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Possessive Little Game
My secret? My online camboy obsession just joined my college society.
Niko is tattooed, troubled, and hot as fire in videos, but in person his ego is everything I despise.
We clash into violent sparks when I confront him about his private account.
That’s how I strike a dangerous deal with
You’ll be my fake boyfriend for the holidays, and I’ll keep your wicked little secret.
The problem? Niko is unhinged, demanding, white-hot chaos… and I’ve never done anything with another man.
Now I’m letting him touch me.
Film me.
He’s pure liquid fire, and I’m drawn deeper into his flame.
The worst part? Someone from his past keeps trying to hurt me for it.
Attacking me. Trying to destroy us both.
The more Niko is forced to protect me, the more I feel like I actually do belong to him.
Fake becomes far too real, and both of us are bound to pay the price for this twisted game.
Niko is tattooed, troubled, and hot as fire in videos, but in person his ego is everything I despise.
We clash into violent sparks when I confront him about his private account.
That’s how I strike a dangerous deal with
You’ll be my fake boyfriend for the holidays, and I’ll keep your wicked little secret.
The problem? Niko is unhinged, demanding, white-hot chaos… and I’ve never done anything with another man.
Now I’m letting him touch me.
Film me.
He’s pure liquid fire, and I’m drawn deeper into his flame.
The worst part? Someone from his past keeps trying to hurt me for it.
Attacking me. Trying to destroy us both.
The more Niko is forced to protect me, the more I feel like I actually do belong to him.
Fake becomes far too real, and both of us are bound to pay the price for this twisted game.
312 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 18, 2025
116 people are currently reading
276 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 129 reviews
December 11, 2025
“Sometimes it feels like I’ll die if I don’t find someone to touch me,” he says, his voice low. Words start to spill out of him as he confesses, bit by bit. “It’s driving me crazy. I want someone to touch my cock so badly it’s like an endless loop in my mind. I would do anything to finally just feel it all, Niko. I would do anything.”
I'm absolutely feral for a touch starved MC, and virgin Ollie is sooo touch starved and needy I loved it! Sick of being a virgin, Ollie approaches his high school hockey rival Nico, who just so happens to have a career as a camboy. The two don't like each other, but a blackmailed-into-fake-dating-with-benefits scenario suits them both, at least in the short term. But when they both start catching feelings, short term starts to seem like a really terrible idea, especially considering all the passion between them.
“God, I would fuck up my whole life for you,” he murmurs, then leans in to press a kiss to my mouth.
I really like this series from Raleigh Reubins- book 2 was set up so well at the end of book 1 and I was super excited to get my hands on it. I think book 2 is even better than book 1. Ollie is such a sweetheart and I loved his character right from book 1. Even though he's adorable, he's also a bit of a schemer: he gets himself a reputation on campus as a great lover, even though he's never even been kissed. Nico is Ollie's former arch-rival, a camboy and also happens to be the secret half-brother of the 2 MCs from book 1. While I think the whole setup is needlessly complicated, the book is a really fun read and I loved the way Ollie and Nico interacted with each other. They were very cute with tons of steam. My favourite parts were when the two went to Ollie's family home for Christmas: my heart absolutely melted at Nico experiencing the love of a family for the first time 🥰.
He’s the first person I’ve ever fallen in love with. And that makes me shake. It feels tectonic, like nothing will ever be the same again now that I’ve said it.
The setup for book 3 also sounds quite intriguing and I will be back for more! My only real complaint about this series is that I think the blurb makes it sound darker and more intense than it is. There is a subplot but the threatening behaviour is pretty amateurish for the most part so it was kind of forgettable for me. It's a really enjoyable series without trying to be something that it's just not. This is a matter of perspective though and I understand that some readers may find the books darker than I do.
Rating: 4.5
Angst: 3.5/5
Steam: 4/5
I received an advance copy of this book and this is my honest review
December 30, 2025
*sigh* Unfortunately, this did not live up to its promise.
The title, the blurb seemed so interesting, so much so that I read the first book before this to catch up in order to read this, but in fact the first was better, in my opinion.
This was...more on par with my second read with this author, which was just kind of so-so.
Like, I don't know, it made a promising premise with some potentially deliciously darker elements into something so normal and a bit 'blah' to me. Where was the possessiveness? It wasn't there all that much.
Niko is Hunter and Weston's half-brother, and he shows up in this seemingly angry and resentful for them having gotten to know their father.
Instead he barely interacts with them - which, given his standoffishness would make sense, if he eventually warmed up to them. And he does warm up to them eventually, but kind of out of nowhere. He doesn't interact with them like...ever. These are his long lost half brothers and neither his brothers or he care to get to know each other or interact, almost at all.
Oliver we met in the first book, and he was this sweet guy who was a virgin but had Hunter help start rumors about him to seem more playboy than virgin.
He and Niko knew each other from playing hockey against each other in high school and being kind of rivals but not really. There's no hockey in this, so they both gave up on that and they're seemingly "enemies" for like literally 2 seconds because mainly Niko thought Oliver drugged him right before one of their games.
Oliver shuts that down quick - he really didn't do it - and Niko believes it pretty soon into this as well.
Niko has this ex, Callum, who is 12 years his senior and is pretty awful, and he does feel like a legit threat and he turns out to be one, so that was the only element of this that felt well done and helped boost my rating of this. But also Callum gets taken down really easily and so that was a bit disappointing. Just like the first book with a freaking mafia family turning out to not be that big of a threat. Like...??? These are pretty scary, badass people and that's all it takes to bring them down? What?
These two are also supposed to be fake boyfriends, but that element is very barely used. It's so disappointing when a fake relationship trope is promised and barely anything is done with it. Well, when any trope is promised and barely used. Like what was the point? This took place like over a month or two and these two barely do anything "fake" in that time beside some "couple-y" looking photos.
By the time they confirm they're "pretend" boyfriends, they're practically real boyfriends anyway.
We got some good sex at first, but while they have sex somewhat early on in this, this never has them have penetrative sex again? Like what? You think they'd go at it several times more, and we're told it later on when they're *boyfriends* for real, but that's IT. There's like one blowjob scene - a very fast one - after they each fuck each other once and that's about it? They talk about doing sexy things together, but we never see.
Like where's the heat, where's the passion? These two are "in love" by the end, but it's been like less than two months and we didn't really see how they got there. It wasn't well done, getting them to the 'in love' stage, I feel.
This also just took me way too long to finish. I was kind of bummed because I could tell from pretty much the get go that this wasn't grabbing me quite like the first book in this series. It was just kind of "meh" from the beginning. Any "animosity" between these two was really forced and dropped *so* damn fast that it's like...what was the point of having it in the first place?
But that also meant that this slowed down real quick. Like there's no back and forth, there was no tension, nothing. The only slightly interesting plot point, Callum being awful, was mostly in the background until he became a real problem and then he was dealt with really quick.
It was like the author wanted this to seem on the "darker" side but then did everything they could to make it as normal and boring as they could. Taking away the tension, the passion, the stakes? Like...what? And Niko calls himself a "monster" but it's like lol where? He was pretty normal. Gets in some fights, okay? Sure. And he talks a big game but he never actually exhibits all that dark of behavior. It was just all kind of like "meh."
It just didn't work overall.
Oliver and Niko were nice characters, they had chemistry at first, and they were sweet later in the book even if how they got there was kinda murky. So there was nothing too objectionable about this overall, and it was alright, so it gets a solid 3 stars from me, but that's about it.
It could have been a lot better.
I know Seven and Weston will be next, and I might tune in, because I did genuinely enjoy the first book in this series, but...overall after having read four books by this author, I feel I might not vibe with them overall. I'll give Seven and Weston's book a chance and if that's also kind of so-so, I might have to give up on this author. We'll see.
But as for this one, it tried. It had elements of a good book, it just didn't execute them, at all unfortunately.
Ah, well...better luck next time.
***I received a copy of this book from Gay Romance Reviews, and this is my honest review***
My Rating for the Crimson College Series:
⭐️ Dark Little Game: 4 stars (my review)
⭐️ Possessive Little Game: 3 stars
The title, the blurb seemed so interesting, so much so that I read the first book before this to catch up in order to read this, but in fact the first was better, in my opinion.
This was...more on par with my second read with this author, which was just kind of so-so.
Like, I don't know, it made a promising premise with some potentially deliciously darker elements into something so normal and a bit 'blah' to me. Where was the possessiveness? It wasn't there all that much.
Niko is Hunter and Weston's half-brother, and he shows up in this seemingly angry and resentful for them having gotten to know their father.
Instead he barely interacts with them - which, given his standoffishness would make sense, if he eventually warmed up to them. And he does warm up to them eventually, but kind of out of nowhere. He doesn't interact with them like...ever. These are his long lost half brothers and neither his brothers or he care to get to know each other or interact, almost at all.
Oliver we met in the first book, and he was this sweet guy who was a virgin but had Hunter help start rumors about him to seem more playboy than virgin.
