall, it was written very poorly.
I'm guessing from all the reviews that the cheap, recycled plot is just a crowd favorite and paired with whatever cheap sex scene, it's enough to tide over casual readers, but for those who want to read quality, I'd steer away from Hooked on the Game.
With a line like that, you know it’s going to be a fabulous book.
Oh, wait, sorry, I was being sarcastic. That’s actually the line that made me put this book down. I honestly couldn't keep reading.
The main character is flat and shallow, making fun of all rich kids for being shallow pricks when she herself is shallow as hell for thinking that.
The entire plot set-up is preposterous. Her neighbor holds a party and random drunk guys bulldoze her house, so the neighbor’s dad forces his son to let his daughter live with him? And he owns that student house? And four cars? Rich people aren’t rich because they throw around money like idiots.
There are a lot of typos. I tried being lenient, but in the first few chapters I found multiple instances of missing quotation marks (lots of them), mixed up words, missing words… too many things to ignore. Considering the lack of indentation, quotation marks become more important to keep the story from not making sense.
Nothing that the characters did seemed genuine. Overall, it was written very poorly.
I'm guessing from all the reviews that the cheap, recycled plot is just a crowd favorite and paired with whatever cheap sex scene, it's enough to tide over casual readers, but for those who want to read quality, I'd steer away from Hooked on the Game.
June 1, 2014
*Currently free on Amazon*
Genre: College NA Romance
Cover: 7/10
Writing: 8/10
Heroine: 6/10
Hero: 8/10
Hotness: 3/10
Romance: 7/10
Extra book Details: Approx 224 kindle pages. Female POV. There'll be a #1.5; this book from the hero's POV, and another book with a spin-off character.
Raya and Kade are neighbours who come from two different worlds. World's that should never clash. His father is rich and successful, her's is a con artist and in jail. She lives off tuna, he eats gourmet. She's getting bullied and he's Mr popular.
When Kades 'friends' run a bulldozer into Raya's house, Kade's father offers her a place to live.... With Kade.
Therefore avoiding a lawsuit and letting Raya make all the rules to keep his son in check. How will Raya cope living with the man she loves to hate?
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
I haven't read a college NA romance for a while, most are far too clichéd for my liking.
'Hooked on the Game' wasn't. It had one element that could be considered clichéd; the fact that the heroine didn't have a clue when it came to the hero's feelings towards her, yet us, the readers know through his actions. I suppose it made it a little more endearing, but it made the heroine look kind of dumb.
This book is a very 'nice' enjoyable read. I think if I’d known that there was a book coming out from Kade's POV, then I would have probably waited and read that for the fact that the Raya's POV was pretty blind as I said above.
Kade was definitely the shining star in this book. He was very genuine, lovable, down to earth and sweet.
I'll definitely be trying more from this author.
'He's an elite and I’m the girl from the trailer park.'
Genre: College NA Romance
Cover: 7/10
Writing: 8/10
Heroine: 6/10
Hero: 8/10
Hotness: 3/10
Romance: 7/10
Extra book Details: Approx 224 kindle pages. Female POV. There'll be a #1.5; this book from the hero's POV, and another book with a spin-off character.
Raya and Kade are neighbours who come from two different worlds. World's that should never clash. His father is rich and successful, her's is a con artist and in jail. She lives off tuna, he eats gourmet. She's getting bullied and he's Mr popular.
When Kades 'friends' run a bulldozer into Raya's house, Kade's father offers her a place to live.... With Kade.
Therefore avoiding a lawsuit and letting Raya make all the rules to keep his son in check. How will Raya cope living with the man she loves to hate?
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
I haven't read a college NA romance for a while, most are far too clichéd for my liking.
'Hooked on the Game' wasn't. It had one element that could be considered clichéd; the fact that the heroine didn't have a clue when it came to the hero's feelings towards her, yet us, the readers know through his actions. I suppose it made it a little more endearing, but it made the heroine look kind of dumb.
This book is a very 'nice' enjoyable read. I think if I’d known that there was a book coming out from Kade's POV, then I would have probably waited and read that for the fact that the Raya's POV was pretty blind as I said above.
Kade was definitely the shining star in this book. He was very genuine, lovable, down to earth and sweet.
I'll definitely be trying more from this author.
July 22, 2021
EDIT: after contemplating my experience with this book, I lowered my rating from 5 stars to 4. I love this book a lot, but I know after lots of reflecting that it doesn't deserve 5 stars. you should still read it though.
note: this review contains major and minor spoilers for the novel.
.·:·.☽✧ 4.3 stars ✧☾.·:·.
ah, my two new favorite idiots. for the first time in a while, I loved and hated both the main characters in this book, but I gave the book 4 stars. if you're wondering why, then I'll gladly explain.
↠ the story is fast-paced and kept me interested
in the first chapter, a great amount of information is already set in place, but not in an off-putting manner. even though we learn a good bit of information at first, it only feels like a teaser for what's about to come because that information only gives a peek into the dynamics soon to come. based on the information I learned in the first five pages, I already loved Raya and wanted to learn more about her character and background.
and the reason I said this story is fast-paced is that in the first chapter, some frat boys drove a bulldozer into Raya's house while she was in the shower. Raya's left with bruises, and in the next chapter, Raya's already in court with Kade and his father because the people who drove a bulldozer into her house were at Kade's loud party next door. so trust me when I say this story is fast-paced. there's always something going on every chapter, and there's never a lackluster moment.
↠ because of the straighforward writing, there aren't any dull moments
for the most part, I truly liked the writing because it was pretty frank and described things in the novel as it is without unneeded wording.
now I don't know if those perfectly support my point, but I think you understand what I mean. a lot of times when authors describe scenery or extravagant items, they go into excessive detail just to describe it. so I appreciate how the author is pretty straightforward with their descriptions, while still conveying their point.
