Sometimes love challenges everything you thought you knew about yourself.
Beautiful, driven socialite Avery Roberts knows exactly who she is—and exactly where she belongs. As a powerful art buyer with impeccable taste and fierce control over her life, she has no patience for distractions. Especially not the kind that comes in the form of Quentin Davis, a free-spirited photojournalist whose effortless charm and unstructured life clash with everything Avery values.
Their first meeting sparks tension, not romance. Avery sees Quentin as irresponsible and unfocused. Quentin sees Avery as guarded and emotionally distant. When a reckless bet challenges Quentin to break through Avery’s icy exterior, he accepts—never expecting the connection that follows to change both of them.
As attraction deepens, Avery begins to unravel truths she’s long buried. Adopted and searching for answers, she sets out to find her biological parents, only to be rejected by the mother who wants no part of her life. At the same time, Quentin’s latest photo assignment places him in direct opposition to a powerful developer threatening the community center that shaped his childhood.
The truth shatters them both: the man behind the destruction is Avery’s biological father.
Caught between love, loyalty, and the weight of inherited choices, Avery and Quentin must decide whether their relationship can survive the pasts they never chose—and whether love is worth the risk when everything is on the line.
Playing for Keeps is a layered, emotionally resonant contemporary romance that explores love, identity, and the courage it takes to confront difficult truths. With richly drawn characters and a story rooted in authenticity, Yahrah St. John delivers a powerful love story where connection is earned, vulnerability matters, and choosing love means facing the past head-on.
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