He and Niko knew each other from playing hockey against each other in high school and being kind of rivals but not really. There's no hockey in this, so they both gave up on that and they're seemingly "enemies" for like literally 2 seconds because mainly Niko thought Oliver drugged him right before one of their games.
Oliver shuts that down quick - he really didn't do it - and Niko believes it pretty soon into this as well.
Niko has this ex, Callum, who is 12 years his senior and is pretty awful, and he does feel like a legit threat and he turns out to be one, so that was the only element of this that felt well done and helped boost my rating of this. But also Callum gets taken down really easily and so that was a bit disappointing. Just like the first book with a freaking mafia family turning out to not be that big of a threat. Like...??? These are pretty scary, badass people and that's all it takes to bring them down? What?
These two are also supposed to be fake boyfriends, but that element is very barely used. It's so disappointing when a fake relationship trope is promised and barely anything is done with it. Well, when any trope is promised and barely used. Like what was the point? This took place like over a month or two and these two barely do anything "fake" in that time beside some "couple-y" looking photos.
By the time they confirm they're "pretend" boyfriends, they're practically real boyfriends anyway.
We got some good sex at first, but while they have sex somewhat early on in this, this never has them have penetrative sex again? Like what? You think they'd go at it several times more, and we're told it later on when they're *boyfriends* for real, but that's IT. There's like one blowjob scene - a very fast one - after they each fuck each other once and that's about it? They talk about doing sexy things together, but we never see.
Like where's the heat, where's the passion? These two are "in love" by the end, but it's been like less than two months and we didn't really see how they got there. It wasn't well done, getting them to the 'in love' stage, I feel.
This also just took me way too long to finish. I was kind of bummed because I could tell from pretty much the get go that this wasn't grabbing me quite like the first book in this series. It was just kind of "meh" from the beginning. Any "animosity" between these two was really forced and dropped *so* damn fast that it's like...what was the point of having it in the first place?
But that also meant that this slowed down real quick. Like there's no back and forth, there was no tension, nothing. The only slightly interesting plot point, Callum being awful, was mostly in the background until he became a real problem and then he was dealt with really quick.
It was like the author wanted this to seem on the "darker" side but then did everything they could to make it as normal and boring as they could. Taking away the tension, the passion, the stakes? Like...what? And Niko calls himself a "monster" but it's like lol where? He was pretty normal. Gets in some fights, okay? Sure. And he talks a big game but he never actually exhibits all that dark of behavior. It was just all kind of like "meh."
It just didn't work overall.
Oliver and Niko were nice characters, they had chemistry at first, and they were sweet later in the book even if how they got there was kinda murky. So there was nothing too objectionable about this overall, and it was alright, so it gets a solid 3 stars from me, but that's about it.
It could have been a lot better.
I know Seven and Weston will be next, and I might tune in, because I did genuinely enjoy the first book in this series, but...overall after having read four books by this author, I feel I might not vibe with them overall. I'll give Seven and Weston's book a chance and if that's also kind of so-so, I might have to give up on this author. We'll see.
But as for this one, it tried. It had elements of a good book, it just didn't execute them, at all unfortunately.
Ah, well...better luck next time.
***I received a copy of this book from Gay Romance Reviews, and this is my honest review***
My Rating for the Crimson College Series:
⭐️ Dark Little Game: 4 stars (my review)
⭐️ Possessive Little Game: 3 stars
December 5, 2025
What I Loved:
- Their game goes on for almost the whole book! Usually with fake dating it's always become real by the halfway point so this was a fun change.
- Each MC acknowledging to themselves that they have real feelings for the other but they think nothing real can happen because they're silly boys 😍
- The visits with Ollie's family and how wholesome it was
- Niko's friendship with his nutty cousin Sevan!
What I Would Have Liked To See:
- More (read any!!) page time with Niko and his newly found brothers, Hunter and Weston. This is the first time they're getting to know each other but there's barely any interaction throughout the book. It felt like a missed opportunity especially because they live together...
What I Wasn't So Keen On:
- It felt like the insane ex took up more page time than even the relationship between Niko and Ollie. Honestly I would have preferred him to be replaced with Niko getting to know his brothers!
What I'm Looking Forward To:
- I'm anticipating that Weston will be paired up with Sevan in an E2L storyline and I really hope it happens because enemies is one of my top tropes to read!
*****
I received an ARC of this book from The Author Agency, and this is my honest review
- Their game goes on for almost the whole book! Usually with fake dating it's always become real by the halfway point so this was a fun change.
- Each MC acknowledging to themselves that they have real feelings for the other but they think nothing real can happen because they're silly boys 😍
- The visits with Ollie's family and how wholesome it was
- Niko's friendship with his nutty cousin Sevan!
What I Would Have Liked To See:
- More (read any!!) page time with Niko and his newly found brothers, Hunter and Weston. This is the first time they're getting to know each other but there's barely any interaction throughout the book. It felt like a missed opportunity especially because they live together...
What I Wasn't So Keen On:
- It felt like the insane ex took up more page time than even the relationship between Niko and Ollie. Honestly I would have preferred him to be replaced with Niko getting to know his brothers!
What I'm Looking Forward To:
- I'm anticipating that Weston will be paired up with Sevan in an E2L storyline and I really hope it happens because enemies is one of my top tropes to read!
*****
I received an ARC of this book from The Author Agency, and this is my honest review
December 13, 2025
Possessive Little Game is book two in the Crimson College series. This MM college dark romance story is about Oliver and Niko.
We first met Oliver in book one and I definitely enjoyed getting to know him in this story. The shy and inexperienced Oliver has a secret crush on an online camboy that just so happens to move into the Onyx House with him. Niko hasn’t told anybody about this private account, so Oliver makes a deal to keep Niko’s secret if he agrees to be his fake boyfriend for the holidays.
Niko and Oliver had amazing chemistry. They both know their relationship is fake, but soon they start developing feelings for each other. Niko and Oliver don’t admit this though because they both think nothing real can happen with them. And when someone from Niko’s past threatens them and becomes dangerous, Niko and Oliver become protective of each other.
I did enjoy when Oliver took Niko home to visit his family. I also was a fan of Niko’s cousin Sevan. I do have to say I was disappointed we didn’t get scenes with Niko and his newly found half brothers Hunter and Weston. It was actually Weston that helped get Niko into Crimson College, and now they were all living together in the Onyx House, so I thought it was a bit odd that we didn’t see them trying to get to know one another.
Overall, I did enjoy Niko and Oliver’s story and I am looking forward to the next book in this series.
I received an advanced copy of this book, and this is my honest review.
We first met Oliver in book one and I definitely enjoyed getting to know him in this story. The shy and inexperienced Oliver has a secret crush on an online camboy that just so happens to move into the Onyx House with him. Niko hasn’t told anybody about this private account, so Oliver makes a deal to keep Niko’s secret if he agrees to be his fake boyfriend for the holidays.
Niko and Oliver had amazing chemistry. They both know their relationship is fake, but soon they start developing feelings for each other. Niko and Oliver don’t admit this though because they both think nothing real can happen with them. And when someone from Niko’s past threatens them and becomes dangerous, Niko and Oliver become protective of each other.
I did enjoy when Oliver took Niko home to visit his family. I also was a fan of Niko’s cousin Sevan. I do have to say I was disappointed we didn’t get scenes with Niko and his newly found half brothers Hunter and Weston. It was actually Weston that helped get Niko into Crimson College, and now they were all living together in the Onyx House, so I thought it was a bit odd that we didn’t see them trying to get to know one another.
Overall, I did enjoy Niko and Oliver’s story and I am looking forward to the next book in this series.
I received an advanced copy of this book, and this is my honest review.
December 20, 2025
Thank you to The Author Agency & Raleigh Ruebins for the opportunity to read this book early.
Contains: MM, camboy x fan, obsessive & forbidden, rivals to lovers, fake relationship, touch him & die, primal play.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Ahhh Niko and Oliver, absolutely love the fake relationship trope and watching them both catch feelings but being delusional still. Their relationship was cute and loved reading about them coming to terms w that. Overall, this was a quick read.
One issue I had is that the brother story line was completely irrelevant and was hardly ever mentioned. It felt like there was zero purpose for that even being announced at the beginning. Nothing came from that.
Contains: MM, camboy x fan, obsessive & forbidden, rivals to lovers, fake relationship, touch him & die, primal play.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Ahhh Niko and Oliver, absolutely love the fake relationship trope and watching them both catch feelings but being delusional still. Their relationship was cute and loved reading about them coming to terms w that. Overall, this was a quick read.
One issue I had is that the brother story line was completely irrelevant and was hardly ever mentioned. It felt like there was zero purpose for that even being announced at the beginning. Nothing came from that.
December 13, 2025
4 🌟
Niko and Oliver 🖤
I definitely enjoyed this more than book 1! This was completely OTT but in the best way??
I don’t understand why the whole “half brothers” thing was even a plot point. . . They NEVER interacted. It felt like it was completely forgotten about after the first chapter. And it wasn’t even necessary to get Niko to the college? He could have been going there because of the stuff happening with his cousin, Sevan.
