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Let the Game Begin
A bingeable dark college romance featuring a chilling cat-and-mouse suspense subplot from Italian bestseller and BookTok sensation Kira Shell.
Love the players. Hate the game.
Selene Anderson reluctantly moves to New York to live with her estranged father and his new family for her first year of college. She's immediately drawn to Neil Miller like a moth to a flame. Neil is the eldest son of her father's new wife; constantly battling a sinister past that gives him no respite. Selene would do anything to break down the walls Neil has built around his heart. But Neil is not ready to open up to anyone, believing himself to be too damaged to be loved.
As Selene and Neil wrestle with conflicting emotions and forbidden fantasies, in the shadows lurks Player 2511—a stalker looking for revenge against Neil. With his riddles, threats and attacks, the ruthless stranger drags Neil into a wicked game that he must play if he wants his family to live—and win if he wants a future with Selene.
Let the Game Begin is the first in the Kiss Me Like You Love Me dark romance series. It features mature themes and explicit content that may not be suitable for all audiences. Reader discretion is advised. Please check the content warning at the beginning of the book.
This work has been translated with the contribution of the Center for Books and Reading of the Italian Ministry of Culture.
Love the players. Hate the game.
Selene Anderson reluctantly moves to New York to live with her estranged father and his new family for her first year of college. She's immediately drawn to Neil Miller like a moth to a flame. Neil is the eldest son of her father's new wife; constantly battling a sinister past that gives him no respite. Selene would do anything to break down the walls Neil has built around his heart. But Neil is not ready to open up to anyone, believing himself to be too damaged to be loved.
As Selene and Neil wrestle with conflicting emotions and forbidden fantasies, in the shadows lurks Player 2511—a stalker looking for revenge against Neil. With his riddles, threats and attacks, the ruthless stranger drags Neil into a wicked game that he must play if he wants his family to live—and win if he wants a future with Selene.
Let the Game Begin is the first in the Kiss Me Like You Love Me dark romance series. It features mature themes and explicit content that may not be suitable for all audiences. Reader discretion is advised. Please check the content warning at the beginning of the book.
This work has been translated with the contribution of the Center for Books and Reading of the Italian Ministry of Culture.
623 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 26, 2025
15 people are currently reading
12 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 21, 2025
Selene moves to New York temporarily to attempt to reconcile with her estranged father. Moving in with his new family, she meets his girlfriend’s kids, a daughter and two sons. The oldest son embodies the darkest energy, and despite his very obvious hookups with a variety of women who are nothing like her, she can’t help but be drawn to him. While she knows she should be guarding her heart, she would do anything to break down the walls he has around his.
Neil suffered the unthinkable as a child, which has left him feeling that he can never love or be loved. Using s*x as a tool to fight his demons, he has always buried himself in meaningless hookups, until her. As much as he knows he should stay away from Selene, he finds himself unexplicably drawn towards her, and no matter how much he tries to push her away, he can’t help himself from chasing neverland with her. When he starts receiving mysterious notes from a stalker, with potentially deadly consequences, he gets dragged into a game he never expected to keep his loved ones alive.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and stayed up all night finishing it because I just couldn’t put it down. Between Neil’s tortured past and Selene’s desire for love, it should have been a recipe for disaster but instead it wrecked me in the best possible way. I think it was clear from the beginning that Selene had abandonment issues given her history with her father, but it seems like she’d been sheltered for most of her life, whether by others or herself putting up walls to avoid being hurt as her father had her. As much as she wants to experience love in its purest forms, she doesn’t want to be treated like something breakable, which is probably why Neil managed to reach her where others couldn’t. On the other hand, we have Neil who’s childhood left such a traumatic imprint, that he believes himself incapable of love, and yet, despite his hurtful actions, he still tries to protect Selene in the only ways he knows how, even if that means trying to protect her from himself.
This book had some really dark elements, including child SA, so please check trigger warnings before reading it. The book also ended on a pretty major cliffhanger, and I for one, will be counting down the days to see what happens in book 2.
