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kaylakaotik's review
4.0
One Fling to Rule Them All is another winner from Deanna Dee. A continuation of The Games of Love series, this book can be read as a standalone, but makes more sense when read after the second book.
One thing that I really enjoy about this series is the lack of sex. Yes, it's mentioned in them, but there isn't any actual sex happening. Now, I have no issues with books that have sex in them (some of my favorites happen to have lots of sex), so that's not why I'm praising these books. I am giving kudos, though, because they focus on the other sides of relationships (read: emotional, things the couple have in common, and things that happen outside of the bedroom) that haven't been getting a lot of attention lately.
Another thing that I love about this series is that these scenarios are so realistic. The first book dealt with realizing that not every person is the same. This book focuses on unrequited love. Both books have a common theme of communication. So much drama would be avoided if people just communicated with one another instead of expecting the other person to be a mind reader.
The only compliant that I have would be that I wish we had some minor story line in this book like in the previous book (Craig and his sister) to balance out the romance. I felt like Lydia dealing with her headaches could have been the secondary story line, but they weren't explained or explored (which was kind of disappointing).
One thing that I really enjoy about this series is the lack of sex. Yes, it's mentioned in them, but there isn't any actual sex happening. Now, I have no issues with books that have sex in them (some of my favorites happen to have lots of sex), so that's not why I'm praising these books. I am giving kudos, though, because they focus on the other sides of relationships (read: emotional, things the couple have in common, and things that happen outside of the bedroom) that haven't been getting a lot of attention lately.
Another thing that I love about this series is that these scenarios are so realistic. The first book dealt with realizing that not every person is the same. This book focuses on unrequited love. Both books have a common theme of communication. So much drama would be avoided if people just communicated with one another instead of expecting the other person to be a mind reader.
The only compliant that I have would be that I wish we had some minor story line in this book like in the previous book (Craig and his sister) to balance out the romance. I felt like Lydia dealing with her headaches could have been the secondary story line, but they weren't explained or explored (which was kind of disappointing).
linz's review
3.0
(I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.)
I received a request from the author to review this book, and as a massive Lord of the Rings fan, I was intrigued by the title. With a title like that, geeky references are to be expected, and I wasn't disappointed in that respect.
Lydia is in love with Craig, but unfortunately for her, he has a girlfriend. Similarly, Scott is in love with Cathy, yet she doesn't seem interested in him. After being forced to go to a club by her roommates, Lydia bumps into Scott, literally, but leaves almost immediately. In order to try to hide her feelings for Craig, she lies to her friends and says that more happened with Scott than is true. She doesn't see the harm since she doesn't believe she'll ever see him again. As luck would have it, it turns out he's actually in one of her classes. After finding out that they're both in similar situations, Scott suggest a fling, and Lydia, surprisingly, agrees, but things don't work out the way they originally planned.
I enjoyed the relationship between Lydia and Scott, and I also liked the relationship Lydia has with her friends. As gamers, geeky references abound, including ones from the Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and Star Wars, among others.
I would have liked a little more background info for a couple of Lydia's friends, but I believe this is a series, so maybe we get more info in other books. I did enjoy the character development of the main characters, however, and I was happy with the way things were resolved.
This was a quick and enjoyable read, and I would recommend to those who enjoy light romances - especially ones with well-written, geeky characters, and a multitude of Tolkien references.
While not perfect, I find myself still thinking of these characters three days later, and I am interested in reading more about them. I hope the author continues to tell their stories, and I will definitely check out any other books she writes.
I received a request from the author to review this book, and as a massive Lord of the Rings fan, I was intrigued by the title. With a title like that, geeky references are to be expected, and I wasn't disappointed in that respect.
Lydia is in love with Craig, but unfortunately for her, he has a girlfriend. Similarly, Scott is in love with Cathy, yet she doesn't seem interested in him. After being forced to go to a club by her roommates, Lydia bumps into Scott, literally, but leaves almost immediately. In order to try to hide her feelings for Craig, she lies to her friends and says that more happened with Scott than is true. She doesn't see the harm since she doesn't believe she'll ever see him again. As luck would have it, it turns out he's actually in one of her classes. After finding out that they're both in similar situations, Scott suggest a fling, and Lydia, surprisingly, agrees, but things don't work out the way they originally planned.
