The Prince and the Pawn

When Rivals Play #4

by B.B. Reid

The epic finale of When Rivals Play. A coming-of-age tale of loss, love, and redemption.

They were wrong for each other from the start.
The jock and the nerd, what a cliché they made.
He was the town prince, and she was a nobody.
Tyra Bradley was invisible.

That is until she told him he needed some manners, and so began their game of cat and mouse.

She ran, he chased.
It was perfect.

Except Vaughn Rees has a deep, dark secret. Promised to the NFL, but fated for something sinister, Vaughn knows she’s forbidden fruit. To want more is to tempt death. He’s already in too deep.

When a betrayal unravels their fragile ties, the good girl runs as fast as she can. What Tyra doesn’t know? They’re a siren’s song. She can run, but they’ll always be bound.

They’re two souls torn apart and mended by fate. And now…Vaughn isn’t the only one with a secret.

* * *
Each novel depicts a unique romance; however, the plots connect. It's recommended that you read them in order for the best experience.

Genres: Romance, New Adult, Contemporary, Dark Romance, Contemporary Romance, Second Chance, Enemies To Lovers

396 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 27, 2020

About the author

B.B. Reid grew up the only daughter and middle child in a small town in North Carolina. After graduating with a Bachelors in Finance, she started her career at an investment research firm while continuing to serve in the National Guard. She currently resides in Atlanta with her moody cat and enjoys collecting Chuck Taylors and binge-eating chocolate.

CONNECT WITH B.B. REID:

Reiderville http://bit.ly/Reiderville
TikTok https://bit.ly/TikTok-BBREID
Instagram http://bit.ly/IG_BBREID
Facebook http://bit.ly/FB-BBREID
Twitter http://bit.ly/TWBBREID
Amazon http://bit.ly/amzbbreid
Bookbub http://bit.ly/bookbubbbreid
Newsletter http://bit.ly/NEWS-BBREID
Website www.bbreid.com

Reviews

[mel ☽ · Rating 1 out of 5]

1 star

i WAS warned. i really was. but did i listen?

.... ha ah ha no

before i get into things let me just tell y'all, ohhhh myyy GOD. i fucking hated this. im sorry i know that's harsh but seriously?? a cheating book with no grovelling? what- i... i am baffled. perplexed. BEWILDERED.

so a little backstory before i rant because i AM going to rant so SPOILERS AHEAD, Vaughn (H) and Tyra (h) have been a couple but labelling it as friends with benefits since book 1 (so that's 9 months). Vaughn was the popular jock that's best friends with the main H's in the previous books and Tyra was the "nerd" and she's the main best friend of Four. in the last book we found out that Vaughn cheated on Tyra with Selena (her sister!!!) at the party. this book starts with that scene. there are 2 parts of this book, part 1 is a month before the cheating and part 2 is 5-8 months after the cheating.

OKAY now that that's out of the way let's get started shall we?

« P A R T I »
first of all, lets start with the fact Vaughn's inner monologue about Selena is just weird.

"I knew that had it not been for Tyra, I would have gamed and cornered Selena inside one of these secluded corners by now."

aww wow. he's so thoughtful. thinking about his girl's sister like that. it's flattering really. here's another one when he goes over to Tyra's house and instead finds Selena with only a towel on

"It wasn't like the sight bothered me, and that was the number one problem. Having a half-naked girl sitting so close next to me wreaked havoc on my baser instincts. My hands were just itching to peel away that towel."

aww he is just SO considerate?? like wow. wanting to see his girl's sister naked is super swoony. and here's another inner monologue about what he would do if she wasn't Tyra's sister

"I might have slapped Selena for coming on to me. If she hadn't been Tyra's sister, I might have even bent her over the goddamn couch."

omg yesss he's TOTALLY book boyfriend material right??

and then a little push and pull happened and Tyra "broke up" with Vaughn cuz he was like YOU are my girlfriend but i am NOT your boyfriend, insinuating that she can't date anyone while he sees other people but obviously he's lying. anyways a week later the gang goes on a road trip to a cabin and because Vaughn is angry with Tyra for breaking things off, he made out with Selena while Tyra was sleeping a few feet away from them in the van. she kissed him first but he let her and this is what he has to say about it

"We were never in a relationship, which meant it didn't matter who kissed who or why I didn't stop her sister from sticking her tongue down my throat. I hadn't done anything wrong."

wow. i feel SO bad for him cuz he feels SO bad for kissing the sister of the girl he "loves". poor baby.

oh and that's not even the worst part. literally a day after, he never told Tyra about the kiss until the very end of the book and proceeded to then take her virginity while letting the sister watch them have sex all because Selena threatened to tell Tyra about their little make-out session so he went along with this disturbing shit. imma give y'all a little sneak peek of what i went through:

"Her nipples," my sister whispered. "I want you to suck them."

did i just read that right? i mean... what. the. fuck.

and now let's get on with the most romantic part in the book where Vaughn planned for Tyra to walk in on him getting a blowjob from her sister. i mean *swooon* am i right? after this she left and didn't talk to anyone for 5-8 months cuz... SHE IS PREGNANT.

« P A R T II »
before we get into the clusterfuck of this half of the book, the reason why Vaughn cheated on Tyra is to "protect" her cuz her father told him he will kill her but then instead of walking away or i don't know, breaking up with her like a normal person instead of permanently traumatizing his soulmate with the visual of him getting a bj from her sister, he said he was too weak to walk away so he has to do something so that she'll never forgive him for.

fine. whatever. his cheating was apparently "noble" (Lou's words). ok?? but my main problem here is his nonchalant attitude while also victimizing himself and did not grovel at all. not even once. when heroine walks away? he lets her and waits for HER to come back to him. he never tried to get in her good graces, he never fought for her and instead treated her like shit. literal shit. i've seen puppies treated better than how Tyra was treated. and just because he paid for all their hospital bills and forcefully moved them into his place where Tyra walked in on him cheating, he suddenly goes all "y'all better treat me like a king and if you dont? well sucks to be you". and HE is the one who always walks away from her by the way. i mean THE AUDACITY 👏🏼 in this bishh.

and as for Tyra, she forgave him too easily and even let him touch her that quick while she still believed that he slept with her sister. i liked Tyra in the previous books but she was just so annoyingly fucking weak here and it's not fair.

only thing i liked here was Lou & Wren's wedding, Jamie planning their wedding, and the epilogue. that's it. but i can't even give this an extra .5 rating cuz that's how much i disliked this book. the cute banter and slowburn romance that made the first 2 good was replaced with the typical toxic shit you see nowadays in new adult books that is problematic as hell. im disappointed and sad that the characters i used to like are now ruined because apparently being an abusive asshole with no redeeming qualities, weak heroine with no self-respect, and replacing good emotional development with unnecessary/disturbing sex scenes is the shit nowadays.

ps. don't read this at night with caffeine in your system cuz you won't sleep till 5 am.

anywaaays thank u, next ✌︎︎

When Rivals Play series
#1: the peer and the puppet ↠ 3.5 stars
#2: the moth and the flame ↠ 4 stars
#3: the punk and the plaything ↠ 1.5 stars
#4: the prince and the pawn ↠ 1 star

[Phuong ✯ · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm honestly still shocked. Vaughn & Tyra went from my favorite couple of the series to my least favorite. The Prince and The Pawn really did THAT. Imagine reading the three previous books just for this pairing, just to get disappointed in their own book. R.I.P.

