Spoiled socialite Quinn Valenzuela has no interest in sports or his family’s huge sporting goods empire, Sparta Athletics. So when Quinn learns his grandfather has died and he’s in control of the corporation, no one is more surprised than Quinn himself.
Dedicated COO Porter Davis has little time and less patience for brats like Quinn who have never done a day’s work, but circumstances leave him with little choice. Quinn claims he’s ready to leave partying behind and grow up, but it’ll take more than words to earn Porter’s respect. As it turns out, they can work—and play—together after all. A friends with benefits arrangement makes sense for the two busy men, but are they too different for it to ever develop into more? Not if Quinn can convince Porter he has his head in the game.
Do you see that? This huge grin on my face after finishing this book? This grin that says I am so in love with this story that I don’t want to contain my happy. The girl who doesn’t smile at work can’t stop and doesn’t care? *sigh*
At first it had been all heat and no substance. Now? It was everything.
This is one of my favorite tropes; enemies to lovers. I realized it while reading this that my love started with the 90’s movie The Cutting Edge. For months the off matched new couples skating pair of Kate Mosely and Doug Dorsey has been nothing but bickering back and forth. When they pair is at GET EVENT and Doug is supposed to be napping but Kate and her finance Hale run into him with another pair skater giggling and heading out, Kate flips. In her hotel room she rants and raves about what Doug should be doing, and why she doesn’t like him etc. but Hale gives a voice to her true feelings…
Hale: You're falling for him.
Kate: What?
Hale: Doug.
Hale: You are. You're falling for him.
Kate: Well, that's crazy.
Hale: You think so?
Kate: You're nuts.
Hale: Am I?
Kate: Well, you see how we act together.
Hale: Yes, I do.
Kate: We never get along. I mean, we're always fighting.
Hale: Foreplay.
That right there is everything and it’s why I love the enemies to lovers trope. There is something so damn satisfyingly sexy about crossing that line between loathe and lust that does it for me. When one doth protest too much, they really just want to let out some steam and fuck out their frustrations.
So anyway, now that I’ve got that out of the way.
This story actually begins on a somber note. Porter awakens to a call from Marisol, the daughter of his boss and associate telling him that the man he has come to feel as his father has suddenly passed away. Hector Valenzuela, CEO of Sparta Athletics had worn so many labels in Porter’s life after his knee injury ended his tennis career. Hector was not only a mentor who took Porter under his wing giving him a new life and career but the man shared his life and family with Porter and his sister Perry. Losing Hector hits Porter hard.
Meanwhile, Hector’s blood relative Quinn Valenzuela is off living the playboy life in Spain with his best friends Dane and Hunter when after a night out clubbing, he has many missing calls from his mother. Getting in touch with her and hearing of his grandfather’s passing has Quinn on a plane headed for Seattle, his home that never really felt like it.
We know from Porter’s POV that he has unkind feelings toward Quinn and it takes a bit to get down to the actual why. Porter’s had to work for everything he has and resents that Quinn hasn’t. It’s not just Quinn’s problem though as we learn more about Porter’s parents, it makes sense why he would have the initial reaction to Quinn.
All Quinn wants to do is come home, to spend some time with the mother that sent him away as a young boy to boarding school as the best option of him. Sadly, the option to send him away from his family has led to Quinn feeling lost and ungrounded but while the reason he is home is a melancholy one, he’s determined to make his grandfather proud.
We don’t get much of Quinn and Porter together in the beginning of the book until Hector’s Will is actually read and then the shit hits the fan. Porter never expected that he would be given Sparta fully, he expected that Hector’s shares of the company would go to Marisol, but Hector had other ideas and bequeathed his shares to Quinn. No one is more surprised by this decision than Quinn and though he tries to give them to his mother, he ultimately makes the decision to honor his grandfather and do the job he’s been given.
To say Quinn is unhappy would be putting it lightly. He doesn’t want to work with Quinn and considers having him in the offices a distraction he doesn’t have time for but Quinn is technically his boss so he has to deal with it. It’s a good thing Quinn has had a lot of practice charming the pants off everyone from socialites to royalty so winning over one Porter Davis shouldn’t be that hard should it?
These two were a blast to hang out with while I did nothing at work but sneak read this book. Yeah, it was that good that I kept reading when I should have been preparing my annual report but I couldn’t stop. Once Quinn stands up to Porter, which of course impresses Porter and Porter realizes what an asset Quinn can truly be to him and the company, the romance gets going and the going was good.
When enemies become friends and friends realize their hot friend who they only just acquired the knowledge was gay needs to burn off steam and tennis just won’t do, you do the only thing you can to help. Offer up your ass for sex so you can both benefit. Yup, not only do we get enemies to lovers we get it with friends with benefits and that first kiss was perfect.
I thought I was happy, you know, fine. But I wasn’t. I didn’t even know I was missing you.
Watching Quinn and Porter become friends was adorable. Watching them become fuck buddies was hot. But watching them fall so deep in love they don’t want to admit it or really recognize it was happening was pure joy to my hopeless romantic heart.
Sure, there are some ups and downs with these two but they build a foundation of friendship and trust with one another that’s strong that even a misunderstanding can’t upset the romance. It did hurt my heart to see the couple hurting and how everyone needed to show them how truly in love they were but the last scene was worth it.
M.J. O’Shea has created on hell of a romantic story with Game Point that has both men winning at love. It’s a story about taking a chance, finding home and opening up yourself to the possibilities of true romantic affection.
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