The Professional (The Game Maker Series) Mass Market Paperback – November 25, 2014

"If you run from me again, I will catch you. It's what I do."A book about BDSM, a Siberian beast of a man, and the Russian mafyia ; sounds like a win-win situation, amiright? I honestly never paid this book that much attention when it previously published in three parts. It wasn't until my friend Stephanie at No BS Book Reviews started reading it and had nothing but wonderful things to say about it. As per usual, she was right. The Professional was filthy, funny, and action packed!"Insight: if a guy I had sex with ever carved a notch into his bedpost, I'd tell him to carve one into mine too–and then to go make me a sammich."Quite a few of my friends have been trying to get me to jump on the Kresley Cole train and after reading this I can see the appeal. I have only read her YA series, The Arcana Chronicles, and considering the "tamed" sexuality in that story is pretty hot and heavy, I was looking forward to her more adult writing. All I have to say is that she can write a pretty mean sex scene. O.M.G. There were a few that definitely left a blush on my cheeks and I find that to be pretty surprising with the amount of erotica I read a month. It also didn't hurt that the hero is a 6ft+ huge Siberian enforcer with a penchant for rough sex. If you are unawares, I have a thing for Russia. Men, history, culture, etc. I also have a thing for the mob. Literally, this book is like a dream come true for my hormonal, hot mess, fantasies. But it wasn't perfect."I'll consider myself lucky, my elusive girl, once you consider yourself taken. Every man has a weakness, you are mine. I've accepted that. Now you must accept me."Don't get me wrong, I loved the heroine Natalie. Not only was she really funny but she had brains on her too. My problem lies with the fact that she was a 24 year old virgin. It's not that I don't believe that there aren't 24 year old virgins out there, but I'm so tired of that being a character trait. Like the sex and tension between Sevastyan and Natalie could be tainted if she wasn't pure. Again, this is just a minor detail and it's not like Natalie was a fumbling or inexperience virgin, but I just wasn't a fan of this being part of the story. I also had a slight issue with how Sevastyan kept pushing Natalie away. It wasn't a big deal but I, again, wasn't a fan of that plot point. So although there were a few issues that prevented this from having a perfect rating, it was still a very enjoyable and sexy book! Seriously, if you are looking for some heat and some laughs, The Professional is worth checking out!4 stars

Looking for an extremely hot book? The Professional is a must read if you want something hot that has an amazing story tied to it!We meet Natalie while she's at a hometown bar with her friends "manalyzing" guys at the bar, and the first few paragraphs will have you laughing out loud with her descriptions, but suddenly a hot mysterious guy shows up at the bar. She tries to talk to him and is blown off. On her way home and in the bath she can't stop thinking about him, and then he shows up in her bathroom door. Once this happens get ready for the ride of your life!You can tell immediately that there is a ton of chemistry and heat between Sevastyan and Natalie, especially on the plane to Russia! OMG! But when they get to Russia Sevastyan seems to take one step forward and 30 steps back. He leaves Natalie alone and it drives her nuts. I loved watching her try to get his attention, and then when he finally caves.These two and their relationship is a struggle in every aspect. Sevastyan doesn't open up, and Natalie wants more. She pushes Sevastyan more than I think anyone has ever pushed him before. He may be the "enforcer" but you can tell behind this big tough guy, he's broken and needs someone to fix him, even if he doesn't realize this himself.Watching Natalie get to know her real father was amazing. She was immediately drawn to him, and he was something different than she expected and I loved him for it. He was a great dad to her in the short time they had together and I loved watching her learn the history of her family and getting to know where she came from.Watching their story play out felt like a movie. I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see what would happen next with them, wanted to scream, laughed out loud, and wanted to break down in tears. I adored their story and all the ups and downs that they took us on.You will feel your heart race with love, then be broken, put back together, bruised again, and then mended, all within the pages of this book. This was the first book of Kresley Cole's that I've read and I must say I'm hooked now! This story has everything you could ask for! It's an amazing story, the sex is HOT (like really, really HOT!), and the characters are amazing and the story just flows off the page!If you're looking for a bad boy love story with a ton of twists and turns, definitely pick up the Professional!

I loved it this book it's dark and sexy a Very good read, I would recommend to friends and family.

