Games of the Heart
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Games of the Heart Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Kristen Ashley (Author), Rachel Fulginiti (Narrator), Audible Studios (Publisher)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 3,219 ratings
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From the balcony of his house, Mike Haines can see the quiet, commonplace beauty of the Holliday farm. But what he remembers is the little sister of his high school girlfriend, Dusty, who grew up there. As a teen Dusty had gone off the rails, but when she was a kid she was sweet, she was funny, and she had a special bond with Mike. But after high school, she took off, and Mike never saw her again. Then tragedy strikes Dusty's family. She comes back into town, and Mike thinks she hasn't changed back to the sweet, funny girl he knew but instead continues to be selfish and thoughtless, leaving her family alone to deal with their mourning. So he seeks her out and confronts her in an effort to understand what went wrong and to force her to sort herself out. He finds out quickly he's wrong about Dusty Holliday. Very wrong. And right after Mike discovers that, the bond they had years before snaps back into place in ways he would never suspect. But Mike Haines had a bad marriage, then he played games of the heart for a good woman. And lost. In order to protect himself and his kids, he's cautious, he's careful to read the signs, and he's not interested in finding a woman he has to fix. Then he learns what happened to Dusty, and he thinks she needs to be fixed. He swings, he misses, and in this new game of hearts, for Dusty, Mike just got strike three.

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  1. Listening Length
    21 hours and 36 minutes
  2. Author
    Kristen Ashley
  3. Narrator
    Rachel Fulginiti
  4. Audible release date
    May 12, 2015
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Audible Studios
  7. ASIN
    B00STZ3AWS
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
  10. See all details
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Product details

Listening Length 21 hours and 36 minutes
Author Kristen Ashley
Narrator Rachel Fulginiti
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date May 12, 2015
Publisher Audible Studios
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B00STZ3AWS
Best Sellers Rank #43,380 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#3,827 in Contemporary Romance (Audible Books & Originals)
#28,239 in Contemporary Romance (Books)

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
3,219 global ratings
Amazing read! It was full of love, heat, drama, and emotion and I couldn't get enough!
5 Stars
Amazing read! It was full of love, heat, drama, and emotion and I couldn't get enough!
This was so amazing! It's hard to even pinpoint one particular thing because it was such a full story with these wonderful characters and all these smaller stories intertwined that made everything excellent. It was full of love, heat, drama, and emotion and I couldn't get enough.I’ve loved Mike since he was first introduced in The ‘Burg series and I've wanted him to have an HEA. He's such an incredible guy and I was always rooting for him. I loved getting to know him, really see him, and watch him find his love. He's such a bossy alpha male but he's all heart. Dusty was just as wonderful. A total firecracker who loves fiercely. I enjoyed their history and them reconnecting. They were just wonderful and caring and stubborn and it made for a spectacular story of them coming together.There are several stories and different POV's in play and I loved them all. I loved Mike's kids and I liked learning their struggles and how that played out in the book. There are so many special relationships throughout, all the different friendships and bonds. It was incredibly heartwarming. I loved all the different perspectives. There is an amazing cast of characters involved. Characters from previous stories and new ones introduced and I got so excited about every single one.I loved the ins and outs, the character development and growth. How everything evolved, the timeline and these incredibly rich characters. This was elaborate and detailed, I like how it's all woven together building and building. Just an absolutely incredible story!
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Top reviews from the United States

Malinda
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book! :D
Reviewed in the United States on July 9, 2013
Verified Purchase
5 stars

This was a great story. I first met Mike in [book:At Peace|11665750] and am so glad he got his own book. This have become my favorite book of the series.

I really loved Dusty. She's a great character and I think one of the best KA heroines. She's smart and spunky but also sweet and warm in a way that people tend to respond to. Dusty in having issues when the story begins. Her brother just died leaving a widow and 2 sons, Fin and Kirby. Dusty's sister, Debbie (also Mike's EX from back in high school) has always hated Dusty and makes problem about the funeral forcing Dusty to back off when the family needs her to avoid more stress on the family.

