“A sizzling combination of heat and heart.” Barbara Freethy, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author
Detective Maddox Kelly likes his shirts ironed, his puzzles solved, and his heart locked up tight, until the one-who-got-away returns to town and upends his well-ordered life.
Maddox retains fond memories of Harper Mitchell—or so he tells himself when his dreams of her and how she walked away don’t … her and how she walked away don’t keep him up all night. But now she’s back, hot and sweet as ever, but he’s not foolish enough to get attached when the free-spirit will surely just leave town again.
A family emergency returns Harper to Sawyer Beach and she intends to keep her head down and her suitcases packed. The tempting lure of that sexy, impossible-to-forget man is hard to ignore, however. Surely one more taste of the fruit of first love won’t break her heart.
Enjoy the 7-Stud Club! Seven poker night buddies who are very good with their hands…and are about to lose their hearts! Only great risk leads to great reward…
The 7-Stud Club Series:
All In (Boone & Gemma)
No Limit (Eli & Sloane)
Ante Up (Cooper & Willow)
Slow Play (Maddox & Harper)
Wild Card
Smooth Call
Dealer’s Choice
About the Author
USA Today Bestseller Christie Ridgway is the author of over 70 novels of contemporary romance. All her books are both sexy and emotional and tell stories of heroes and heroines who learn to believe in the power of love. Christie is a six-time RITA finalist and has won best contemporary romance of the year and career achievement awards from Romantic Times Book Reviews. A native of California, Christie now resides in the southern part of the state with her family. Inspired by the beaches, mountains, and cities that surround her, she writes tales of sunny days and steamy nights.
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This is such a fun series based on a group of friends from high school growing up in the small town of Sawyer’s Beach, who get together once a week to play poker. The characters are very appealing.
This is Detective Maddox Kelly’s story and his second chance with ex girlfriend, Harper Mitchell.
Mad is in a rut and is so predictable that he needs someone to shake his life up. His former girlfriend, Harper, took off 6 years ago after getting her teacher’s degree to see the world. He never told her he loved her or asked her to stay. When she returned to stateside, instead of coming home to her family at Sunnybird Farm, she went to Vegas and became a bartender. She is terrified of being like her mother, who, she thinks, has been pining away for her father, a short term worker, who never returned her love and left before her mother even knew she was pregnant, leaving her with a broken heart. But a call from her mother, that strange things are happening at the farm, brings her back and the first person she runs into is Mad. He doesn’t want to get hurt again, so tries to avoid her, which is very hard in a small town. While everyone around them, sees that they are perfect for each other; he needs her whimsey, she needs his stability, will they have the courage to admit their love to each other?
I read an ARC as part of the author’s Review Crew. This is my unbiased and voluntary review.
Harper returns to town to get to the bottom of what is happening at her grandparents farm. Detective Maddox Kelly is at loose ends when his intended vacation plans are cancelled. They end up working together to first see if there really is something going on and then second to resolve the problems. Mad is doing his best to keep reminding himself not to get attached to Harper as he knows that she’s leaving again.
I love the interactions that the 7 poker friends have. They give out some great advice and are good for bouncing thoughts and ideas off each other.
Harpers intended stay for just a few days keeps getting extended for one thing after another. Until she starts to realize maybe she has nothing to go back to and everything to stay for.
Detective Maddox Kelly likes his life well-ordered, each piece fitting into a puzzle, each clue leading to a solution. After losing his first love he locked up his heart, but not his memories. When free-spirited Harper Mitchell returns to Sawyer Beach for a visit with her family she doesn’t plan on running into Maddox, but the fates are not so kind; Maddox stopping to help her when her car breaks down as she arrives in town. It seems that everywhere these two go, hang out, or turn, they are encountering each other. Maddox is questioning why he let her go and Harper is questioning why she left since their attraction and chemistry remained. Maddox is determined to keep Harper in Sawyer Beach, Harper’s family is determined to keep her close by, and Harper just wants Maddox to want and love her.
Maddox and Harper are as opposite as can be yet they fit together like pieces of a puzzle. Harper was raised by a single mom, her father gone before her mom knew she was pregnant, and her grandparents on their farm. Her grandparents were hippies and the farm was once a commune. Maddox was raised in town, his father a Mathematics Professor and his mother is the town mayor. Harper’s wanderlust might have been inherited from her father or a myth, but I was surprised that she preferred to live away from her close-knit family, especially after almost dying overseas during a teaching stint in Portugal. This second chance for both Maddox and Harper was one they could not pass up.
Ms. Ridgway is a wonderful story teller who wrote an emotionally rich and moving story filled with sizzling chemistry, amusing dialogue, and charming characters that is definitely not to be missed. I highly recommend Slow Play, book four in the Seven-Stud Club series to other readers and look forward to the next book in the series.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
Maddox is predictable and Harper is a free-spirit, but these opposites definitely attract in Slow Play by Christie Ridgway. Years ago, their young love ended when Harper left town, now she’s back and Maddox wants a second chance. They both deny their growing feelings until the thought of losing each other leads to a new beginning.
I read an advanced copy of this book
This book is a second chance trope revolving around Harper and Maddox. What they had before was pretty much perfect, but Harper left town to go wander the world. Now she’s back temporarily to try to figure out what’s going on on the family farm. Things keep disappearing.
Maddox is the law in town. He’s a super controlled guy (he even irons his boxers). He never got over Harper, but he knows she’s hitting the road again as soon as possible. That doesn’t keep his heart from falling for her all over again. Everyone keeps pointing out how predictable he is. If he breaks out of his mold, can he keep from repeating the same cycle with Harper and keep her from walking away from him again?
