“Without a word, Drake gently pulled her into his arms, and she rested her head against his chest. This was home for her. Even without speaking, he had the ability to calm her nerves and relax her instantly.”
In It To Win It is a quick and lighthearted read that can be enjoyed in an afternoon.
Spoiled, fickle, and flighty are only a few adjectives that have been used to describe Morgan Redford. She’s never had to worry about money, but she’s determined to build a career on her own and do something meaningful with her life—by helping children who are aging out of the foster care system. She has her eyes on a property that a family friend is selling, which is perfect for these young adults to live in, but her competition is someone she never expected…
When Los Angeles real estate developer Drake Faulkner learns that his eccentric mentor is selling property that is perfect for his portfolio, he jumps at the chance to buy it. But he soon learns the billionaire has other ideas: buyers must compete in an Iron Man competition of sorts for the property. Drake refuses to play along with this ridiculous demand…until he finds out Morgan, his ex who left him years ago without a word, is one of the potential buyers. No way is he letting her—Little Miss Self-Absorbed—win the property he wants. Bitter? Yes. Petty? Probably. But as the gauntlet of games heats up and forces them to face the past, they are met with a pull that feels all too familiar.
Now, if they could only keep their eyes on the prize and off each other—but who’s to say they can’t do both?
Although not articulated as part of a series, this book has characters related to her last book Business Not As Usual. You don’t have to read it to enjoy this story, however, this one can stand alone. I loved Business Not As Usual so I jumped at the chance to read In It To Win It. Unfortunately, this one fell a little flat for me.
I will say I enjoyed the characters. The story is told in alternating viewpoints from both Morgan and Drake. I liked them both and I found myself cheering for them as they competed to win the chance to buy the property. The chemistry between them was well constructed and I wanted them to get their second chance at love. I was so pleased to see a return of my beloved character Dreamy in this book. She’s just so terrific. She is engaged to Morgan’s brother Karter and is really there for Morgan when she needs advice and encouragement. Bonus points for great teen characters in Drake’s little brother and sister twin duo Aiden and Addison. They were just adorable with their plots and schemes to get Morgan and Drake together. Some of the secondary characters like Morgan’s best friend Izzy were cute, but could have benefitted from further development.
Similar to Business Not As Usual, this book has a pretty implausible plotline, but where I could suspend my disbelief for the previous book and just kinda go with it, I found it harder to do that for this book. I just couldn’t get behind the idea that a bunch of real estate developers would willingly compete in the Titan Games to win the chance to buy a property.
Overall this one wasn’t my favourite, but I’m still looking forward to Sharon’s next book.
Thanks, Berkeley Publishing Group for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