↠ Raya and Kade were idiots for most of the novel, but they're my idiots
I love Raya Capperton a lot, and I think I understood her better when I saw how she dealt with all the shit life handed to her. I mean, in the first fucking chapter, we learn that her two roommates got expelled from their college campus and can't pay their rent. so Raya has to figure how to keep the lights on while she speaks to her father who's in prison, and then a bulldozer drives into her home and she's left with nasty bruises. but we learn so much more about her background and family that I can't even explain it all here. what I'm trying to say is that I love Raya for her determination to collect her bag.
but even though she's determined to collect her bag and got a scholarship to an Ivy League school, her intelligence goes out the window when she gets involved with Kade. Kade Colton seems like the stereotypical rich frat guy next door, but I like how his character was executed. whenever Kade goes to parties, it's most likely for business and making connections with future (or current) business partners because he's all about, if you couldn't already tell, ~business~. so when he has to tend to all of Raya's needs while she lives in his house because of the agreement Kade's father made in court, Kade is pretty mean to her at first because she's interrupting all his business or something like that. but of course, they get closer, and this leads me to their relationship.
Raya and Kade's relationship was cute at first, but quickly tumbled for the worst. I finished this book today at 1am, so I can't remember all the details. but what I do remember is that when they first hook up, it's after they (mostly) clear the air succeeding a misunderstanding involving Courtney, Kade's ex, and Lyle, a weird guy that kept flirting with Raya. I won't even go after the details of that because it's a mess, but just know that after they hook up, we skip forward three weeks into their relationship. and this is where shit tumbles for the worst.
so Kade and Raya are going to Kade's grandfather's vineyard that produces the finest wine. when Kade's grandfather, Thomas, meets Raya, he gives her one of the last wines in an exclusive collection dedicated to Kade. and Kade gets mad at this because Thomas has cancer, and might not be here much longer, so Kade didn't think Raya was important enough to get the wine (?).
I know, I know. that reasoning doesn't make sense to me either, but they're both idiots, so I can't expect much from them. anyway, Kade's all mad, and Raya says this:
which I totally agree with. yet right after she makes statements like this, she forgives him, and they go back to their shenanigans. but the happiness doesn't last long because in a slightly confusing sequence of events, Courtney tells Kade about Raya's father who was a con man, and guess what? Kade blows up with frustration and doesn't listen to what Raya has to say. He thinks that she conned her way into his home, family, and his heart just like her father "taught" her to do. for some reason, all he wants for her to do is deny those allegations, but she's not focusing on that. so when Raya says this to Kade:
I wanted to hand her a Grammy for an excellent speech, and I mainly wanted them to get back together. but of course, Kade had to try and find Raya for weeks after he realized his mistakes. and he couldn't find her for a while, since she moved in with her father after he got out of prison. but they get back together for the last time after Kade finds her house and he apologizes.
so after all that, you may be wondering why I called Raya an idiot along with Kade. you should already know why Kade is an idiot, but I think Raya's an idiot when it comes to their relationship because she always apologizes when she wasn't in the wrong and gets back with Kade. Raya seems very intelligent academically, but when it comes to romantic relationships, that intelligence isn't there. while I wish she knew her worth a little more when it comes to Kade, I still love her with all my heart. it's a difficult dynamic to explain.
now I made a little detour when I was talking about Raya and Kade, but let's get back on track.
↠ the slow-burn romance between Raya and Kade was perfect
As I said earlier in this review, Kade was very rude to Raya and didn't like her, and the feeling was mutual. but the way they got closer through shared experiences really made me appreciate the story. Raya and Kade were both unsure of how the other person felt about them, and I think that made the story feel a little more real. even though they kissed a couple of times, there were still unspoken feelings between them that eventually bubbled up at the end. I don't know how to describe it, really, I just loved that part of their relationship.
↠ Kade started out a regular rich boy, but I liked how his character developed
Kade Colton didn't have crazy development throughout the story, but the path his character took was interesting, to say the least. see, because Kade was always involved with business and making future business connections, he didn't have any real friends or people that cared for him (other than his family). so in the beginning of Raya and Kade's platonic relationship, she was Kade's first real friend. and when Kade realized how much he meant to her, he wanted to open up to other people, in the same way he did with Raya. I know that shit sounded so cheesy, but it's true.
even though I liked a lot of things about this novel, I do wish two dynamics were explored more: Raya's relationship with her previous roommates that got expelled, and Kade's relationship with his father. while Raya's roommates were mentioned in the beginning to set an exposition, her relationship with them was never explained. were they best friends she had? were they random strangers? what was it like when Raya lived with them? did they do the same behavior that got them expelled on the daily? I just wanted to learn more about them.
and speaking of dynamics I wanted to learn more about, what the fuck is going on with Kade and his father's relationship? I know it will probably be explained in the following novella, but still. I only bring this up because Kade's father seemed wayyyyy too happy to have his son tend to Raya hand and foot while she lives in his house. it kinda weirded me out, to be honest.
before I finish this review, I just need to vent real quick. do you remember Kade's ex, Courtney, that I mentioned earlier? yeah, so she told Kade about Raya's father being a con man in prision because Courtney wanted to get back with Kade. but that makes no sense to me. maybe I'm just a dumbass, but if Kade belives Courtney and drops Raya, did she think he'll suddenly want to be with Courtney? no matter how mad Kade is, I know he would be way too mad to try and hook up with anyone after that information was shared wih him. and even if he did want to hook up after that, why would he hook up with Courtney? I'm sorry, but it just doesn't make sense to me. I've seen this type of story play out in other books, and it just feels so stupid to me.
in conclusion, "Hooked On The Game" is now one of my favorite books of the year. does it deserve it? probably not. but is it still my messy favorite? of course. there were flaws in the novel, but they didn't seriously hinder my rating because I loved this novel too much to let it.