I enjoyed the relationship between Lydia and Scott, and I also liked the relationship Lydia has with her friends. As gamers, geeky references abound, including ones from the Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and Star Wars, among others.
I would have liked a little more background info for a couple of Lydia's friends, but I believe this is a series, so maybe we get more info in other books. I did enjoy the character development of the main characters, however, and I was happy with the way things were resolved.
This was a quick and enjoyable read, and I would recommend to those who enjoy light romances - especially ones with well-written, geeky characters, and a multitude of Tolkien references.
While not perfect, I find myself still thinking of these characters three days later, and I am interested in reading more about them. I hope the author continues to tell their stories, and I will definitely check out any other books she writes.
anovelstart's review
4.0
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or my review in any way.
I actually really enjoyed this book! Deanna Dee approached me asking me if I'd like to review her new book, and I'm really glad I said yes!
I could really relate to the main character in this book, Lydia, because she's a gamer! She likes RPGs and all that, so yeah - she's my kinda girl, lol. I don't often come across books (especially chick-lit) where the girl is really nerdy in the respect that she likes playing games. To this day I still love to play them so I found this aspect of the book really interesting.
The plot in this book, or in this case Lydia's wreck of a love life, is one of those that seem really complicated... then you take a deep breath, step back... then think... "oh yeah, it really is that simple" lol. Regardless, I really enjoyed the plot. I liked how the main plot was about a normal college student in her senior year trying to do normal college things... but much preferring to stay inside and play on a game with her friends! Whoop! Go girl gamers!
I think the main lesson behind this book is, "listen girl, you need to talk to him. Don't keep it all locked up or you'll explode." Even if it's not him you talk to, at least talk to one of your friends about it. Talking is good for the heart :) It's like a weight off your shoulders. Talking the situation through can also help you understand how simple the solution is. So yeah, plenty of little pearls of wisdom in this book.
Both guys Lydia likes, Craig and Scott, are really sweet. You can't hate either of them. Neither has done anything bad to her and I think I would have been happy for her to end up with either of them - they're both good choices. I think, from a girl's point of view, this book is brilliant at portraying guys. At this age we see guys as so complicated... we have a tendency of pushing emotions onto them that they don't actually have... then these emotions complicate things further. Guys are a mystery! It's the girl and our heads that do all the complicated stuff that's added to the equation.
All in all, I thought this was a really good story. I could easily relate to it and I found the story really funny. I loved the nerdy quotes from books and movies and just the plain geekiness of it all!
I'd recommend this book to any girl gamer, lovers of chick-lit and romance, and lovers of college drama.
For more of my reviews, please visit my book blog at: http://www.anovelstart.com
I actually really enjoyed this book! Deanna Dee approached me asking me if I'd like to review her new book, and I'm really glad I said yes!
I could really relate to the main character in this book, Lydia, because she's a gamer! She likes RPGs and all that, so yeah - she's my kinda girl, lol. I don't often come across books (especially chick-lit) where the girl is really nerdy in the respect that she likes playing games. To this day I still love to play them so I found this aspect of the book really interesting.
The plot in this book, or in this case Lydia's wreck of a love life, is one of those that seem really complicated... then you take a deep breath, step back... then think... "oh yeah, it really is that simple" lol. Regardless, I really enjoyed the plot. I liked how the main plot was about a normal college student in her senior year trying to do normal college things... but much preferring to stay inside and play on a game with her friends! Whoop! Go girl gamers!
I think the main lesson behind this book is, "listen girl, you need to talk to him. Don't keep it all locked up or you'll explode." Even if it's not him you talk to, at least talk to one of your friends about it. Talking is good for the heart :) It's like a weight off your shoulders. Talking the situation through can also help you understand how simple the solution is. So yeah, plenty of little pearls of wisdom in this book.
Both guys Lydia likes, Craig and Scott, are really sweet. You can't hate either of them. Neither has done anything bad to her and I think I would have been happy for her to end up with either of them - they're both good choices. I think, from a girl's point of view, this book is brilliant at portraying guys. At this age we see guys as so complicated... we have a tendency of pushing emotions onto them that they don't actually have... then these emotions complicate things further. Guys are a mystery! It's the girl and our heads that do all the complicated stuff that's added to the equation.
All in all, I thought this was a really good story. I could easily relate to it and I found the story really funny. I loved the nerdy quotes from books and movies and just the plain geekiness of it all!