The writing is brilliant, witty and flowed effortlessly off the page and into my greedy brain. Natalie is a US PhD student looking for her biological parents and definitely gets more than she bargained for when her father is found and informed of her existence. Natalie is funny, feisty and not a doe eyed innocent naive, virgin (yay!). It was refreshing to not read 'my sex' for the millionth time.. never heard the term this character used for her hairy mary before, but still preferred it to 'sex'. Aleks is an enforcer, from a hard life that has made him emotionally withdrawn and harbours distinct tastes.There's a lot of BDSM so if that's your kink you'll love it, but even if it's not (like me), there's enough packed into the story to still love it.. and I absolutely did. The only negative I had was the back and forth angst between Aleks and Natalie stretched out a bit too much. After several back and forth, I was like either get it together or separate and move on.Natalie's friend Jess is a hoot, she goes through men quicker than I eat hot dinners.. and I love food! I would love to see her catch the love bug.. wouldn't mind reading her journey to HEA.I will definitely be reading this author again. This was my first, but certainly won't be my last.

Die amerikanische Studentin Natalie Porter hat ein völlig normales Leben geführt, das jedoch komplett auf den Kopf gestellt wird, als sie sich auf die Suche nach ihren leiblichen Eltern macht. Plötzlich steht der einschüchternde Aleksei Sevastyan in ihrer Wohnung, der darauf besteht, dass sie in Sicherheit gebracht werden muss, und sie zu diesem Zweck nach Russland verfrachtet. Natalie wird schnell klar, dass Sevastyan Verbindungen zur russischen Mafia hat, und was noch schlimmer ist, dass ihr leiblicher Vater ebenfalls zur Mafia gehört. Natalie fühlt sich hin- und hergerissen, vor allem da der gefährliche Sevastyan eine geradezu unwiderstehliche Anziehung auf sie ausübt.THE PROFESSIONAL ist der erste Teil von Kresley Coles neuer GAME MAKER-Serie und unterscheidet sich doch sehr von den IMMORTALS AFTER DARK. Zum einen gibt es in den GAME MAKERS keinerlei übernatürliche Elemente und zum anderen steht in dem Roman die Erotik im Mittelpunkt. Wer eine romantische Liebesgeschichte sucht, wird hier vermutlich nicht viel Freude haben. In THE PROFESSIONAL knistert es nicht, es lodert.Die Figuren in THE PROFESSIONAL haben mir gut gefallen und besonders Natalie hat mich begeistert. Sie ist sehr sympathisch, steht mit beiden Beinen im Leben und lässt sich von Alphamann Sevastyan nicht unterbuttern. Sevastyan hat eine geheimnisvolle Vergangenheit und es ist klar, dass er kein einfaches Leben geführt hat. Auch er spürt die Anziehung, die zwischen ihm und Natalie besteht, verkompliziert wird die Lage für ihn, da er den Auftrag hat, Natalie mit allen Mitteln zu beschützen. Auch die Nebenfiguren haben mir gefallen, obwohl sie eher wenig Platz in der Handlung eingeräumt bekommen. Natalies Vater ist sehr sympathisch und auch Natalies beste Freundin hat mich sehr unterhalten.Auch die Handlung von THE PROFESSIONAL hat mir im Großen und Ganzen gefallen. Sie konzentriert sich hauptsächlich auf die aufkeimende Beziehung zwischen Natalie und Sevastyan und es gibt zahlreiche erotische Szenen, in denen BDSM eine große Rolle spielt. Obwohl THE PROFESSIONAL erotischer als die anderen Bücher von Kresley Cole ist, werden die Handlung und die Figuren nicht vernachlässigt.Mich hat an THE PROFESSIONAL allerdings gestört, wie dominant Sevastyan in wirklich allen Lebensbereichen ist und wie sehr er Natalie einschränkt. Hier hat er für meinen Geschmack die Grenze ein paar Mal überschritten. Auch die Auflösung des Romans hat mich nicht völlig überzeugt, da sie mir zu glatt und unkompliziert erscheint.Im Großen und Ganzen hat mir THE PROFESSIONAL gut gefallen, obwohl der Roman an die IMMORTALS AFTER DARK meiner Meinung nach nicht heranreicht. Kresley Cole ist gewohnt humorvoll, hat gewohnt sympathische Figuren und sie weiß, wie man gute Erotik schreibt. Wer nach einem erotischen und unterhaltsamen Liebesroman sucht, wird hier sicher nicht enttäuscht werden. Empfehlenswert!

