I have read so many books in the last few months, especially in the really long three month summer holidays that I had between my A-Level exams and University, but one book that I just couldn’t put down recently was Emma Rae’s Love Game (2024). I found this book one day when I was out shopping, and after reading the blurb, I just knew that I had to take it home with me.
Emma Rae is an English author. She is studied at Plymouth University before joining the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office in 2003, working in British Embassies across the globe. She now lives in Guildford with her husband and two children. She mainly writes new adult romance novels. She has released one novel Love Game in May 2024 and her second novel I Knew You Were Trouble will be released on 21st November 2024.
Love Game follows the story of Elle. She is a chef, who’s love language is food. She gets her dream job when she becomes the personal chef to a famous tennis star, Nicky Salco. She immediately sees how handsome and athletic he is but there is one problem… he is off limits. Both Elle and Nicky face considerable pressure throughout the novel when it comes to their feelings for each other and their careers. Will they be able to find a way to be together despite coming from completely different worlds?
I found it very hard to put this book down because Rae’s storytelling is very compelling. The trope of boss and employee romance has been used in several different novels in the last few years, but Emma Rae seems to have her own take on this trope and provides her readers with a compelling story with a plot that pulls you in and makes you eager to find out what happens next.
Another reason why I couldn’t put this book down was the characters. The main characters Elle and Nicky are easy to like, especially since the novel is told from Elle’s point of view. I think that as a woman I can understand Elle’s feelings better reading them through her than if I was reading from Nicky’s point of view. I think Rae made a good choice in having her female protagonist tell the story.
Rae’s plot is compelling and you find yourself rooting for the relationship between Nicky and Elle because it feels like they belong together. While it feels like a slow-burn for most of the novel with Nicky and Elle’s late night rendezvousing throughout the novel, readers are pulled into the story and want to keep reading to find out what happens to these two forbidden lovers. This is the most important reason why I could not put this book down, as I am sure is the case for several other readers.
Emma Rae is an skilled writer and her novel Love Game is an example of her literary prowess. Her use of characters and plot are why this novel was so hard for me to put down and I am sure her next novel I Knew You Were Trouble will be the same.
