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A Roommate Reverse Harem #1

Four Can Play That Game: Part 1

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One house. Three God-like men. What more can a girl ask for?
Her sanity.

Finishing college, at a new school, with new people; Jamie Boyd just wanted to make some new friends and fun memories.

But she never expected to bump into three gorgeous, hot as sin men. Men who ignited something inside of her that she never thought existed.

With a case of mistaken identity, it turns out that the same three guys are now her new roommates and they don’t like the idea of her moving in. Watching her each day, craving her, wanting what they can't have.

Determined to make her life a living hell. They are willing to do everything and anything until she leaves.

Too bad for them that she doesn’t cave that easily.
She is ready to play dirty.

Will they get their way? Or will they get more than they bargained for?

This book is a reverse harem (one woman, three guys) contains sexual content and mature language. Recommended for 18 and over

192 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 15, 2018

135 people are currently reading
710 people want to read

About the author

J.L. Ostle

24 books175 followers
J.L. Ostle was born in Antrim, Northern Ireland, now living in Carlisle, England. J.L. Ostle is a full time mother looking after her cute, active little boy.

When she she hasn't got her head stuck in a book or writing, she's watching movies, or doing activities with her friends and their children

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Community Reviews

5 stars
122 (30%)
4 stars
129 (32%)
3 stars
87 (21%)
2 stars
36 (9%)
1 star
22 (5%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
Profile Image for Bianca Souza.
285 reviews38 followers
October 18, 2018
It has been some time since I rated a book as five stars but this one is gold! I love contemporary reverse harem with younger characters and this one was so original that I fell in love from the first pages and was praying for it not to end.
This was a new author for me but I'll be definitely reading more books from her!❤❤❤
Profile Image for fatima˚୨୧⋆。˚ ⋆.
474 reviews42 followers
April 23, 2020
This wasn’t my cup of tea, unfortunately. I cringed quite a lot while reading this. Characters were immature and the MC was annoying. Lots of “I’m not like other girls” usage here which I hate. It was a very quick read though, and the writing was easy to follow and not too wordy.
Profile Image for Christy Bailey.
663 reviews24 followers
October 22, 2018
Wow! Such an amazing book! That ending though... I can't wait to read book 2 in this series! The only thing that got me in this book is the bartender scene. I just got through reading My screwed up life before reading this and the scene with Trent from that book and Jesse in this book were pretty much exactly the same. However I loved them anyway! I'm in heaven after reading this book! I was laughing out loud through out most of this book and i fell in love with all the characters. Definitelyworth more than a 5 star rating!
Profile Image for Daisy Delfin.
1,493 reviews180 followers
October 23, 2018
Funny contemporary Reverse Harem story. I like the slow burn type of RH story, because the development of the different relationships are described in more detail. This story has all of it and on top it was funny and entertaining. I liked the characters.
Profile Image for Beth.
337 reviews1 follower
October 27, 2018
Good

This is very all American. I found it really hard to relate to most of what happened throughout the book and I'm not talking about the RH aspect. The games were funny and interesting but it all blew over super quick. I think it needed to be longer and more in depth as a storyline and that would have increased my rating to 5 stars.
Profile Image for Michelle Simpson.
117 reviews4 followers
October 17, 2018
I knew when this book hit my kindle I would be MIA until I had finished it. J L Ostle always manages to get you hooked from start to end. I loved that Jamie came across as sweet and innocent and a little disgusted with her new housemates although I think my opinion of how sweet and innocent she may seen will soon change in part 2. The suspense and sexual chemistry is evident all the way through the book. I laughed a lot at all the shenanigans that goes on ! The story is left on a cliff hanger but I feel that this is where the real story starts! Brilliantly written and I'm waiting noy very patiently for the next book !!
Profile Image for Rae.
62 reviews2 followers
October 21, 2018
Love the story

I loved every part of this story and I can’t wait for the next book. All the characters are relatable and you get sucked in!
Profile Image for Lauren Burr.
9 reviews1 follower
October 18, 2018
Loved it

J. L. Ostle is fast becoming one of my favourite authors so I couldn't wait for her next book and I wasn't disappointed. Four can play that game had me hooked from the first chapter and I couldn't put it down till I reached the end. I felt like this book is just the warm up to book 2, with a perfectly placed cliffhanger it's left me eager to find out what Jamie and her three room mates will get up to next.
Profile Image for Chelsea Jones.
153 reviews2 followers
October 18, 2018
Omg yes yes yes

Wow read that all at once and I'm in love. I love the games they played lol so funny I truly hope there will be a book two very soon cause wow. She was a strong fierce lady and those guys wow I'm in love wow. Anyone looking to read a new rh u have to read this u must read this.
23 reviews
October 19, 2018
Wow

So you have managed to do it again!!!!! Did not want to put it down and now I have to wait for the next one. Thank you. Please hurry and release the next book.
Profile Image for Tiffany  Durrance .
60 reviews
October 17, 2018
Loved it!!

