Play with Me

Angels of Désirer, Book 3

De: D.L. Darby

Narrado por: Janine Granda, Robert Hatchet

Carmela: Someone is trying to kill me.

For weeks, I’ve been receiving letters at my club with the same warning: they’re coming for me.

And they’re leaving a trail of bodies in their wake.

When my ex—a high-profile senator—says he’s flying in an experienced detective to handle the case, the last thing I expect is a cocky, condescending jerk who I can’t seem to take my eyes off of.

Anderson Brooks is the worst person for the job, and now we have to work together to attempt to lure the murderer out, by putting on a show at my exclusive club.

The line between lust and hate is thin, and we blur it like watercolors on a canvas.

Neither of us wants to work with each other.

Now, if we could stop ending up in bed together, that would be great.

Anders: I get called to New York when Carmela Lane starts getting threats from someone who’s murdering members of her club. I’m supposed to keep her safe, but the fact that we despise each other doesn’t make it easy.

Neither does the fact that we can’t seem to stop tearing each other’s clothes off.

With her life on the line, it’s a race to catch the killer.

That is if we don’t end up killing each other first.

Play With Me is the third book in the Angels of Désirer series, which is an interconnected stand-alone series. It can be listened to alone. This book deals with heavy themes. Please check the warnings.

©2024 D.L. Darby (P)2025 Blue Nose Publishing

Loved the dirty talk!

Good plot and nice spice. Love a dirty talking MMC (4 out of 5 for that category).

Enemies, Fire, and Désirer… My Favorite Yet! 🔥

I think this might be my favorite in the Angels of Désirer series so far! This time we dive into Carmela’s story, the woman behind Désirer, and finally get to see what shaped her into the powerhouse she is. We get a glimpse into her past and how she met Mick, and honestly… my heart broke for everything she went through with him. He gave me the ick real fast.

When Carmela starts receiving threatening notes, an investigator named Anders is brought in to help but here’s the twist: she meets him before knowing who he is, and the two share one insanely steamy night together. 👀 The next day? Surprise! He’s that investigator, and when he finds out what she does for a living, he immediately judges her, calling her a prostitute and insisting he’s “not into that type of woman.” Cue my rage and my obsession.

From there, it’s enemies-to-lovers tension at its finest. Anders starts off as a total ass, but honestly… there’s just something about a man who falls hard once he realizes the woman he underestimated is everything he never knew he needed. The chemistry? Explosive. The twists? Didn’t see them coming. I was absolutely rooting for these two the entire time. Carmela’s fiery, fierce personality paired with Anders’ commanding presence made every scene feel like a power play and I ate it up.

This audiobook was perfection. This was my first time listening to Janine Granda, and she nailed Carmela’s Latina accent and attitude. She brought out every layer of fire, sass, and vulnerability in her performance. And Robert Hatchet? That man never disappoints. His tone fit Anders perfectly authoritative, confident, and undeniably sexy. Together, their duet chemistry was phenomenal.

Incredible story and narration

This book & audio was **Chef's Kiss**

Law and Order meets Sex & The City in the most delicious book by DL. Darby.

Carmela is a fiery badass who holds back nothing. She is fierce, stands up for what she believes in and protects everyone she loves.
I loved getting to know her back story with Mick who we meet in books 1 & 2. I never liked him and I never will.

Anders... OH Anders... he really is the definition of 'let him warm up to you'. Because if there is anything you'll learn about Anders is he's FROZEN before he becomes VOLCANIC!

The inevitable chemistry between those two.. 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Carmela is a dominating badass and she definitely got Anders to bend the knee..

Janine & Robert brought these characters to life with the perfect voices & emotions. The voice acting was impeccable.

Romance, banter, and drama at its finest! It’s a must listen

5⭐️🌶️5 🎤5

Talk about plot twists and turns! Just when I thought I knew everything about this series the author goes and throws plot twist after plot twist my way and I loved every moment of it from beginning to end.