TPATP went from being one of my most anticipated reads of 2020 to one of the worse books I've read this year. Apparently I don't have any luck when it comes to last books in series.

– SPOILER WARNING –

WHAT I LIKED:

» honestly not much. The only thing that was good was the EXTENDED EPILOGUE. The book overall was not a good series ending, but that epilogue was great. I liked that we get POVs from Four, Lou and Jamie again and see what they've been up to. I'm pretty sure that B.B. Reid wrote that epilogue with a spin off for the children in mind, otherwise why give us such detailed information about all the kids gender and name.. I see a next generation spin off coming.

» The found family scenes and Lou & Wren's wedding. The characters as individuals are really not special, but the different friendship dynamic is to die for! I didn't like Jamie in his own book, but as a side character he shines so bright with his one liners.

WHAT I HATED:

» Everything else

» VAUGHN TAKING TYRA'S VIRGINITY. I don't understand this trend to insert disturbing sex scenes in your books. Why? Somebody explain it to me. From the previous books, it's been known that Vaughn and Tyra were 'together' for almost a year but they didn't have sex yet. During summer Vaughn, Tyra, Selena (her older sister who Tyra doen't know of and suddenly appears in this book) and the rest of the crew go on a trip. The fuck up thing is that during this trip Vaughn and Tyra were technically broken up and while Tyra slept on the ride, Vaughn and Selena had a make out session at the back of the van. I. WANT. TO. SCRATCH. MY. EYES. OUT. He did it because he wanted to hurt Tyra. Like I don't give one fuck that his head was messed up because of all the dark stuff he has to do for his father, that's not something you do! Period.

That same night Vaughn and Tyra were fooling around. Vaughn was supposed to only go in with the tip of his dick only, but Vaughn's head was somewhere in outer space and shoved his dick fully in Tyra by accident. Isn't it great if he tells you he won't have sex with you and then does it by accident? Wow color me impressed. This was a pretty shitty move, but it's not even the worse because Vaughn apologize and wants to pull out but Tyra tells him that it's okay and that he can move. BUT then they see Selena the bitchy sister standing there and watching them. How fucking creepy is that? Vaughn and Tyra tell her to fuck off but she 'rather watch'. Ew. After Selena makes some threats to tell Tyra about Vaughn and her kiss in the back of the van earlier. Vaughn and Tyra go back to have sex while her sister watch and make commands!!! Yeah, you read it right, she makes demands. Let me quote:

"Her nipples," my sister whispered. "I want you to suck them."

"I know you want to fuck her harder than that," Selena goaded, sounding much closer now - like she was speaking directly in his ear. "Do it. Pound her little pussy until it hurts. Until she screams."

WHAT THE HELL??!? WHAT IN GOD'S NAME???? This is so disgusting I have no other words. Wtf. What is this? Who thinks taking somebody virginity by accident and then let the older sister watch and make demands is hot? I'm the only one? I was so disturbed by this scene. Is that how you want to remember your first time? Cool, if that is your kink. Tyra girl deserves better.

» let's talk about the big elephant: THE CHEATING. Not only it's one of the worst trope in the history of tropes, it's also really hard to pull off. The only book from the top of my head that managed to pull this trope off is Letters to Molly and only because the cheater did years of grovelling, but that is another point.

In this case, Vaughn didn't go all the way. He didn't slept with Selena there was no penetration, but he got a blow job from her, therefore it's cheating for me. He wanted Tyra to catch them together and assume the worse to push her away for good. His reason for wanting Tyra gone is pretty obvious. His father is the leader of one of the most dangerous gang and after his father got wind of Vaughn's feeling for Tyra, he threatens Vaughn to kill Tyra if Vaughn doesn't get rid of her first. Honestly sorry but that's not a good enough reason to cheat, there are literally 4039 other ways how to break up. Cheating is a choice and Vaughn made the wrong choice.

From all the girl he had to chose Selena the bitchy sister to cheat on Tyra? Seriously boy? You don't know how many times I wanted to smash his ugly face into a trashcan.


» After the cheating incident. Vaughn has to work for his father and is basically a prisoner for a couple of months and Tyra goes to Harvard to study. Fast forward 7 or 8 months and we see Tyra returning to Blackwood PREGNANT. Yes, she's pregnant with Vaughn's child. She gives birth to a baby boy named River. When Vaughn finds out he has a son, he's all about co-parenting so the couple is stuck together. I'm don't mind the pregnancy trope in books, but in combination with cheating it's shit. The only reason why Vaughn and Tyra were together so much is because of River.

» Vaughn and Tyra's romance was really lacklusting. They had more chemistry as a side couple in all the previous books combined than in this one. There was a very cute scene at the beginning of this book where Vaughn feeds Tyra soup cause she fainted and he makes train and plane noises and it was adorable, but from that point on everything went downhill. Before the cheating Vaughn was pretty hot and cold with her after the cheating, all they do is fight each other while Vaughn being a possessive dick! I swear that guy has death wish.


» after everything Vaughn did, you at least expect some good grovelling, but no. Vaughn Rees doesn't know what groveling is. Tyra tried to give him hell a couple of times, like destroying his Lamborgini, smashing a vase on his head when he kidnapped her or dumped a bucked full of crabs on a naked Vaughn, but from his side? NADA. NOTHING. NIENTE.


He explained that he did it to protect her from his father, then she tells him that she understands and that she forgives him but she can't trust him. Then there is more OW drama with Selena who comes back to destroy Tyra's life a little more cuz she's a psychopath and blames Tyra for the death of their mother. Selena is overall just a petty and awful person. For a while Tyra has to work in a strip club to earn money to pay the tuition for the coming semester. Vaughn is there every night to look after her or whatever and one night Selena is there and tells him to leave with her or she would send a video of Tyra removing her clothes on stage to the Den of Harvard. So basically more drama and it was tiring.

Again after a couple of days later when they meet he tells her that he didn't sleep with Selena. Vaughn tells her all about how psycho her sister is. I quote "I love you too much to hurt you ever again. Please, please believe me and come home." YOOOO! And they are back together. Thanks for this heartfelt declaration of love. But what I wanted is him crawling on his knees and begging her for her forgiveness.

» All this time I'm telling you what a villain Vaughn was, but at times I couldn't stand Tyra either. The couple of times when she threw something at Vaughn. YES GO GIRL! But all Vaughn had to do is touch her and she was putty in his hands. She gave way easily to sex with him.

"Don't you dare look at me like your pussy is on a platter unless you're ready to sit on my dick."