So sweet and funny i literally laughed out loud in a few parts. I know the second part will have me swooning even more than this one. I haven't read a book by jenna that I haven't loved! She hit the nail with this one just enough sweet moments, and funny moments.
Profile Image for Mindy McCray .
1,159 reviews10 followers
October 18, 2018
I LOVED this book! The characters are hilarious especially when Guy One, Coffee Shop Guy, and Devon really dont want Jamie around. I can't wait for the next book! I NEED more!!
Profile Image for Mary.
602 reviews29 followers
October 17, 2018
This YA story is about a young woman who discovered that her three roommates were guys. Fast paced book and fun reading.

Review copy was received for an honest opinion.
Profile Image for Juli.
1,584 reviews24 followers
November 7, 2018
I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book (given by the author)...

4.5 stars

I absolutely adore the characters in this book. I couldn’t wait to see what happens next. As you can tell this is NOT a traditional romance, Jamie has three hot men with completely different personalities (the charmer, the fun one and the bad boy) wanting to be with her. I love that Jamie didn’t run or give into the guys’ pranks and stood her ground and gave them a taste of their own medicine. This book does end on a cliffhanger and I can’t wait to see what is next for our group.
Profile Image for Kay.
202 reviews42 followers
September 27, 2019
Aarrrggghhhh, no, no, hell no, and no again.

Deep breath.

Ok, so, I had to calm myself down a few times before typing out this review. See, here's the thing.. Once I was finished with this book, I had to check if it was written in, say, the 1980s, or even way earlier. But it mentioned Snapchat and such other social media, so I figured it might have been a more modern book. And it turns out - it is! You wouldn't believe it, though, seeing as the ideas and principles presented in this book are from an era that should have been long forgotten.

But before I rant about that, let me give you three main reasons why you should save yourself from the dismal crapfest that is Four Can Play That Game: Part 1.

Annoyingly horrible reason number 1.
The FMC, aka Jamie. She was just bad, all sorts of bad. Starting with the fact that people (read: men) are supposed to like her merely based on her pretty looks. She really has no other good qualities. Other than maybe the tiny shining light of her putting up a fight against men who push themselves on her or try and bully her (well, some men, not all - she lets her three harem guys feel her up at the beginning). But eh, not letting people treat you like shit is just something any normal, self-respecting woman should do in any case. But let's go back to what we're told about her. Jamie describes herself in the beginning, saying:
I think my weirdness is that I'm stubborn, talkative, I can be quite bubbly, and I like to think I would try everything at least once. Unless you're a dick, then I put my bitch face on to keep those kinds of people away.

First of all, none of that is "being weird" and none of it makes you in any way likeable. And secondly, 'bitch face'? What are you.. fifteen?
The quote continues:
Grabbing my phone, I go on Snapchat, using the head-flower filter, and do a stick-out tongue pose before typing, 'ready for my new life'.

This was written, I assume, completely seriously. As in, that is what the author wanted us to know about the main character - that she is bubbly, bitch-faced when needed, and takes head-flower-tongue-out selfies. And again I ask.. is Jamie fifteen? She must be. What age are seniors at college, in the US? Around 21? Jamie acts like a clueless, attention-seeking child. Good lord, she is horrible.

Also, a very bland best friend is thrown in just to highlight how awesome and selfish Jamie is (because she only talks about herself to this other girl). Also, she uses her new bestie as a fake-lesbian lover, tugging the other girl's shirt down to entice their male audience at a party. Which, quite nicely, leads me to my second point.

Disgustingly horrible reason number 2.
Men are from Mars and women are sluts.. that is, if they dress in skimpy outfits. Hi, welcome to the 1950s, a time before the liberation of women, and a time where the length of your skirt revealed how much of a slut you are. That's exactly how things worked in this book, too. Let me offer you a quote or two.

A rather OW-loving member of the harem, the 'bad boy' of the group, called Devon is constantly super worked up about what Jamie has chosen to put on her body, aka her clothing. And at one point, he says:
"Really? Couldn't you wear a sweater? You see what I mean? How are we meant to live like this? She is walking around naked," he moans.

And her outfit, in this case, consisted of short shorts and a tank top, because she was at home, in her room, just chilling out and relaxing, and PROBABLY TOTALLY NOT trying to entice the uncontrollable members of the opposite sex.