Also, the pacing seemed a bit off at times. Things happen so quickly early on, but then it feels like nothing is happening for a while. But I still enjoyed the highly OTT drama for what it was.
Ollie was a little freak just waiting to unleash 😅 that man was down for whatever, whenever, and I really loved him and Niko together. Oliver was definitely different than the quiet, timid wallflower he was portrayed as in book 1.
I loved how down bad Niko was once he realized what those darn, pesky feelings actually were 🤣
I am intrigued with Sevan, and if he’s getting a book with enemies to lovers that was sprinkled in there, I’m definitely going to read that!! I’m also interested to know more about Noah. He seems like he’d be a fun one to get a book about.
.
.
.
.
‼️⚠️ Potential spoilers ⚠️‼️
Dynamic: MM — vers
Sharing? No
Cheating? No
Breakup? No
Sex scene with OM or OW No
‼️⚠️ Content ⚠️‼️
— fake dating
— virgin MMC
— first times
— former hockey rivals
— secret society
— camboy x fan
— tattooed MMC
— hurt / comfort
— “baby”
— “boyfriend”
— sexy videos
I received an ARC of this book, and this is my honest and voluntary review.
Niko and Oliver 🖤
I definitely enjoyed this more than book 1! This was completely OTT but in the best way??
I don’t understand why the whole “half brothers” thing was even a plot point. . . They NEVER interacted. It felt like it was completely forgotten about after the first chapter. And it wasn’t even necessary to get Niko to the college? He could have been going there because of the stuff happening with his cousin, Sevan.
Also, the pacing seemed a bit off at times. Things happen so quickly early on, but then it feels like nothing is happening for a while. But I still enjoyed the highly OTT drama for what it was.
Ollie was a little freak just waiting to unleash 😅 that man was down for whatever, whenever, and I really loved him and Niko together. Oliver was definitely different than the quiet, timid wallflower he was portrayed as in book 1.
I loved how down bad Niko was once he realized what those darn, pesky feelings actually were 🤣
I am intrigued with Sevan, and if he’s getting a book with enemies to lovers that was sprinkled in there, I’m definitely going to read that!! I’m also interested to know more about Noah. He seems like he’d be a fun one to get a book about.
.
.
.
.
‼️⚠️ Potential spoilers ⚠️‼️
Dynamic: MM — vers
Sharing? No
Cheating? No
Breakup? No
Sex scene with OM or OW No
‼️⚠️ Content ⚠️‼️
— fake dating
— virgin MMC
— first times
— former hockey rivals
— secret society
— camboy x fan
— tattooed MMC
— hurt / comfort
— “baby”
— “boyfriend”
— sexy videos
I received an ARC of this book, and this is my honest and voluntary review.
December 21, 2025
Set in an elite private school college , we meet Nico and Ollie.
Nico is at Crimson College to protect his cousin, and get away from a psycho ex boyfriend stalker. He has just met his two half brothers who also attend the college.
Ollie and Nico are former high school hockey rivals and now in the same college frat. These two have history.
They both have secrets. Nico is a cam boy , Ollie is a virgin .
They end up fake dating but real feelings start to develop.
Nico is at Crimson College to protect his cousin, and get away from a psycho ex boyfriend stalker. He has just met his two half brothers who also attend the college.
Ollie and Nico are former high school hockey rivals and now in the same college frat. These two have history.
They both have secrets. Nico is a cam boy , Ollie is a virgin .
They end up fake dating but real feelings start to develop.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 8, 2025
What a thrilling read this was y'all 🤗
We're back at the Crimson College with this book, and Niko and Oliver are our protagonists. Niko is camming in his freetime, because he likes to do it, and Oliver likes to watch him on his plattform. Oh, and although Niko tries to hide his identity, Oliver knows exactly who he is, since they are old rivals 😏
Ngl, there was a certain someone in this story whom I hated so much, argh. But every story needs a villain, right? And he definitely was that, and not the kind you want to underestimate 🤨
The love story of these two may start a little bit different than most ones do, but that really hooked me to their story more.
Also, the writing was excellent and just makes you want more content of this world ✨️
We're back at the Crimson College with this book, and Niko and Oliver are our protagonists. Niko is camming in his freetime, because he likes to do it, and Oliver likes to watch him on his plattform. Oh, and although Niko tries to hide his identity, Oliver knows exactly who he is, since they are old rivals 😏
Ngl, there was a certain someone in this story whom I hated so much, argh. But every story needs a villain, right? And he definitely was that, and not the kind you want to underestimate 🤨
The love story of these two may start a little bit different than most ones do, but that really hooked me to their story more.
Also, the writing was excellent and just makes you want more content of this world ✨️
December 26, 2025
Tropes: hurt/comfort, fake dating, former hockey rivals to lovers
Feels: 2/5
Steam*: 2/5
Kinks: breath play, rough sex, primal play, domination, toys
Angst: medium
HEA: HEA
Pairing: MM
Triggers/potential icks/content warnings/representation: violence, main character being drugged with ecstasy by minor character, past abuse and self-harm, stalking, parental neglect and abuse, past death of a family member, camboy mmc
Cheating between MCs: No
Any cheating: No
Other person drama: Oliver is a virgin. Niko's ex is mentioned a ton, because he's stalking Niko and making threats. Once they start hooking up, neither is interested in anyone else.
3.25 stars (the constant snippets of the camboy website interactions at the start of every chapter wrecked my enjoyment. At first it was fine, but it just over time killed the book)
Niko and Oliver are about 20 years old. They knew each other in high school, they were on rival hockey teams. Oliver wanted to be friendly with Niko, but Niko was angry and suspicious and thought Oliver was up to s***. Niko grew up without a dad, because his father was married and cheated on his spouse, and now he's back in Oliver's orbit because his dad died and he met his half brothers who are friends with Oliver, and he's joined the Frat / secret society that the brothers are part of.
Oliver used to be an ugly duckling but he's had a glow up. Because of his ugly duckling stage and his lack of confidence, he hasn't had sex, and he's chomping at the bit to lose his virginity and get a jump start on dating.
Oliver blackmails Niko into fake dating him, revealing that he knows that Niko secretly moonlights as a cam boy. And eventually it turns into them hooking up.
This book was okay. The secret society thing is completely irrelevant to the plot, it's just something in the background, it's barely worth mentioning in the blurb given how irrelevant it was. I thought the history between the two of them was nice, they were both really into each other, and I liked a couple of the moments where Niko really liked Oliver for who he was. He was impressed by who Oliver was as a person and he yearned for that type of person to be in his life. And I liked that Oliver gave Niko a chance at having a family, like he never had before.
There was one thing about this book that started off as a mild annoyance, and then made me so angry as it continued, and it just shat on the book... The chapters start off with snippets of Oliver or Niko checking their messages, or interacting on the camboy website. And at first that was fine, but as it continued it became unnecessary/wasteful and pulled you out of the intensity of the story by making you try to align the camboy website timeline with the events of the book, and it was trite. I didn't like that the secret identity was continuing well past 80%. I feel like they should have talked more, and that there shouldn't be this secret interaction at this point. I was so angry I wanted to throw the book when it was about 80% in, they both nearly died, Niko's in the hospital, and Niko was checking his messages on the camming site in the hospital. Fucking ridiculous for Niko to be thinking about that in that moment. Is he that addicted and vain?! Does he not care about what's going on in his real life?! Put down the f****** phone and don't worry about people on the internet when you just got shot and your man got strangled nearly to death. The author needed to read the room and know that this was not the moment to throw in a camboy website reference just for the sake of starting every chapter that way, it shat on the emotional moment.
Some notable moments:
"“Anybody else might make a big deal of my virginity, but you would just… claim it. Without a second thought.” Of course I fucking wanted it. Wanted it more than anything else I could ever possess."
I like this moment of Niko seeing who Oliver is as a person and wanting that. "When I look at Oliver now, I can see it so clearly. He’d be an incredible professor. He’s patient. Smart. Sensitive to the needs of people around him. He’d also make the hottest goddamn professor on Earth, and I can picture students in the class endlessly forming crushes on him while he’d cluelessly just think they were that interested in the subject matter. You want to be a professor. A fuller, richer picture of who Oliver Ashford really is begins to form in my mind. The nurturing family. The ambitions. The backbone of love and fresh-baked apple desserts and sibling banter that have made Ollie who he is, but feel so foreign to me."
*FYI about steam: I rate steam based on a combination of quality & quantity. I note kink separate from steam because I don't want to underrate steamy reads that don't have much kink.
**Note about spoilers: I like to comment on the plot of a book in reviews, so I almost always mark my reviews as containing spoilers. But I try to avoid spoiling the big dramatic moments! As a reader, I personally like to know what I'm getting into before I read a book so I know more about the content and if it's to my taste/mood, so I try to give that information in my reviews for myself when I'm considering rereading and also for other readers.
