I'd been waiting to read Hayden and Darcy's book since last year after I finished The Fake Out and was so glad to receive the eARC.

Darcy was a really likeable character, and I loved watching her grow and figure herself out as the story progressed. She found her people, found the job she was truly passionate about, and she found true love with her best friend. She held a lot of guilt from her past job, which led to her being stuck in a job she didn't love, but she slowly gives herself the grace to learn from her past and use that to be better at her new job. Watching her slowly do the things she couldn't do before and having Hayden always cheering her on as her no. 1 supporter really boosted her confidence and made her feel like her life was finally turning out the way she had pictured and under her control.

Hayden has been in love with Darcy for as long as he's known her. But after she started dating his best friend, he buried his feelings for her and never acted on it. So when Darcy asks him to teach her how to be a player, he agrees at first, but watching her flirt with other men only intensifies the feeling that he doesn't want the person on the receiving end to be anyone but him. And although he couldn't deny his feelings for her this time, he had deep-rooted insecurities that he wouldn't be enough for her and that she'd only want him temporarily, so he treaded more carefully so he didn't get his hopes up or ruin what they had.

I liked the chemistry and easygoing friendship between Hayden and Darcy. Even without having any flashback chapters, I could still feel how connected and close they were. I loved the gifts Hayden got for Darcy, which were all so thoughtful and so her. The birthday gift and the birthday party especially made me feel so warm and fuzzy. Watching Darcy get treated and loved the way she truly deserved was heartwarming. I loved all the weird inside jokes (especially ones involving "Daniel"), the obsession with The Northern Sword, how goofy they were with each other and would get so lost that they couldn't care less who else was around or what they thought.

There was a lot of push and pull between the two, and they were both reluctant to voice out their feelings, not knowing how the other felt but unwilling to ruin their friendship. The practice dates gave them the freedom to explore their feelings and limits under the guise of teaching Darcy how to be a player. After just coming out of a long-term relationship, Darcy held back from starting something with Hayden out of fear that she'd once again fade into the background when she's only just starting to find herself. Hayden always let her make the decision, even when it killed him to watch her go on dates with others, but he knew why this was important for Darcy given all that she had gone through. But once he had made up his mind about giving it his all into proving to Darcy how right they were for each other, he really did give her his all while he waited for her to come to terms with her feelings and let her take that first step towards him without trying to influence her decision.

The spice was hot as hell, especially with the way it brought out the dominating side of Hayden. I loved the way Darcy started off as shy and unsure, but with Hayden, she slowly finds her confidence and starts exploring more of what she likes and feels comfortable enough to start taking control.

I loved how the Vancouver Storm team members and Pippa gave Darcy and Hayden the nudge when they were both being stupid. I have to mention how much I loved Alexei and Georgia. Their banter was so freaking amazing, and I'm already desperate for their book.

I also LOVE Tate Ward, and I so wish we could get his book because he truly is the star in every book.


Although I loved a lot of things about this book, there were a few things that I didn't enjoy as much.
(CONTAINS MILD SPOILERS)

*Some parts of the book felt too repetitive, and that put me off a bit.

*I kind of wish Kit was more involved in this book, so it intensified the conflict between him and Hayden more, adding to the dilemma in Hayden's mind about wanting Darcy. 

*What had piqued my interest was how Kit and Hayden would come to terms with Darcy and Hayden getting together due to the fact that Kit was actually a likable character in The Fake Out. However, I didn't enjoy the fact that the first indication of Kit being at fault was enough for Hayden to decide he no longer wanted Kit in his life without even having a confrontation or hearing him out first, after them being "best friends" for almost a decade. Kit's whole personality did a complete 180, where he was turned into a complete asshole. It felt like it was done because it was convenient to paint him as the bad guy so Hayden didn't feel as much guilt about wanting his best friend's ex-girlfriend.

Thank you, Stephanie Archer, for providing me with the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.