During another occasion, Jamie has decided to *gasp, horror* shock the men by wearing a short, tight dress, without any underwear (because as a hilarious joke, the men stole her underwear). And then this exchange occurs:
"You're wearing that?" Zeal [another harem dude] walks over to me. I nod, giving them a little twirl. "Like hell you are. I know you're wearing nothing underneath. Go back to your room and change. You know what kind of impression you'll give?

And later, Jamie is called a slut due to the dress she chose to wear, and to this she says:
I did this to myself though, didn't I? I have dressed up in provocative clothing [---], I came to school wearing no underwear in a low-cut dress. It looks like I'm flirting with the male student body. What did I expect?

And to respond to this, I must quote an awesome spoken word poem by Anna Binkovitz called Asking for it:

In my recent internet travels,
I stumbled across a visual that comments on rape culture:
six female forms are depicted in various states of dress,
from completely covered to totally naked.
Under each, the caption “not asking for it.”

Predictably, the citizens of Facebook responded,
“Of course naked ladies always wanna have sex!
Of course your outfit can mean you want to be raped.”
But in my experience,
one of the chief perks of having sex with an adult
is that if they want something, they can ask for it.
[---]
Stop asking people’s clothing to have sex with you,
and start asking people.

I'm not saying Jamie was asking to be raped, and the book doesn't imply it. But everyone is calling her a slut, and hitting on her due to her outfit. And so it leads me to believe that the characters in this book aren't meant to be adults, seeing as they're acting like kids that haven't been taught any better. The women are either acting slutty or are slut-shaming each other, and the men are horny idiots who can't see beyond a woman's outfit. They also seriously need to update their ideas of what any person's outfit means. Here's a hint: Whatever anyone wears, ever, doesn't mean anything else other than "oh hey, I chose to wear this thing today". You don't need to read into an outfit. It's not your job. Other people's outfits aren't trying to communicate with you. You don't get react to people's clothing. And you most certainly don't get to tell anyone to "go back to your room and change", or suggest that the impression they're giving is that of a slut.

Just a very blaaaaaaahhhh reason number 3.
Some parts of the book were sort of entertaining, which is why I kept reading. But honestly, there are two more parts to this book? The 'game' that these roommates/lovers are playing with each other is incredibly childish, and I don't see a point in it going on for two more books. This should have been a standalone book. And with a bit of editing, it might have even been a cute enough read. Now, it's just a drawn-out mess. I highly doubt I'll read the next two parts, seeing as I'm not interested in reading more of the same. I'm sure there'll be some huge scandal, break-up, or some drama to shake things up, but to be quite frank: I couldn't care less.

So my friendly suggestion: you should read something better than this book. I recommend you go listen to and read Anna Binkovitz's spoken word poem. Here's a good link for it: Outspokenwordpoetry.blogspot.com - Anna's poem.
Profile Image for Tiblu.
1,255 reviews49 followers
November 18, 2018
Didn’t hate it but I really didn’t love it.....

Can someone please explain to me why soo many RH type/style books out there are based around kids ?
I mean seriously why are most of the RH style “romance” books based around children ?
I don’t mean ppl giving birth to them.... sadly, no...
No I mean immature ppl ,who are young and not really adults yet ?
And why,O why the F on earth are sloppy second man/boy hores sexy ?
Sure he’s not a pretty face and and sexy boy but he treats you like garbage and dips his wick in any female hole he can,what the heck is sexy about that ?
I wanted to like the h but she didn’t just stoop the these nasty guys level, she went past it when she’s kissing her her bestie ( a girl) just to make the guys jealous....
I gave this three stars because the writer is talented but personally I hate the story and I’m not a huge fan of the characters....
Jamie the heroine hunks she’s moving in with three girls ,but instead moves in w/three man hores on speed,these three seem to have an almost medical need to share some skank daily... I say medical because it like they have to daily share some skank or they’ll die....
Disgusting ... seriously ...
Jamie meets the guys and starts to fall for all three separately before she finds out they are the skank tastic legends known around campus ....
The guys except for “bad boy “ Devon ,come off sweet and kind and sexy separately but as disgusting man hores together...
They do nasty bings to run her off,and honestly it really ticked me off as to a) how stupid and short sided Jamie was in the things she did to teach them a lesson,never thinking about how dumb and how dangerously her actions could back fire on her and b) just how big hypocrites both the guts and their groupies were towards her.... the guys and their groupie sluts
Are eager to call her names even w/out her sleeping with someone yet don’t see anything wrong with what their doing...
For over 75% of the book you either have the guys acting like immature D bags , F’ing other girls right in front of her ( literally) or just being awful to her ...
Then suddenly she makes them dinner and a couple of kisses and a late night snuggle after a bad dream and suddenly the guts are being defensive of her and wanting to talk to her about being in a relationship with her...
Seriously?
She over hears them and lets them know she’s heard and is saying she wants to give it a go ?
What. The . Ever. Loving . F
Seriously ? Just the other day they were stealing you phone and your undies and F girls literally RIGHT . IN. FRONT. OF. YOU!?!?!?
And the whole school is calling you a lut ( add the s) because of your antics wi h them and suddenly not only to you want to date these disgusting sloppy seconds you want to tell the whole world and your parents ?
Because your not ashamed ?
What. The. Heck
Other than their looks these guys don’t have much going for them.... they way they live their lives constantly partying or having sex with strangers ,you should be ashamed to be with any of them just by themselves forget the group part..
I am soo freaking SICK of stories revolving around nasty man hores and them not really having anything good or redeeming about them except for their money or their looks..
All the things that are held against a woman are sons how badges of honor when it comes to a man ...
BS
I LOVE a “good” RH or ménage ( all the sexual and romantic interest centered on the woman) but their needs to be a good and interesting story to go with it and the characters need more going for them than pretty faces and sexy bodies...