┌──────────────⋆⋅☆⋅⋆────────────────┐
#1.5: kade's game ↠ 2.4 stars
#2: tagged & ashed ↠ currently reading
└────────────⋆⋅☆⋅⋆──────────────────┘
note: this review contains major and minor spoilers for the novel.
.·:·.☽✧ 4.3 stars ✧☾.·:·.
ah, my two new favorite idiots. for the first time in a while, I loved and hated both the main characters in this book, but I gave the book 4 stars. if you're wondering why, then I'll gladly explain.
↠ the story is fast-paced and kept me interested
in the first chapter, a great amount of information is already set in place, but not in an off-putting manner. even though we learn a good bit of information at first, it only feels like a teaser for what's about to come because that information only gives a peek into the dynamics soon to come. based on the information I learned in the first five pages, I already loved Raya and wanted to learn more about her character and background.
and the reason I said this story is fast-paced is that in the first chapter, some frat boys drove a bulldozer into Raya's house while she was in the shower. Raya's left with bruises, and in the next chapter, Raya's already in court with Kade and his father because the people who drove a bulldozer into her house were at Kade's loud party next door. so trust me when I say this story is fast-paced. there's always something going on every chapter, and there's never a lackluster moment.
↠ because of the straighforward writing, there aren't any dull moments
for the most part, I truly liked the writing because it was pretty frank and described things in the novel as it is without unneeded wording.
"The cobblestone driveway leads to a gallant house that stretches out like a mansion. Every intricate detail makes em wonder if Cinderella just threw up in my life. There's no way I'm actually here."
"The inside is even more glorious than the outside. The chandelier angles low from the high ceiling. It's a piece of artwork more than it is a light. Golden lighting decorates the home, making it all the more elegant."
now I don't know if those perfectly support my point, but I think you understand what I mean. a lot of times when authors describe scenery or extravagant items, they go into excessive detail just to describe it. so I appreciate how the author is pretty straightforward with their descriptions, while still conveying their point.
↠ Raya and Kade were idiots for most of the novel, but they're my idiots
I love Raya Capperton a lot, and I think I understood her better when I saw how she dealt with all the shit life handed to her. I mean, in the first fucking chapter, we learn that her two roommates got expelled from their college campus and can't pay their rent. so Raya has to figure how to keep the lights on while she speaks to her father who's in prison, and then a bulldozer drives into her home and she's left with nasty bruises. but we learn so much more about her background and family that I can't even explain it all here. what I'm trying to say is that I love Raya for her determination to collect her bag.
but even though she's determined to collect her bag and got a scholarship to an Ivy League school, her intelligence goes out the window when she gets involved with Kade. Kade Colton seems like the stereotypical rich frat guy next door, but I like how his character was executed. whenever Kade goes to parties, it's most likely for business and making connections with future (or current) business partners because he's all about, if you couldn't already tell, ~business~. so when he has to tend to all of Raya's needs while she lives in his house because of the agreement Kade's father made in court, Kade is pretty mean to her at first because she's interrupting all his business or something like that. but of course, they get closer, and this leads me to their relationship.
Raya and Kade's relationship was cute at first, but quickly tumbled for the worst. I finished this book today at 1am, so I can't remember all the details. but what I do remember is that when they first hook up, it's after they (mostly) clear the air succeeding a misunderstanding involving Courtney, Kade's ex, and Lyle, a weird guy that kept flirting with Raya. I won't even go after the details of that because it's a mess, but just know that after they hook up, we skip forward three weeks into their relationship. and this is where shit tumbles for the worst.
so Kade and Raya are going to Kade's grandfather's vineyard that produces the finest wine. when Kade's grandfather, Thomas, meets Raya, he gives her one of the last wines in an exclusive collection dedicated to Kade. and Kade gets mad at this because Thomas has cancer, and might not be here much longer, so Kade didn't think Raya was important enough to get the wine (?).
I know, I know. that reasoning doesn't make sense to me either, but they're both idiots, so I can't expect much from them. anyway, Kade's all mad, and Raya says this:
"This day started out with promise, but it has ended in complete failure. The story of my life. This trip, unlike the ride out here, goes on forever in silence. I'll be sleeping in my room tonight. I know I'm not the perfect girl, but I did nothing wrong. I'll be dammed if I let him punish me for receiving a gift from a persistent old man."
which I totally agree with. yet right after she makes statements like this, she forgives him, and they go back to their shenanigans. but the happiness doesn't last long because in a slightly confusing sequence of events, Courtney tells Kade about Raya's father who was a con man, and guess what? Kade blows up with frustration and doesn't listen to what Raya has to say. He thinks that she conned her way into his home, family, and his heart just like her father "taught" her to do. for some reason, all he wants for her to do is deny those allegations, but she's not focusing on that. so when Raya says this to Kade:
""I talked those frat boys into bulldozing my house just so I could move in here. I cunningly whispered in your father's ear to plant the idea in his head. I conned him into buying me clothes and bringing me to Aspen. Is that what you want? I told your grandfather I love you just so he'd give me a bottle of wine he treasured. Happy? I told you I love you because I wanted to steal everything you have and disappear in the wind. There. Now you can feel good about doing this.""