I'd recommend this book to any girl gamer, lovers of chick-lit and romance, and lovers of college drama.
For more of my reviews, please visit my book blog at: http://www.anovelstart.com
bookfever's review
4.0
One Fling to Rule Them All has got to be the most entertaining, funny, and nerdy book I've ever read. It was awesome, simply awesome! And I just know a lot of readers would absolutely love this book as much as I did.
Lydia's been in love with her best friend Craig since forever. Unfortunately he has a girlfriend and doesn't feel the same way. Then Lydia meets Scott and finds out he's exactly in the same situation as her, trying to get over a girl named Cathy. When he proposes a fling to try to get over their feelings for Craig and Cathy, Lydia agrees and sparks start flying.
So I really liked how both Lydia and Scott started out having feelings for other people and tried having a fling together to forget about them. It may started out rather awkwardly but it wasn't long before they really had a great dynamic and chemistry between them.
Really, this book was just loads of fun. I laughed my ass off reading Lydia's inner thoughts (really she's a riot!). And Scott was just super cute, although there was a moment where I thought, no bad Scott, what are you doing?! But anyway I enjoyed One Fling to Rule Them All so so so much!
And last but not least another thing I loved were of course all the pop culture references. I'm talking about Lord of the Rings (obviously!), Harry Potter, Pocahontas, Star Wars and so on. And it all really spoke to my inner nerd. It was all kinds of awesome!
Lydia's been in love with her best friend Craig since forever. Unfortunately he has a girlfriend and doesn't feel the same way. Then Lydia meets Scott and finds out he's exactly in the same situation as her, trying to get over a girl named Cathy. When he proposes a fling to try to get over their feelings for Craig and Cathy, Lydia agrees and sparks start flying.
So I really liked how both Lydia and Scott started out having feelings for other people and tried having a fling together to forget about them. It may started out rather awkwardly but it wasn't long before they really had a great dynamic and chemistry between them.
Really, this book was just loads of fun. I laughed my ass off reading Lydia's inner thoughts (really she's a riot!). And Scott was just super cute, although there was a moment where I thought, no bad Scott, what are you doing?! But anyway I enjoyed One Fling to Rule Them All so so so much!
And last but not least another thing I loved were of course all the pop culture references. I'm talking about Lord of the Rings (obviously!), Harry Potter, Pocahontas, Star Wars and so on. And it all really spoke to my inner nerd. It was all kinds of awesome!
melisondra's review
4.0
Posted Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Actual Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
As originally posted on Reviews of a Self Proclaimed Bibliophile.
DISCLAIMER: I WAS PROVIDED A FREE COPY OF THIS BOOK FROM THE AUTHOR, DEANNA DEE, IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW. THIS DID NOT IN ANY WAY IMPACT OR INFLUENCE MY OPINION OF MS. DEE’S NOVEL.
One Fling to Rule Them All was a cute story, it was a light read filled with a great deal of references to geek/nerd culture. Lydia is a geeky, computer programming major who has been in love with her lifelong best friend, Craig, for years. Apparently the first book in the series (Critical Hit-On) tells the story of Craig meeting his girlfriend Molly with this sequel telling Lydia’s story (when I was originally asked to review this book I didn’t realize it was a sequel, however, I don’t think it is necessary to have read the first book to enjoy this book). They have a perfect friendship until Craig meets Molly and Lydia’s life feels as if it is subsequently falling apart around her.
Lydia’s tale starts with her in the midst of a really bad headache and having to choose whether she will visit and play “M and M” (this book's version of Dungeons and Dragons) with her friends from home or if she will go out with her college roommates according to tradition. Lydia ultimately goes out with her roommates to a popular nightclub and her group separates. Still dealing with the remnants of her headache, Lydia comes across a guy in the club who looks like a spitting image of Craig. Lydia even goes so far as to say, “He really does resemble Craig. His hair is almost identical, and if I was facing away and pressed against him, my body wouldn’t know the difference.” This is the quote which introduces the reader to Scott and embodies the entirety of the book’s plot – Lydia ultimately wants to get over her love for her lifelong best friend by having a fling with a guy who looks almost exactly like him. Brilliant idea.