Darby created such an incredible universe that gives you different stories with each book that’s still within the same universe. For me, it felt like this was the perfect way to bring every story together and every character together in a sense to tie up stuff from the beginning all the way to the end if that makes sense.

There’s tension there’s spice of course there’s a plot twist cause I already mentioned that there’s a mystery. There’s romance found family amongst other things and it’s just fan freaking tactic! The Angels of Désirer series is something that will keep you very entertained and on your toes while still enjoying the stories and loving the characters. It’s a standalone that can be read on its own however to get the full experience of this one it’s best to start with the first book in the series

(Burn With Me) Each character in this is amazing they make you laugh, they make you cry, they make you gasp, you name it which is why I feel it’s best to read the series in order, even if you choose to read, this has a standalone. It’s still very enjoyable I highly recommend it to anyone who’s into dark romance, workplace romance, and suspense amongst other things you want spice? It has spice you want drama? It has drama you want fun cute moments it has it! You want banter? It has it and more

Carmela and Anders know how to push each other's buttons and yet still give us what we want as readers. The author does a great job of moving forward with the series and making each story its own, and still giving you familiar characters. The story stands on its own. The character growth is amazing. The twists and turns will keep you on your toes for sure, and the narration is of course phenomenal. Janine and Robert are a great duo when it comes to narration, they truly nailed this one.

Yes, I would definitely recommend you add this to your list and start it immediately

Love this series!

This series has been so much fun! The narration by Robert and Janine was so incredible. They truly brought Anders and Carmella to life!

Enthralling & Excellent➞Story & Narration🎧

I have been loving the “Angels of Désirer” series, and D.L. Darby has outdone herself with her third addition to the series, “Play With Me” a thrilling dark romantic suspense, that hooks you right from the start, becomes your obsession, for the need to know what happens next. I found Carmela, the owner and head angel of Club Désirer, to be an intriguing character and was looking forward to her story, and wow, what a story it is. With flashbacks to the past, we learn what brought her to running an adult entertainment club, and about the man in her life who disappointed her younger self and continues to do the same in her present life. Someone is sending Carmela threatening notes, and they stepped up their game by sending those notes with dead bodies, in her club, that someone infiltrated the club undetected. To help with the investigation, they bring in a detective from California, for his discretion and expertise. Anders Brooks arrived the night before their meeting and wound up having a steamy encounter with a bombshell of a woman, the same woman he was to meet the next day, Carmela. Once Anders found out who Carmela was and what she did, he was just downright rude and judgmental, but Carmela had dealt with jerks like him before and gave as good as she got. He wound up staying to handle the investigation despite protests from both sides, and once he opened his eyes to see what Carmela and the club did for others, he changed his tune. The chemistry between those two was electric, loved the push and pull and the banter between them, and before I knew it, I was rooting for these two. There are many layers to this story, and it was amazing to watch it all unfold, from secrets revealed, to the twists and turns, to trying to figure out who was behind the threats and wondering what was going to happen next. There is so much more, including non-stop drama, angst, thrilling suspense, heartfelt emotions, and steamy romance. I loved the direction the author took her characters in the end, and it was great to see the characters from the earlier books make appearances too. D.L. Darby, thank you for this incredible story and wild ride.

🎧📚🎧And for the incredible audiobook production performed by the perfectly cast voice artists, Janine Granda and Robert Hatchet. They did an amazing job bringing these characters to life, giving each a voice that was fitting for a perfect portrayal of each. Granda absolutely nailed it as Carmela, grasping every aspect of her personality, from her vulnerabilities in her younger years to the witty and fierce woman she became. Hatchett did the same for Anders and was just as amazing with showcasing all aspects of his personality, from his angsty, judgmental self to his caring and protective self. Both were fantastic at performing the roles of all the side and secondary characters, too. These entertaining storytellers are a pleasure to listen to, and their captivating performance keeps you hooked to the story.

Unexpected secrets and lots of suspense!