I wanted to hand her a Grammy for an excellent speech, and I mainly wanted them to get back together. but of course, Kade had to try and find Raya for weeks after he realized his mistakes. and he couldn't find her for a while, since she moved in with her father after he got out of prison. but they get back together for the last time after Kade finds her house and he apologizes.
so after all that, you may be wondering why I called Raya an idiot along with Kade. you should already know why Kade is an idiot, but I think Raya's an idiot when it comes to their relationship because she always apologizes when she wasn't in the wrong and gets back with Kade. Raya seems very intelligent academically, but when it comes to romantic relationships, that intelligence isn't there. while I wish she knew her worth a little more when it comes to Kade, I still love her with all my heart. it's a difficult dynamic to explain.
now I made a little detour when I was talking about Raya and Kade, but let's get back on track.
↠ the slow-burn romance between Raya and Kade was perfect
As I said earlier in this review, Kade was very rude to Raya and didn't like her, and the feeling was mutual. but the way they got closer through shared experiences really made me appreciate the story. Raya and Kade were both unsure of how the other person felt about them, and I think that made the story feel a little more real. even though they kissed a couple of times, there were still unspoken feelings between them that eventually bubbled up at the end. I don't know how to describe it, really, I just loved that part of their relationship.
↠ Kade started out a regular rich boy, but I liked how his character developed
Kade Colton didn't have crazy development throughout the story, but the path his character took was interesting, to say the least. see, because Kade was always involved with business and making future business connections, he didn't have any real friends or people that cared for him (other than his family). so in the beginning of Raya and Kade's platonic relationship, she was Kade's first real friend. and when Kade realized how much he meant to her, he wanted to open up to other people, in the same way he did with Raya. I know that shit sounded so cheesy, but it's true.
even though I liked a lot of things about this novel, I do wish two dynamics were explored more: Raya's relationship with her previous roommates that got expelled, and Kade's relationship with his father. while Raya's roommates were mentioned in the beginning to set an exposition, her relationship with them was never explained. were they best friends she had? were they random strangers? what was it like when Raya lived with them? did they do the same behavior that got them expelled on the daily? I just wanted to learn more about them.
and speaking of dynamics I wanted to learn more about, what the fuck is going on with Kade and his father's relationship? I know it will probably be explained in the following novella, but still. I only bring this up because Kade's father seemed wayyyyy too happy to have his son tend to Raya hand and foot while she lives in his house. it kinda weirded me out, to be honest.
before I finish this review, I just need to vent real quick. do you remember Kade's ex, Courtney, that I mentioned earlier? yeah, so she told Kade about Raya's father being a con man in prision because Courtney wanted to get back with Kade. but that makes no sense to me. maybe I'm just a dumbass, but if Kade belives Courtney and drops Raya, did she think he'll suddenly want to be with Courtney? no matter how mad Kade is, I know he would be way too mad to try and hook up with anyone after that information was shared wih him. and even if he did want to hook up after that, why would he hook up with Courtney? I'm sorry, but it just doesn't make sense to me. I've seen this type of story play out in other books, and it just feels so stupid to me.
in conclusion, "Hooked On The Game" is now one of my favorite books of the year. does it deserve it? probably not. but is it still my messy favorite? of course. there were flaws in the novel, but they didn't seriously hinder my rating because I loved this novel too much to let it.
┌──────────────⋆⋅☆⋅⋆────────────────┐
Sterling Shore Series#1: hooked on the game ↠ 4.7 stars
#1.5: kade's game ↠ 2.4 stars
#2: tagged & ashed ↠ currently reading
└────────────⋆⋅☆⋅⋆──────────────────┘
January 4, 2022
"I've heard there's a reason for everything that happens in life. I've been searching for a reason for all this pain and madness. Why would I fall so hard for a man I can never have? But here it is. This is why Kade and I met."
Rating 4.2
I enjoyed this story very much. I think what made it not perfect was the heroine. She was weak and very embarrassed by her "poor background" she victimized herself many times because she "was so poor" etc.
But aside from her negative pessimistic thoughts , I loved her chemistry with Kade. He was so sweet with her, and their story developed from friendship to something more. A short sweet story overall.
Rating 4.2
I enjoyed this story very much. I think what made it not perfect was the heroine. She was weak and very embarrassed by her "poor background" she victimized herself many times because she "was so poor" etc.
But aside from her negative pessimistic thoughts , I loved her chemistry with Kade. He was so sweet with her, and their story developed from friendship to something more. A short sweet story overall.
August 7, 2019
A pleasant surprise. I was expecting something immature and boring. CM Owens kept my attention for almost the entire 200 pages. Not sure If I will continue the series, but this was a good book.
![Profile Image for moonlight ☾ [semi-hiatus].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1645500038i%2F37448930._UX200_CR0%2C0%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
March 15, 2020
✰ 4.5 stars ✰
March 5, 2025
Dear C. M. Owens,
I reread this book, after I found out that you are retiring from writing. Now your readers are curious, why one day you posted your retirement and the other your books were gone. I was lucky, because earlier this year I found out, that you also use the pen name Kristy Cunnings and at the beginning of the Corona crisis, they were all for free and I got them all in that time. Thank you for the free books, and I am happy that I downloaded them, before they were gone. My reading buddies speak highly of this rh series. I was actually hooked after the first Sterling Shore Book.
You might think that we readers are enraged and unhappy why you did this drastic step. But the truth is that your real fans are more worried what happened to you. Because there are mainly unpleasant reasons, which come to our minds, when an author does something like this. And we do mourn what happened, but mainly because we wish you well and would have loved to read some more stories from you and we are anxious because we do not know, if your health is in peril or someone left (one way or other) suddenly. We hope that you will cope and that you will be able to let it all out by writing more brilliant stories.
That said, Hooked on the Game was one of the first books I read after I got my first kindle back in 2014. I really loved it instantly. Raya and Kade are both strong MC’s. Kade is an a****** at the beginning, but it changes daily even if it takes Raya a certain time to get this and open up to him. She has a lot of secrets but at the end she safes him and he safes her.