Uhm… excuse me! Boy, you're cheating on her and have the audacity to talk to her like that? I mean I knew Vaughn has not many braincells left but even that was low. And Tyra.. I feel ashamed that she let him. Where is her character development? Where is the fire. I didn't see it enough. She even said:

"I didn't need a spine. I needed therapy."

After reading this book, I'M THE ONE NEEDING THERAPY. The series should have ended with Lou and Wren's story.
_____
thoughts at 2am: it's sad that trees had to die so this book could get printed.

[TJ *Book Twins Reviews* · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hands down, my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE of the series. Vaughn and Tyra's story owned me.

I am completely and utterly in love with the world this author has created! Each successive release has lead to this moment and what a phenomenal moment it is! The Prince And The Pawn is flat out amazing and wraps up the overarching storyline masterfully. Bebe Reid is brilliant!

If you're a long time fan of the series, you're in for a treat! If you haven't started reading this series of interconnected stand-alones, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? Grab your copy right now!

Here's what you need to know:
This couple's chemistry and storyline had me weak in the knees. I won't spoil anything for you, but I hope you're ready for what happens. My kindle almost didn't survive this book!
The previous couples really make this one a treat. Seeing them all together really cemented the relationships and character development from beginning to end.
The writing, plot, and pace are on point. Every facet of the story works.

Overall, a phenomenal read. Highly Recommended!




For more of my reviews:
My Blog: Book Twins Reviews
Facebook Blog Page
Twitter
Subscribe to Blog

[Amanda Marie ❤'s Reading · Rating 5 out of 5]

Actual review written 7/20/20:

Five "loved it" stars!

What a satisfying end to an epic series. So many characters; so many backstories, lies, and intrigues- I couldn't put this book down!

In this book we finally got the story of Vaughn and Tyra, and it was a killer. It was refreshingly different how their relationship was established in the previous books only to start as a pile of ash in this book. The story followed their journeys back to one another, and the obstacles they encountered along the way (which were both numerous and delicious). This book even featured one of my oh-so-favorite tropes! Sadly I cannot reveal what it is. Because spoilers.

As usual, this author killed it. She gave us sex-on-a-stick antiheroes, and the no-nonsense heroines who put them in their respective places. We also got suspense, steam, and angst. Overall, a pretty solid recipe for steamy-book enjoyment!

Recommended for fans of B.B. Reid, and fans of steamy darkish romance.



Early review written 5/13/2019: Not sure how something that probably isn't even written yet has 1-star reviews, but I'll counter with an equally premature 5-star. So there, trolls.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

****AVAILABLE NOW***

5+ I DIDN’T THINK I WOULD MAKE IT CROWNS

The Prince and the Pawn was everything and nothing that I expected. BB certainly didn’t pull any punches, and she put my heart through the ringer. I swear each page flayed me alive.

Vaughn and Tyra are such flawed characters, caught in some unusual circumstances, but the love they feel for each other always keeps them connected. It hurt, I’m not going to lie, to watch their story unfold. The mistakes they make are big and epic, but the reasoning behind them are understandable and heartbreaking. Through all their misjudgments and pride and anger, their love shines through. I think that is what ultimately made my heart break with each passing page. I never expected Vaughn to be so broken, and I never expected this unseen side to Tyra. I loved them both, though. Their flaws and broken pieces fit so well together. I truly couldn’t imagine anyone better for the other.

This story is going to cut you deep. Truly. Even when you see the writing on the wall, and you know what is coming. You still won’t be prepared for the emotional impact. While giving Tyra and Vaughn their story, BB Reid still managed to tie up the overall plot of the 13 and Exiled while also giving us glimpses into the previous couples we have loved. These moments only added to the epic nature of The Prince and the Pawn. They were woven so seamlessly, and my heart fluttered with each scene where the crew came together. And don’t even get me started on the epilogue. MY HEART. It will never stop beating of this crew. I’ll love them forever.

Lord, what a freaking ride. When BB said epic, she wasn’t lying. I laughed, I cried, I raged, I threw my kindle, sent screaming messages , and by the end my heart was both happy and sad. Happy with this ending and this story and with where my beloved characters are, but also equally sad. This has been such a journey, and I truly love these characters. They have become a part of my fictional family and it saddens me to say good-bye. This series will for sure be added to my reread pile.

BETA read

[Lana ❇✾DG Romance❇✾ · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 STARS

She started as a challenge and became a once in a lifetime opportunity. She’d been a shooting star, a goddamn miracle, and I let her slip through my fingers.

This review literally pains me to write. I've been obsessed with this series since the very first book. I've been salivating for Vaughn's story. Utterly rabid in my need. This story raised so many feelings in me and I was really conflicted in my rating. On the one hand, I devoured the story. I read it in one sitting, completely incapable of putting it down for even a second. On the other hand, I absolutely hated the direction it took. Like wanted to throw my kindle at the wall and set it on fire sort of hate.

My review will be spoiler free because I will say that this is entirely personal taste. I don't want to ruin it for those that still plan on reading it. And you may just love it. I happen to be a picky shit, and my judgmental asshole came out in full swing here.

Tyra went from being one of my favorite characters, to one of my least. The woman was a doormat. While she made Vaughn chase her in the beginning (and I wish we got to see more of that since it mostly happens of the pages) to taking whatever crumbs he throws at her. She talks a mean game inside her head, but her actions completely contradict it. His sexual allure is simply too much temptation. *insert judgy eyes here*

Vaughn went from being one of my favorite tortured characters to someone I just plain want to torture. No lie, I wanted to jock punch him so many times, it got exhausting. I get it. He's trying to protect Tyra. He's doing what he *THINKS* is the best way to do that. But his choices? OH MY GOD. I can't. You guys, I just can't. I'm a reader that can forgive pretty much anything in fiction. Seriously anything. But what he does in this book is simply unforgivable to me. No matter what his "intentions" are. I don't care. I just don't. He starts on the unforgivable road by doing something I could have maybe looked past. MAYBE. But then he not only doubles down on that choice but freaking sets it on fire. And by then, I just couldn't. I couldn't look past it.

Then there was the third wheel sex. Again. And while it was pretty hot in the previous 3 books (even though it's not quite my jam), here it was just gag worthy. Add into this the turn the book later takes, and it wasn't just gag worthy, it was rage inducing. Because not only is their special moment ruined, but it's fully tainted later on. This made the characters completely irredeemable to me. I couldn't move past this no matter how hard I tried. And trust me, I tried.

Don't get me wrong, it wasn't all bad. There was plenty to love about this story too. The twists and turns, the reveals, the PHENOMENAL epilogue. The epilogue was utter perfection actually.

Ultimately, the choices Vaughn made just ruined the story for me. Can most readers move past it? Sure. I just sadly wasn't one of them. I wanted to love this so much. I adore BB's writing. But sometimes even your favorite authors write a book that doesn't quite work for YOU and that's alright. I'm still obsessed with all things BB and will rabidly jump on her next book. I wish this one was better for me, but alas, you can't love them all.

