All work and no play is no way to enjoy this cruise.Executive Director Grace Kim figures this reunion with her college friends is the perfect excuse to prove that she knows how to keep work/life balance and enjoy the Caribbean, preferably with her pants intact. Rich, sexy, brilliant Bryan Sirimongkol has an app for that, and he charms Grace into helping him test it. He offers seven days of the … it. He offers seven days of the best vacation of her life (bonus, sizzling chemistry) before they return to reality, but he didn’t anticipate just how much of his heart he’d give her.
When an accidental error results in a humiliating video of her online, Grace must salvage her career and decide whether to erase Bryan from her memory forever or admit they brought out the best in each other.
Five friends. One singles cruise. So many sexy shenanigans. Be sure to check out all of the Gone Wild standalone books!
Kissing Kendall by Katee Robert
Gaming Grace by Piper J. Drake
Attracting Aubrey by Avery Flynn
Beguiling Benjamin by Robin Covington
Loving Liv by Stacey Kennedy
more
4 fun filled slow burn Stars!!
The concept behind this series is fantastic. I had a chance to read 4 out of the 5 books back to back and it made for an excellent reading experience all around! Well done ladies!!
With this story, I didn’t really find it to be a romance journey but more of a flirty journey. Not quite sure how else to word it. It was a slow burn category but also less than that. The actual friendship bond that Grace and Carter formed while on the ship doing their shenanigans is what stood out for me. Don’t get me wrong, I loved it and it was perfect for their characters, but it needs a lot more book for me to believe in the romance/HEA. But man did I looooooooooove me some Grace LOL Honestly, the story is cute and endearing and will put a smile on your face!
First off, I love this cover. Not only the playfulness of it but because the couple matches the description of the characters! I’m kind of a stickler about that, plus diversity in romance stories needs to extend to the covers as well.
I liked Grace and Bryan, but I didn’t get a real chemistry vibe from them. Grace seemed to share a bit more about herself and her background with Bryan, but he never really did the same. I know they were an opposites attract couple, but he seemed a lot less driven than she was.
Also, I felt there was a lot of food references…which would have made more sense if one or the other of them was a chef. Or maybe I’m just not a foodies by nature.
Gaming Grace is a good book, but it wasn’t my favorite in the series.
My thanks to the publisher for the ARC. My review was left voluntarily and honestly
Gaming Grace by Piper J. Drake is book Two in the Gone Wild Series. This is the story of Bryan Wu and Grace Kim. I have read the previous book which of course added to my enjoyment of this one, but I did feel you could make it a standalone book if you wish to do so. Grace is all work and no fun kind of women but when her college friends go on a cruise she find herself on a single party cruise ship. Bryan is a man who test / invent apps and that is what he hopes to do on this cruise. When Grace and Bryan meet they feel the spark but are somewhat different in attitude. Enjoyed reading their story.
This is the second book in the Gone Wild series where a group of college friends mistakenly book themselves on a singles cruise and this is Grace’s book. Grace is the responsible, buttoned up one in the group until she meets the sexy app designer Bryan on the cruise and Bryan is exactly what Grace needs in life. This was an instant love kind of story which are always great to read. Excited to see what the others in group have going on during this cruise.
*** I did receive a free advance readers copy of this book from Piper J. Drake and Social Butterfly PR in exchange for a fair and honest review ***
Grace needed lots of help. For a strong, successful woman, she had lots of insecurities. I had a hard time understanding her need to only wear pants but oddly also did understand her. I know…confusing. Meeting Bryan turned out to be the best for her. He respected and supported her while also helping her come out of her shell. This is sexy and sweet and so entertaining.
Highly entertaining, sexy, fun and emotional journey filled with exciting and engaging charters, witty dialog, hear racing twists and exciting adventure. Really enjoyed this cruse and the friendships shared.
Gaming Grace is part of a multi-author series of novellas that follow a group of friends on a cruise. There is very little crossover in the books, so each can be read as a standalone, and the content/writing varies greatly by author.
In Piper Grace’s book, Grace is a type-a personality, super uptight, and has trouble loosening up. When she meets Bryan, an app developer that takes an interest in her, he challenges Grace and helps her loosen up bit by bit.
While this book is not my favorite of the series, it is still enjoyable to read, and it’s a short, quick read as well.
Grace- one word- Uptight! Seriously who takes only pants on a cruise, not one pair of shorts? Bless her heart but Grace really needs to loosen up. I wasn’t sure I would like Grace; she is a little too much type a for me. The fact that her vacation was part of a plan to help her get a promotion was kind of ridiculous. But give this girl some Pineapple alcohol infused slushies and she is finally relaxed enough to be enjoy her vacation.
It also helps when a sexy app developer takes in interest in her. Bryan is all things Grace needs. Bryan’s confidence and easy nature is so sexy. I love how he challenges Grace. Respecting her boundaries but also pushing her to help him test out the app.
I loved this story and watching as these two fell in love, and boy was the love just jumping off the pages. Their steamy affair or vacation fling was the start of a great love affair. The story was sweet and beautiful with just the right amount of sexy. I loved that these two strangers found their one great love amid the chaos of a singles cruise.
