Guy meets girl. Guy loses girl. Player has met his match. Give It Up is just the remedy for the closet romantic. I had the pleasure of receiving an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Lori Foster's gives battle of the sexes meets stop in the name of love to this seamless yet steamy anthology. Reading Lori Foster is a treat for me because her writing style reminds me of Carly Phillips and Susan Mallery. Her synchronization is in tip top shape and her characters are a pleasure to get to know. ( )

He Sees You When You’re Sleeping
4*

What Booker Dean wants for Christmas isn’t under the tree, it’s right next door. Frances Kennedy is everything Booker desires…and the gift he has planned for her involves a lot of delicious unwrapping…

Short and steamy friends to lovers story. This was a fun and intense 24-hour story. Booker has finally realized that the reason the women he's dated lately don't do it for him is that he's fallen for his friend and next-door neighbor, Frances. But he's stuck in a relationship he hasn't figured out how to end until the arrival of his brother. I laughed out loud at Axel's description of the "attack" on him by Booker's girlfriend, and Booker's undisguised amusement - and gratitude. Moving to Frances's point of view, we have her dreaming of "What-She-Wants-Most" and being stuck in the friend zone. To say she was shocked by Booker's arrival and interest in her would be putting it mildly. I loved watching Booker put all that he's got into showing her he's serious, and Frances insisting she needs time (at least until the next day) to think about it. I was pretty impressed with Booker and how he didn't try to roll over her wishes to get what he wanted but promised to give her the time she asked for. But then a middle of the night encounter puts a strain on that promise. I loved their cookie-making efforts, and listening to all of Booker's plans as he tried to show her how he felt. One of the things I liked best was that he loves her just as she is. I loved seeing the effect on Frances as she slowly started to believe. The story concluded with a hilarious scene in Booker's apartment as Frances showed up to give him her answer.

Some Like It Hot
4*

Family practitioner Cary Rupert wants Nora Chilton so badly he can barely keep a hold of his stethoscope. Now he’s out to prove that when it comes to loving her forever, he’s just what the doctor ordered…

Another short and steamy read. Cary is Axel's best friend, and as such has been a part of Axel's love 'em and leave 'em club. But he's tired of the superficiality and one night stands. For the last eleven months, he has been intrigued and attracted by Axel's nurse Nora. Whenever he visited Axel's office, he took the time to talk to her. He asked her out multiple times, but she always shot him down. Just as he reached the end of his patience, he overheard a conversation that gave him insight into her reasons.

Nora was widowed six months into her marriage and is not very experienced. She wanted a man who is looking for forever and believed that Cary is not that man. She was afraid that if she gave in to his entreaties that she would fall for him and get her heart broken.

I loved the way that Cary was certain of what he wanted and that he had the patience to pursue it, though it was a close run thing at the end. Once he knew what the obstacles were, he put his mind to overcoming them. From the scene in Axel's office to his appearance at her home, Cary was determined to prove to her how serious he was. Yes, he got a little carried away at one point, which freaked Nora out and caused her to hurt him inadvertently. I loved the advice she received from her friend Liza and what she did with it. Her big moment at the end was great, especially when she accused Cary and Axel of behaving like little boys.

Playing Doctor
5*

Dr. Axel Dean likes his women with sensual moxie, not virginal innocence. But when Libby Preston won’t take no for an answer, Axel is more than willing to administer the cure…

The final story in the anthology, this one is a bit longer and steamy with a side of sweet. Axel has been the biggest player of the three men, only hooking up with women who know the score. He looks on the now-married Booker and Cary with puzzlement, but also the occasional hint of envy and wondering if it's time to change his ways. As this story opened, Axel was an unwilling attendee at a party given by the hospital chief of staff. Bored, he amused himself watching the caterer as she went about her work and fantasizing about getting up close and personal with her.

Working her uncle's party was just one more step in Libby's determination to pay him back for taking her in after her mother's death. He's a cold man who constantly accused her of being like her flighty mother. Instead, Libby was determined to stick to her goals and finish her nursing degree, before leaving her uncle and his attitude behind her. This party was a little different, with the way that one of the doctors kept staring at her. She wouldn't mind staring back, but she had no room in her life for a man.

I could almost feel the heat coming off the pages as Axel's interest in Libby burned hotter by the minute. That heat flared to an inferno when he followed her outside and made his interest known. The banter between them was great, and things got interesting until Libby let slip some unexpected information. Imagine Libby's hurt, humiliation, and anger when Axel turned tail and all but ran away from her. A month later and neither one was able to forget their encounter, though having had a taste of the possibilities, Libby was ready to spread her wings and fly a little. Their next encounter was almost comical, as Libby chose a random doctor to visit to get birth control only to find Axel on the other end of the stethoscope. I adored his conversation with Nurse Nora (yes, Cary's Nora) as he attempted to explain, but also accepted the value of her advice.

I had to laugh as Axel showed up at Libby's door, determined to apologize, and had to listen to her bust his chops over his actions. I loved watching her run verbal circles around him until he ended up giving her exactly what she wanted, though he has advice to go along with it. Specifically, he warns her against investing in him emotionally. When they were done, I loved how each of them realized that there had been a deeper connection than either of them had expected or wanted. But before either of them can address the issue, Axel realized that Libby was burning with fever. My heart melted at his concern for her, in spite of his shock over another bit of previously unknown information. I laughed out loud as he called on Cary to make a house call. Cary had way too much fun jerking Axel's chain while doing his exam of Libby. It was sweet to see how well Axel took care of her, and how his feelings for her grew. Libby is skeptical, but Axel is determined and supportive of her goals. The ending was fantastic, with an interesting twist involving Libby's uncle. ( )

Give It Up contains three short stories about two brothers and one of their friends finding their happy ever after. This was a very light, entertaining read with a lot of insta-love and insta-lust and nothing deep or problematic to get in the way of marriage proposals within a week. The most entertaining bits were the interactions between Alex, Booker and Cary.
I have never read anything by Lori Foster before, but I enjoyed her style of writing and would certainly try one of her full length publications. This served as a good introduction to the author. Thanks to Netgalley for my free copy in exchange for an honest review. ( )

Two brothers and a brother’s best friend star in this compilation. Each story is different and fun in its own right.

He Sees You When You’re Sleeping: Booker Dean has the hots for his neighbor but is in a relationship, of sorts, with someone already. Once he is free to pursue her he pulls out all the stops and moves full steam ahead in his quest to woo and win Frances just before Christmas.

Some Like it Hot: Dr. Cary Rupert has been trying to get a date with nurse Nora Chilton for almost a year. Each time he heads over to his best friend’s office to ask her out she has turned him down. How and why things change and why she has turned Cary down so many times makes this a sweet but also very steamy read.

Playing Doctor: Dr. Axel Dean is a player. He is a hound and makes no promises to any of the women he spends time with. At a party one evening he sees a woman he wants, pursues her and then runs away leaving her rather frustrated. She is everything he says he does not want in a woman and yet he cannot forget her.

Thank you to Kensington Books – Zebra and Net Galley for the copy of this book to read and review. ( )