Don't Miss

• NYRB Classics: Save 30%
• Paperback Favorites
  for Book Groups
• Springer Math Sale!
• Subscribe to Indiespensable

More at Powell's

• Featured Signed Editions
• Rare and Collectible Books
• eBooks | Audio | DVDs | Blu-ray

---

Original Essays | October 18, 2009

From Leprosy to Lorca — Strange Inspiration

0 comments By Victoria Hislop

My first novel, The Island, was inspired by a chance visit to a tiny island leper colony off the coast of Greece on our summer holiday. It was a... Continue »

---

1. 
   $10.49 Sale Trade Paper add to wish list

   The Return

   Victoria Hislop

Report Comment

---

You are reporting a comment on the following title:

---

You are reporting the following comment:

Julie Anderson, August 7, 2008

Reviewed for queuemyreview.com; book release July 2008

Bella Andre writes books that are decidedly spicy, but they don’t quite cross over into erotica for me. The fine line that divides mainstream romance and erotica seems to be becoming ever thinner in the past few years. For me to classify a book as erotica, there needs to be something more than just hot sex. Even a lot of hot sex. For me to use the term erotica, the story must have that ‘something’ extra; an unusual sex act, toys, more than two people, etc. So when I say that I don’t think “Game For Anything” crosses the line into erotica, it certainly doesn’t mean there’s not plenty of hot sex…because there is! But the relationship between these two, to me, has more of the elements of a romance than an erotica story. Complaints may be lodged and will be read…but hey, this is MY opinion.

I must confess that I’m not much of a sports fan. I will also confess, however, that football and baseball are fun to watch because it’s always a treat to check out all those buns in tight pants! I know, I know…for real sports fans that’s almost sacrilege, but again, this is MY opinion. The few times I’ve met football stars, I was awed at their sheer size. All I could think was how in the heck did their Mom feed them? A second mortgage? But I could certainly see why these men would be the object of many a fantasy. But with fame comes temptation, and let’s face it, most of these athletes are still kids when they are faced with more money than most of us will ever see in our lifetime and a free ticket for just about anything they want. How ANY of them resist the lure is a mystery. Our hero certainly didn’t tho’, he grabbed on with both hands and is still living it up when we first meet him in the book.

Ty had a crappy childhood, with the exception of football. Football was his ticket out of the trailerpark and into the high life. But always in the back of his mind, he’s measuring himself against others…and coming up short. And nobody can drive that point home quite like the girl he can’t forget. She was smart, rich, and pretty; he took her virginity in a night he can’t forget and she can’t forgive. And now she’s back in his life. She’s a successful image consultant and her job is to clean up his image. He’s fine with that. She can clean up his image while he plots to get her back in his bed.

Julie grew up with the appearance of everything. Her family had money, she was smart, she was pretty…her father was also a womanizing jerk and played around constantly on her alcoholic mother. Julie plowed her energy into her schoolwork and planned for the day she could escape into her own life. But even the ‘brainy’ girls can’t help but notice the school football hero. And for Julie, graduation night was memorable for more than being Valedictorian; it was the night she lost her virginity to the football hero. Only to be dumped the next morning. Now they expect her to polish football’s bad boy’s image?

I enjoyed reading “Game For Anything”. There’s a lot of hot sex, but there’s also a lot of meaningful interaction between Ty and Julie outside of the bedroom (or the lake, or the empty stadium…you get my drift). He has to prove to Julie that he’s more than ‘football’s bad boy’, and Julie has to figure out that appearances aren’t necessarily everything. The author does a good job playing this scenario out. I didn’t feel bogged down anywhere in the book although I would’ve like to have seen a little more fleshing out of the supporting cast. The good news is that you do catch a few glimpses of the hero of her next ‘bad boy’ whose book “Game For Seduction” will release in September 2008. So if you like bad boys, sports heroes, or just some steamy sex, be sure and give Bella Andre’s “Game For Anything” a shot.

---

Your email address:

---

Reason for report:

---

Are you a robot? We didn't think so. But just to be sure, please type what you see in the following image into the box below.

---

Confirmation:

Are you certain you wish to report this comment?

---

Terms and Conditions

We welcome your comments and ideas, but we ask that you refrain from:

• Obscenity
• Spam
• Illegal content
• Copyrighted material
• Commercial solicitations

By posting your comments you are granting the good people of Powells.com the right (but not the obligation) to make your comments available to others over the Internet, and to copy and distribute your comments via other media, in each case on a royalty free basis. These terms govern the rights and obligations of the person posting comments and Powells.com; there are no intended third party beneficiaries of these terms.

Posted comments are subject to monitoring, editing, and removal at any time. Please see our Terms of Use for our complete terms and conditions.

---

Children's Online Privacy Protection Act

In accordance with The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, you must be at least 13 to submit comments on Powells.com.