If we are being truthful, flings in real life are typically nothing like the flings we read about or watch on television and in the movies. In this case, Lydia and Scott are both looking to move on from their respective unrequited crushes by having a fling with each other, but they wind up having probably one of the worst flings in the history of flings. There are always complications which come up such as upset roommates, roommates video gaming who weren’t supposed to be in the dorm, and then comes the eventual development of feelings. This is a very familiar trope, a fling which is complicated by other factors and then one or both of the participants develops feelings for the other only to be hurt but they still wind up together in the end. Lydia is in an almost constant state of confusion it seems regarding her feelings because she is unable to separate what she actually feels towards Scott himself and what she feels towards him because of his similarity to Craig. It takes her thinking that she has lost Scott for good to finally admit her feelings for him as an individual, rather than as a replacement for Craig, and I think this was incredibly important for her.
The majority of the book focuses on Lydia cataloging everything about Scott into how he is or isn’t like Craig which is a frustrating way to learn about a character. We ultimately do come to find out that Scott is a relatively good guy. He is practical, yet passionate about music, and working towards a degree in business with the hopes that he can use it to his advantage in getting into the music industry. He is the lead vocalist and lyricist for his band, yet he is outside the stereotypical norms expected of college aged musicians (i.e. sex, drugs, and rock & roll!). For example, there is a dorm party held in Scott’s dorm and rather than the typical making out you might expect, Lydia and Scott wind up sitting there cuddling, talking, and just gaining a sense of comfort in each other’s company. Definitely atypical behavior of two people looking to have a fling. They do eventually decide to go somewhere more private (like Lydia’s dorm room), but complication arises in the form of a roommate who had a fight with her boyfriend and now wants to watch sad movies and complain about guys in general. Good guy Scott though doesn’t react in an overly negative manner, he instead supports Lydia in being a good roommate and leaves it at that. The one time that the two of them do end up alone in Lydia’s dorm room is filled with a bit of making out and cuddling on her bed with video games. Honestly, that makes for a pretty perfect night if you ask me.
Regardless of the original reason why Lydia and Scott ended up together, I actually did like them together as a couple. They were a cute couple who enjoyed one another’s company and came to share their differing interests and ultimately enjoy them more in doing them together. I appreciated that Lydia was forced to grow up because of their “fling” and be honest with not only herself but Craig as well. Lydia was finally forced to tell Craig exactly how she felt about him, how she had always felt and explain how Scott was originally nothing more than an attempt to get over Craig. This fight, this moment is pretty much when Lydia recognizes that all this time that she was spending trying to get over Craig using Scott led her to actually develop real feelings for Scott as well. “Scott’s not Craig. Those three words hit me in the chest…It’s taken me way too long to admit that. He may look like Craig and make me feel as safe and wanted as Craig does sometimes, but he’s a different person.” Lydia’s ability to admit this and ultimately tell Scott how she feels about him, not Craig but him, is important because it is what allows them to actually have a real shot at a relationship and not just a fling.
TL;DR REVIEW: 3.50 out of 5.00 stars. Overall, this book is a solid, quick, cute, geeky, romantic read, but it does suffer from that sense of over familiarity with the plot line and perhaps too many geeky references? Is that even a thing? Anyways, if you are looking for a cute, geeky, quick, romantic read – One Fling to Rule Them All may be a good choice for your next book! Thank you again to Ms. Deanna Dee for providing me the opportunity to read and review your book!
Actual Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
As originally posted on Reviews of a Self Proclaimed Bibliophile.
DISCLAIMER: I WAS PROVIDED A FREE COPY OF THIS BOOK FROM THE AUTHOR, DEANNA DEE, IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW. THIS DID NOT IN ANY WAY IMPACT OR INFLUENCE MY OPINION OF MS. DEE’S NOVEL.
"I do a double take. The guy I agreed to have a fling with makes Star Wars references. Perhaps this will not be awful. Perhaps we could even have something."~Lydia
One Fling to Rule Them All was a cute story, it was a light read filled with a great deal of references to geek/nerd culture. Lydia is a geeky, computer programming major who has been in love with her lifelong best friend, Craig, for years. Apparently the first book in the series (Critical Hit-On) tells the story of Craig meeting his girlfriend Molly with this sequel telling Lydia’s story (when I was originally asked to review this book I didn’t realize it was a sequel, however, I don’t think it is necessary to have read the first book to enjoy this book). They have a perfect friendship until Craig meets Molly and Lydia’s life feels as if it is subsequently falling apart around her.