ARC courtesy of author in exchange for an honest review

Find me on:

[❤️Court - Villains Do It Better❤️ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Alright, so I wasn't going to read this book because Vaughn and Tyra are the worst characters for me, and after how bad the third book was I knew it was only going to get worse, and it did. But I had to actually see some of the crap people were talking about, and I did, and now I wish I hadn't. I actually stopped reading around 15% and skimmed the rest because this book is NASTY. VAUGHN IS A CHEATING LOSER and TYRA IS A WEAK PUSHOVER. The ONLY person I kind of liked was Jamie who is so much better as a side character, so I wish I never had read his book, especially because that one ruined THREE COUPLES, and one I had actually liked. I used to really like Bebe's work, but lately her OTT drama and "sex scenes" are pretty sickening to me, and I've read A LOT of weird crap lol. After the group sex in the last book, I'm surprised that this one was so much worse!!! This book is also super similar to Fear Us by Bebe, which was also terrible, and this will most likely be my last book I read by this author, and i think now I will try to actively stay away from any authors who use these same beta readers too.

This review is spot on!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[B.B. Reid]

The Prince and the Pawn is LIVE EARLY and what a bittersweet moment it is. I’m sad to say goodbye but excited for what I have in store for you. Grab The Prince and the Pawn for the special release price of $2.99 (limited time) or read it FREE with Kindle Unlimited. Enjoy and thank you!

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/3cEHhDT
Amazon Worldwide: https://geni.us/princepawn

[Bookadmirer · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was totally disappointing. I actually liked Vaughn and Tyra and wanted to know their story. But this book totally ruined their character. Vaughn turned out a cheating asshole and Tyra became such a weak character. It was shocking and devastating. How the author ruined two beautiful characters in this book.

The beginning was okay. I enjoyed the other characters and a few scenes of Vaughn and Tyra was really cute. But then suddenly the book went downhill. I hated how Vaughn got involved with Tyra's step-sister. No matter why he did it, it doesn't excuse his action. There are plenty of other ways to break up. Although Tyra's sister is a side villain here, but this OW drama was completely unnecessary. Vaughn's father being the villain was enough, the plot could have been gone well with it.

I knew Tyra is going to lose her virginity to Vaughn. Vaugh accidentally slipped inside of her as he lost control of his emotion. Then, Tyra's sister was there with them the whole time, even gave instruction.



This scene was totally disturbing.



When he gets to know Tyra gave birth to his son River, he became all possessive and alpha male.



Didn't he cheat on Tyra so that she breaks up with him? Tyra is a very weak protagonist. I wanted more groveling from Vaughn. I wanted him to show more effort but guess what, nothing like this happens. He easily wins Tyra back.



The side characters from the previous books rocked here, especially Jamie. Often I felt Vaugh and Tyra are side characters in their own book.



The plot wasn't bad but I would have enjoyed it more if the unnecessary dramas and disturbing sex scenes weren't included. The ending was sweet. The epilogue for every character from the series was cool. The final epilogue when everyone is together gave me sequel vibes. Maybe the author will make more books about the babies and ruins whatever good left in the characters.

[Birjis · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm apologizing in advance if I'm offending anyone with this review. I am so disappointed here. My thoughts are not 100 percent correct because I skimmed on most of the pages so I know the headlines part of scenes but not the details. I was conflicted with this book. Vaughn and Tyra was my favourite couple since meeting them in The Peer and The Puppet. Vaughn was a rich, broody and secretive hero and Tyra was a middle class girl on scholarship and full of sass. Their tropes involved a forbidden romance. What was there not to like.

When I figured the author chose the cheating theme in this story I planned to go with it. Tyra was my favourite, mainly because she was short and had a hellion of a personality. But she was actually a doormat. My heart half died there. Vaughn came off as a dark hero, whose father does mysterious bad business. While living under the cruel thumb of his father Tyra was his sunshine. He really had to work hard to get Tyra and Tyra was seen to not give in easily but WHAT HAPPENED IN THIS BOOK?! Both of them ruined my special place for them, I simply cannot like them now.

Vaughn decisions, a sister to mix, Tyra's personality change and a baby, was a whole lot plenty of overachieving plot. The writing was at its best, no failure there, but the story events was ARGH! The best thing of this book was the epilogue where everyone is together. It was sweet and warming to feel the love and friendship they hold together. This book was bittersweet to me but the journey I had with this series was amazing. I highly recommend this series.





☆ The tropes for each book of the series defines:

The Peer and The Puppet: enemies-to-lovers-romance.
The Moth and The Flame: friends-to-lovers-romance.
The Punk and The Plaything: second-chance-romance.
The Prince and The Pawn: forbidden-romance.

[abire · Rating 1 out of 5]

“I’d spent most of my formative years learning not to care about the people around me or at least pretending not to, and it almost worked. Until her.”

I love these characters, I've loved them from the first book and it is one of the main reasons why I kept on with this series. And, moreover, I've been wanting and praying for Vaughn and Tyra's book since book 1, but alas, this book did not do them justice.

To be quite honest, the first half of the book? I absolutely loved. I loved how Vaughn was with Tyra and how cute they were, and how you could FEEL how much they both loved each other and yearned to be together, it tore at your heart.

Then, the van and virginity scenes happened. That put the most sour taste in my mouth, I couldn't for the life of me enjoy the book the same, and it was all down hill from there. I can't talk about it without spoilers, but honestly all the drama in this book was just too much, unnecessary and just ruined it. It had so much potential that it just didn't meet.

I'm sad that one of my favorite series of last year had to end this way... it will always be bittersweet to me to think about it and I doubt I'd ever reread the entirety of it (I know I won't be rereading this one) but I did appreciate the extended epilogues for each couple.


OWLs 2020 — Muggle Studies : A Contemporary.

[Bookgasms Book Blog · Rating 5 out of 5]

AHHHH!!! The Prince and the Pawn (TPatP) was #EVERYDAMNTHING and then some. I have been obsessed with Tyra and Vaughn since book one and could not wait for their story. But honestly - B.B. Reid destroyed all my expectations and then some with this magnificent book!! TPatP was pure angsty perfection. It was full of riveting and compelling moments, passion, heartbreak, love and betrayal. This story was off the charts fantastic. What an unbelievable rollercoaster ride of epic proportions from beginning to end. PURE PERFECTION!

Gah!! What do you say about the book that had everything. I was enthralled from beginning to end and never wanted this story to end. I did in fact throw my kindle a few times out of complete and utter rage and frustration, but that's what made this story SO EPIC! Every beautifully written word made me feel . I laughed and smirked but also cried and raged. Never have I read a book by this author where I simultaneously wanted to voraciously read every word while also taking the time to process all the heartbreak, swoons and feels. This book is the Business and Reid did the damn thing. This is truly her best book! Bravo! 5 stars! ~Ratula

[SueBee★bring me an alpha!★]

While fighting demons and giving into desires, a crew is caught up in an age-old war between rival gangs. When Rivals Play is a new adult series of standalone which includes an enemies-to-lovers, friends-to-lovers, second chance, and forbidden romance.