Feels: 2/5
Steam*: 2/5
Kinks: breath play, rough sex, primal play, domination, toys
Angst: medium
HEA: HEA
Pairing: MM
Triggers/potential icks/content warnings/representation: violence, main character being drugged with ecstasy by minor character, past abuse and self-harm, stalking, parental neglect and abuse, past death of a family member, camboy mmc
Cheating between MCs: No
Any cheating: No
Other person drama: Oliver is a virgin. Niko's ex is mentioned a ton, because he's stalking Niko and making threats. Once they start hooking up, neither is interested in anyone else.
3.25 stars (the constant snippets of the camboy website interactions at the start of every chapter wrecked my enjoyment. At first it was fine, but it just over time killed the book)
Niko and Oliver are about 20 years old. They knew each other in high school, they were on rival hockey teams. Oliver wanted to be friendly with Niko, but Niko was angry and suspicious and thought Oliver was up to s***. Niko grew up without a dad, because his father was married and cheated on his spouse, and now he's back in Oliver's orbit because his dad died and he met his half brothers who are friends with Oliver, and he's joined the Frat / secret society that the brothers are part of.
Oliver used to be an ugly duckling but he's had a glow up. Because of his ugly duckling stage and his lack of confidence, he hasn't had sex, and he's chomping at the bit to lose his virginity and get a jump start on dating.
Oliver blackmails Niko into fake dating him, revealing that he knows that Niko secretly moonlights as a cam boy. And eventually it turns into them hooking up.
This book was okay. The secret society thing is completely irrelevant to the plot, it's just something in the background, it's barely worth mentioning in the blurb given how irrelevant it was. I thought the history between the two of them was nice, they were both really into each other, and I liked a couple of the moments where Niko really liked Oliver for who he was. He was impressed by who Oliver was as a person and he yearned for that type of person to be in his life. And I liked that Oliver gave Niko a chance at having a family, like he never had before.
There was one thing about this book that started off as a mild annoyance, and then made me so angry as it continued, and it just shat on the book... The chapters start off with snippets of Oliver or Niko checking their messages, or interacting on the camboy website. And at first that was fine, but as it continued it became unnecessary/wasteful and pulled you out of the intensity of the story by making you try to align the camboy website timeline with the events of the book, and it was trite. I didn't like that the secret identity was continuing well past 80%. I feel like they should have talked more, and that there shouldn't be this secret interaction at this point. I was so angry I wanted to throw the book when it was about 80% in, they both nearly died, Niko's in the hospital, and Niko was checking his messages on the camming site in the hospital. Fucking ridiculous for Niko to be thinking about that in that moment. Is he that addicted and vain?! Does he not care about what's going on in his real life?! Put down the f****** phone and don't worry about people on the internet when you just got shot and your man got strangled nearly to death. The author needed to read the room and know that this was not the moment to throw in a camboy website reference just for the sake of starting every chapter that way, it shat on the emotional moment.
Some notable moments:
"“Anybody else might make a big deal of my virginity, but you would just… claim it. Without a second thought.” Of course I fucking wanted it. Wanted it more than anything else I could ever possess."
I like this moment of Niko seeing who Oliver is as a person and wanting that. "When I look at Oliver now, I can see it so clearly. He’d be an incredible professor. He’s patient. Smart. Sensitive to the needs of people around him. He’d also make the hottest goddamn professor on Earth, and I can picture students in the class endlessly forming crushes on him while he’d cluelessly just think they were that interested in the subject matter. You want to be a professor. A fuller, richer picture of who Oliver Ashford really is begins to form in my mind. The nurturing family. The ambitions. The backbone of love and fresh-baked apple desserts and sibling banter that have made Ollie who he is, but feel so foreign to me."
*FYI about steam: I rate steam based on a combination of quality & quantity. I note kink separate from steam because I don't want to underrate steamy reads that don't have much kink.
**Note about spoilers: I like to comment on the plot of a book in reviews, so I almost always mark my reviews as containing spoilers. But I try to avoid spoiling the big dramatic moments! As a reader, I personally like to know what I'm getting into before I read a book so I know more about the content and if it's to my taste/mood, so I try to give that information in my reviews for myself when I'm considering rereading and also for other readers.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 19, 2025
Niko has a side job, for fun, he is a camboy, not showing his face on camera, just his other parts.
He needs something fun in his life, he comes from a dark place, trying to start over again in a new place, Crimson College,
Oliver is also at Crimson College, he lives in the same frat house as Niko.
Niko knows Oliver from way back. After what Oliver did to him, Niko wants to ruin Oliver.
Oliver needs a fake boyfriend for the coming winter formal and New Year’s parties.
He has friends, but he’s lonely, everyone thinks he’s a fuckboy, but he’s far from..
Oliver knows about Niko's secret account. He forces (read: blackmailed) Niko to be his fake boyfriend or else he’ll tell everyone about Niko’s secret private account.
It looks like Oliver has the upperhand, but he is so not!
Niko drives him crazy… with desire. Oliver never had a guy before, and he’s desperately in need to hand over his V card.
The one from Niko’s dark past wants to hurt him, and the people he cares about.
Yes, they are fake boyfriends with a lot of sex, but deep down he cares about Oliver.
They hate each other, or more, they act as they do, but deep down there are feelings they can’t deny, but won’t ever be real.
Ollie is endearingly honest and open about his insecurities. It wrecked Niko.
It’s getting harder to tell fake from real. Endearments slip out, and they can’t take it back.
Niko can’t get close to anyone. He can’t trust anyone. He’s in danger
Well, this story certainly has a dark side, and it’s getting grimmer as it goes on.
It’s raw and unhinged at times. Niko and Oliver are both possessive of the other, it was fun to watch them. The sexual encounters are hot af. There are even sweet moments to enjoy.
Overall, it’s an enjoyable story. Keep in mind there are some content warnings.
Read and reviewed for LoveBytes - LGBTQ bookreviews
He needs something fun in his life, he comes from a dark place, trying to start over again in a new place, Crimson College,
Oliver is also at Crimson College, he lives in the same frat house as Niko.
Niko knows Oliver from way back. After what Oliver did to him, Niko wants to ruin Oliver.
Oliver needs a fake boyfriend for the coming winter formal and New Year’s parties.
He has friends, but he’s lonely, everyone thinks he’s a fuckboy, but he’s far from..
Oliver knows about Niko's secret account. He forces (read: blackmailed) Niko to be his fake boyfriend or else he’ll tell everyone about Niko’s secret private account.
It looks like Oliver has the upperhand, but he is so not!
Niko drives him crazy… with desire. Oliver never had a guy before, and he’s desperately in need to hand over his V card.
The one from Niko’s dark past wants to hurt him, and the people he cares about.
Yes, they are fake boyfriends with a lot of sex, but deep down he cares about Oliver.
They hate each other, or more, they act as they do, but deep down there are feelings they can’t deny, but won’t ever be real.
Ollie is endearingly honest and open about his insecurities. It wrecked Niko.
It’s getting harder to tell fake from real. Endearments slip out, and they can’t take it back.
Niko can’t get close to anyone. He can’t trust anyone. He’s in danger
Well, this story certainly has a dark side, and it’s getting grimmer as it goes on.
It’s raw and unhinged at times. Niko and Oliver are both possessive of the other, it was fun to watch them. The sexual encounters are hot af. There are even sweet moments to enjoy.
Overall, it’s an enjoyable story. Keep in mind there are some content warnings.
Read and reviewed for LoveBytes - LGBTQ bookreviews
December 6, 2025
This series is such a good time! It’s fast paced and very entertaining. I binged both books in one day. I loved Ryane and Hunter (book 1) but I really loved Ollie and Niko. Ollie was so sweet and shy but I loved his confidence when he got a little liquid courage or when he was up against Niko. Niko was also sweet but slightly wounded from his past. Years of not being loved and accepted for who you are will do that. His relationship with Callum was heartbreaking. To trust someone and find out they aren’t anything they pretended to be on top of being dangerous as well is scary and not something he or anyone deserves. I enjoyed Ollie and Niko’s dynamic and the shift in their relationship was fun to see. Both men were over thinkers at times but mostly because both were so caring and protective of one another and just wanted what was best. The side characters were fun, I really liked Noah! I’m excited for book 3.
💛ARC REVIEW🖤
☑️ Trigger Warnings
💛ARC REVIEW🖤
☑️ Trigger Warnings
January 23, 2026
4.6 stars
January 30, 2026
Loved the possessiveness and how down bad they were for each other!
Give me the next book now😩 Weston and Sevan-did I spell that right?..anyways- better be the couple! I was feeling the chemistry
Give me the next book now😩 Weston and Sevan-did I spell that right?..anyways- better be the couple! I was feeling the chemistry
December 9, 2025
Possessive Little Game
Crimson College, Book 2
Raleigh Reubins
Oliver & Niko
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶🌶
Touch starved
V!rgin
Fake dating
College
Stalker ex
“I'd burn the world down for you “
So this started off where Book 1 ended. I think you could read this without Book 1, but Book 1 is so good, you should absolutely read it.
Oliver is so touch starved, needy and a v!rg1n. Ugh so hot. He was so desperate to be touched, it was killing him.
Niko showing up at Crimson was his perfect opportunity to rope him into a fake dating situation.