Mike is a good guy and I liked him a lot but he did make a number of mistakes with Dusty. Because of past woman issues he tends to be distrustful. When Debbie fills his head with lies about Dusty, Mike decided to go see what Dusty's problem is only to find out that Debbie is the problem. After he makes an ass out of himself and Dusty sets him straight they reconnect (big time!). Things go pretty well so they decide to continue and Mike's hopeful but then finds out something from Dusty's past that he thinks must have scarred her. When he confronts her (while breaking it off their budding relationship) he finds out he was wrong again (this being the 3rd time her's jumped to conclusions about Dusty without asking her about things and been wrong). Dusty, being a straight shooter, lays it all out for Mike to see. And he sees clearly then just how wrong he was, just in time for him to loose her and he has no one to blame but himself.

Mike has 2 kids, Jonah (aka No) and Clarissa (aka Rees). Fortunately for Mike, his kids love him and his daughter notices things. Rees knew that her Dad hadn't been happy in a long time. She also knew he was starting to see a new woman and just as her Dad seemed to be getting happier it changed. Now her Dad seems upset and she finds out why, because things ended with Dusty and Mike blamed himself. Rees didn't know what happened but decide to try to get them back together so her Dad would be happy.

Rees ends up approaching Dusty's nephew, Fin. Fin is having issues with keeping the family farm once his Dad died due to his Aunt Debbie trying to sell it out from under them. He needs help and know Dusty will help him. When Rees tells him the situation he agrees to help (which will help them both). He calls Dusty for help and once she get back to town Rees lets it slip to her Dad. Upon hearing the news that Dusty is back in town, Mike wastes no time heading over to the farm to gain her forgiveness. It wasn't gained easily but he manages and from here I really loved Dusty and Mike's relationship. Because of their history from when they were younger (or maybe because they're just soulmates) they have a connection that make it seem they've been together for years and things fall in place pretty naturally for them. Although, they still have issues to work out from time to time.

One thing I loved about this book was that in addition to the main romance of Mike and Dusty, there's a secondary romance between Fin and Rees. This was a wonderful part of the story. While not as in-depth as the adult romance, it's still a great part of the story that integrates well in with the rest of the story. It even adds more dimension with the added issues of Dusty's nephew dating Mike's daughter... It was done very well and I loved the integration of the kids and families together.

There were a lot of things going on in the book. There's the problems with Aunt Debbie trying to contest the will and bringing crooked land developers to try to take the farm. There's the EXs of both Dusty and Mike to deal with. There's bullies and vandals that cause problems as well. The book almost always had something going on and I had a problem putting it down because I wanted to see what came next. In the end the danger doesn't even come from where I was expecting it to come from.

The characters in this book were great. I loved the new character but also enjoyed seeing the characters from previous books come back. I especially enjoyed seeing Ryker again, he was just as humorous in this book as #3. Loved him telling Dusty "You owe me cake!". LMAO.

This was a great book. It was very interesting but also touching and emotional so make sure to grab some tissues. I loved reading it and can't wait for the next book in the series. I'd recommend it. 2 thumbs up! :D
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Reading as much as I can
5.0 out of 5 stars 4 1/2 dreamy stars - two HEA - yeah!
Reviewed in the United States on July 18, 2013
Verified Purchase
So this is the third Burg series of Kristen Ahley's that I've read.

This book can be read as a stand alone - BUT I would recommend reading the series from the beginning.

This book is about Mike and Dusty. Mike is the cop who fell in love with Vi (the heroine in At Peace). Mike is another alpha male - but much less Neanderthal-like than Vi's husband, Cal/Joe.

Dusty is the little sister of Mike's old high school girl friend, Debbie.

Dusty had left the town many years old - to return for a funeral. Mike and Dusty end up crossing paths again and major sparks fly.

Since Mike has been burned by his ex-wife, and a love lost in Vi, he is very gun shy about Dusty. But their relationship kicks in pretty quickly. The focus is more about working around the kids, merging two lives and fighting various villains.

The story is different than the first two. There was one main evil villain. In this story, there are several. Not as evil as in the other books, but antagonists none the less.

