Review: Tempting the Player by Rebecca Jenshak (Campus Wallflowers #4)

Note: An advance reader copy (ARC) was provided by the author via Valentine PR.

Gah! I can't believe we've reached the end of yet another series by Rebecca Jenshak! Yep, you read that right; Campus Wallflowers wraps up with the fourth and final full-length novel in the series, Tempting the Player. This is Jane Greenfield's story, one she shares with Hendrick Holland, the aforementioned "player" in the title. If you've followed the series, then you'll recall that Jane finally let those nearest and dearest to her--aka her three besties and their guys--plus whoever else may have been around know that once upon a time, she was none other than Ivy Green, teen star. She left that world behind, wanting to go to college and earn her degree while enjoying being like everyone else. But now that her secret's out, she's been getting even more attention than normal, and not necessarily just the good kind either. With her parents worried about her safety, they insist on her having security, an idea Jane isn't all that thrilled about. A bodyguard would simply be in the way, sticking out like a sore thumb and dictating her movements. What if they scare off the hot guy who's been running past her house every day? Well, it turns out the hot guy, Hendrick, has a secret of his own: he's Jane's brand spanking new bodyguard.

One of my absolute favorite things about this series ender is the author's twist on the whole bodyguard romance trope. Add to that not having the secret aspect become an agonizingly prolonged thing, and I was even more of a fan of what was happening. Twenty-year-old Jane and twenty-five-year-old Hendrick obviously shared a connection, but there were obstacles that they had to hurdle if they chose to act on it or not. I enjoyed seeing these two figure out the dynamic between them, as well as digging into their respective back stories. I loved the romance and the hint of mystery and suspense, making for a thoroughly gratifying read. I also found myself super curious about Hendrick's younger brothers--Knox, Archer, Flynn, and Brogan, the last of whom is actually Archer's best friend and an honorary member of the family--and I'm actually hoping these four end up having a spin-off series of their own, exploring their relationships with each other as siblings while also working their way towards their own happily-ever-afters. That being said, I'm going to miss Dahlia (and Felix), Daisy (and Jordan), Violet (and Gavin), and Jane (and Hendrick), but I couldn't have chosen a better way to wrap up what has become a memorable series. Five stars for Tempting the Player.

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Read my reviews for the Campus Wallflowers series:

Tutoring the Player (book one) - five stars - My Review

Hating the Player (book two) - five stars - My Review

Scoring the Player (book three) - five stars - My Review

Tempting the Player (book four) - five stars - My Review (posted above)

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Release Date: 19 September 2023

Date Read: 16 September 2023

Learn more about Rebecca Jenshak.

Pre-order Tempting the Player on Amazon.