Oliver knew Niko's secret and used it to his advantage.
“You should have told me you were as crazy as me, Ollie.”
These two were so hot and needy for each other, Niko’s protectiveness over Oliver was everything.
“Is it possible to want something so much, for so long, that you disintegrate the moment there’s a possibility it might happen?”
We have some drama going on that keeps the plot going fast-paced.
I really enjoyed these two fighting their feelings for each other. They so badly didn’t want to love each other, both thinking they were not good enough or deserved it.
“You’re mine,” I whisper near his ear. “I think you always have been, Oliver.” “Then use me like I’m yours.”
This was not as dark as it appears to be. It had some dramatic elements, but Niko and Oliver were sweet and cute together, and super hot.
Great book
Looking forward to the next one for sure.
So thankful for this arc
Review of advance copy
At first glance, Ollie seems to have it all: he’s popular, good-looking, and smart. But beneath that polished exterior, he’s weighed down by shame — he’s a virgin in a world that believes he’s anything but. The manwhore reputation he’s known for is a rumour he started himself, and one he struggles to keep alive.
Niko, on the other hand, is running from his past. His attempt to rebuild a relationship with his brothers leads him to Crimson, where he reunites with his former rival, Oliver. What begins as a mutually beneficial deal quickly becomes more complicated. Ollie claims he just needs a fake boyfriend — supposedly anyone will do — to make his life easier, but it’s clear early on that his feelings for Niko run much deeper than he’s willing to admit.
Do I wish they’d communicated more? Of course. But the emotional payoff makes the journey worthwhile, and watching them finally get there feels earned.
This was my first book from this author, and I’m already looking forward to what they write next.
Niko, on the other hand, is running from his past. His attempt to rebuild a relationship with his brothers leads him to Crimson, where he reunites with his former rival, Oliver. What begins as a mutually beneficial deal quickly becomes more complicated. Ollie claims he just needs a fake boyfriend — supposedly anyone will do — to make his life easier, but it’s clear early on that his feelings for Niko run much deeper than he’s willing to admit.
Do I wish they’d communicated more? Of course. But the emotional payoff makes the journey worthwhile, and watching them finally get there feels earned.
This was my first book from this author, and I’m already looking forward to what they write next.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from Author
POSSESSİVE LİTTLE GAME | RALEIGH RUEBINS
ARC REVİEW💫📖 5/5
What starts as a fake relationship quickly turns into a clear game over moment.🤭
The looks linger a little too long, the touches are way too intimate, and boundaries? Yeah…✌🏼 they packed their bags and left early on. Watching them completely lose control of their emotions under the excuse of fake dating was pure chaos — and I loved every second of it.🫠
As for the smut and dirty talk…🤤
The writing is incredibly smooth simple, and easy to read but the content is anything but innocent.
One of my favorite tropes, fake dating,🔥 was handled so intensely that it wasn’t just the pages turning… the whole place was on fire.
Seriously, someone call the fire department because this book is burning itself 🔥🥵
The chemistry between the characters was phenomenal.
Every look, every line of dialogue was perfectly placed.🤌🏼
And each page flowed faster than the last — I couldn’t put it down.
This was a truly addictive read. 📖🖤
@raleighruebins
ARC REVİEW💫📖 5/5
What starts as a fake relationship quickly turns into a clear game over moment.🤭
The looks linger a little too long, the touches are way too intimate, and boundaries? Yeah…✌🏼 they packed their bags and left early on. Watching them completely lose control of their emotions under the excuse of fake dating was pure chaos — and I loved every second of it.🫠
As for the smut and dirty talk…🤤
The writing is incredibly smooth simple, and easy to read but the content is anything but innocent.
One of my favorite tropes, fake dating,🔥 was handled so intensely that it wasn’t just the pages turning… the whole place was on fire.
Seriously, someone call the fire department because this book is burning itself 🔥🥵
The chemistry between the characters was phenomenal.
Every look, every line of dialogue was perfectly placed.🤌🏼
And each page flowed faster than the last — I couldn’t put it down.
This was a truly addictive read. 📖🖤
@raleighruebins
December 20, 2025
Possessive Little Game by Raleigh Ruebins is book 2 in the Crimson College series. Ollie and Nico are former hockey rivals and they have disliked each other from the beginning. Well, at least Nico has. This book was fine though I did not like it as much as book 1. I found things were a little implausible and I felt like Ollie was in more than Nico. There were some plot holes that needed to be dealt with a little more (Nico and his half-brothers–did they even interact after the beginning?). I am looking forward to Weston and Sevan. There seems to be something there.
I received an ARC from GRR for my honest review.
I received an ARC from GRR for my honest review.
December 12, 2025
The tension between Niko and Ollie — and the way their anger slowly shifted into something deeper — was written so well.
Their feelings that they have for each grew into more it felt natural, especially Niko’s struggle to let himself feel anything at all.
The even the side characters were fantastic and supportive… except for that one !!
Wonderful banter , Fake Relationship , Rivals to Lovers.
Their feelings that they have for each grew into more it felt natural, especially Niko’s struggle to let himself feel anything at all.
The even the side characters were fantastic and supportive… except for that one !!
Wonderful banter , Fake Relationship , Rivals to Lovers.
January 31, 2026
5 ⭐️
“But I love him like it’s a sickness. Like no matter how hard I tried to stave it off, it hit me, slowly at first and then like a speeding train.”
“‘I can’t love you this much,’ he says, clutching me like I’m something to him. ‘I’ll be here. Loving you, until you feel like you can.’”
“But I love him like it’s a sickness. Like no matter how hard I tried to stave it off, it hit me, slowly at first and then like a speeding train.”
“‘I can’t love you this much,’ he says, clutching me like I’m something to him. ‘I’ll be here. Loving you, until you feel like you can.’”
December 17, 2025
Wow this book was really good. Loved the secrets and the little “almost died” at the end. I’m glad that Oliver started the whole fake boyfriend’s thing with Niko cause that man needed someone to love him. This was my first book by this author and i definitely would recommend it.
December 21, 2025
Really fun and easy read
Review of advance copy
ARC Review
*mild spoilers ahead*
⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
This book is the second in an ongoing series, and honestly, I enjoyed it way more than book one. Is it perfect? Nope. Does it suffer from a lot of the same shortcomings as its predecessor? Yeah. But in this case, I really feel like the good outweighs the bad.
The story centers around Oliver, one of the newest members of the secret society/fraternity that gives the series its name, and Niko, the illegitimate brother that book one’s main character, Hunter, and the readers discovered at the end of that one. Niko shows up at CU running from a dangerous ex, but he’s not exactly eager to bond with his brothers or frat mates. Oh, and he’s secretly a camboy, so there’s that.
This is actually how Oliver knows him, he’s (also secretly) Niko’s camboy persona’s biggest fan. Oliver is also a virgin, desperate to finally lose his V-card. So he makes Niko an offer: be his fake boyfriend so people think they’re together, and in exchange, Oliver will keep Niko’s night job a secret. That’s when things get messy.
Honestly, I never totally understood the whole fake boyfriend arrangement / threat, whatever it was supposed to be. Why did Oliver even need to pretend? He already had a (fake, also from a deal with Hunter in book one) player/fuckboy reputation. I would’ve gotten it if he’d just asked Niko directly for a physical relationship to lose his virginity, which actually happens anyway, minus all the unnecessary complications.
Plus, there was no way for Oliver to prove Niko was the camboy since he always wore a mask. Then there’s the ex-boyfriend, who threatens everyone but Niko, gives him r*pe drugs,but end up sending him to Oliver…Add to that the fact that both main characters used to be hockey players… There are just so many plotlines packed into a 300-page book that nothing really gets developed well.
And that’s exactly what the first book struggled with, and what frustrates me about this author. She has a ton of amazing ideas, but the execution always falls short because she tries to cram too much in.
There are so many unnecessary details that the story ends up missing out in other areas. I would have loved to see more development of the sibling relationship between Niko, Weston, and Hunter, but we never see them together or talking. Instead, we get a lot about Sev, a cousin who I’m guessing will be Weston’s love interest in book three.
That said, I connected more with the love story this time. I can see the chemistry between Niko and Oliver, their relationship development makes sense, and they eventually make a great couple. They’re super hot together, and honestly, that’s one of the book’s strongest points, the author is great at writing spicy scenes.
I just wish she was as good at rounding out the general story. Like I said, I enjoyed this book a lot more than the first one, and my critiques are mostly because these stories could be so much better with just a few tweaks.
I’m hopeful for book three, if things keep progressing, it should be even better than this one. Let’s see how Wes and Sev turn out.
----------------
I recieve an ARC copy from GRR and this is my honest review
*mild spoilers ahead*
⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
This book is the second in an ongoing series, and honestly, I enjoyed it way more than book one. Is it perfect? Nope. Does it suffer from a lot of the same shortcomings as its predecessor? Yeah. But in this case, I really feel like the good outweighs the bad.