I really loved the story and it was the best out of the three I read so far. I loved the characters so much.
All the best and know that we will be here, whenever you decide to write again.
Sincerely
Daisy
Edit: Sadly CM Owens passed. We won't get to read other stories from her. And that's really sad, because she was talented and had little kids. I reread her books regularly. Hooked on the Game was the first book I read from this author.
My rating: 4
Read other books by this author in the future: yes
MC: Raya, Kade
I reread this book, after I found out that you are retiring from writing. Now your readers are curious, why one day you posted your retirement and the other your books were gone. I was lucky, because earlier this year I found out, that you also use the pen name Kristy Cunnings and at the beginning of the Corona crisis, they were all for free and I got them all in that time. Thank you for the free books, and I am happy that I downloaded them, before they were gone. My reading buddies speak highly of this rh series. I was actually hooked after the first Sterling Shore Book.
You might think that we readers are enraged and unhappy why you did this drastic step. But the truth is that your real fans are more worried what happened to you. Because there are mainly unpleasant reasons, which come to our minds, when an author does something like this. And we do mourn what happened, but mainly because we wish you well and would have loved to read some more stories from you and we are anxious because we do not know, if your health is in peril or someone left (one way or other) suddenly. We hope that you will cope and that you will be able to let it all out by writing more brilliant stories.
That said, Hooked on the Game was one of the first books I read after I got my first kindle back in 2014. I really loved it instantly. Raya and Kade are both strong MC’s. Kade is an a****** at the beginning, but it changes daily even if it takes Raya a certain time to get this and open up to him. She has a lot of secrets but at the end she safes him and he safes her.
I really loved the story and it was the best out of the three I read so far. I loved the characters so much.
All the best and know that we will be here, whenever you decide to write again.
Sincerely
Daisy
Edit: Sadly CM Owens passed. We won't get to read other stories from her. And that's really sad, because she was talented and had little kids. I reread her books regularly. Hooked on the Game was the first book I read from this author.
My rating: 4
Read other books by this author in the future: yes
MC: Raya, Kade
January 4, 2019
The book had an interesting premise & I really liked the H. Sadly I hated the h she's incredibly judgmental & I just couldn't deal with her.
DNF @ 25%
Side note: Dear author a size 4 is only curvy if you're 3 feet tall. The media & fashion industry do not need your help causing impressionable young ladies unrealistic body goals, unhealthy eating habits, body shaming &/or low self-esteem. I'm sure it's not your intention.
DNF @ 25%
Side note: Dear author a size 4 is only curvy if you're 3 feet tall. The media & fashion industry do not need your help causing impressionable young ladies unrealistic body goals, unhealthy eating habits, body shaming &/or low self-esteem. I'm sure it's not your intention.
February 21, 2019
I enjoyed this wish-fulfillment fantasy. Owens does a decent job making the people feel real enough and it was a lot of fun getting to know Kade. I loved seeing him fall in love with Raya and coming to appreciate her steady good sense and hard work. I was glad that he didn't let her rough edges phase him because that girl is a big bundle of unearned prejudice wrapped in a shell of insecurity.
I found it interesting that the most class-conscious person in the novel is Raya. She's forever going on about not being good enough and being insecure about not being rich and throughout the novel it's pretty clear that she's literally* the only one who feels that way. Raya's insecurity was sometimes hard to deal with and since it's the cause of late-story turbulence I found it more than a little frustrating. I really wish I could say it was unrealistic but I'll just stick with how I find such extreme class-consciousness as unengaging in the poor as I do in the rich.
Anyway, Kade and Raya were engaging most of the time and there's some good humor as well. The side-plot towards the end would have been a huge eye-roll if I had cared about it at all and some of those late-story developments were, well, tolerable, I suppose. So in all, this is a 3½ star story that I'm rounding to four because the central relationship was engaging and I really liked the character growth along the way.
A note about Steamy: There are three explicit sex scenes putting this in the middle of my steam tolerance. They're typical for NA, but not in any boundary-pushing way.
* "literally" used in its original sense because no other character ever tells her that she's not good enough or doesn't belong.
I found it interesting that the most class-conscious person in the novel is Raya. She's forever going on about not being good enough and being insecure about not being rich and throughout the novel it's pretty clear that she's literally* the only one who feels that way. Raya's insecurity was sometimes hard to deal with and since it's the cause of late-story turbulence I found it more than a little frustrating. I really wish I could say it was unrealistic but I'll just stick with how I find such extreme class-consciousness as unengaging in the poor as I do in the rich.
Anyway, Kade and Raya were engaging most of the time and there's some good humor as well. The side-plot towards the end would have been a huge eye-roll if I had cared about it at all and some of those late-story developments were, well, tolerable, I suppose. So in all, this is a 3½ star story that I'm rounding to four because the central relationship was engaging and I really liked the character growth along the way.
A note about Steamy: There are three explicit sex scenes putting this in the middle of my steam tolerance. They're typical for NA, but not in any boundary-pushing way.
* "literally" used in its original sense because no other character ever tells her that she's not good enough or doesn't belong.
February 1, 2020
DNF@ 39%
Not my thing. It was fast to read, and that's the reason I got that far into the book, but it's written too amateurish with a convenient plot to push the characters together. Don't get me wrong I don't mind the plot, but this needs more work.
Not my thing. It was fast to read, and that's the reason I got that far into the book, but it's written too amateurish with a convenient plot to push the characters together. Don't get me wrong I don't mind the plot, but this needs more work.
