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

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.

Loved the dirty talk!

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

Great 3rd book

Ok, so I really liked most of the story. The only disappointing part was the end. I was really pissed about how some of the ending played out. There was a lot of murder in this book, I wasn’t fully expecting that. I think there was possibly more spice in this book than the last one or roughly the same. Either way, the spice was good. The narrators were good and the duet narration did well.

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.