The story centers around Oliver, one of the newest members of the secret society/fraternity that gives the series its name, and Niko, the illegitimate brother that book one’s main character, Hunter, and the readers discovered at the end of that one. Niko shows up at CU running from a dangerous ex, but he’s not exactly eager to bond with his brothers or frat mates. Oh, and he’s secretly a camboy, so there’s that.
This is actually how Oliver knows him, he’s (also secretly) Niko’s camboy persona’s biggest fan. Oliver is also a virgin, desperate to finally lose his V-card. So he makes Niko an offer: be his fake boyfriend so people think they’re together, and in exchange, Oliver will keep Niko’s night job a secret. That’s when things get messy.
Honestly, I never totally understood the whole fake boyfriend arrangement / threat, whatever it was supposed to be. Why did Oliver even need to pretend? He already had a (fake, also from a deal with Hunter in book one) player/fuckboy reputation. I would’ve gotten it if he’d just asked Niko directly for a physical relationship to lose his virginity, which actually happens anyway, minus all the unnecessary complications.
Plus, there was no way for Oliver to prove Niko was the camboy since he always wore a mask. Then there’s the ex-boyfriend, who threatens everyone but Niko, gives him r*pe drugs,but end up sending him to Oliver…Add to that the fact that both main characters used to be hockey players… There are just so many plotlines packed into a 300-page book that nothing really gets developed well.
And that’s exactly what the first book struggled with, and what frustrates me about this author. She has a ton of amazing ideas, but the execution always falls short because she tries to cram too much in.
There are so many unnecessary details that the story ends up missing out in other areas. I would have loved to see more development of the sibling relationship between Niko, Weston, and Hunter, but we never see them together or talking. Instead, we get a lot about Sev, a cousin who I’m guessing will be Weston’s love interest in book three.
That said, I connected more with the love story this time. I can see the chemistry between Niko and Oliver, their relationship development makes sense, and they eventually make a great couple. They’re super hot together, and honestly, that’s one of the book’s strongest points, the author is great at writing spicy scenes.
I just wish she was as good at rounding out the general story. Like I said, I enjoyed this book a lot more than the first one, and my critiques are mostly because these stories could be so much better with just a few tweaks.
I’m hopeful for book three, if things keep progressing, it should be even better than this one. Let’s see how Wes and Sev turn out.
----------------
I recieve an ARC copy from GRR and this is my honest review
December 30, 2025
3.5-3.75✨️ - somewhere around here.
Look, the premise of the book is not something new, we've seen this before, we will see it again, what's important is how it's written.
This is my first book by the author and I don't know what their writing style is in general or didn't know what to expect. I don't know if the writing style in this book was intentional or this is the way the author writes in general but it felt young, very GenZ. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it made the book feel... idk, I legit don't know how to explain. I feel like it was accurate for 20yo to act/talk like that, if it makes sense. This is why I said idk if this was intentional or not because if it was intentional then it was spot on and accurate.
Oliver and Niko are 20, they act like they're 20, they sound like they're 20 and I appreciate that. Sometimes authors decide to write college romances and make the characters that are barely adults act like some mafiosos in their 40s... I liked the how age appropriate this was.
This book is NOT dark academia and idk why it has this in the trope list. Don't expect that, you won't get it. We have some rich kids in college that are part of some sort of secret society that is not so secret and more like a frat house for posh kids. We also don't see much of this so... there's that.
The things that I liked about this book is, aside from the age appropriateness, is the characters, and the plot was nice.
Oliver and Niko met each other year prior and they have been hockey rivals. Their story starts with them as rivals who become somehow fake boyfriends... idk who they were lying to cuz from the first moment they felt more like real boyfriends than fake ones but ok. The tension and chemistry was there and tbh I don't mind that the sex scenes were few and far in between. It gave us time to focus on them and their feelings more so... if you expect a lot of spice, don't... you won't get much.
I liked how their connection was formed overtime, how protective they were of each other, but... possessive? I didn't feel it that much, maybe because we had the crazy ex that took the spotlight on this one, maybe? The ex imho had too much page time, but at the same time not enough and when it finally was out of the picture it felt anticlimactic somehow... maybe this was just me.
Something that I didn't particularly liked, or that it is a shame wasn't explored more was the relationship between Niko and his new found half brothers. I would've loved more interactions between them. I would've loved them to be involved in catching the ex and helping the guys with that one, Sev too... it would've tied the story and them together more.
Overall I liked the book. It was entertaining, Niko and Oliver are very nice and cute characters, and the friend groups seemed nice too ( too bad we didn't see much of them ). I think if this book had 50 more pages and the author would've expend more on some scenes here and there it would've been a 5✨️.
As I said, overall I liked the book, I do not regret reading it, and for sure I will go back and read book one and three - when it'll be out - because I had fun.
Look, the premise of the book is not something new, we've seen this before, we will see it again, what's important is how it's written.
This is my first book by the author and I don't know what their writing style is in general or didn't know what to expect. I don't know if the writing style in this book was intentional or this is the way the author writes in general but it felt young, very GenZ. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it made the book feel... idk, I legit don't know how to explain. I feel like it was accurate for 20yo to act/talk like that, if it makes sense. This is why I said idk if this was intentional or not because if it was intentional then it was spot on and accurate.
Oliver and Niko are 20, they act like they're 20, they sound like they're 20 and I appreciate that. Sometimes authors decide to write college romances and make the characters that are barely adults act like some mafiosos in their 40s... I liked the how age appropriate this was.
This book is NOT dark academia and idk why it has this in the trope list. Don't expect that, you won't get it. We have some rich kids in college that are part of some sort of secret society that is not so secret and more like a frat house for posh kids. We also don't see much of this so... there's that.
The things that I liked about this book is, aside from the age appropriateness, is the characters, and the plot was nice.
Oliver and Niko met each other year prior and they have been hockey rivals. Their story starts with them as rivals who become somehow fake boyfriends... idk who they were lying to cuz from the first moment they felt more like real boyfriends than fake ones but ok. The tension and chemistry was there and tbh I don't mind that the sex scenes were few and far in between. It gave us time to focus on them and their feelings more so... if you expect a lot of spice, don't... you won't get much.
I liked how their connection was formed overtime, how protective they were of each other, but... possessive? I didn't feel it that much, maybe because we had the crazy ex that took the spotlight on this one, maybe? The ex imho had too much page time, but at the same time not enough and when it finally was out of the picture it felt anticlimactic somehow... maybe this was just me.
Something that I didn't particularly liked, or that it is a shame wasn't explored more was the relationship between Niko and his new found half brothers. I would've loved more interactions between them. I would've loved them to be involved in catching the ex and helping the guys with that one, Sev too... it would've tied the story and them together more.
Overall I liked the book. It was entertaining, Niko and Oliver are very nice and cute characters, and the friend groups seemed nice too ( too bad we didn't see much of them ). I think if this book had 50 more pages and the author would've expend more on some scenes here and there it would've been a 5✨️.
As I said, overall I liked the book, I do not regret reading it, and for sure I will go back and read book one and three - when it'll be out - because I had fun.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 30, 2025
4.5 stars rounded to 5
Nico and Oliver were high school hockey rivals, and Nico has blamed Oliver for drugging him before their last game last year, since then considering him an enemy. When Nico arrives at Onyx House, the ‘society’ frat he has joined (courtesy of his half-brothers) to escape from his ex, Oliver is one of the first ones he sees there, and it doesn’t go well. After an altercation, the two meet and basically blackmail each other so that Nico will act as Oliver’s fake boyfriend until after the New Year’s Dance or Oliver will reveal Nico’s camboy status; and Nico will comply after he makes a video of Oliver in a compromising situation, something to hold over his head. Yes, it is complicated, but as the two navigate the fake boyfriend relationship and learn more about each other, feelings start to happen, ones which aren’t necessarily embraced by either party but exist just the same. Through threats by Nico’s ex against his cousin, and then Oliver, the complications just increase. Watching the two young men as they try to act the boyfriend part while keeping their own feelings intact is interesting and spicy at the same time. Nico comes across as very confident and in control, but Oliver does things to him, getting over the walls he has built from his childhood and the time with his ex, while Oliver is drawn to Nico but isn’t sure he can trust what he feels and Nico says.
There are lots of spicy times, much video-ing, a mysterious event that happened with the ex and increasing danger from the him, and an unexpected love and found family for Nico when the two finally figure out what they are to each other. Interesting characters, thoughts and narration told in alternating POVs from Nico and Oliver through comments with Nico’s camboy account and through texts, along with side characters from book one, but I would think there is the possibility of another book or two from members of this group. The story held my attention and kept me engaged throughout, waiting for what the ex would try next, and to find out what new explorations Nico had in store for Oliver. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it for a complicated but interesting read. I plan to pick up book one to read Hunter’s story, and I would expect one for Weston to come soon, so will watch for that.
I received an advance copy of the book for free and this is my voluntary review.