January 3, 2015
Poor girl, rich boy ... They're stuck with living with each other. A thin line between hate, lust, and love follows. Can he trust her motives; can she trust him with her heart?
It's far from a unique story and certainly has a few moments where I wondered how the characters could be so dense to both verbal & nonverbal cues about scenes being played out.
However, I love a story where characters prove that you shouldn't judge people on appearances and pasts. Tongue ring & tats ??? - So unexpected & yummy:)
The character voices were well done, likable, & believable. No annoying, prolonged love triangle. Plot moved smoothly with no nonsense writing style. A few grammatical errors, but nothing too distracting.
Overall, a good read for a lighthearted romance.
It's far from a unique story and certainly has a few moments where I wondered how the characters could be so dense to both verbal & nonverbal cues about scenes being played out.
However, I love a story where characters prove that you shouldn't judge people on appearances and pasts. Tongue ring & tats ??? - So unexpected & yummy:)
The character voices were well done, likable, & believable. No annoying, prolonged love triangle. Plot moved smoothly with no nonsense writing style. A few grammatical errors, but nothing too distracting.
Overall, a good read for a lighthearted romance.
November 24, 2018
An ok read
This story was ok. It’s heavy on the rich hero, poor heroine trope. Which isn’t bad, but it’s mentioned over and over. I like how the hero is actually sweet and possessive over the heroine, but the heroine is down on herself quite often. It also goes a little bit too far into Scooby Doo mystery territory at one point, and it just kind of veers from the point of the romance, but it was still and ok read. If you’re looking for new adult with the rich hero, poor heroine trope, then this will do.
This story was ok. It’s heavy on the rich hero, poor heroine trope. Which isn’t bad, but it’s mentioned over and over. I like how the hero is actually sweet and possessive over the heroine, but the heroine is down on herself quite often. It also goes a little bit too far into Scooby Doo mystery territory at one point, and it just kind of veers from the point of the romance, but it was still and ok read. If you’re looking for new adult with the rich hero, poor heroine trope, then this will do.
December 26, 2022
F*ck, that was good. Not a whole lot of complication and everything seemed to work out for our MC.
Which is great. It stresses me out when every chapter, the MC is having a hard time.
I really liked this!! 🌸
Which is great. It stresses me out when every chapter, the MC is having a hard time.
I really liked this!! 🌸
August 16, 2014
OMG THIS BOOK HAD ME HOOKED FROM THE BEGINNING!!!
This book has the best writing I've ever read, and I've read a lot of books. Seriously. This book has you hooked from the very beginning, has the best heroine you can ever read, has sweet and frustrating moments but this book totally makes up for if <3
This book was just awesome and I just want to continue this series soon or I am going to cry forever :(
I loved Kade and Raya they were awesome!
I loved the fact that Kade changed ALOT throughout this book.
I loved the fact that Raya was a very strong MC, she's not greedy, she's caring, (she's a daughter of a con!!!!) and she is very selfless.
So much stuff happens in this book that I don't even believe it's all in one book, the fact that Kade wasn't the way he was in the ending in the beginning, I'm just shocked O.O
-sigh- I just loved this book :)
This book has the best writing I've ever read, and I've read a lot of books. Seriously. This book has you hooked from the very beginning, has the best heroine you can ever read, has sweet and frustrating moments but this book totally makes up for if <3
This book was just awesome and I just want to continue this series soon or I am going to cry forever :(
I loved Kade and Raya they were awesome!
I loved the fact that Kade changed ALOT throughout this book.
I loved the fact that Raya was a very strong MC, she's not greedy, she's caring, (she's a daughter of a con!!!!) and she is very selfless.
So much stuff happens in this book that I don't even believe it's all in one book, the fact that Kade wasn't the way he was in the ending in the beginning, I'm just shocked O.O
-sigh- I just loved this book :)
September 27, 2014
Genre: NA romance
Cliffy? No, HFN.
Sensuality: PG-13
Ho-meter: H = GFs in past, h = one previous BF
Fairly straightforward Rich Boy/ Poor Girl romance.
I remained unengaged for the most part since the writing was too unpolished for my taste. It was the typical rough, amateurish, needs-to-be-edited writing you usually find in self-pubs with, maybe, a more weird change of phrase than usual.
Rating: 2.5
Cliffy? No, HFN.
Sensuality: PG-13
Ho-meter: H = GFs in past, h = one previous BF
Fairly straightforward Rich Boy/ Poor Girl romance.
I remained unengaged for the most part since the writing was too unpolished for my taste. It was the typical rough, amateurish, needs-to-be-edited writing you usually find in self-pubs with, maybe, a more weird change of phrase than usual.
Rating: 2.5
January 2, 2019
I waited so long to read this!
I've had this book forever and it was free. I finally got around to reading it because I've read one of the newer series The Wild Ones and have needed a fix to ride me over until the next book in the series comes out. I'm so glad i finally got around to reading it. I love Kade and Raya and can't wait to read Kate's POV in the next book and then on to other couples.
I've had this book forever and it was free. I finally got around to reading it because I've read one of the newer series The Wild Ones and have needed a fix to ride me over until the next book in the series comes out. I'm so glad i finally got around to reading it. I love Kade and Raya and can't wait to read Kate's POV in the next book and then on to other couples.
November 11, 2021
4.5 Hooked Stars
Raya ❤ Kade! They had amazing chemistry! I really enjoyed their story and I'm going to read the next one in the series for sure. Some little things we off for me but they didn't spoil the book. The model doesn't have any tattoos, Kade has a lot though. The financial status of each character is mentioned very often, too often to not get on your nerves and the ending was over the top and a little rushed, but still kinda sweet!