Books in When Rivals Play series are stand-alones:
Book 1: The Peer and the Puppet
Book 2: The Moth and the Flame
Book 3: The Punk and the Plaything
Book 4: The Prince and the Pawn

[Vivian · Rating 2 out of 5]

I want to start off by saying that I HAVE enjoyed reading this series. Each book, built up the deeper plot that linked all these books together. (Each book in this series are standalones but there is ONE major storyline that continues throughout all of the books and comes to a conclusion with this one, so they MUST be read in order.) I loved book 1, THE PEER AND THE PUPPET. I was hooked, line and sinker. I loved Bebe's voice in those books and with those characters. Unfortunately, my desire to finish this series began to wane with the last book I read, book 3, THE PUNK AND THE PLAYTHING. I had hoped that it was just a "it's me not you" type thing and I would ultimately love THIS book because I was anxious to read Tyra Bradley and Vaughn Rees' story. There was so little we knew about either of them, but Bebe gave us just enough backstory to have us intrigued in the first books in this series. But ultimately, I did NOT like this story. It just....fell flat. The story and the characters fell F L A T. The Vaughn and Tyra we were introduced to in this series, were nowhere to be seen in THIS book. I thought Vaughn was going to be more dominant, more alpha, but instead I got this weak version of him. Then Tyra...two words, "naive doormat". What happened to the Vaughn and Tyra we met and loved throughout this series?


Also, I feel like there was a breakdown in PLOT editing. The plot was predictable, with little angst, and the plot twists didn't heighten my intrigue, but mostly made me roll my eyes and essentially made me more upset. I genuinely felt irritated with the actions and decisions Vaughn and Tyra were making. Even with the dual POV's, those actions and decisions were never completely resolved. I felt there was a communication barrier for the characters AND the readers and because of that, I couldn't connect with the plot or it's characters. Around "part 2" in the book, I felt as if I was on autopilot. Just finishing the book out of pure curiosity because I've read every book in this series, on principle, I needed to see how it ended. The fact that there was cameos from the previous couples in the series, kept me going. I wanted to know more about their stories after their HEA's, but even that intrigue wavered by the end of the book. Honestly, the epilogue was my favorite part. And I didn't really feel the LOVE between Tyra and Vaughn. I know that they were more than "friends with benefits", but they were also less than lovers in my opinion. I just didn't see the soulmate connection that they supposedly had.

In the end, I was just disappointed in how this final installment played out and how the characters were depicted. I feel like I was lost in translation somehow while reading this book. I've read books with very similar plot twists as this one contained, like the ONE SCENE that was the catalyst that most of the book was formed on, but whereas those twists worked for me in THOSE books, they didn't work for me in THIS book. It still doesn't sit well with me how things were resolved with that ONE particular plot twist in general. It was the MAIN reason behind all the drama and the engine that ran this story. The ultimate reason Tyra was SOOOO angry (which she DEFINITELY should've been and shouldn't of forgiven him for, in my opinion)....THAT reason was never really clarified. So did Vaughn REALLY do this or did he only do that? He never personally confesses to WHAT EXACTLY he did. It was never properly resolved and because of that, I feel both of them deserve better.

“I love you too much to hurt you ever again. Please, please believe me and come home.” Chewing her lip, she stared at me so long I thought my heart would stop from the agony of wondering if maybe we were too far gone to ever be again. And as if she were life itself, she revived me with three words.“I believe you.” The moment my mind processed the words, I leaned down to kiss her to keep from crying out like a bitch, but she stopped me with a finger pressed to my lips. HUH?

⬆️And don't even get me started on Selena, a new character who was added to create OTT drama. I hated her right from the beginning because I knew exactly what her random purpose would be in this story.
And I just to put these gifs in my review...they are in regards to a scene in the book. I can not elaborate, but I felt compelled to put them in my review, if not just for a visual reminder. (You'll understand if you read the book).


This book just did not work for me, which truly bummed me out. I was REALLY looking forward to their story and the conclusion to this series. But not every book is everyone and I stand by that. I guess all I can say at this point is, IF you've read the series and want to know how it ends, read this book. You've come THIS far, you might as well feed that curiosity. Who knows, maybe you will be happy with how it ended.

2 stars

[Laura G/ _page.turner · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just want to make it clear that I love BB Reid. She’s a tremendous author and one whose writing and characters are beloved in the community. The When Rivals Play series is one of my favorites and I’m so in love with these couples and their stories.

That being said, I have NO CLUE as to what happened with this book.

I’ve been looking forward to this one for ages and it’s just... flat. Tyra is completely hopeless, never showing any signs of growth. I found her to be weak and wishy washy. Vaughn, whom I loved this entire series, shows potential for greatness, but doesn’t act on it. The plot is highly predictable, yet boring, and while Reid could have made tensions rise and kicked up the angst factor, she didn’t. I was skimming by 16% in. I can’t believe this is the final book of the series. Vaughn Rees deserves better, honestly.

From a technical standpoint, this book hits the bullseye without question. The other redeeming points include plenty of time with the other couples and the extended epilogue. Without either, this book would have been a DNF, or maybe a one star at best.

I know BB Reid put a lot of time and heart into this book and into this series, and I’m so grateful for that. Truly. But this one missed the mark entirely.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

[Vanessa (When Vane Reads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

ENGLISH/SPANISH VERSION

Undoubtedly the best B.B. Reid's story to date.
Gahhh it hit me like the force of a hurricane. The Prince and the Pawn is sexy AF, emotional, full of secrets and intense anguish that consumed me and left me with the worst book hangover ever, I don't think I can ever recover. I felt my heart racing through the whole story... my stomach was in knots from start to finish. The author slayed me.

Vaughn is a mystery from the beginning of the series, he tries to keep all people away, but as the story progresses and secrets are revealed, we see layers and layers in his personality that reveal what he is capable of doing to protect the ones he loves. And Tyra is such badass and brave heroine. They are perfect together!
Their story is not easy, it is full of suffering, pain, and angst soul-consuming, it broke my heart and left it bruised, made me sob and scream, I almost threw my kindle out the window, but it was totally worth it because that ending made me so happy!! Their love overcomes everything. I swooned so hard, I DIE IN LOVE FOR THIS COUPLE

I can't get enough of this series, the scenes with friends are epic. I love this crew, I would love to live in their world forever. I'm a little nostalgic because the series is over!

This is a story about love, loyalty, friendship, it's a roller coaster of emotions that moved me to the depths of my being, it's OUTSTANDING, addictive, and full of twists that had me turning the pages without blinking, it will remain etched in my heart forever.
Get ready for one of the best stories of 2020.


Versión en español
Sin lugar a dudas la mejor historia de B. B. Reid hasta la fecha. Gahhh me azotó como la fuerza de un huracán. The Price and the Pawn es sexy AF, emocional, llena de secretos y de una angustia intensa que me consumió y me dejó con la peor resaca literaria, no creo poder recuperarme nunca. En todo momento sentí mi corazon acelerado... mi estomago estaba en nudos de principio a fin. La autora me mató.