Lydia’s tale starts with her in the midst of a really bad headache and having to choose whether she will visit and play “M and M” (this book's version of Dungeons and Dragons) with her friends from home or if she will go out with her college roommates according to tradition. Lydia ultimately goes out with her roommates to a popular nightclub and her group separates. Still dealing with the remnants of her headache, Lydia comes across a guy in the club who looks like a spitting image of Craig. Lydia even goes so far as to say, “He really does resemble Craig. His hair is almost identical, and if I was facing away and pressed against him, my body wouldn’t know the difference.” This is the quote which introduces the reader to Scott and embodies the entirety of the book’s plot – Lydia ultimately wants to get over her love for her lifelong best friend by having a fling with a guy who looks almost exactly like him. Brilliant idea.
If we are being truthful, flings in real life are typically nothing like the flings we read about or watch on television and in the movies. In this case, Lydia and Scott are both looking to move on from their respective unrequited crushes by having a fling with each other, but they wind up having probably one of the worst flings in the history of flings. There are always complications which come up such as upset roommates, roommates video gaming who weren’t supposed to be in the dorm, and then comes the eventual development of feelings. This is a very familiar trope, a fling which is complicated by other factors and then one or both of the participants develops feelings for the other only to be hurt but they still wind up together in the end. Lydia is in an almost constant state of confusion it seems regarding her feelings because she is unable to separate what she actually feels towards Scott himself and what she feels towards him because of his similarity to Craig. It takes her thinking that she has lost Scott for good to finally admit her feelings for him as an individual, rather than as a replacement for Craig, and I think this was incredibly important for her.
The majority of the book focuses on Lydia cataloging everything about Scott into how he is or isn’t like Craig which is a frustrating way to learn about a character. We ultimately do come to find out that Scott is a relatively good guy. He is practical, yet passionate about music, and working towards a degree in business with the hopes that he can use it to his advantage in getting into the music industry. He is the lead vocalist and lyricist for his band, yet he is outside the stereotypical norms expected of college aged musicians (i.e. sex, drugs, and rock & roll!). For example, there is a dorm party held in Scott’s dorm and rather than the typical making out you might expect, Lydia and Scott wind up sitting there cuddling, talking, and just gaining a sense of comfort in each other’s company. Definitely atypical behavior of two people looking to have a fling. They do eventually decide to go somewhere more private (like Lydia’s dorm room), but complication arises in the form of a roommate who had a fight with her boyfriend and now wants to watch sad movies and complain about guys in general. Good guy Scott though doesn’t react in an overly negative manner, he instead supports Lydia in being a good roommate and leaves it at that. The one time that the two of them do end up alone in Lydia’s dorm room is filled with a bit of making out and cuddling on her bed with video games. Honestly, that makes for a pretty perfect night if you ask me.
Regardless of the original reason why Lydia and Scott ended up together, I actually did like them together as a couple. They were a cute couple who enjoyed one another’s company and came to share their differing interests and ultimately enjoy them more in doing them together. I appreciated that Lydia was forced to grow up because of their “fling” and be honest with not only herself but Craig as well. Lydia was finally forced to tell Craig exactly how she felt about him, how she had always felt and explain how Scott was originally nothing more than an attempt to get over Craig. This fight, this moment is pretty much when Lydia recognizes that all this time that she was spending trying to get over Craig using Scott led her to actually develop real feelings for Scott as well. “Scott’s not Craig. Those three words hit me in the chest…It’s taken me way too long to admit that. He may look like Craig and make me feel as safe and wanted as Craig does sometimes, but he’s a different person.” Lydia’s ability to admit this and ultimately tell Scott how she feels about him, not Craig but him, is important because it is what allows them to actually have a real shot at a relationship and not just a fling.
TL;DR REVIEW: 3.50 out of 5.00 stars. Overall, this book is a solid, quick, cute, geeky, romantic read, but it does suffer from that sense of over familiarity with the plot line and perhaps too many geeky references? Is that even a thing? Anyways, if you are looking for a cute, geeky, quick, romantic read – One Fling to Rule Them All may be a good choice for your next book! Thank you again to Ms. Deanna Dee for providing me the opportunity to read and review your book!
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