Raya ❤ Kade! They had amazing chemistry! I really enjoyed their story and I'm going to read the next one in the series for sure. Some little things we off for me but they didn't spoil the book. The model doesn't have any tattoos, Kade has a lot though. The financial status of each character is mentioned very often, too often to not get on your nerves and the ending was over the top and a little rushed, but still kinda sweet!
May 8, 2018
The last book in the Sterling Shore series Talk Nerdy to Me is coming out at the end of the month, so I decided to reread my favorites in the series.
Hooked on the Game is the book where we are first introduced to Sterling Shore, city of the rich and beautiful.
Raya, a conman‘s daughter, just started college when a group of frat boys bulldozes her house.
Kade is her rich neighbor who hosted the party where those frat got drunk enough to start a bulldozer. To keep out of trouble for supplying alcohol to minors and whatnot he moves Raya in with him.
After a bit of a rocky start, Raya and Kade soon become good friends and eventually more.
I first read this almost 4 years ago and still love it. Raya and Kade are a good team with genuine love and care for the other.
Kade is a hard book to read since he seems to be very guarded and keeping things closed to his chest. But he opens up a bit when he and Raya get closer.
Raya is nice and smart and a bit too hung up on not fitting in because, unlike most of Sterling Shore‘s residents, she doesn’t come from money. I liked her because she is snarky but nice and not overly dramatic.
Kade and Raya are the youngest couple in the Sterling Shore series. They are college aged (18 and 21) but it doesn’t really have a NA feel to it because it doesn’t have the typical NA drama.
Hooked on the Game is the book where we are first introduced to Sterling Shore, city of the rich and beautiful.
Raya, a conman‘s daughter, just started college when a group of frat boys bulldozes her house.
Kade is her rich neighbor who hosted the party where those frat got drunk enough to start a bulldozer. To keep out of trouble for supplying alcohol to minors and whatnot he moves Raya in with him.
After a bit of a rocky start, Raya and Kade soon become good friends and eventually more.
I first read this almost 4 years ago and still love it. Raya and Kade are a good team with genuine love and care for the other.
Kade is a hard book to read since he seems to be very guarded and keeping things closed to his chest. But he opens up a bit when he and Raya get closer.
Raya is nice and smart and a bit too hung up on not fitting in because, unlike most of Sterling Shore‘s residents, she doesn’t come from money. I liked her because she is snarky but nice and not overly dramatic.
Kade and Raya are the youngest couple in the Sterling Shore series. They are college aged (18 and 21) but it doesn’t really have a NA feel to it because it doesn’t have the typical NA drama.
June 22, 2018
I have no idea how anyone reading this book gave it stars and liked it. What the hell, world?
I’m losing my faith in women as a whole.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF BEGINNING
Girl is super poor.
Boy next door is super rich.
Boy’s party gets out of hand and destroys place she is renting.
(Actual home owners never appear)
Boy’s dad insists poor girl move in with rich son.
Boy’s dad is fashion designer and buys her all new clothes.
Boy has to help her out of corset.
Reader throws up in her mouth.
Everyone at school picks on girl.
Boy all of a sudden (next day, literally) wants her to stay when she cries and says she’ll stay at the laundromat.
Reader, again, throws up in her own mouth.
Reader decides to finish because she stupidly paid for the 4 pack instead of reading the first one free.
Book never...never... gets better.
Reader cries in corner for the road her sisterhood seems to be going down.
I’m losing my faith in women as a whole.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF BEGINNING
Girl is super poor.
Boy next door is super rich.
Boy’s party gets out of hand and destroys place she is renting.
(Actual home owners never appear)
Boy’s dad insists poor girl move in with rich son.
Boy’s dad is fashion designer and buys her all new clothes.
Boy has to help her out of corset.
Reader throws up in her mouth.
Everyone at school picks on girl.
Boy all of a sudden (next day, literally) wants her to stay when she cries and says she’ll stay at the laundromat.
Reader, again, throws up in her own mouth.
Reader decides to finish because she stupidly paid for the 4 pack instead of reading the first one free.
Book never...never... gets better.
Reader cries in corner for the road her sisterhood seems to be going down.
April 21, 2019
3.5 stars
I’m going to put it out there and say: I don’t think that I’ve read a bad book by CM Owens, yet.
I’m a sucker for slow-burning enemy tripe, with a HEA. When written well this sort of storyline seems to do it for me.
This was almost one of those books. There were a few times though where the story didn’t quite go where I wanted it to.
For me, Owens revealed the sweetheart Kade to be, too early on and it lost a little fizz; they become friends pretty much as soon as Raya moved in.
Also, I found the whole breaking into the safe and the random FBI agent part a little random and odd.
Still this was a pretty solid read though; I devoured it in one sitting.
I’m going to put it out there and say: I don’t think that I’ve read a bad book by CM Owens, yet.
I’m a sucker for slow-burning enemy tripe, with a HEA. When written well this sort of storyline seems to do it for me.
This was almost one of those books. There were a few times though where the story didn’t quite go where I wanted it to.
For me, Owens revealed the sweetheart Kade to be, too early on and it lost a little fizz; they become friends pretty much as soon as Raya moved in.
Also, I found the whole breaking into the safe and the random FBI agent part a little random and odd.
Still this was a pretty solid read though; I devoured it in one sitting.
May 27, 2014
I finished this book and I can't get this stupid smile off my face, I loved this book it was sweet, funny, hot, and Kade was a GREAT hero. I love that it took a little longer for Kade and Raya to get together and while Kade "hates" Raya we get to see glimpses of how he really feels as well as their bickering this was an all around great book. I got this book for free but I would have gladly paid for it in fact I don't know why everyone who owns a kindle and loves romance doesn't have this on their kindle or reading device right now. This was just what I needed, when I had to put it down for real life I would sneak and read it and as I was turning on my kindle I would get all excites and smile like yes again a fool. But how could I not this book was just that good.