Neil suffered the unthinkable as a child, which has left him feeling that he can never love or be loved. Using s*x as a tool to fight his demons, he has always buried himself in meaningless hookups, until her. As much as he knows he should stay away from Selene, he finds himself unexplicably drawn towards her, and no matter how much he tries to push her away, he can’t help himself from chasing neverland with her. When he starts receiving mysterious notes from a stalker, with potentially deadly consequences, he gets dragged into a game he never expected to keep his loved ones alive.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and stayed up all night finishing it because I just couldn’t put it down. Between Neil’s tortured past and Selene’s desire for love, it should have been a recipe for disaster but instead it wrecked me in the best possible way. I think it was clear from the beginning that Selene had abandonment issues given her history with her father, but it seems like she’d been sheltered for most of her life, whether by others or herself putting up walls to avoid being hurt as her father had her. As much as she wants to experience love in its purest forms, she doesn’t want to be treated like something breakable, which is probably why Neil managed to reach her where others couldn’t. On the other hand, we have Neil who’s childhood left such a traumatic imprint, that he believes himself incapable of love, and yet, despite his hurtful actions, he still tries to protect Selene in the only ways he knows how, even if that means trying to protect her from himself.
This book had some really dark elements, including child SA, so please check trigger warnings before reading it. The book also ended on a pretty major cliffhanger, and I for one, will be counting down the days to see what happens in book 2.
November 21, 2025
I was going to DNF this book, but curiosity got the best of my and now I’m waiting for the second book (english version) to be released…
Thank you #NetGalley for providing me the epub of #LettheGameBegin !
Now, if we go to the reasons why I wanted to DNF this book…
1. The book was very VERY long with just as many long chapters. If the chapters were shorter, it wouldn’t have been such a drag, but alas. It gave me the nostalgic Wattpad feeling again.
2. Selene had no backbone. Her dignity was in shambles every time Neil appeared and I really got the impression that she had more self respect than what we were shown (given her reluctance to not forgive her father).
3. Neil is a very complex character, and though I understand where he comes from, it doesn’t mean I excuse his actions. I had a hard time reading this book through his deprived and depressing perspective (and this is coming from someone who loves dark romance), but oh well.
4. Neil spitting philosophical quotes/sayings out of the blue truly made me laugh at how absurd it was having the scenery in mind.
5. The Player blah blah blah plot…boring as hell. And if my guessing is true, then it will be very obvious (though I need to keep reading to see if I know who the player is).
And these are just some of my points. But overall, it was entertaining in a way, and it grabbed my attention. It kept me reading to the end (and like I said, this book was LENGTHYYY, so plus points for not losing me along the way).
Thank you #NetGalley for providing me the epub of #LettheGameBegin !
Now, if we go to the reasons why I wanted to DNF this book…
1. The book was very VERY long with just as many long chapters. If the chapters were shorter, it wouldn’t have been such a drag, but alas. It gave me the nostalgic Wattpad feeling again.
2. Selene had no backbone. Her dignity was in shambles every time Neil appeared and I really got the impression that she had more self respect than what we were shown (given her reluctance to not forgive her father).
3. Neil is a very complex character, and though I understand where he comes from, it doesn’t mean I excuse his actions. I had a hard time reading this book through his deprived and depressing perspective (and this is coming from someone who loves dark romance), but oh well.
4. Neil spitting philosophical quotes/sayings out of the blue truly made me laugh at how absurd it was having the scenery in mind.
5. The Player blah blah blah plot…boring as hell. And if my guessing is true, then it will be very obvious (though I need to keep reading to see if I know who the player is).
And these are just some of my points. But overall, it was entertaining in a way, and it grabbed my attention. It kept me reading to the end (and like I said, this book was LENGTHYYY, so plus points for not losing me along the way).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 4, 2025
An intense dark romance with mystery. I liked the plot. The author expertly unravels the traumatic disorders and psychological effects, Neil, experienced after childhood abuse. It started out great with Neil and Selene having push and pull chemistry and I was very interested, but soon it felt like dragging and very repetitive. I was tired of reading about how beautiful, charismatic, lethal, and irresistible Neil is and how Selene couldn't say no to him, despite the depraved things he did. The mystery element with unknown player and cryptic threats was intriguing, and I was expecting more of it, but the tortured hero and innocent heroine troupe overpowered it. The climax was shocking and unexpected. I am looking forward to reading the next installment now. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews