Playing for Fun

Holly Parker has been friends with Ford Komeke for as long as she can remember. After a disastrous attempt to test the boundaries of her friendship with Ford yielded lackluster results, Holly places her affections firmly in the friend zone. Given the fact that Ford is her best friend, Holly sees no harm in taking ornery octogenarian and self-styled matchmaker Mrs.Taylor up on her offer to help Ford find a woman. But when Ford appears to take the matter seriously, Holly’s true feelings come to light. What happens when best friends become lovers, and playing for fun turns into playing for keeps?
“Playing for Fun” is the sixth book in the Due South series. Written to be a standalone novel, Ms. Alvarez does an excellent job bringing the gorgeous Aotearoa region of New Zealand to life. The author's writing is compelling and the storyline is superb. Readers will fall in love with Holly, Ford and the rest of the inhabitants of Stewart Island. These two best friends have a fun and companionable relationship based on trivia, movies and a healthy dose of sarcasm.  Although Ford's family history is delved into, Holly's remains a mystery. One may feel the author missed an opportunity to shed light onto Holly's past. Nevertheless,  the slow and steady climb to romance leads to an explosion hotter than the New Zealand summer sun! “Playing for Fun” is much more than a sweet love story. It is a page turning tale with characters as true to life as your next door neighbors. Beautiful, emotional and at times heartbreaking, this sexy friends-turned-lovers romp will leave the reader captivated until the last page.

Chantel Hardge