Review - The Long Game by J.L. Fynn

Title: The Long Game

Series: American Gypsy #1
Author: J.L. Fynn
Release Date: October 7, 2013

Pages: 303, Paperback

Goodreads Rating: 4.17 stars

My Rating: 4/5 stars

My Content Rating: New Adult (Sex scenes, though the sex is less explicit than other NA books I've read)

Summary from Goodreads: Smooth talking. Ambitious. Loyal. Twenty-year-old Shay Reilly has proven himself to his Irish-American Gypsy clan on small-scale cons, but now the clan leader has a bigger mission for him: playing the long game. 

To rake in the big score he’s after, he needs to con coed Spencer into falling in love with him. He knows he should see Spencer as a mere means to an end, but that’s easier said than done when there’s a witty, attractive girl in your arms. 

Now the only thing that can keep them apart is the thing that brought them together: Shay’s plans of revenge against someone who wronged his clan and family years before—Spencer’s father. Smooth talking. Ambitious. Loyal. Twenty-year-old Shay Reilly has proven himself to his Irish-American Gypsy clan on small-scale cons, but now the clan leader has a bigger mission for him: playing the long game. 

To rake in the big score he’s after, he needs to con coed Spencer into falling in love with him. He knows he should see Spencer as a mere means to an end, but that’s easier said than done when there’s a witty, attractive girl in your arms. 

Now the only thing that can keep them apart is the thing that brought them together: Shay’s plans of revenge against someone who wronged his clan and family years before—Spencer’s father.

This book is such a quick and enjoyable read!  I was honestly shocked when I went on Amazon and saw that the paperback version of this book is 303 pages because it felt much shorter than that!  I wanted more!

I won't go into the plot too much because the synopsis does a good job of summarizing it.  Instead, I'll just right in with my review!

The negatives:

• Wanted even more development of the romance.  This is not to say that I didn't enjoy the romance in this book, because I actually really loved Shay and Spencer together (see my positives below).  I just wish that Fynn had given us a little bit more time to see the relationship unfold.  I wanted to see Shay actually try to con Spencer for a bit before he fell for her - I felt like he started feeling attached to her a little too quickly (and maybe she fell for him a little too easily as well).  I just would have liked to have seen more of the early development of their relationship.

What I loved:

• The Irish Travelers.  The Long Game could have easily felt like a rehashed plot - we've all seen this on TV or in the movies - the con artist falls in love with his mark.  But, the Irish Traveler angle made this book so much more interesting!  I loved reading about this unique group of people (with their con artist lifestyle, arranged marriages, closeness of their families, etc) - in fact, I was inspired to do a little reading about them on the internet after I read this book.  I'm actually really interested in how the author did her research for this book and how much of it is true to life. Real details about the Travelers seems to be sketchy, but there are definitely reports on them.  It's all very intriguing!
• Shay.  Shay is a really complex character, which I loved about him.  On the one hand, he's ambitious and wants the Traveler lifestyle (and all of its benefits).  He sees an opportunity to improve his life and he's ready to jump at it, even when his brother and mother warn him that he's in over his head.  This could come off as a really negative trait, but instead I found myself sympathizing with Shay and understanding him because of his upbringing.  While he may be ambitious, he's also very loyal to his family (and, eventually, to Spencer) and he's sweet and charming as well.  I could definitely see myself falling for a guy like Shay!
• Shay and Spencer.  While I would have liked to have seen a bit more development at the beginning of Shay and Spencer's romance, the scenes that Fynn did give us between these two were excellent!  I loved their chemistry and the fun in their romance (especially in one scene involving a fountain and the scenes where Shay shared his Irish heritage with Spencer).  These scenes were really enchanting and I only wanted even more of them!!

I thought that The Long Game was a really fantastic read and would definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys contemporary romance, but would love a little twist to the typical romance story.   This book is a quick read that will brighten up your day!  4/5 stars.

***Disclosure: This book was provided to me by the author in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given. All opinions are my own***