The Professional is a book I have been wanting to read for awhile snce it was a rec from fellow blogger and I enjoy Kresley Cole's Immortals After Dark series but I didn't get the book until I heard ladies in Read Me Romance -podcast talking about it.The Professional is about Natalie, who has been searching for her birth parents. She's working in two (or three?) different jobs on top of her studies to pay for this search. She rarely is interested in guys because she's like she calls herself the manalyst. She could always read men but there's something about Sevastyan that she just can't get a read on. He takes her to Russia to meet her paternal father.I loved the heroine, maybe even more than hero. Natalie has lived a normal life but she takes everything about this new life so well. She's a virgin but she hasn't been waiting "the one" her whole life. Instead she thinks dating, love, and sex were all overrated. The romance was angsty. There was a lot hot and cold behavior from the hero. Sevatyan didn't like sharing things, like at all. Natalie took his behavior pretty well considering she had zero tolerance for men and their drama. It was still very enjoyable and I'd suggest giving this book a chance if you're in the mood for something angsty. I was surprised how much I actually enjoyed heroine's father.All in all I didn't love the romance but I was still compelled to read it very fast. I mean I almost finished it in one sitting. The Professional made me smile like a crazy person but it also made me cry.

Ciaaaaao io sono Nix, sono una Cole-Addicted e sono qui alle Romantiche Anonime per parlare della mia dipendenza. Ho conosciuto questa donna con la sua serie paranormal romance degli Immortals After Dark (e il mio nickname ne è la prova) e in breve tempo sono passata dal giudizio Carino al Oddiononpossofareamenodilei, tanto da cominciare a leggere i suoi libri in lingua originale e a prendere questo romanzo sia nella prima versione digitale spezzata in tre episodi, sia nella versione cartacea riunita, perché ci sono state aggiunte due paginette due e io DOVEVO averle. Sì, sono una fangirl malata, lo so.Quindi non aspettatevi particolare obiettività da me: io amo questa donna, venero ciò che scrive, bacio la terra ove Ella cammina, lei è la mia Dea. Questa non è una recensione, una dichiarazione di imperituro amore.Ma passiamo al romanzo! L'uscita della traduzione italiana è stata per me l'occasione di prendere in mano il mio cartaceo in inglese e rileggermi il romanzo.Se siete di quelle che hanno amano auliche parafrasi nel sesso, siete nel posto sbagliato. E se siete di quelle che vogliono ragazzette scemotte che si snaturano per l'uomo di turno come protagoniste siete ancora più nel posto sbagliato. Qui abbiamo raw sex & smart girls.Sì perché questo è l'esperimento erotico/BDSM della Cole, che già non riesce ad essere casta nemmeno negli Young Adult, figuriamoci qui. E fortunatamente ritroviamo il suo punto di forza, ovvero una protagonista sveglia e intelligente, come solo lei sa fare. Perché mio parere il punto di forza di tutto il romanzo è proprio Natalie, che non sta aspettando il primo che passa che le apra gli occhi sulla sua sessualità, cosa perfino troppo inflazionata nei romance contemporanei di oggi. Natalie che lotta in ogni modo possibile per far funzionare la relazione difficile con Sevastyan, senza però tradire se stessa e cambiare per lui e allo stesso tempo senza pretendere che lui cambi.Avere a che fare con Sevastyan non è facile, perché ha un bagaglio di traumi personali piuttosto ampio. E' per di più è un criminale, nel vero senso della parola.Sinceramente mi rendo conto che gli ingredienti del romanzo non sono innovativi, anzi ho sempre pensato che lo scopo della Cole fosse proprio quello di rivisitare i temi dei romance erotici che spopolavano in quel periodo e riadattarli per tirarne fuori qualcosa di migliore. E ce la fa, perché è riuscita a farmi digerire il BDSM, che non amo particolarmente, non ha tradito i suoi principi in termini di caratterizzazione dei personaggi e non scade in un facile politically correct.So che può scrivere di meglio, ma è un intrattenimento di tutto rispetto.