Ridgway is masterful at blending the romance and the heat to produce characters and stories that you relish long after you finish the book.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.
Loved it! The 4th book in the series didn’t disappoint. Harper left Mad six years ago cause she didn’t want to end up like her mom, heart broken, pining for the guy and unrequited love She’s back now because there is trouble on her family farm. Mad is now a detective; dependable, predictable, stodgy even. They work together to solve the farm caper. Their chemistry is electric and their second chance at love wins out. This book will have you laughing and swooning. I highly recommend this book and this series. I cannot wait for the next book in this series. Christie is a great author and I recommend anything she writes, she will not disappoint.
I received an ARC copy, and this is my voluntary review.
I’ve enjoyed the series so far and this book was great! Mad and Harper were a great fit. I like the characters, both the lead and the supporting ones. There is a strong sense of friendship amongst the male characters in these books that I really enjoy! This is a fun second chance romance. It’s a quick read and the characters pull at the heartstrings. I’m already looking forward to the next one in the series.
For years Christie Ridgway has been giving readers emotionally rich complex characters in believable romantic stories. From the beginning they were great stories but she has outdone herself with the 7-Stud Club. Each book such a wonderful addition to the stories of this group of long time friends. SLOW PLAY is an amazing second chance story that has you understanding the characters, then rooting for them to find a way past their past to a solid committed relationship. One that they both want and need but can only find together.
Detective Maddox Kelly is easy on the eyes and easy to like. A person knows just where they stand with him. Yet he is complicated in many ways. While Harper Mitchell may have seemed the more complex, she is a pretty easy read. Time for these two whose paths have again crossed to take a leap of faith. Faith in each other and themselves. Friends and family are there to give needed but sometimes unwanted advice. Isn’t that what these friends do besides play poker every week. It really is much more than that.
A romance that is fun, captivating and will keep you entertain from beginning to end. You might just want to be joining their weekly game or starting one of your own.
The publisher/author gave me a complimentary ARC of the book which I voluntarily chose to read and reviewed. All thoughts and opinions are my ow
Slow Play is book 4 in the 7 Stud Club series. Detective Maddox Kelly is just off a big case and has two weeks of vacation to surf. Mad is stuck in a work and personal rut- always doing the same boring things. When he comes upon a car disabled on the side of the road he is surprised to see Harper Hill, a former girlfriend, who left him 6 years ago. Harper is back to help at her family farm and to see about the series of unfortunate events happening there to her grandparents and mother. He won’t let himself get attached as he knows she is a wanderer. Mad needs whimsy in his life and Harper provides that as they solve the mystery of the missing items. I love that description- many of us need whimsy in our lives! The relationship the 7 poker buddies have, the small town life and the flourishing relationship of these two make this a great book. This can be read alone but I recommend all the books in the series as well. I received an ARC for an honest review. You will love this book!
This was a well-written, entertaining book. Harper plans to make a quick trip back to Sawyer Beach and leave without seeing Maddox, who she dated in the past. Maddox knows better than to get attached to Harper, who is only in town for a short time. The chemistry between them is as strong as ever, though, and things may not go as planned. I couldn’t stop reading this book and didn’t want to put it down. The book can be read as a standalone story, though it is book 4 in the 7-Stud Club series. I enjoyed this book and can’t wait for the next book in the series.
Harper Mitchell returns home to Sawyer Beach when her mother expresses concern about Harper’s grandfather. Things around the farm seem to be disappearing or is her grandfather just getting forgetful? Detective Maddox Kelly, member of the poker playing 7-Stud Club, needs a break. Just finishing a complicated case, it is vacation time. When his lost love, Harper, arrives back in town his orderly life is thrown off balance. What went wrong between them six years ago? He knows that she doesn’t plan on staying, but can he change her mind? A romantic and sensuous fourth story in this delightful and engaging series. The witty dialog, both said and thought by Harper and Maddox are trademarks of Ms. Ridgway and add so much fun to the story. Loved it! I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation from the author. (by paytonpuppy)
I have really enjoyed this series, it is built around seven guys that play poker once a week, good friends that have gone through a lot. This book involves Maddox the more serious, predictable guy, as a cop he just wrapped up a big case and was ready to take off for a two week surf vacation, but nature is what it is and his plans are sidelined. Mysterious missings at her family farm has Harper coming home, car trouble has her coming face to face with Mad six years after walking away from their relationship. I’m six years things can change even if they appear the same. Great second chance romance, humor, great characters, loyal friends, deep feels and heat! Very entertaining read.
I fell in love with Christie Ridgway’s books years ago with her Rock Royalty series (if you haven’t read those books, you should!). This latest series about 7 long time friends who still play poker together once a week is also great. This book is the 4th in the series and the main characters are straight-laced Maddox Kelly, the local police detective, and Harper Hill, the “one who got away”. When Harper comes home 6 years later to check in with her family & their farm, it may finally be time for these two to admit how they feel about each other. Great cast of characters, great story getting these two to their happily ever after. I am thoroughly enjoying every book in this series & cant wait to see what happens next. Get the book – I think you’ll love it
I love a good second chance story. Harper walked away 6 years ago. It took Mad a long time to recover and then here she is in town again. As much as he wants to, he can’t seem to leave her alone. He knows she is going to leave town again, but he still loves her and just want whatever time with her that he can have. Can he convince her to stay this time? Or, will she go back to her wandering ways?