Kade and Raya live next to each other while in college and that where the similarities end. Kade is cocky, rich, good looking, and the guy who has everything handed to him and everything(and then some) he wants. Raya is on scholarship saves every penny and works hard. Going to College was a dream but she quickly found out that college can be as bad as high school. When Kade throws another party and it gets out of hand some boys use a bulldozer from a nearby construction sight to bulldoze her house, now homeless and broke Raya is given the offer by Kade's father to live with Kade while also making Kade live by her rules. Not wanting to but with no other options Raya agrees.
Raya quickly finds out that Kade is everything she thought he was and worse, but there are times Raya see's something else when she looks at Kade and that just ends up confusing her more. When the kids who want something from Kade make Raya's life miserable it is Kade who steps in to help instead of cause problems. Now the times when Kade is a jerk are a lot less than the times Kade is nice and fun. The more time Kade and Raya spend together the more Raya see's that there is more than one side to Kade, and the closer they both become and Raya begins to believe they may be more. But a family trip Raya was invited to shows Raya that Kade and Raya are only friends or so she thought. As Kade and Raya begin to fall in love Raya's past and Kade's past collide and what may finally tear them apart may be Kades mistrust and even though Raya is heartbroken Raya may be the only one who can help Kade.
I wish I could tell you how much I loved this book, it literally had everything I was looking for in a book I loved Kade he was a great hero. he was everything I love in my book men: possessive, a little cocky, strong, smart, kind, and loving. Raya was also a great heroine she was both vulnerable and strong as well as sweet and though she knew what people thought of her she herself knew her worth. I loved the twist in this book it just added another layer of why I loved this book. I can't wait till I get to read Kade's side(and I don't always like reading the same book from another POV) but I can not wait to get into Kade's head and see his side and his thoughts. I will also be reading the other books in this series about the side characters in this book. I kept thinking as I was reading I hope he gets a book, oo I hope him too, I hope she does as well. C.M.Owens is a brilliant author I can't wait to read more from her, this book had me not only hooked from the first page but entranced.
Kade and Raya live next to each other while in college and that where the similarities end. Kade is cocky, rich, good looking, and the guy who has everything handed to him and everything(and then some) he wants. Raya is on scholarship saves every penny and works hard. Going to College was a dream but she quickly found out that college can be as bad as high school. When Kade throws another party and it gets out of hand some boys use a bulldozer from a nearby construction sight to bulldoze her house, now homeless and broke Raya is given the offer by Kade's father to live with Kade while also making Kade live by her rules. Not wanting to but with no other options Raya agrees.
Raya quickly finds out that Kade is everything she thought he was and worse, but there are times Raya see's something else when she looks at Kade and that just ends up confusing her more. When the kids who want something from Kade make Raya's life miserable it is Kade who steps in to help instead of cause problems. Now the times when Kade is a jerk are a lot less than the times Kade is nice and fun. The more time Kade and Raya spend together the more Raya see's that there is more than one side to Kade, and the closer they both become and Raya begins to believe they may be more. But a family trip Raya was invited to shows Raya that Kade and Raya are only friends or so she thought. As Kade and Raya begin to fall in love Raya's past and Kade's past collide and what may finally tear them apart may be Kades mistrust and even though Raya is heartbroken Raya may be the only one who can help Kade.
I wish I could tell you how much I loved this book, it literally had everything I was looking for in a book I loved Kade he was a great hero. he was everything I love in my book men: possessive, a little cocky, strong, smart, kind, and loving. Raya was also a great heroine she was both vulnerable and strong as well as sweet and though she knew what people thought of her she herself knew her worth. I loved the twist in this book it just added another layer of why I loved this book. I can't wait till I get to read Kade's side(and I don't always like reading the same book from another POV) but I can not wait to get into Kade's head and see his side and his thoughts. I will also be reading the other books in this series about the side characters in this book. I kept thinking as I was reading I hope he gets a book, oo I hope him too, I hope she does as well. C.M.Owens is a brilliant author I can't wait to read more from her, this book had me not only hooked from the first page but entranced.
June 26, 2015
4 CONSIDER ME HOOKED STARS
I was expecting a sweet, light romantic read with this book and I got that. I also got some intriguing twists and turns that I didn't see coming. Raya went from being a lonely figure with quite the chip on her shoulder to a different person entirely! I love it when a character develops and surprises you. This story took a turn I did not see coming. And as for our hero Kade.....well helloooo MR Yummy and all round perfect book boyfriend. I'm reading his story next. Excellent start to a series.
I was expecting a sweet, light romantic read with this book and I got that. I also got some intriguing twists and turns that I didn't see coming. Raya went from being a lonely figure with quite the chip on her shoulder to a different person entirely! I love it when a character develops and surprises you. This story took a turn I did not see coming. And as for our hero Kade.....well helloooo MR Yummy and all round perfect book boyfriend. I'm reading his story next. Excellent start to a series.
May 20, 2014
Loved this book.... Five stars.
I read it all in one sitting, I am waiting patiently for the next story of Tag.
I loved how the story developed between Kade and Raya.
Raya is a smart daughter from a con man.
Kade is from a wealthy family.
Though she dosent want to tell him who her father is, or what he has done. Then she finally does the one thing she thought she would never do........
I read it all in one sitting, I am waiting patiently for the next story of Tag.
I loved how the story developed between Kade and Raya.
Raya is a smart daughter from a con man.
Kade is from a wealthy family.
Though she dosent want to tell him who her father is, or what he has done. Then she finally does the one thing she thought she would never do........
Displaying 1 - 30 of 921 reviews