I really liked this book because Dusty didn't really have major baggage. She wasn't 'broken' and didn't need to wade through a pile of bad history, etc. She is a vivacious, honest, caring, artistic, talented, perceptive woman. She is almost saint-like, and even has the nickname, "angel" by Mike.
Yes, Dusty is a little over the top. She is near perfect. Can even bake an amazing cake.

These books are long. I usually can finish a book in a night - but these take 2 days for me. But I would rather have too much information, details and story lines, than less. So I can deal.

What I loved about this book:

- Dusty. She is a bit too perfect, but I love that about her. She is fiesty, so caring, and honest. No major drama with her. She is a straight shooter. Love that.
- Mike. Love him too. Gorgeous alpha male that can blab about his feelings and ADORES his kids. Totally a lady killer. yeah, He does something a bit shi**y in the beginning, but he doesn't stew over it. Fixes his mistake and moves on.
- Multiple 'villains'. I like that there were several different issues going on. Not one main bad guy that was doing a lot of bad things. But several bad people doing things. Spreading the pain and suffering to multiple people eases the angst a bit
- The kids. Mike's kids. Dusty's nephews. LOVE LOVE LOVE how they are kids -but are mini-adults. Am around kids a ton and don't know a single kid that is like Fin. A gorgeous young man that acts like he's a mature, responsible, in-touch with his feelings, perceptive 35 year old? Nope. not a one. But it's still fun to imagine that a kid could possibly be like that.
- A second love story/interest that is beautifully written. Young love is so innocent.
- Steamy sex scenes. Love them. Well written. steam. May have been a few too many (eek - did I say that?) But it's a long book - so many many sex scenes.
- Past characters. LOVE reading about Vi/cal and Colt/Feb. So great to catch up on previous characters and see how their relationships/families grew.
- Epilogue. Dang. Ms. Ashley's epilogues are LONG. So the book leaves you feeling satiated.
- To reiterate above- we are left with closure and happiness. NO friggin cliff hangers!

What I didn't like:
- The 'wrap up' to the major villain in this book was resolved a bit too easily. Hey, I can do X for cake. And bam! It's done. A little to quickly/easily resolved. Guess the book was too long to expand on this part of the plot.
- The kids. Although as much as I LOVED the kids and wanted to adopt all of them. This was really unrealistic. Kids are not like this. A teenage girl is WAY more hormonal and irrational. Boys are WAY more sex-driven and irrational. These kids were more responsible and well behaved than most adults I know. But it still ways more on the positive scale than negative.

Raced home to finish this book. Didn't care how late- needed to read everyone's HEA and it was SOOOOO worth it!
Thank you Kristen Ashley for these books!
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Top reviews from other countries

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MaryC
5.0 out of 5 stars Just loved it
Reviewed in Australia on March 17, 2017
Verified Purchase
Great read
Dusty and Mike,Fin and Reece . Wonderful rich characters . All the ups and downs,love and sadness which make everday life. Kristen has written another can't put it down book.
Most enjoyable read
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Shirley
5.0 out of 5 stars Jonathan Michael Haines and Dusty Holliday - now there is an incredible couple
Reviewed in Canada on September 19, 2015
Verified Purchase
Jonathan Michael Haines, I love you and Dusty Holliday, you are both made for each other. In fact, I have loved this whole 'Burg Series - I have just begun reading Book 5 now. How love and time can make blind, faithless people become seeing, loving people. This book shows that love does prevail and is worth everything. What an incredible father Mike is and husband, lover, man - liked him in Vi and Cal's book and so glad Mike has his day in the sun. Loved his kids, No and Reesee, also Dusty's nephews Fin (oh how you make one swoon) and Kirby. So glad Mike's ex and Fin's mom finally got it together and are living happy lives as well. Thank you so much Kristen Ashley for your incredible talent - I think you are a genius - how do you do it lady???????
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Lu Bielefeld
5.0 out of 5 stars Maravilhoso!
Reviewed in Brazil on June 21, 2014
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Estou lendo pela segunda vez e adorei cada momento. Mostra o reencontro, o renascimento do amor que sempre esteve lá, a família e o legado deixado por ela como uma peça importante no jogo da vida. Temos também intriga, ação e como sempre muito cenas quentes entre os protagonistas. A história do Fin e da Reesee é linda e ficamos totalmente envolvidos por ela. Os heróis dos livros anteriores tem participação importante na história e vemos que o Burg criou uma grande família que é acionada tanto nos momentos felizes quanto nos momentos de necessidade. Fiquei com vontade de comer bolo com muitas camadas, hahahaha!!! Adorei e recomendo! Agora é só esperar o próximo livro da série.
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The Romance Reading Brit
5.0 out of 5 stars 5 stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 11, 2014
Verified Purchase
This is a beautiful beautiful love story!