Vaughn es un misterio desde el inicio de la serie, el trata de mantener alejado a todas las personas, pero mientras la historia avanza y secretos son revelados vemos capas y capas en su personalidad que van develando lo que él es capaz de hacer para proteger los que ama. Tyra es una dulce y valiente chica tratando de salir adelante. Ellos son perfectos juntos.

Su historia no es facil, esta plagada de dolor, sufrimiento y tanta angustia. Oh Dios tanta angustia, destrozó mi corazón y lo dejó magullado, me hizo sollozar y gritar, casi tiro la kindle por la ventana, pero valió totalmente la pena, ese final me hizo tan feliz. Su amor supera todo. MUERO DE AMOR POR ESTA PAREJA

No puedo tener suficiente de esta serie, las escenas con los amigos son épicas. Me encanta este grupo, me encantaría vivir en su mundo para siempre. Y estoy un poco nostálgica porque la serie terminó.

Esta es una historia acerca de amor, lealtad, amistad, es una montaña rusa de emociones que me conmovió hasta lo más profundo de mi ser, es adictiva, todo-consumidora, y llena de giros que me tuvieron volteando las páginas sin parpadear, y se quedará grabada en mi corazón para siempre. Preparate para una de las mejores historias del 2020.

[Dawn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok, so honestly I do not even get it. What the hell is this story? There were some serious editing and beta reading issues with this book! There is a bunch of information that we get from reading Vaughn’s point of view, that Tyra never gets told. There are some really stupid plot points that make no sense based on previous books and what we already knew about the characters. She made Tyra pathetic and dumb on top of her suddenly having the interest (and confidence) to be able to be a stripper? I’m really thrown. I knew I might not like the book for one reason, but that fear actually didn’t come true because Vaughn technically didn’t screw someone else. He was however stupid enough to let Tyra think he did and never does explain what actually happened. But honestly that’s on only one issue, I didn’t like it for a bunch of other reasons as well. I thought she had made Jamie into a real douche, but what she has done to Vaughn really pissed me off. Hell she didn’t even even have him go dark, just strait skeezy d-bag. I would definitely have preferred dark. He doesn’t really do anything to win her back, he doesn’t even give her the truth. Mostly he mopes and whines without DOING anything. She depends way too much on other woman drama, and I don’t know why beside she is more talented than that! I’m just so confused right now. I just lighted a bunch of parts and noted what was wrong with the part I highlighted, because honestly there is too much for one review. Feel free to click and read them, I’m making them public. Good luck.

[Veronica WordsAreMyDrinkOfChoice · Rating 1 out of 5]

Fucking disgusting.

[jordane · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I started the When Rivals Play series I remember being intrigued by Vaughn and Tyra and the whole mystery surrounding them and their relationship and I really wanted them together at the end of the series. In Jamie and Bee’s book, when it was revealed that Vaughn had cheated on Tyra my excitement for their book kind of decreased and then it decreased even lower when I read the blurb and the prologue of The Prince and the Pawn. So I really went into this book without any expectations.

You know from the beginning that Vaughn will cheat on Tyra, but not exactly why. I think it would have been better not to know this because it ruined the first part of the book that started a month before the cheating. It was good to have cute moments between Vaughn and Tyra, but my only thought while reading was that he was going to cheat on her so I didn’t enjoy their moments. Knowing that he was going to cheat on her in the near future overshadowed the moments they spent together.

The second part of the book took place several months after the event of the first part and it didn’t get any better. The moments with River were cute but other than that Vaughn and Tyra annoyed me so much. I feel like they never evolved from the beginning of the book and just were the same as before like all they have been through in the past didn’t change them. In this part, you also learned why Vaughn cheated on Tyra and it was to protect her from his father. He could have done anything like faking cheating on her, but yeah cheating for real was better. All they did was going back and forth: Tyra leaving Vaughn then him making her come back without even groveling for what he did to her.

I liked all the moments with the group of friends, especially Wren and Lou getting engaged. They are still my favorite couple from this series!!! The epilogue and extended epilogue for each couple were also very cute. I’m sad to end this series on a wrong note because I really liked the previous books and Vaughn and Tyra had so much potential, but I didn’t recognize them in this book and their story was a mess. They deserved so much better.

[Gracie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Golly gosh.
You all, what on earth did I just read?

Just a warning: My thoughts are all over the place. I apologize in advance if this review (read: my thoughts) doesn't make sense. Also, *spoilers*

Okay, let's start with little miss Selena, shall we?
Who is Selena, you ask?
Well, she's the sister.
Putting it nicely, Selena is the definition of a BRAT. Not to mention the fact she's completely and utterly batshit crazy. She's similarly a creep cause, oh oh oh she just loves standing in the corner and watching two people having sex.

Right, onto Vaughn and Tyra. Gosh, where do I start with these two?
The following fact is my major problem with all of this.

Dunn Dunn Dunn

Is the suspense killing you yet?

The cheating.

Vaughn all but cheats on poor Tyra. Don't get me wrong it's not actual intercourse, but miss Selena gives him a BJ. And yeah, before I get, hated on I know the ’reason.’ He lets Selena give him the BJ because he wants Tyra to see it, to push her away because of blah, blah blah, blah reasons. (presumably, he wanted her to break up with him; that was his end goal). His father is in a gang and finds out his son *shocked* is falling in love and *gasp* growing up. He threatens to kill poor old Tyra if Vaughn doesn't dump her -- fast.

Ugh. The Stupidity is unbelievable here. I can think of dozens of other ways to keep Tyra safe (or break up with her gently). He did not; I repeat did not have to all but fu*k the sister for God sake. Grow up, please.

We then fast-forward several months ( between then and now Vaughn works for daddy dearest, and Tyra attends an expensive uni). Oh shocker, the FMC then returns to town pregnant with the MMC’s baby. Wtf. Why. Is. This. Plot. Point. Included.
It's not needed. Okay? ... Okay.

[XxTainaxX Curvy and Nerdy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was bittersweet for me because it signals the end of a generation of characters created by the very talented BB Reid. She has a way of creating compelling characters that always gets me invested. Vaughn and Tyra are no exception. Even when the themes she covers are usually out of my comfort zone I can trust BB to tear me apart and put me back together. Her writing is powerful.

In previous books the spark between Tyra and Vaughn was undeniable. They were a cosmic explosion waiting to happen and boy did they combust. I loved the tense energy between them and the overarching plot, as well as the connection between the books, was seamlessly incorporated into their story.

It was an honest pleasure to experience this book. It was more than just reading. As soon as I was done with it, I was ready for a re-read. Very few books have that effect on me.

Complementary copy received and voluntarily reviewed.

[Taz Bookworm · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a no on so many levels! This book has so much potential but it was just a hard hard read. Maybe the author should’ve stuck with her original plan for the star crossed lovers thing cos this is just a waste of time. This author is always a hit and miss for me. This was a huge miss!