This was my first time reading a story written a story by Piper J. Drake. I can guarantee I will be consuming the rest of her books. Her way with words and situations was fantastic. I really enjoyed Gamin Grace. This was a 4.5 out of 5 for me. Gaming Grace is part of the Gone Wild Series but can 100% be read as a stand along. There is very limited cross over with the other characters.
4.5 Stars
I loved this book so much. I gobbled this one right up. It was a fast read that I could hardly put it down. I loved Bryan and Grace a lot. I was completely invested in their story. They may be opposites on how they view life, but the compliment each other perfectly. They learn a lot one another. What could have been a disaster of a cruise may just be the best mistake to ever happen to her. I loved watching her let her hair down. Bryan and Grace have an instant attraction, but they create a connection that is rare. I would highly recommend this book!
Grace is about as straight laced and buttoned up as a person can get- after all, who packs all pants and no shorts for a Caribbean cruise? A woman who has been given body image issues by her family and a blinders-on drive to succeed at her career at all costs, that’s who. Everything Grace does is governed by the answer to one question: does this help me attain my goals/ further my career? And that applies to her wardrobe purchases as well as we soon learn. Even her attendance on this cruise is designed to prove to her employer that she can have a good work/life balance.
Bryan is her polar opposite. He comes from a wealthy family and despite having the option/ expectation to step right into a highly placed role in their company, he has lived in the shadow of his 2 highly successful siblings for too long. He has been developing a new app and he hopes to be able to test it over the 7 day cruise to prove that he can be successful at something that is not handed to him on a silver platter.
The party boy soon proves he has a lot more lurking beneath the surface, and although it took me a little while to warm up to Grace, she starts to really learn to live again while she is with Bryan. While I normally gravitate to alpha males, Bryan was a great mix of genuinely good guy who likes to have fun with a side of protective and sexy thrown in. They bring out the best in each other until Grace’s worst nightmare happens and it all blows up.
Gaming Grace is another quick sexy fun read and a great introduction to this author’s writing for anyone who is unfamiliar with her books.
Workaholics unite! With the second book in the Gone Wild series, Piper J. Drake delights with GAMING GRACE. It’s fast paced and full of charm, but I still feel the lack of interaction between the friends is a large plot point going undeveloped in this series so far.
Grace is easy to like and quick to charm. She is more low-key than most of her friends and is simply looking forward to a little relaxation time … if only one of her friends didn’t decide to play a trick on her.
Bryan is kind and accomplished. When he stumbles upon Grace in a compromising position, he uses his charm to calm the tension and gain a promise of help in testing his latest app. A week of whirlwind outings is sure to please.
I recommend this book to anyone enjoying a low-key romance with a richly developed atmosphere. The characters could have used a bit more fleshing out instead of the food, but overall I enjoyed it.
This is the second in this series and the first book that I’ve read by this author and it’s a great real romance story and a real beautiful read that I enjoyed immensely.
This is book two in this series. A Gone Wild Novel.
Book 1 = Kissing Kendall
Book #2= Gaming Grace
BOOK #3= Attracting Aubrey
BOOK #4= Beguiling Benjamin
BOOK #5= Loving Liv
Grace is a very responsible kind of person who always seemed to have work on her mind, she’s a real worry wart. So this cruise is supposed to give everyone a much needed break away with her best friend Kendall and other’s.
When Grace seen that sexy, hot chiseled jawed man she couldn’t take her eyes from him. There is definitely something there between them.
Bryan is on this cruise because of an app he’s working on. Bryan is also caught by Grace, she’s different but he likes this from her.
Bryan helps out Grace with a situation she has and they both start to get to know each other and start to have feelings for one another. Is it just a holiday romance fling?
(NO SPOILERS).
I really liked reading this book and I’m really enjoying the series. I loved these characters and the sizzling chemistry between them both coming out of the pages. This book was similar to book 1 in the series but with the other friends and it was nice seeing what the cruise life brought to these two for the week.
Thank you to the author and publishers for allowing me to read an early copy of this book.
ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.
This book is expected to be released 24th March 2020.
Grace Kim and Bryan Sirimongkol meet by chance on a singles cruise. Grace hadn’t expected to end up in this party atmosphere, having been promised a relaxing vacation with her friends when she’d signed up. Bryan was onboard to beta test a new app he’d been developing, and when he happens upon Grace, finds her straightlaced self charming and ridiculously appealing.
Piper J Drake’s Gaming Grace is the second in the Gone Wild multi-author series, and is a lovely opposites attract, vacation fling story. Bryan and Grace meet up to work on beta testing his app, and find that the time they spend together is more appealing and captivating than any of the other attractions they might find onboard. Despite the brevity of the story and the length of their cruise, Ms Drake lets us see their relationship unfold carefully, with the two of them building intimacy not simply physically, but in their conversations and shared understanding of familial and cultural pressures and expectations.
As an Asian American reader, finding characters like me is an extra pleasure, and the care and depth of understanding Ms Drake brings to the page is deeply satisfying. Gaming Grace is a gem.