Or two actually!

Mike and Dusty

and

Reece and Fin!

Love it!

Although, must say, I find it hard to connect to Dusty and found her a bit annoying. But, is it Dusty herself (who I found rolling my eyes at a few times, since she was so bloody perfect!!) or the fact that I have had this issue with KA heroines in the past, and Dusty came at the end of a massive months long re read of a few KA series?

Once again, a woman, with no experience in a "mother" role, comes in like the Child Rearing Guru Wonder Woman, and can bake 10 layer cakes, decorate, advise, be brilliant and awesome, while the birth mother/ex-wife is a cow! Although, the ex wife here is not as bad as other KA ex wives, but that is because we had Dusty's sister being the evil witch for no real reason.

I love KA books, really love them, but I am way way over that!

So, after my rant, I shall just finish by putting down some of my favourite parts of this book. (although my absolute favourite parts were any part with Fin and Reece! They stole my heart!)

"Mike did not, until that moment know The 'Burg's high school hierarchy. But at that moment he knew Finley Holliday, even as a junior, reigned as king.
And his eyes going directly to Reesee then his feet taking him there meant he'd just declared in front of thirty plus kids who he intended to make his queen.
"F***," he muttered under his breath and heard Dusty chuckle but he didn't take his eyes off his daughter who tipped her head back and he saw her lips form the word "Hey," to which Fin's lips formed the word "Hey" back. Then Fin reached out and grabbed his girl's hand for a quick squeeze before he let it go.
Christ, no crowns were in evidence but still Mike knew Fin just performed a coronation."

***********

"I'm falling in love with you, Mike Haines.".....
"Angel, you're already gone."
I blinked and asked, "Sorry?"
"....You fell with a kiss. I know, honey, because I was right there with you."

************

Oh and I loved the scenes with Mike, Cal, Colt, Merry and Sully when they were gossiping about Mike and Dusty, then with all of them and the addition of Layne, Ryker, Devin and Rivera in Tanner's office and arguing about cake!

Still 5 stars even after a re read, even with my faint dislike of Dusty and her "greatness" but that might not just be her (although it so is - ugh) but she comes at the end of a long run of bloody "perfect" KA step mothers!
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Molly84
5.0 out of 5 stars A favourite
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 17, 2024
Verified Purchase
This is one of my favourite books from the series.

Mike is a dedicated cop, father of 2 teens and recently lost out on the chance with a good woman. When attending the funeral of his high school ex’s brother, Darrin Holliday, he finds himself needing to set some things straight with the family’s youngest daughter Dusty.

Dusty was a happy, free spirit as a child and a moody teen who pushed everyone away. Mike makes a few assumptions as to what the grown up Dusty is like and gets it wrong at every turn. As much as he’s trying to protect himself from being played by another woman, he realises he might be playing some games of his own.

As always the teen characters in this book are perfectly written by KA. Mike’s daughter Reese reminded me of the daughter in her other novel, The Will. Young, beautiful but unsure and so sweet. Dusty’s nephew Fin was perfect and felt so deeply.

Mike had a few moments in this where he was a complete idiot. However, unlike some KA heroes, he admits it, apologises and makes amends.

There is quite a bit of drama in this book. Relationships, grief, family issues, bullying, brief mention of sexual assault and attempted murder. However, the beautifully written relationships between the parents and kids, teenage blossoming romance and friendships make it an uplifting read too.

This could be read as a stand-alone as the history of the side characters is explained enough that you could get by. But to get all the references and understand some of Mike’s feelings I’d at least suggest reading For You, Cal and Vi’s novel first.
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