4,5 estrelas
Mais duas histórias de Nora Roberts, mais duas histórias que me cativaram. E ainda hoje fico abismada com a criatividade da autora em criar novas personagens.
Venham mais livros desta autora!

Johanna Patterson is the producer of a popular daytime trivia game show where rising actor, Sam Weaver, appears as a celebrity panelist. Sparks fly between the two but Johanna has never been interested in dating an actor after having a front row seat to the implosion of her one time Hollywood Power couple parents' marriage. Johanna is reluctant but Sam is charmingly persistent. Johanna and Sam have great chemistry, there is just enough Hollywood grit and glamour to appeal, and if you like stories about couples overcoming emotional barriers then this is one for you! To hear a full discussion of The Name of the Game listen to Season 2, Ep. #9 "Nora Roberts 1988: Local Hero and Name of the Game" of Romancing the Shelf, a Nora Roberts podcast: https://romancingtheshelf.libsyn.com/

The first time I read this, I liked the first story better than the second one. This time, it was the other way around.
Rules of the Game was DNF at the point where the male lead gets pissed at the female lead because the assumption he made about her was wrong.
The male lead of The Name of the Game handles a similar situation much, much better. The problem here is that the story elements are not as well mined as they could have been; that makes it look like there's not enough story material, even though there is. I would rate this two stars.

Double novel with:
Rules of the Game-Brooke Gordon is a television producer who is filming a commercial with Parks Jones, a third baseman and they fall in love.
Name of the Game-Johanna is the daughter of a powerful producer who never paid her any attention so she's understandably wary when Sam Weaver, a noted actor, starts paying attention to her.

5,5/10

I was a little worried after reading some of the reviews on here. But I really liked the first story. The chemistry was there, and they seemed like a good match. (not to mention he's a ball player- unfortunately not an Orioles player but we'll let that slide.) The second story I really didn't like until the end when Nora shipped the guy off to my hometown of Baltimore, Maryland. I'm a sucker when Im reading a book and they mention Baltimore (for something other than murder!!) So bonus points for that.

The girls in both stories annoyed the crap out of me, mostly johanna. There's independence and there's just plain mean. Johanna just kept making excuses for why she couldn't let anyone in, and they got old real quick. She was just as toxic as Sam.


The relationship aspects of Brooke and Parks was much better than the other two. Something about Johanna and Sam just really irked me.

Another quickly read romance about a girl with a lot of past baggage and a guy who is willing to traverse the problems. Johanna is a game show producer who was raised by her highly esteemed father who is a major producer in Hollywood. They have always had a strange relationship. Now there is Sam, an actor, who is trying to romance her.

I quite liked this vintage Nora Roberts story. The plot was steady, the characters well defined, and the romance was sweet with just enough spice to keep things interesting. The story didn't feel as dated as some of Robert's other stories from the same decade.

This is an older Nora Roberts book that I had not read. I really enjoyed it. Of course, some of it is dated but the characters and story are well done. Johanna Patterson produces a daily game show. Sam Weaver is a celebrity guest on the show. He's a Hollywood leading man. He's interested in and pursues Johanna. I loved his persistence and willingness to get past her walls. We learn about Johanna's background and the walls she has raised make sense. But, Johanna is courageous and there is a happily ever after. A fun read.

So to be honest I found this book in my building's laundry room and decided to give Nora Roberts a shot. Both of the novellas were written in the 80s, so the approach was very different than the romance novels I'm used to. I loved the driven, independent heroines in both of these novellas. I loved their houses too (I want to move into the house in Rules of the Game). The heroes were good, but definitely in the alpha-hole spectrum. They were definitely the ones driving the relationship and, while there was implied consent in the heroine's POV, there wasn't any asking for consent. There were also some sex scenes that had me confused (in the grass after fleeing a fire??? beside a duck pond???). And one scene in The Name of the Game really bothered me: the heroine has been blowing off the hero and he finally drives to her house and grabs her by the front of the shirt when he finds her to confront her. Not great. That said, I really enjoyed reading this!