This book was long and dragged on with too much unnecessary drama! The drama felt forced. I feel like she should’ve kept it simple with Vaughn taking on his father and protecting Tyra with a simple breakup and keeping them true to their original personality traits.

WARNING! Major spoilers below...

Why did there have to be the newfound villainous sister? What was that even about? It was so unnecessary. Like ok I need a villain so I’ll invent a long lost sister? U never even see Tyra and her father talk about this. Why he was so angry at her for seeing and inviting the sister? Did he know she was a cray cray?

How dumb was Tyra to not see through her sister? And to let her watch while u lose your virginity and then still be fine with her? That whole scene made me cringe so bad, I couldn’t enjoy a single one of the other steamy scenes. I was so grossed out, I skipped them. That yuck threesome sister scene and then everyone being fine with it was just so weird and pointless!

And I’m sorry Vaughn being hot for the sister was also gross! He saw her in a towel and wanted to bend her over the couch?? He has to escape to Tyra’s room to avoid that??? Then he checks her out at the fair and thinks if she wasn’t Tyra’s sister, he’d be hooking up with her!! He then makes out with her in a car in front of the supposed love of his life while she’s sleeping?? Then using her to break up with Tyra! I’m sorry none of this is forgivable to me! What a loser!!! He was also not even a little bit remorseful about any of this! He was just such a dumbass using his daddy issues to blame the world and hurt the supposed love of his life. I also just couldn’t feel the chemistry between him and Tyra. It wasn’t there. Aside from sex which was lacklustre and yuck most of the time, those 2 had nothing. His supposed new alpha personality was so ridiculous, it physically hurt to read it. Man this book was bad!

That scene with the fathers and that showdown also had to be the most anticlimactic end to that part of the story! Weak and seriously pathetic! Sad cos it had potential!

Then, let’s talk about Tyra. She had such potential as a good and strong person with morals and values in the other books and then in this book, that was completely destroyed! She has to be one of the worst heroines I’ve read in a long time. Yes the guy broke ur heart which u knew was coming but u are in high school and shit happens. I understand giving your kid up for adoption cos u are 18 but doing it for selfish reasons like she was was disgusting! Then I get cutting ties with ur friends and moving on but again her selfish bullshit reason was not ok! Yes she admits this but woman! Get ur shit together and move the hell on!!! Life doesn’t end when a guy leaves u! Yeesh! What a pathetic and weak woman who despite knowing he cheated on her with her damn sister and him treating her like complete shit was happy to drop her pants the first day he comes back in her life! She was sooooo wet and horny! Kill me now!!! She damages his car and just acts like a complete idiot the entire book! No growth whatsoever even with a kid! My God she was an immature, needy and useless woman that gives other our gender a bad name!! Seriously, the worst woman in this entire series or any series I read recently! Why did it have to be the black girl who got this story??? I just can’t deal with this character. She gets worse as the story progresses with her ‘new job’! The girl needed a brain!!! How she got into Harvard is seriously beyond me! If the author is reading this, please find better beta readers! U need honest opinions and not people who suck up to u!

Let’s also just go back to Vaughn being upset that she didn’t tell him about the pregnancy! Wasn’t the idiot being locked up by his father and no one could find him!! Even if she wanted to tell him, how the heck was she supposed to!! She did try after the kid was born and duh!!! He didn’t find out!

I wish I didn’t read this book! It pissed me off! The one star is for the epilogue

[Deonna · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 5 star rating may be premature, but as I've already stated, I ride for this author and love these characters. This is my favorite series so far, so I'm looking forward to seeing how it all plays out. I'm just contrary enough to truly dislike haters and negativity. If you haven't read the book, there's no way you can dislike it enough to give it 1 star. Go somewhere and read something ... SMH!

[nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an awesome end to one of my favourite series. BB Reid has created a world and characters that I’ve become completely obsessed with, and I’m just so sad that it’s all over.
Vaughn and Tyra’s story was everything I had hoped for, yet so much more. We’ve seen glimpses of their relationship over the course of the last few books, but I don’t think I was ready for the absolute heartbreak that their story was going to bring. Vaughn is such a tortured soul, and rightfully so, so seeing the softer side to him had me wrecked. Tyra was so fucking strong, even when she didn’t want to be, and I loved her for that.
I lived for the extended epilogue, it just rounded everything off perfectly and left me with a huge smile on my face. I know for sure I’ll be revisiting Blackwood Keep many times over in the future.

[giulia ✿ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I only save the epilogue. Tyra and Vaughn deserved better.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

I knew that B.B. Reid was going to end her amazing When Rivals Play series epically, taking both her characters and her readers on one hell of a final journey, and I can wholeheartedly say that Reid wrung every single heartbreaking and heartwarming emotion out of me, making me question my sanity as I dove deeper into the tumultuous and dark world she crafted and witnessed Vaughn Rees and Tyra Bradley walk a delicate line toward each other, knowing that life is a cruel bitch, at times, and that other’s intentions can far outweigh the desire that two people have, even if it’s not necessarily what they want or even need.

Readers who have read the series from the beginning aren’t strangers to the complicated dynamics of Vaughn and Tyra’s relationship, and even though we are privy to a bit of insight when it comes to this couple, it’s not until they get their own story and tell things from their perspectives that all of the questions that we’ve been collecting every time these two wind up in a scene get answers, and while their responses shed significant light on who Vaughn and Tyra are, sometimes, that information is not what readers want to hear, which further complicates things in unprecedented ways.

But the couples and the love they have for each other in this series can’t be ever be described as warm and fuzzy, in any way shape or form. All characters have experienced the cruelty of the world and have endured extremely difficult situations, which means that there is a grittiness to each of the couples and that rings true in The Prince and the Pawn more so, I think, than with any of the other couples. And that means that Vaughn and Tyra will not come out of this unscathed, but, hopefully, they will come out of it together, but Reid sure makes them work for it.

B.B. Reid has the uncanny ability to create flawed heroes and heroines - ones who work tirelessly to convey an external perception that holds up to their biggest critics and their most dangerous enemies, but what it also does is force a divide between them that can be extremely difficult to overcome, especially when Vaughn and Tyra seem hellbent on going about things in all the wrong ways.

The prince is not so much princely as he is someone who conveys control and wields power. There were several times throughout the story that I wanted to junk punch Vaughn, but then Reid would have him do or say something that would bring him back in my good graces, but that never lasted too long, and then I was back to wanting to smack him something fierce.

Tyra’s role as the pawn is an interesting one, because as the story moves forward, she shows herself to be quite the adversary for all that was up against her, and while there were times that I didn’t understand her choices or her actions, I held steadfast to the thought that she was doing everything she could not to be categorized as someone to be used and, for the most part, she stands firm and exuded strength even in the most difficult of scenes.

I hate that this series has come to an end. I’ve enjoyed every single moment of it, even when I wanted to send ranty messages to the author. And I LOVE how Reid brought all the couples together in the final book and allowed each reader to say their own version of goodbye to these heroes and heroines who have been in our hearts and our heads for quite some time.