Nico and Oliver were high school hockey rivals, and Nico has blamed Oliver for drugging him before their last game last year, since then considering him an enemy. When Nico arrives at Onyx House, the ‘society’ frat he has joined (courtesy of his half-brothers) to escape from his ex, Oliver is one of the first ones he sees there, and it doesn’t go well. After an altercation, the two meet and basically blackmail each other so that Nico will act as Oliver’s fake boyfriend until after the New Year’s Dance or Oliver will reveal Nico’s camboy status; and Nico will comply after he makes a video of Oliver in a compromising situation, something to hold over his head. Yes, it is complicated, but as the two navigate the fake boyfriend relationship and learn more about each other, feelings start to happen, ones which aren’t necessarily embraced by either party but exist just the same. Through threats by Nico’s ex against his cousin, and then Oliver, the complications just increase. Watching the two young men as they try to act the boyfriend part while keeping their own feelings intact is interesting and spicy at the same time. Nico comes across as very confident and in control, but Oliver does things to him, getting over the walls he has built from his childhood and the time with his ex, while Oliver is drawn to Nico but isn’t sure he can trust what he feels and Nico says.
There are lots of spicy times, much video-ing, a mysterious event that happened with the ex and increasing danger from the him, and an unexpected love and found family for Nico when the two finally figure out what they are to each other. Interesting characters, thoughts and narration told in alternating POVs from Nico and Oliver through comments with Nico’s camboy account and through texts, along with side characters from book one, but I would think there is the possibility of another book or two from members of this group. The story held my attention and kept me engaged throughout, waiting for what the ex would try next, and to find out what new explorations Nico had in store for Oliver. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it for a complicated but interesting read. I plan to pick up book one to read Hunter’s story, and I would expect one for Weston to come soon, so will watch for that.
I received an advance copy of the book for free and this is my voluntary review.
December 18, 2025
I’ve been looking forward to Oliver’s story after getting pretty attached to him in the first book. Fake dating, a webcammer and rivals to lovers – safe to say, I was excited for this one and I zoomed through it.
I loved that we saw a different side to Ollie in this book. He seemed quite sweet and inexperienced in the first book, so I wasn’t expecting the slighter darker side from him, but I really liked that he wasn’t all sugar and spice. I adored that he challenged Niko while clearly being obsessed and desperate for love in every way.
I really appreciated that we didn’t have to wait long for the spicy scenes between these two.
Niko, I was gone for fairly quickly, especially after seeing how protective he was of the people he cared about. I so adored his close bond with Sevan. The way he’d drop everything to help his cousin *sigh* that loyalty made him an instant ten in my book. I was a bit sad that we didn’t get to see Niko building his relationship with Hunter and Weston.
I enjoyed this book, but for me, it wasn’t quite on the same level as the first book as I did really love Hunter and Rayne’s story. For this reason, I didn’t feel like I could rate PLG 5 stars as well.
My interest has also certainly been piqued for the next book, and I’m hoping it’s Sevan’s as he became a massive person of interest for me, especially with those teases we got of his interactions with a certain someone…
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Some of my favourite quotes
“Only reason you want to fight me is because you can’t admit you’d rather fuck me.”
“For someone I hate, I’m really starting to like it when you talk back to me, Ollie.”
“You need me even more than I knew. You realize this means you’re going to remember me forever, right? That some part of you is going to be mine forever?”
“Need to leave a mark. Next time some prick tries to pull that on you, they’ll know you’re mine.”
“I don’t want anyone like I want you.”
“You’re mine. I think you always have been, Oliver.” “Then use me like I’ m yours.”
But I love him like it’s a sickness. Like no matter how hard I tried to stave it off, it hit me, slowly at first and then like a speeding train.
“I felt like I barely lived before you, Niko. Maybe I was ready for this all along.”
“I’ll be here. Loving you, until you feel like you can.”
“Be needy. Be even needier. I want to give you everything you fucking need.”
I loved that we saw a different side to Ollie in this book. He seemed quite sweet and inexperienced in the first book, so I wasn’t expecting the slighter darker side from him, but I really liked that he wasn’t all sugar and spice. I adored that he challenged Niko while clearly being obsessed and desperate for love in every way.
I really appreciated that we didn’t have to wait long for the spicy scenes between these two.
Niko, I was gone for fairly quickly, especially after seeing how protective he was of the people he cared about. I so adored his close bond with Sevan. The way he’d drop everything to help his cousin *sigh* that loyalty made him an instant ten in my book. I was a bit sad that we didn’t get to see Niko building his relationship with Hunter and Weston.
I enjoyed this book, but for me, it wasn’t quite on the same level as the first book as I did really love Hunter and Rayne’s story. For this reason, I didn’t feel like I could rate PLG 5 stars as well.
My interest has also certainly been piqued for the next book, and I’m hoping it’s Sevan’s as he became a massive person of interest for me, especially with those teases we got of his interactions with a certain someone…
-----
Some of my favourite quotes
“Only reason you want to fight me is because you can’t admit you’d rather fuck me.”
“For someone I hate, I’m really starting to like it when you talk back to me, Ollie.”
“You need me even more than I knew. You realize this means you’re going to remember me forever, right? That some part of you is going to be mine forever?”
“Need to leave a mark. Next time some prick tries to pull that on you, they’ll know you’re mine.”
“I don’t want anyone like I want you.”
“You’re mine. I think you always have been, Oliver.” “Then use me like I’ m yours.”
But I love him like it’s a sickness. Like no matter how hard I tried to stave it off, it hit me, slowly at first and then like a speeding train.
“I felt like I barely lived before you, Niko. Maybe I was ready for this all along.”
“I’ll be here. Loving you, until you feel like you can.”
“Be needy. Be even needier. I want to give you everything you fucking need.”
Review of advance copy
ARC Review of Possesive Little Game Book 2 in the Crimson College Series by Raleigh Ruebins I loved this book it is a 5 star read for me. Dark romance and MM romance are my two favorite genres and this book was great I loved all the angst, suspense, and drama along with the push and pull between Oliver and Niko. This is a rivals to lovers, blackmail, fake dating, college, camboy and biggest fan, spicy, slow burn, virgin mmc, MM, dark romance. This is Oliver and Niko's story. Oliver and Niko are both attending Crimson College and are both members of the Onyx Society a fraternity on campus. They already know each other from high-school where they were hockey rivals. Niko is at Crimson College to get to know his half brothers and to escape his psycho ex. Niko hadn’t planned on going to college he has dreams of being a model. Niko has a camboy account and makes explicit videos wearing a mask. Oliver is Niko's biggest fan and uses the knowledge of his camboy account to get Niko to agree to be his fake boyfriend for the holidays and to take him to the 2 big school holiday dances and then they can break up. Oliver is a virgin and is dying to lose his virginity he wants it to be to Niko. I love Niko and Oliver and all the tension between them they are opposites but fit together perfectly. Niko just got out of a really terrible relationship so he doesn’t trust his feelings for Oliver. Oliver has liked Niko in videos for so long but in person can find him cocky and cold. I love how the 2 break through each other’s walls. Oliver shows Niko what it is to be truly loved and cared for unconditionally and Niko helps Oliver come out of his shell and not be so shy. Their deal isn’t supposed to last but neither wants to walk away. I love how when danger strikes Niko will do anything to protect Oliver. I love their HEA I highly recommend this book
December 20, 2025
And I realize now that I feel lucky that he was my first. Because he’s my whole fucking world. And I want to spend the rest of my life proving to him exactly how much he’s worthy of being loved.
^ Page 303.
3.5✨
I loved this one but I felt like we missed out on so much potential that could've happened.
Tw for this book: mentions of Niko being in a previous controlling relationship and him jumping off a cliff not caring about his life anymore (attemped suicide?). This ex also sends threats, drugs Niko multiple times, and tries to kill Oliver.
Niko and Oliver fake date because Oliver is tired of being single and a virgin while Niko wants his mentally abusive ex boyfriend to leave him alone.
Brother's relationship robbed potentially?:
Thing is, I feel like we heard at the end of book 1 how Niko wasn't allowed contact with his half brothers (Hunter and Weston). BUT we see Hunter like twice in the entire book and Weston doesn't ever try to connect with him? They both feel bad for him but then in this book there's just nothing? I think as well because Weston didn't get to grow up close with Hunter because of their shared trauma and I kinda expected Weston to reach out to Niko to bond as brothers? Although Hunter also mentioned at the end of the other book that Niko is troubled like him (didn't really see this?)
Overall I felt bad for Niko and it was a little sad to see how much he went through. Although it was also realising that besides Oliver (when they decide to stop being "enemies") no one else cares for him. His dad didn't want him, his mother did not give a fuck about him, Callum (the ex) was controlling and abused him mentally? < Don't actually know the term.
I want to reach out and hold him, keep him close for the rest of the night. For the rest of my fucking life.
^ Page 236.
^ Page 303.
3.5✨
I loved this one but I felt like we missed out on so much potential that could've happened.
Tw for this book: mentions of Niko being in a previous controlling relationship and him jumping off a cliff not caring about his life anymore (attemped suicide?). This ex also sends threats, drugs Niko multiple times, and tries to kill Oliver.