ᴀᴜᴅɪᴏʙᴏᴏᴋ ʀᴇᴠɪᴇᴡ 🎧: ᴘʟᴀʏ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴍᴇ ʙʏ ᴅ.ʟ. ᴅᴀʀʙʏ

This book was full of surprises I was not expecting. We meet Carmela in the previous books of the series and loved her big boss lady vibes and she brought all that and more here.

There is so much I want to say but I don’t want to spoil anything. I didn’t read any reviews before diving in so just the knowledge of the previous books and characters and I am glad I did. Darby did a great job of making me think one thing but giving me something else in all the best ways. I will say the power struggle between the characters was great. This is a standalone but I feel like to get a better reading experience they should be read in order since the characters from the series all connect throughout the series.

The audiobook was wow. I loved Janine Granda voice as Carmela she totally brought her boss lady vibes. Robert Hatchet did a great job as well. Amazing overall narrator performance.




Forehead Kiss |Adult Sex Club | Forced Proximity |Fake Relationship | Dominance Struggle | Whodunit | Touch Her & ☠️ | Workplace Romance | Exhibitionism/Voyeurism | Mutual Pining | Suspenseful | Baby Girl | Good Boy

Baby girl

Kept me hooked the whole time. The spice, suspense and thrill that came with each chapter. I loved this story. The narrators really brought out these characters. The way Carmela was soft for Mick seemed so off for the strong FMC she came across as. But really she just wanted someone to truly love her. 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

Seductive, emotional and absolute perfection!

D.L. Darby has created a seductive and ravishing world with Angels of Desirer.

This series has remarkable story lines and characters, and gets into sensitive topics in a tasteful and respectful manner, all while giving readers the "down and dirty" we've come to love from this series and her exceptional writing. This audiobook was absolutely incredible! Robert Hatchet and Janine Granda were exceptional bringing Anders and Carmela to life. Their dynamic was narrated to perfection.

Their connection and instant attraction let me know I better hunker down because I was about to go on a ride. The love/hate, push/pull between Anders and Carmela will have your ears smoking. I found myself wanting to kick Anders between the legs, and then getting on my knees to kiss it better. The mystery and suspense will keep you on the edge of your seat trying to figure out whodunit while the spice will have you hot and bothered. Play With Me was an addictive blend of emotions, spice, twist & turns, mystery and intrigue, and the fateful conclusion and HEA that makes for a 5 star listen that can be enjoyed again and again. The emotional growth in Carmela and Anders both individually and together forged a bond between them that could not be broken. I absolutely devoured this audiobook and highly recommend not only this installment but the entire series.

cara & "smooth guy"

𝟰 🌶

𝗠𝗖𝘀: 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘢 𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘦 (𝘤𝘢𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘳𝘢) ♡ 𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴

𝙏𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛𝙞𝙨𝙝 𝙩𝙚𝙢𝙥𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨. 𝙎𝙝𝙚 𝙖𝙡𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙫𝙚𝙨 𝙪𝙨 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙝𝙚𝙧.

💭 this is my 1st read of 𝘋𝘓𝘋 & will def not be my last. im normally not into cheating (tho off page & not between mc's), but it def gave much 𝙈𝙐𝘾𝙃 drama to the story, which eventually led to 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗹𝗮 & 𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀' meeting. she owns a shmex club & needed security detail after some1's apparently tryna unalive her; he got the job coz of his detective background. i found the title fitting coz 𝙤𝙤𝙤𝙛!! did they play 𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗗!! when i say "𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺", i meant:

1. solid 𝗰𝗮𝘁 & 𝗺𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲 trope
2. the 𝙎𝙋𝙄𝘾𝙀!!

🎧 the narrators gave such an entertaining performance in this duet narration. 𝘫𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘢 was full of passion & very sensual, while 𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘵... 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨!! the timber of his voice was juz so deep & soothing🫠 they made the spice 💯spicin🔥

dark contemporary romance | romantic suspense | detective/bodyguard x madame/club owner | hate to love | shmex club | age gap | fake dating | who done it? | stalkr | serial unaliver | found fam

‼️ 𝙪𝙧 𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙡 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙩𝙝 𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨. ✔️🆃🆆/🅲🆆