4.5 Poison Apples

[Keeana Estrada · Rating 5 out of 5]

“One word, EPIC."

The prince and Pawn was my UNDOING!!! It is a gripping to the next level in a masterfully written tangled web that will keep you furiously turning pages.

This Punch-you-in-the-gut ANGSTY book is everything.
I have fallen irrevocably head over heels in love with Vaughn and Tyra, The chemistry between them is scorchingly hot and the banter is pure perfection....

B.B. not only has woven one hell of a epic finale but a masterpiece. Her words just slayed me mind, body and soul!

B.B. continues to raise the bar with every work she publishes. She's on a all level of her own.

Let’s take a minute to talk about my man Vaughn he will steal your soul and leave you riveted! That man is EVERYTHING he is a delicious Possessive Alpha that will make you weak in the knees. He owns my heart completely! No one writes Alphas like B.B.


I’m sad, conflicted, speechless and so damn happy right now. I have just finished one anticipated and perfect conclusions to one of my top favorite book series ever and it has rocked me to the CORE!

There isn’t enough stars to even give this book it was everything plus way way more! Mrs, Reid is the Fucking Queen that is all!

[Pink Pages · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall a good story, but I’m very disappointed.

I’ve been looking forward to reading this story since I read The Peer and the Puppet. For the past week I have been devouring all the interactions between Vaughn and Tyra in each book to savor the excitement of them finally getting their own story.

I was through the moon about an African American heroine with Vaughn, because I’ve been intrigued with him since he was first introduced. I just couldn’t wait for their romantic story.

**SPOILERS( a little) below. *****

But, so many things completely SOURED it for me, and it wasn’t just the prologue. I shook my head over how unspecial and unromantic their first time was. Like, really?! This is how it’s going to go down? And with extra eyes to witness??!!

Tyra’s choices throughout the book made me seriously want to strangle her. The most hurtful of all was how she decided to earn money for school. So, you have a rich boyfriend, but you would rather lower your dignity and do what you did? That made no sense whatsoever. I’m still shaking my head over that.

I guess my hopes were too high, and I felt like the Black girl got the short end of the stick in the series. How random that she has a long lost relative show up, and of course act slutty. Of all the heroines in the series who have had slip ups concerning protection, only she gets pregnant of course.
Only Tyra dealt with a cheating boyfriend, and only Tyra resorts to degrading herself when she didn’t have to. I’m just so disappointed that she couldn’t truly have a happily ever after like she easily could have. All that BS did not have to happen. Yes, I’m particularly salty that this happened to her, because I was rooting for her and she just was not represented well. This could have been such an epic story.

[♂️Must Have Book Boyfriends ♂️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I didn’t LOVE this book, but I also didn’t HATE it either. I have to say, in my opinion, it’s the angstiest book in this series. B.B. has made me feel like this gang was my family. I’ve loved them since the beginning. Each and every character. So, needless to say I was DYING to find out what the fuuuuck was going to happen with Vaughn and Tyra after reading a certain part in The Punk and the Plaything. LIKE. DYING.

So the main issue I had with the story was a certain character that was added to the mix. I felt like it would have been better if it was just a random person, someone we’d never see again. LOL I also felt like this person played too much of a part in this book, and there was too much focus on THAT. For me it was overkill. There are other things I would've liked to have seen instead of the repeated drama. But I can’t really say what because…I don’t want to spoil anything. I am a really forgiving person when book boyfriends do shit, but there is one thing (ok maybe more than one) that happened that I just can’t get over. There is also something that Vaughn didn’t tell Tyra, and I found it severely distracting and frustrating while I was reading. To the point, I kinda obsessed over it, and not in a good way.

What I did LOVE. The fact that no matter how mad I was, I couldn’t put the book down, like I legit stayed up until 6 am reading. That was the angst factor, angst is definitely my jam. The bromance, the suspense, the rest of the gang. And there were definitely some laugh out loud moments. The happy and sexy times between Tyra and Vaughn, I ADORED. I also loved what an asshole Vaughn was at times. Like seriously, bruh. Some of the shit he’d say to Tyra had me raging, but also kept me turning the pages. I loved his alpha assholey moments, for sure.

I am seriously sad that this series is over. I loved each book. Bebe is absolutely one of my favourite authors. I will read anything she writes, even if it makes me rage and throw things. But isn’t that what stories are all about? I love books that bring out ALL. THE. FEELS. And The Prince and the Pawn DEFINITELY brought out all feelings, the good, the bad and the ugly! Sad to say good-bye to these characters.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

✨Review The Prince and the Pawn (When Rivals Play, #4) by B.B. Reid✨
•

“𝙄’𝙙 𝙗𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙝𝙚 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙𝙚𝙙—𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙡 𝙤𝙛 𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙘𝙮, 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙖𝙧𝙠𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨. 𝙄’𝙙 𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙧𝙪𝙥𝙩 𝙢𝙮 𝙨𝙤𝙪𝙡 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙛 𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙩𝙤.“
•
WOW! WHAT AN EXPLOSIVE FINALE! I was scared going into the final book because I knew it would WRECK me and wow B.B. was not playing around..I haven’t felt this many emotion while reading a novel in a while. Vaughn and Tyra are definitely a sexy couple. These two were fire and ice and a perfect match to the other. I craved their banter and delicious sexy moments but also knew how toxic they could be towards the other and still craved more..I won’t forget these two for awhile.
���
So I pretty much just absolutely loved Tyra. She was very relatable and I truly felt for her when Vaughn would treat her badly and what he did in the middle of the story.. god I just wanted to take Tyra and hide her away. Tyra really grew up in this book, though she was still controlled by her feelings for Vaughn, she learned not be so submissive and stick up for herself, she really learned her worth. Sometimes the heart really just wants what it wants and in this case it would be her explosive connection with Vaughn. “𝙄’𝙙 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙢𝙮𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙙𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙑𝙖𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝙥𝙪𝙡𝙡 𝙢𝙚 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠. 𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙞𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙣 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙨𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙚. 𝙃𝙚 𝙢𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙖𝙨 𝙬𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙨𝙣𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙙 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧𝙨.“
•
Vaughn.. where do I start? This man was sinfully delicious, bad, sweet, and RUINED ME!! I literally wanted to stab him and then I wanted to run into his arms because I guess I’m a sucker for the damaged men. Vaughn absolutely did some inexcusable things to Tyra but not all is at it seems.. and everything is planned ahead of time in Vaughn’s brain. What wasn’t planned was his love for Tyra he’ll do absolutely anything to keep her safe even if it means giving her up. “𝙈𝙮 𝙨𝙪𝙙𝙙𝙚𝙣 𝙪𝙧𝙜𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙣𝙚𝙖𝙧 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙖𝙡𝙢𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙪𝙣𝙗𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚.“
•
Get ready for the ride of your life, and twists you won’t see coming! Vaughn and Tyra are definitely my favourite couple.🖤 y’all ain’t ready for that ending! WHERES MY TISSUES?!🤧
•
5⭐️
Steam🔥5/5