Niko and Oliver fake date because Oliver is tired of being single and a virgin while Niko wants his mentally abusive ex boyfriend to leave him alone.
Brother's relationship robbed potentially?:
Thing is, I feel like we heard at the end of book 1 how Niko wasn't allowed contact with his half brothers (Hunter and Weston). BUT we see Hunter like twice in the entire book and Weston doesn't ever try to connect with him? They both feel bad for him but then in this book there's just nothing? I think as well because Weston didn't get to grow up close with Hunter because of their shared trauma and I kinda expected Weston to reach out to Niko to bond as brothers? Although Hunter also mentioned at the end of the other book that Niko is troubled like him (didn't really see this?)
Overall I felt bad for Niko and it was a little sad to see how much he went through. Although it was also realising that besides Oliver (when they decide to stop being "enemies") no one else cares for him. His dad didn't want him, his mother did not give a fuck about him, Callum (the ex) was controlling and abused him mentally? < Don't actually know the term.
I want to reach out and hold him, keep him close for the rest of the night. For the rest of my fucking life.
^ Page 236.
December 18, 2025
The premise we've seen before. Fake boyfriends. There's always a reason. One guy wants a boyfriend through the holidays and for 2 specific formal events at his college. The other is kind of being forced into it or be exposed for his, shall we say, side hustle. They knew each other through high school (different schools) hockey and were rivals then. So this could be interesting.
And so they soft launch this friendship first to work up to being "boyfriends". Nico is a heavy social media user so he has all of his pictures and posts planned. Oliver kind of goes along for the ride even though it was his idea.
Ok, Nico is super full of himself and apparently loves to fight. But he is running from his ex. Granted, the dude is crazy but come on. Doesn't even call the cops? And he is at that school because of brothers he didn't know he had and other than the first meeting, they hardly interact. It was weird.
Nico also has a cousin at the school but he is in a wheelchair because of an accident at the gym. Clearly I missed something in book 1. Nico also doesn't spend a lot of time with him. Even though he can't really do anything.
Nico also is playing games with Ollie. Which...not cool. Why be a jerk? He's just so full of himself and Ollie gets mad, but then forgives.
Ollie and Nico had some heat but they are so different it was a little hard to buy them as boyfriends.
There just wasn't enough cohesion for me. I feel like there were just different chapters held together with a tenuous thread. Definitely needed fleshing out. Or it could be that I didn't read book 1. Hard to say.
And so they soft launch this friendship first to work up to being "boyfriends". Nico is a heavy social media user so he has all of his pictures and posts planned. Oliver kind of goes along for the ride even though it was his idea.
Ok, Nico is super full of himself and apparently loves to fight. But he is running from his ex. Granted, the dude is crazy but come on. Doesn't even call the cops? And he is at that school because of brothers he didn't know he had and other than the first meeting, they hardly interact. It was weird.
Nico also has a cousin at the school but he is in a wheelchair because of an accident at the gym. Clearly I missed something in book 1. Nico also doesn't spend a lot of time with him. Even though he can't really do anything.
Nico also is playing games with Ollie. Which...not cool. Why be a jerk? He's just so full of himself and Ollie gets mad, but then forgives.
Ollie and Nico had some heat but they are so different it was a little hard to buy them as boyfriends.
There just wasn't enough cohesion for me. I feel like there were just different chapters held together with a tenuous thread. Definitely needed fleshing out. Or it could be that I didn't read book 1. Hard to say.
December 20, 2025
Book 2 = Crimson University
M/M Romance
Rivals to Lovers
Cam Boy/Fan
Dark Academia
Niko & Ollie have a history. Niko believes Ollie did something to Niko to win their last hockey game against each other. Niko thinks Ollie is self absorbed and pretentious. Everything Niko hates because of his past. When Niko walks into Onyx House and sees Ollie, a spark ignites and Niko’s emotions get the best of him.
Niko is chaos, beauty and protectiveness all wrapped up in a snark and tattoos. He has lived his life ignored, unseen and never fitting in. He has created his own version of happiness through the lens of his camera.
Ollie is a calm port in a storm. People gravitate towards him, but they don’t see him. They don’t want him, he’s there tethered to the dock when all he wants to do is to be set free. Niko has always seen him, maybe not in the best way but he has always drawn Ollie in.
Ollie knows a secret that Niko is keeping and he uses it as leverage for Niko to fake date him. What neither of them are prepared for is the fake relationship to be real almost from the start.
Both Niko and Ollie are looking to be seen. Niko spends a lot of his time looking for attention via his personal IG and his cam account. It’s artificial, but it’s all he has. Ollie has always had the love and support of his family, but he craves connection, he craves touch and he wants to be seen for more than his past.
Niko and Ollie are seeking the same thing for very different reasons and when they find it with each other will they be able to hold on, or will outside forces cause their carefully crafted facade to fall apart?
M/M Romance
Rivals to Lovers
Cam Boy/Fan
Dark Academia
Niko & Ollie have a history. Niko believes Ollie did something to Niko to win their last hockey game against each other. Niko thinks Ollie is self absorbed and pretentious. Everything Niko hates because of his past. When Niko walks into Onyx House and sees Ollie, a spark ignites and Niko’s emotions get the best of him.
Niko is chaos, beauty and protectiveness all wrapped up in a snark and tattoos. He has lived his life ignored, unseen and never fitting in. He has created his own version of happiness through the lens of his camera.
Ollie is a calm port in a storm. People gravitate towards him, but they don’t see him. They don’t want him, he’s there tethered to the dock when all he wants to do is to be set free. Niko has always seen him, maybe not in the best way but he has always drawn Ollie in.
Ollie knows a secret that Niko is keeping and he uses it as leverage for Niko to fake date him. What neither of them are prepared for is the fake relationship to be real almost from the start.
Both Niko and Ollie are looking to be seen. Niko spends a lot of his time looking for attention via his personal IG and his cam account. It’s artificial, but it’s all he has. Ollie has always had the love and support of his family, but he craves connection, he craves touch and he wants to be seen for more than his past.
Niko and Ollie are seeking the same thing for very different reasons and when they find it with each other will they be able to hold on, or will outside forces cause their carefully crafted facade to fall apart?
December 26, 2025
*Overall Book Rating: 4 / 5
*Tropes:
-MM Romance
-Cam Boy x Biggest Fan
-Rivals to Lovers
-Housemates to Lovers
-Fake Dating
-Found Family
-Virgin MC
-First Times
-Tattooed MC
*Spiciness: 3 / 5
This was my first book my Raleigh and I enjoyed the story and its main characters - Niko and Oliver. Niko is closed off, cynical and generally comes off as arrogant and prideful. What no one sees is that he is lonely and doesn’t have anyone who he can lean on emotionally and mentally. Oliver is sweet, charming and sometimes socially awkward. He is a loyal friend who is always there for people when they need him. Niko and Oliver’s relationship start as fake dating when Oliver needs a date for upcoming college celebrations and he approaches Niko for that. Oliver tries to leverage Niko’s secret into getting him to agree to fake date, but Niko turns the table on Oliver by recording him during their intimate moment. There is a lot of pull and push in their fake relationship. But there are times when one of them ends up showing their raw vulnerable self to the other which helps them to slowly build a true connection. Oliver takes Niko to his home over holidays and it’s sweet how Oliver’s family welcomes Niko with love and warmth that Niko never received from his own mother. Oliver and Niko become protective and possessive over each other and when trouble comes knocking down at Niko’s door, Oliver and Niko’s half brothers stand with him to help him out of the trouble. Niko and Oliver definitely had to work a lot towards gaining each other’s trust, respect and love. They are undoubtedly a great couple who complement each other perfectly.
*Tropes:
-MM Romance
-Cam Boy x Biggest Fan
-Rivals to Lovers
-Housemates to Lovers
-Fake Dating
-Found Family
-Virgin MC
-First Times
-Tattooed MC
*Spiciness: 3 / 5
This was my first book my Raleigh and I enjoyed the story and its main characters - Niko and Oliver. Niko is closed off, cynical and generally comes off as arrogant and prideful. What no one sees is that he is lonely and doesn’t have anyone who he can lean on emotionally and mentally. Oliver is sweet, charming and sometimes socially awkward. He is a loyal friend who is always there for people when they need him. Niko and Oliver’s relationship start as fake dating when Oliver needs a date for upcoming college celebrations and he approaches Niko for that. Oliver tries to leverage Niko’s secret into getting him to agree to fake date, but Niko turns the table on Oliver by recording him during their intimate moment. There is a lot of pull and push in their fake relationship. But there are times when one of them ends up showing their raw vulnerable self to the other which helps them to slowly build a true connection. Oliver takes Niko to his home over holidays and it’s sweet how Oliver’s family welcomes Niko with love and warmth that Niko never received from his own mother. Oliver and Niko become protective and possessive over each other and when trouble comes knocking down at Niko’s door, Oliver and Niko’s half brothers stand with him to help him out of the trouble. Niko and Oliver definitely had to work a lot towards gaining each other’s trust, respect and love. They are undoubtedly a great couple who complement each other perfectly.
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