Review: Tempt the Playboy

Tempt the Playboy by Natasha Madison
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Earlier this year I read Tempt The Boss, and loved it. It was my first Natasha Madison read, yet I do not hesitate to call the book my favourite enemies-to-lovers story. It is, without a doubt, one of the funniest books I have ever picked up. I’m constantly telling people to read it, pointing people towards the amazing romcom. Since reading it, I’ve been meaning to pick up another Natasha Madison read, excited to see what else the author has to offer. I waited, however. Rather than diving into any Natasha Madison read, I waited for the second of the Tempt books.

Although the love story in Tempt the Playboy is a standalone love story, I really do recommend reading Tempt the Boss first. Tempt the Playboy is a companion novel, taking place alongside the story in Tempt the Boss. So many references are made to events in Tempt the Boss that I fear you will be lost if you have not read it. Plus, this works to build up on what we already know about the characters from the prior book. I know some people will still go into this one as though it is a standalone novel, but for the fullest enjoyment go and read Tempt the Boss. Not only is it necessary, it is an amazing read.

In all honesty, I did not enjoy Tempt the Playboy as much as I enjoyed Tempt the Boss. I think my standards were set far too high after Tempt the Boss. For me, Tempt the Boss was a four-point-five-star rating rounded down whereas Tempt the Playboy is a three-point-five-star rating rounded up. I enjoyed this one, but it wasn’t the mind blowing read I received from the first book. The storyline was decent, there was some laughter, but I wasn’t as sucked in as I was with the first book.

I think for me, my biggest issue was that I did not feel the connection between the characters I had hoped for. I enjoyed both of the characters when they were side characters in Tempt the Boss, but when I was reading their story I did not feel the connection between them that had I had been imagining. I enjoyed watching as their story unfolded, but I wasn’t lost inside of it. With Tempt the Boss, I could not put the book down; with this one, I was about to turn my attention to other things. Due to this, I noticed a lot of smaller things I’d been able to overlook in book one but wasn’t quite able to ignore with this one – namely how we got to see certain elements from both points of view, without it really adding much, simply telling it from a different perspective.

As with the prior book, my favourite thing was the humour. I wasn’t howling with laughter on every page as I was with the first book, but there were plenty of giggles to be found throughout. One scene in particular makes for a wonderful giggle.

Whilst I am interested in picking up the third book, Tempt the Neighbor, I’m not as crazy excited for it as I was for Tempt the Playboy after finishing Tempt the Boss. I’ll certainly be reading it, but it is not at the top of my to-read list. With a bit of luck, however, I will enjoy it more than I enjoyed this one.

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