Wanted to like this,feisty h who stood her ground but lacked common sense and had too little self respect than to want three sloppy second man boy hores who couldn’t were hypocrites who couldn’t in their pants more than a day....
Too big a jump from the deeply immature pranks and BS and nonsense to let’s date and tell the world 🌎....
Dumb
Good luck new writer
I personally think you have talent but I don’t agree with your story choices and plots...
Profile Image for Dharia Scarab.
3,255 reviews8 followers
January 1, 2019
Entertaining


Since I don't normally write reviews unless I have something specific to say, here's the break down of how I rate my books...

1 star... This book was bad, so bad I may have given up and skipped to the end. I will avoid this author like the plague in the future.

2 stars... This book was not very good, and I won't be reading any more from the author.

3 stars... This book was ok, but I won't go out of my way to read more, But if I find another book by the author for under a dollar I'd pick it up.

4 stars... I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be on the look out to pick up more from the series/author.

5 stars... I loved this book! It has earned a permanent home in my collection and I'll be picking up the rest of the series and other books from the author ASAP.
Profile Image for TAM.
632 reviews11 followers
October 18, 2018
This book was fun. There are definite plot holes but they are easily overlooked by the carefree crazy book. The characters aren’t well developed but I like everyone’s personalities and what they add to the story. Definitely want to read book 2.
Profile Image for Karen.
553 reviews10 followers
December 26, 2018
Funny!

The antics of the four roommates were so damn funny! It made me think of little boys who pull the girl’s hair because they like her! Ends with a cliffhanger 😪 and I am ready to read the next book!
Profile Image for Victoria Belanger.
24 reviews1 follower
August 18, 2019
I really liked the story line to this <3 I'm a sucker for these types of stories. I gave this four stars, the only reason being is I felt like the characters could have been a little more 'real' and less out there. But none the less I still enjoyed the book... off to read part 2!2
265 reviews3 followers
April 25, 2021
Cute and fun book

Really liked the mfc. So strong and kicka$$. I love a strong female lead who takes no prisoners😄 Liked the 3 male leads too and the back and forth between them and Jamie. Will be reading the next book. I would recommend this book for a quick fun read!
Profile Image for Kate McDougall Sackler.
1,733 reviews15 followers
September 16, 2022
Fast paced erotica. Pretty unbelievable circumstances put Jamie (female) rooming with three guys who are expecting Jamie (male). Pranks, laughs, and sizzle ensue. I’m sad this is written in three short parts instead of a normal sized book.
Nursery rhyme challenge-that
7 reviews
November 2, 2022
Honestly it seems like a High schooler wrote this book. The book offers no in depth details and the characters are shallow. I really wish i didn’t waste money on this book. I feel like my time has been wasted.
Profile Image for Fiona Cartwright.
113 reviews1 follower
October 19, 2018
loves it!

i enjoyed this book reminded me of the vanpire books with the four guys again but it had me hooked a great read onto the next one plz 5*s for me
Profile Image for Jenn.
1,463 reviews26 followers
November 17, 2018
I hope there's more to come because that was a little underwhelming. There's this build up and challenge of wills and then it's just over and she's their girlfriend? I'm sitting here thinking huh?
2,555 reviews14 followers
December 31, 2019
Good book!

Normally I don't go towards college age books but this one has been fun to read. I "have to" read the next :)
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